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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:
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Move your mouse to anywhere on the button bar and right-click.
Then select "Customize."
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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Keep the Customize window open for this.
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Grab the icon you want to move and move it left or right till it's
where you want it.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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Follow the above directions to open the Customize window.
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Click on the Toolbar Tab.
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Select NEW on the right side.
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Give it a name and click "OK."
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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.)
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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:
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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.
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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
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