Welcome to our Special Effects page! We’ve compiled a selection of tutorials on a wide variety of Special Effects topics, from subtle to sensational! Learn how to add the illusion of motion and dimension to your photos, how to add superhero-style effects to your videos, how to create unique composites by combining several images, and much more!
Photo Editing Tutorials
Adding Special Effects to your Photos with ParticleShop
See how you can add amazing, one-of-a-kind special effects to your photos with the ParticleShop brush plugin for PaintShop Pro.
Create a miniature scene with the Tilt-shift effect
Learn how to use PaintShop Pro’s Selective Focus tool to create a tilt-shift effect that simulates scenes of bright, colorful miniature villages and toys.
Transforming your Photos with Instant Effects
Learn how to use PaintShop Pro’s Instant Effects palette to enhance your images with photo filters for artistic, portrait, landscape and other styles.
How to Add a Motion Blur Effect to Your Photos
Learn how to add a sense of speed and movement to your photos of moving objects or people, using a motion blur effect in PaintShop Pro.
How to use scripts
PaintShop Pro scripts are the easiest way to transform your photos from ordinary to extraordinary. Download the free script and give it a try!
Applying Film and Filter Effects
This tutorial will show you how to add preset film effects and colorful creative filters to your PaintShop Pro images for a unique look.
How to Create an HDR Effect
Learn how to transform your photos into stunning HDR images – no special photography techniques required, just PaintShop Pro!
Create a 3D Photo Effect
Learn how to create a 3D photo effect in PaintShop Pro. This photo editing technique will make it look like part of your image is coming right out of the frame!
How to Blend Photos
Learn how to blend photos in PaintShop Pro, by combining the best parts of multiple shots and removing unwanted elements to create a perfect image.
Creating a Depth of Field Effect
Learn how to make objects pop with emphasis by applying various degrees of blur and clarity using the Depth of Field feature in PaintShop Pro.
Adding drama with selective color
Learn how to apply the selective color technique in PaintShop Pro by converting an image to black and white while leaving a key part in color.
Turn your photos into paintings
Learn how to use PaintShop Pro’s AI styles and painting presets to instantly transform your photo into a work of art that replicates the style of iconic artists.
Face Swap Technique
Learn advanced cloning techniques using PaintShop Pro’s Clone Brush for seamless and realistic results when cloning a complex pattern or texture.
How to Colorize Black and White Photos
In this tutorial we’ll show you how to breathe new life into your images with 2 simple techniques to colorize black and white photos in PaintShop Pro.
Halloween photo effects
Learn how to turn your ordinary photos into haunting images with these fun and easy Halloween photo effects using a few simple PaintShop Pro tools.
Create a Tiny Planet Photo
Love tiny planet photos? Learn how to convert your 360° photos into tiny planet or rabbit hole images with the 360° photo editor in PaintShop Pro.
How to add a rain effect to a photo
Learn how to add a realistic rain effect to an image in PaintShop Pro, using selection tools, layers, noise, brightness and contrast, and motion blur.
How to Add Snow to a Photo
Create a winter wonderland scene with PaintShop Pro! Learn how to add snow to a photo and then save the effect as an overlay to use on other photos.
How to Add Fog to Photos
Want to create a misty morning landscape? This tutorial will show you how to use PaintShop Pro’s Airbrush tool to add fog to your photos.
Add a rainbow to photos
It’s easy to add a realistic rainbow effect to your photos in PaintShop Pro. Download the free graphic and follow along with this step-by-step tutorial.
Blog: Creating a “Ghostbusters” Effect
Follow along with this step-by-step blog post to learn how to create a proton pack energy stream effect to make a Ghostbusters-inspired image in PaintShop Pro.
Blog: Add Yourself to a Photo… of Yourself!
Learn how to create an image with 2 or more clones of yourself, including the photography setup plus how to bring it all together with PaintShop Pro.
Blog: Creating a Double Exposure Portrait
You don’t need to master advanced photography techniques to create a classic double exposure portrait – here’s how to create this effect in PaintShop Pro.
Video Editing Tutorials for VideoStudio
How to Add Color Effects
Learn how to use the color grading controls in VideoStudio Ultimate to correct color, adjust hue and exposure, apply Look Up Profiles (LUTs) and more.
Adjusting video speed with Time Remapping
See how to add high-speed or slow motion effects, freeze the action or reverse scenes with the Time Remapping controls in VideoStudio.
How to add video effects and filters
Adding filters and effects is an easy but creative way to enhance your clips or correct flaws in your video. This VideoStudio tutorial will show you how.
