Starting from a blank canvas

You can choose a preset, such as a standard page, photo size, or Facebook timeline cover, or you can create a custom image. The section below describes some of the settings available.

There are two types of computer graphics: raster and vector. With PaintShop Pro, you can create both types of images. You can also create an image with both raster and vector layers. It is important to understand the differences between these two data types before you begin working with them.

Raster images are composed of individual elements, called pixels, which are arranged in a grid. Each pixel has a specific location and color. If you magnify raster data, you can see the individual pixels as squares of colors. Raster images contain a fixed number of pixels, so when you magnify the image you are magnifying the display size of the pixels. As a result, raster images may display jagged rather than smooth edges when magnified on screen or when printed at a large magnification.

An object in a raster image is defined by its pixels. For example, the front door in an image of a house is made up of a mosaic of pixels at certain locations in the image. In bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes.

Raster images can display subtle changes in tones and colors, so they are most often used for images like photographs and digital artwork.

Vector graphics use geometric characteristics — lines, curves, and their locations — to define objects. For example, a door in a graphic of a house is made up of a rectangle that has a certain width and height, is placed at a specific location, and is filled with a certain color. In vector images, you edit objects or shapes rather than pixels.

Vector graphics do not lose clarity or detail when they are scaled or printed, regardless of the change in size or resolution. For this reason, vector graphics are suited to technical illustrations or corporate logos.

With PaintShop Pro, you create and edit raster and vector data on separate layers. With some tools you create raster data (like brushstrokes with the Paint tool), and with other tools (like the Text and Preset Shapes tools) you can choose whether you want to create raster or vector data.

In general, it is best to use a vector object if you need to edit it as an element separate from other parts of the image. For example, if you add a star to an image, you may want to change its size, color, or location. You can make these changes more easily if the star is a vector object. You can create raster data on separate layers, which can be easily edited or moved.

To apply tools or commands to vector objects that work only on raster data (such as the painting tools or the Effects commands), you can create a raster selection of a vector object and then paste the selection to a new raster layer.

Before you create a new image, you need to consider how you will use it. For example, will you display the image on a website, send it as an e-mail attachment, or print it? How you use the image helps you determine its size, resolution, and color depth.

Image size is represented by the physical dimensions of the image. When you create a new image or resize an existing image with PaintShop Pro, you can define image height and width in pixels, inches, millimeters, or centimeters.

The following are guidelines for choosing a unit of measure:

• If you plan to print the images, use inches or centimeters. By starting with the final image dimensions, you can produce an image that fits the page.

• If you plan to export the images to another application (such as a word‑processing application), and then resize and print them, you can use any of the options.

You can resize an image after creating it, but doing so may result in loss of image data. For more information about resizing images, see Retouching and restoring images.

Image Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (ppi) or pixels per centimeter. Low resolution can cause pixelation, a problem in which large pixels produce coarse output. High resolution can increase an image’s memory requirements without producing a proportional increase in its quality.

Color Depth is measured according to the number of colors that a pixel can display. Each pixel’s color information is stored in bits — from 1 to 48 bits. In a 1-bit image, each pixel can display only one of two colors (black or white). In a 24-bit image, each pixel can display 1 of 16 million colors. Images with a color depth of 16 million colors look good, but they also require more memory to store and edit. Not all computer monitors can display 16 million colors, so some file formats limit the number of supported colors. For example, GIF images, a popular format for the Web, contain up to 256 colors (8-bit depth).

Many of the commands in PaintShop Pro for applying effects and correcting images work on 16 million–color images only. Therefore, it’s best to create most images in 16 million colors. When you have finished working on the image, you can decrease its color depth and save it in another format.

When you create a new image in PaintShop Pro, you can specify its dimensions, resolution, and type. The options available depend on the type of graphic you want to create. If you’re uncertain as to what type of graphic you need for your project, or which settings to choose, review the information in the following procedure. For more information about creating Art Media graphics, see Painting and drawing with the Art Media tools.

2 To choose a preset, click one of the category buttons on the left, and choose a preset. To adjust the preset, or to define a custom image, follow the steps below.

If you chose the Raster Background option, you can choose a background color for the image by clicking the color box and choosing a color from the Material Properties palette. To choose a transparent background (for 8-bit or 16-bit images only), mark the Transparent check box.

If you chose the Art Media Background option, you can choose a canvas texture from the Select the canvas texture drop-list. If you want to choose a color for the canvas, mark the Enable fill color check box, click the color box, and choose a color from the Color dialog box.

The Memory Required field displays the amount of memory required for the image. Your computer’s available memory should be at least two to three times the value displayed in the Memory Required field. To reduce the memory requirement, you can reduce the resolution or the dimensions of the image.