Copyright: ©1997-2000 eHelp Corporation


Welcome
Welcome to ReSize

ReSize is the fastest and easiest tool for resizing images and converting files into different image formats. This tool allows you to quickly resize and scale images while maintaining the proportions and much of the quality of the original image.

ReSize key features:

•	Supports a variety of image file formats including Windows bitmaps, SHED graphics, GIF, and JPEG images.

•	Allows you to perform multiple resizes in a session while maintaining the quality and resolution. You won’t find a significant change in quality because ReSize bases each new size on the original image file rather than on the last resized image.

•	Is easy to learn and use! You simply open the image, size it and save it. That’s all there is to it. ReSize also works with RoboHELP to eliminate many of the steps you may have previously used to insert image files into your Help projects. See Tips for Using ReSize with RoboHELP for more information.

With ReSize, you can:

•	Convert image files from any supported format to another.

•	Resize images by dragging sizing handles.

•	Resize images by entering pixel values or percentage values.

•	ReSize SHED graphics and retain any hotspots you have already defined.

•	Fix the resolution of SHED graphics. so they are displayed at the same size (horizontal pixels and vertical lines) on any monitor.

•	Perform color depth conversions. for 24-bit (16 million), 256-color, and 16-bit color so your images use the optimal color values and hues across Windows platforms and on any kind of monitor.

•	Restore an image to the last saved attributes.


System Requirements

ReSize is a 32 bit application.

Operating Systems Supported:

•	Windows 95

•	Windows 98

•	Windows NT 4.0

•	Windows 2000

Recommended Video Adapter Resolution:

It is recommended that you use 256 colors or more. This allows you to see the results exactly.

Memory Requirements:

At least 8MB

Recommended Windows Help Authoring Tool:

RoboHELP

Recommended HTML Help Authoring Tool:

RoboHTML


Starting SmartScale
Starting ReSize

You can start ReSize right from within RoboHELP or RoboHELP Office, or you can run ReSize stand-alone.

What do you want to do?

Start ReSize from RoboHELP

Start ReSize from RoboHELP Office

Start ReSize from Windows Explorer


Starting ReSize from RoboHELP

In the RoboHELP Explorer, click the Tools tab. Double-click the ReSize icon [image] to start ReSize.

- OR -

•	After you have inserted an image file into your project, from the RoboHELP Explorer Project Manager, open the Graphics and Multimedia folder, open the Images folder, then right-click the image in the image list and choose ReSize. ReSize displays with your image loaded.

If you have used a particular image several places in your project, then decide to resize it, you may want to make a copy of it to a separate folder first. This is because after you resize the image, you will want to save it with the same filename and location (so that you do not break any project links that use that name). If you ever want to go back to the original image, it is handy to have saved it to a different location.


Starting ReSize from RoboHELP Office

In the RoboHELP Office Starter, double-click the ReSize icon [image] to start ReSize.


Starting ReSize from Windows Explorer

1	Navigate to an image file in Windows Explorer.

2	Right click and choose ReSize.

3	ReSize appears with the image file displayed.


Closing ReSize

You can close the current image and leave ReSize open so that you can size another image or completely exit from ReSize.

Closing an image and leaving ReSize open:

•	From the File menu, select Close.

If you have not saved the latest changes to the file, or you have not yet saved a new image, ReSize will prompt you to save the file before closing it.

Exiting from ReSize:

•	From the File menu, select Exit.

If you have an image open and have not saved changes to it, ReSize will prompt you to save the file before the application closes. You are then returned to the place from which you launched ReSize.


Tips for using ReSize with RoboHELP

Suggested format in which to save the image

For WinHelp projects, you’ll want to save your images as bitmaps or SHED, the supported formats for WinHelp. Many Help authors like to save bitmap images as fixed SHED images so that the resolution is fixed, no matter what the end-user’s display. For more information, see About SHED graphic displays.

For HTML Help projects, you’ll want to save your images as GIFs or JPEGs. See About graphic file formats for more information.

Tips on using ReSize and RoboHELP together

Using RoboHELP and ReSize together will allow you to eliminate many of the steps you may have previously used to insert image files into your Help projects. Following are efficient ways you may use the two products together.

Pasting images into RoboHELP, then right-clicking to start ReSize.

