PhoBloggery

These instructions are mainly to remind ME how to do this.  It was adapted from an instruction set for an older version of Paint Shop Pro, which had to be changed for my version (X2) because of how Corel has re-arranged the menus.

1. Open your photo in Paint Shop Pro.
2. Use the selection tool to draw a shape around the subject of the photo.
3. From the menu, choose Layers > New Mask Layer > Show Selection.
4. Use Control-D to deselect all.
5. From the menu, choose Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur
6. Adjust the radius of the blur with the slider bar until it looks the way you want it.  Make sure to have “Preview on Image” checked.
7. Turn on the Layers palate (if it’s not already there) by using F8.
8. Highlight the top layer in the palate, and then — also in the palate — use the drop down menu under the icon to create a “New Raster Layer”
9. Use the Flood Fill tool to fill this layer with the desired color, texture, and/or gradient.
10. In the Layers palate, drag this new raster layer down to the bottom, so that it’s under the group.  This should put it in the background.  If you have problems doing this, drag the group up instead.
11. This new raster should now be the background of the vignette.