They USED to offer Elements separately, but from what I have read, there was enough demand to have it put in CC that from now on they are only offering it in CC, just like everything else. According to everything I have read, Elements 2014 is the last edition that will be separate from CC, but I suppose only time will truly tell.
Getting back to the no freebies TOU When I started out designing freebies, it was just for fun, not to make money out of it. I pretty much have the exact same history Robyn has with scrapping: donwloading and using freebies to figure out whether I like this digiscrapping thing I stumbled upon - falling in love with some stuff along the way (and buying it) - finding PIxelscrapper and a whole bunch of people just like me - start to make freebies for the PS blogtrains. Here is where the trouble started: I spent lots of nights trying to figure out unreadable TOU's that I decided on two things: 1. only use PS CU stuff and 2. Make all other things from scratch. That last thing drew the attention of Marisa I guess. By making stuff from scratch and offering them under the same laidback terms PS uses I got offered a job here as a designer. Haha, and I believed I would never sell my stuff, ever... As many of you also believe when first starting out.
I completely forgot the point I was making I guess it is: Be saef, how and in the future. Use stuff from DigitalScrapbook.com (sorry for the selling pitch here, but that really is how I feel about it!).
Melo, I don't think anyone here would have a problem with your "selling pitch" - I would say that most of us are here because, as members, supporters, downloaders and users, we recognise that, while there are many websites devoted to digital scrapbooking, there is only one DigitalScrapbook.com. When you read Marisa's manifesto, you realise just how different this site is to all the others out there. And the simplicity, and clarity, of the site's TOU is something that others could only dream about.
In addition, the whole community aspect of DigitalScrapbook.com sets it apart from the rest. My daughter, a talented photographer, has told me of the nastiness she has encountered on photography forums. No one wants to share their knowledge with anyone else, guarding it with great zeal - the complete opposite to DigitalScrapbook.com! Here, everyone is so generous with their knowledge and experience, helping wherever needed, and celebrating others' successes. And this is a direct result of the leadership displayed by Marisa and Jordan.
Well, that's my selling pitch for today!
Seriously, though, Melo makes a good point when she talks about deciding to only use resources from DigitalScrapbook.com or from her own imagination when she makes them from scratch - it certainly saves a lot of headaches! I am most definitely not capable of making things from scratch, so the resources on this site are of particular importance to me, as I "play" with Photoshop Elements, experimenting and learning as I go. And, yes, offering freebies to other members.
Sorry, Linda - I've been doing my bit towards getting "off-topic", too. I suppose it's because we're not just "commenting", we're real people having a real conversation, and following all the winding trails you tend to do when you're talking face-to-face with someone!
@Robyn: I've run into that problem, too - no one wanting to share knowledge & closely guarding it.
In my case.... I wasn't an art major in college, I was a business major. My artistic side is in music, not art. Though that's not to say I can't appreciate good art. I've never taken any art classes beyond what everyone was required to take in high school (I think our focus, back then, was pottery and a few "paper" crafts like maybe origami). I have never really painted (other than watercoloring when I was a kid - playing around & experimenting - you know, messy pictures!), and I have never taken any drawing classes so there was never any opportunity to learn about shadowing. And here's where the "guarding" part comes in - I really could've used some help with shadow settings (a "cheat sheet," so to speak) so my shadows look more realistic on my layouts, but no one seems to want to share their basic shadow settings! Instead they point you to "shadow styles" - here, purchase my shadow styles. Well, there's a problem with that - I don't use Photoshop! (I think they forget that not everyone uses Photoshop) And "styles" are not usable in PSP. So I just sigh & continue to be frustrated. And when I do shadowing I just "guess" & hope it looks okay. But I'd rather have it look good, not just okay, KWIM? C'est la vie, I guess...
I don't think it's that they're maliciously "guarding" any secret list of drop-shadow settings. I am pretty sure that no standard for drop-shadows exists. More than likely, designers just eye it. And they either expect you to eye it, too, or buy pre-made styles (I don't know if there are any drop-shadow tubes available - i can't remember if tubes can do that). Designers (both in the scrapbooking world and in the web/graphic design world) are MORE than willing to show people how to make their own drop-shadows, so I honestly don't think there is really a "guarding" issue. They're expecting you to use your creative/artistic abilities to be able to determine what you want your drop-shadow to look like and whether or not it is appropriate.
