Donations Welcome

I am currently saving toward a new version of Paint Shop Pro. If you wish to help me out, then please donate.

Larger versions of images can be seen by clicking on the image. Also, thank you for your kind and encouraging comments. I love reading the comments. If you use my any of freebies, I would be overjoyed with a comment containing a link to your item. I love seeing any of my freebies in use.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

First Blinkie

Everyone seems to have blinkies, so I made one for myself. I don't have a style yet, so the blinkie is quite generic. Maybe once I develop a style (not likely after 11 years), I'll make myself a new blinkie.



To add the blinkie to your website or blog, copy and paste the following code.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

What is a Blog Train?

In the digital scrap world, a Blog Train is when several designers get together and make a kit based on one color scheme and/or theme. Each designer creates their own choice of elements, papers, quick pages and templates. The only similarities from one designer to the next is the common colors and/or theme so that the kits can be used interchangeably. The pieces of the kit are offered for free at the blogs of the individual designers. Visitors must travel from blog to blog in order to obtain all the pieces of the kit.

How a Blog Train works
The organizer of the train collects the names and blog links of designers wishing to participate and provides any further information or rules for the train. There is a deadline for all designers to sign up for the train and a separate deadline for providing previews of their portion of the kit to the organizer.   The train organizer will collect all the links and create a list of all participants.  This list will be provided to the designer's prior to the "Departure Date."  When the Departure Date arrives, all participating designers post their previews and download links on their own blogs. There is usually a requirement for the designer to post either a list of all the blogs in the train or a home blog ("Station") address where a visitor can return for the rest of the links. On average, designers make download links to the freebies available for 30 days, but the time period can be as short as 7 days. After that it is up to each designer if they want to keep the freebie on their site or start it in a store for a fee. However, the length of time a freebie is available is dependent upon the blog train.

Some blog trains may have design constraints in addition to the theme and color. However, individual portions of the blog train are often unconstrained outside of the color and theme requirements. Individual designers may create their portions as:
  • Commercial Use or Personal Use
  • A single item or a complete mega kit
  • Tagger Size (72 dpi) or Full Size Scrapping Kit (300 dpi)

Blog Train Parlance

TRAIN STATION: Blog for the train or the blog for the organizer of the train.  Contains all information about the blog train and all the links.
CONDUCTOR: Organizer of the blog train.
STOPS: Individual Designers' blogs.
TRAIN: The collective set of blogs.
TRAIN ROUTE AKA THE RIDE: The list of links leading from blog to blog.
CARGO: The free downloads made available at each blog.
JOURNEY: The theme for a particular train
PASSENGER AKA RIDER: Anyone follows the links from blog to blog to download the freebies.
DEPARTURE DATE:  The date the train leaves the station and all download links are made available on participating designer's blogs.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Terms of Use

I am currently releasing the digital scrap that I make into the internet jungle under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License which means that I am allowing free sharing and remixing of my digital scrap. You may copy, distribute, or display my digital scrap. You may use it in tutorials. You may also make any changes to my digital scrap as you see fit. I ask that you give me credit by either mentioning my blog, Humbug Graphics Galore or Spencer Aloysius. However, I ask that you do not create commercial items with my digital scrap unless I make a special exclusion for the specific piece of digital scrap.

I make my digital scrap for entertainment and I share it with the internet at large because it is fun to see my stuff roaming about in various incarnations. I do not insist on attribution, but it is nice and I'm flattered when people mention that I created an item. Because I share my stuff for free and I believe in the "Free Net", I prefer that items created from my scrap remain free. Also, the alpha collecting/tagging world where many alphas are created with graphics originally made by others, I ask that my alphas not be used for commercial purposes because this would be breaking the copyright of the original artist. That is also why I do not share my graphic alphas on this blog because then it wouldn't be personal use. However, I can see that in the digital scrap world, the idea of commerical use is very important since so many people run little shops where they sell their scrap. For that reason, on occasion, I will designate a particular item commercial use ok.

However, unlike the majority of digi-scrappers, I do not intend to ever produce digital scrap as anything other than hobby. I do not intend to re-coup my personal monetary losses through sales of my work. Therefore, all items offered on the Humbug Graphics Galore blog will be free. If you wish to contact me about my terms of use, you will find my email at the bottom of my entry about the pixel pusher.

