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Table of Contents Let's Get Going!
Welcome to Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection We at Hemera Technologies thank you for your purchase of Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection. We hope that you will find this an easy to use and invaluable tool for adding quality images to all of your projects. Please let us know what you think! Contact information can be found at the end of this book.
This manual is designed as a how-to guide to get you working quickly with Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection. Before you get started, please read the Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection system requirements listed below. This information will tell you what hardware and operating system you require so that Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection will run properly. If you have any problems installing Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection, you can find contact information in the Technical Support section of this manual.
Minimum system requirements: � IBM compatible 486 Recommended system requirements: � IBM compatible Pentium
Installing Hemera Photo-Objects Before you begin, it is important that all other applications are closed when you install Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection. To begin the installation, insert CD-ROM #1 into your CD-ROM drive and double-click on My Computer from the Windows Desktop. Within My Computer, double-click on your CD-ROM icon, and then double-click on the Setup.exe file. Follow the instructions that appear in the Setup windows. During the installation, you have the option of either a typical or a compact installation. We recommend choosing the typical installation which will install a thumbnail representation of each Photo-Object image on your hard drive. Installing the thumbnails will significantly speed up searches, but they will take approximately 30 Mb on your hard drive. If you choose the compact installation, the thumbnails remain on the CD-ROM, and you will have to insert the CD-ROM each time you search for a Photo-Object. Please note that you are only installing the Photo-Objects Search Engine, and, if you choose, the Photo-Objects thumbnails on your hard drive. You are not installing the actual images and therefore you only use CD #1 during the installation.
A Photo-Object is a photographic image of an object without its surrounding background. In other words, the background is transparent, so you only see the object itself. In technical terms, Hemera's Photo-Objects image format is similar to other formats commonly referred to as images with transparency or images that have an associated Mask or Alpha Channel. Unlike typical photographic quality image formats that support transparency, Hemera's Photo-Object image format (.HPI) uses little disk space which allows thousands of images to be contained on a single CD-ROM.
Searching for the right Photo-Object is easy with the Hemera Photo-Objects Search Engine. The search engine is designed to help you look through the entire Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection and give you instant feedback on whatever you have typed as a description, commonly referred to as keywords. The search engine saves you time while ensuring that you find the exact Photo-Object you need in a matter of seconds. Hemera's powerful search engine lets you instantly see if there is an image that corresponds to the descriptive keyword that you are using. Simply enter the keyword or keywords directly in the main screen, separating each word by a space. All images corresponding to those keywords appear as you type; therefore, if there are no images that correspond to the keyword you are using, you will know it before you have even finished typing the word. This allows you to simply backspace and try another word. Because there are an average of eight keywords associated with each Photo-Object, you are sure to hit upon a keyword that works. Best of all, the keywords used are those that make the most sense, i.e. the name of the object, the color, where you would find it, etc. Using keywords really lets your creativity flow, so try whatever words come to mind! You have two options to help you carry out a search. The first is to narrow your search to a particular topic of interest by choosing the category from the Search in drop-down list. As you type keywords, you will be shown only images that are in that specific category. The second option is to search for a Photo-Object throughout the entire Hemera Photo-Objects Collection by choosing the All Categories option from the Search in drop-down list. For the best search possible, we recommend that you choose the All Categories option.
PhotoFont Maker is a bonus application within Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection that lets you easily add life to your text by combining your favorite font with the realism of a photograph. Use your own photos or choose from over 50 photo-textures included within the collection. Creating a PhotoFont is easy. First, select the PhotoFonts tab near the top half of the Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection window. Once the PhotoFonts tab is selected, type in the letters or words that you would like to use. There is no real limit to the amount of text you can enter, but we recommend that you keep your phrases short. Once your text has been entered, it is very easy to change the font, the font style and the size of the text to give a unique look to your PhotoFont. Directly below the text that you have just entered is a Font drop-down list. All of your installed Windows® TrueType fonts will be displayed in the list and can be applied to the text. Beside the Font drop-down list is a Style drop-down list that allows you to define the font format as normal, italic, bold or italic bold. The final parameter that you can define is the size of the text. The size indicated in the Size drop-down list refers to the point size of the text, exactly the same as in a word processor. Now that the text is finished you are ready to apply a texture. A thumbnail of each available texture is visible in the window. To see all of the textures, simply use the scroll bar to scroll from the top to the bottom of the list. More than 50 textures in the Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection have been optimized for PhotoFont use. When you have found the texture that is most suitable, simply select it and the effect is automatically applied to your text. You can easily try several textures within a few minutes to find the one that suits your needs. Tip: Some textures may not show up well when the text is too small or narrow. Try different fonts, font styles and text sizes to see which gives the best effect with the texture that you are using. You can then resize the PhotoFont when you export it. Using your own images with PhotoFont Maker To use one of your own images, simply drag the file into the PhotoFont Maker window where the other textures are displayed, or choose Add Texture from the Edit menu, enter a name and select your desired image by choosing the Select button. Your image will automatically be saved with the other textures. When you add a texture to PhotoFont Maker it will automatically be copied into the PhotoFont Maker directory. This means that you can move or delete the original file without affecting PhotoFont Maker. You can delete a texture from PhotoFont Maker by choosing Delete Texture under the Edit menu, or by right clicking on a texture in the PhotoFont window and choosing Delete from the pop-up menu. Placing Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in your documents There are four different ways that you can place Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts into your documents. The method that you choose is determined not only by personal preference, but also by the type of application that you wish to place your Photo-Objects or PhotoFonts into. As will be discussed in later sections, certain applications support the transparency built into Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts, while other applications do not. 1. The first and easiest method is by using the Export Wizard. You can start the Export Wizard by double-clicking the thumbnail image of any Photo-Object or PhotoFont and following the instructions.
