1. Open the image that is to be the bottom layer. (You may resize and adjust contrast/brightness if desired).

2. Open the image that is to be the top layer. This will be the layer that has transparent regions through which the bottom layer will show. Transparent areas show as a gray-and-white checkerboard. (To create a top layer image with tranparent regions, see "Cutting out a portion of an image to use as a top layer overlay", below).

3. Select Edit --> Copy.

4. Click on the bottom image and select Edit --> "Paste as New Layer".

5. Use the Mover tool to position the top layer image over the bottom layer as you wish.

6. You can adjust the size of the top layer image as needed to make it fit. Select that layer from the Layers menu, select Image--> Resize, set the desired size, deselect (un-check) "Resize all layers", and click OK.

7. If needed, use the pencil eraser tool to erase the areas of the top image that should be transparent, through which the botton layer will show. You can change the size of the eraser tool, making it big when you have large areas to erase and smaller when you are working close to the edges of the top image. Click on the eraser tool to select it, then right-click on it and select Tool Options. (If the Tool Options box is not visible, right-click anywhere on the tool bar and select Tool Options.) Adjust the size and shape of the eraser tool as desired. Zoom in and out (left- or right-click with the tool) so that you can work more precisely to erase just the desired regions.

8. You can save both image layers by using the Save As command and selecting Paint Shop Pro Image (.psp) from the "Save as type..." pop-up menu. This format preserves the layers. Later, you can open up this file and replace or modify either layer. If you want to send the image via email or put it on a Web page, save it in JPEG format (.jpg). This format does not preserve the separate layers.

1. Open the desired image. Select Colors --> Increase Color Depth --> 16 Million colors.

2. Select Layers --> Promote to Layer.

3. Zoom in (left-click with the tool ) anywhere along the edge of the area you want to cut out.

4. Select the tool and set to the "Point-to-Point" selection mode in the Tool Options box and set Feather

to 2. (If the Tool Options box is not visible, right-click anywhere on the tool bar and select Tool Options).

5. Trace carefully by clicking all around the edges of the desired portion. Be careful not to double-click.

If you accidently include some parts that you don't want, don't worry - you can erase the excess later.

6. When you get back to your starting point, right-click to end the trace.

7. If you want to save the inside of the outlined region (and make the rest transparent), select Edit --> Copy

and then Edit --> Paste as New Image. If you want to delete the inside of the outlined

region (make it transparent), just press the Delete key.

8. Save this as a Paint Shop Pro Image (.psp) to preserve the transparency.

If you get confused about how many layers you have, pull down the Layers menu. This lists all the layers in the picture and shows the currently active layer with a check mark. To make any layer active, select it from this list.

You can apply any of the usual image operations to the active layer (contrast-brightness adjustment, etc). Image operations apply only to the active layer and do not affect the other layers.

For best results it is better to work with large high-resolution images (large size), then reduce to the desired final size after all the erasing and adjusting has been done.

Tom O'Haver (to2@umail.umd.edu), November 2001