Create Custom Vector Shapes in Paint Shop Pro 9 or X

Paint Shop Pro has several generic preset vector shapes to work with, such as rectangles, ellipses, and stars. But just as with other options like brushes and gradients, you can create and save your own vector shapes to have available for use with other images. These steps can be used in both Paint Shop Pro 9 and X.

Open Paint Shop Pro. Create a new image about 300 x 300 pixels with a resolution of 200 pixels/inch and a transparent background. The size doesn't necessarily matter, but you do want some room to work with.

Select the Pen Tool and change the Mode to Draw Freeehand. Make sure the Create On Vector and Anti-alias boxes are checked and that the line style is a plain straight line. Set the width to a somewhat thick size such as 3 or 4. Change the foreground color to black and set the background color to transparent.

Draw your image. It is all right to have empty space around it.

If you are not satisfied with a part of your drawing, switch the Mode from Draw Freehand to Edit. Click in any area of your drawing to make the bounding box disappear, leaving the nodes. As your move your cursor around the image you will see it change to the Move Tool when you run across a node. Click and drag any node you wish to modify. You can also change the Node Type by right-clicking on a node and then click Node Type or Transform Selected Nodes.

Continue adjusting the nodes until you are satisfied with your vector shape.

A final step has to be done before you can export your vector shape into the Preset Shapes folder. In the Layer Palette, expand the Vector layer by clicking on the + box. Double-click on New Path to bring up the Vector Property menu. Choose a name for your shape, leaving the other options at the defaults, and then click OK.

Now you can save the vector shape. Click on File, go to Export, and then click on Shape. Enter the name you chose for your shape and click OK.

Test your custom Preset Shape by creating a new image and selecting the Preset Shape Tool. Find your vector drawing and select it. Draw the vector shape, making adjustments to see how it looks with different settings. Experiment with different sizes, rotations, line widths and styles, and colors.

So now you can design your own vector shapes to add to the Preset Shapes collection in either Paint Shop Pro 9 or X. Get creative!