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Paint Shop Pro 7 Tutorials
Using the PSP7 Screen Capture
for Writing Your Own Tutorials

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This is a Quick Tutorial for PSP 7 beginners.

For those of you who would like to start to write your own tutorials, the PSP Screen Capture is a very important part of your creative process.

It also helps to know how to "capture" a window if you are having a problem with a program and want to show someone an error message.

There are many uses for the Screen Capture, and it is very easy to use.

file-import-screencapture

1. Open PSP7. Click on File>Import>Screen Capture>Setup ~ This will open the Capture Dialog Box.

I use the Capture Setup icon capture icon that can be added to one of your toolbars -- it is faster and easier. If more info is needed on Organizing your Toolbars, click here for my tutorial.

capture Box

2. The settings above are what I use the most. I like the Full Screen capture and then I crop or "select" a portion of the image for my tutorial examples. Also the Window capture is easy if only one window is needed. For the most part, I leave it on Full Screen, so I know whatever I want on the screen will definitly be copied.

If you want your mouse pointer to show on the image, then make sure "Include Cursor" is checked.

I like the Hot Key activation, and I use F11. Once or twice there have been instances where I had to use Right Mouse click.

Once you have your settings made, click Capture Now.

PSP is minimized. Don't panic, this is completly normal. Now open up anotherinstance of PSP. Click on File>Open and when the Open Dialog Box appears, Click F11. (Or you can open an image, or create a new canvas.)

After F11 is clicked, this new instance of PSP is minimized and the original instance of PSP is restored, and your full screen window is captured as a new image for you to crop, select, edit or resize. Use the toolbars, icons, and window areas of the screen. You can also add new layers, text, and shapes to the image.

Try this again, but use the capture setting of Window.

3. The next time you click on File>Import>Screen Capture>Setup, your prior settings are saved. You can edit your settings or just click Capture Now; or you can just click File>Import>Screen Capture>Start to start the process. It will use the settings that you last used.

Tip: I usually keep two instances of PSP open, and when I have a window ready for "capture", I click on the other PSP window, and click the toolbar capture icon capture icon , check my settings, and click Capture Now. Pretty easy, huh?

Tip: I first like to save my tutorial images as .psp extension. Since my tutorial images are mostly solid colors, I then export them as .gif images, using as little colors as possible. I try to add no more than 40KB TOTAL of images on each of my tutorial pages.

Good luck!

~debbieT~

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