Now that we have our text and applied the inner bevel, and added the picture you want to use. We need to draw an outline. The outline goes around the outter edge of your pic, and gives it that "neon sign" glowing look.

Go to your side menu along the left edge of your Paint Shop Pro and choose your "Preset Shapes" Tool.

In your settings for your Preset Shapes, select "rectangle" or "square" and be sure "Retain Style" and "Vector" boxes are checked. We will be working with these for now to keep it simple. This also allows us to set the width of the line now too. I chose 5 for mine.

Starting in the center of your image, apply your outline shape outlining a square or rectangle around your text and pic. You don't have to do it full size, use the little boxes in the outline to place it around your text/graphic. When you have it outlining your pic, go to your top menu once again and click on "select none". This eliminates the squares and vectors used in moving your outline around.

Now select from your side menu your "Magic wand" tool. While hlding down your "shift" button on your keyboard. Using your magic wand, making sure it is placed on the outline you just made, and click. You should see a line of "marching ants" on the outline now.

Now go over to your color chooser in the right side menu, and select a nice outline color. Use one darker or lighter than your background for contrast. Place this in your "marching ants" outline by clicking on your "paint bucket" in the right side menu, then move back over to your outline and left click, you should now see your marching ants line change color. Now in the top menu, go to "Selections" and select "Select none".

If needed, and just to check, in the upper menu bar across the top of your PSP, scroll across to "Layers". Scroll down to "Merge" and select "merge visible". Remember DO NOT MERGE ALL at this time! As before if it is greyed out you needn't do a thing.

Once more in your upper menu, scroll across and select "Windows". Scroll down and choose "duplicate". You will need BOTH of these later on. Minimize these for now, and put them safely into a corner for pulling up later. I always put these in my upper right hand corner so I know that these are for adding as another layer later on.

Choosing our background for our Neon Graphic

Now you will need to make TWO new images, both the same color. Play around with the color you would like to find one that will look good after our neon effect is added. Minimize one of these, and put in in your lower right hand corner so you know where it is. Use one of your ready made "layers" you have minimized. Simply maximize it, and select "copy", then "paste as new layer". Minimize your transparent pic, and apply it to ONE of the colored backgrounds you just made to see how it looks.

If you like the way this looks, again go to your top menu and select layers, and this time select "Merge ALL". Don't worry about the extra background canvas/color around your image, we will remove that later. You can minimize this one and put it in your lower left corner, or simply again in the top menu, go to "View" and "Zoom out by one". Move this to an area you are not working in for later. SAVE the transparency you just copied and pasted on to your background, again minimze it and palce it out of the way.

Now it's time to apply our "Neon" Effect to one of the transparent images we have set aside. Remember if you have already used one of the transparent layers on your background, you only have one left. This is the one we have NOT used will be used for our neon effect.

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