This is a not-so-little guide to most/almost all of the Effects and other tools that you can do in Paint Shop Pro. Note that I am doign this for Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7.4, not 8 or any of the lower version, so if you have a version other than 7.4 you may have more or less effects and they might be listed differently.
Now you see the tabs at the top of the page when you open the Application? Images, Effects, Colors, Layers, Objects, Selections, Masks, and Window. Each of those tabs will be covered on this page. Quick Links to a particular tab on detail on this page:
Images | Effects | Colors | Layers | Objects | Selections | Masks | Window


Images Tab
  • Flip- What is at the top of your image will now be at the bottom of your image, and vice versa.
  • Mirror- What is on the left of your image will be on the right, and vice versa.
  • Rotate- Choose how many degrees to the left or the right you want to move the image.
  • Canvas Size- Edit how large or small your image is, as well as where an image goes when you paste it onto an already existing image.
  • Resize- You can make your image smaller or bigger.
  • Image Information- Here you can find out random information about your image, as well as place a copyright on the image (invisible)
  • Arithmetic- This tool lets you add onto your image, multiply it (it creates a new image with the settings you select), and other mathematical equates. A fun tool to play around with if you want to change your image around a little.
  • Add Borders- Add borders around your images.
  • Picture Frame- THere are dozens of premade picture frames which you can select to place around your image.
  • Watermarking-This puts an invisible copyright on your image.
    • Embed Watermark- Place a copyrght on your image.
    • Read Watermark- Find out if an image you are using all has a watermark embedded.