1.	Start RoboHELP and the application you are documenting. Use Alt+tab to switch between RoboHELP and your application.

2.	Display the dialog that you wish to insert in your Help project. Press Alt+PrintScrn to capture it.

3.	Alt+tab to RoboHELP, to the topic where the image will reside.

•	If you are working in Word 97, click the Paste as Help Graphic tool to insert the Help graphic and specify a file name in one step.

•	If you are in Word 95, choose Edit, then Paste or CTRL+V to paste the image into the topic, then click the Graphic tool and save the graphic file as a bitmap.

4.	Save the project.

5.	In the RoboHELP Explorer Project Manager, open the Graphics and Multimedia folder, open the Images folder, then right-click the image in the image list and choose ReSize. ReSize displays with your image loaded.

6.	Size the image if desired then save it in the Fixed SHED format (this is the recommended format for Help projects).

Pasting images into ReSize, saving them to your project folder, then inserting them into RoboHELP.

This method is handy if you want to capture several screens at one sitting.

1.	Start ReSize and the Application you are documenting. Use Alt+tab to switch them.

2.	Display the dialog that you wish to insert in your Help project. Press Alt+PrintScrn to capture it.

3.	Alt+tab to ReSize and paste the image into Resize.

4.	Size the image if desired then save it to your project folder in the Fixed SHED format (this is the recommended format for Help projects). You may want to repeat these steps and create several images.

5.	When you are ready, start RoboHELP then use RoboHELP’s Graphic tool to insert the images into the Help project.

If you have used a particular image several places in your project, then decide to resize it, you may want to make a copy of it to a separate folder first! This is because after you resize the image, you will want to save it to the same filename and location (so that you do not break any project links that use that name).


Tips for maintaining the best possible image quality

By nature, then you decrease the size an image, you lose some of the quality because there are less pixels to work with. ReSize has built-in technology to minimize this effect:

When you size an image, behind the scenes, ReSize:

•	Increases the number of colors (to provide more information for ReSize to work with).

•	Sizes the image as you’ve requested.

•	When you save the image, defaults to 256 colors.

To maintain the best possible quality, if at all possible, leave the image as a 256 color bitmap. If you change the image to 16 colors, you will lose more of the resolution.


Opening Images in ReSize

There are several ways to open an image in ReSize. You can select the image first, then start ReSize with the image automatically loaded, or you can start ReSize, then open or paste in an image.

What do you want to do?

Select an image in your RoboHELP project, then open it in ReSize.

Select an image in Windows Explorer, then open it in ReSize.

Start ReSize, then open an image.

Start ReSize, then paste in an image.


Starting ReSize, then opening an image

1.	Start ReSize.

2.	From the File menu, click Open (or click Open [image] on the ReSize toolbar).

3.	Enter the name of the image you want to open in File name.

4.	If the image you want to open is stored in a different folder:

•	In Look in, click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open.

5.	Click the image file that you want to open.

6.	Click Open.


Starting ReSize, then pasting in an image

You can take a "snap shot" of an application window or dialog box that you are authoring so it is captured to the Windows Clipboard. After you capture it, you can paste the image into ReSize.

To capture an image and paste it into ReSize:

1.	Start ReSize.

2.	Use Alt+tab to navigate to the application you are authoring.

3.	Open the window or dialog box that you want to capture.

4.	To create a "snap shot" do one of the following:

•	To copy an entire application window, press Print Screen.

•	To copy a dialog box, press Alt + Print Screen.

5.	Use Alt+tab to navigate back to ReSize.

6.	Click Paste [image] on the ReSize toolbar. If the Paste tool is not available, the image was not correctly copied to the Clipboard. Repeat the steps above to copy it.

When an image is captured to the Windows Clipboard, it is treated as a bitmap. When you paste it into ReSize, you can save it as any of the supported image file formats. For details, see Saving a new unnamed image.


Displaying image properties

When you open an image in ReSize, the Image Properties dialog box opens with the image file to display details about it such as the width, height, and number of colors. If you close this dialog box, you can quickly open it at any time.

To open the Image Properties dialog box:

•	From the View menu, click Image Properties or click Display Properties on the ReSize toolbar.


