PSP: Introduction to Plugins

Tutorial by Amy Martin

Typically, original photos may not quite be what one is looking for to include in a layout.  In order to circumvent this, effects are one option that may be considered to make a photo more appealing to the eye or to make the photo itself fit better into a layout. 

One way to make a photo fit into a work is to apply various effects to the photo.  There are a number of different presets or plug-ins available for Paint Shop Pro.  One such plug-in is called Virtual Photographer (http://www.optikvervelabs.com/).  This plug-in includes over 50 presets that can easily be used with a couple button clicks to create incredible looking photos.

To install a plug-in such as this, the download file is first unzipped to a common directory.  The exe file in the zip is then run which will start the setup wizard.  Files are directed to be extracted to the following directory (for PSP vX2):   C:Program FilesCorelCorel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2Plugins.  The files will then be able to be easily accessed by PSP. 

Once you open PSP as well as the image you want to work with, the steps are easy if you choose to use Virtual Photographer presets.  First, select Effects > Plugins > optikVerve Labs > Virtual Photographer…



Once clicked, you will see the main dialogue box that controls the effects in this plug-in.  There are a number of presets that, when selected, will provide preview images based on the preset.  After a preset is selected, they may also be adjusted to create custom presets by adjusting the various sliders including the Film Type, the Film Speed and the Photographic Styles.  It is quite fun to play around with these sliders, so be sure to take the time to filter through and adjust to see what each does.

Here are a couple of examples of some of the more common presets including the following:  Photocopy, Radiant, Blue Tone and Hollywood.

There are not only a number of color presets but many black and white conversions, as well.  Sometimes simply changing to black and white (ie using Effects > Effects Browser > Adjust > Hue and Saturation > Greyscale) is not the effect you may be looking for. 

By using a plug-in such as Virtual Photographer, you can achieve professional results with a couple of clicks.  This is a very simple (and inexpensive – the plug-in is free) way to make photos look great and adapt them to fit into whatever project you may be working on.