NetGraphics Optimizer Help Index

About...

This product

Photo-Object images

NetGraphics Gallery application

NetGraphics Optimizer application

Contacting Hemera Technologies

Optimization Steps

Open

Crop

Resize

Background Color

Export Format

Image Compression

Progressive/Interlace

Save

Other Steps

Batch Export


Opening a Photo-Object image or other image formats

This first step of the wizard allows you to open Photo-Objects, photos, clip art, vector graphics and other popular image formats. Once an image is opened, click the Next button to go the following steps of the optimization process.

Opening a Photo-Object image

When NetGraphics Optimizer is started by NetGraphics Gallery’s Export to Internet command, a Photo-Object image is automatically opened. If it is the image you want, then click Next to start the export process.

Drag & Drop: To open a Photo-Object image or change the currently opened Photo-Object image, display both applications side by side and click and drag a Photo-Object thumbnail from NetGraphics Gallery to NetGraphics Optimizer’s image window. When the cursor is in the image window, release the mouse button. An alternative method is to drag and hold the Photo-Object over the NetGraphics Optimizer button on the Windows taskbar (Optimizer must be running). After a few seconds, the NetGraphics Optimizer window will appear and you can drop the image into the image window.

Opening other image formats

File Drag & Drop

This is the quickest and easiest way to open most image formats. From Windows, find your image file by opening the appropriate folder(s), and then simply drag and drop the file into NetGraphics Optimizer’s image window. Dragging and dropping files has the same effect as using the Open button, but is usually more convenient.

Application Drag & Drop

You can also drag images directly from applications that support drag & drop. When an application supports dragging of images to other applications, it translates its proprietary format into a common Windows image format that NetGraphics Optimizer can read. For instance, you can use application drag & drop to open proprietary image formats like Corel’s clip art format (.CMX) and CorelDraw drawings (.CDR) that cannot be opened with the Open button.

To perform an application drag & drop, open an image in your other application, click the image using the left mouse button, and then drag it into NetGraphics Optimizer’s image window. Release the mouse button to drop the image.

Examples:	To open a Corel clip art, open the Corel Gallery application, find the clip art of interest, and then drag its thumbnail into NetGraphics Optimizer’s image window.

To open a CorelDraw image, open it in CorelDraw, group all objects into a single one, and then click and drag the image into NetGraphics Optimizer’s image window.

WARNING: Do not use application drag & drop with bitmap images that contain transparency information. Otherwise, the transparency information will be lost. This warning does not apply to clip art images.

Open button

The Open button displays the traditional File Open dialog box from which an image file can be selected and opened. The Files of type list contains the list of image formats that can be directly opened by NetGraphics Optimizer. You can use this list to filter images such that only the format of interest will be displayed in the dialog box.

If you are unable to open a file using this button, see Application Drag & Drop or Paste From Clipboard for alternative ways to open images who’s format is not directly supported.

Crop

To crop an image, first hit the Crop button on the Open dialog window. This will open the crop Wizard.

Paste From Clipboard

Paste From Clipboard allows you to open images that were placed on the clipboard by the Copy command of another application.

You can use this command to open an image that could not be opened using File Drag & Drop or the Open button. To do so, open the image in an application that can read it, copy the image to the clipboard (usually through a Copy command in the Edit menu) and then click Paste From Clipboard in NetGraphics Optimizer.

WARNING: Since the clipboard does not support images with transparency, it is not recommended to use Paste From Clipboard to open images that contain transparency information. Otherwise, the transparency will be lost. This warning does not apply to clip art images.

NOTE: The Paste From Clipboard button is disabled if the clipboard does not contain any image.

Opening GIF & JPEG images

Although NetGraphics Optimizer allows you to open GIF and JPEG images, it is recommended to instead use the original images from which those GIF and JPEG images were created whenever possible. This is because images stored in the GIF or JPEG format have usually lost a considerable amount of the original image’s quality. This is especially true when re-exporting Photo-Object images.


What's a wizard?
A wizard is an application that simplifies a complex task by splitting it into several simple steps. You navigate through the wizard’s steps by using the Next and Back buttons. NetGraphics Optimizer is wizard.


What's a clip art?
Clip art images are scaleable vector images often defined in the Windows Metafile (.WMF) or Enhanced Metafile (.EMF) file format. Other proprietary formats such as Corel’s CMX also qualify as clip art.


