Learn how to optimize your workspace for digital scrapbooking.

How much faster would your scrapping go if you didn't have to search through drop-down lists or fly-out menus to get to anything, and could do everything with just one click? Are there too many PSP windows in your workspace? Do you share PSP with someone else who likes things arranged differently than you? Do you do different things with PSP that require different tools or effects?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you need to customize PSP.

What shows in PSP, where it shows, and how it shows are all up to you. And you can have multiple configurations of anything based on what you're doing, or need or want, at the moment. So you can have one button bar with all your most used icons on it for when you work on layouts and another with a whole different set of icons on it for fixing photos. You can have PSP set up exactly as you want it for yourself, and your husband can have his own way as well. PSP allows you to customize everything to fit your needs. And it's so easy you won't believe it.

Customizing the Button Bars

This is, in my opinion, the best part of customizing PSP. The standard button bar in PSP has some things on it that I'll bet you never use. So get rid of the icons you don't use and put on the ones that you do. Now your most common tasks can be done with a single click, and you don't have to memorize any keyboard shortcuts either!

My standard button bar has all my favorite scrapping things on it: Add New Layer, Select All, Select None, Invert Selection, Drop Shadow, Texture, Zooms and more. It's all up to you and it's so easy to change them. But, before we can add what we want to the button bar, we have to remove all those icons we don't use.

To remove unwanted items from your button or tool bar:

1. Move your mouse to anywhere on the button bar and right-click. Then select "Customize."

2. This will open the Customize window. Ignore it for the moment. It's for adding things back to your bar and right now we want to remove things from it.

3. Keeping the Customize window open, move your mouse to your button bar. Any icon on your button bar that you don't want or use, simply click on it and drag it off the bar onto your workspace and let it go. Voila, it's off your button bar. Don't worry, it's not permanently gone, just off your bar. You can add it back anytime you want.

To Add New Icons to Your Button Bar:

Now let's put on the items we do use. Look at the Customize window that's open.

1. Select the Commands Tab if it's not already open. The left window lists all the headings for all the drop-down menus you have in PSP. The right window lists all the options found in each of those headings.

   Here's where you get to decide what you want to put on your button bar. Is what you'd like to have there found under the Selections menu, like Select All? Then click on Selections in the left window. Do you want something on your button bar that is found under the Effects menu like Drop Shadows? Then click on Effects in the left window. How about Add New Raster Layer? Then click on Layers in the left window.

   Once you've picked a heading on the left side, you will see in the right side window every single option, item, effect, etc. that is normally under that heading. Scroll through the list and find what it is that you'd like on your button bar.

2. When you've found something you want on your button bar, grab it with your mouse and move it to your button bar and let go. There it is, on your bar! How easy is that?

Organizing and Arranging your Button Bar

Now you should have only those items you use on your button bar. But are they in the right spot for you? If not, here's how to rearrange them.

• Keep the Customize window open for this.

• Grab the icon you want to move and move it left or right till it's where you want it.

• Do you like those little line things that separate icons into groups or add space between icons? If so, click on the icon you want to add a line in front of and then right-click. Scroll to the bottom and select "Include Separator." Now you have a line.

• Can't remember what some icons represent? Would you rather just be told what it is? Select that icon, right-click and chose "Text" for just words, or "Image and Text" to have the words under the icon. If you don't like PSP's name for something you can rename it by using the Menu Text option.

• When you get your button bar exactly as you want it, close the Customize window.

How simple was that! You can repeat this any time you want to.

Having more than one Button Bar

If you do more than one thing with PSP, or share PSP with another family member, having multiple button bars is great. You can make one for scrapping, another for photo restoration. One for you, another for your husband.

To Create a New Toolbar:

1. Follow the above directions to open the Customize window.

2. Click on the Toolbar Tab.

3. Select NEW on the right side.

4. Give it a name and click "OK."

5. You will now see it listed along with all your other toolbars in this window as well as under View> Toolbars. (It is in View> Toolbars that you can turn this toolbar on and off as needed. More on this later.)

6. You can now customize this one in the same way as above.

Customizing the Tools Palette

You can customize the Tools palette in the exact same way as the button bar. Is your most favorite tool at the bottom of the list? Then move it to the top. Are you sick of having to go through fly-out menus to get to one of the tools? Then have that tool directly on the tool bar. If you're left handed then move things around so that it works for you.

The directions above for customizing the button bar is also exactly how you customize the tool palette. Click on it, select "Customize," then grab what you want and move it to where you want it.

Customizing What Shows on your Desktop

If you're new to PSP you probably have a lot of windows, palettes and toolbars showing. If you don't like them, don't use them, or they take up too much space, you can get rid of them (not permanently, don't worry).

Turning Toolbars and Palette Windows On and Off:

1. Click View> Toolbars. Now uncheck all those that you don't need or want. Keep "Standard" and "Tools," they are a must. But all others are up to you. If you don't know what something is, check/uncheck it till you see what it is and where it is and if you use it.

2. To close all those unneeded palette windows, click View> Palettes and uncheck all the ones from that list that you don't use or need to see all the time.

Remember: Anything that you uncheck can be seen again simply by checking them. So you can't screw up here. If you uncheck something and decide you want it back, simply check it again. If you make multiple toolbars for different tasks or people, this is where you select which to display at any given time.

Putting Things Where You Want Them

Once you have only what you want showing, you can move them to wherever works best for you by grabbing the title bar. Some items can be "docked" to your workspace top, sides or bottom, or you can keep them "floating" around the middle. It's up to you. If you accidentally dock something and don't like it there, grab the title and move it someplace else.

Auto-Hiding Toolbars and Palettes

There are some windows and palettes that you might use or need but you don't want them out all the time taking up so much desk space. On these, use the auto-hide option.

Open these windows and then look for the icon in the upper right corner (Arrow in Version 8, Push Pin in 9 and X). These icons have two positions. One keeps the window always open, and the other allows it to roll up and hide all but the title when you're not using it. You change positions by clicking it. You can also move these to wherever you'd like to get them out of your way by simply grabbing the title bar and moving them.

Multiple Workspaces

Now you've got all the windows and button bars and palettes exactly as you want them for speed scrapping. But this setup is not right for working on photo restoration, or your web site, or for your husband. The solution is multiple workspaces.

• Set things up exactly as you want them for yourself or a specific task such as scrapbooking.

 

• Click File> Workspace> Save and give it a name. Make as many as you'd like. I have three workspaces: my regular default one, one specifically for when I'm scrapbooking, and a third for when I'm working on my web site.

• When you want to change workspaces, simply click File> Workspace> Load or select the workspace you want from the bottom of the list. What could be simpler?

I hope this helps make PSPing go quicker and smoother for you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me here at Scrap Girls.

Tutorial written by Lori A. Cook