To Make a Kit

I acquired these tips from a discussion at the Digital Scrapbook Place on what items constitute a kit.  As I have been having a lot of trouble accessing the DSP website lately, I am going to post this information here for myself so that I can reach it when I cannot reach DSP.

Create a kit consisting of approximately 12 items where 3-5 pieces are papers and the rest are elements.

To Make a Kit
  1. Papers
  2. Grounding elements - mats, horizontal strips
  3. Fasteners/Attachments - staples, brads, pins, buttons, rings, hooks, paperclips, binder clips
  4. Frame - 3D realistic, stamped
  5. Clusterable elements - At least 3 at different heights - flowers, bows, small elements, buttons
  6. Trims - ribbons, string, chain, rope
  7. Journaling element - tags, strips, paper - versatile for use with or without journaling, small items for dates
  8. Wordart, alphas
  9. Graphic/blending elements - overlays, stamps, borders
  10. Something unique based on the kit's theme.

Element Sizes

This table provides guidelines for minimum element sizes for a Full Size (300 dpi) Scrap Kit. The Scrap Kit Challenge element size chart provides pixel sizes for 200dpi elements and I needed 300 dpi. Thus, I created this table based on that chart.



ElementMinimum Sizes (in pixels) for Full Size Kit
Alpha300 x 300, 1" per letter
Banner600 x 3600 x , 2" x 12"
Beads300 x 300, 1"
Binder Clips450 x 600, 1 1/2" x 2"
Borders300 x 3600, 1" x 12"
Bottle Caps300 x 300, 1"
Bow150 - 1200, 0.5" - 4"
Brads75 - 225, 0.25" - 0.75"
Buckle450, 1.5"
Button525, 1.75"
Charms525, 1.75"
Corners225, .75"
Eyelets75 - 225, 0.25" - 0.75"
Fiber3600 or 5100, 12" or 17"
Filmstrip (single frame)414 (high) x 450 (wide) frame with 282 (high) x 426 (wide) opening and 8 perforations, 35mm (1.38") x 38mm frame with 24mm × 36mm opening
Flower600 - 900, 2" - 3"
Frame Openings900 x 1500 - 1200 x 1800 - 1500 x 2100 - 2400 x 3000, 3" x 5" - 4" x 6" - 5" x 7" - 8" x 10"
Frames75, 0.25" thick
Hinges600 x 900, 2" x 3"
Journal Blocks900, 3"
Lace3600 or 5100, 12" or 17"
Name Plate300 x 900, 1" x 3"
Needle75 x 900, 0.25" x 3"
Paper3600 x 3600, 12" x 12"
Paperclip75 x 375, 0.25" x 1.25"
Postage Stamp263 x 300, 7/8" x 1" (US Forever Stamp)
Prong225 x 375 x 225, 0.75" x 1.25"
Ric Rac3600 or 5100, 12" or 17"
Ribbon3600 or 5100, 12" or 17"
Safety Pin75 x 375, 0.25" x 1.25"
Slide Mounts600 x 600, 1" x 1.5", 24mm x 36mm
Staples150, 0.5"
Stickpin75 x 1275, 0.25" x 4.25"
Stitching3600 or 5100, 12" or 17"
Tag300 - 1200, 1" - 4"
Wax Seal600, 2"
Word Art300, 1" high
Zippers1800, 6"

Scrapper's Dictionary

A dictionary of terms commonly encountered in the digital scrapping world. This guide was established for my own personal reference, but others are free to use it.