If you feel lost in determining what your drop-shadow should look like, then I would suggest studying the basic elements of art: "light and shadow". And there are a TON of tutorials and lessons about it on the internet. Or, grab a small table lamp or flashlight to use as a light source and shine it on the objects you're interested in making a shadow for. Observe how the light interacts with them.
There really is no "right or wrong" here, unless you're casting your shadows in different directions (which would indicate multiple light sources and make life more complicated). Because, more dramatic lighting will cause longer shadows, there really is no way to say that your shadows are "wrong" - and more than likely, you'd be able to eye it and say when a shadow looks out of place or absurd. So don't stress over it so much!
@Mollie: I guess I'm going to have to agree to disagree, as I agree with others that mentioned there is some guarding going on (though not so much in here). And I feel my feelings about the shadowing subject are quite valid. As I stated before, which you must have missed, I can't use styles....because PSP can't use Photoshop styles.. Now if PSP were able to, my problems would be over -- all I'd need to do is buy someone's shadow styles (and I've seen those for sale all over). So, given that PSP can't use Photoshop styles & you're saying that there aren't any specific guidelines or standards whatsoever, I'm in the same position as before -- just guessing (which I also already stated). But I'm not buying that.... IMHO there must be some sort of guidelines or standards out there or people wouldn't be able to create these "shadow styles," no??
I've seen this said all over the place, in both forums & tutorials, that shadows can make or break your layouts (as well as your product previews, if you are a designer). That said, I would very much like to get some guidelines. I don't know if you recall or not (remember the Country Wedding train?), but I'm trying to digiscrap my wedding album because the original one fell apart... Needless to say I want the shadowing right before that ever heads off to the printer! I spent several hours searching the web yesterday for that kind of info. & came up empty-handed, which I found sad. What would be helpful -- if the people that are doing the tutorials would write down & share the shadowing guidelines/standards they use so that anyone, regardless of the software they use, could shadow their layouts nicely. You know, everything from what settings they'd use (vertical & horizontal offset, opacity, blur) for shadowing buttons to staples to papers to flowers to ribbons, etc.
My point was that EVERYONE is "just guessing" at some point. There's NO set standard that designers are somehow magically getting and hoarding away from everyone else. My point was that everyone tinkers with the settings until they get something that looks "right" - from their experience of looking at real shadows.
I can guarantee you that when Sheila made the shadow styles for PixelScrapper, she JUST EYED THEM, and made shadows that she thought looked appropriate. She didn't pull out some checklist of standards to make the shadows adhere to. She just played with the settings until she got what she wanted - which is pretty much what all designers do. Some then turn around and make tutorials and if they look good, then other people copy what they did. It's a process of experimentation and creativity.
And, YES, I understand that PaintShop Pro does NOT use Photoshop Styles. It's been 12 years since I used PSP, but I DO REMEMBER THAT. lol! What I was TRYING to say is that PS Styles are an EASY way for designers to share their settings and make it easy for the people who DON'T want to eye it and experiment with shadows, an easy press-one-button way - and PSP doesn't have anything like that. I'll agree that it sucks that designers assume everyone who is wanting to use shadows are also using Photoshop.
Have you thought of possibly asking someone who has some Photoshop shadow styles to give you the settings on various styles so you can try replicating them? Sheila is a wiz at Photoshop styles and she might be willing to help you. I KNOW that all the settings are not the same between Photoshop and PSP drop-shadow features, but it could be a step in the right direction. (I would totally help you out with that, but I use Sheila's styles and I wouldn't feel right sharing her settings without her permission.)
ALSO, I dug around and found a few shadow-related tutorials. You might find the information useful in determining what settings you'd like to use for your shadows.
I think these might be really helpful for you: here, and here. And these are geared toward Photoshop, but still have some good info you might like: here, and here. And this page is related to web design and text effects, but it uses some techniques in PSP that might be of interest to you: here.
As I said earlier, I think you're over thinking it. There's no "right or wrong" for these shadows (unless, of course, you're casting them in complete opposite directions - and that's really about the only "wrong" - and even then, if YOU like it, then WHO CARES??). Just go with whatever you like.
And, it occurred to me that I might be coming off as a jerk here, so I want to apologize if that is the case. I am not intending to be.
