ABC PSP - Tutorial 9

Plugins/Filters

By ©LismibaebisCreations
November 2007

Skill Level: Absolute Beginner using PSP
This tutorial is written for Windows XP

- dlls for Windows Vista and instructions on how to install available here
- dlls for Windows 7 and instructions on how to install available here

This tutorial is my own creation, any resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental.

This is Lesson 9 of a series of tutorials for the absolute beginner with PSP.
It is recommended that you complete the tutorials in numerical order, as each new one will build on the knowledge gained by the previous tutorials.

Program shortcuts will be given in parentheses.

Plugins and Filters are used in PSP to change the look of images.

There are hundreds of different Plugins and Filters.
Many are free, but a few have to be bought.

To be visible in PSP, Plugins and Filters need to have been converted to 8bf format.

Tutorials usually come with a link to the Plugin/Filter required.
If the link is no longer valid, just type the name into a search engine like Google.
Some Plugins and Filters can be hard to find and at times friends might be able to help.

Most filters are made for the Photoshop program.
To be able to use them in Paint Shop Pro, you need to install 4 extra dll files into the system folder in WINDOWS.
This is for Windows XP.
Instructions regarding dll files Windows Vista and Windows 7
Apart from the dll files, this tutorial is valid for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

I have a folder called "Plugins" in my "PSP Extras" folder (instructions are in ABC #7 - Organizing PSP "Extras").
I make a new Subfolder for each Plugin or Filter I download.

PSP only recognizes one file if several share the same name.
To make such an "invisible" file visible in PSP, you will need to change the particular Plugin (or other file) name by adding a number or letter to the beginning of the name.

Most Plugins and Filters will work after placing them into the Filter Folder.
Only a few need to be specially installed.
Those filters come with an .exe file and need to be installed in the Program Files.
Note: You will have to restart PSP after installing new Plugins and Filters for them to become visible.

Make sure you have the necessary "File Location" settings in place for PSP.
(Instructions can be found in ABC Tutorial #7 Organizing PSP "Extras").

Since we will go into the Program Files with this tutorial I suggest that you create a new Restore Point now:

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > Create a restore point

Needed

Paint Shop Pro - I used XI
Free 30 day PSP trial from Corel, available here

Image
Image abc3pict.jpg,
(you should have it in your ABC Folder, if not it's available here

Plugin
Simple Filters, available here

The extra dlls for Plugins (Windows XP only)
available here

Preparation

1) Download the 4dlls zip file,
unzip the files and
save them into the systems32 folder for Windows XP

Please be careful while you do this

Start > My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > WINDOWS > system32

or into the WINDOWS > system folder if you do not run XP, Vista or Windows 7 on your computer

2) Download the "set of 10 filters" and "few extras" from the Simple Filters website

Unzip both files and place into a new folder called "Simple Filters" in the Plugin folder in "My Documents"

3) Open PSP

4) File > Open
abc3pict.jpg in PSP
(if you have not saved it, download the image)

5) Window > Duplicate (Shift + D)
Close original

6) Effects > Plugins > Simple > 4 Way Average

This should be your result:

Use Edit > Undo and try out the other Simple Filters to see the different effects you can get

Good luck with building up your Plugin and Filter collection!

Suggestions for future ABC Tutorials are welcome

I hope that you have found this tutorial helpful.
If you have any questions, please email me at: Barbara @ Lismibaebi.com

A special "Thank you" goes to my Tester Group.
Your help, support and patience made this possible.

Another "Thank you" goes to Hooty for letting me use his zip file for the dll files.