The Retouch Tool allows you to make adjustments to certain areas of your image, rather than to the entire image. For our examples, I used settings of Size=30, Shape=round, Opacity=128, Paper Texture=None.

The Lighten tool can be used to add highlights or lighten areas that are too dark in your image. Add ripples to a pond, or highlights to a glass.

The Darken Tool can be used to add shadows. With the size set to 5, the shape to horizontal and the opacity at 128, shadows can be added to the rippled water. Change the shape to vertical to create shadow effects on the glass for more depth.

The soften tool is idea for softening edges in certain areas, without applying a softening filter to the whole image. For our example, I used size=20, shape=round, opacity=128, and texture=none.

Fuzzy and slightly blurred images can be brought into focus using the sharpen feature. To sharpen only certain areas of the image, rather than the entire image, use the Retouch/Sharpen Tool.

Embossing is probably one of the coolest features of any graphics program, and PSP keeps right up there with the best of them. Using the proper tolerance settings, the selection tool, and the Retouch/Emboss, with an option setting of Large Bricks, a truly remarkable image can be achieved, without the use of masks.

In this example, I opened an image that was created from a photo. It had other filters applied to it to get the original affect. Using the magic wand, tolerance set to 130, feather set to 0, I selected the black part of the image, outside of the oval. Then, I chose the Retouch/Emboss, set to size 100, shape round, opacity 128, and paper texture of large bricks. I ran the curser over the image once, being sure to fill all areas that were selected for the finished result that you see here.

The Smudge tool is used for 'pushing' paint around on your window. Care must be taken with this tool as it doesn't push just one color but what ever color it comes in contact with. Our example uses a solid blue background, with splotches of paint 'sprayed' onto it using the air brush, with a paper texture of parchment. By using a setting of size 20, right slash, opacity of 50 we can blend the white paint into the blue to create a wispy cloud.

To smudge just a particular area of your image, select that area before applying the smudge tool.

PSP 4.0 Tips and Tricks Index