═══ 1. Overview ═══ TrueSpectra is an application designed for image processing and page layout. It uses an advanced object-based render engine, and user interface. TrueSpectra features: o Bitmap support for BMP, GIF, TGA (Targa), TIF, PCX, JPG, Kodak PhotoCD (PCD) and more. o Saves in either an editable device independent (.GDO) or resolution dependent output (Bitmap) format. o Good performance in lower memory situations. o Totally object oriented user interface, with direct manipulation and context-sensitive menus. If you encounter problems, look at the troubleshooting section. You will find more about configuration problems there. For more information on contacting TrueSpectra Inc, look at the about information. See also Basic Operations, Objects, and Using Keys, Troubleshooting, Using the Mouse. ═══ 2. Basic Operations ═══ To use TrueSpectra, there are a few basic things to understand. When TrueSpectra is started, the screen should contain only a white rectangular workspace or canvas, with a thin frame in a thick border, and at the bottom of the screen you will see the Access Bar. If you click the right mouse button over the canvas, then a context menu will appear. From this menu you can choose any of the following options: o About TrueSpectra o Zoom Origin o Zoom Out 200% o Zoom Back o File New Project Load Project Save Project Save Rendered Overlay Object o Print Understanding these menu options and the access bar in combination with an understanding of how to distribute a project to others is all you really need to master TrueSpectra. When nothing is selected, the access bar contains general information on output settings: o Credits o Page Layout Format o Output Resolution o Output Pixel Size o and Additional Settings For more advanced operations look at help on objects. ═══ 2.1. About TrueSpectra ═══ TrueSpectra Inc. can be reached at: TrueSpectra Inc, 20 Holly Street, Suite 206 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4S 3B1 For technical questions, please email objects@ibm.net or FAX to (416)322-1426. If critical, phone us at (416)322-3568. See also the troubleshooting section before calling or writing. See also General Information. ═══ 2.2. File Operations ═══ In TrueSpectra, a page layout can be saved, loaded, or printed. Each project contains one page, and the project can be exported into a bitmap using Save Rendered. If a project needs to be saved and then worked on later, then use the Save Project. That project can be loaded later using Load Project. To clear the workspace you need to start a New Project. When your project looks perfect, you'll want to either Distribute it, or Print it. See also Basic Operations. ═══ 2.2.1. New Project ═══ This menu option on the popup menu simply clears the page, and starts with a new workspace. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.2.2. Loading Projects ═══ Projects are saved into files which have the extensions .GDO or .ORC. An .ORC file is an "object archive", and can be overlayed on top of an existing project. A .GDO contains an entire layout. A layout consists of a whole collection of objects, and all of the information needed to draw them. Bitmaps are stored seperately, to see more information on moving .GDO files see Distributing Projects. Included with TrueSpectra are several projects, which contain hints on how to make the best use of the abilities of TrueSpectra. Take the time to look at each of these projects. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.2.3. Saving Projects ═══ The best way to save your work is in a .GDO file. This format saves all of the objects on the screen, so that the next time you want to make a change to the project you still have complete control. Note: When a .GDO file is created, it replaces the previous one without prompting. Warning: The bitmaps in your page layout are not saved inside the .GDO but instead contain the file path to the bitmaps. If you delete those bitmaps, then the project will not load the objects which use those bitmaps but instead will say that there are "Corrupt" objects. See also Distributing Projects. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.2.4. Save Rendered ═══ When a project needs to be loaded into another application, the best way to do it is with a rendered save. To accomplish this you will need to set the Output Pixel Size to an appropriate amount. Then select the Rendered Save menu option. When asked for a file name, the extension will determine what format to use. For work where you are concered about storage space, we recommend you use .JPG (or JPEG) which gives the highest compression, but will reduce quality. On the otherhand .BMP, .TIF or .TGA are often good alternatives, since at least one of those should be accepted by most other programs. When you choose a filename, and give a particular extension it will save in that format. For instance MYFILE.BMP will be saved in the OS/2 Bitmap format, and MYFILE.TIF will save as a Tagged Image File Format Here is a more complete list of the formats presently supported by TrueSpectra: .JPG or .JPEG- Joint Photographic Experts Group images format. .BMP - OS/2 or Windows Bitmap. .TIF - Tagged Image File Format. .TGA - Truevision Targa. .LBM - Amiga ILBM Interleaved Bitmap. .PCX - ZSoft Publisher's Paintbrush Format. .PPM - Portable Pixmap (binary type P6). .VID - YUV12C M-Motion Video Frame Buffer. