How to Convert a PSP Tube File to a PI Cutout
        A Two-Bit Tut by Joyce E. Lynn

A tube file will have .tub file extension.  Some tube creators save their tubes in PSP format because earlier versions of PSP cannot read the newer tube formats and saving them as PSP files makes them compatible with all versions.  For our purposes either format will do, as long as the background is transparent.

(1) Open the tube in Paint Shop Pro. Double clicking on the desired file will open both the file and the program.  The background will look like a checkerboard, indicating that it is transparent.

(2) Select the Magic Wand tool   from the tool bar on the left of the work area.  When the Tool palette pops up, make sure it is set for Tolerance 0, Feather 0. Match mode is not so important, some settings work better than others for different patterns. Click on this icon  on the top tool bar to open the Tool Palette, if necessary

(3) Click on the checkerboard background to select it.  Make sure that ALL of the checkered background is selected.  Hold down the Shift key, while left clicking on unselected isolated areas, to add them to the selection.  You can tell what is part of the selection by all the "marching ants" around everything.

(4) Now go to the drop down Selection menu and click on Invert.  If the tube was well done, the marching ants will now be only around the tube image, not wandering around all over the checkerboard or around it's outside edge.  (If this is not the case, try another tube, because cleaning a messy tube image is well beyond the scope of this little Two-Bit Tut.)

(5) Next, go back to the Selection menu and click on Save To Alpha Channel.  Click OK to accept the next two dialogue boxes that come up.

(6) Next, save it to the PNG format with Save As from the File Menu.  PSP will warn you that you will lose all of it's wonderful features saving to anything but PSP.  Reassure it that you understand and click OK.  (Note: If you have PSP 7, there is a PNG Export Wizard on the File menu that you can try.  I am not familiar with it yet, so I can't tell you anything about it.)

That's it.  You now have a tube graphic that can be used in just about every other graphic program.  The important point about this method is that even though PI hides the fact, it will know from the saved PNG alpha channel selection that you only want that part of the image, and the background will be transparent in PI just like a MIX cutout.  Open and use your new PI cutout as usual.

Note: Saving a tube as a transparent GIF will also produce a transparent background when used in PI, but the quality of the image will be inferior.

    

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