Copyright: Copyright © 1997 by Micrografx, Inc.
Citation: Copyright © 1997 by Micrografx, Inc.


MGXEFX.DOC

Do not modify without contacting Sherri Harte.


Using Special Effects

You can modify images with special effects that change images in many different ways. For example, the Watercolor effect transforms an image into the likeness of a watercolor painting. The Twirl effect makes an image appear "swirled" outward from the center of the image.

Effects are applied using the Effects Browser™ dialog box.

To open the Effects Browser in Picture Publisher or PhotoMagic, click Effects Browser on the Effects menu.

To open the Effects Browser in Designer, click Image Effects on the Object menu.

To open the Effects Browser in Windows Draw, click Effects on the Tools menu.

The EffectsBrowser lets you easily choose the effects and effects options you want and preview them before applying them to an image.

In Picture Publisher or Photomagic, the effects apply only to the area inside or outside masked areas, as specified by the Effects Browser. If there are no masked areas in the image, the effects apply to the entire image. In Designer and Windows Draw, the effects are applied to the selected objects.

Note

When you select an object and apply an effect in Windows Draw, the object is converted to an image using the default resolution setting of 96 dpi. If you want the object to be converted to an image at a different resolution, use the Convert to Image command before applying an effect.

Combining the supplied effects and the options available with each effect, you have unlimited techniques you can use to create the special effect you want.

To create a cool effect using Picture Publisher or Photomagic, apply an effect in the Effects Browser, then undo the effect. Use the Eraser tool in the Retouch tool set to erase on the image in the effect you chose in the Effects Browser.


Using the Effects Browser

Examples of Effects


Using the Effects Browser

The Effects Browser is a dialog box that lets you choose effects, select effects options, preview effects on selected portions of an image, and apply the effects.

The bottom left side of the Effects Browser contains the Image Effects list box, a scrollable choice list of available image effects. To make the list easier to use, the effects are grouped into the following categories:

Artistic [image] used to simulate the tools of the artist.

Color Adjust [image] used to alter various "mapping" functions such as color balance and hue.

Distortion [image] used to distort the image with custom effects such as Twirl and Wind.

Photographic [image] used to simulate effects used by photographers and photo processors.

Texture [image] used to apply a texture to an image.

Three Dimensional [image] used to give the image various three-dimensional effects.

When you click an effect in the Image Effects list box, the Effects options area changes to accommodate the selected effect. Each effect has its own set of options.

At the top of the Effects options area is a button displaying the name of the effect. Click this button for a brief explanation of the effect. Click the Preview button to see the effect on your image.

Other buttons in this dialog box include:

In/Out button [image] If an image has masked areas, the In/Out button lets you specify whether the effect is applied to the inside or the outside of the masked area. If the In/Out button shows "In," the effect is applied inside the mask. If the In/Out button shows "Out," the effect is applied outside the mask. If you do not have masked areas, the effect is applied to the entire image. This option does not apply to Windows Draw.

Preview button [image] The Preview button lets you preview the effect on a portion of an image. Previewing the effect is much faster than applying the effect to an entire image. The effect is displayed in the Preview area on the right side of the Effects Browser. You can select which portion of an image is previewed by moving the window in the Preview area with the cursor.

Reset button [image] The Reset button resets the Preview area to the state before the Preview button was clicked.

Apply button [image] The Apply button lets you apply the effect to an image without closing the Effects Browser. The effect is only visible in the Preview area. When you click OK, the effect is visible on the image. You can cumulatively apply multiple effects to an image before you click OK.

OK button [image] The OK button accepts all applied changes to the image and closes the Effects Browser.

Cancel button [image] The Cancel button closes the Effects Browser without making any changes to the image.


To use the Effects Browser


Using Special Effects

Examples of Effects


To use the Effects Browser

1	In Picture Publisher or Photomagic, click Effects Browser on the Effects menu, or press CTRL+E. In Windows Draw, click Image Effects on the Tools menu. The Effects Browser dialog box opens.

2	Choose an effect from the Image Effects list box.

3	Select the options you want to use.

4	Click Preview to view the effect.

5	Click Apply or OK to apply the effect. If you click Apply, the Effects Browser remains open so you can choose other effects. If you click OK, the effect is applied and the Effects Browser closes.


Using Special Effects

Using the Effects Browser


Examples of Effects

This section shows representative examples of all effects supplied with Effects Browser. However, because some options can greatly enhance how an effect behaves, it is not possible to show an example of each effect using all options. The best way to learn what an effect does to your image is to try the effect using different options setting. Also, you can apply multiple effects to the same image for unlimited variations of effects.

There are six categories of effects from which you can choose: Artistic, Color Adjust, Distortion, Photographic, Texture, and Three-Dimensional.


Using Special Effects

Using the Effects Browser


Artistic Effects

Artistic effects let you transform an image so that it has the appearance of a specific art style. Artistic effects include Charcoal, Oil Painting, Pastel, Pop Art, and Watercolor.