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.2.5. Distributing Projects ═══ When a project is saved into a .GDO file, the file will contain pointers to the file path of the bitmaps which are included. When a project is loaded, TrueSpectra checks both the original path, and the current directory for the bitmaps. If they aren't found in either place, then the program complains that there are corrupt objects in the file. When distributing a project it is important that the bitmaps are included in the distribution. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.3. Printing Projects ═══ When your masterpiece is ready, simply select Print from the popup menu. Your project will be printed with all of your current Output Settings. There are several options which you should consider when printing. These include settings like dithering, antialiasing and depixelizing mentioned in the section Additional Settings. Also, look at the Output Resolution. The output memory required will vary depending on the printer you use. Black and white printers tend to require the least amount of memory. A good rule of thumb is to try and keep at least 10 megabytes of free swap space available when printing. See also File Operations. ═══ 2.4. Controlling the View Zoom ═══ There are several methods which you can use to control the Zoom View. Zoom Origin- Show the page at a fixed location. Zoom In - Draw a rectangle, then zoom in on that area. Zoom Out 200% - Reveal more of the surrounding area. Zoom Back - Zooms to allow you to see all of the objects in the project. To Zoom In, press and hold mouse button 1, and drag out a rectangle which includes the area to zoom on, then choose the menu option Zoom In. Also it is possible to grab one of the outer corners to Zoom In. See Also Basic Operation. ═══ 2.4.1. Zoom Origin ═══ This menu option sets the zoom view to the default one. See also Controlling the Zoom View. ═══ 2.4.2. Zoom In ═══ To Zoom In, drag out a rectangle by pressing and holding mouse button 1, from the first corner to the opposite corner. When you release mouse button 1, click mouse button 2, to bring up a context menu. Choose Zoom In. The new zoom will include everything you included in your rectangle. Also if your rectangle was taller or wider, then the new rectangle will change orientation. An alternate way to accomplish the same thing, is to move to one of the corners of the white canvas, and when the pointer changes to a resizing arrow, drag using mouse button 2, until the new rectangle is the size you want. See also Controlling the View Zoom. ═══ 2.4.3. Zoom Out 200% ═══ Use this menu option to reveal a little bit more of your workspace. See also Controlling the View Zoom. ═══ 2.4.4. Zoom Back ═══ This menu option changes the zoom to include all of the objects in your project. This option is good for accessing your overall design. See also Controlling the View Zoom. ═══ 2.5. Understanding the Access Bar ═══ At the bottom of the TrueSpectra window is a bar which contains status information about the currently selected object, or if no object is selected, then it contains general output settings. The context sensitive access bar in combination with direct manipulation, context-sensitive popup menus and keyboard shortcuts is the total user interface. When a button on the access bar is pressed, a dialog appears. These dialogs are more formally known as PPDs (Push-Pin Dialogs). If the same button that launched a PPD is pressed again, then the PPD disappears. However, when another button in the same group of buttons on the access bar is pressed, the first PPD disappears and a new one appears. There can be several groups of buttons on the access bar, allowing for multiple PPDs. PPDs automatically close themselves when an object is de-selected but to add more flexibility, any PPD can be grabbed and dragged by pressing and holding mouse button 2, tearing it from the access bar. Floating PPDs remain active and linked to their respective objects even when other objects are selected and highlighted. Note that a hide button at the top right corner of any floating PPD may be pressed at any time to clear it from the screen. See also General Information, Basic Operations. ═══ 2.5.1. Output Settings ═══ These settings control how the