Copyright: © 1998–2000 by VCW
Citation: © 2000 Photo Editor help system by EldoS


Welcome!

Welcome to Photo Editor!

© 1998–2000 by VCW

Photo Editor is an award-winning graphics editor with pretty and intuitive skin-based interface and

a lot of powerful features, such as selection by color, lasso, color replacement, deleting objects;

a unique mechanism of color tolerance that saves a lot of time on operations with multi-grade images;

various paintbrushes and pencils, text, gradient, and more...

Photo Editor provides with a rich set of special effects and facilities to create user ones!

Also you can edit using any scale with simultaneous reviewing the entire image

and open several pictures at the same time.

Visit Photo Editor homepage at www.photo-editor.net

For more info, e-mail to: support@photo-editor.net

Limitations of this version

Get Photo Editor Pro now!

Contents:

Main Window	Main Menu	Tools

Skins	Main Toolbar	Options Window

Main Window Interactive Screenshot	Preview Window	Using Photo Editor

Photo Editor Pro	Editing Window	Trilinear Filters

Color Selection Window	Distortions


Photo Editor Pro

Being fully functional, this version of Photo Editor is intended for you to get the power of software on your system without the need to register it. This version doesn't support several advanced features like:

•	Unlimited skin management.

•	Export of images to GIF.

•	Unlimited number of files opened (only two files can be opened at a time in this version).

•	Support for really large images (up to 3000x3000).

•	Image scanning.

To get a powerfull Photo Editor Pro, please click here to register online, or visit the Photo Editor homepage at www.photo-editor.net for more information.


Main Window

Main window interactive screenshot   Main Menu   Main Toolbar

The appearance of Photo Editor main window depends on the selected skin. However, the controls are the same (see the interactive screenshot that allows you to click an area on it to get info on this interface element).

The main window contains:

•	Main menu

•	Main Toolbar – a toolbar with standard commands and some image-related commands.

•	Preview window – a window that shows the whole image.

•	Editing window – used to zoom in and out and perform image editing.

•	Color selection window – for color selection using RGB components or Windows standard colors.

•	Tools window – contains various editing tools, foreground and background selection and color tolerance selection.

•	Options window – used to select brush options, etc.


Main Window Screenshot

Main window overview   Main Menu   Main Toolbar

Click an area on this screenshot to learn more about it.


Main Menu

Main window overview   Main window screenshot   Main Toolbar

Main menu contains file management commands, image-related commands, etc.

Click a menu item on the screenshot to learn more about it.


Main Toolbar

Main window overview   Main window screenshot   Main Menu

Main toolbar contains standard commands and some image-related commands.

Click a button on the screenshot to learn more about it.


Preview Window

This window always shows the whole active image. You can scale the image via changing the size of the window, but you cannot zoom. The current scale factor is shown in the preview window caption.

You cannot edit an image via this window. Use it to get the right impression of your work, and also to select what part of the whole image you are going to edit.

•	Clicking the image in this window will send the appropriate part of it to the editing window.

•	Hold down the left mouse button and drag in this window to scroll the image in the editing window.

•	Right mouse button does not allow dragging in this window, so use right-click what you want to be sure that the image will not scroll.


Editing Window

How to Use Photo Editor

Most of editing is done in this window that displays the whole active image or a part of it depending on the scale factor. You can change the scale factor by pressing up and down keys or using the drop-down list right below the editing window caption. Also you can focus any part of the whole image by clicking or dragging in the preview window.


Color Selection Window

Selecting Color   Using Color Tolerance

Color selection window allows you to choose a color using RGB components or standard Windows palette. To choose foreground or background color, click the appropriate color box on the foreground/background selector.

Drag handles of R, G and B component to choose a color, or type in a weight of a component in the appropriate edit box to the right. Gradient bars of RGB components show you how the selected color will change if you drag the appropriate handle. In the above example, the R component bar shows you, that if you drag its handle to the left, the color will gradually change to light blue.

The lower part of the window contains the standard Windows palette. Click a color box to select the color.


Toolbar

Using Tools

Toolbar window contains various tools that will help you editing your images, foreground and background boxes, and color tolerance selector.


