To get help on a topic, press the F1 key or click &Help in any dialog box. If you've never used PC Paintbrush IV Plus, read "Getting Started" in the "PC Paintbrush IV Plus User's Manual."
│┤╡ Choose &Next for more help.
#51
Using the Help Index
Choose &Topics to see a list of available subjects.
Choose &Next or &Previous to browse through related topics.
Choose &Done to return to PC Paintbrush.
Click double arrows on the scroll bar to page through text quickly.
Click single arrows on the scroll bar to move through text line-by-line.
Choose &Next for more help.
#17
General Information
This section gives you additional help and general information about using PC Paintbrush IV Plus.
│┤╡ For general information about using a mouse, using the keyboard and editing a picture choose File Edit Image and then choose Help Help Topics.
Choose &Next for more help.
#43
Scanning
A scanner is an input device that reads printed or typed information directly into your PC. This information can be pictures, text, or a combination of both.
│┤╡ Certain scanner settings are handled differently if you are using a hand scanner. See your manual for specific information about installing and setting scanner settings with hand scanners.
To scan an image:
You must install a scanner on your computer and set up your Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files (see your manual for specific information). Once you've installed your scanner, PC Paintbrush IV Plus works directly with it.
Choose File Scan Image or use the ^G accelerator key to enter the scanning portion of PC Paintbrush IV Plus. The menus change and the Toolbox and Color Pattern Set are removed from the screen.
Use the menu options to set your scanning preferences and scan the image. (See specific commands for more information.)
Choose File Edit Image or use the ^G accelerator key to return to the editing portion of PC Paintbrush IV Plus. You can then use all of the tools and commands to edit and save your picture.
│┤╡ Many scanners do not offer the full complement of features offered in the PC Paintbrush IV Plus scanning menus. If your scanner does not support a feature, the option does not appear or is dimmed.
#45
Technical Support
If you have a question after reading the manual and going through the tutorials, call ZSoft Technical Support at (404) 428-0008. The Technical support lines are staffed Monday through Friday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.
When calling Technical Support please have the following information ready:
PC Paintbrush version number
serial number
system configuration (including your Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files)
#10
Configurations
Configuration files (.CNF suffix) contain scanner settings. You can set your own scanning preferences once, save the configuration as a .CNF file, and use it over and over again, making scanning easier and faster than ever before.
Create a configuration file named Standard.cnf and PC Paintbrush will load the file when you start the program.
#12
Dither
Dithering is also known as Halftoning. It is a method of using a pattern of black and white dots to produce a visual shade of gray. The process is similar to the technique used by newspapers and magazines, producing an image that appears very much like a black and white photograph. See Halftone Patterns for a list of the halftone patterns and their uses.
#19
Halftoning
Halftoning is a method of using a pattern of black and white dots to produce a visual shade of gray. It is also known as Dithering. The process is similar to the technique used by newspapers and magazines, producing an image that appears very much like a black and white photograph. See Halftone Patterns for a list of the halftone patterns and their uses.
#99
Short Cuts
You can use keyboard short cuts to choose commands. Double-click a topic to view it immediately.
The "^" means hold down the Ctrl key and press the letter.
The keys are:
F1 Help
^O Option Summary
^G Edit Image
^S Scan
^R Rescan
^X Exit
│┤╡ You can choose Scan Option Summary to quickly see many of your current scanner settings and change settings as needed.
#25
File Menu
Use the commands on the File menu to create, open, and save configuration files, and to return to the editing portion of PC Paintbrush IV Plus. Click Previous for more information about configurations.
#28
New Configuration
Choose File New Configuration to load the standard default values for all of your scanner settings. You will see the message "Are you sure you want to replace settings with default?". Click Yes to use the default settings, click No to cancel New. (See Configurations for more information.)
#29
Open Configuration
Choose File Open Configuration to load a previously saved .CNF file.
To open a configuration file:
Choose File Open Configuration. The Open a Configuration from Disk dialog box appears.
Select the drive and directory from the Directories list box.
Select the file you want to open in the Files list box. See Configurations for more information.
Choose OK.
#38
Save Configuration
Choose File Save Configuration to save your current scanner settings to disk and then continue working. To save a configuration for the first time, choose File Save Configuration As.
