 LEADVIEW for Windows Main Help

Help topics are divided up into eight areas. Select the topic you want to know more about.

To select a topic, move the mouse pointer over the topic and click on the left mouse button.

Compress	Conversion

Screens	Commands

Capture	Photo Album

How To . . .


 Conversion

LEADVIEW for Windows allows you conversion of various graphics file formats. Images can also be resized during the conversion process.

 It is important to keep a copy of the original image until you achieve the desired results.

Converting to 24-bit or higher images

When converting a 24-bit true color, image to another 24-bit image format, the image retains all the original information. If the image is resized or the bits per pixel is changed, then the original information will be altered as well.

Converting to 8-bit images

Converting to 8-bit images allows you to have a maximum of 256 colors. Note that when you convert a 16, 24, or 32-bit image down to an 8-bit image, you are loosing color information during the conversion process. Once the image have been converted down to an 8-bit image, the original 24-bit color information is lost.

Related Topics:

Graphics File Formats

How To Convert An Image

Reszie

Color Reduction


 Screens

This is the main window of LEADVIEW along with a sample photo album. More information about each menu and screen item can be found by clicking on various parts of the window below.

Click on any part of the main window screen to learn more about its function.


File Menu

The File pull down menu allows you to view and save images to disk. It also allows you to print images to the printer.

For more information, select the desired menu item:

Open...

Save As...

Close

Convert/Compress...

Print

Printer Setup

Preference


File Open Command

The File Open command allows to view a single or multiple images on the screen. You can use the File Open command to load images or use the drag and drop method to view images. Viewing images allows you to see what the image looks like before attempting to do any conversion and compression. After the image is loaded, you may then save it to any of the supported file formats.

The File Open command also alows you to load multiple images to the screen. Also, this command can provide you with a way to view images in a sequenctial order.

Click on the part of the screen you want to know more about.


Window Size

This area allows you to set the window size parameters. You can either allow the display window to fit with the image, or force the image to fit within the window.


Delay Between Images

This area lets you define how the program load up images during a View Sequence command. This option is only valid if View Sequence is checked. You can set display options of no delay, change on the mouse/keyboard, or at a certain time interval.


Show Errors

When this box is selected, LEADVIEW will display any error it encounters while trying to load an image in sequence. If this option is not checked, then all errors will be ignored and the next file will be loaded. If this option is checked during a View Sequence cycle the image that caused an error will not be loaded.


Fit Image To Window

This option forces the image that is being loaded to fit into the predefined window that is defined in the Window Size selection area. The aspect ratio will be maintained.


Background Loading

This option allows you to give other Windows application processing time while image(s) are being loaded. This option also allows you to perform other tasks while the program executes.


Paint While Loading

Displays the image as it is loaded. When this check box is selected, you will see the image as it is being loaded into memory. This painting of the image is done in horizontal "strips."


Refresh Windows

This option is only meaningful if View Sequence is checked. Having this option checked will make the previously loaded image to be erased before the next image is painted to the screen.


Cycle Until Stopped

This option is used with the Sequence command. When this box is checked, the selected image will cycle continuously. Once the sequence finished displaying the last image, it will then start displaying the selected images starting from the first image. To stop the sequence, press any key or mouse button.


Sequence

When this check box is selected, then LEADVIEW will display all the selected files in sequential order. This command is used to display multiple images in sequence. Options that is dependent on this selection are:

Cycle Until Stopped

Refresh Window

Wait for Key/Mouse click

Wait for ??? seconds

Fixed Size


List Files of Type Box

This drop down list show all the supported file that LEADVIEW for Windows supports. If ALL is selected, then all the files in the current directory will be shown in the File List Box.


File Directory and Drive Boxes

This list the available drives and directories on the current drive. The directory list is dependent on the drive that is selected in the Drives drop down list.


Information Box

Clicking on the Information button will display the file information about the highlighted file(s). The dialog box will display the file name, width, height, and bits per pixel.


File Names List

Lists files in the current directory. Also you can use the mouse to click on the file name to open. This list is dependent of the types of files you want to list as well as the List File of Type drop down list.


Minimized Icon

This is a minimized icon of an open image. Use the Minimize button to reduce the image down to icon size. Double click on the icon to bring back the image to its previous size.


LEADVIEW Workspace

This is the main working area of LEADVIEW for Windows. This program uses the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) to display its windows. Any child window that gets open will exist within this main window.


Title Bar

The Main Title Bar shows the name of the Windows application. Here, it is shown as LEADVIEW for Windows.


Keep Two Images

This options lets you keep two copies of an image. This is practical if you are using a 256 or 16 color device driver but want to modify the image in its true color form. With this option set, you will see the "modified" image that suits your color driver but modification that are done to the image will affect both the original data as well as the "modified" image. This option only applies to users with 256 colors or less video drivers. Use this option only if you want to modify the image. Do not use this option if you just want to view the image. Also, do not have this option set if you are viewing images sequence.


Open Using Drag And Drop

LEADVIEW for Windows accepts dropped files. Using the File Manager or another File Shell program, you can select one or more files and drag them to LEADVIEW and drop them in the Main Window. LEADVIEW will automatically load the file(s) for viewing.

If LEADVIEW is an icon, when the files are dropped, LEADVIEW for Windows will open and then load the dropped file automatically.The image loads based on the last viewing option used.

See Also ...

Viewing the Original Image


 How To . . .

This section gives you step by step instructions for various image processes.