2. The second method is to drag and drop Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts directly into your document from the Hemera Photo-Objects window. Using this method, all you need to do is click on the image of your choice and drag it into the application that you are using. When you drag and drop an image, it will be inserted in the file format defined in the Drag and Drop default settings found under Preferences in the Edit menu. You may have to adjust the default settings depending upon the type of application that you are using (This is explained in the next section). 3. The third method is to export Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts using the copy/paste method. Simply copy the image onto the clipboard by selecting the thumbnail image you want, select the Edit menu, and choose Copy to Clipboard. From within the application that you wish to use the copied image, select the Edit menu and choose Paste. When you use this method, the Photo-Object or PhotoFont will be copied to the clipboard in the file format defined in the Clipboard settings found under Preferences in the Edit menu. You may have to adjust the default settings depending upon the type of application that you are using (This is explained in the next section). 4. The fourth method is to save the selected Photo-Object or PhotoFont directly to your hard drive by choosing Save As from the File menu, and then importing the Photo-Object from within the application where you wish to use the Photo-Object or PhotoFont.
Default Drag and Drop and Clipboard (copy/paste) settings As previously described two of the ways that you can place Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts into your documents are by dragging and dropping them, or copying and pasting them. Most applications let you drag and drop or copy/paste images into their documents, and this can be a fast and easy way of placing Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts. When an image is dragged and dropped or copy/pasted into another application, it is presented to the application in a particular file format. In order for the application to accept it, it has to recognize the file format that is being offered. Since different applications may accept different file formats, it may be necessary to change the default format for drag and drop and copy/paste. By going under the Edit menu within Hemera Photo-Objects and choosing Preferences, you can access the Preferences dialog box. This dialog box allows you to change the default options for both drag and drop and copy/paste (Clipboard). This is the best option to use if you are dragging and dropping or copy/pasting the images into programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, etc. The standard Windows bitmap is the format that is the most widely accepted by applications supporting drag and drop and copy/paste, so it will work with the widest number of applications. This format, however, does not support the transparency that is included with Hemera Photo-Objects. For more information on this, see Using Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in applications that do not support transparency in this user guide. An image file in the following format This option gives you control over the file format that will be used during drag and drop and copy/paste. Using the drop-down list, you are able to specify the exact format that you would like to use. The format that you choose depends upon whether or not the application that you are using supports transparency. For more information, see Using Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in applications that support transparency or Using Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in applications that do not support transparency in this user guide. Resize when using Drag and Drop or Copy/Paste When the check box Display the resize window when pasting (or dropping) the image located in the Preferences dialog box is turned on, the Resize window will appear each time you copy/paste or drag and drop an image from the Photo-Objects window. You then have the opportunity to resize the object and adjust its quality (resolution) before it is inserted into your document.