What's the Image Window
The image window is where the image is usually displayed and initially appears as a white and gray checkered pattern.


File Drag & Drop
To perform a file drag & drop, click on the file icon using the left mouse button, hold the mouse button down and drag the file into the image window. Release the mouse button to drop the file.


Application Drag & Drop
To perform an application drag & drop, click on the opened image or thumbnail using the left mouse button, hold the mouse button down and drag the image into the image window. Release the mouse button to drop the image.


Handles
The handles are the 8 black squares that surround the image. To resize the image using a handle, place the mouse cursor over one of the handles. When the cursor changes to an arrow, click the left mouse button and drag the handle in the desired direction. Release mouse button to complete the resize.


What's a Web Authoring Tool
A Web Authoring Tool is an application that helps you build Web sites graphically. Netscape Gold, Microsoft FrontPage, Corel WEB.DESIGNER and Adobe Page Mill are examples of such an application.


List of supported image formats

The following table lists the file formats that can be read by NetGraphics Optimizer.

Format Name	File Extension	Transparency Supported
Hemera Photo-Object Image	HPI	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel)
Enhanced Metafile	EMF	Generated
Windows Metafile	WMF	Generated
Truevision Targa	TGA	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel)
TIFF	TIF	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel)
Portable Network Graphics	PNG	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel)
SUN Raster Format	RAS	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel)
Encapsulated PostScript	EPS	Yes   (32 Bits/pixel embedded TIFF)
CompuServe GIF	GIF	Yes
JPEG	JPG	No
Windows Bitmap	BMP	No
ZSoft PCX	PCX	No
Kodak PhotoCD	PCD	No
Kodak FlashPix	FPX	No
PhotoShop 3.0	PSD	No
LEAD Compressed	CMP	No
Macintosh Pict	PCT	No

Legend for Transparency Supported column:

No	The file format does not support transparency, or NetGraphics Optimizer doesn’t support transparency for that format.
Yes	NetGraphics Optimizer can read and use the transparency, if any, from such a file format
Yes (32 Bits/pixel)	NetGraphics Optimizer can read and use the transparency from such a file format if it is a 32 bits/pixel image, e.g. 24 bits for the color, 8 bits for the transparency mask
Generated	NetGraphics Optimizer automatically generates transparency when converting those vector formats into bitmap image formats

Tip

More formats may be supported through the use of application drag & drop. If the format of the image you want to read is not in the above list, use application drag & drop when the source application supports it.


Re-sizing the Image

This step allows you to interactively adjust the dimensions (size) of the image. You can do so by dragging the image’s handles or by entering dimensions in the Width and Height boxes. The image seen in the image window is the same size as the final exported image.

NOTE: If you are bringing in one of your own images with a predetermined size, NetGraphics Optimizer may resize it to fit within the window. If you would like to return to the original size of the image, click the Use image’s original size option.

Width & Height

The Width & Height boxes show the current dimensions of the image in the selected units. You can click and type dimensions directly into these boxes. You can also use the up and down arrows to the right of these boxes to gradually increase or decrease the image’s size.

NOTE: The maximum resize allowed for an image is twice its original size.

Units

This list allows you to change the units in which the dimensions of the image are displayed in the Width & Height boxes. Select from this list the units you are most comfortable with. This does not affect the size or resolution of the image in any way.

Horizontal Flip & Vertical Flip

Flipping an image allows you to change its orientation. It is analogous to flipping a photograph’s slide in the horizontal or vertical axis. This is not the same as rotating an image.

Maintain original aspect ratio

When this option is ON, the image’s original aspect ratio (width to height proportions) are preserved as you resize the image. Clicking this option OFF allows you to distort the image by changing its original width to height ratio.

Use image’s original size

When this option is ON, the image is shown at its original full size. Make sure this is ON for any image that you do not wish NetGraphics Optimizer to resize.

View in Browser

Click this button to preview the image in your default Web Browser. This will usually help you assess the size that you want the image to be on your Web page.

Tips

If you cannot see the resize handles, you can move the image by placing the cursor on top of it and dragging it. This can be used if the image is too large for the window.

For best visual clues while re-sizing the image, open your Web page in a Browser, maximize the Browser and then bring NetGraphics Optimizer to the top by clicking it in the task bar. Looking at elements in your Web page while sizing your image will give you a good idea of how large you want the image to be.

