This special bundle version of Painter 5.0 is exactly the same as the full retail product. The only difference is your documentation has been provided in an electronic format (as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file) and the software has been pre-serialized. Please look on the Painter CD-ROM, in the Documentation folder, for the Painter Tutorial and User Guide.
If you don't have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, open the Acrobat folder on the Painter CD-ROM and double-click on the installer.
You may register your software by using our Web registration system, or by calling Technical Support at (408)430-4200. By registering you will receive free Technical Support, special offers, and new product announcements. To register via the web, visit http://www.metacreations.com/register/.
This Read Me file contains important information about your new software. You don't have to read this information now, but after you've installed and looked around the program, review the following information. It will help you get the most out of Painter 5.0.
CONTENTS
-------
- Understanding Painter 5.0
- Common problems and solutions
- Technical support
----------------------------
UNDERSTANDING PAINTER 5.0
-------------------------
PAINTER'S BRUSHES
It is the incredible Natural-Media brush engine that separates Painter from all other graphics programs. If you spend a little time investigating how the brush engine works, Painter will open up as the most incredible art program you have ever used. This is even more true with the new expandable plug-in brush capabilities of version 5.0.
The first step is to explore all the great brush libraries included with Painter. By default, the Brushes Palette opens the library "Painter Brushes." This includes the basic set of Natural Media painting tools, like chalks, airbrushes, pencils and pens. This default library is only the beginning. We have created a bunch of new brushes for version 5.0. These new brush libraries are installed in the folder New Brushes which is in your Painter folder. To make it easy to access the new brushes a Custom Palette called "Shortcut to New Brushes" allows you to quickly load 7 additional brush libraries. If the Custom Palette is not on-screen, select Window/Custom Palette/Shortcut to New Brushes to activate it. Simply click an icon in the Custom Palette to load the new library.
Once you have explored New Brushes, go to the CD. Inside Free Stuff:Brushes you will find 9 more brush libraries. To load a brush library, first copy it to your Painter directory, then select "Load Library" from the Brush Popup on the Brush palette.
DYNAMIC PLUG-IN FLOATERS
New in version 5.0 are Dynamic Plug-in Floaters which perform all kinds of exciting image effects. You will find the Dynamic Plug-in Floaters by clicking the P.Float icon on the Objects Palette. Some plug-in floaters create new layers -- like the Kaleidoscope and Liquid Metal. Some should be applied to a selection or existing floating object -- like Bevel World and Burn. If the Apply button (or menu command) is grayed out, it means you need to create a selection or select a floater before applying the plug-in floater.
Dynamic plug-in floaters can be CPU and memory intensive. Be careful when applying Dynamic Plug-in Floaters to large images/floaters.
IMPASTO
Most Dynamic Plug-in Floaters perform an effect which creates a new object. The Impasto, Liquid Metal and Liquid Lens Dynamic Plug-in floaters create new painting layers. By painting into these layers you get outrageous special effects. Of special note is Impasto, which lets you paint into 3D layer with any regular painting brush. We have created a special library of brushes that work great in the Impasto layer. The brush library "Impasto Brushes" can be found in the folder Extra Art Materials and on the CD in Free Stuff:Brushes.
To use the Impasto brushes, you need to first create the Impasto layer. Select Impasto on the P.Float Palette (Objects Palette) and click Apply. Then load up the Impasto brush library by selecting Load Library from the Brush Popup and selecting "Impasto Brushes" (you could also load the library by double clicking it in the Finder).
TRANSPARENT LAYERS
New to Painter 5 is the ability to paint on a transparent layer. Use the Objects Palette menu command Floater/Transparent Layer to create a transparent layer.
Use the new brush library "Layer" to paint into transparent layers. You can also make any brush paint into a transparent layer:
1. From the brushes palette, select the brush you want to paint with.
2. Click the Expand box at the top-right corner of the Brushes Palette.
3. From the Method Popup select "Plug-in"
4. From the Subcategory Popup select "Transparent Layer Brush"
Expert Tip:
A transparent layer is just a regular floater with a clear mask. The Layer brushes simply paint into both the RGB color channel and the Visibility Mask. You can use the Transparent Layer brushes on any bitmap floater.
TEAR-OFF TOOLS
Don't overlook the new Tear-off Tools. Grab any brush (like the Pencil) and drag it off the palette. Presto. You've created a custom palette. You can drag Brushes, Papers, Gradations, Patterns, Weaves, Plug-in Floaters, Scripts and Menu items to custom palettes. To add a menu command to a custom palette, select Window/Custom Palette/Add Command.
Quick Tip:
Hold the keys Control+Shift to rearrange items on a custom palette. Hold Control+Option+Shift to delete an item from a custom palette.
Quick Tip:
Hold down Control+Shift before selecting a menu item to add a menu item to a Custom Palette.
KODAK COLOR MANAGEMENT
When using the Output Preview feature (Canvas/Output Preview) you will almost always want the Input Profile popup set to "None." Most of the time when an image is acquired from a scanner or Photo CD it is automatically adjusted. If you select an Input Profile for an image that has already be adjusted, the result will be incorrect because the source will have been corrected twice. Refer to the Output Preview technical note in the documentation folder.
