Looking to create a special effect on your layouts, but you’re not sure what you need to do?  This month, I’ll cover just a few of the many filters available in Paint Shop Pro 8.1.

What you’ll need:

• Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8.0 or higher

• Photographs in digital format

 You’ll learn how to use:

• Brush Strokes

• Frames

• Soft Focus

• Scripts

• Unsharp Mask

In my first layout, called Me & My Dad, I decided to alter the look of my focal point photograph by making it look like a painting.

Open your photo, hit Shift + D to create a copy.  Close your original.

Go to Effects > Art Media Effects > Brush Strokes

I used the default settings for my photo:

• Softness: 7

• Bristles: 242

• Width: 2

• Opacity: 0

• Length:15

• Density: 62

• Angle: 143

• Color: R:91 G:91 B:91 (hex code: 5B5B5B)

Since my focus for this layout is “Me & My Dad” I chose to use two additional photos from the same day.  On these, I added picture frames.

• Open files, make copies, close originals.  On your copies, promote the background to a layer.  We’ll need this later.

• Go to Image > Picture Frame.  I’ve selected Edge Brush 02 for my first photo. 

• For my second picture, I’ve chosen Edge Brush 03, with the same settings as before.

• For both, settings are as follows:

• Settings: Frame outside of image

• Rotate frame 90° CW

• On your layer palette, for both photos, right click and select Merge Visible.

This next step is optional.  I prefer my edged photos without the white, so I remove it.

• Using your magic wand, click on the white portion of the photo. 

• Then, go to your tool bar, and click on the scissors or hit Ctrl + X on your keyboard.

• Selections>Select None.

• Now you can paste this onto your layout.

For the colorized effect on the smaller photos, I simply changed the blend modes on the layer palette to Luminance.

In my second layout, Careful Man, I really liked the look of the Worn Leather background and the Old Belt element from Simply Vintage.  I wanted my photo to mimic the old feel of the paper and belt, so I used Soft Focus and Sepia Toning to achieve what I wanted.

As before, open your photo, Ctrl +D for a copy, and close your original.

• Go to Effects>Artistic Effects>Sepia Toning

• Settings are: Amount to age: 25.  You may prefer it more aged than I do though, so play around.

• Once you’re satisfied with the result, click ok.

• Now go to Adjust>Softness>Soft Focus.

I used the Youthen preset for my photo.  The settings for that are:

• Softness: 67

• Edge Importance: 100

• Include Scattered Light: checked

• Amount: 100

• Halo Size: 41

• Halo Visibility: 15

My final layout, Little Boy of Mine, uses a script from PSP 8.1. 

Open your photo and create a copy.  Close your original photo.

• First you need to have your Script Toolbar visible.  If it’s not, go to View>Toolbars>Script

• With that done, use the drop down menu on the Script toolbar to select one of the many available preset scripts.  For my photo I chose Black & White Pencil. 

• Now click the Play button.

• You’ll be prompted to accept some settings as the Script plays.

And here’s my result!

We’re left with a three layer image now.  Since it’s a bit dark, I increased the brightness of my Raster 2 layer.  (Brightness 25 Contrast: 32)

Merge your layers: Layers > Merge Visible

I wanted to see the edges more clearly in this image, so I chose to use the Unsharp Mask.  This tool is typically used to enhance edges without increasing noise.

This is one that you need to play with until you get the result you love.  Make sure that both of the little eyes are clicked, so that you can see a preview on your original image.

The settings I used are:

• Radius: 61.39

• Strength: 300

• Clipping: 12

The techniques and filters I’ve used here are just a small sample of the treasures waiting to be discovered in Paint Shop Pro.  Jump in; the water’s fine!

Supply lists:

Me & My Dad:

Simply Vacations CD, CottageArts.net: Architecture Sage Paper and Sanded Mat

Fonts: LB Jennifer and 2 Peas Family

Careful Man:

Simply Vintage CD, CottageArts.net: Worn Leather Paper and Worn Belt

Font: 2 Peas Well Behaved

Little Boy of Mine:

Simply Shabby CD, CottageArts.net: Cream Music Paper

Simply Vintage CD, CottageArts.net: Old Ruler and Rusty Slide Mount

Fonts: 2 Peas Task List and 2 Peas Mr. Giggles