Tools and Palettes Overview

Not every person will utilize all the features within Paint Shop Pro. Some only use the photo tools to touch up or repair family photos; Web designers may only use a fraction of the tools to make simple web components. To keep your workspace uncluttered and organized, Paint Shop Pro does not display all of the available toolbars and palettes. In addition to those that are displayed by default, you can create and show hidden toolbars and palettes. The image here shows an opened image in the Paint Shop Pro workspace with the majority of palettes and toolbars displayed. As you can see, it can get quite cluttered if you open them all! Later I'll show you how to customize your workspace to suit your workflow needs.

Toolbars

Effects
Includes commonly used effects such as drop shadows, bevel, hot wax and more.

Photo
Includes common photo enhancements and corrections such as red eye removal.

Script
Includes set of instructions that produce a series of actions or effects. Buttons include run, stop, edit, record and save.

Web
Includes web function tools such as slicing, optimizing and seamless tiling.

Status
Displays text about the selected tool or menu command and image information including dimensions, color depth, and cursor position.

Standard
Includes common file functions such as new, open, print and save.

Tools
Includes drawing and editing tools such as zoom, straighten, crop, and brushes.

Yahoo
Yes, even a Yahoo toolbar. Connect straight to Yahoo.

Palettes

Brush Variance
Specifies the behavior of brushes and supported tools. Especially useful in combination with a graphic tablet and pen.

Histogram
Displays the tonal values of an image in a graphic form.

History
Keeps track of steps used and allows for selective undo/redo.

Learning Center
Displays helpful tips and mini tutorials for various tasks.

Materials
The main control for selecting colors, patterns, textures, etc.

Mixer
Allows for realistic paint mixing with art-media tools. Settings can be saved and reloaded.

Overview
Displays a thumbnail of the image with the visible area highlighted and allows for pan and zoom on the image.

Script Output
Records steps and appears automatically if there is an error while running scripts. Useful for troubleshooting.

Tool Options
Contains settings for the currently selected tool.

Organizer
Allows viewing of and organizing of your images through Paint Shop Pro.