Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install my Tubes?
Unzip the tube files to your Tubes folder in your Paint Shop Pro folder under "Program Files." Open Paint Shop Pro. Select File > Browse and locate the folder containing the tubes. Double-click on the tubes you wish to install. The tubes will open as an image. Select File | Export | Picture Tube. This will bring up a box for defining the parameters of the tube.

Where you see "Cells Across" type in the number of horizontal images. Where you see "Cells Down" type in the number of vertical images (PSP will automatically calculate "Total Cells"). Where you see "Placement Options" leave to PSP default unless you are familiar with option choices. Where you see "Tube Name" type in whatever you choose to call the tube. Click OK. Your new tube is now in your tube tool window, ready for you to use! If you renamed the tube, you can delete the original tube from your Tubes folder now.

How do I remove Tubes from my Tube Tool Window?
First, make sure PSP is NOT open. Go to Windows Explorer and locate the tubes.ctl file inside the Tubes directory, inside the Paint Shop Pro directory, inside the Program Files directory. Ctrl-drag it to another location so you have saved an unedited backup copy. Then, double-click on it. Choose to open it in NotePad.

Once in notepad viewing the tubes.ctl file (version 5 only), scroll down past the first part to the listed tubes. They will have the tube name followed by several lines of settings and attributes. Delete those ones you wish (including all the other lines under it that go with that one tube -- you'll see what I mean).

When you're done, click File | Save. It will save it to the location where PSP goes to "read" it -- the same place where you found it.

Now, open PSP and start a new image. Click on the Tubes tool and scroll through your list -- your deleted ones won't be there! Yet, you can either open the individual file from the Tubes directory and export it back into the list, or bring them ALL back by copying the backup copy back into the proper location in Windows Explorer.

How do I make my own tubes?
Here is a link to Lori Davis' Tutorials -- She knows what she's talking about: she helped write a PSP textbook. Here's her page on Tube Placement. You need to know how to do this to make your tubes correctly.

My advice to any would-be tube maker is to make it clean!! Change your image grid color setting to dark gray so you can see if there are any messy white edges around your image. Carefully remove them with your eraser or selection wand.