Using Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in applications
Using TIFF with transparency or Targa with transparency Taking advantage of the transparency of Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in certain packages may involve several steps. Most importantly, you should export the images using either the TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency file formats. As previously described in the Placing Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts in your documents section, there are several ways to export your image: � Export your image by using the Export Wizard (double click on the Photo-Object or PhotoFont) and select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask. � Configure your Drag & Drop settings found within the Preferences dialog box under the Edit menu and choose An image file in the following format. Select either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency from the drop-down list. Using this method, all you need to do is click on the image of your choice and drag it into the application that you are using. � Configure your copy/paste settings found within the Preferences dialog box under the Edit menu and choose An image file in the following format. Select either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency from the drop-down list. Using this method, all you need to do is copy the image, then paste it into the application that you are using. Although this method is available, we do not usually recommend it, because this type of clipboard operation is rarely supported. � Save the selected Photo-Object or PhotoFont directly to your hard drive by choosing Save As from the File menu and choosing either TIFF 32-bit or TGA-32 bit from the Save as type drop-down list. Then import the Photo-Object or PhotoFont from within the application that you are using. Sometimes an application will not accept a TIFF with Transparency or a Targa with Transparency using the drag and drop or copy/paste method. However, the application may accept the file if you use the Save As option (either from within the Export Wizard or by selecting the File menu and choosing the Save As option), and then import the file from within the application where you wish to use it. Once the image is in your graphics application, activating the transparency will depend on the package that you are using. For more information on activating the transparency, see the Popular software applications that support transparency section later in this manual, or refer to your application's user guide or Online help. Using the GIF file format for transparency Many of the applications that do not support the full transparency of the TIFF or Targa file formats do support transparency in the GIF file format. The GIF file format supports a simple form of transparency that allows Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts to be placed over top of each other. It will also allow Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts to be placed on a textured background. There are, however, two weaknesses with the GIF format. The number of colors contained in the image are reduced and the edges will only blend with a background of one color. For example, if you define a dark background for a Photo-Object, you would see a dark line around the object if you placed it on a light background. To get around this, you have the option to define the background color of where you will be placing the object. This is necessary so that the edges of the Photo-Object or PhotoFont will blend with the background. Despite these limitations, the GIF format can be a good option if you have a textured background or if you want to place Photo-Objects or PhotoFonts on top of each other in applications that only support GIF transparencies. There are several ways that you can transform your object into the GIF format. � Export your image by using the Export Wizard (double click on the Photo-Object or PhotoFont) and select EXPORT the image to a popular image format and follow the steps, choosing GIF with Transparency. You will be asked to define the background color of where you will be placing the object. This is necessary so that the edges of the Photo-Object or PhotoFont blend with the background. � Configure your Drag & Drop settings found within the Preferences dialog box under the Edit menu and choose An image file in the following format. Select GIF with Transparency from the drop-down list. You should also specify the background color within the Preferences dialog box by using the Background Color drop-down list or by clicking on the Color Palette button. Using this method, all you need to do is click on the image of your choice and drag it into the application that you are using. � Configure your Copy/Paste settings found within the Preferences dialog box under the Edit menu and choose An image file in the following format. Select GIF with Transparency from the drop-down list. You should also specify the background color within the Preferences dialog box by using the Background Color drop-down list or by clicking on the Color Palette button. Using this method, all you need to do is copy the image, then paste it into the application that you are using. Although this method is available, we do not usually recommend it, because this type of clipboard operation is rarely supported. � Save the selected Photo-Object or PhotoFont directly to your hard drive by choosing Save As from the File menu and choosing GIF 8-bit from the Save as type drop-down list. Then import the Photo-Object or PhotoFont from within the application that you are using. This method, however, is only recommended if you plan to place your image on a white background. For non-white backgrounds, the Export Wizard should be used. Sometimes an application will not accept a GIF with Transparency using the drag and drop or copy/paste method. However, the application may accept the file if you use the Save As option (either from within the Export Wizard or by selecting the File menu and choosing the Save As option), and then import the file from within the application where you wish to use it.
Popular software applications that support transparency The following is a brief list of some popular software applications that have support for transparency, and a brief explanation of how the transparency works within that package. For additional information on using Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection with many other popular software titles, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section at http://www.hemera.com. Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and higher To begin, drag and drop a Photo-Object or a PhotoFont (either TIFF with transparency or Targa with transparency format should be selected in your Drag and Drop preferences) into Adobe Photoshop Method A Within