Saving an existing image

Use the Save command to save the latest changes you have made to an existing image. Note that this process will write over the existing image. If you do not want to write over the image, use Alt+tab to navigate to Windows Explorer and copy the original image  to a different folder, or use the Save As command and save the changed copy of the image with a different file name. For details, see Saving a copy of an image.

To save an existing image:

•	Click Save on the ReSize toolbar.

See Also

Saving a new unnamed image


Saving a new unnamed image

Use the Save command to save a new image as a new graphic file.

1	From the File menu, click Save.

-OR-

Click Save [image] on the ReSize toolbar.

2	To save the image in a different folder, click a different drive in the Save In box or double-click a different folder in the list. To save the image in a new folder, click Create New Folder.

3	Type a name for the image in File name.

4	Click Save.

See Also

Saving a copy of an image
Saving an existing image


Saving a copy of an image

Use the Save As command to create a copy of an image or to save the sized version of an image with a different name.

To save a copy of an image:

1	Open the image to copy and make your changes to it in ReSize.

2	From the File menu, select Save As.

3	Enter a new name for the image in File name.

4	Click Save.

Tip

To save a copy in a different folder, click a different drive in the Save In box, or click a different folder name in the folder list or both. To save the copy in a new folder, click Create New Folder.

See Also

Saving a new unnamed image
Saving an existing image


Overview of resizing images

One of ReSize’s most powerful features is its ability to resize an image while maintaining its original quality and resolution. You can resize an image as many times as you want to and you won’t lose much of the original quality because ReSize bases each new size on the original image file rather than on the last resized image.

There are three ways to resize images in ReSize:

•	Drag the sizing handles. Use your mouse to drag the sizing handles that surround the image to visually enlarge or reduce its size. This method is convenient if you do not need to resize the image to an exact measurement.

•	Define percentage values. You can enter percentage values in the Image Properties dialog box so the image is resized to an exact measurement. This method is convenient if you need to resize the image in percentage increments.

•	Define pixel values. You can enter pixel values in the Image Properties dialog box so the image is resized to an exact measurement. This method is convenient if you need to fine-tune the size in small increments.

See Also

Resizing an image by dragging the sizing handles
Resizing an image by entering percentage values
Resizing an image by entering pixel values


Resizing an image by dragging the sizing handles

When you open an image file in ReSize, small boxes with arrows appear on the right side, in the lower-right corner and underneath the image. These are the sizing handles and they can be dragged in any direction with your mouse to reduce and enlarge the image.

•	Drag the bottom handles to change the height. Drag downward to increase the height and drag upward to decrease the height.

•	Drag the side handles to change the width. Drag toward the left to decrease the width and drag toward the right to increase the width.

•	Drag the corner handles to proportionally change both the width and height. This movement maintains the aspect ratio of the image. Drag downward to increase the proportions and drag upward to decrease the proportions.

To resize an image by dragging the sizing handles:

1	Start ReSize and open an image.

2	Click the sizing handles and drag them in the appropriate direction.

3	Release the mouse when the image is suitably resized.

Tips:

•	To undo the latest resizing changes, click 100%.

•	To undo changes while you are dragging the sizing handles (before you let go), right-click while dragging, then let go.


Resizing an image by entering percentage values

You can enter percentage values in the Image Properties dialog box so the image is resized to an exact measurement.

1	Start ReSize and open an image.

2	From the View menu, click Image Properties. The Image Properties dialog appears.

3	Click the Size tab.

4	From the Units list, select Percent.

5	Enter percentage values in the Width and Height boxes. The original image is sized at 100 percent.

•	To enlarge the image, enter values greater than 100.

•	To reduce the image, enter values less than 100.

6	Click Apply.

Note

ReSize has an option that allows you to resize an image while maintaining its aspect ratio (height and width proportions). If Keep aspect ratio is checked, the Height and Width values are proportionally adjusted—entering a value for one alters the value for the other. If Keep aspect ratio is not checked, you must enter values for both height and width. If these values are not proportional, the image will not maintain its aspect ratio.