Foreground and Background

The upper Foreground box contains current foreground color. This color is applied when you use a Pencil, a Paintbrush or a Fill with Foreground tool.

The lower Background box displays current background color. This color is used you apply a Fill with Background tool and in some other cases.

Click one of the two color boxes to bake it active. When you choose a color with the color selection window, the active color is changed.

Arrow buttons between two color boxes allow you the following:

•	Background -> Foreground – copies current background color to the foreground.

•	Foreground -> Background – copies current foreground color to the background.

•	Swap – swaps foreground and background colors.


Color Tolerance

Using Color Tolerance   Selecting Color

Color tolerance is available separately for each RGB component. Using RGB sliders, you can specify color tolerance by each color component. This means that if you choose color tolerance R = 10, colors with selected R component ±10 will be processed.

Moreover, color tolerance controls provide full preview. This means that whenever you adjust color tolerance sliders, you will see the result immediately.


Options Window

This window is used to select Pencil/Paintbrush options like size, transparency, etc. Transparency is also applied to a text and a gradient.

Click the appropriate drop-down box to learn more about it (all lists are shown expanded).


How to Use Photo Editor

Main window interactive screenshot   Main Menu   Main Toolbar

Photo Editor uses two windows for each image – a preview window and an editing window. All editing is applied in the editing window. You can scroll or zoom image in this window as you want.

To apply an editing, you can do the following.

•	Use a tool.

•	Select a region with Select Region, Select by Color, or Lasso tool. After you do so, all the editing will be applied to the selected region (not the whole image). Press Ctrl+A to select the whole image. You can also move a selected region using Move Region tool. Free space 'under' the region will be filled with background color.

•	Use an on-the-fly effect or a color correction (see Effects menu and Main Toolbar).

•	Use a trilinear filter.

•	Use a distortion.


Selecting Color

Color Selection Window   Using Color Tolerance

To select a color in Photo Editor, you can do one of the following.

•	Select a color from the standard Windows palette.

•	Select a color using RGB components.

•	Get a color directly from image using the Eyedropper tool.

To choose a foreground or a background color, first click the appropriate color box and then choose a color with one of the above methods.


Using Tools

Toolbar

You can edit your images and select regions using various tools that are combined into the following categories.

•	Drawing tools – Pencil, Paintbrush, Eraser. You can draw using these tools. Use Options window to select parameters of these tools. In general, Paintbrush is a pencil with smoothing, and Eraser is a paintbrush that applies background color (not foreground one).

•	Color selection – Eyedropper. Use this tool to get a color from your image (in editing window).

•	Fills – Fill with Foreground, Fill with Background. With these tools, you can fill a monochrome spot with a color. Often used with color tolerance.

•	Color replace tools – Replace with Background, Exclusive Replace with Background. Using these tools, you can replace a selected color with another one in the whole image or region. Often used with color tolerance.

•	Region selectors – Select Region, Select by Color, Lasso. With these tools you can select a rectangular or arbitrary region for editing.

•	Move Region – You can move a selected region around your image.

•	Text – Inserts text of foreground color. You will see a dialog box with options. Transparency is also applied.

•	Gradient – Creates a gradient from the foreground to the background color.


Using Color Tolerance

Color Tolerance controls

Color tolerance is an 'interval' in color around the current color that is used to select regions by color, etc. In other words, color tolerance is 'rounding' of colors around a selected color.

Using RGB sliders, you can specify color tolerance by each color component. This means that if you choose color tolerance B=10 and click on color R=53, G=205, B=72, colors with R=53, G=205, B=62..82 will be processed.

Color tolerance controls provide full preview. This means that whenever you adjust color tolerance sliders, wou will see the preview immediately.


Using Trilinear Filters

Creating Trilinear Filters

Trilinear filters use pixel nature of digital images. While some filters are shipped with the program, you can create new trilinear filters.

To apply a trilinear filter, first select a region (if needed), then use menu item Effects | Trilinear Filters, or the appropriate button of the main toolbar.


