This tutorial was written February 22, 2003 using the Public Beta version of PSP 8. It is assumed that you have been working with PSP 7 or another version of PSP and have some familiarity with the program.

There are many changes and enhancements in PSP 8. The purpose of this tutorial is to familiarize you with a couple of the tools and their operation. You'll also learn how to make a Bezier curve as well as how to add a Drop Shadow on a separate layer.

If you do not already own Paint Shop Pro, you may download a trial version. If you own an earlier version of PSP, you can download or purchase PSP 7 and will automatically receive PSP 8 for free. You can also download the PSP 8 Public Beta version HERE.

The PSP8 tools that you'll be using are:
The Pen Tool:
The Text Tool:

OK, let's get started....

Open a transparent canvas, size 400 x 400. Do a Save As and name your image 'Text on Curve', or something similar. Remember to save often as you do your work.

Set your Foreground color to black and your Background color to Null.

Get your Pen Tool and use the settings shown in the next two screen shots of the Tool Options ribbon. I've split it into two so you can see it more easily.

Place three points, or more if you like, in a row like this:

Put your cursor on the node on the left, right click, and click on Node Type. Select Curve After, then pull the arrow upward as shown below:

Now click on the node on the far right, Right click, and select Node Type. Select Curve Before, then pull the arrow upward as shown below:

At this point you can also adjust your line by clicking on the nodes and pulling them out. I did that to both end nodes to make my line longer. Go to Selections, Select None.

Click on your Text tool. Use the settings shown in the screen shots below. Select any font that you like. Make your Foreground color Null and select a color or gradient for your background color.

Hold your cursor over your line and when you see the '+' over the A, left click and the text box will open. Type your text and click 'OK'.

NOTE: If you find that your font size is too large, or if you find any other problems, do a Ctrl-Z to remove the text. Before going any further, also check your Layer Palette and click on the Vector layer. Then go to Selections, Select None. If you cannot deselect, you should be able to apply the text once you change the font size - but do make sure that you have 'Vector' indicated in the Create as box.

Once you have your text on the curve, go to your Layer Palette, click on the Text Layer (click on the '+' to the left of the 'Vector 1' box and the Text layer should be visible), Right Click, Create Raster Selection. Go to Selections, Promote to Layer. This will place your text on a raster layer. Now go to Selections, Select None to get rid of the marching ants. Finally, click on the Vector 1 Layer, Right Click, Delete.

Let's add a drop shadow to our text. First, if your ants are still marching, go to Selections, Select None. Next, click on the Text raster layer in the Layer Palette to make sure it's active. Go to Effects>3D Effects>Drop Shadow:

Use the 'hand' to move your text so you can see it in both windows. Then, select your shadow color by clicking on the color swatch and then selecting a color from your text or one from the palette that opens up. Next, move your cursor over to the '+' in the middle of the white box and position it where you want the shadow. This will be visible in the box in the upper left. You may also change the opacity and blur to suit you. Finally, put a check in the 'Shadow on new layer' box in order to have the drop shadow on a separate layer. This way you'll be able to change it easily if you do not like how it appears or if you want a different look in the future. (This also means that you should save your work in the .pspimage format so that all the layers will be maintained.)

And that's all there is to creating a Text on a Curved Path! Here, once again, is what you've created:

I hope you've enjoyed learning something about some of the PSP 8 tools and how to use them. If you have any questions, please email me.