I’ve made the image so large I can’t reach its handles anymore, what can I do now? Click the Use image’s original size or type a small dimension in the Width or Height box to make the image small again.


Selecting the Background Color

This step allows you to select the background that you are currently using or will be using for your Web page. The wizard will then use this background color information to maximize the quality of the image for use on that background. In technical terms, the image will be anti-aliased to your background’s color, making the image edges as smooth as possible.

NOTE: This step is only required for images that contain transparency such as Photo-Objects. When exporting other images that don’t contain any transparency, this step is automatically skipped.

You can specify your background’s color in one of three different ways:

Method 1: The one specified in the following HTML file:

Select this option when you already have an HTML file that contains the background color or tile on which you will be placing the image. Click the Open HTML button or use file drag & drop to open your HTML file. To open a previously opened HTML file, select it from the list. The wizard will then automatically detect and use whatever background information is contained in the specified HTML file.

Method 2: One that uses the following image tile:

Select this option if you are planning on using a particular image file to form your background. Click on the Open Tile button or use file drag & drop to open your GIF or JPEG background image. To open a previously opened image tile, select it from the list.

Note: Using file drag & drop with images of format other than GIF or JPEG will cause the foreground image to be replaced. To open a background image that is not yet in GIF or JPEG, use the Open button.

Method 3: One that uses the color:

Select this option if you are planning to use a solid color for your background. The list contains all HTML 3.0 standard colors that you can choose from. Alternatively, you can click on the Color Palette button to choose from a larger selection of colors or even make your own color. The hexadecimal value of the currently selected color is displayed in the Hex box. Colors can also be specified by typing their hexadecimal value directly into the Hex box.

View in Browser

Click this button to preview the image and the selected Web page background in your default Web Browser. This will usually help you assess the size that you want the image to be on your Web page.

Tips

You can use standard copy (Ctrl-C) and paste (Ctrl-V) commands to insert an HTML file’s hex background color value into NetGraphics Optimizer’s Hex box.

When using a tiled image for your background, the tile’s pattern can sometimes give you clues that will help you size your image correctly. To resize your image again, click the Back button, resize the image and then click Next.


Choosing the Export Format

This step allows you to select the format to which the image will be exported.

GIF and JPEG are the two image formats compatible with the Internet. Because there are many differences and subtleties in how their compression works, it is often difficult to select the format which is best suited for the image to be exported. To alleviate this problem, the wizard automatically analyses the image for you and recommends an image format that should give you both the best compression and image quality. Unless you are very familiar with these image formats, or have reasons for using a specific format, we recommend you accept the recommended format.

Analyzing image, please wait...

This message appears while the wizard is analyzing the image. This analysis allows the wizard to determine which of the two image formats will yield the best compression (smallest file) while preserving good image quality.

Using the CompuServe GIF format

When this format is selected, the wizard uses the CompuServe GIF89a (.GIF) file format to compress the image. This image format supports transparency and a maximum of 256 colors. Images compressed with this format tend to become grainy, but will usually stay sharper than JPEG compressed images. For more information on compressing images using GIF, see the Image Compression topic.

Using the JPEG format

When this format is selected, the wizard uses the JPEG (.JPG) file format to compress the image. This image format supports millions of colors but has no support for transparency within an image. Images compressed in JPEG tend to become more blurry as the compression is increased (file size decreases) but can often result in much smaller files than GIF. For more information on compressing images using JPEG, see the Image Compression topic.

Why would I select JPEG for an image that contains transparency, such as a Photo-Object? Although JPEG does not support transparency within an image, by using your Web page’s background color and merging it with the image, the wizard creates the same effect as if your image still contained transparency. This allows you to benefit from the JPEG compression that can often give you smaller files and better quality than the GIF format.

Tip

The next step in the wizard, the Image Compression step, allows you to choose how much compression you want to apply for the selected image format. If desired, you can experiment compression with both formats by coming back to this step and selecting the other format once you’ve experimented with the first one.


Confirming Export to the GIF Format

This step informs you that the GIF format has been automatically selected because of conditions that would not give reasonable results with the JPEG format.

When the image you want to export contains transparency, and an image tile was specified as your background, the wizard informs you that it will use the GIF format to ensure that you get the best results possible. By selecting the GIF format, the wizard is able to fully preserve the transparency properties of the original image such that your tiled background can be seen around it.