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Effects Tab
  • Effect Browser- This is an overview of all of the effects available. This also provides a definition of each effect listed on it.
  • Blur- Various ways to blur your image.
    • Average- Blurs image.
    • Blur- Blurs image.
    • Blur More- Blurs image more than other two.
    • Gaussian Blur- Makes the image fuzzy.
    • Motion Blur- Gives your image the efect that it is moving.
    • Soften- Fuzzies your image.
    • Soften More- Fuzzies your image even more.
  • Sharpen- Various ways to sharpen the appearance of your image.
    • Sharpen- Clears the image up.
    • Sharpen More- Clears the image up more.
    • Unsharp Mask- Clears the image up.
  • Edge- Various ways to enchance or get rid of any edges in your image (FUN!)
    • Dilate- Sort of like the Erode effect, it washes away most edges in your image.
    • Enhance- Outlines edges in your image.
    • Enhance More- Outlines the edges in your image even more.
    • Erode- Blurs and darkens your images on all edges.
    • Find All- Outlines all edges in your image.
    • Find Horizontal- Outlines the edges running horizontal (left to right) in your image.
    • Find Vertical- Outlines the edges running vertically (up and down) in your image.
    • Trace Contour- Finds the outlines of all edges in your image.
  • Noise- Various ways to add to your image.
    • Add- This adds confetti- type color, or "noise," to your image.
    • Despeckle- Gets rid of the darker tones in your image.
    • Edge Preserving Smooth- Smudges your image.
    • Median Filter- Gets rid of medians in your image.
    • Salt and Pepper Filter- Gets rid out any specks of color that doesn't belong.
    • Texture Preserving Smooth- Smooths out your image but keeps the texture with it.
  • Enhance Photo- Various ways to make your image better.
    • Automatic Color Balance- Automatically balances the colors in your image.
    • Automatic Contrast Enhancement- Gets rid of any large contrasts between colors in the spectrum.
    • Automatic Saturation Enhancement- Controls how much color your image soaks up, or saturates.
    • Deinterlace- Gets rid of any order in your image.
    • JPEG Artifact Removal- Gets rid of any annoying specks from JPEG (.jpg) images.
    • Moiré Pattern Removal- Blurs image.
    • Automatic Small Scratch Removal- Gets rid of any "scratches" that do not belong on the image.
    • Clarify- Lightens the image.
    • Fade Correction- Brightens the image. IE: If the picture is of night, it now looks like midday.
    • Manual Color Correction- Here you can change the basic cover color of you image. Play around with the different settings and it can totally change your image.
    • Red-Eye Removal- If your image is one with a person in it, you can remove the red-eye effect.
  • 3D Effects- Different effects you can do to a LAYERED image.
    • Buttonize- Makes your image look somewhat like a button.
    • Chisel- Details layers in your image.
    • Cutout- Details layers in your image.
    • Drop Shadow- Details layers in your image, puts a shadow behind the most prominent layer.
    • Inner Bevel- Details layers in your image.
    • Outer Bevel- Details layers in your image.
  • Artistic Effects- Colour changing effects.
    • Aged Newspaper- Browns your image so it looks like an old newspaper.
    • Black Pencil- Takes your image, turns it white and outlines all lines with black lines.
    • Brush Strokes- Makes your image look like a painting, I love this effect.
    • Charcoal- Darkens your image.
    • Chrome- Kind of self-explanatory.
    • Colored Chalk- Outlines image.
    • Colored Edges- Colours the image's edges.
    • Colored Foil- Changes the colours in fun ways. This is a nice element to play around with.
    • Colored Pencil- Outlines edges in image.
    • Contours- Gives contours to your image.
    • Enamel- Darkens your image.
    • Glowing Edges- Nice effect; makes your image "glow."
    • Hot Wax Coating- Darkens image.
    • Neon Glow- Lightens your image.
    • Pencil- Cool effect, changes the colour of your image usually.
    • Sepia- Browns your image, so it looks like an old photograph from the 1800's or so.
    • Topography- Makes your image look like a geographical topographical map.
  • Geometric Effects- Effects that change the way your image appears, by way of shapes and other types of manipulation.
    • Circle- Makes your image into a sphere.
    • Curly Qs- Adds rows of curly-Q's to your image.
    • Cylinder- Horizontal- Arranges your image horizontally.
    • Cylinder- Vertical- Arranges your image vertically.
    • Page Curl- Cool effect that makes your image look like a page being turned.
    • Pentagon- Shapes your image into a pentagon.
    • Perspective-Horizontal- Changes your image into a horizontal perspective piece.
    • Perspective-Vertical- Changes your image into a vertical perspective piece.
    • Pinch- Pinches your image together.
    • Pixelate- Want to make a Mystery Pic contest? This is a neat effect that will do just that.
    • Punch- Spreads out and contorts your image.
    • Ripple- This effect looks like a drop of water just plopped on your image.
    • Skew- Skews your image to one side or the other.
    • Spiky Halo- Spikes the edge of your image; combines colours near the edges as well.
    • Twirl- Puts a big swirl in the center of your image.
    • Warp- Distorts the center of your image.
    • Wave- Kind of like the Spiky Halo, but all over your image.
    • Wind- Makes your image look like it's moving.
  • Illumination Effects-Brighten up your image!
    • Sunburst- Look like a big sunburst on your page; or as if the sun is in the corner of your image.
    • Lights- Add lights to different places on your image.
  • Reflection Effects- Effects that double up your image; illusionatory effects.
    • Feedback- Puts a smaller copy of your image in the center of it.
    • Kaleidoscope- This is a nice way to get cool designs for layouts etc. Put a bunch of colours in your image then check out this effect!
    • Pattern- Neatly patterns your image. Great for backgrounds.
    • Rotating Mirror- Splits your image down the center, then one side reflects the other (if if you REALLY want to get technical, you could say "and vice versa." lol).
  • Texture Effects- Effects that add texture to your image, to make it pop out.
    • Blinds- Puts black "blinds" on your image. Adjustments can be made to decide how big the blinds are as well as which direction they go.
    • Emboss- This effect is almost like the topography effect, but lighter and smoother.
    • Fine Leather- Makes your image look more unfocused.
    • Fur-Makes your image look spiky, it is almost like a painting.
    • Mosaic Antique- Kind of like adding "Noise" to your image.
    • Mosaic Glass- Nearly the same as above.
    • Polished Stone- Smooths out your image, sometimes bringing out small details as well.
    • Rough Leather- Smooths out your image.
    • Sandstone- Gives you image a nice texture.
    • Sculpture- Brings out little tiny details in your image.
    • Soft Plastic- This texture effect is like a smoother version of the topography effect.
    • Straw-wall- This effect is nearly the same as the Fur effect.
    • Texture- Here you can select different textures to apply to your image, to give it a smoother or rougher, raised appearance.
    • Tiles- Tile your image with circles, squares, or not-so-squares...
    • Weave- Makes your image look like it was woven. You can edit the color of the weave and how big each strip of weave is/ how many strips are on your image.
  • User Defined- Choose your own effects to do to your image all at once.
  • Plug-in Filters- Some nice filters that give you glass-like effects among other textures and types.

