The Flood Fill tool in PSP7 has really changed!  So it's probably a good idea to get more familiar with it and learn how to make some interesting things.

For PSP classes, please read the whole tutorial before making your class image.  The first part of this tutorial will go over the Flood Fill tool changes and options, the second part will ask you to make a class image based on what you have learned.

Let's start at the very beginning, the location of the Flood Fill tool on your Tool Palette and the Styles Swatches and Textures boxes.  Note the fly-out menu in Fig.3 below.  This is where you choose your styles: solid color, gradient, pattern or null.

The first thing you notice is that you now have two sets of boxes for the fill.  These are the Styles swatches, one of the brand new features in PSP7.  The other new feature is the Textures.  Take note of the circle with the line going through it, or Null.  This is the Null symbol that indicates "nothing" -  that no style has been chosen.  

If you don't want an outline or filled area showing up on your solid, gradient or pattern fills, you need to have the *appropriate* "null" selected.  The top Styles swatch controls the outline, and the bottom Styles swatch controls the fill aspescts of different tools.

If you don't want a texture showing up on your solid, gradient or pattern fills, you need to have the "null" selected.

To change a style or texture, you need to click on the little black triangles that point to the right.  To change the color, gradient or pattern, click on the swatch itself, not the black triangle.  If you want the style to remain as it is, no matter what tool you activate, you need to check the box for Lock.  The Lock controls both the outline and the fill features.

Clicking on the solid color swatch will bring up the color palette like it did before in PSP6.

Choose Gradients as your style and click on the top swatch, the one you see in color beneath the word Styles.  This will bring up the Gradient dialog box, Fig. 4.  To change the gradient type, click on the little arrow that appears to the right of the gradient  image, pointing downwards.

All the gradients will now appear as a pop up menu, and you can scroll through them to pick the one you want to use.  Choose the type of gradient you want on the left side of the Gradient dialog box as shown in Fig. 5.

The patterns and the textures work in the same manner as the gradients when it comes to chosing the one you would like to use and setting the angle of the fill.  You also have settings to change the scale of the outline or fill.