**Program Tutorials** : Paint Shop Pro : *Program Basic

This tutorial will show you how to set up and use guides in Paint Shop Pro 9.0 which will enable you to mark precise areas of your layouts so they can be cropped, selected, or modified.

To toggle between showing and hiding the guides, open the View menu and click Guides.  (This can only be done if you have a layout open.)

In order to use Guides, your Rulers must also be turned on.  To activate your Rulers, open the View menu and click Rulers.  Along the top and left sides of your layout you should now see Rulers.

Guides are placed on your layout by clicking on either of the rulers and dragging it into the layout.  Dragging from the top ruler will create a horizontal guide and dragging from the left ruler will create a vertical guide.

Clicking and dragging the guides onto the layout is one way of placing the guides.  Sometimes your project may require more precise placement of the guides.  After placing your initial guides on the layout, right-click on the guide handle to bring up the Guide Properties box.

You can then enter the Guide position value.  This is where your guide will appear on your layout.  If your ruler measurement is in pixels, the Guide position value will appear in pixels.  Likewise, if your ruler measurement is in inches, the Guide position value will be in inches.

Once the guideline is placed on your layout, you can use it as a “magnetic” or snap-point for selection tools or for precisely placing other objects such as elements, photos or text.  Be sure the Snap to Guides option is activated by opening the View menu and clicking Snap to Guides.

When you make your selection or place your photo or shape, watch how it snaps to the guidelines you have marked out.  If this doesn’t occur, activate the Snap to Guides option again.

By defining specific guidelines on your layout, you can align photos, elements or text exactly where you want them.