i need help in designing clothes in paint shop pro 9

can anyone help me learn how to make clothes in paint shop pro 9.
i am new at designing but have been playing SL for a year now.
i cant get anything to save right.
i tired to do a simple tattoo and it doesnt save right.
my SL name in game is angel page you can leave me a offline in game.
maybe someone has some step by step intructions i can use and all.
please let me know if anyone can help i NEED it BADLY lol
thank you

"I can't get anything to save right" is pretty vague. What exactly happens? Give me some details and I can probably help. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather solve the problem here on the forums than discuss it inworld as you requested. Discussing it here benefits hundreds of people who may be having the same problem. Discussing it inworld benefits only you.

So, what exactly happens when you try to save? Have you downloaded the clothing templates? Have you read the instructions for them? How experienced are you with your graphical editor (PSP)? Do you understand what layers and channels are for and how to use them?

The answers to these questions will greatly help me (and anyone else who might want to help you) to determine the best course of instruction for you.

i am new to using these programs and no i dont know much about alphas and channels and all that i was thinking maybe some had a tutioral like they do for photo shop for paint shop.when i go to save it it doesnt give me the option to save as a tga file and i dont know where the file is going cause it just saves it.i was just trying to do a basic tattoo with my name is all.nothing real complicated.i do ahve the templates i ahve downloaded themand still dont get it.i am sorry if i am not answering all you want just trying to get a tutirial to help. again i thank anyone for the time responding to this thread any help anyone can give me would be greatly apperciated thanki you again

1. Make a new image..Transparent..or use your template..
Next I work in layers so
2. Make a new raster layer
3. Do your thing and make your creation.
4. Shut the veiw off of the bottom layer and then click on one of the ones showing and merge visable... turn the bottom back on but keep the top layer or creation active
5. go to Layers...New Mask Layer..From Image...then make sure the ..Source Opacity is the only one ticked and that the image your working on is in the window...
6. Go to Layers..Load/Save Mask... Save Mask to alpha channel.. the part that shows will be white the transparent will be black...if it looks good click ok...
7. Go to Layers...Delete...the window will ask if you want to merge mask to layer below and click yes...
now click on the base layer and flood fill with black
8. Turn down the opacity to about 50 but leave it as the active layer or highlited layer.
9. Go to Selections....Load/Save...Save as Alpha Selection..if you did it correctly it will have the marching ants outline around your selections..
10. Go to file...Save Copy As ... name your image..drop down the list and choose TGA..
Click Ok and Take a break ...Give Yourself a A ...I hope this makes it abit clearer..
Good Luck!!!!!

ACKKKKKKKKKKKK my bad...
In step 9....(((((SAVE AS ALPHA))))!!!!!
sorry this is my first tutorial...(((blushes alot))))

1. Make a new image..Transparent..or use your template..
Next I work in layers so
2. Make a new raster layer
3. Do your thing and make your creation.
4. Shut the veiw off of the bottom layer and then click on one of the ones showing and merge visable... turn the bottom back on but keep the top layer or creation active
5. go to Layers...New Mask Layer..From Image...then make sure the ..Source Opacity is the only one ticked and that the image your working on is in the window...
6. Go to Layers..Load/Save Mask... Save Mask to alpha channel.. the part that shows will be white the transparent will be black...if it looks good click ok...
7. Go to Layers...Delete...the window will ask if you want to merge mask to layer below and click yes...
now click on the base layer and flood fill with black
8. Turn down the opacity to about 50 but leave it as the active layer or highlited layer.
9. Go to Selections....Load/Save...((((Load))))as Alpha Selection..if you did it correctly it will have the marching ants outline around your selections..
10. Go to file...Save Copy As ... name your image..drop down the list and choose TGA..
Click Ok and Take a break ...Give Yourself a A ...I hope this makes it abit clearer..
Good Luck!!!!!

Angel, please, please forgive me if I have massively misinterpreted this: but it does seem that you need to learn a little bit more about the more general aspects of using a computer and operating system. Can I recommend getting some training (like an introduction to Windows/MacOS before you try jumping in too deep. You should find that with some basic training you start understanding all your other apps (like PaintShop Pro) a lot better.

Other than that - have fun, and good luck

Hello Angel... i found this great site for psp 9... they have great tutorials,on how to use psp 9....http://www.pspug.org/... Hope this helps!