overall page looks. Most of the settings have to do with the output device and resolution, which can be either the printer or a rendered bitmap. The output settings are: Credits - actually not a setting, but information on the production staff. Page Layout Format- Choose any preset page size, or click custom, and use one of the following. Output Resolution- Choose the page size in Inches and DPI. Output Pixel Size- Choose the output size in pixels. Additional Settings- Choose quality settings before sending output. See also Understanding the Access Bar. ═══ 2.5.1.1. Credits ═══ The credits thank the many contributors to this product. See Output Settings. ═══ 2.5.1.2. Page Layout Format ═══ When making a layout, it is important to choose the output format ahead of time. This is important because the aspect ratio dictates the shape of your layout. Use these short cuts, or use either the Output Resolution or Output Pixel Size with a custom setting. See also Output Settings ═══ 2.5.1.3. Output Resolution ═══ This dialog contains entry fields for the height and width of the output area in inches. This is important for printer output. Also the number of Dots Per Inch (DPI) entry field. If you compare the values in this dialog with the values in the Output Pixel Size dialog, you will soon see how they are related. See also Output Settings. ═══ 2.5.1.4. Output Pixel Size ═══ Enter values here to control the resolution of the Rendered Save. This is useful for creating background bitmaps. See also Output Resolution and Output Settings. ═══ 2.5.1.5. Additional Settings ═══ There are 4 major settings on this dialog. They are: Copies - The number of copies to print. Antialias - Improves the smoothness of text, but slows rendering. Note: When printing to a black and white printer (like a laser printer), quality can be reduced by turning on antialiasing. Depixelize - Improves the smoothness of bitmaps, but slows rendering. Dither - On 256 or fewer colour cards improves the quality of the images, but slows screen updates. See also Output Settings. ═══ 3. Objects, Objects Everywhere ═══ Every element in a design using TrueSpectra is a live object. Objects within the TrueSpectra environment are composed of "Regions" and "Tools". Simplistically, a Region defines the target for a Tool. For example, a heart shaped Region might be filled by a solid colour Tool with the colour blue resulting in an object appearing as a blue heart. Other types of Regions include text, artistic masks, and ultimately user defined and translucency masks. Tools include contrast and brightness, emboss, bitmaps, and colour fades. Since any Region can be joined with any Tool to form an object it quickly becomes apparent that a considerable diversity of objects is possible. Further, all objects can be manipulated in many ways including rotation, resizing and shearing or combined into compound objects. Any object can also be converted into any other object. TrueSpectra objects do not simply pile up on top of each other or show translucently through each other as do "layers" in conventional graphics packages. Objects interact with one another. For example, an object formed by the combination of a text Region modified by the caption "hello" and an emboss Tool, would emboss contents of objects below but only those clipped to the letters of the word "hello". Similarly, an object which used an oval shaped Region and a contrast and brightness Tool would be able to selectively lighten or darken an oval area of objects below it - all at any desired resoultion. Using direct manipulation, an object can be sized, moved or rotated. If you load a sample project, and click with mouse button 1 over an object (such as a rectangle, a piece of text, a star, etc.), then the object will be selected, and the access bar will change to reflect the status of the object. Each object is layered on top of some objects and is under other objects. To select a deeper object, either use the context menu (click mouse button 2), the keyboard shortcut, or click again with mouse button 1 to cycle through objects. To fully understand the power of objects you need to master creating and changing them, look at: o Creating Objects o Direct Manipulation o Standard Object Settings o Regions o and Tools See also Basic Operation and General Information. ═══ 3.1. Creating Objects ═══ To create an object simply drag out a rectangle. Press and hold mouse button 1, and move the mouse until you have the shape you want, then release the mouse button. Now click mouse button 2 to bring up the context menu and select the type of object you wish to create. The options are: Rectangle Region- Solid rectange with the default tool. Ellipse Region- Circle or streched circle with the default tool. Shape Region- Star, heart or triangle shape with the default tool. With