@Mollie: Thanks - I'll check those out a little more closer later... But from opening some of the pages up, many of them are ones I've already seen before through my searching (there's a lot out there on manipulating & warping shadows and shadowing stuff like acrylics) & are are mostly geared toward Photoshop. Sometimes it is very tough being a person that uses a graphic program other than Photoshop...
I just thought that you might be able to look at some of the Photoshop settings and possibly translate some of it to PaintShop Pro. I know that all the settings aren't the same, but some of them might be?
I agree, there aren't a ton of tutorials out there. (lol I remember there being a LOT more 12 years ago, long before Corel bought out PSP. I guess the enthusiasm and support for the program has died off, which is a pity because I remember it being pretty decent even all the way back then!)
Well, I've been taking notes, but I've found that I'm not very good at translating Photoshop specific tutorials into PSP. I watched some of the videos, and there are differences (option-wise & such) & I'm not sure I can figure it out. I do try, though!
Well, I'm going to weigh into this discussion, too! I used to use PSP 8, but that was just for some basic touching up of photos (very basic!) At that time I didn't even know there was such a thing as digital scrapbooking. When I did become aware of it, and wanted to try it, I downloaded trial versions of both PSP x4 and PSE 11, to see which one I wanted to buy. Being more familiar with PSP, I really wanted to go that way, but eventually decided to go with Elements, purely because there were more tutorials, more support and more resources for the Photoshop line. So, yes, Lizanne, I completely understand where you're coming from! What we really need is someone who is proficient in both programs to write parallel tutorials on how to achieve a similar result with whichever program we use. Or even two people to collaborate on this.
Oh, and Lizanne, maybe you could have a look at THIS LINK - I don't know if it will be any help to you or not.
Well, I thought I may have finally found what I was looking for (on the 2nd page toward the bottom they talked about a site that had shadow presets for PSP), however it was for PSP when Jasc owned it and I fear that won't work. Corel has owned PSP for a while now & has completely changed the program (it's one of the reasons I've had such difficulty with the program - I started out with the Jasc version, and when I went upgraded from X1 to X4, oh boy was it different!). I will keep looking though & seeing if there's anything else there's one more page to that thread.
Lizanne, I took a glance at that tut Robyn linked to. To get those results is fairly easy. Put your drop shadow on a separate layer, then use the warp tool to deform the shadow to the shape you want. I do that with things like curled ribbon, string, or elements I want to look like a corner or part of it is lifted higher, like the corner of a frame.
That's the thing though, Linda - I'm not looking for tutorials on warping/manipulating shadows (advanced shadowing techniques)... What I've been looking for is actual settings for shadows (vertical & horizontal offset, opacity, blur) for everything from buttons to staples to papers to flowers to ribbons, etc. And yes, I understand that some of those shadows may need to be tweaked afterward, but what I'm looking for right now is the beginning stuff - the basic stuff. I hope I am making sense - I'm trying awfully hard to word it right...
Okay, so I just downloaded the trial version of PSP X7 so I could open it up next to PS CS2 and play with shadow settings. And, WOW, I am surprised at how VERY limited the shadow settings are in PSP! I can guarantee you that you are NOT going to get PS-quality shadows in PSP WITHOUT some MAJOR tweaking!! It just does NOT have the same functionality.
That being said, I will try and see if I can translate the shadow styles that I have into PSP-friendly terms for you. It won't be an exact science, and it WILL be bare basic settings, but I will see what I can cobble together for ya'. I'll keep you posted (I am thinking, maybe tomorrow if I feel in the groove, otherwise later this week).
That's very kind & generous of you, Mollie - thank you! And you know, I would have no idea about the difference between PS-quality shadows vs. ones made in PSP. I just know that I had a hard time following some of the PS tutorials because some of the options weren't there, etc. As it is I'm still learning all the things that I can't use in PSP that you can use in PS. Every now & then I'll ask someone questions about things like that. Like, can .eps files be used? (I don't know the answer to that question, but I haven't looked into that yet either - trying to tackle one thing at a time)
I use X6, but I haven't heard that they made any changes in that area between X6 & X7. I'm thinking of holding off upgrading until X8 comes out. I haven't even had X6 a year yet.
