PSP8 Survival Kit: Page 6

We have a saying down here in Australia that if you buy a big, shiny new toy (say a car) that comes with all the extras, it comes with all the "bells and whistles". There are so many new tools and features now that come with PSP, I can only hope to scratch the surface here. So, I thought I'd whip up a quick list of some of the new features which I think are the most mouth-watering: all the "bells and whistles". Therefore, that's exactly what I've called this list. However, before I start an assault on your senses with all this information overload, and you're already screaming "HELP! Get me outta here and back to V5/6/7 - and fast!!"........be sure to check out my final comment at the end of the list, you may be pleasantly surprised ;-)

i.  Reset Preferences:  Jasc now offers a quick (very quick!) method of resetting all original factory settings if some horrible catastrophe occurs. If you're the type who always breaks out into a cold sweat at the thought of changing the registry, you'll find this a lifesaver. File>Preferences>Reset Preferences:

ii.  The new Custom Brushes:  The custom brushes are now more flexible and powerful than ever before. The bad news is that PSP8 does not handle the brush files the same as PSP7, and you must import your old faves via the new 'import custom brush' command. The good news? Once you get the hang of it, it takes around oh, all of about 10 seconds to do this! File>import>custom brush, browse to where your old brushes are, open, 'add all' and boom - from this (below left), to this! (below right). Like to know more right now? Check out my tutorial on importing custom brushes.

                

iii.  The Learning Center:  Jasc now introduces an online learning guide which has built-in tutorials on several of the tools. We still get the old-style help files as well, so both combine to make a very powerful educational resource (see below). Tip: when using the Learning Center, keep it docked to the right-hand side of your screen so it's always visible (see below). Help>Learning Center - or press F10.

iv.  Brush Variance:  You're not gonna believe how good this one is....Brush Variance offers just what it sounds like it does: an unbelievable variety of flexibility. You can vary color, size, thickness, opacity, to name a few, and even rotation. I've posted an example (below right). Those cometty-looking things were created with the Brush Variance set to Size>Fade in. Mmmm....mmmmm... what endless possibilities! View>Palettes>Brush Variance.

        

Phew! That's a lot to take in all at once, huh?? Well, you'll be relieved to know that we have now almost finished the PSP8 Survival Kit.....just a couple of more pages to go, but before we finish up let's check out some more bells and whistles huh? :-)