How to Create New Raster Layers in Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

Graphics design programs have become increasingly more efficient and user-friendly over the past decade. The most commonly used and misunderstood feature of graphics design programs are that of using layers. While each program uses the layers feature similarly, they all differ slightly in the capacity of what the layers feature offers.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

1. Open and run the application. Left-click on the application icon in order to open and run this program.

2. Open the desired image file. To open a desired image file, scroll to the “File” tab on the command bar and click “Open.” Browse to the desired image file and click “Open.”

3. Create a new Raster Layer. To create a new raster layer scroll to the “Layers” tab on the command bar and select “Create New Raster Layer.”

4. Define the attributes of the Raster Layer. A Raster Layer properties box will open. Name the layer under the “Name” field. Set the “Blend Mode” using the “Blend Mode” drop down menu. Define the opacity by setting the number 0-100 in the “Opacity” field. You can check “Highlight Layers in Palette” to more easily find the layer in the layers palette to the right. Check or uncheck the “Layer is Visible” and the “Lock the Transparency” boxes as desired.

5. Define blend ranges. To define blend ranges click on the “Blend Ranges” tab in the Raster Layer properties box. You can choose from a drop down menu of different gray blend ranges and even manipulate the blend ranges of the current layer and the underlying layer.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add as many layers as you want in Paint Shop Pro Photo XI by following the above steps.
• Make sure to save a copy of the image file before making any edits so you can go back if necessary.

Resources

• Paint Shop Pro Photo XI Help