Charcoal

Oil Painting

Pastel

Pop Art

Watercolor


Charcoal
Artistic Effects

Charcoal

Before	After


Oil Painting
Artistic Effects

Oil Painting

Before	After


Pastel
Artistic Effects

Pastel

Before	After


Pop Art
Artistic Effects

Pop Art

Before	After


Watercolor
Artistic Effects

Watercolor

Before	After


Color Adjust Effects

Color adjust effects let you adjust the lightness, darkness, saturation, and contrast of the colors in an image. Color adjust effects include Color Balance, Color Saturation, Contrast/Brightness, Dither, Gamma Correction, Hue Adjustment, Posterize, and Threshold.


Color Balance

Color Saturation

Contrast/Brightness

Dither

Gamma Correction

Hue Adjustment

Posterize

Threshold


Color Balance
Color Adjust Effects

Color Balance

Before	After


Color Saturation
Color Adjust Effects

Color Saturation

Before	After


Contrast/Brightness
Color Adjust Effects

Contrast/Brightness

Before	After


Dither
Color Adjust Effects

Dither

Before	After


Gamma Correction
Color Adjust Effects

Gamma Correction

Before	After


Hue Adjustment
Color Adjust Effects

Hue Adjustment

Before	After


Posterize
Color Adjust Effects

Posterize

Before	After


Threshold
Color Adjust Effects

Threshold

Before	After


Distortion Effects

Distortion effects let you distort the picture by adding noise or bluring the image. Distortion effects include Add Noise, Blur, Color Noise, Edge Detection, Gaussian Blur, Graphic Pen, Motion Blur, Prism, Polar to Rectangular, Tunnel, Twirl, User-defined, Wave, and Wind.


Add Noise

Blur

Color Noise

Edge Detection

Gaussian Blur

Graphic Pen

Motion Blur

Polar to Rectangular

Prism

Tunnel

Twirl

User-Defined

Wave

Wind


Add Noise
Distortion Effects

Add Noise

Before	After


Blur
Distortion Effects

Blur

Before	After


Color Noise
Distortion Effects

Color Noise

Before	After


Edge Detection
Distortion Effects

Edge Detection

Before	After


Gaussian Blur
Distortion Effects

Gaussian Blur

Before	After


Graphic Pen
Distortion Effects

Graphic Pen

Before	After


Motion Blur
Distortion Effects

Motion Blur

Before	After


Polar to Rectangular
Distortion Effects

Polar to Rectangular

Before	After


Prism
Distortion Effects

Prism

Before	After


Tunnel
Distortion Effects

Tunnel

Before	After


Twirl
Distortion Effects

Twirl

Before	After


User-Defined
Distortion Effects

User-Defined

Before	After


Wave
Distortion Effects

Wave

Before	After


Wind
Distortion Effects

Wind

Before	After


Photographic Effects

Photographic effects let you improve the quality of an image. Photographic effects include Despeckle, Remove Pattern, Sharpen, Smooth, Stretch Detail, and Unsharp Mask.


Despeckle

Remove Pattern

Sharpen

Smooth

Stretch Detail

Unsharp Mask


Despeckle
Photographic Effects

Despeckle

Before	After


Remove Pattern
Photographic Effects

Remove Pattern

Before	After


Sharpen
Photographic Effects

Sharpen

Before	After


Smooth
Photographic Effects

Smooth

Before	After


Stretch Detail
Photographic Effects

Stretch Detail

Before	After


Unsharp Mask
Photographic Effects

Unsharp Mask

Before	After


Texture Effects

Texture effects let you add the look of roughness or smoothness to an image. Texture effects include Crystallize, Disturb, Emboss, Engrave, Facet, Metal, Mosaic, Pixelize, Splatter, and Stucco.


Crystallize

Disturb

Emboss

Engrave

Facet

Metal

Mosaic

Pixelize

Splatter

Stucco


Crystallize
Texture Effects

Crystallize

Before	After


Disturb
Texture Effects

Disturb

Before	After


Emboss
Texture Effects

Emboss

Before	After


Engrave
Texture Effects

Engrave

Before	After


Facet
Texture Effects

Facet

Before	After


Metal
Texture Effects

Metal

Before	After


Mosaic
Texture Effects

Mosaic

Before	After


Pixelize
Texture Effects

Pixelize

Before	After


Splatter
Texture Effects

Splatter

Before	After


Stucco
Texture Effects

Stucco

Before	After


Three-Dimensional Effects

Three-dimensional effects let you add a 3D look to an image. Three-dimensional effects include Cylinder, Pillow, Pinch, Punch, and Sphere.


Cylinder

Pillow

Pinch

Punch

Sphere


Cylinder
Three-Dimensional Effects

Cylinder

Before	After


Pillow
Three-Dimensional Effects

Pillow

Before	After


Pinch
Three-Dimensional Effects

Pinch

Before	After


Punch
Three-Dimensional Effects

Punch

Before	After


Sphere
Three-Dimensional Effects

Sphere

Before	After