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Colors Tab
  • Adjust- Various things to adjust on your image.
    • Brightness/Contrast- Adjusts how bright your image is and how much difference between colours there is.
    • Channel Mixer- Mess with setting to change your image's colours.
    • Color Balance- This will also change the image's colour if you mess with the settings.
    • Curves- Change the coloration of you image based on the amount of Red, Green and Blue in it.
    • Gamma Correction- Same as above.
    • Highlight/Midtone/Shadow- Lighten or darken your image, smooth it out.
    • Hue/Saturation/Lightness- Change the shade of your image.
    • Hue Map- Same as above.
    • Levels- Adjust how much light or dark is allowed in your image.
    • Red/Green/Blue- Basically the same as the things above.
    • Threshold- Adjust how much black or white is on the image.
  • Colorize- Give an image colour.
  • Grey Scale- Makes your image black and white (with grey of course)
  • Histogram Functions- Different ways the Histogram works.
    • Equalize- Balances out the light and the dark
    • Histogram Adjustment- Basically you can change the lightness and darkness.
    • Stretch- I'm not quite sure what this does..
  • Negative Image- Makes your image look like a photograph's negative.
  • Posterize- Brings out the tones and colours of the image, simplifying it greatly.
  • Solarize- Darkens some places, lightens others based on already-existing brightness levels.
  • Split Channel- Divide your image by slicing them colour-wise.
    • Split to RGB- Makes a new image for each primary colour represented in your image.
    • Split to HSL- Makes a new image for each hue/saturation level in your image.
    • Split to CMYK- Makes a new image for random colours represented in your image.
  • Combine Channel- If you did any of the splitting above, this recombines those image in yet another new window.
    • Combine From RGB- If you did any of the splitting above, this recombines those image in yet another new window.
    • Combine From HSL- If you did any of the splitting above, this recombines those image in yet another new window.
    • Combine From CMYK- If you did any of the splitting above, this recombines those image in yet another new window.
  • Edit Palette- See 'Load Palette' below.
  • Load Palette- You can make your image themed to a certain colour, and in some cases more than one colour. After you have applied this technique, you can edit the palette (if you want), then click on 'save palette.'
  • Save Palette- See above, 'Load Palette.'
  • Set Palette Transparency- Toggle around with how transparent your newly applied palette is.
  • View Palette Transparency- Not exactly sure what this does, sorry.
  • Count Colors Used- This neat tool counts the number of colours used in your image.
  • Decrease Color Depth- You can decrease the amount of colours in your image...
  • Increase Color Depth- ...and increase them as well!

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Layers Tab
  • New Rastor Layer- Creates a new layer on your image used if you want to have something transparent, etc.
  • New Vector Layer- Essentially does the same as creating a new Rastor layer.
  • New Adjustment Layer- Create a new layer that is controlled by one of the following:
    • Brightness/Contrast- Puts a layer on your image to lighten, darken, or increase & decrease contrast.
    • Channel Mixer- Change the levels of various colours in your image and how prominently they are portrayed.
    • Color Balance- Adjust the balance of colour on your current layer.
    • Curves- Move the curve (by clicking on it) down to make the image darker, and up to make it lighter.
    • Hue/Saturation/Lightness- Change the colour and how saturated the colour/ hue is of your currently selected layer.
    • Invert- Turns your image inside out, preserving texture.
    • Levels- Adjusts levels of more prominent colours in your image, lightening and darkening it.
    • Posterize- Brings out the tones and colours of the image.
    • Threshold- You can make the image black and white, but a cool effect is to toggle with the transparency under the 'General' tab, you'll have your original image plus highlights and lowlights of white and black (respectively).
  • Duplicate- Duplicate a specified layer.
  • Delete- Deleted a specified layer.
  • Properties- Change the properties of a specified layer (including how TRANSPARENT it is by decreasing the number next to 'Opacity.'
  • Matting- Decorative borders.
    • Defringe- Remove any matting placed on your image.
    • Remove Black Matte- Remove black matting around something you have pasted onto your image.
    • Remove White Matte- Remove white matting around something you have pasted onto your image.
  • Arrange- Different ways to place an object (or LAYER) on your image.
    • Bring to Top- Bring a layer to the very top (above all other layers)
    • Move Up- Move your current layer up higher then others on your image.
    • Move Down- Move your current layer down more than other layers on your image.
    • Send to Bottom- Send your currently selected layer to the very bottom of all layers in your image.
  • View- Choose which layers you would like to see.
    • Current Only- Choose to view the current layer you are on by itself.
    • All- Choose to view all of the layers together.
    • None- Choose to view none of your layers.
    • Invert- Turn it inside out.
    • Show Group- Show any grouped items you might have on your image.
    • Hide Group- Hide any grouped items you might have on your image.
  • Merge- The act of putting more than one object together as one. In this case, you are merging layers.
    • Merge All (Flatten)- This helps if you have an image you want to copy, but you just put text on it. You can merge all of the layers, and voila! Right click and copy your image!
    • Merge Visible- Merge all layers that were not hidden, or that are unmasked
  • Convert to Rastor Layer- Convert a normal layer to a rastor layer, allowing you to again work on your image (changing things) after adding text or pre-made shapes.
  • Promote to Layer- Makes an item placed on your image it's own layer, allowing you to adjust it's position in the layer levels.