See Also

Displaying image properties
Restoring an image to its original attributes


Resizing an image by entering pixel values

1	Start ReSize and open an image.

2	From the View menu, click Image Properties. The Image Properties dialog appears.

3	Click the Size tab.

4	From the Units list, select Pixels.

5	Enter pixel values in the Width and Height boxes.

6	Click Apply.

Note

ReSize has an option that allows you to resize an image while maintaining its aspect ratio (height and width proportions). If Keep aspect ratio is checked, the Height and Width values are proportionally adjusted—entering a value for one alters the value for the other. If Keep aspect ratio is not checked, you must enter values for both height and width. If these values are not proportional, the image will not maintain its aspect ratio.

See Also

Displaying image properties
Restoring an image to its original attributes


Restoring an image to its original attributes

If you alter the attributes of an image, you can undo the changes you have made and restore its original attributes.

To restore an image:

•	Click 100% on the ReSize toolbar.

Note

You can only undo the changes you have made to the image since the last time it was saved (when you save a file, you save the latest changes along with it).


About graphic file formats
About image file formats

Image files come in a variety of different file formats, which specify how they should be displayed on different monitors, Windows platforms, Help windows, and Internet browsers. ReSize supports the most popular file formats and provides a way for you to convert them from one format to another so you can use them for a variety of online projects. For example, if you have a bitmap, you can easily convert it into a GIF file and vice versa.

ReSize supports the following file formats:

•	Bitmaps, which are typically used for WinHelp Help systems

•	SHED graphics, which are typically used for WinHelp Help systems

•	GIF images, which are typically used for HTML Help systems and web sites.

•	JPEG images, which are typically used for HTML Help systems and web sites.

See Also
Converting an image into a different image file format


Bitmaps

Bitmaps are typically used for WinHelp Help systems.

A bitmapped image is a video graphic image formed by a pattern of pixels, which are stored in a computer’s memory as a set of bits. Each pixel corresponds to a tiny dot on screen. The graphic image is displayed as patterns of screen pixels, much like a sheet of graph paper, using a grid of square dots, each of which has its own color value. The visual result is a delicate pattern of shading that conveys an artistic touch. (Bitmaps can also display images in shades of gray.)

Regardless of the amount of information presented in a bitmapped image, the storage space required by the image is directly related to its dimensions (width and height) and the number of colors used in the image. Color requires more space than shades of gray, and shades of gray require more space than black and white. The bitmap’s resolution is limited to the maximum resolution of the monitor on which it is displayed.

Bitmap color quality

All bitmaps possess one of the following color qualities:

•	Monochrome: Contains only two colors (black and white) and uses the least amount of disk space.

•	16-color VGA: Includes up to 16 basic colors and is the standard color selection used by most Help applications designed for Windows 3.1.

•	256-color SVGA or EVGA: Includes up to 256 colors and requires more disk space than 16-color and monochrome bitmaps. This type of bitmap will only display its range of colors on the Windows 95 platform.

•	24-bit color: Includes millions of colors and requires a lot of disk space. This type of bitmap can only display its range of colors on a system equipped with a 24-bit color driver.

Note

Multi-resolution (.mrb) bitmaps and Windows metafiles (.wmf, .emf) are currently not supported by ReSize.


SHED hotspot graphics

SHED stands for Segmented Hypergraphic. These files commonly use the .SHG extension. SHED graphics are typically used in WinHelp projects. SHED graphics have advantages over bitmaps in that you can "fix" their resolution so that it is consistent across all your user’s screens. SHED graphics are also more compressed, taking less disk space. You can also create clickable areas or "hotspots" on SHED graphics.

You can use ReSize to save bitmaps as SHED format. This reduces their size and allows you to fix their resolution.

You can also use ReSize to size SHED hotspot graphics. ReSize retains the hotspots, so you can edit the .SHG file and make color and size changes without losing the clickable links to other topics in your Help project. In some graphics editing tools, if you open a SHED graphics file and make changes to it (such as size it), you lose the hotspots that you defined in the Hotspot Editor.

To create the hotspots, RoboHELP is equipped with a SHED Hotspot Editor. A typical "hypergraphic" is the screen shot with popup definitions (for example, a screen shot of the application’s toolbar that displays popup definitions for each toolbar button).

Note

Once a bitmap has been converted into a hotspot image, it can no longer be previewed or manipulated as a bitmap. However, you can use ReSize to copy a Shed Hotspot and convert it back into a bitmap image.