Thank You so much Sky and Alix and i am so sorry Ben that you feel i am dumb Thank You for making it seem like i dont knwo anything about computers. I do know alot about computers and my husband knows alot 8i am talking about a program here that is am not sure about and i thought this was a forum where we could try and get help i see your just here to make people feel like they are dumb but Thank You all for your replies ) i wont bother with anymore of my crazy Questions

Angel, please don't be discouraged. Feel free to ask whatever questions you need help with.

I'm sorry you felt so insulted by Ben's post, but I do think you're over-reacting just a tad. While I obviously can't speak for Ben, I can say with some certainty that he is NOT "here to make people feel dumb." I've seen him be quite helpful to people on a number of occasions, and it appears that that's what he was trying to do here as well. Suggesting that someone could benefit from some basic computing lessons doesn't in any way imply that they are "dumb".

From an outside observer's point of view, I really don't think Ben meant any offense. He did, afterall, begin his post with "please forgive me if I'm misinterpreting." Furthermore, I think he was justified in assuming that you might need some basic computing help, since you did state that you're having trouble determining where the program is saving files. Locating files and determining save destinations is something that is common to all programs, not just specific to Paint Shop Pro 9. It's not something that would be covered in a tutorial. Therefore it makes sense to suggest lessons in basic computing for anyone who doesn't know how to do these things.

If you are more advanced than your post would seem to indicate, great, but if you go back and read what you wrote, I think you can see why it's reasonable to assume otherwise based on your words. I think you'd do well to realize that ALL the responses here were ginven in attempt to help you. No one was trying to insult you.

I was fairly confused myself as to what you needed. Had I responded to this post at the time that Ben did, I might have made the same suggestion. That's not an insult; it's just an assessment of what you appeared to need, based on what you said.

Since you don't seem to want to be told to work on your basic OS usage skills, I'll try to answer your specific questions without going in that direction. Here goes:


Okay, here's my standard tutorial, explaining what channels are, what Alpha channels are, what they do, and how to use them:

Color Space & Channels
Images designed to be shown on a color screen are comprised three colors (red, green, & blue). The relative brightness of each of these primary colors in each pixel determines each pixel's actual color. For example, a pixel comprised of equal values of red and blue without any green would appear to be purple.

When taken seperately, the individual values for red, green, or blue are represented by a grayscale image called a channel. In an individual channel, white represents the maximum possible concentration of color and black represents the absense of color. Shades of gray represent amounts of color that are less than the maximum. The darker the gray, the lesser the concentration of color. The lighter the gray, the more color is present. So, to go back to the example of combining red and blue values to make a splotch of purple, the splotch would appear white in the Red Channel, white in the Blue Channel, and black in the Green Channel, the reason being that the splotch contains the maximum possible values of red and blue, but no green.

Channels & Transparency (Alpha Channels)
Images that have transparency have the same three primary color channels and also have a fourth channel, called Alpha, which represents opacity. In the alpha channel, white represents comlete opacity and black represents the absense of opacity (transparency). Shades of gray represent semi-transparency. The darker the gray, the more transparent. The lighter the gray, the more opaque.

So, for example, if you are making a bikini top for your avatar, the alpha channel would be white in the shape of the bikini top, and black everywhere else. The white part makes the bikini top 100% opaque so that you won't be able to see through it when it's on the av, and the black part makes the rest of the image invisible so that there appears to be nothing on the av's arms, stomach, etc.

Creating Your Alpha Channel
Okay, now for the how-to's. I should preface this by saying my PSP skills are pretty weak compared to my Photoshop skills, but I think I can talk you through it. Just keep in mind it's been a while since I've used PSP. If any of this is inacurate or has changed since I last used it, hopefully someone else will correct me. I think everything is acurate though.

1. In Photoshop you would be able to manipulate the alpha channel directly, but in PSP you have to use a tool called a mask to serve as a proxy for what will in the end become the alpha channel. To start, go to the Mask menu and select New Mask -> Show All. The new mask will be all white (no transparency yet).

2. Go to Masks -> Edit Mask. Now you'll have a grayscale palette window so you can paint the mask varying shades of gray.

3. As I said earlier, paint the areas you want to be invisible black, paint the areas you want semi-transparent gray, and leave the areas you want completely opaque white.

