In 2002, my mom gave me a copy of her PaintShop Pro 7, when she upgraded to version 8. I had never worked with graphics so I was not really sure what I would do with it. 

 

Once I installed the program, I opened it and I was totally overwhelmed. I had no idea what those icons were for, or what to do with them.

Although I love a challenge, this “new” program was totally out of my league. Let’s remember that, at the time, YouTube didn’t exist so finding tutorials was not always easy.

After a lot of searching on Google, I found one series of 30 tutorials that explained the very basic tools, like opening a blank image, how to use picture tubes, how to use simple masks, etc.

 

That gave me at least some idea of what could be done with that program. After those tutorials, I was less overwhelmed, and realized that I could not break it!

After getting at least comfortable with the basic buttons and commands, I joined Yahoo groups (remember those?) and they often had links to tutorials. Back then, a lot of tutorials were for frames and tags. I did a lot of those but really didn’t have an obvious purpose for all that I learned.

 

That is until I discovered that I could replicate scrapbooking effects with the program. It was cool because it was not as messy and didn’t require a lot of storage space. Even better, there was an “undo” function if I didn’t like what I did.

I started being more comfortable with PaintShop Pro, and explored the various tools and commands.

 

Being curious, I discovered scripts in 2007 when I upgraded to PSP9. Wanting to know more about that, I took a course in scripting for PaintShop Pro from Suz Shook. Again, I got hooked and I started coding basic scripts. In December 2007, I joined my first consignment store, selling a handful of scripts.

In April 2011, I got a private invite from Corel to be a beta tester of PSP X4. That was a treat as I didn’t know about that program. I have been a beta tester since that time, which has given me a special insight into the development of PaintShop Pro.

 

My involvement with Corel turned into several opportunities to hold webinars, write blog posts, and even create some video tutorials for them. And in 2017, I was selected to join a new program: the PaintShop Professionals.

Over time, I have developed more and more expertise in using PaintShop Pro. I have opened, built, and manage a large site on using PaintShop Pro. As it started with digital scrapbooking projects, the site is called Scrapbook Campus.

 

Despite its name, it also has a lot of tutorials, classes, and workshops that are not specifically related to scrapbooking.

 

Come and join us.