Skip this informative step until the next time I use this program

Select this option if you want to skip this informative step for the remainder of the current session. When this option is clicked the wizard will automatically export the image using the GIF file format without prompting you for approval.

Why don’t I get the option of selecting the JPEG format here?

The JPEG format does not support transparency. If the image was to be merged with your tiled background, as is done for solid colored backgrounds, it would then become virtually impossible for you to position the image such that its tile pattern aligned with your background’s tile pattern. This is especially true when you consider that images may not always be displayed at the same location on a Web page when viewed at different screen resolutions.


Compressing the Image

This step is extremely important, as it allows you to maximize the quality of the image while minimizing file size, and thus download time. This means that not only will your Web site be attractive, it will also be accessible more quickly and more people will visit it.

Optimizing File Size vs. Image Quality

The slider bar allows you to experiment with different levels of file compression while visually evaluating the effects on the appearance of the image. You will notice that as you modify the file size the image displayed in the image window changes. As you move the slider towards the end marked Small File (Low Quality or 2 Colors), the appearance of the image deteriorates, whereas if you move the slider towards the end marked Large File (High Quality or 256 Colors) the appearance improves. The corresponding file size of the image is given in the Image Info section (see below for more details).

Although it may seem logical that reducing the file size by half would reduce image quality by half, this is rarely the case. You may find that just a small reduction in the image quality can lead to a significant reduction in file size. In other cases, a small reduction of the file size can significantly deteriorate the image quality. This is what makes this step crucial when it comes to placing graphical images on the Web.

In order to minimize the image’s file size, move the slider as far to the left (towards Small File) as you can while preserving an image quality that satisfies your needs.

NOTE: In order for you to effectively assess the quality of the compressed image, your system should be using more than 256 colors, e.g. 16 bit color (thousands of colors) or 24 bit color (millions of colors) is highly recommended.

Hold to View Original button

This button allows you to quickly compare the difference in quality between the compressed image and its original counterpart. Click and hold this button to view the original uncompressed image. As soon as the button is released, the image window displays the compressed image again.

Compressing Images in the GIF format

Compressing or reducing the file size of a GIF image comes down to reducing the number of colors in the image. The fewer colors are stored in the GIF image, the smaller the file. By definition, a GIF image can contain 256 unique colors or less. When the GIF format is selected, the slider’s range starts at 2 colors and ends at 256 colors. The number shown in the box to the right of the slider bar displays the number of colors in the image. You can use this box to type in the desired number of colors or use the vertical arrows to gradually increase or decrease them. As you move the slider to the left and reduce the number of colors, you may notice the image become more grainy. This is caused by the dithering, a mechanism by which an illusion of more colors is created by strategically arranging fewer colors. You can turn the dithering off or on by clicking the Dithering check box. The GIF format is especially good in compressing images with few colors such as drawings, clip art, text and icons.

What about all those GIF Color Palette issues?

NetGraphics Optimizer was designed to simplify your life and provide good quality when it comes to exporting images for the Internet. To that effect, it automatically selects an adaptive palette that will give you good results in all scenarios. This is a palette that is specifically adapted to your image’s color content. Images that use such a palette are often very close to their original in appearance.

Shouldn’t the image use a Netscape or Internet Explorer color palette?

Not really. One of the benefits of using such palettes is that the image will look exactly the same on all systems, be they 256 or 16 million color systems. But on the other hand, using such palettes will usually reduce the image’s quality significantly. By using an Adaptive palette instead, all systems that support thousands or millions of colors will benefit from an excellent image quality, while systems that are limited to 256 colors will still display the image using the Netscape or Internet Explorer palette. This is because browsers such as Netscape or Internet Explorer that are running on 256 color systems convert downloaded images to use their palette. The growing popularity of systems supporting thousands or millions of colors make the adaptive palette the best choice for now and the future.

Compressing Images in the JPEG format

Compressing or reducing the file size of JPEG images is different than with GIF images. By definition, JPEG supports millions of colors and does not use color palettes. Unlike GIF, the JPEG format reduces an image’s file size by removing the details that are least perceived by the eye. In general, the more you compress images with JPEG, the more blurry the image becomes. This format is especially good in compressing photographs and other types of scanned images. When compressing in JPEG, the possible quality values range from zero (0) to 100, zero being the worse quality, and 100 the best. Most images will give good results when the compression value is between 50 and 90. Note that this compression value does not correspond to the JPEG QFactor used by other applications.