│┤╡ The default .CNF file is automatically loaded when you first run PC Paintbrush IV Plus or select the File New command. The File Save Configuration command is unavailable when you are using the default settings.
#39
Save Configuration As
Choose File Save Configuration As to save your current scanner settings to disk with a name you specify. Use the File Save Configuration As command to save your scanner settings for the first time or to save new settings without altering the original.
To save a configuration for the first time:
Choose File Save Configuration As. The Save a Configuration to Disk dialog box appears.
Type a name for the file in the Filename box.
Choose Save to save the file.
│┤╡ You can create your own scanning default settings for PC Paintbrush to load when you start the program. Simply choose your settings, select File Save Configuration As, and name the .CNF file Standard.cnf
│┤╡ .CNF is the ZSoft configuration format. See Configurations for more.
#48
Edit Image
Choose File Edit Image to return to the editing mode of PC Paintbrush IV Plus. When you choose File Edit Image the scanned image appears in the drawing area and the tools and commands are available.
#15
Exit
Choose File Exit to quit PC Paintbrush IV Plus and return to DOS.
#05
Scan Menu
Use the commands on the Scan menu to view and change your scanning options, define the area to be scanned and to activate your scanner.
#44
Option Summary
Choose Scan Option Summary to view your current scanner settings. Use the Options buttons to change settings. (See the specific commands for more information on changing a setting.)
The settings in this dialog box are:
Brightness && Contrast: These settings are similar to the brightness and contrast settings for a television. Brightness lightens or darkens your image when it is scanned. Contrast increases or decreases the sharpness of your image when it is scanned.
Image Type && Halftone Pattern: Set as Black && White your image is scanned in a high contrast black and white mode or applies the selected halftone pattern. Set as Color or Gray Scale your image is scanned with the selected number of colors or levels of gray.
Resolution && Scaling: Some scanners have the ability to scan images at multiple resolutions. 100 produces a fairly low resolution image, 200 is standard FAX, and 300 is standard laser printer resolution. Scaling increases or decreases the size of the image during the scanning process. We recommend you scale at 100%. Note that the memory requirement of a scanned image grows very quickly when the resolution is increased.
Enhancements: Select this option to change the current scanning enhancements. You can use as many enhancements as you want. Enhancements unavailable to your scanner do not appear in the dialog box.
#2
Scan
Choose Scan Scan to select a portion of the paper to scan and activate your scanner.
The rulers, on the left side of this dialog box, show you the size of your page in the selected unit of measure. The frame inside of the image box represents the area of the page you want to scan.
To set the scan area and activate your scanner:
Choose Scan Scan. The Scan dialog box appears on your screen.
Click Paper Size to set the size of the page.
Click Set Units to set the unit of measure.
Choose Prescan if you want a low resolution scan of your page displayed in the image box.
Use the frame markers to surround the area you want to scan. Point to a frame marker, your pointer appears as a cross, and drag the mouse to stretch or shrink the size of the scanning area. Point inside the frame, your cursor is a hand, and drag the mouse to move the frame to a different location.
Choose OK to activate your scanner.
To use the keyboard to set margins:
Choose Scan Scan. The Scan dialog box appears on your screen.
Click Paper Size to set the size of the page.
Click Set Units to set the unit of measure.
Choose Prescan if you want a low resolution scan of your page displayed in the image box.
Drag your pointer over the first margin setting in the Margins box and type a value. Press the Tab key to move to the next margin setting.
Select OK to activate your scanner.
│┤╡ Most scanners can not scan a full 8 1/2 by 11 inch page; leave a 1/4 inch margin on all sides.
#35
Rescan
Choose Scan Rescan to scan an image using the current settings. You may do this even more quickly by using the ^R accelerator keys (see Short Cuts). When you select Rescan, you see the message, "Are you sure you want to rescan image?". Click Yes, or hit your Enter key and your scanner is activated. Click No to cancel the rescan.
#1
Filters Menu
Use the commands on the Filters menus to alter the look of your entire picture after it is scanned. You can repeatedly choose a command to increase the effect. Undo, however, can cancel only the changes you've made since the last time you chose a command.
