Thanks for all the responses and welcoming me to the forums, I am glad to be here!

SouthBeachPhoto, I wish I could figure out how to convince Paint Shop Pro (I am using version 8) to play along with PSD (I don't know why I can't figure out).

Spedler, Particle Illusion looks pretty cool. Would you say that it is more user friendly than trying to add effects than using Photoshop brushes?

BTW...sorry it took me so long to reply, relatives are visiting and so I have been running around.

Thanks!

John