Yes, you can open eps, ai, wmf, in PSP, but these are vector files. When they are opened in PSP, they open as raster, flattened, files. If the vector file you want to open has a transparent background, it will open that way. If you really want to work with vectors, you need a vector program. I use Serif Draw which is not expensive, but powerful enough for my purposes. I also have an early version of Illustrator that I occasionally use for opening vectors so I can take them apart to get the parts I want to use. If someone hasn't worked with vectors, that probably sounds crazy. Vectors a built in layers which is entirely different from raster which are made up of pixels. Taking a vector apart means separating out the layers I don't want from the layers I do. I use a lot of vectors. But I work with them in a vector program and when I have the result I want, I then export them as raster.
When you open a vector in PSP, you get this dialog box:
I've drawn red boxes around the pertinent information. The box at the top is DPI. It is automatically set at 72. Change it to at least 300. The higher the number, the larger the resulting image will be. You can always change the DPI to the correct one later. The lower boxes on the box show the mg size. I point this out because it is not accurate. Just ignore it.
BTW, I have no problem with getting the shadows I want in PSP. Some may take a little work, but then I don't make the fantasy style LOs that place things in realistic settings of great depth. I have done a bit of that, but even then I had no real difficulty doing the shadows.
Lizanne, I created a post HERE (figured it was a better spot than buried in this thread). I hope it helps. Lemme know, k? I've got PSP X7 for 29 more days, so I can do some more experimenting if need be. lol.
Very interesting discussion on the terms issues. Much like Melo, I'm using only things from here at PS to use in my kits or creating them myself (either with my brain or PSE/PSP tuts that have "do what you want with it" terms). Or clipart from public domain. I did hear back from Jordan on using PS's terms for my kits. Since I'm on the design end of scrapbooking and not a scrapper, I DO hope to get good enough to sell some things or be invited to join a store (I guess that's how it works, I dunno lol). I'm not even sure at what point to offer Cu/S4H/S4O terms. Right now, I'm just having PU terms until I get a handle on things. BUT ... I want to keep my terms as simple as possible. When I designed web sets, terms on using others' designs could have you wanting to hire a lawyer to make sure you didn't do anything wrong. Egads, I don't want that for people who use my stuff. One main reason I wanted to become a patron here at PS was to be able to use CU stuff in hopes of selling someday and know that I'm safe in doing so. That said, thanks to all the designers here make things available for us other new designers. I never thought I'd EVER get a kit made, but I've got a few under my belt now.
@Mollie - I just visited your blog and love it, especially the more "personal" side. I'm adding a link to it from my blog, hope that's okay!
@Lizanne - I still use my PSP8 (yeah, an old one) along with PSE to make things. There are just a lot of things that are easier to do in PSP. Here's a website I've used to create many things in PSP and her terms are "do what you want with your creation". Scrap Stuff with PSP Tutorials. She's got some PS tuts as well, but so far, I've been able to recreate most of them in PSP.
@Lisa: Thanks... had this one in my bookmarks already. It's a good site for those with older versions of PSP (given the last post was made sometime in 2009). For me, though, I'm on the newer version. Corel really changed the software after they bought it from Jasc. But, still, it's worth giving it a try.
@Lizanne - I figured you probably had it . I wished she'd not quit doing tuts as she has some awesome stuff! I tried the trial version of PSP6X or X6 whatever lol and I don't recall a whole lot being different - wasn't even worth it to me to invest in it. It may just be the difference in how we use it. BUT .. if it had that clipping mask that PSE has - I'd have been all over it! I think that's my very favorite thing in PSE. Oh, another thing I still love about PSP is the ability to create stitched shapes - can't seem to find a way to do that in PSE.
Back to Lindas original topic re no-freebie cu terms. I recently came across a site called Nothing But Freebies which offers CU items. The designer's TOU didn't specifically state whether you could use her items to create freebies, so I emailed her to ask her about it. She replied (very promptly) to say that she is perfectly happy for people to create freebies with her creations - so I just thought I'd let you all know!
They USED to offer Elements separately, but from what I have read, there was enough demand to have it put in CC that from now on they are only offering it in CC, just like everything else. According to everything I have read, Elements 2014 is the last edition that will be separate from CC, but I suppose only time will truly tell.
I'm scratching my head here. How did a topic about no freebies cu designers get so off topic talking about Photoshop?