enhanced versions of TrueSpectra these shapes are user definable. Headline Text- Text which is scaled to fit the box, with the default tool. Block Text - Text which is formatted for a certain number of characters per line, with the default tool. Load Object- Allows you to embed a .ORC file in the document see Loading Projects. Load Bitmap- Loads a new bitmap into the project, uses the rectangle region and the bitmap tool. Group - Makes a number of objects behave as one. See also Direct Manipulation, Understanding the Access Bar, and Objects. ═══ 3.2. Direct Manipulation ═══ Direct manipulation means that an object is changed using the mouse, without the overhead of additional dialogs or typing. It can be a powerful ally in rapidly creating a design. TrueSpectra supports a variety of direct manipulation options for changing objects, they are: o Sizing Objects o Moving Objects o Rotating Objects See also Objects, Standard Object Settings ═══ 3.2.1. Sizing Objects ═══ To resize an object, first select the object (See Objects). When the object is selected, there are three ways to size it: 1. Move the cursor just outside the border where it changes into a resize pointer, and press and hold mouse button 1, and drag the mouse until the desired size is reached, then release the mouse button. 2. Click mouse button 2 and bring up the context menu, and select resize object. Drag the mouse until the desired size is reached, then click either mouse button. 3. Use the keyboard shortcut for resize, and follow the directions for choice 2. Note: In the present version, the cancel operation using either both mouse buttons or the ESCAPE key moves back to the last position previewed. Note: Some objects have a fixed aspect ratio. This is a setting which can be controlled by changing the Object Restrictions. See also Direct Manipulation. ═══ 3.2.2. Rotating Objects ═══ To rotate an object, first select the object (See Objects). When the object is selected, there are three ways to rotate it: 1. Move the cursor just outside the border where it changes into a resize pointer, and press and hold mouse button 2, and drag the mouse until the desired angle is reached, then release the mouse button. 2. Click mouse button 2 and bring up the context menu, and select rotate object. Drag the mouse until the desired angle is reached, then click either mouse button. 3. Use the keyboard shortcut for rotate, and follow the directions for choice 2. Note: In the present version, the cancel operation using either both mouse buttons or the ESCAPE key moves back to the last position previewed. See also Direct Manipulation. ═══ 3.2.3. Moving Objects ═══ To move an object, first select the object (See Objects). When the object is selected, there are three ways to move it: 1. Move the cursor over the object where it changes into a move pointer (normally a four-headed arrow), and press and hold mouse button 2, and drag the mouse until the desired location is reached, then release mouse button 2. 2. Click mouse button 2 and bring up the context menu, and select move object. Drag the mouse until the desired location is reached, then click either mouse button. 3. Use the keyboard shortcut for move, and follow the directions for choice 2. Note: In the present version, the cancel operation using either both mouse buttons or the ESCAPE key moves back to the last position previewed. See also Direct Manipulation. ═══ 3.3. Standard Object Settings ═══ Every object has some standard settings. These are: o Object Name o Object Position o Object Angle and Skew o Object Restrictions o and Object Translucency Also all objects other than group objects contain both a region and a tool. Group objects contain an additional setting which brings up a dialog with a list of objects which can be altered there. See also Objects, Understanding the Access Bar. ═══ 3.3.1. Object Name ═══ Every object can be given a meaningful name. This is the most useful if the object is later placed in a group, and then you need to select the object from the group dialog to edit it. To change the name, simply click on the name field and change it from the default of "Unknown" to whatever name helps you the most. See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.3.2. Object Position ═══ Every object has a position. The position is stored as a "floating point" number, or in other words a decimal number. There are two ways to change the position and size of an object. o Enter numbers directly into the Object Position dialog. o Use Direct Manipulation. See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.3.3. Object Angle and Skew ═══ Every object has an angle and skew. The angle is a rotation in degrees, and the skew the amount of slant in the horizontial direction. The angle and skew is stored as a "floating point" number, or in other words