Adobe Photoshop... � Go to the Select menu Method B Within Adobe Photoshop... � Open the Channels palette CorelDraw 7.467 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within CorelDraw, select the File menu, select Import, select the image that you have saved, click Import and draw the desired image size in the CorelDraw document. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 7 and higher To begin, drag and drop a Photo-Object or PhotoFont into Corel PHOTO-PAINT as either a TIFF with transparency, or a Targa with transparency. This will open a new document. (Do not drop it into an existing document). � If the Photo-Object or PhotoFont is a Targa with Transparency (recommended), copy the Targa file from the new document that the image has just created, and paste it into your existing document. � If the Photo-Object or PhotoFont is a TIFF with Transparency, go to the Mask menu within Corel PHOTO-PAINT, select Load, and then select #1, which is your mask. Copy the TIFF file from the new document that you have just created, and paste it into your existing document. Corel Print House Magic 3 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing TIFF with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within Print House, select the File menu, choose Import, then select the image that you saved. Corel WordPerfect 8 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing TIFF with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Select the Insert menu, choose Graphics, choose From File, then select the image that you saved. Mindscape Print Master Deluxe 6.0 Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select EXPORT the image to a popular image format and follow the steps, choosing GIF with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within Print Master, import the image by choosing the Add menu, select Picture, select File, select Open from Disk and select the image that you saved. MGI PhotoSuite II and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within PhotoSuite, import the image by choosing the File menu in PhotoSuite, choosing the Add Photo option, and then select the image that you saved. Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within PhotoDraw, import the image by choosing the Insert menu, choosing the From File option and then selecting the image that you saved. Microsoft Publisher 98 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select EXPORT the image to a popular image format and follow the steps, choosing GIF with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within Publisher, go to the Insert menu, select Picture, then select From File. Browse for the image that you just saved, select it, and press OK. Microsoft Word 97 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select the WORDPROCESSOR option and follow the steps. Once the image is in Microsoft Word, select it by clicking on the image. From the Picture toolbar, choose the Set Transparent Color option. This will cause an eyedropper to appear. Using the eyedropper, select the color on the background of your image. This will make the background of the image that you have selected transparent. Ulead Photo Express 2.0 and higher Using the Export Wizard in Hemera Photo-Objects, select GRAPHICS APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask and follow the steps, choosing either TIFF with Transparency or Targa with Transparency. Select Save As to save the image to a folder on your hard-drive that you can easily remember. Within Photo Express, select the Browse for Folders icon (right of screen) and choose the folder where you saved the image. At this stage, Photo Express creates a thumbnail preview of the images found in the folder. Select the Photo-Object preview and click the Add button.
You can give Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts the illusion of transparent backgrounds even in applications that do not support transparency. You simply have to define the background color so that your Photo-Object or PhotoFont background cannot be seen. Although defining the background color will make it appear as if there is no background, it will not allow you to layer one Photo-Object or PhotoFont on top of another. Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection allows you to define the background color that will appear around your image when you place it in your document. By choosing a background color that is identical to the document or project that you are working on, it will appear as if there is no background. If you use the Export Wizard to insert a Photo-Object or PhotoFont (activated by double-clicking on an image) then one of the export steps will ask you to choose a background color. If the background color is uniform (i.e. white, blue, pink, etc), you can then choose a color from the drop-down list or click on the Color Palette button and choose the corresponding color. You can also choose the Pick Color from Document button. If you select this option, an eyedropper will appear, and you can click on the desired color from within your document. If the background color is not uniform (ie. a texture or a tile), you can choose it, but depending on the texture, it may be hard to match the background of the chosen Photo-Object or PhotoFont with the background of the document. You can also set the default background that will appear around a Photo-Object or PhotoFont when using drag and drop or copy/paste (clipboard). The defaults can be set from within the Preferences dialog box found under the Edit menu. This gives you the option of merging a Photo-Object with any background color. For example, if you are always placing your images into documents with white backgrounds, you can leave the default background color as white. When you drag and drop or copy/paste the images, they will automatically be given a white background, and when they are placed in your document it will appear as if there is no background at all. The default background color can be chosen from the drop-down list at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box. If the color that you need is not in the drop-down list, click on the Color Palette button and customize your own background color For additional information on using Hemera Photo-Objects Holidays & Festivities Collection with many popular software titles, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section at http://www.hemera.com. Before calling Technical Support, there are a number of options available to you that should help with any problems that you might be having: � If you cannot find the solution within this User Guide, please refer to the Help Topics that can be found under the Help menu at the top of the Hemera Photo-Objects window. We are often able to include more detailed information within the Help Topics than we are able to include in the printed User Guide. � Another option is to visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section on http://www.hemera.com. This section is constantly being updated, so please visit it often. � Contact our Technical Support Department via E-mail at support@hemera.com. We will always try to respond within 24 hours (weekdays) of receiving an e-mail message. When sending a query, please ensure that you provide the following information: � The program being used (ie. Photo-Objects or PhotoFont Maker) and the
version.
If you cannot find an answer to your question, or you feel that you have found a problem with the application, please contact our technical support staff at (819) 772-8200 ext. 4. (9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard time). Hemera offers 90 days free technical support from the date of the first technical support contact.
You must be a registered user to receive technical support. By taking a moment to register your copy, you will also receive notification of any updates, promotions and any new products that come out. There are three easy ways to register your copy of Hemera Photo-Objects. (Please select only one method.)
3) Mail the registration card included at the front of this user guide to the address shown on the back of the registration card. For more information on Hemera Technologies, please visit http://www.hemera.com. If you have any inquires of a general nature concerning our company or our products, please e-mail us at Info@hemera.com You can also write to us at: Hemera Technologies We look forward to hearing from you! |