BEHOLD THE POWER OF RABBIT TRAILS!!!
Getting back to the no freebies TOU
When I started out designing freebies, it was just for fun, not to make money out of it. I pretty much have the exact same history Robyn has with scrapping: donwloading and using freebies to figure out whether I like this digiscrapping thing I stumbled upon - falling in love with some stuff along the way (and buying it) - finding PIxelscrapper and a whole bunch of people just like me - start to make freebies for the PS blogtrains. Here is where the trouble started: I spent lots of nights trying to figure out unreadable TOU's that I decided on two things: 1. only use PS CU stuff and 2. Make all other things from scratch. That last thing drew the attention of Marisa I guess. By making stuff from scratch and offering them under the same laidback terms PS uses I got offered a job here as a designer. Haha, and I believed I would never sell my stuff, ever... As many of you also believe when first starting out.
I completely forgot the point I was making
I guess it is: Be saef, how and in the future. Use stuff from DigitalScrapbook.com (sorry for the selling pitch here, but that really is how I feel about it!).
Melo, I don't think anyone here would have a problem with your "selling pitch" - I would say that most of us are here because, as members, supporters, downloaders and users, we recognise that, while there are many websites devoted to digital scrapbooking, there is only one DigitalScrapbook.com. When you read Marisa's manifesto, you realise just how different this site is to all the others out there. And the simplicity, and clarity, of the site's TOU is something that others could only dream about.
In addition, the whole community aspect of DigitalScrapbook.com sets it apart from the rest. My daughter, a talented photographer, has told me of the nastiness she has encountered on photography forums. No one wants to share their knowledge with anyone else, guarding it with great zeal - the complete opposite to DigitalScrapbook.com! Here, everyone is so generous with their knowledge and experience, helping wherever needed, and celebrating others' successes. And this is a direct result of the leadership displayed by Marisa and Jordan.
Well, that's my selling pitch for today!
Seriously, though, Melo makes a good point when she talks about deciding to only use resources from DigitalScrapbook.com or from her own imagination when she makes them from scratch - it certainly saves a lot of headaches! I am most definitely not capable of making things from scratch, so the resources on this site are of particular importance to me, as I "play" with Photoshop Elements, experimenting and learning as I go. And, yes, offering freebies to other members.
Sorry, Linda - I've been doing my bit towards getting "off-topic", too. I suppose it's because we're not just "commenting", we're real people having a real conversation, and following all the winding trails you tend to do when you're talking face-to-face with someone!
@Robyn: I've run into that problem, too - no one wanting to share knowledge & closely guarding it.
In my case.... I wasn't an art major in college, I was a business major. My artistic side is in music, not art. Though that's not to say I can't appreciate good art.
I've never taken any art classes beyond what everyone was required to take in high school (I think our focus, back then, was pottery and a few "paper" crafts like maybe origami). I have never really painted (other than watercoloring when I was a kid - playing around & experimenting - you know, messy pictures!), and I have never taken any drawing classes so there was never any opportunity to learn about shadowing. And here's where the "guarding" part comes in - I really could've used some help with shadow settings (a "cheat sheet," so to speak) so my shadows look more realistic on my layouts, but no one seems to want to share their basic shadow settings! Instead they point you to "shadow styles" - here, purchase my shadow styles. Well, there's a problem with that - I don't use Photoshop! (I think they forget that not everyone uses Photoshop) And "styles" are not usable in PSP. So I just sigh & continue to be frustrated. And when I do shadowing I just "guess" & hope it looks okay. But I'd rather have it look good, not just okay, KWIM? 
C'est la vie, I guess...
I don't think it's that they're maliciously "guarding" any secret list of drop-shadow settings. I am pretty sure that no standard for drop-shadows exists. More than likely, designers just eye it. And they either expect you to eye it, too, or buy pre-made styles (I don't know if there are any drop-shadow tubes available - i can't remember if tubes can do that). Designers (both in the scrapbooking world and in the web/graphic design world) are MORE than willing to show people how to make their own drop-shadows, so I honestly don't think there is really a "guarding" issue. They're expecting you to use your creative/artistic abilities to be able to determine what you want your drop-shadow to look like and whether or not it is appropriate.