Image Info section

File Size

This area shows you the size of the image file as a result of the compression currently applied. The file size is specified in Kilo bytes (KB). You can monitor changes in file size as the File Size vs. Image Quality slider is moved.

Format

This area shows you the currently selected file format. Possible values are GIF, Interlaced GIF, JPEG, Progressive JPEG. The format is selected at the previous step, which is the Export Format step. To select the Progressive/Interlace option, click the Next button.

Dithering (only available with GIF)

Dithering is a process by which an illusion of a large number of colors is simulated by strategically arranging fewer colors, such as in newspaper printing. Because compressing images in GIF reduces the number of colors in the image, dithering is often a solution to better overall image quality. Nevertheless, it can sometimes make the image look grainy and will usually produce a larger file. Try turning it On and Off and watch the effects on the image’s quality and file size/download time.

Download Time

This area allows you to evaluate the number of seconds it would take someone to download the image from your Web page and display it on their computer. This time greatly depends on the speed of the receiving modem. By clicking on the arrows beside the download time, you can access drop-down lists which contain a number of different modem speeds. Select modem speeds which best represent the modems your Web site users would use. Then, while adjusting the compression, evaluate the download time of the image using those modems.

NOTE: The download time only accounts for this image. Other images on the same page as well as your page’s text content will increase the total download time. To evaluate approximate download time for all the graphics on the page, simply add up the individual download times for each image.

Tips

When compressing in the GIF format, many images can look good with as few as 32 or 64 colors. Try them first by moving the slider to the second and third tick marks on the slider bar.

When compression in the JPEG format, try avoiding compression values above 90. Such compression values will usually give you much larger files without significant improvements in image quality.


Interlacing the Image

This step allows you to specify whether you want the image to be displayed progressively (interlaced) on the Internet.

Images on your Web page would normally be displayed from top to bottom. When made progressive (or interlaced), the image is initially displayed fuzzy, and then becomes gradually sharper as the image data is transferred. A progressive image usually allows your users to recognize the images much more quickly.

Making an image progressive (or interlaced) may slightly increase or decrease the image’s file size. The new file size and its corresponding download time can be viewed in the Image Info section.

View Download Simulation button

When pressed, this button starts a simulation that allows you to visualize the transfer of that image, progressively or not,  over the selected modem.

Warning: Progressive JPEG may not be supported on old browsers. Users of such browsers will not be able to see images that were saved in this format while browsing your Web site. Support of Progressive JPEG was introduced in Netscape Navigator 2.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0.


Saving the Image

This final step of the wizard allows you to save the image to a file and instantly insert it into your Web page.

Save

Click this button to immediately save the image to the shown path. If the file already exists, you will be prompted before it is overwritten. To save the image to a slightly different file name, modify the shown path by typing your changes directly into the path box and then clicking Save. To replace a previously exported image, select it from the path list and then click Save.

Save As

Click this button to browse for a file or folder to which you want to save the image. This would typically be your Web site’s image directory.

Batch Export

Click this button if you want to export many images at once, including the one that was just optimized. This will open the Batch Export dialog. Most of the selections you made in the steps of the wizard will be used while exporting the images in batch.

Back To Beginning

Click this button to go back to the very beginning, which is the Open step. This allows you to either:

1.	Open a new image to be exported,

or

2. 	Apply some changes to the current image, such as fine-tuning the resize, changing the background color, fine-tuning the compression or any other changes desired. You can go through the wizard as many times as you want without quality loss as long as the saved image is not re-opened. If in a later session you want to apply changes to a previously exported image, always start from the original, not the GIF or JPEG exported image. See the topic Opening GIF & JPEG images of the Open step help for more details.

Inserting the image into your Web page

Most Web Authoring Tools allow image files to be dragged directly into an HTML page that is being edited. NetGraphics Optimizer has been designed to let you take advantage of that time saving feature by letting you drag & drop the image from its image window directly into a Web page being edited with a Web Authoring Tool. By doing so, an HTML link to the saved image is automatically created. In addition to creating the link, some Web Authoring Tools also copy the image to your Web site’s image or root directory.

To quickly insert the image into your Web page:

1.	Save the image to your Web site’s image directory.

2.	Click and drag the image from the image window directly into the HTML page being edited with your Web Authoring Tools.

