PSP5 Picture Tubes - the preparations

1. It's best to never work on the original image! Make a new copy of the original image: go to Window | Duplicate (or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-D).
   Always remember to save often (in .psp format) while working on your image. If you have done something and like the result, save the image.
   This will prevent you from pulling your hair out and having to start all over :o)
2. Always be sure you are working with a 16 Million Colors graphic. Go to Colors | Increase Color Depth. When the 16 Million Colors (24 bit) option is NOT grayed out, click this option. When it is grayed out, you are already working in 16 Million color mode.
3. In order to eventually have your item on a transparent background:
   • duplicate the 'Background' layer. To make things easier you can flood fill the'Background' layer with a solid contrasting color. As soon as you delete some of the pixels around your item, the contrasting color of the 'Background' layer will show through and thus will make it much easier to see the edges of your item.
   • or: promote the 'Background' layer to a new layer. To make things easier you can create a new layer and flood fill this new layer with a solid contrasting color. Drag this layer underneath your item layer.

1. The Shape Selection tool makes selections in four shapes: rectangle, square, ellipse and circle.
2. The Freehand tool (better known as Lasso tool) has 3 options that can be put to use on more complex backgrounds:
   • freehand (irregularly shaped borders)
   • smart edge (borders from edges between contrasting color or light)
   • point to point (point to point straight borders).
3. The Magic Wand tool is a useful tool when the background around the item is fairly simple to select. This tool works great if you have large areas that are similar in appearance.

1. Feathering controls the sharpness of a selection's edges. A higher setting creates softer edges, and a lower setting creates sharper edges.
   The feathering width can be set from 0 to 20 pixels. Set the width to 0 to create a selection with no feathering.
2. Tolerance controls how similar to the selected mode the value of a pixel must be before it is selected. At low settings, the values must be close (only pixels with a perfect match will be selected). At higher settings the tolerance is greater, so the Magic Wand chooses more pixels.
   The tolerance control uses a scale of 0% to 200%, with 0% being no tolerance and 200% being total tolerance.
3. Sample Merged option, when selected, causes the Magic Wand tool to select from all layers of the image within the selected area. When the Sample Merged option is not selected, the Magic Wand tool limits the selection to the active layer.
4. Antialiasing is similar to feathering, but more precise. It produces a smooth-edged selection by partially filling in pixels along the edge, making them semi-transparent. You must check the antialias option before making a selection; after making a selection, you cannot add it.

• A very useful tip I once found at the PSP Users Group web site:
  "If you are trying to get a precise selection from the magic wand or lasso tools. Blow up the image as big as you can so that you can really see the separation points between the image and background. You can eliminate a lot of handwork this way."
• If the image contains an existing selection, you can add area to it, or remove area from it:
  • to add area to the selection, press and hold the <Shift> key
  • to remove area from the selection, press and hold the <Ctrl> key.
• The Modify submenu in the Selections menu contains six commands for modifying a selection. You can:
  • contract the selection
  • expand the selection
  • change the feathering
  • grow the selection
  • select similar areas
  • remove a 'Selected Color' color.
• The selection marquee is normally visible. However, as you work with selections, there will be times when you want to hide the marquee. To hide the marquee, choose Hide the Selection Marquee from the Selections menu. A check mark appears in the menu next to the command.
• There are a few more difficult methods and tools (e.g. using masks, matting and defringe) that can be used to select or to clean up a part of the image.
  Extensive information on working with selections can be found in the Help file that comes with the PSP program. Go to Help | Help Topics and select the section 'Working with Selections'.

Use the Eraser tool to replace pixels (colors) in your layer with a transparency. With this tool and its various settings you can remove unwanted pixels around your item.

If the item still has some rough edges you can try out a few methods to soften the edges.

1. You can use the Paintbrush tool or the Airbrush tool to cover the edges: use the Dropper tool to select an active color from the image. Selecting a color from the image lets you match colors exactly. Spray with a small brush size over the edges of your item (use the brush control options to vary shape, size, opacity, density, hardness step size and paper texture).
2. You use the Retouch tool to apply photo retouching effects to an image. There are several Retouch modes. Some of them are useful methods to soften the item's edges:
   • Soften: smoothes edges and reduces contrast
   • Smudge: spreads color from the starting point and picks up color as it moves (the effect is similar to smearing paint)
   • Push: similar to smudge, but does not pick up any new color.

   Extensive information on working with the Retouch tool can be found in the Help file that comes with the PSP program. Go to Help | Help Topics and select the section 'Painting and Drawing'.

3. You can also soften the item's edges using the Eraser tool and trying out its various settings.

If you are happy with your final result, you must have your item on a transparent layer and have only this layer in your image to be able to make it into a tube.

CROPPING METHODS:
There are several methods to crop the image (i.e. delete the unwanted area and resize the image):

1. Make the 'item' layer in the Layer Palette window the active layer and drag and drop it onto the PSP desktop
2. Select your item and Copy (Ctrl-C) and Paste it As a New Image (Ctrl-V)
3. Delete the 'Background' layer (layer with the contrasting color) and crop the selection:
   • double click within the selected area
   • or: click the Crop Image button on the Tools Control tab of the Control palette
   • or: choose Crop from the Image menu: go to Image | Crop (or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-R).

SELECTING THE ITEM:
There are a few methods to select the item. First be sure the 'item' layer is the active (and before cropping preferably the only) layer, then:

1. select the non-transparent area of the 'item' layer using the Magic Wand tool (tolerance and feather set to 0) and invert the selection: go to Selections | Invert (and crop the selection)
2. double click the Shape Selection tool and check the option: "Select opaque area - current layer", click OK (and crop the selection)
3. double click the Crop Selection tool and check the option: "Select opaque area - current layer", click OK (and crop the selection).

More information on creating a Picture Tube can be found in the Help file that comes with the PSP program. Go to Help | Help Topics and select the tab 'Find', in the upper dialog box type "creating a picture tube".

Tube-making tutorials:
http://newdawn.gzinc.com/tutorials/tubes.html
http://loriweb.pair.com/tube-make.html
http://www.bearchele.com/michele/tube.htm

For more information on the selection tools read the tutorial "Using the different Selection Tools" at:
http://newdawn.gzinc.com/tutorials/selections2.html

A tutorial on using the Lasso tool (and cleaning up images) can be found at:
http://members.xoom.com/CreativeGraphics/Lasso/lasso.html

Tutorials on cleaning up images reside at:
http://www.capecodmouse.com/moushold/psp/t2clean.html
http://www.bearchele.com/michele/image2.htm

JASC, home of the Paint Shop Pro program, has basic info on tubes:
http://www.jasc.com/tubes/index.asp

Tubes webrings:
Go to the Webring! main web site at http://www.webring.org/
Half way down the main page you can search all web rings. Type in the words psp and tubes and check the following options: Search for 'all words' in 'Ring Descriptions' and 'Ring Names & Keywords'.