If you feel lost in determining what your drop-shadow should look like, then I would suggest studying the basic elements of art: "light and shadow". And there are a TON of tutorials and lessons about it on the internet. Or, grab a small table lamp or flashlight to use as a light source and shine it on the objects you're interested in making a shadow for. Observe how the light interacts with them.
There really is no "right or wrong" here, unless you're casting your shadows in different directions (which would indicate multiple light sources and make life more complicated). Because, more dramatic lighting will cause longer shadows, there really is no way to say that your shadows are "wrong" - and more than likely, you'd be able to eye it and say when a shadow looks out of place or absurd. So don't stress over it so much!
@Mollie: I guess I'm going to have to agree to disagree, as I agree with others that mentioned there is some guarding going on (though not so much in here). And I feel my feelings about the shadowing subject are quite valid. As I stated before, which you must have missed, I can't use styles....because PSP can't use Photoshop styles.. Now if PSP were able to, my problems would be over -- all I'd need to do is buy someone's shadow styles (and I've seen those for sale all over). So, given that PSP can't use Photoshop styles & you're saying that there aren't any specific guidelines or standards whatsoever, I'm in the same position as before -- just guessing (which I also already stated). But I'm not buying that.... IMHO there must be some sort of guidelines or standards out there or people wouldn't be able to create these "shadow styles," no??
I've seen this said all over the place, in both forums & tutorials, that shadows can make or break your layouts (as well as your product previews, if you are a designer). That said, I would very much like to get some guidelines. I don't know if you recall or not (remember the Country Wedding train?), but I'm trying to digiscrap my wedding album because the original one fell apart... Needless to say I want the shadowing right before that ever heads off to the printer!
I spent several hours searching the web yesterday for that kind of info. & came up empty-handed, which I found sad. What would be helpful -- if the people that are doing the tutorials would write down & share the shadowing guidelines/standards they use so that anyone, regardless of the software they use, could shadow their layouts nicely. You know, everything from what settings they'd use (vertical & horizontal offset, opacity, blur) for shadowing buttons to staples to papers to flowers to ribbons, etc.
My point was that EVERYONE is "just guessing" at some point. There's NO set standard that designers are somehow magically getting and hoarding away from everyone else. My point was that everyone tinkers with the settings until they get something that looks "right" - from their experience of looking at real shadows.
I can guarantee you that when Sheila made the shadow styles for PixelScrapper, she JUST EYED THEM, and made shadows that she thought looked appropriate. She didn't pull out some checklist of standards to make the shadows adhere to. She just played with the settings until she got what she wanted - which is pretty much what all designers do. Some then turn around and make tutorials and if they look good, then other people copy what they did. It's a process of experimentation and creativity.
And, YES, I understand that PaintShop Pro does NOT use Photoshop Styles. It's been 12 years since I used PSP, but I DO REMEMBER THAT. lol! What I was TRYING to say is that PS Styles are an EASY way for designers to share their settings and make it easy for the people who DON'T want to eye it and experiment with shadows, an easy press-one-button way - and PSP doesn't have anything like that. I'll agree that it sucks that designers assume everyone who is wanting to use shadows are also using Photoshop.
Have you thought of possibly asking someone who has some Photoshop shadow styles to give you the settings on various styles so you can try replicating them? Sheila is a wiz at Photoshop styles and she might be willing to help you. I KNOW that all the settings are not the same between Photoshop and PSP drop-shadow features, but it could be a step in the right direction.
(I would totally help you out with that, but I use Sheila's styles and I wouldn't feel right sharing her settings without her permission.)
ALSO, I dug around and found a few shadow-related tutorials. You might find the information useful in determining what settings you'd like to use for your shadows.
I think these might be really helpful for you: here, and here. And these are geared toward Photoshop, but still have some good info you might like: here, and here. And this page is related to web design and text effects, but it uses some techniques in PSP that might be of interest to you: here.
As I said earlier, I think you're over thinking it. There's no "right or wrong" for these shadows (unless, of course, you're casting them in complete opposite directions - and that's really about the only "wrong" - and even then, if YOU like it, then WHO CARES??). Just go with whatever you like.
And, it occurred to me that I might be coming off as a jerk here, so I want to apologize if that is the case. I am not intending to be.