a decimal number. There are two ways to change the position and size of an object. o Enter numbers directly into the Object Position dialog. o Use Direct Manipulation. See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.3.4. Object Restrictions ═══ The object restrictions dialog controls whether the object can be distorted when it is resized or not. For bitmaps this is normally set to fixed, but other objects normally have the setting to free. See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.3.5. Object Translucency ═══ Every object can have its translucency set to any value between opaque (or solid), and transparent (invisible). The values in between control the amount that shows through. To change the translucency move the slider, or use the arrows to change the value. See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4. Regions ═══ A region defines the basic shape of the object, which is then drawn using the object's tool. This version of TrueSpectra includes the following regions: o Rectangle Region o Ellipse Region o Shape Region o Headline Text Region o Block Text Region See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.1. Rectangle ═══ This region is a simple rectangle. See also Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.2. Ellipse ═══ This shape is a circle or stretched circle. See also Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.3. Shape ═══ This is a variety of possible shapes. In this version you are restricted to a five pointed star, a triangle, and a heart shape. An upgraded version will include support for user defined shapes. For help on selecting a shape look at: o Choosing Shapes See also Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.3.1. Choosing Shapes ═══ To change the selected shape, simply click on the name of the desired shape in the Shape Selection dialog. See also Shapes, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.4. Headline Text ═══ Headline Text creates region defined by the shape of a text string which is scaled to fill the rectangle defining the object. There are several things which can be controlled with headline text: o Formatting including justification and linespacing o Entry of the actual text o Which font to use Compare with Block Text. See also Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.4.1. Headline Text Format ═══ There are two format settings for headline text. They are: Justification- which alligns multiline text on the left, right, centered or both the left and right (full). Line Spacing- Factor of distance between lines. For example 1.2 means leave 20% more space between lines than the height of the font. See also Headline Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.4.2. Text Entry ═══ To change the text use normal editing conventions, including cursor key, and SHIFT+DEL to copy and SHIFT+INS to paste. As you type the text is reformatted to show what your changes look like. To force a line break hit the return key, then continue typing on the new line. See also Headline Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.4.3. Text Font Selection ═══ To see the text with a different font, use this dialog to select the new font. See also Headline Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.5. Block Text ═══ Block Text creates text which is scaled to fill the object box, for a given number of columns of text. There are several things which can be controlled with headline text: o Formatting including justification and linespacing and number of columns o Entry of the actual text o Which font to use Compare with Headline Text. See also Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.5.1. Block Text Format ═══ There are three format settings for block text. They are: Justification- which alligns multiline text on the left, right, centered or both the left and right (full). Line Spacing- Factor of distance between lines. For example 1.2 means leave 20% more space between lines than the height of the font. Columns - The number of columns of characters to place in one line. This number uses the average width of a character. See also Block Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.5.2. Text Entry ═══ To change the text use normal editing conventions, including cursor key, and SHIFT+DEL to copy and SHIFT+INS to paste. As you type the text is reformatted to show what your changes look like. To force a line break hit the return key, then continue typing on the new line. See also Block Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.4.5.3. Text Font Selection ═══ To see the text with a different font, use this dialog to select the new font. See also Block Text, Regions, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5. Tools ═══ By combining a tool and a region in an object you can create the result you want. A tool