Creating Trilinear Filters

Using Trilinear Filters

Trilinear filters use pixel nature of digital images. The parameters include a 3x3 matrix and a divider. Choose menu item Effects | Trilinear filters | New... to display the following dialog box.

For each pixel of active region, the values of RGB components are multiplied by central matrix element. The RGB components of the adjacent pixels are multiplied by the appropriate matrix elements. Then the results are added termwise (component by component) and divided by the Divider parameter. The division result is the new pixel color.


Using Distortions

Creating Distortions   Constants, Functions and Operators

Distortions use mathematical transformations to skew, slant, twist, slice and dice your images. While some filters are shipped with the program, you can create new distortions.

To apply a trilinear filter, first select a region (if needed), then use menu item Effects | Distortions, or the appropriate button of the main toolbar. Background is filled (if needed) with the background color.


Creating Distortions

Using Distortions   Constants, Functions and Operators

Distortions use mathematical transformations to skew, slant, twist, slice and dice your images. Choose menu item Effects | Trilinear filters | New... to display the following dialog box.

Here you can select up to 6 constants (parameters of the distortion), name them and specify default values. When you apply the distortion, you will see the appropriate number of sliders – one for each parameter. It is advised that the image should not change with all parameters set to their default values.

Parameter sliders allow a user to change constants from 0 to 100.

Tip: If you need, for instance, to get a parameter in interval 7..11, use an expression like (a/25+7).

Tip: It is highly advised to enclose all expressions with constants in brackets. In this case expressions will be calculated once, not for each pixel.

Choose a coordinate system and enter a formula for it.

You can choose if the defined coordinates will be a source or a destination. This allows you to create reverse distortions with a simple switch.

You also can quickly get a third party deformation using a data string (visit www.photo-editor.net for new data strings!)

Click Test button to test the deformation on a loaded image. This will leave the image unchanged.

When you finished tuning and testing your deformation, click Add to save it.

Note: Even if you are not very good in mathematics, please try to create your own filter and send it to us (use the Connection menu). Best effects will be published on Photo Editor site www.photo-editor.net.


Constants, Functions and Operators

Creating Distortions   Using Distortions

Constants

Cartesian

w	width of active region;

h	height of active region;

cx	=x–w/2 – horizontal coordinate of region center;

cy	=y–h/2 – vertical coordinate of region center.

Polar

r	distance from center to a point;

t	angle.

Functions and Operators

+	addition;

–	subtraction;

*	multiplication;

/	division;

sin()	sine;

cos()	cosine;

sqr(), sqrt()	square root;

abs()	absolute value;

int()	integer part;

random()	random value (0..arg)

Note: random() function is calculated separately for each pixel even if the argument does not depend on {cx,cy,x,y,r,t}.


Swap

Click this to swap foreground and background colors.


Foreground -> Background

Click this to copy current foreground color to the background.


Background -> Foreground

Click this to copy current background color to the foreground.


Choose Gradient tool and drag out a straight line in the editing window. The active region will be filled with a gradient from foreground to background color in the direction of the line.


Choose Text tool and click in the editing window to create a text. The following dialog box appears.

Here you can choose a font, enter the text, choose an alignment and interval (line spacing). Check the Anti-aliasing checkbox to smooth the edges. You can also use options window to select the text transparency.


Choose Move Region tool and drag an active region in the editing window to move it. The space 'behind' the moved region is filled with background color.


Choose the Lasso tool and drag out an arbitrary shape in the editing window to create a region.


Choose the Select by Color tool and click in the editing window to select all adjacent pixels of the clicked color. You can use color tolerance with this tool.


Choose the Select Region tool and drag out a rectangle in the editing window to create a rectangular region.


Click in the editing window with Exclusive Replace with Background tool to replace all colors except the clicked color in the whole image (or active selection) with background color. You can use color tolerance with this tool.


Click in the editing window with Replace with Background tool to replace the clicked color in the whole image (or active selection) with background color. You can use color tolerance with this tool.


Click in the editing window with Fill with Background tool to fill a monochrome spot in your image with background color. You can use color tolerance with this tool.

Hold Alt key to temporarily transform this tool to the Eyedropper tool.