@Mollie: Thanks - I'll check those out a little more closer later... But from opening some of the pages up, many of them are ones I've already seen before through my searching (there's a lot out there on manipulating & warping shadows and shadowing stuff like acrylics) & are are mostly geared toward Photoshop. Sometimes it is very tough being a person that uses a graphic program other than Photoshop...
I just thought that you might be able to look at some of the Photoshop settings and possibly translate some of it to PaintShop Pro. I know that all the settings aren't the same, but some of them might be?
I agree, there aren't a ton of tutorials out there. (lol I remember there being a LOT more 12 years ago, long before Corel bought out PSP. I guess the enthusiasm and support for the program has died off, which is a pity because I remember it being pretty decent even all the way back then!)
Well, I've been taking notes, but I've found that I'm not very good at translating Photoshop specific tutorials into PSP. I watched some of the videos, and there are differences (option-wise & such) & I'm not sure I can figure it out. I do try, though!
Well, I'm going to weigh into this discussion, too! I used to use PSP 8, but that was just for some basic touching up of photos (very basic!) At that time I didn't even know there was such a thing as digital scrapbooking. When I did become aware of it, and wanted to try it, I downloaded trial versions of both PSP x4 and PSE 11, to see which one I wanted to buy. Being more familiar with PSP, I really wanted to go that way, but eventually decided to go with Elements, purely because there were more tutorials, more support and more resources for the Photoshop line. So, yes, Lizanne, I completely understand where you're coming from! What we really need is someone who is proficient in both programs to write parallel tutorials on how to achieve a similar result with whichever program we use. Or even two people to collaborate on this.
Oh, and Lizanne, maybe you could have a look at THIS LINK - I don't know if it will be any help to you or not.
Thank you so much, Robyn - I will definitely check that out.
Well, I thought I may have finally found what I was looking for (on the 2nd page toward the bottom they talked about a site that had shadow presets for PSP), however it was for PSP when Jasc owned it and I fear that won't work. Corel has owned PSP for a while now & has completely changed the program (it's one of the reasons I've had such difficulty with the program - I started out with the Jasc version, and when I went upgraded from X1 to X4, oh boy was it different!). I will keep looking though & seeing if there's anything else there's one more page to that thread.
Lizanne, I took a glance at that tut Robyn linked to. To get those results is fairly easy. Put your drop shadow on a separate layer, then use the warp tool to deform the shadow to the shape you want. I do that with things like curled ribbon, string, or elements I want to look like a corner or part of it is lifted higher, like the corner of a frame.
That's the thing though, Linda - I'm not looking for tutorials on warping/manipulating shadows (advanced shadowing techniques)... What I've been looking for is actual settings for shadows (vertical & horizontal offset, opacity, blur) for everything from buttons to staples to papers to flowers to ribbons, etc. And yes, I understand that some of those shadows may need to be tweaked afterward, but what I'm looking for right now is the beginning stuff - the basic stuff. I hope I am making sense - I'm trying awfully hard to word it right...
Okay, so I just downloaded the trial version of PSP X7 so I could open it up next to PS CS2 and play with shadow settings. And, WOW, I am surprised at how VERY limited the shadow settings are in PSP! I can guarantee you that you are NOT going to get PS-quality shadows in PSP WITHOUT some MAJOR tweaking!! It just does NOT have the same functionality.
That being said, I will try and see if I can translate the shadow styles that I have into PSP-friendly terms for you. It won't be an exact science, and it WILL be bare basic settings, but I will see what I can cobble together for ya'. I'll keep you posted (I am thinking, maybe tomorrow if I feel in the groove, otherwise later this week).
That's very kind & generous of you, Mollie - thank you!
And you know, I would have no idea about the difference between PS-quality shadows vs. ones made in PSP. I just know that I had a hard time following some of the PS tutorials because some of the options weren't there, etc. As it is I'm still learning all the things that I can't use in PSP that you can use in PS. Every now & then I'll ask someone questions about things like that. Like, can .eps files be used? (I don't know the answer to that question, but I haven't looked into that yet either - trying to tackle one thing at a time)
I use X6, but I haven't heard that they made any changes in that area between X6 & X7. I'm thinking of holding off upgrading until X8 comes out. I haven't even had X6 a year yet.