│┤╡ You can use the commands on this menu to edit any picture you can load into PC Paintbrush.
│┤╡ You can use the Edit Filter command in the editing mode of PC Paintbrush, to apply a filter to a portion of your picture.
#311
Blend
Choose Filters Blend to smooth the colors in your picture.
To blend your picture:
Choose Filters Blend. The Blend dialog box appears on your screen.
Type a number in the Blend amount box to set the percentage of blending you want. The higher the number the greater the blending. A number above 100 can be used to produce special effects.
Turn on Wide aperture to create a smoother effect.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#312
Equalize
Choose Filters Equalize to redistribute the gray shades in your image, giving you better overall results.
To use equalize:
Choose Filters Equalize. The Equalize dialog box appears.
Set the amount of highlights and shadows you want to keep.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#313
Mosaic
Choose Filters Mosaic to create a blocklike effect. The pixels in your picture seem larger; individual colors are increased and detail is reduced.
To use Mosaic:
Choose Filters Mosaic. The Mosaic dialog box appears.
Type the width of the mosaic size in the Width box.
Type the height of the mosaic size in the Height box.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#314
Remove Spots
Choose Filters Remove Spots to erase spots and blotches that occur during the scanning process. You can tell PC Paintbrush to remove small, medium, or large spots.
To erase spots:
Choose Filters Remove Spots. The Remove Spots dialog box appears.
Select the spot size you want removed.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#315
Response Curve
Choose Filters Response Curve command to adjust the brightness, contrast and colors in your picture without changing your palette.
To use Response Curve:
Choose Filters Response Curve. The Response Curve dialog box appears on your screen.
Use the scroll bars to change the settings for Brightness and Contrast. Brightness adjusts the lightness of the entire image. Contrast adjusts the range between the lightest and darkest colors in the image.
Use the scroll bars in the Color box to change the color settings. This works best with 256 colors. If you are running in gray scale the color box settings have no effect. Hue selects the color you want to add to your picture. The spectrum is arranged in a color wheel where red is 0, green is 120, cyan is 180, blue is 240, purple is 300, and 360 is red again. Amount selects the amount of hue to add.
Click Reset to quickly change your settings to 0.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#316
Sharpen
Choose Filters Sharpen to increase the contrast between the dark and light areas of your image.
To sharpen the picture:
Choose Filters Sharpen. The Sharpen dialog box appears.
Type a number in the Sharpen amount box to set the percentage of sharpness you want. The higher the number, the greater the sharpness.
Turn on Screen Preview to see how the filter will alter your picture.
Choose OK. When Screen Preview is turned on, the area on your screen shows you how your picture will look, but the change has not yet occurred. A second box appears asking if your want to make the changes.
Choose Yes to make the changes. Choose No to cancel the changes.
#30
Options Menu
Use the commands on the Options menu to choose your scanning settings.
│┤╡ All of the commands in the Options menu can also be accessed with push buttons, from the Options Summary dialog box and the Scan dialog box.
#8
Set Brightness and Contrast
Choose Options Set Brightness and Contrast to change the intensity and subtlety of the scanned image. These settings are similar to the brightness and contrast settings for a television.
Most scanners only provide 3 to 8 brightness levels. Some provide only automatic and no manual control. If your scanner supports the AUTO option, choose it to have the scanner automatically select the appropriate setting for your image.
To manually set the brightness and contrast:
Choose Options Set Brightness && Contrast.
Make sure the Brightness Auto box is unselected.
Drag the Brightness scroll bar to lighten or darken your image when it is scanned.
Make sure the Contrast Auto box is unselected.
Drag the Contrast scroll bar to change the subtlety of your image when it is scanned.
Choose OK.
#11
Set Enhancements
Choose Options Set Enhancements to change your picture during the scanning process. You can use as many enhancements as you want. Enhancements not supported by your scanner are dimmed.
The enhancements are:
Border Erase: Turn on this option to add a white border to your picture. This can be used to eliminate dark lines that may appear around the edges of a scanned image.
Edge Enhance: Turn on this option to increase the definition between the dark and light areas of your picture.
