creating Alphabets in PSP

[ams2001]

Can anyone tell me how to create alphabets to save in Paint Shop Pro 9

[queenprog]

It really depends on what you mean by "create."

Do you mean to make a font that is just a small change to an existing font?
If so just type out the letters at the right size and add whatever enhancement, dot, sparkle or whatever change and then save that.

Do you mean to make tiles or typewriter keys from a font?
Choose your shape, add 3d effects, add letter (with or without 3d effects) and then save that.

If you mean to make a whole new font, different from anything you see on the internet, than you would have to draw your font, letter by letter save that and then use a special program to turn your pictures into a font that can be used in your text programs.

If you think any of these methods are too hard, you're wrong, the hardest one is the last one, and if you know what you want it to look like, it shouldn't take you long. I myself have done the first and second methods. They are fairly easy and require little work in PSP.

I hope this helps you! ;)
Vicki

[ams2001]

Do you save these as tubes for alpha sets?

[Emma]

I don't think you could get enough control over which letter came out if saved as a tube. I save my alphas as a PNG file (File>Export>PNG optimizer). I put them all on one image in a grid as if I'm saving a tube, but use PNG instead.

I know there are some very basic graphic programs that cannot select and break apart the PNG file to get at each individual letter, but the vase majority of scrappers can easily break these up to grab just one letter at a time.

[ams2001]

I have been playing in psp and photoshop I can move around a little easier in photoshop than psp due to I have used it in photo editing. Im still not sure which I want to use or both. Being new to all of the digital scrapbooking Im confused too. Which is easier making alphasets in?

[Amanda]

I don't use PSP - but my guess is they would probably be about the same depending on what you want to do. PS has great layer styles that make it easy.
Have you looked into taking our element creation classes? We have them for both PS and PSP.

[queenprog]

In PSP you have the option, when saving as a tube to set them as random tiles/pictures or sequential. I find that when I use my alpha sets that I mostly use them in sequential mode. You can also change these settings when you wish to use them from the toolbar. Any changes made at the toolbar won't change the settings in the tube itself.

If you would like to see a couple of my alpha sets, you may check them out on my website:

www.geocities.com/queenprog/Scrapbooking/

[Emma]

In PSP you have the option, when saving as a tube to set them as random tiles/pictures or sequential. I find that when I use my alpha sets that I mostly use them in sequential mode.Yes, but how do you get THE letter that you want? Seems that you'd need to paint them in sequence and just copy and paste the one you want, just as with a PNG file. Making a Tube from it seems like an extra step. Enlighten me to your method! I love seeing everyone's different approaches to things

[queenprog]

Once you have a letter set made, you can use it either by pulling it up as a tube and going thru the letters until you get the ones you want, or opening the tube as a picture and copying each letter. Depending on the number of tiles in the image, copying from the tube can be faster, but if you're only using it for a small word, going thru the letters is just as fast.

If any of you would like the sets of letters that I made, they are freeware and you just need to click on the image of the sets on my page. Feel free to use them on your pages, or use them to help you create your own sets.

I learned how to do these from a tutorial and I'm glad that I can help others with what I learned.

[Emma]

Opening the tube file is a smart move. What's the main benefit of using a tube instead of a PNG, however, especially since you open it and copy/paste from the tube just as one would for a PNG. It seems that I would never use the alpha as a painted tube, only as a file to pull letters out of. Not trying to be combative, just enjoying learning from your perspective

Thanks!

[queenprog]

You're right about that, the difference with using it as a tube is that if I want a random letter or I only want a short word, it can be faster than copying from a png file. However, it also depends on how often you use the file, and what your main use for the file is.

As for being a problem/complainer, you don't know how fun it is for me to pass on my knowledge of PSP and computers. I used to do it all the time, and I love to help others. Feel free to ask for help/information anytime.

[Emma]

I took Lauren's classes and she kept saying I'd be bored, but I loved watching how someone else would accomplish a task, much the same as this thread. I've adopted many of her processes to make myself more efficient, so I did learn a lot.

Why is using a tube faster? Seems longer to make: do you just spill them out and select and move the letters you want and delete the rest? Just seems like all that would actually take longer. But not as long as I've spent picking your brain on the subject. Wonder how many layouts i could have made int he same time, LOL! :D

[queenprog]

It can be slow if you do long words, but if you do a short word like "and," I just hit the button until the letter comes up then move to the next spot and keep hitting the button until the next comes up and so on. I really only use these tiles for titles and names. If I want anything longer I would put them into a font file and then type out what I want. And of course you can make your own fonts using these types of tiles/letters with a special program.