GIF images

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, a basic, compressed format for Internet images. These files use the .GIF extension and include some key features that make them a unique and valuable format for the World Wide Web and HTML Help. These key features include file compression, transparency, interlacing, and storage of multiple images within a single file to allow for animation.

To date, there are two versions of the GIF format; versions 87a and 89a, which were released in 1987 and 1989 respectively. Both versions support file compression, interlacing, 256-color palettes, and multiple image storage. Version 89a also supports background transparency and a few other features such as delay times and image replacement parameters.

A GIF can contain anywhere from 2 to 256 colors that are stored in a color palette or color table within the image file. Each color in the GIF color table is described in terms of Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) values, with each value having a range of 0 to 255.

The more colors there are in an image, the greater the file size. Therefore, reducing the color depth of any GIF image from 256 colors (8-bit) to 16 colors (4-bit) will reduce the file size to roughly half of the original file size.

Most popular image programs can count and display the number of unique colors actually used in a GIF image. When the number of colors used is significantly less than the current color depth, the color depth can be reduced. This will decrease the file size without compromising the quality of the image. It is not practical to have a GIF image that contains a 256-color palette if the number of colors used in the image is only 120. In such a case, the color depth can be reduced.

GIF is best for images with sharp-edged areas of flat color such as line drawings, simple icons, buttons, and text.


JPEG images

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group which is the name of the committee that created a way to compress the file size of photographic, true-color images without diminishing the quality of the image. JPEG is generally used for photographic images and these image files use the .JPEG and .JPG extensions.

This format provides compressed file sizes for complex images that use many shades and gradations among colors. JPEG supports 24-bit color (70 to 16.7 million colors). While most image file formats use the red, green, blue (RGB) value to describe each pixel value, JPEG converts this data to luminance (brightness) and chrominance (hue).

JPEG compresses images by discarding parts of the image information that it considers nonessential. This kind of compression scheme (called "lossy" compression) results in a great degree of compression, but also some degradation of the image quality, especially around sharp edges. In photographic images without sharp edges, the effects of lossy compression are invisible.

JPEG is best for images that involve smooth color gradients without sharp edges, typical examples are photos and naturalistic artwork.


Converting an image into a different graphic file format
Converting an image into a different image file format

1	Open the image that you want to convert.

2	From the File menu, select Save As.

3	Select the format that you want to convert the image into from the Save as type list.

4	Enter a name for the new image file in File name.

5	Click Save.


About color depth

Color depth defines the maximum number of colors allowed in an image. ReSize supports the following color depths:

•	4-bit (16 colors). This is the standard for Windows 3.x. When to use this format: If you are designing a Help system for both WinHelp 3 and WinHelp 4 (for Windows 3.1, 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000 platforms), work with 16-color images (or get special DLLs that you can add to your WinHelp 3 Help project that support 8-bit color for Windows 3.x). The image files are smaller in size than 256-color images, and require less disk space.

•	8-bit (256 colors). Images using 256-colors are fully supported by and are intended for WinHelp 4 (for Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000 platforms) Help systems. These image files are larger in size than 16-color images. When to use this format: If you are creating Help files targeted for WinHelp 4.

•	24-bit (16 million colors). 24-bit images use the most disk space because the images can display more than 16 million colors. Images of this type are intended for viewing on systems that support a 24-bit color video driver. Images of this type will have a distorted appearance on monitors that do not support 24-bit color, so avoid them if they are not suitable for your target viewers. GIFs and JPEGs use this color depth. When to use this format: If you are authoring HTML Help systems or web sites.

How does color depth relate to image storage space?

The greater the color depth, the more storage space the image file will require, the more system memory it will use, and the longer it will take to display on a monitor. For example, it might take 45 seconds longer to display an image using 16 million colors than it does to display the same image in 256 colors.

ReSize includes a feature for changing the color depth of an image. The Image Properties dialog box includes a scaling option for increasing and decreasing the color depth. When you alter the color depth, ReSize provides information about how the change will affect the size of the image and the amount of memory required to display it.

Note

File size may not be affected by the actual number of colors in an image as much as by the color depth and actual image size. Maintaining the quality of an image when reducing the color depth depends on how many colors are really in the original image.