Click in the editing window with Fill with Foreground tool to fill a monochrome spot in your image with foreground color. You can use color tolerance with this tool.

Hold Alt key to temporarily transform this tool to the Eyedropper tool.


Click in the editing window with Eyedropper tool to select a color directly from your image.


Drag in the editing window with Eraser tool to erase (draw lines of background color with blurred edges). Use options window to set up Eraser parameters.

Hold Alt key to temporarily transform this tool to the Eyedropper tool.


Drag in the editing window with Paintbrush tool to draw lines of foreground color with blurred edges. Use options window to set up Paintbrush parameters.

Hold Alt key to temporarily transform this tool to the Eyedropper tool.


Drag in the editing window with Pencil tool to draw lines of foreground color with solid edges. Use options window to set up Pencil parameters.

Hold Alt key to temporarily transform this tool to the Eyedropper tool.


ToolbarScreenshot
Click an element of this screenshot

to learn more about it.


Transparency (0..100%) is how much the color of the brush 'covers' the image when you apply it. 0% is absolutely opaque, while 100% leaves no trace behind your brush...


Size (1..30) is width of your brush.


Form is shape of your brush.

•	Circle – a circular (round) brush.

•	Square – a square brush.


Type controls the method of changing your image when you apply a brush.

•	Normal – the brush applies color over the image background.

•	XOR – the brush applies result of Boolean exclusive OR with the image.

•	AND – the brush applies result of Boolean AND with the image.

•	Multiply – the brush applies result of multiplication of color and image background.

•	Filter Blur – the brush blurs the image.


Image Selection

Click on a button with number corresponding to one of open images to select it quickly.


Color

Use this to apply gamma correction or brightness/contrast correction.


Trilinear Filters

Use this to select and apply a trilinear filter.


Distortion Effects

Use this to select and apply a distortion effect.


Emboss

Use this to apply an emboss filter that will make your image look like carved on a stone.


Clouds

Use this to generate a cloud texture.


Buttonize

Use this to apply a 3D effect that will make your image look like a button.


Paste (Ctrl+V)

Use this to paste the clipboard to the image.


Copy (Ctrl+C)

Use this to copy a selected region to the clipboard.


Cut (Ctrl+X)

Use this to cut a selected region to the clipboard.


Undo (Ctrl+Z)

This will undo any editing you do in the Photo Editor. The undo is multi-level (5).


Scan

Use this to scan an image.


Print (Ctrl+P)

Use this to print active image.


Save (Ctrl+S)

Use this to save active image to disk.


Open (Ctrl+O)

Use this to open an existing image.


New (Ctrl+N)

Use this to create a new image.


Help menu allows displaying the About dialog box and bringing up this help system.


Connection menu allows you to visit the Photo Editor homepage at www.photo-editor.net and send your authentic effects to the developers.


Pro Version menu contains commands related to the Pro version – export to GIF format and skin changing.


Effects menu contains commands related to effects.

•	Stylize, render – select this to create one of the on-the-fly effects – buttonize, clouds, or emboss.

•	Distortions – use this to choose a distortion or create a new one.

•	Trilinear Filters – use this to choose a trilinear filter or create a new one.

•	Color – use submenus to change image gamma, brightness, contrast, or saturation.


Edit menu allows you to select, cut, copy, and paste images and parts of them. These commands are quite common and self-explanatory.


File menu contains commands related to file management, printing, scanning, and exiting the application. These comands are quite common and self-explanatory.


Caption bar contains standard controls like system menu button, minimize button, restore button, and close button. You can use the caption bar to move the Photo Editor main window.


In Photo Editor, skins are not just background images. When you change a skin, you change the whole design of the application. This may change appearance of controls and even system buttons (such as minimize button or system menu button in the window caption), but any skin offers the same set of controls.


Select one of the topics:

Toolbar

Foreground

Background

Color Tolerance


Select one of the topics:

How to Use Photo Editor

Selecting Color

Using Tools

Using Color Tolerance


Select one of the topics:

Using Trilinear Filters

Creating Trilinear Filters


Select one of the topics:

Using Distortions

Creating Distortions

Constants, Functions and Operators