Paintshop Pro Fun Challenge #1

[hartpaul]

Challenge 1
Thought I would put this up for a bit of fun and learning.
Preparation:
1.File --> New --> make a transparent 1000 x 1000 pixel transparent canvas.
2. Choose the preset shape tool and use the airplane shape with retain style unchecked and select two different colours for foreground and background. Set Width to 20.
3. Draw a plane shape to fill about half of the canvas. Merge down.
4. Right click the layer and create a new raster layer filled with black.
Thats it.
You now have a black layer on top of the transparent layer with a plane shape on it as shown.

Now the task :
How many ways can you do to make the plane visible.
I present two of the simplest ways - I managed to think of at least 7.

[hartpaul]

Solution 1 Drag the plane layer so it is on top.

[hartpaul]

Solution 2.
Right click the black layer and choose Delete

[LeviFiction]

Solution 3: Turn off the visibility of the top layer.
Solution 4: Turn the Opacity to 0
Solution 5: Turn off the Layer Layer Style
Solution 6: Reduce the Layer Layer Style to 0
Solution 7: Change the blend mode of the black layer to 'Screen' (Well, most blend modes actually. Except, Hard Light, Multiply, Luminance, Darken)
Solution 8: Grab the magic wand tool and set the Match Mode to "Opacity" turn off "Use all layers" and select the plane layer. Select within the area of the plane. Select the top layer and hit "Delete" or use the Clear command.

Solution 9: Grab the magic wand tool and set the Match Mode to "Opacity" turn off "Use all layers" and select the plane layer. Select outside the area of the plane. Go to the Selection menu and select "Invert Selection" then select the top layer and hit "Delete" or use the Clear command.

Solution 10: Use the same option as Solution 8 to select the plane. Select the top layer then go to the Layers menu and create a new mask using the "Show selection" option.

Solution 11: Use the same option as Solution 9 to select everything except the plane. Select the top layer then go to the Layers menu and create a new mask using the "Hide selection" option.

Solution 12: Use the eraser tool

Solution 13: Add a mask to the top layer. Then either hide everything or draw with black over the plane.

Solution 14: Select the Plane layer. Grab the clone tool. Set a sample point. Select the top layer, then map the brush exactly over the sample point and start drawing until the plane is revealed.

[photodrawken]

1. With the plane's layer active, use the Magic Wand with a Match Mode of "All Opaque", de-select "Use All Layers" and click where the plane should be to select it.
2. Make the black layer active.
3. Use Mask...Hide Selection.

LeviFiction -- your edits are making things fun for consecutive replies!

[hartpaul]

I had hoped that with the examples I set at the start that others would follow in similar vein. This would make it easier for new users to follow rather than assuming knowlege of commands and tools.

Suggested corrections to Levifictions:

8.and 9 Add (Turn off the visibility of the top layer so the plane can be seen) Then you can "Select within the area of the plane" more easily. (remember this is a general method and the objects may be much smaller than the plane.)
Clear command is: Edit --> Clear for thos who were looking for a Clear key on their keyboard.

10 (using same method as last part Layers--> New Mask Layer --> Hide Selection (instead of Show Selection) .

11. (using same method as 9) last part Layers--> New Mask Layer --> Show Selection (instead of Show Selection)

12. Select plane as in 8 . Then select top layer and use Eraser inside selection finishing with Selections --> Select None

13a. With Top layer selected do Layers --> New Mask Layer --> Hide All
13b Select the plane as in 8 , With Top layer selected d Layers --> New Mask Layer --> Show All. Then with the mask layer selected (shows as all white) Use Paintbrush Tool and paint with black inside the selection finishing with Selections --> Select None.

14.
1) Select the Plane layer .
2) Turn off the visibility of the top layer.
3) Select the Clone tool , tick alligned mode.
4) Set a sample point (right click) on part of the plane.
5) Select the top layer and turn the visibility on again.
6) Clone brush the plane in.

[photodrawken]

While experimenting with this, I found an intriguing technique -- if the original object has a white outline, this will mask out that outline and reveal only the interior:

1. With the airplane layer active, use Ctrl+A to select all.
2. Ctl+C to copy to the Clipboard.
3. With the black layer active, add a "Show All" mask, which will be solid white.
4. Make the mask layer active, and use Edit...Paste Into Selection to add the airplane shape to the mask for the black layer.
5. With that mask layer still active, use Adjust...Threshold and set it to "255".

[hartpaul]

Must be missing some step there as followed a number of times and did not get the effect you described.
There is an Edit --> Paste into Selection and also a Paste as Selection which gives a strange floating selection which followed my cursor (as if the cursor was a move tool)

[photodrawken]

There is an Edit --> Paste into Selection and also a Paste as Selection which gives a strange floating selection which followed my cursor (as if the cursor was a move tool)

Since the "Select All" from step #1 is still active, in step 4 that selection remains active when making the mask layer the active layer and "Paste Into Selection" does it....

[hartpaul]

I had been testing your procedure in X4 and came across another bug. Your method worked in X2, X3 but not in my X4 and in X5 the paste into selection would not work.

I discovered a new "feature" of X4 which did not occur in any of the others I tested. It worked with a preset shape and also with a painted image . Screen shot shown:

The paint spot / plane on the bottom layer behaves as if there is a selection right through to the top layer preventing the flood fill from filling the whole layer and continues even if I choose Selections --> Select none . Once again this only happened in X4 SP1.

[photodrawken]

Your method worked in X2, X3 but not in my X4 and in X5 the paste into selection would not work.

That's odd, because the Paste Into Selection works here in X5. Don't worry about it, though -- I'm not sure the technique has any practical use, but I thought I'd mention it just in case someone might find it useful....

[carolynr61]

There's another way to select the plane. The active layer is the plane, click on the selections menu, click select all and then select float, then select defloat. Your plane is selected. Click on the black layer, Select new mask layer, hide all, then all you see is the plane.