Hoping Carole will stop by, but anyone can answer! 
I use PSE on two different computers, but still love PSP over PSE for several reasons. I've looked around and can't find satisfactory answers to my questions. I'm still using the old PSP8.
1. Is there an equivalent to the clipping mask in PSE?
2. Is there a way to save files in .png or .tiff in PSP with the layers intact? If I create something in PSP and save it as either of those, sometimes it looks okay while it's still opened up. But when I open it up in PSE, it comes merged with a white background. So far, I just save it as a .psd, open it in PSE, then re-save it as a .png or .tiff. Double work.
Thanks!
-Lisa
PSE clipping masks
Take a look at the following sites:
http://everydayelementsonline.com/2011/08/basics-of-clipping-masks-for-photoshop-elements/
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/blog/more-on-clipping-masks/
Here are my answers:
- for the clipping mask, there is no native tool to do it, however, you can take these steps:
- place the paper or the photo on top of the shape you want to clip to
- reduce the opacity (especially for a photo) and adjust it so it would appear the way you want (resize, rotate, move)
- on the template layer, select OUTSIDE of it with the Magic wand
- change to the paper or photo layer and delete that excess
- then you can delete or hide the template layer
However, i created a script to do that for you, in a different way (doing that way manually is longer, although more flexible). You can see it here: http://creationcassel.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_10&products_id=253
There is also a bundle of scripts for fast scrapbooking using templates, and it does include the clipping script, in addition to two more:
http://creationcassel.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_10&products_id=356
and you can see it in action in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzLFTtYOFCw
For the second question, the answer is two parts:
- PNG files are NOT layered, whether you save them in PSP or PSE.
- tif files are not saved with layers in PSP. That is a feature that i have been asking for a while. Unfortunately, PSP cannot saved layered tif files, nor open them layered either.
Judy, I adore the Clipping Mask in PSE and use it all the time. Thanks for those links, it looks like some new ways to use it.
Carole, here's how I've done it for years. Layer the paper over the chosen shape or whatever, select the shape, inverse, select the paper, delete, then delete the paper layer. I didn't figure there was an easier way, but thought I'd ask the expert (you!) and hoped maybe there was something I was missing. That's a shame about PSP and the .tiff thing. Thanks for the links and video.
Thanks, ladies, much appreciated!
-Lisa
You are welcome!
Make two layers. Top, the shape you're trying to use, and the bottom, the paper you're clipping from.
Select and Float the shape you're trying to trace,
right click the layer that you want the clipping to be in, in the layer toolbar,and promote to layer,
then delete all the other layers you don't need.
That's what I do. Is that what you're talking about?
Also, I just wanted to say that for specific shapes, I like to use the pen, trace and turn the shape into a vector first because their anti-alias quality is better to clip from rather than the magic wand tool alone. If you do this, do it exactly as above, except you right click the vector layer (in the layer toolbar), Select Create Raster Selection, Pick the layer you want to clip to, right click (in the layer toolbar) promote to layer. It's more work but if the quality of the edging is really important, that's what I do. I've become really good with working with vectors this way.
The selection tool alone just makes the edging really jagged. You can always go in and smooth the edges using your selection modification tools as well and then inverse and clip the excess.Hope this helps and I didn't miss the mark completely on what you're talking about.
For the Second question, tiff and png formats do not support layers or groups in psp. I always save it in both pspimage formats and whatever final image format I am using.
Hi Renee. Wow, sounds like yet another way to do it. Interesting about the vectors. I could never get into using that pen tool or vectors. Those little boxes (can't recall what they're called right now) frustrated me to no end on trying to get the hang of using them!
When I use PSP, the clipping procedure I do works well. When I got PSE and fell in love with the ease of the clipping mask, it got me to wondering if there was an easier way to do it in PSP. Being that I use both programs, figured I'd ask.
It's a pain that PSP doesn't support the tiffs in layers. There are some things that I prefer to do in PSP, but if I need to do something that's easier in PSE, I have to save it as a .psd image, open it in PSE and resave it to a tiff and continue working on it.
Thanks for sharing your ways of doing things.
-Lisa
@Lisa: I know what you're talking about - it's nodes. I've had difficulty with them, too (sometimes I swear they're the bane of my existence!). But, if I'm patient, eventually I can make them do what I want them to - but it may involve doing a lot of un-do's. LOL
I found a couple different ways to "clip" things in PSP. This is the way I started doing it in the beginning:
First save the new image as a .pspimage file. Then bring the shape you want to clip your paper/photo to into your layers palette. Highlight the shape layer & activate the padlock on it (so the transparent pixels stay transparent), and then open the paper/photo that you want to clip to that shape and copy it (Ctrl+C). Now go back to your .pspimage file (the shape layer should still be highlighted) & press Ctrl+E. This should paste the paper/photo as a floating selection. From there, click on the screen & move the paper/photo into place (making sure it covers the shape & adjusting it if it does not), and then "Select None" (Ctrl+D) and voila! The paper/photo is now the shape you desired...
A few weeks ago I figured out another way to do this:
Save your new image as a .pspimage file & create the shape you want to clip to into your layers palette (or do a "drag & drop" - dragging in a pre-existing shape from a folder in Windows Explorer), again activating the padlock on that layer (so the transparent pixels stay transparent). Then drag in the paper/photo (that you wish to clip to the shape) from Windows Explorer & place it above the shape layer. With the paper/photo layer highlighted, "Select All" & then float it (Ctrl+A I think?). Click off the eye on the paper/photo (so it's not visible anymore), and then drag the floating layer down 1 layer (so it's now underneath the paper/photo) & press Ctrl+D. And voila! the paper/photo is now the shape you desired... Then delete the original paper/photo layer that you dragged in (the one that you made invisible) as it's no longer needed.
If I knew how to write PSP scripts, I would probably try to create one for this to make life easier, but I'm not at that level yet...
@Lizanne, nodes, yeah, those (blasted) things!!!! lol The only way I ever worked with those things was way, way back when I'd do a tutorial and it was the only way the writer would allow you to do anything with it since each creation would be different. One of these days, I need to work with them again so I can call my stuff truly my creation. And yeah, I have to undo many, many times lol.
Here's how I do it when I need to do it in PSP:
-draw out desired shape
-add a layer, and fill with pattern or paper
-select and float the shape layer
-inverse
-select pattern or paper layer and delete
-deselect
-apply layer properties if desired, and merge layers
It's interesting to see all the different ways to accomplish the same thing!
-Lisa