See Also

Changing the color depth
Restoring an image to its original attributes


Changing the color depth

When you change the color depth, you will see how it affects the appearance of the image directly in ReSize. This way, you can visually experiment with different color depths to find the one that is most suitable for your image before you save the changes.

1	Open the Image Properties dialog box.

2	Click the Properties tab.

3	Click Scaled and select a color depth from the list.

See Also

Displaying image properties


About SHED graphic displays

Normally, the Windows Help viewer displays SHED images according to the resolution of the monitor and the display settings selected by the Help user. The Windows Help engine (WinHelp.exe) attempts to maintain the image-to-screen-size relationship by altering the number of pixels displayed by the SHED graphic. Frequently, this causes the image to have a distorted appearance when displayed in the Help viewer.

ReSize provides a way for you to fix the resolution. of a SHED graphic so it is displayed at the same size (horizontal pixels and vertical lines) on any monitor.

See Also

Specifying the display resolution for a SHED graphic


Specifying the display resolution for a SHED graphic

1	Start ReSize and open the SHED image.

2	From the View menu, click Image Properties. The Image Properties dialog appears.

3	Click the Shed tab.

4	Select a display resolution. These display options include:

•	Fixed. This option strips out the display resolution from the .SHG file so that Windows Help does not scale the graphic according to the monitor that is displaying the Help file. This setting gives the best results for Help systems that will be viewed on a variety of monitors.

•	CGA. (Color Graphics Adapter). This option is intended for monitors that display only four colors with a resolution of 200 pixels by 320 lines.

•	EGA. (Enhanced Graphics Adapter ). This option is intended for monitors that display up to 16 colors with a resolution of 640 pixels by 350 lines.

•	VGA. (Video Graphics Array). This option is intended for monitors that display up to 256 colors with a resolution of 640 pixels by 480 lines.

•	SVGA. (Super Video Graphics Array). This option is intended for monitors which can display anywhere from 256 to 16.7 million colors with a resolution of at least 800 pixels and 600 lines, and up to 1,280 x 768.

•	Mac: This option is intended for 12" and 13" monitors with a resolution of 640 pixels by 480 lines.

Tip

"Fixed" gives the best results for Help systems that will be viewed on a variety of monitors. We recommend that you select this option unless you are building a Help system that requires a special display resolution.

See Also

Displaying image properties


Sizing handles

	Small boxes with arrows that appear on the right side, in the lower-right corner, and underneath the image, that when dragged in any direction, scale the image.
Tip: To undo changes while you are dragging the sizing handles (before you let go), right-click while dragging, then let go. This will prevent any accidental resizing of the graphic.


Closes this dialog.


To change the width of a graphic, enter the desired pixel measurement or percentage of change


Use the arrows to select your preferred width.


To change the height of a graphic, enter the desired pixel measurement or percentage of change


Use the arrows to select your preferred height.


Choose pixels to resize this graphic to a specific pixel size or choose percent to resize this graphic by a specific percentage.


Check here to maintain the graphic's original portions after resizing


Indicates the progress of adjusting the graphic


Indicates the progress of adjusting the graphi


Click this button to make your choice.


Click this button to make your choice.


Choose a new color depth for the graphic you are scaling


This is  the memory size of the newly scaled graphic


This is  the pixel size of the newly scaled graphic


This is  the memory size of the graphic currently displayed in SmartScale


This is  the pixel size of the graphic currently displayed in SmartScale


This is  the color depth of the graphic currently displayed in SmartScale


This is  the memory size of the original graphic


This is  the pixel size of the original graphic


This is  the color depth of the original graphic


The color depth of the original, the currently displayed, and the newly scaled graphic


The pixel size of the original, the currently displayed, and the newly scaled graphic


The memory size of the original, the currently displayed, and the newly scaled graphic


Select to fix display resolution for for any display


Select to adjust display resolution for CGA (200 x 320, 4 colors)


Select to adjust display resolution for EGA (640 x 350, 16 colors)


Select to adjust display resolution for VGA (640 x 480, 256 colors)


Select to adjust display resolution for high resolution 1024 x 768 (SVGA, 256 to 16.7 million colors)


Select to adjust display resolution for the Macintosh


Choose a display resolution for the new graphic.