Gamma Correct: Turn on this option to give the appearance of greater contrast, allowing you to see more shades of gray.
Line Art Detect: Turn on this option to preserve the high contrast black and white areas of your image, and use a halftone pattern on the multi color areas of your image. For example, select Line Art Detect to scan a page containing text and a gray scale photograph. The text is scanned in a high black and white contrast mode, and your selected halftone pattern is applied to the gray scale photograph.
Mirror Image: Turn on this option to flip the picture. The right side of your picture becomes the left side of the scanned image, like a mirror image.
Negative Image: Turn on this option to reverse the colors of your picture. For example, when you scan a page of black text on a white background the image appears on your screen as white text on a black background.
Outline: Turn on this option to trace the edges of objects in your pictures. Only the outlines of shapes appear in the scanned image, everything else is white.
#23
Set Image Type and Halftone Pattern
Choose Options Set Image Type and Halftone Pattern to set the scan mode.
PC Paintbrush IV Plus has three image type settings:
Black && White: Select this option to scan an image that consists mostly of text and line art or when you want a black and white image that is halftoned. For example, you might choose this option when you want to print the picture from an application or printer that does not support color or gray scale. Select a halftone pattern from the Halftone Pattern box when you choose this image type.
Gray Scale: Select this option to scan using gray levels. When you choose Gray Scale the gray levels available to your scanner appear in the list box. Click the levels of gray you want to scan with.
Color: Select this option to scan in color. When you choose Color the numbers of color available to your scanner appear in the list box. Click the number of colors you want to scan with.
To set the image type and halftone pattern:
Choose Options Set Image Type && Halftone. The Set Image Type and Halftoning dialog box appears
Choose an image type.
Choose a halftone pattern if you have selected Black and White as your image type. (Click Next to see a list of halftone patterns and their uses.)
Choose the levels of gray you want to scan with from the list box if Gray Scale is your image type.
Choose the number of colors you want to scan with from the list box, if Color is your image type.
Choose OK to use your image type and halftone pattern selections.
#14
Halftone Patterns
Choose a halftone pattern when you select Black and White as your image type.
The halftone patterns are:
None: A high contrast black and white scan with no halftone.
Bayer: A halftone pattern which generally looks good on-screen and produces fair output on a printer. It creates a crisp look, but does not copy well on a duplicating machine. It has less contrast than some of the other halftone patterns (adjust the Contrast setting accordingly) and the criss-cross nature of this pattern may sometimes be apparent.
Course Fatting (also known as spiral): A halftone pattern which generally looks good on a laser printer, but looks large and course on most computer screens. With Course Fatting there are more shades of gray and the dots are larger than with Fine Fatting (below), however the image is not as crisp.
Fine Fatting: Similar to Course Fatting (above), the dots are smaller, giving a crisper look to the image, but there are less gray shades.
Horizontal Line: Best used when you want to preserve the horizontal properties of the image. This halftone pattern preserves the details of an image fairly well, but not as well as Bayer, and looks average when photocopied.
Vertical Line: Best used when you want to preserve the vertical properties of the image. This halftone pattern preserves the details of an image fairly well, but not as well as Bayer, and looks average when photocopied.
Mesh: The halftone pattern uses square dots.
Scanner Defined: Any one additional halftone pattern available with certain scanners. For example your scanner may be able to halftone in a diagonal line pattern.
│┤╡ Any one halftone pattern varies depending upon the scanner, and most scanners do not offer all types of halftoning. Halftone patterns unavailable to your scanner are dimmed or do not appear in the dialog box.
#31
Set Paper Size
Choose Options Set Paper Size to set the size of the paper to be scanned using preset values or entering a custom size.
The standard paper sizes are:
Letter: The US standard letters size, 8.5 x 11.00 inches.
Legal: The US standard legal size, 8.5 x 14.00 inches.
B size: A standard US size, 11.00 x 17.00 inches.
A3: A standard European size, 29.70 x 42.00 centimeters.
A4: A standard European size, 21.00 x 29.70 centimeters.
A5: A standard European size, 14.80 x 21.00 centimeters
B5: A standard European size, 17.60 x 24.00 centimeters.