AcronymAbbreviation ExpandedDefinition
ASAnimation ShopProgram used to make animated graphics.
BPBack PackA pack of background papers.
CCCreative CommonsLicensing system that provides a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators.
CTCreative TeamA group of people who turn scrap made by a designer into other scrap, such as tags or layouts.
CSCreative Suiteaka CS2, CS3, or CS4. These are versions of Photoshop.
CUCommercial UseRelated to whether work can be used for commercial purposes. Sometimes seen as CU Ok.
CU4CUCommercial Use for Commercial UseWork may be used to create items that can be sold. Subsequent items can also be used for commercial purposes.
CU4PUCommercial Use for Personal UseWork may be used to create items that can be sold. Subsequent items must be for personal use only.
CU OkCommercial Use AllowedWork may be used to create items that can be sold. Subsequent items must be for personal use only.
DIPDigital Image ProProgram used to make digital scrap.
DRDesigner ResourceWork (such as actions, scripts, templates, or overlays) used by designers to create scrap items such as kits, quick pages, or tags.
FTUFree To UseItem is free for you to use.
LOLayoutA designed scrap page that has pictures and journaling items to showcase an event, theme or kit.
PTUPay To UseWork requires money/payment in order for you to acquire and use it.
PSPhotoshopProgram used to make digital scrap.
PSEPhotoshop ElementsProgram used to make digital scrap.
PSPPaint Shop ProProgram used to make digital scrap.
PUPersonal UseWork may only used for personal, non-commercial purposes.
QPQuick Page aka PlopperA decorated scrap page with holes/blanks for photographs that only requires pictures to make it complete. An instant page.
S4HScrap for HireWork can be used to make requested scrap items for money. Scrap 4 Hire generally refers to a scrapper creating an item (such as a scrap page) for another person as a service. Generally requires that original work is modified in some manner. Can be synonymous with S4O.
S4OScrap for OthersWork can be used to make scrap items for other people. Fee for service may not be required. Generally requires that original work is modified in some manner. Can be synonymous with S4H.
TOUTerms of UseDocument that defines how you may use work generated by another designer/creator.



TermDefinition
ActionA recording of steps to automate image creation. Only for use with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.
BlinkieA small (usually 50 x 150 pixels) animated digital image used to link to a blog, website or store.
FreebieA free item.
Full Size300 dpi scrap kit with 3600 x 3600 papers. See Element Size table.
HybridCombining digital and tactile (cutter, paper, craft) scrapbooking techniques in a single project.
ScriptA recording of steps to automate image creation. Only for use with Paint Shop Pro.
Tagger-Size72 dpi kit with 600 x 600 papers and elements smaller than 300 pixels on a side.

About the Pixel Pusher

Paint Shop Pro and I have been good friends since version 3.0 when it was still owned by Jasc software and Windows 3.1 was still the operating system of choice if you weren't a diehard DOS user. I believe 3.11 came out in 1995, so I started making graphics sometime before then, but I can no longer remember the exact time. I used 3.11 for a long time before upgrading to 6.02 in 2000 or so. PSP 6.02 is the first program I paid for out of my own pocket. I upgraded to 9.0 in 2004 just after Corel bought Jasc. I am now on 9.01, so you can see that I stay with a version for a long time before upgrading.

I have used Photoshop since 5.0 and I have never liked it as much as Paint Shop Pro. I am currently using Photoshop CS3 when necessary. I am familiar with Illustrator CS and Macromedia Freehand 10. I also use GIMP and ImageMagick.

I started making web graphics for my own web page, then to share with others. At some point I started making graphic alphabets. Then, in 2005, I discovered that there were Yahoo groups where people shared alphabets and I joined a few. Then, I discovered that people wanted me to share the alphabets that I had been making for years and years. So, I did and I have been doing so ever since. I even started my own group so that any willing soul could receive my alphabets as soon as I made them. Crazy, no?

Recently, I started the Humbug Graphics Galore blog because I wanted to explore digital scrap, but as you can see I have been making graphics far longer than digi-scrapping has been around. I make a lot of alphabets because I'm obsessed with them, but hopefully I will make other stuff as well. Everything posted on this blog is either made completely by me or from items which are designated as commercial use ok. Items which are sent via email in the alphabet group may contain graphics created by others.

