Pulse shapers are being used for a number of applications including (a) pulse compression, (b) pulse characterization, (c) creation of two or more pulse replicas, and (d) control of nonlinear optical processes such as selective two-photon excitation and selective vibrational mode excitation. This course will introduce the most common pulse shaper designs and discuss their operational differences. A brief theoretical description will be presented for those wanting to simulate different pulse shaping scenarios; however, most of the course will be based on experimental implementation and results. The course will emphasize applications of pulse shapers that greatly enhance the capabilities of femtosecond laser sources.