SKIP THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS!

Learn from my experience instead!

Hooty

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"PaintShopPro" - TEXT QUALITY
1.Check both gif and jpg choices when saving. One will be clearer than the other depending on your graphic and background.

 Usually saving as a gif is the best choice. Jpg usually works well for a graphic but not for the detail of your text.
2.Use easily read fonts. If it is so fancy that only you can read it then don't use it!
3.Outline the outside of your font by adding drop shadow both ways or chisel with all settings at 1!
4.Text should be added last and right before your watermark!
5.Use a color that will contrast!
6.Sometimes you will need to darken or fade your background to help the text to stand out!

TRANSPARENCIES
1.When removing a background from a jpg promote the background layer to a raster layer .

Then as you erase it will be transparent where you erase.
2.Use the eraser tool for tight areas.
3.Use the selection tool / delete to clean large areas and to remove stray pixels.
4.Use the Magic wand/delete to remove large solid color areas.

PICTURE TUBES
1.Instead of clicking repeatedly you can just click and drag to make multiple images.
2.To save as a tube you must:
(A) Rename the layer, it can not be named background,if it is promote to layer.
(B) Have only one layer with a transparent background then:
File/export as picture tube!

3. When looking for loose pixels when making a tube put a new raster layer underneath and flood fill it with a dark then a light color

to see loose pixels easier. Zoom in and use your eraser tool to get rid of the nasties!

  Check out the Tube Puffing tut!

GRAPHICS
1.Always start off with high quality graphics if you want the end result to be high quality!
Don't waste your time on mediocre graphics!
2.Don't over enhance graphics. Each time you do you remove data that is vital.
3.Don't enhance graphics until you have already resized them to the final size that you are going to save.

4. ALWAYS resize your graphic before building a frame around it. Resizing when you are finished destroys the quality of the small drop shadows, borders, pixels etc.

Add up all the borders in pixels that will be added and double the amount.

  Subtract that from 550 for the width and subtract that from 490 for the height to know where your

maximum height and width of your graphic should be resized to before you start.
 

 Why you should do tutorials? Especially HootyTuts...

  My belief is if you can't or won't learn from tutorials, it's like never reading a book. A way to look at it is it's like you have 2 colors of crayons and the student next to you has the whole set of 66 colors. You know that you give just as much thought to what you draw and color ... but everyone that views both of your creations always seems to end up oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing at the creations made by the student with all the colors! Which one do you want to be? Don't you want all the colors too?? Believe me, the quickest way to improve is to be taught by those who already know! Tuts are colors for your crayons!!

HootyTuts are written in a clear, simple and easy style.. if you can follow directions you can create like you never have before! Don't you wanna make your momma proud?

Try 'em = Click

Short Cuts

When you have to set up the settings in an effect

put your left hand on the TAB button and your

right hand at the numeric keys on the right of

your keyboard. Press tab to go to the next box each time and use your right to enter the new settings.

If you have a box that must be checked or unchecked then press your long space bar on your keyboard.

Press enter to accept , apply or OK when that button comes up.

   This is much quicker and easier than your right hand grabbing

the mouse each time, finding the target and clicking on it then jumping up to the numeric key over and over.