You may contact me at spencer . aloysius at gmail . com. Please replace spaces and symbols as appropriate.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Soooo Pink



I'm still following tutorials and I found one that made a very neat be-ribboned tag that I immediately wanted to turn into an alpha. I tried a few more tutorials so that there would be some other items besides an alpha. There are three papers, two tiles, three buttons, four paperclips and eight tags. I'm still trying to figure out what size to make my elements. I suspect that the alpha letters may be too small. I still made them two separate files for those people who only want the alpha.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

100% Boy


Just starting down the road of digital scraphood though I've been making web graphics since 1996 or 1997. I just joined a group to learn more about digital scrapping and thought I would join the multitudes on the internet offering up their goodies for free. This pseudo-kit comes with an five complete alphas and 4 papers. The alphas and papers are separate zip files. Click the links below to get the zips.

Monday, September 8, 2008

From X to X1 - Gradients

Here is a compilation of file name changes from PSP X to X1 for the gradients that come with the program.


PSP 9/XPSP X1/X2
Duotones
Duotone bright greenCorel_06_003
Duotone brownCorel_06_004
Duotone dark blueCorel_06_005
Duotone greenCorel_06_006
Duotone ivoryCorel_06_007
Duotone lavenderCorel_06_008
Duotone light blueCorel_06_009
Duotone redCorel_06_010
Gradients
Black-whiteCorel_06_001
Blue neonCorel_06_002
Electric bluesCorel_06_024
Fading backgroundCorel_06_025
Fading foregroundCorel_06_026
Fading spectrumCorel_06_027
Fading whiteCorel_06_028
Foreground-backgroundCorel_06_029
grayCorel_06_030
Green neonCorel_06_031
Grey accentCorel_06_032
Multi-aquaCorel_06_033
Multi-blueCorel_06_034
Multi-brownCorel_06_035
Multi-redCorel_06_036
Multi-yellowCorel_06_037
Ocean bluesCorel_06_038
RainbowCorel_06_040
Rainbow pastelCorel_06_039
redeyeCorel_06_042
Red-orange-yellowCorel_06_041
Landscapes
Landscape desertCorel_06_011
Landscape morningCorel_06_012
Landscape nightCorel_06_013
Landscape sunsetCorel_06_014
Metallic
Blue metallicCorel_06_015
Chrome reflectionCorel_06_016
Metal brassCorel_06_017
Metal chromeCorel_06_018
Metal copperCorel_06_019
Metal steelCorel_06_020
Metallic gold 01Corel_06_021
Metallic gold 01Corel_06_022
Metallic silverCorel_06_023

All gradients starting at Corel_06_043 and increasing in number are not included in PSP 9, may not be in PSP 10 and are not listed here.  Images are courtesy of Deb of DeBee DeZines.

From X to X1 - Preset Shapes

Here is a compilation of file name changes from PSP X to X1 for the preset shapes that come with the program.

PSP 9/XPXP X1/X2
Arrows
Arrow 1Corel_11_001
Arrow 2Corel_11_002
Arrow 3Corel_11_003
Arrow 4Corel_11_004
Arrow 5Corel_11_005
Arrow 6Corel_11_006
Arrow 7Corel_11_007
Arrow 8Corel_11_008
Arrow 9Corel_11_009
Arrow 10Corel_11_010
Arrow 11Corel_11_011
Arrow 12Corel_11_012
Arrow 13Corel_11_013
Arrow 14Corel_11_014
Arrow 15Corel_11_015
Arrow 16Corel_11_016
Arrow 17Corel_11_017
Arrow 18Corel_11_018
Arrow 19Corel_11_019
Arrow 20Corel_11_020
Arrow 21Corel_11_021
Arrow 22Corel_11_022
Arrow 23Corel_11_023
Arrow 24Corel_11_024
Arrow 25Corel_11_025
Arrow 26Corel_11_026
Arrow 27Corel_11_027
Arrow 28Corel_11_028
Arrow 29Corel_11_029
Arrow 30Corel_11_030
Arrow 31Corel_11_031
Basic Shapes
BurstCorel_11_036
Burst 2Corel_11_032
Burst 3Corel_11_033
Burst 4Corel_11_034
Burst 5Corel_11_035
FlowerCorel_11_044
Flower 2Corel_11_037
Flower 3Corel_11_038
Flower 4Corel_11_039
Flower 5Corel_11_040
Flower 7Corel_11_041
Flower 8Corel_11_042
Flower 9Corel_11_043
GearCorel_11_049
Gear 2Corel_11_045
Gear 3Corel_11_046
Gear 4Corel_11_047
Gear 5Corel_11_048
InkblotCorel_11_050
NutCorel_11_051
Square-ShadedCorel_11_052
StarfishCorel_11_054
Star-MilitaryCorel_11_053
SunCorel_11_057
Sun 2Corel_11_055
Sun 3Corel_11_056
WheelCorel_11_058
Callouts
CalloutNot Included
Callout 2Corel_11_060
Callout 3Corel_11_061
Callout 4Corel_11_062
Callout 5Corel_11_063
Callout 6Corel_11_064
Callout 7Corel_11_065
Callout 8Corel_11_066
Callout 9Corel_11_067
Preset Shapes
DodecagonCorel_11_068
EllipseCorel_11_069
HexagonCorel_11_070
OctagonCorel_11_071
PentagonCorel_11_072
RectangleCorel_11_073
Rounded rectangleCorel_11_074
Star 1Corel_11_075
Star 2Corel_11_076
Star 3Corel_11_077
Star 4Corel_11_078
TriangleCorel_11_079