3.	Release the mouse button when the cursor is at the position where you want the image to be inserted.

Moving or Copying the image to another folder

Once you have saved the image, you can quickly move it or copy it to another folder by using drag & drop:

1.	Click and drag the image from the image window to the desired folder.

2.	To move the image, the cursor must NOT show a plus (+) sign. If the plus sign appears, hold the SHIFT key on your keyboard to make it disappear.

3.	To copy the image, the cursor must show a plus (+) sign. If the plus sign does not appear with the cursor, hold the CTRL key on your keyboard to make it appear.

4.	Release mouse button when cursor is on the desired folder to move or copy the image to it.

Tips

Before clicking the Save As button, you can first select a file path from the list of recently saved files to make the Save As dialog box open in the directory of that file.

To quickly save the image to a previously used directory other than the proposed directory, select a file that has that directory from the list and replace the file name by a new name. You can use cut (Ctrl-C) and paste (Ctrl-V) to replace the file name.


What's this product about?
What’s this product about?

Hemera NetGraphics Studio was specifically designed to help new and experienced Web authors in illustrating their Web pages. NetGraphics Studio mainly consists of a large collection of high quality photographic images combined with a powerful yet simple tool for exporting those images and most image formats to Internet compatible image formats.

NetGraphics Studio is composed of:

1.	A large collection of photographic object images that we call Photo-Objects.

2.	An application named NetGraphics Gallery which allows you to quickly find the Photo-Objects of your choice.

3.	An application called NetGraphics Optimizer which allows you to export Photo-Objects, clip art and other popular image formats to Internet compatible image formats.


NetGraphics Gallery application

The NetGraphics Gallery application is a revolutionary image classification and search engine that allows you to search for a Photo-Object image in a rapid and intuitive fashion. Its interface simultaneously displays Photo-Object image thumbnails and their associated name and description. Type in keywords that describe the images you are looking for, or simply select image categories and NetGraphics Gallery will instantly find the corresponding Photo-Object images!

Once you have found the desired images, you can then quickly export them for the Internet using the NetGraphics Optimizer application.

Summary of Functionality:

Quickly and effectively search through thousands of images for use on your web pages.

Easily create textured text with PhotoFont Maker.

Search images by name, attribute or category.

Quickly export Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts with a simple double-click or Drag & Drop to the NetGraphics Optimizer.

Export Photo-Objects and their transparency mask to professional applications such as Adobe Photoshop!

For more details, see NetGraphics Gallery’s online help.


NetGraphics Optimizer application

The NetGraphics Optimizer application allows you to transform Photo-Object images or any of your existing images into a format compatible with the Internet. Its interactive interface allows you to visualize and optimize every step of the process. You can visually and interactively resize images, see them combined with your background color or image tile, compress them to GIF or JPEG while you monitor image quality, file size and download time, apply Interlacing, and then insert them in your Web page using a simple Drag & Drop action.

Summary of Functionality:

Open most bitmap formats for export to an Internet compatible image format. Drag & Drop any of your existing graphics into this application and they will open.

Export vector clip art (WMF & EMF) files with automatic transparency generation.

Drag & Drop vector graphics opened in CorelDraw for automatic conversion to a bitmap format.

Visually and interactively resize and flip images.

Optimize transparent images for use on the background of your HTML page.

Visually and interactively apply compression and immediately see the resulting quality, file size and download time.

Interlace images with immediate feedback on file size and download time.

Export the resulting image to your Web Authoring Tools with a quick and simple Drag & Drop action.

Quickly export several images at once using the Batch Export command.

For more details, see Contents of this online help.


What's a Photo-Object?
What’s a Photo-Object?

A Photo-Object is a photographic image of a subject without its surrounding background. The subject has been cut out from the initially rectangular photograph such that it can be placed on any background and provide maximum visual impact.

This image format is similar to other formats sometimes referred to as images with Transparency or images that have an associated Mask or Alpha Channel. But 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.

Their high quality and resolution allows you to use them at virtually any size possible for the Internet or an Intranet. Photo-Objects are also totally background independent and, using NetGraphics Optimizer, can be perfectly optimized to your Web page background’s color or image tile, giving you the smoothest image edges possible (anti-aliasing). Photo-Object images that suit your needs can be quickly found among our large collection with the help of the NetGraphics Gallery application.

