Windows Basics:
Application Help

Step-by-Step: Paint Help

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What you will learn:

to open an application from the Start menu to open Help for an application to work in an application with Help open to practice drawing with Paint's tools

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Start with: Taskbar showing

Open Application from Start Menu

1. Open the Start menu, click on All Programs or Programs to expand the menu , then click on Accessories. Finally, click on Paint.

    Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint
    

   
   Windows Vista does not cascade the menu. The upper part of the Start menu changes to a folder tree layout with the folders at the bottom. Note how the Accessories folder expands inside the same area.  There is a Back link at the bottom to return to the previous display.

   

   Windows Vista: Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint

   When Paint opens, the size of the window and the size of the drawing area (the canvas) will depend on what they were the last time Paint was used.
   
   

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Open Paint Help

1. Click on Help in the menu.
    
2. Click on Help Topics. A Help window opens.
   Win98 and WinXP both use two-panes for Help for Paint. The Help topics are named and arranged somewhat differently in these two versions of Windows.
   Windows Vista does not use the two-pane layout for Help for Paint, but other programs may use this style, even when installed on a Vista computer. You might want to look at the lessons Win98 Contents and Win98 Index, if you are not familiar with this style of Help window.
      
   
3. For Win98: On the Contents tab, double-click the topic "Drawing Lines and Shapes" in the Help Topics window to open the topic. 

   For WinXP, click on Paint to open the list and then on Create Pictures.

   
   
   For Windows Vista, the Help window opens to a long page about tools to use in Paint.
    

4. Open the document "Drawing a straight line" and read the article in the right pane.
   For WinXP, click on Draw a straight line and read the article in the right pane.

   

   Help for Paint: Win98, WinXP

   For Windows Vista, Right click on the page and choose Find on page.
   Type straight line and click Next.
   Read the description of the Straight line tool.
    

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Work with Help Open

1. Switch back to the Paint window and draw some straight lines of different colors in the Paint window.

   In Win98 the Paint Help topic will stay on top, so you may have to move the window. (Aren't you glad you saw that demonstration earlier?!)

    Remember- to move a window, drag the window by its title bar.

   Line colors: You select the color for a line by clicking on a color tile on the Color Bar. Left mouse button uses the foreground color. The right mouse button draws with the background color.

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Paint Tools

1. Read about Paint's tools:
   In Win98, back in the Contents window,  read the other topics under "Drawing Lines and Shapes".

   In WinXP read the topics that start "Draw a..."
   
   In Windows Vista, read about the other tools described on the page.
    

2. Practice using the tools they describe. It's OK to have fun for a bit!

   The line width you choose remains in place for the outline of shapes also. To change line width you will have to go back to a line tool to choose the width.