All shapes starting at Corel_11_080 and increasing in number are not included in PSP 9, may not be in PSP 10 and are not listed here.  Images are courtesy of Deb of DeBee DeZines.

PSP Keyboard Shortcuts


PSP Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcut
Action
A
Freehand Selection tool ("Lasso")
B
Paintbrush tool
D
Deform tool
E
Erase tool
F
Fill Flood tool
G
Zoom (“Magnifying Glass")
I
Draw tool
J
Arrow tool
K
Scratch Remover tool
M
Magic Wand tool
N
Clone Brush tool
Q
Vector Object Selection tool
R
Crop tool
S
Selection tool
U
Airbrush tool
V
Mover tool
W
Overview window
X
Text tool
Y
Dropper tool
C
Hide/Restore Color Palette
H
Hide/Restore Histogram
L
Hide/Restore Layer Palette
O
Hide/Restore Tool Options palette
P
Hide/Restore Tool Palette
T
Hide/Restore Toolbar
Tab
Hide/Restore floating palettes
Del
Clear canvas/layer
Spacebar
Step through tools
.(period)
Picture Tube
,(comma)
Color Replacer
Shift+A
Full Screen Edit
Shift+B
Brightness/Contrast
Shift+C
Start Capture
Shift+D
Duplicate Window
Shift+E
Equalize(Histogram function)
Shift+G
Gamma Correction
Shift+H
Hue/Saturation/Lightness
Shift+I
Current Image Information
Shift+K
Invert Mask
Shift+L
Colorize
Shift+M
Highlight/Midtone/Shadow
Shift+O
Load Palette
Shift+P
Edit color Palette
Shift+R
Crop to Selection
Shift+S
Resize Image
Shift+T
Stretch (Histogram function)
Shift+U
Red/Green/Blue
Shift+V
View Palette Transparency
Shift+W
New Window
Shift+Y
Hide All(Mask)
Shift+Z
Posterize
Shift+right arrow
Move selection right
Shift+left arrow
Move selection left
Shift+up arrow
Move selection up
Shift+down arrow
Move selection down
Ctrl+right arrow
Move selection right
Ctrl+left arrow
Move selection left
Ctrl+up arrow
Move selection up
Ctrl+down arrow
Move selection down
Ctrl+Shift+right arrow
Move selection right 10 pixels
Ctrl+Shift+left arrow
Move selection left 10 pixels
Ctrl+Shift+up arrow
Move selection up 10 pixels
Ctrl+Shift+down arrow
Move selection down 10 pixels
Ctrl+A
Select All
Ctrl+B
Browse
Ctrl+C
Copy
Ctrl+D
Deselect (Select none)
Ctrl+E
Paste as New Selection
Ctrl+F
Float Selection
Ctrl+G
Paste as New Vector Selection
Ctrl+H
Feather Selection
Ctrl+I
Flip Image
Ctrl+K
Edit Mask
Ctrl+L
Paste as New Layer
Ctrl+M
Mirror
Ctrl+N
New file
Ctrl+O
Open file
Ctrl+P
Print
Ctrl+R
Rotate Image
Ctrl+S
Save file
Ctrl+T
Set Transparent Color
Ctrl+V
Paste as New Image
Ctrl+W
Fit to Window
Ctrl+X
Cut
Ctrl+Y
Repeat
Ctrl+Z
Undo
Ctrl+(layer number)
Select as Current Layer
Ctrl+Alt+G
Toggle Grid
Ctrl+Alt+N
Normal Viewing
Ctrl+Alt+R
Toggle Rulers
Ctrl+Alt+V
View Mask
Ctrl+Alt+Z
Redo
Ctrl+F12
Save Copy As
Ctrl+Del
Delete file
Shift+Ctrl+A
Full Screen Preview
Shift+Ctrl+B
Create Selection from a Vector Object
Shift+Ctrl+C
Copy Merged Layers
Shift+Ctrl+E
Paste as Transparent Selection
Shift+Ctrl+F
Defloat Selection
Shift+Ctrl+H
Histogram Adjustment
Shift+Ctrl+I
Invert Selection
Shift+Ctrl+L
Paste Into Selection
Shift+Ctrl+M
Hide Selection Marquee
Shift+Ctrl+P
Promote Selection to Layer
Shift+Ctrl+S
Create Selection from Mask
Shift+Ctrl+T
View All Tools and Windows
Shift+Ctrl+V
Transparent Color (Selection)
Shift+Ctrl+Z
Command History
Shift+Ctrl+1
Decrease Color Depth-2 Colors
Shift+Ctrl+2
Decrease Color Depth-16 Colors
Shift+Ctrl+3
Decrease Color Depth-256 Colors
Shift+Ctrl+4
Decrease Color Depth-32K Colors
Shift+Ctrl+5
Decrease Color Depth-64K Colors
Shift+Ctrl+6
Decrease Color Depth-X Colors
Shift+Ctrl+8
Increase Color Depth-16 Colors
Shift+Ctrl+9
Increase Color Depth-256 Colors
Shift+Ctrl+0
Increase Color Depth-16.7M Colors
Shift+Alt+D
Delete Workspace
Shift+Alt+L
Open Workspace
Shift+Alt+R
Toggle Ruler
Shift+Alt+S
Save Workspace
F5
Cycle through palette tools
F9
Cycle through active image, Tool options window and Histogram window
F12
Save As
Ctrl+F12
Save Copy As


