You can open existing bitmap pictures to modify them or convert them to another format. BME can open pictures in any of the bitmap picture formats supported by PageStream because the programs share the same graphic filters. Import and export filters are used by BME to open and save pictures. Refer to PageStream's list of supported graphic formats for more information.

To open a previously created picture: Choose the Open command from the File menu and select a filename from the file selector.The picture will appear in a window after it has loaded.

BME's picture windows have a status bar at the bottom which lists the picture size, picture type and file format.

Amiga Users: A lot of Amiga IFF ILBM pictures lack resolution information, so BME must guess the original resolution. You can set the resolution with the Resize command, which is in the Effects menu.

Color display

BME displays pictures as best as it can given the number of available screen colors. However, because it is a true color image processing program, BME's internal picture data remains unchanged no matter the screen's color depth. For example, opening a 24 bit (16 million color) picture on a 256 color screen will not change the picture data in BME.

Naturally, pictures will look much better if there are more available colors. For best results, it is recommended to use at least a 16 bit (65,535 color) screen. Modern Macintoshes and PCs ship with graphics cards enabling you to set up such a display. Amiga users require a graphics card and the CyberGraphX or Picasso96 software to display high and true color depths with their system.

Amiga Users can check the Smart Map option in General Preferences to enhance picture quality on low color depth screens.

Creating a new picture

You may occasionally want to create a new bitmap picture from scratch with BME. You will normally create pictures with paint programs or scanning software.

To create a new picture: Choose the New item from the File menu. The New Picture dialog box will open. Choose a picture type, size and resolution.

Saving a picture

You should save your pictures before closing them to preserve the changes you have made. BME can save pictures in any of the bitmap picture formats supported by PageStream.

To save a picture for the first time: Choose the Save command from the File menu to save the picture in the default picture format.

To save a picture again: Choose the Save command from the File menu.

To save a picture with a different name or in a different format Choose Save As from the File menu and choose the file format from the dialog box that will open. Enter a filename in the file selector and click on Save.

Closing a picture

You can close a picture window when you are finished working with a picture. Choose the Close command from the File menu or click on the Close button of the window to close it.

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