We include a couple of special ICC profiles with Painter. The "Photoshop RGB to CMYK" output profiles allows you to preview how Photoshop will perform a color separation. The Pantone Hexachrome output profiles allow Painter to preview and perform HiFi 6-color separations when saved as an EPS file.
Adobe Photoshop 4.0 installs incorrect ICC profiles on the Macintosh. If you have installed Photoshop, you should look in System Folder:Preferences:ColorSync¬ folder and remove all profiles that end with ".icm". Adobe has corrected this in Photoshop 4.0.1
If the Output ICC profile does not support CMYK mode (for example Hexachrome uses CMYKOG) the Use Output Preview check box in the Print dialog will be disabled. To create multi-channel separations, save the file as EPS.
For more technical information on how the Kodak system works and how to obtain the best results with the Photoshop RGB to CMYK profile, please refer to the document "About Kodak" in the Documentation folder of the Painter CD-ROM.
MASKING
Painter 5 adds support for multiple alpha channels -- masks. Up to 32 masks can be created and modified with the standard brush tools. In order to maintain compatibility with earlier version of Painter, the Mask method is still listed in the Method pop-up, but you do not have to select a Masking method to work on a mask.
MAGIC WAND
When using the Magic Wand, holding the Shift key and clicking does not add to the selection. Instead it adds to the color set that Painter uses to build the Magic Wand selection. To add a range of colors, click and drag across the range of colors.
To select all areas of the image that fall within the tolerance setting of the Magic Wand, use Control+Shift+click. You can define a bounding rectangle by holding Control+Shift+drag and the Magic Wand will select all colors within the bounding rectangle.
----------------------------
COMMON PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
-------------------------
Ñ Painter 5.0 does not overwrite Painter 4 in a typical installation. An Easy Install puts Painter 5 into a Painter 5.0 folder at the root level of your hard drive. You can delete Painter 4 from your system without affecting the new Painter 5.0. Remember to save any image files and custom libraries that you want to keep using.
Ñ QuickTimeLibError: Cannot find QuickTime Lib. Your Macintosh will generate this error message if there is not enough free system memory to initialize QuickTime. It happens when applications are using almost all available memory. The solution is to lower Painter╒s preferred memory, or quit other applications. Refer to the User Guide for information on setting the amount of memory allocated to Painter.
Ñ Painter 5 only supports the Photoshop 3.0 plug-in API (not 4.0). Plug-ins, like Alien Skin Eye Candy, which require the Photoshop 4.0 filter API will not work with Painter.
Ñ Many Adobe Photoshop 4.0 plug-ins are designed to work only with Photoshop. They will appear in the Painter menus, but will not run.
Ñ When using plug-in filters with Painter, especially Kai's Power Tools and Convolver, increase the amount of memory allocated to Painter. When using KPT 3.0 Painter should be set for a minimum memory size of 24Mb. Refer to the User Guide for information on increasing the amount of memory allocated to Painter.
Ñ In a dual monitor setup, Painter 5.0 and KPT Texture Explorer are not compatible.
Ñ A long standing printing bug has been fixed that greatly improves the quality of images printed to QuickDraw printers.
Ñ Plug-in Floaters can not be recorded in a script or used during a Net Painter session.
Ñ The Drip Cloning sub-method has been removed. In order to maintain compatibility, the menu item still exists, but does not perform a cloning operation.
Ñ Brush libraries are limited to 15Mb in size. You should not use the brush mover to merge any of the default libraries that come with Painter or are on the Painter CD.
Ñ If your Custom Palettes are moved completely off-screen (usually by switching resolution), get them back by using the Custom Palette Organizer (Window/Custom Palette/Organizer) to Export, Delete then Import the Palette.
Ñ When recording a Script or working in a Net Painter session, canceling out of a dialog will leave you in a bad state. Don't cancel out of dialogs while scripting or Net Painting.
Ñ Launching Painter on an English system running World Script with the Japanese Language Kit generates the message "PCP3 loaded failed id=xxx". To prevent this error message, delete the file "Painter Palettes" located in your Painter folder.
------------------
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
----------------
Technical support is free of charge to registered users. Please have your registration number handy. When contacting us by phone, it is most helpful to be calling from the computer where you need support. This way we can work with you to solve the problem or demonstrate a particular function of the software.
Online support is available through our Internet Web Server. If you are connected to the internet, simply select "Online Help" from the Help menu in Painter.
To contact us directly:
(408) 430-4200 8am-5pm (PST), Monday-Friday
http://www.metacreations.com
-------------------------------------
⌐ 1997 Fractal Design Corporation, all rights reserved. Painter and Natural Media are registered trademarks and Image Hose is a trademark of Fractal Design Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark and QuickTime is a trademark of Apple Computer. Photoshop is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. All other product and brad names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Fractal Design Painter is covered by U.S. Patent 5347620. Patent pending.
