Email Effects enables conversion of pictures into text. This feature used to be part of the Picture Tool, but is now better integrated into the user interface.

Pictures are converted into text by using the “Characters to use for Pictures” setting in the Preferences dialog, viewable by choosing Preferences from the Email menu. Pixels in a picture are automatically contrasted and sampled for darkness and compared to these characters in the current display font and size. The correct character is chosen based on this comparison. A white pixel in the picture will always correspond to the lightest character, and a black pixel to the darkest.

To convert a picture, simply paste it in from the clipboard or drag it into the document from another program. It will instantly appear in a floating selection, ready for manipluation. You can also choose Place from the File menu to place a PICT picture file (or many other formats, including GIFs and JPEGs if QuickTime translation is available) into the document.

Move the picture by pressing the arrow keys on the keyboard, or dragging it.

Resize the picture by dragging one of the edges of the selected rectangle. The way in which the resizing takes place will depend of the Picture Scaling setting.

Delete the picture by pressing the delete or escape key on the keyboard, or choosing Clear from the Edit menu.

The Transparent button on the toolbar controls whether a picture is transparent or opaque. If it is transparent, blank space characters in the picture will let the underlying design show through.

The Picture Scaling button on the toolbar toggles between three different scaling modes.
If set to Direct, the height/width ratio of the picture will be the same as the rows/columns ratio of the characters produced. This will produce accurate results for pixel-accurate visual elements such as icons, but the results will be elongated (because characters on screen are taller than they are wide).
If set to Proportional, the height/width ratio of the picture will be the same as the height/width ratio of the results on the screen. This will produce natural-looking results for pictures, but will result in a reduction of the vertical resolution. This may cause problems with pixel-accurate visual elements such as icons.
If set to Free, the picture may be freely stretched horizontally and verticall. This is the most versatile mode, and will allow for experimentation for best results.