How to use Chroma Key, masks and overlays
Learn how to use Chroma Key, masks and overlays to add transparency, borders and frames, or green screen special effects in VideoStudio.
How to Use Animated Overlays
Learn how to use animated video overlays to make your VideoStudio movies more dynamic! Plus get ideas for advanced creative options and effects.
How to Use Morph Transitions
Learn how to use the Morph Transitions in VideoStudio to transition between scenes and merge video so that there is no discernible beginning or end.
How to Use Seamless Transitions
Learn how to use Seamless Transitions in VideoStudio to create smooth transitions by aligning similar colors or objects in one scene with the next.
Creating Effects with Track Transparency
Learn how to add custom fade in, fade out and superimposed effects to your VideoStudio projects with the Track Transparency feature.
How to Add a Freeze Frame Effect
Add extra impact to your video with VideoStudio’s Freeze Frame feature that allows you to temporarily stop the action to focus on a single frame.
Creating a Ghost Effect
Learn how to shoot your footage and use various editing tools to add a spooky, supernatural effect to your VideoStudio projects.
How to Add Weather Effects
Learn how to add and customize the weather filters in VideoStudio to create weather effects like wind, rain, clouds, lightning and snow.
Using Painting Creator
Learn how to use VideoStudio’s Painting Creator tool to record your brushstrokes and create animated paintings to add to your video projects.
How to make a time lapse video
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about the process of creating a time lapse video, starting with tips for shooting time lapse photos, to rendering the final video.
How to Make Stop Motion Video
This tutorial will show you how to create a stop motion animation video in VideoStudio, starting with how to capture frame-by-frame videos, to exporting the final video.
Make a Cinemagraph in VideoStudio
Learn how to make a cinemagraph in VideoStudio by combining a still image with subtle motion to grab attention on your website or social media.
Creating Tiny Planet Effects in VideoStudio
Learn how to easily create Tiny Planet or Rabbit Hole effects in VideoStudio, then use keyframes to adjust zoom and rotation for truly unique results!
Creating Motion Titles
Learn how to add text to motion graphics to create professional motion titles in VideoStudio. Includes tips for adding effects and changing colors.
Create a Star Wars Intro Text Effect
Here’s how to easily replicate the famous scrolling Star Wars intro text effect using the title editor and custom motion options in VideoStudio.
Understanding video blend modes
Learn how to use blend modes in VideoStudio to specify how overlay clips blend with the background to produce unique and amazing effects.
Creating a Lower Thirds Animation
Learn how to create a lower thirds animation in VideoStudio and get tips for saving custom motion paths and motion graphics for future projects.
Video Editing Tutorials for Pinnacle Studio
How to Use Color Grading
Learn how to use Pinnacle Studio’s color grading tools to set the tone and mood with color correction, color wheels, LUT, waveform scope, and more.
Adjusting Video Speed with Time Remapping
Learn how to use Pinnacle Studio’s time remapping controls to adjust the speed of your video clips to speed up, slow down or even reverse some scenes.
Easy green screen effects with Chroma Key
In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use the chroma key tool in Pinnacle Studio to create easy green screen effects in just a few simple steps.
How to Use Blend Modes
Learn how to use blend modes in Pinnacle Studio 25 to layer your tracks more creatively than ever for eye-catching transitions and special effects!
How to Use Animated Overlays
Learn the basics of adding animated video overlays to your Pinnacle Studio projects, plus tips for customizing them to create unique effects.
How to Use Morph Transitions
Learn how use Morph Transitions, only in Pinnacle Studio Ultimate, to seamlessly blend video clips with a metamorphosis effect.
How to add Seamless Transitions
Learn how to enhance your transitions using Pinnacle Studio’s Seamless Transitions effect to smoothly blend like colors or objects from one clip to the next.
Transparency Effects
This tutorial will give you a look at the Track Transparency feature in Pinnacle Studio Plus and Ultimate.
Creating a Selective Color Effect
Learn how to use Pinnacle Studio’s Selective Color feature to add a unique effect by highlighting one color while turning the background to black and white.
How to use paint effects
Learn how to transform your video into a cartoon animation with Pinnacle Studio’s painting and drawing effects like oil paint, cartoon, pencil sketch and more!
Appear and Disappear Effect
This easy Pinnacle Studio special effect will give the illusion that your video subjects are appearing or disappearing behind an object like a tree, pole or wall.
Super Speed Illusion with the Flash Effect
Turn your video stars into superheroes like Flash or Quicksilver! This tutorial will show you how to create a super speed illusion in Pinnacle Studio.
