What are Tubes? (Source for this information was Jasc's website.)
Tubes are used in Jasc Software's popular low end graphics package Paint Shop Pro 
 5.0. Formally known as the picture tube (contained in a ".tub" file), this tool lets you 
 paint with a variety of objects without having to draw them.

You can add butterflies and beetles to a picnic setting, fill an aquarium with fish, or frame a picture with holly. You can use the tubes that come with the program, create your own or download one from one of the many places on the internet that freely offer them. Watch out though, they are addictive! 
 
 
How do I make them? (This tutorial was taken from the i/us forum for PSP5.) 
1.  Create a new image. Set width to 320, height to 200, using a white background with 16 million colors. This image will be our Picture Tube. 

2.  Right-click on the Layers Palette, and choose New... Use the default settings.  Do this again. You now should have a Background Layer, Layer1 and Layer2.  The Background Layer is white, and Layer1 and 2 are transparent. 

3.  Since our image is 320 x 200 pixels, we will want to separate the image into 80 x 
100 pixel pieces. Select the Layer2 and draw a vertical line at 80 pixels, 160 pixels, and 
240 pixels. You can use the coordinates in the lower-left corner to see your pixel position. Then, draw a horizontal line at 100 pixels. You should have a grid on this layer. This is for reference when drawing your tubes. (You can also use version 5's built in grid.) 

4.  Now click on Layer1 in your Layer Palette. Draw something in each box. Each box 
is a Cell, so you'll want to center your drawing according to the grid. 

5.  Click on File -> Save As... Save the file as a Paint Shop Pro (PSP) image file type to save all 3 layers. 

6.  Once it's saved, click on the Layer2 again. Right-click on the layer and choose Delete. Do this for your Background layer too. We are doing this, because we don't need the grid, and we don't need a Background. The only thing left is Layer1 for our Picture Tube Cells. 

7.  Now you are ready to export. Click on File -> Export -> Picture Tube. 

8.  We have 4 Cells across and 2 Cells down for a total of 8 Cells. Enter these Cell values. You'll notice that the cell height and width are calculated by Paint Shop Pro.  Keep the other values as their defaults (you can change these with the Options button 
when you use the Picture Tube tool). 

9.  Enter a name for your Picture Tube and click OK. 

10.  After it has been exported, you can use it! It should now be listed in the Picture Tube Control Box. 
 
 
How do I add new tubes to my copy of PSP? (This tutorial original to SMSDesigns.)
1.  Save the tube files you have to the tube subdirectory of the PSP5  main directory. (If you did the default install the path would be: C:\Program Files\Paint Shop Pro 5\tubes)

2.  Open Paint Shop Pro. Go to the tube subdirectory and open the tube you want to add. 

3.  The tube will load like a graphic. (Basically because it is!) 

4.  Go to the File Menu and click on Export -> Picture Tube. 

5.  You need to enter how many pictures across and down the tube is. 

6.  Enter a name for the tube and click OK. 

7.  After it has been exported, you can use it! It should now be listed in the Picture Tube Control Box. 

Back to Molly's Original Tubes