Illustrations:

Original photograph	Photo-Object image	Photo-Object on a textured background

Technical Specifications:

Image Size:	600 x 600 pixels (on average)
Number of Colors Supported:	16.7 Million (24 bits for RGB)
Transparency Support:	256 Levels (8 bits per pixel alpha channel)
Total Image Depth:	32 bits per pixel


Contacting Hemera Technologies Inc.

For technical support, see our technical support Web page at: http://www.hemera.com/techsupport.html or send us email at: support@hemera.com

For general inquiries, please send us email at info@hemera.com or visit our Web site at http://www.hemera.com.


All products or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.


Croping the image
Cropping the image

The crop allows you to define the region of the image which you would like to keep, while removing the rest of the image.

Defining the cropping area

You can define the cropping area in several ways.

Click and Drag: By clicking and dragging the mouse, you can draw the cropping rectangle to the size you desire.

Single-Click: By clicking and immediately releasing the left mouse button, you will get a crop area that is placed at the edges of the image.

Once drawn, you can move the cropping rectangle to place it over the exact area of the photo that you would like to crop.

You can constrain the crop area to a square by holding down the Shift key while drawing.

Resizing the cropping area

The crop area can be interactively resized using the handles on the cropping rectangle. By holding the Shift key while resizing, the proportions of the rectangle will be constrained to a perfect square.

You can also enter the exact dimensions of the cropping rectangle in pixels, inches or centimeters, depending on the units selected.

Cropping the image

When you are ready to crop the image, press the Crop Image button or double-click inside the crop rectangle to crop the image. If you are not happy with the results, click on the Revert to Original button to bring back the original image. The original cropping rectangle will remain.

Revert to Original

Click on this button to bring back the original image.

Tips

A single mouse click will create a crop rectangle at the edges of the image.

You need to clear the crop rectangle before you can start a new one. Pressing the Esc key will clear the current cropping rectangle and allow you to start a new one.


Batch Exporting Images
Batch Export

The batch export allows you to export more than one image at the same time based on the parameters you have chosen in the preceding steps of the wizard.

Note: If the batch of images that you want to export contains both images with transparency and images without transparency, you should go through the wizard with an image that does contain transparency so that the wizard can ask you what background color you will be using.

Adding images

You can add images to the batch in two ways.

Add button: Clicking the Add button will launch a dialog box allowing you to browse through your folders and select the desired files. Use Shift-Click and/or Ctrl-Click combinations to select several files at once in the dialog box.

Drag & Drop: Drag and drop image files, folders that contain images, Photo-Objects and PhotoFonts into the batch export window. The file names will appear in the window once dropped.

Removing images

Remove button: To remove an image from the batch, simply highlight it and click on the Remove button.

Remove All button: To remove all of the images from the batch, click on Remove All.

To remove several but not all images at once, use Ctrl-Clicks on the images to be removed and click the Remove button.

Note: Removing files from the batch never removes the actual image file, but only removes their names from the list of images to be exported in batch.

Image Size

The default image size for the images in the batch is the size you defined in the wizard’s Resize step. These measurements are shown to you in the Batch Export step as well. You can change the image size by changing the values that appear.

If you do not want to resize the images, then choose the option No, use the image’s original size. When this option is chosen Optimizer will not resize the images but will simply export them at each image’s original size.

If you would like to limit the size of the images, then choose the option Yes, reduce large images to make them fit in the following dimensions: NetGraphics Optimizer will then ensure that all of the exported images fit within the dimensions that are defined. That is to say that the dimensions displayed are the maximum height and width within which each image must fit.

Saving the images

Click on the Select button if you would like to change the folder within which the converted images will be saved.

Starting the Batch Export

When you are ready to carry out the batch export, simply click on the Start Export button at the bottom right of the window. As each image is optimized you will see its thumbnail version in the small window above the Start Export button.

If the Start Export button is disabled, make sure that you have images in the list of files to export and also that you have selected a destination folder for the converted images.

Stopping the Batch Export

Once the batch process has started, the Start Export button changes to Stop Export. Clicking this button or hitting any key on the keyboard will pause the batch process and allow you to either stop or resume the export process.

Tip

The selections you made in Optimizer for background color, file format, compression ratio and interlacing are used in the batch process. It is thus important to ensure that these parameters are well defined before starting the batch process. Note that some parameters such as the Cropping area, Horizontal Flip, Vertical Flip and Dithering are ignored.