Creating a Time Lapse Video
This tutorial covers the techniques of creating a time-lapse video in Pinnacle Studio, from shooting your photos to exporting your final video.
Stop Motion Animation
Create big screen-style animations and full-HD stop motion videos with Stop Motion Animation in Pinnacle Studio.
Make a Cinemagraph
See how easy it is to make a cinemagraph in Pinnacle Studio and grab attention on your website or social media with these subtle image animations.
Create Tiny Planet Effects in Pinnacle Studio
Learn how to create tiny planet or rabbit hole effects, with the enhanced 360° photo editor in Pinnacle Studio Ultimate.
How to Make an Animated Travel Line
Want to add some extra impact to your vacation or road trip videos? Learn how to create an animated travel line along a map route using Pinnacle Studio.
How to Make Motion Titles
Learn how to make professional motion titles in Pinnacle Studio by adding text to motion graphics. Includes tips for changing colors and adding effects.
Make a Star Wars Scrolling Text Intro
Learn how to recreate the classic Star Wars scrolling text effect in Pinnacle Studio, with a few easy steps to add motion and perspective to your text.
Graphic Design Tutorials
How to Apply Art Style Effects
In this tutorial, we experiment with CorelDRAW’s Art Style effects that use artificial intelligence to replicate popular artistic genres.
Applying effects with interactive lenses
See how to use lenses in CorelDRAW to apply bitmap effects to objects and change their appearance without changing the objects themselves.
How to Apply Non-destructive Effects
Learn how to apply, adjust and experiment with CorelDRAW’s non-destructive effects to get just the look you want, without altering your original image.
Adding depth with the Shadow tools
With CorelDRAW’s shadow tools it’s easy to add depth to your design elements. Learn how to apply and fine-tune a drop shadow or inner shadow effect.
Adding effects to text
In this tutorial, we’ll look at some of the fun effects you can apply to text in CorelDRAW, using the Interactive Effects and Shape toolboxes.
Creating an interlaced text effect
Learn how to create an interlaced effect in CorelDRAW, to give the appearance that text and objects are intertwined or woven together.
Create a Mosaic Text Effect
Learn how to use the Text tool, Fountain Fill tool and PowerClip in CorelDRAW to create unique titles using a mosaic text effect.
Creating a distressed look
This tutorial will show you how easy it is to add a funky, distressed look to your text using CorelDRAW.
Using Transparency to Create Composite Images
Learn how to use the transparency tools and lenses in CorelDRAW to combine 2 or more images into a fantastical composite image.
Advanced Transparency Effects
Learn how to use CorelDRAW’s Transparency tool to blend 2 or more photos into composite images, add reflections and create unique halftone effects.
Creating Realistic Objects with Mesh Fill
Learn how to make your design objects look truly lifelike using CorelDRAW’s Mesh Fill tool to create very smooth and realistic color transitions.
How to Create Blends
Learn how to use the Blend tool in CorelDRAW to add transitions from one object to another, including transitions between colors, shapes, and other properties.
Create a Chiseled Effect
Learn how to use the Outline, Drop Shadow and PowerClip tools in CorelDRAW to create a chiseled wood effect to enhance your design projects.
How to Create a Depth of Field Effect
Learn how to create the artistic illusion of Depth of Field using the Mask tool to define an area of focus, and the Bokeh Blur effect in Corel PHOTO-PAINT.
Creating a Metallic Effect on Objects and Fonts
In this written tutorial, CorelDRAW Master Silvio Gomes shows you how to create a bronze metallic effect on objects and text.
Create a Halftone Effect
In this written tutorial, CorelDRAW Master Silvio Gomes shows you how to create a poster with a halftone effect on the background.
Creating a Double Exposure Collage in PHOTO-PAINT
In this tutorial, CorelDRAW Master Stefan Lindblad shows you how to combine multiple images into a double exposure collage using PHOTO-PAINT.
Using effects in Corel PHOTO-PAINT
Learn how to apply, modify, combine and experiment with effects in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, with the Effects docker that lets you work non-destructively.
Adding Effects with Lenses in Corel PHOTO-PAINT
In PHOTO-PAINT, lenses can be used to apply non-destructive effects to an entire image or specific image area. This tutorial will show you how.
Creating a “ruined” photo effect in PHOTO-PAINT
This tutorial by CorelDRAW Master Stefan Lindblad will take you through the step-by-step process to create a ruined photo effect in PHOTO-PAINT.