defines how the object appears. The possible tools in this release are: o Bitmap o Colour Fade o Contrast & Brightness with colour correction o Emboss o Grayscale o Solid Colour o Wave See also Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.1. Bitmap ═══ A bitmap is the default tool for most objects. There are several ways to control the appearance of a bitmap tool: o Tile/Depixelize o Change the Active Bitmap Area o Select the Source Bitmap Note: When the number of objects which refer to a given bitmap is reduced to zero, the bitmap is removed from the project. Bitmaps can be loaded in the following formats: .JPG or .JPEG- Joint Photographic Experts Group images format. .PCD - Kodak PhotoCD image pack, when MultiMedia support is installed (the default with Warp). .BMP - OS/2 or Windows Bitmap. .GIF - CompuServe's Graphics Interchange Format. .TIF - Tagged Image File Format. .TGA - Truevision Targa. .LBM - Amiga ILBM Interleaved Bitmap. .PCX - ZSoft Publisher's Paintbrush Format. .PPM - Portable Pixmap (binary type P6). .PGM - Portable Graymap (binary type P5). .VID - YUV12C M-Motion Video Frame Buffer. .XBM - X Windows Bitmap. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.1.1. Tile/Depixelize ═══ A bitmap may be tiled into a region by entering a desired number of times to tile the image across and down through the region. Turn on the depixelize to force the render engine to dynamically rescale a bitmap to the resolution of the display or printer. Generally, to enhance performance, it is not adviseable to depixelize until a project is complete. See also Bitmap, Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.1.2. Active Bitmap Area ═══ The active bitmap area dialog allows you to either draw out a rectangle representing the displayed area of a bitmap, or using the numbers around the edges representing the upper, lower, left and right boundries. Note: When Fixed Aspect Ratio is turned on in the Object Restrictions dialog, the rectangle has a fixed aspect ratio. To drag out an arbitrary shape, close the Active Area dialog, change the Object Restrictions, and reopen the Active Bitmap Area dialog. See also Bitmap, Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.1.3. Source Bitmap Selection ═══ Select the bitmap which you wish to change to. Please see the note in Bitmap regarding keeping bitmaps from disappearing. Note: When you change bitmaps, the new bitmap will sometimes be distorted. To fix the problem, change the Fixed Aspect Ratio setting to None on the Object Restrictions dialog. Then resize the object. Then change the Fixed Aspect Ratio setting to fixed. Then open a new Active Bitmap Area dialog and draw aout a clip rectangle. The result will not be distorted. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.2. Colour Fade ═══ This tool allows you to select a different colour for each corner of a region. To specify the colours use the: o Corner Colour Selector See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.2.1. Corner Colour Selection ═══ The four buttons on the right specify which corner of an upright rectangle. Click on one of the grid of colours ln the left, and watch the change. See also Colour Fade, Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.3. Contrast & Brightness Tool ═══ The Contrast and Brightness tool allows you to alter whatever is underneath it. To use it with a bitmap, simply select the bitmap. Choose Duplicate on the popup object menu (which you get by clicking mouse button 2), and then change the tool to Contrast & Brightness. o Look at the Colour Curve o Change the Contrast and Brightness o Or alter the Colour Channels See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.3.1. Colour Curve ═══ Draw freehand on this control, or watch the effect of the other controls. It is also possible to select a specific colour channel and draw its curve independently of the others. Simply select the desired curve by clicking on its corresponding colour button below the curves and then drawing in the graph area above. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.3.2. Contrast & Brightness ═══ The two sliders affect the overall contrast and brightness in a non-linear way. Watch the interaction on the colour curve. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.3.3. Colour Channel ═══ Move the red green and blue sliders to increase or decrease the values. Watch the interaction on the Colour Curve. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.4. Emboss ═══ This effect gives a chisled marble look to whatever is underneath it. When it is rotated it looks like the lighting is from a different angle. For help on selecting an emboss colour look at: o Colour Palette See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.5. Grayscale ═══ The grayscale tool converts whatever is behind it to a black & white format. It has no controls. Use this in combination with a contrast & brightness tool for a "yellowed" picture effect. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.6. Solid Colour ═══ Select the colour palette colour which you want. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.6.1. Colour Palette ═══ In this version the colour palette is restricted to only 24 colours. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.7. Wave ═══ The Wave distorts whatever is underneath it. o Change the Wave Settings to control the distortion. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 3.5.7.1. Wave Settings ═══ The frequency is the number of waves. The amplitude is the amount of distortion that the wave affects. See also Tools, Standard Object Settings, Objects. ═══ 4. Using the Mouse ═══ To use the mouse, you need to understand the direct manipulation abilities of TrueSpectra. Note: When the documentation mentions mouse button 1, it refers to the left mouse button on most systems, and when it refers to mouse button 2, it refers to the right mouse button. On some systems the mouse buttons are reversed, and the popup menu appears when you click the left and not right mouse button. This program does not make use of a middle mouse button. See also: o Making dialogs disappear o What happens when the mouse is over an object, over a border, over a frame edge, and over a frame corner. See also General Information, Basic Operations. ═══ 4.1. Making Dialogs Disappear ═══ Double click mouse button 2 on a blank area of the Access Bar. This will cause all opened dialogs to close. See also General Information, Basic Operations, or Using the Mouse. ═══ 4.2. Mouse Over Drawing Area ═══ When the mouse is over an object, you can: o Move the object o Select a deeper object using a mouse button 1 click o Show the context menu using a button 2 click See also General Information, Basic Operations, or Using the Mouse. ═══ 4.3. Mouse Over Object Border ═══ When the mouse is over an object border, you can: o Resize the object o Rotate the object See also General Information, Basic Operations, or Using the Mouse. ═══ 4.4. Mouse Over Frame Edge ═══ You can pan the view using either mouse button. See also General Information, Basic Operations, or Using the Mouse. ═══ 4.5. Mouse Over Frame Corner ═══ You can pan the view or resize the view by holding either mouse button. See also General Information, Basic Operations, or Using the Mouse. ═══ 5. Using Keys ═══ The keyboard short cuts appear in the context menus. Ctrl+B - Push the selected object to the back. See also Objects. Ctrl+D - Copy or duplicate the selected object. See also Objects. Ctrl+F - Move the selected object to the front. See also Objects. Ctrl+K - Move the selected object one object deeper. See also Objects. Ctrl+L - Load in a bitmap into a drawn out rectangle. See also Creating Objects, Bitmaps. Ctrl+M - Move the selected object. See also Move Object. Ctrl+O - Open a project. See also Load Project. Ctrl+R - Save a bitmap of the project at a particular resolution. Many bitmap formats are supported. See also Save Rendered. Ctrl+S - Save a project into a .GDO file. See also Save Project. Ctrl+T - Rotate the selected object. See also Rotate Object. Ctrl+W - Move the selected object up one in the stack of objects. See also Objects. Ctrl+Z - Size an object. See also Size Object. Ctrl+Del - Delete the selected object. See also Objects. Tab - Select the next object in the list of objects. See also Objects. F1 - Online help. F3 - Quit TrueSpectra. F5 - Print the project. See also Printing Projects. F7 - Zoom back to show all object in the project. See also Zoom Back. F8 - Zoom in on the drawn rectangle. See also Zoom In. F12 - Create a rectangle region. See also Rectangles, Objects. See also General Information, Basic Operations, and Objects. ═══ 6. Troubleshooting ═══ Here are some known problems and incompatibilities: o TrueSpectra is incompatible with some graphics video drivers, symptoms of which are: a screen which doesn't clear when the application starts, text doesn't appear, or loading a project causes the program to exit. If you are on the Internet you may be able to download a free update. o If a dialog appears at startup stating that SHAPES.IFF was not found then the star, heart and triangle shapes will not be available. To fix this problem, copy the file SHAPES.IFF from the install directory into the "current directory." o If a dialog appears stating that TSPECTRA.BMP was not found then when loading sample projects, some objects will appear to be corrupt. To fix the problem, copy the TSPECTRA.BMP from the install directory to the "current directory". o When text is rotated to exactly 180 degrees, the text may disappear. Use a slightly different angle. See also General Information, Basic Operations,