4. When you're finished, go to Mask -> Save to Alpha Channel, and then delete the mask (DELETE it, do not merge it). If you need to edit the alpha later, go Mask -> Load From Alpha Channel.

5. Save your file as a 32 bit TGA and you should be all set.


Saving
1. Click on the word "File" at the top left of the screen to open the File Menu. Click on the words "Save As...". A dialog box will open. At the top of the box will be pulldown menu that says "Save In:", which shows all your disk drives and desktop items, and a window showing all the folders and files inside whatever disk or folder happens to be currently selected in the "Save In" menu. Pick a folder or make a new one in which to save the file.

2. Give the file a name. You should see a pulldown menu that says "File Name." In the white space, type whatever you want the file to be called.

3. The third pulldown menu you should see should say either "Format" or "File Type" (I forget which one PSP calls it, but it's the same thing). Click the little arrow to expand the menu and select Targa (TGA).

4. Click the button that says "Save". Now you've saved the file as a TGA.

Finding A File If You Don't Know Where You Saved It
For something you saved recently, the easiest thing to do is to go File -> Save As, just like in the instructions above. Take a look at the current settings in the save dialog. Whatever folder is currently selected is the last folder you saved to. That's where your file is. Click "Cancel" to get out of the Save Dialog. Now go File -> Open. Navigate to the folder that was selected in the Save Dialog. Your file should be there. Open it. Done.

For older files, you can let Windows do the work. Click the Start button at the bottom left of the screen, and then click "Search". Click on "Pictures, Music, or Video" and then type in the file name where it says "All or part of the document name:". Click the Search button. Windows will scan your hard drive and find the file. Done.


Well, have you read the instructions? Remember the page you downloaded the templates from? It was http://secondlife.com//downloads/index.php. On the right hand side of the page is a little button that says "Help Guide. Need Help?". If you click it, you'll go to the helpguide page, http://secondlife.com/support/helpguide.php. The second item on the page is a downloadable instruction manual for the templates called "Fashion Design: Using Templates." You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the manual. You can get it free at www.adobe.com if you don't have it already.

Read the instructions, and then come back with any specific questions you might have about anything you don't understand. There are plenty of us here who'd be happy to explain further.


You're welcome for the help. I hope the information was useful.

Now, on behalf of all of us who volunteer our time to educate people in this forum, please don't ever again assume that someone who has made the effort to respond to help request has done so just to "make you feel dumb". I can assure you no one would do that. What would be the point?

I've spent the better part of 90 minutes on this response, and I've explained things that are way beyond the scope of a simple texturing tutorial, things which Ben rightly described as "general aspects of using a computer and an operating system." That's how helpful and friendly we are here, so next time someone suggests an outside learning source, please take it for what it is, an attempt to steer you towards the best resource to solve your problem, not as an insult. If you feel you don't need the learning, fine, just say "Thanks, but I already know how to do that," and maybe try to better explain what exactly it is that you do need. What you don't do is go accusing a helpful, generous soul of having acted with deliberate malice. That's just not right.

Angel, I'm sorry for offending.
Chosen has explained better than I could where I am coming from (thanks CF). I really meant no offence and hope that I have not discouraged your from using the forums in the future.

Chosen i understand what your saying and i thank you for doing what you have done what i said i my post was when i saved the file it didnt tell me where it went and before it used to ask me so i was just wondering if anyone had any information for me i am so sorry i got all of this all stirred up i promise i wont ask for much anymore just maybe a simple question just didnt know it was all gonna get so messed up and i am soprry for taking your time thank you agian for all of your time and patince everyone

lol Angel, feel free to ask more questions -- that's what this forum is for. Just don't take offense quite so quickly at those who are trying to help.

A lot of questions get posed that are very vague and that leaves answerers making guesses as to what help is needed. Sometimes that leads to misunderstandings. Rule of thumb -- when you do ask questions, just try to provide as much information as clearly as possible, and make your questions as specific as possible.

Usually, if you select "Save as" in file it gives you the option of where to save it to, or if you click "Save" when it hasn't been saved before, and therefore doesn't yet have a location on your PC..

If you open an file/image and edit it, then click save, it will save it to wherever its already located on your PC and overwrite the origional.

Only thing I can think of that would stop it asking you where you want to put it, hope this helps!
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