Yes, you can open eps, ai, wmf, in PSP, but these are vector files. When they are opened in PSP, they open as raster, flattened, files. If the vector file you want to open has a transparent background, it will open that way. If you really want to work with vectors, you need a vector program. I use Serif Draw which is not expensive, but powerful enough for my purposes. I also have an early version of Illustrator that I occasionally use for opening vectors so I can take them apart to get the parts I want to use. If someone hasn't worked with vectors, that probably sounds crazy. Vectors a built in layers which is entirely different from raster which are made up of pixels. Taking a vector apart means separating out the layers I don't want from the layers I do. I use a lot of vectors. But I work with them in a vector program and when I have the result I want, I then export them as raster.
When you open a vector in PSP, you get this dialog box:
I've drawn red boxes around the pertinent information. The box at the top is DPI. It is automatically set at 72. Change it to at least 300. The higher the number, the larger the resulting image will be. You can always change the DPI to the correct one later. The lower boxes on the box show the mg size. I point this out because it is not accurate. Just ignore it.
BTW, I have no problem with getting the shadows I want in PSP. Some may take a little work, but then I don't make the fantasy style LOs that place things in realistic settings of great depth. I have done a bit of that, but even then I had no real difficulty doing the shadows.
Lizanne, I created a post HERE (figured it was a better spot than buried in this thread). I hope it helps. Lemme know, k? I've got PSP X7 for 29 more days, so I can do some more experimenting if need be. lol.
Thanks, Linda Renee & Mollie!
Very interesting discussion on the terms issues. Much like Melo, I'm using only things from here at PS to use in my kits or creating them myself (either with my brain or PSE/PSP tuts that have "do what you want with it" terms). Or clipart from public domain. I did hear back from Jordan on using PS's terms for my kits. Since I'm on the design end of scrapbooking and not a scrapper, I DO hope to get good enough to sell some things or be invited to join a store (I guess that's how it works, I dunno lol). I'm not even sure at what point to offer Cu/S4H/S4O terms. Right now, I'm just having PU terms until I get a handle on things. BUT ... I want to keep my terms as simple as possible. When I designed web sets, terms on using others' designs could have you wanting to hire a lawyer to make sure you didn't do anything wrong. Egads, I don't want that for people who use my stuff. One main reason I wanted to become a patron here at PS was to be able to use CU stuff in hopes of selling someday and know that I'm safe in doing so. That said, thanks to all the designers here make things available for us other new designers. I never thought I'd EVER get a kit made, but I've got a few under my belt now.
@Mollie - I just visited your blog and love it, especially the more "personal" side. I'm adding a link to it from my blog, hope that's okay!
@Lizanne - I still use my PSP8 (yeah, an old one) along with PSE to make things. There are just a lot of things that are easier to do in PSP. Here's a website I've used to create many things in PSP and her terms are "do what you want with your creation". Scrap Stuff with PSP Tutorials. She's got some PS tuts as well, but so far, I've been able to recreate most of them in PSP.
-Lisa
@Lisa: Thanks... had this one in my bookmarks already.
It's a good site for those with older versions of PSP (given the last post was made sometime in 2009). For me, though, I'm on the newer version. Corel really changed the software after they bought it from Jasc. But, still, it's worth giving it a try. 
@Lizanne - I figured you probably had it
. I wished she'd not quit doing tuts as she has some awesome stuff! I tried the trial version of PSP6X or X6 whatever lol and I don't recall a whole lot being different - wasn't even worth it to me to invest in it. It may just be the difference in how we use it. BUT .. if it had that clipping mask that PSE has - I'd have been all over it! I think that's my very favorite thing in PSE. Oh, another thing I still love about PSP is the ability to create stitched shapes - can't seem to find a way to do that in PSE.
-Lisa
I'm not at that level yet (in my learning), but I hope to try doing stitched shapes in the future!
Back to Lindas original topic re no-freebie cu terms. I recently came across a site called Nothing But Freebies which offers CU items. The designer's TOU didn't specifically state whether you could use her items to create freebies, so I emailed her to ask her about it. She replied (very promptly) to say that she is perfectly happy for people to create freebies with her creations - so I just thought I'd let you all know!
This Link will take you there.
Wow Robyn, Nothing But Freebies is a goldmine. Thanks so much for sharing the link!
Robyn, thanks for sharing that link!
-Lisa
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