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Objects Tab
  • Align- Aligns an object placed on your image.
    • Top- Put the objects on the top.
    • Bottom- Put the object on the bottom.
    • Left- Puts the object on the left part of your image.
    • Right- Puts the object on the right part of your image.
    • Vertical Center- Vertically centers all objects on your image.
    • Horizontal Center- Horizontally centers all objects on your image.
    • Center in Canvas- Centers objects in the middle of your image.
    • Horz. Center in Canvas- Horizontally centers objects in the center of your iamge.
    • Vert. Center in Canvas- Vertically centers objects in the center of your image.
  • Distribute- Where you want the objects in your images to be.
    • Vertical Top- Put your objects at the vertical top.
    • Vertical Center- Put your objects vertically centered.
    • Vertical Bottom- Put your objects at the vertical bottom.
    • Horizontal Left- Put your objects horizontal left.
    • Horizontal Center- Put your objects horizontally centered.
    • Horizontal Right- Put your objects horizontal right.
    • Space Evenly Horz.- Space your objects horizontally evenly.
    • Space Evenly Vert.- Space your objects vertically evenly.
  • Make Same Size- Make your objects the same size.
    • Horizontal- Make objects horizontally the same size.
    • Vertical- Make objects the same size vertically.
    • Both- Make objects the same size both vertically and horizontally.
  • Arrange- Arrangement of layers.
    • Bring to Top- Move current object layer to the top of all layers.
    • Move Up- Move current object layer up.
    • Move Down- Move current object layer down.
    • Send to Bottom- Move current object layer up to the bottom of all layers.
  • Group- Group objects (so you can move all parts of your image without some being left behind, etc.).
  • Ungroup- Ungroup your objects (so you can move each part separately again).
  • Fit Text to Path- Places your text in a certain strict spot, specified by you.
  • Convert Text to Curves- Straightens out curves of fonts.
    • As Single Shape- Straightens the curves as a whole.
    • As Character Shapes- Straightens individual curves.

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Selections Tab
  • Select All- Select everything on your image.
  • Select None- Get rid of any selections you may have made.
  • From Mask- Select something from a mask you created.
  • From Vector Object- Select something from a vector image.
  • Invert- Make opposite what you selected. If you selected a certain area, to invert it means to instead select the rest of the image, leaving out the square you selected in the beginning.
  • Matting- Dealing with decorative borders.
    • Defringe- Remove any matting placed on your image.
    • Remove Black Matte- Remove black matting around your selection.
    • Remove White Matte- Remove white matting around your selection.
  • Modify- Different ways to change a selection.
    • Contract- Make your selection smaller.
    • Expand- Make your selection bigger.
    • Feather- Fether the edges of your selection.
    • Grow Selection- Make your selection bigger.
    • Select Similar- Pick up other parts of the image that are nearly the same as what you selected.
    • Transparent Color- Give transparency to your selection.
  • Hide Marquee- Pick whether you want to see the "dancing ants" around your selections, or not.
  • Convert to Seamless Pattern- Make your selectiong into a seamlessly tiling pattern.
  • Promote to Layer- Make your selection a layer.
  • Load From Disk- Load a previously saved selection, from somewhere on your computer, onto your current selection. See "Save to Disk," below.
  • Load From Alpha Channel- I honestly don't know what the Alpha Channel is. Let me know at jadey213@yahoo.com if you do.
  • Save to Disk- Save your current selection for later use, ofr for use in a future selection.
  • Save to Alpha Channel- I honestly don't know what the Alpha Channel is. Let me know if you do.
  • Float- Make your selection a floating selecting.
  • Defloat- Stop your selection from floating.

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Masks Tab
  • New- Make a new mask.
    • Hide All- Make a mask that hides everything on your image.
    • Show All- Make a mask that shows everything on your image.
    • Hide Selection- Make a mask that hides something you have selected.
    • Show Selection- Make a mask that shows something selected that you've hidden.
    • From Image- Make a new mask from your current image.
  • Delete- Delete masks that are on your image.
  • Invert- Switch what item the mask is on. I.E.- If the mask is on a selection, the mask will now be on the background; and vice versa.
  • Edit- Edit any masks you have.
  • View Mask- View any masks you have on your images.
  • Load From Disk- Open a previously saved mask into your current one. See "Save to Disk," below.
  • Load From Alpha Channel-I honestly don't know what the Alpha Channel is. Let me know if you do.
  • Save to Disk- Save your current mask for future use.
  • Save to Alpha Channel-I honestly don't know what the Alpha Channel is. Let me know if you do.

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Window Tab
  • New Window- Create a new window.
  • Cascade- Make a cascade of all windows you currently have open in PSP.
  • Tile Horizontally- Horizontally tile all windows that you currently have open in PSP.
  • Tile Vertically- Vertically tile all windows that you currently have open in PSP.
  • Close All- Close all windows that you have open in PSP.
  • Duplicate- Duplicate the window you currently have selected.
  • Fit to Image- If you zoom in or out on your image, use this tool to resize the window automatically to the new dimensions of your image, so you don't have annoying scrollbars to deal with.

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