Curved Text in Paint Shop Pro 9

Do your words ever follow a somewhat circular path? Now your text can too in images you create in Paint Shop Pro 9. You can create an image from scratch or start with an image you've already made (or have permission to use, or found in public domain).

Open (or create) the image in Paint Shop Pro

Select the Preset Shapes tool and choose Ellipse from the drop down list on the toolbar. Make sure all three boxes - Retain style, Create as vector, and Anti-alias - are checked. You can leave the Line style as the default

Draw the ellipse in proportion by holding down the Shift key while moving your mouse

Place your mouse in the center of the circle and hold down the mouse button to move the circle to your desired location on the image.

(Note: If you want to have your text follow the inside of the circle rather than the outside, click on Image at the top, then click on Flip. This flips the image upside down.)

Click on the text tool. On the toolbar make sure Create as: Vector is selected. Select your foreground and background colors, as well as your font and font size.

On your image move your mouse to the edge of the circle where you want the text to start. Line the cursor until a curved line appears under the A and click.

Type your text. Adjust the size, if necessary, by highlighting your text in the text entry dialog box and changing the font size in the toolbar at the top.

Click Apply once you are satisfied with the appearance of the text.

Click and drag at various points until you have the text positioned where you want it.

Once you are satisfied with your image go to the Layer palette and click on the + next to the Vector 1 layer to expand it.

Click on the eye next to Ellipse to change its visibility.

Right click on the Vector 1 layer and then click on Convert to Raster Layer

Click on Layers at the top, go down to Merge, then click on Merge All (Flatten)

Save your image in your preferred format

Note: This can also be used for other shapes, not just the ellipse. You can try it with the triangle, pentagon, or any of the star shapes. Use your imagination.