Node Edit Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcut
Action
Del
Delete
F5
Refresh
Ctrl+A
Select All
Ctrl+B
Line Before (Node Type)
Ctrl+C
Copy
Ctrl+D
Select None
Ctrl+E
Toggle between Edit and Drawing modes
Ctrl+F
Line After (Node Type)
Ctrl+J
Join selected nodes
Ctrl+K
Break the curve
Ctrl+L
Convert to Line (Node Type)
Ctrl+M
Merge
Ctrl+Q
Quit Node Edit
Ctrl+R
Reverse Contour
Ctrl+S
Symmetric (Node Type)
Ctrl+T
Smooth/Tangent (Node Type)
Ctrl+V
Paste
Ctrl+X
Cusp (Node Type)
Ctrl+Z
Undo
Shift+Ctrl+C
Close the curve
Shift+Ctrl+R
Reverse Path
Shift+Ctrl+S
Asymmetric (Node Type)
Ctrl+Alt+Z
Redo
Ctrl+1
Curve Before (Node Type)
Ctrl+2
Curve After (Node Type)



Browser Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcut
Action
Ctrl+A
Select All
Ctrl+B
Go to new folder
Ctrl+D
Select None
Ctrl+F
Find file
Ctrl+M
Move selected image(s)
Ctrl+P
Print
Ctrl+R
Rename selected image
Ctrl+W
Fit window to thumbnails
Ctrl+Y
Copy selected image(s)
Ctrl+Del
Delete selected image(s)
Alt+F3
Find file
F3
Repeat Find
F5
Update Thumbnails
Ctrl+F5
Refresh Tree
Shift+Tab
Next pane
F6
Next pane
Shift+F6
Previous pane
Shift+I
Image Information
Alt+Enter
Image Information
Enter
Open selected image(s)
Shift+A
Full Screen Edit