To set your paper size:
Select Options Set Paper Size. The Set Paper Size dialog box appears.
Select Set Units to set the unit of measure.
Click one of the buttons to select a standard paper size.
Select Custom Size and enter the horizontal size and vertical size in the appropriate boxes to set the size of the paper to one other than those listed.
Choose OK.
│┤╡ Some paper sizes may not be available for your scanner.
#37
Set Resolution and Scaling
Choose Options Set Resolution and Scaling to set the sharpness of the image and the scanned image size.
To set the resolution and scaling:
Choose Options Set Resolution and Scaling. The Resolution and Scaling dialog box appears on your screen.
Click Set Units and choose a unit of measure.
Choose a resolution from the list box or, if your scanner supports Custom Resolution you can select this option and enter the horizontal and vertical resolution in the appropriate boxes.
Keep in mind that although a higher resolution produces a finer images, the amount of scanning time and the memory required grows very quickly when the resolution is increased. (Click Next to see a list of preset resolutions and their uses.)
If scaling is available to your scanner you can drag the Scaling scroll bar or type a number in the box to the right of the Scaling scroll bar to increase or decrease the size of your image during the scanning process. Keep in mind that increasing or decreasing the size of the image may change the look of the image, especially when you are using a halftone pattern. Click 100% to quickly set your scaling to 100%.
Choose OK.
│┤╡ Your scanner resolution is listed as DPI (Dots Per Inch) if your selected unit of measure is inches or pixels. Your scanner resolution is listed as DPC (Dots Per Centimeter) if your selected unit of measure is centimeters.
#13
Resolutions
The following is a list of preset resolutions and their uses:
400 x 400: The highest resolution available to some scanners, unavailable to most laser printers.
300 x 300: Standard laser printer resolution.
200 x 200: Standard FAX resolution.
150 x 150: The same as draft mode on most laser printers.
100 x 100: Produces a fairly low resolution image.
75 x 75: Produces a near screen resolution, used by Prescan.
#47
Set Units
Choose Options Set Units to set the unit of measure you want to use. You can use inches, centimeters, or pixels in the scanning mode of PC Paintbrush. A pixel is equal to one dot on the computer's screen. When you choose Options Set Unit and select a new unit of measure, all measurements in the scanning mode change.
│┤╡ A pixel is simply one raster dot on the screen, scanner, or printer. It is also known as a "pel".
#32
Set Preferences
Choose Options Set Preferences to load the palette you want to use to scan your image and to prescan in black and white.
To load a palette for scanning:
Choose Options Set Preferences. The Set Preferences dialog box appears.
Click Load palette for Scan.
Type the name of the palette you want to load in the File box.
Choose OK.
To prescan in black and white:
Choose Options Set Preferences. The Set Preferences dialog box appears.
Choose Prescan in black and white.
Choose OK.
│┤╡ Prescanning in black and white requires less memory and reduces the amount of time it takes PC Paintbrush IV Plus to scan the image. Your final scan will be in the mode you are running.
#3
Help Menu
Use the commands on the Help menu to provide help and information about PC Paintbrush.
You can read hints on using PC Paintbrush effectively in Help Short Cuts. You can display Context Sensitive and/or Information Line help in the caption bar at the top of the screen. You can get information about the system configuration with Help Statistics. And you can get the version number of PC Paintbrush IV Plus in Help About.
#113
Context Sensitive Help
Choose Help Context Sensitive Help and the caption bar displays a brief message about commands as you use them.
#114
Information Line
Choose Help Information Line to display mouse position and other measurements in the caption bar.
│┤╡ Since you cannot use tools in the scan mode, the Information Line is not available.
#299
Statistics
Choose Help Statistics to display information about the currently loaded picture as well as information about your memory, disk space, and hardware. The Statistics dialog box CANNOT be edited.
Image shows the size, resolution, and number of colors that can be displayed on your monitor.
Screen shows the currently installed video adapter card and the number of dots your screen can display.
Printer shows the name of the currently installed printer and the number of dots per inch the printer can print.
Scanner shows the name of the currently installed scanner driver.
Computer Memory shows the amount of DOS RAM, expanded memory, extended memory, and disk space installed and remaining.
#9999
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