Conversion & Compression

Change The Qfactor

Compress Images(s)

Convert Image(s)

Capture

Capture A Screen

Save Captured File

Printing

Print An Image

Image Manipulation

Change An Image To Gray Scale

Change The Intensity

Crop An Image

Flip an image

Perform Color Reduction

Resize An Image

Reverse an image

Rotate An Image

Clipboard

Copy Using The Clipboard

Paste From The Clipboard

File Processing

Delete File(s)

Saving An Image

View Images

Drag And Drop Files


How To Convert An Image

There are two methods of converting an image.

•  File to file conversion

•  Convert from the screen

 To Convert file to file:

1.	Select "File" from the Main Menu.

2.	Choose Convert/Compress. The "Convert: Source File Name" dialog box appears.

3.	Type or click on the source file name to convert.
If you want to convert more than one file, click on the first file, then hold down the CTRL key while clicking on each additional file you want to convert. Click on the file again do remove the file from the conversion process.

4.	Click on OK when you have the correct name(s).The "Convert: Destination File Name" dialog box appears.

5.	Next, select the format you want to save the image(s).

6.	Click on OK when you are ready to perform the conversion.

 To Convert from the screen:

1.	Load up an image.

2.	Select "File" from the Main Menu.

3.	Choose Save As.

4.	Type the name of the save to save.

5.	Choose the output file format to convert.

6.	Click on OK when you are ready to start the conversion process.


How To View Image(s)

Viewing an image is the same as loading an image. You can view more than one image by either loading the images one at a time or loading all at the same time into separate windows.

LEADVIEW will also allow you to view images from the Photo Album by double-clicking on the individual thumbnails of the image.

 To load a singe image

1.	Select "File" from the Main Window.

2.	Choose Open.

3.	Type or select the file name to open.

4.	Click on OK or hit the Enter key when you are ready to load the image.

 To load multiple images

1.	Select "File" from the Main Window.

2.	Choose "Open".

3.	Hold down the CTRL key while clicking on individual file names to load. If you make a mistake, click on the file name again to deselect the file.

4.	To load the image in sequential order, click on the Sequence check box.

5.	Click on OK or hit the Enter key when you are ready to load the image.


How To Change The Qfactor

Change the Qfactor to determine the compression level. You must have an image selected or loaded to change the Qfactor. The Qfactor can only be changed when you are saving or compressing an image from the "Save As" or "Convert/Compress" command of the File menu.

For optimum compression, start with the predefined option "Quality and Size Equally Important" for LEAD CMP and "Good Quality Compression" for JPEG. Work your way up or down the pre-defined setting to suit your compression and image quality needs.

For batch compression, the selected compression setting will apply to all selected images.

The Qfactor can be set during:

•  File to file compression

•  Saving the loaded image as a compressed file

See Also ...

File Menu


How To Compress Images

Compressing images is the same as saving the image. There are two methods of compressing images:

•  File to file compression

•  Saving the loaded image as a compressed file


How To Delete File(s)

Deleting a files means the same as the DOS delete command. Make sure you are certain that you want to remove the file(s) from the drive.

 To Delete File(s):

1.	From the Main Window, select File.

2.	Choose "Delete".

3.	Click on the file you want to delete.

4.	For multiple files, hold down the CRTL key while clicking on file names. Click on the file name again to de-select the file.

5.	Click on OK when you are ready to delete the selected files.


How To Print An Image

 To Print An Image

1.	Open the file you want to print.

2.	Make sure the printer is set up correctly. Use Printer Setup to prepare the printer for printing.

3.	Select "Print" from the Main Window.


Copy Using The Clipboard
How To Copy Using The Clipboard

Copying an image (or part of an image) to the clipboard requires you to have an image loaded on the screen. There are two methods of copying data to the clipboard:

Copying the entire image

Copying out a section of the image

 Copying the entire image:

1.	Open the image you want to copy.

2.	If there are more than one image loaded, make sure that the image you want to copy is on top.

3.	Choose "Copy" from the Edit Menu. The entire image should be now placed on the clipboard for pasting.

 Copying out a section of the image:

1.	Open the image you want to copy to the clipboard.

2.	If there are more than one image loaded, make sure that the image you want to copy is on top.

3.	Make the child window large enough to contain the part of the image you want to cut out.

4.	Using the mouse, drag out the area you want to copy from the image. This will define out the area that you want to copy.

5.	Choose "Copy" from the Edit menu. The image should be now placed on the clipboard to be pasted.


Paste From The Clipboard
How To Paste From The Clipboard

Pasting from the clipboard requires you to have an image data on to the clipboard. Images that are placed on the clipboard can come from any Windows application that can put a bitmap image onto the clipboard.

 To Paste from the Clipboard:

1.	From the Main Menu, choose the Edit Menu.

2.	Select "Paste". This will paste an image from the clipboard to a window in LEADVIEW.


Rotate An Image
How To Rotate An Image

 To rotate an image:

1.	With an image loaded. Select "Rotate" from the Image Menu.

2.	Enter in a rotation angle from 1 to 360 degrees.

3.	Select the rotation direction; either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation.

4.	Check on the Clip Corners check box if you want to crop out the corners during the rotation process. If this option is not check, then the image is resize to fit within the original width and height.


To Resize An Image
How To Resize An Image

Resizing an image will physically change the width and height of the image.

 To resize an image:

1.	Make the window with the image you want to rotate as the active window.

2.	Make sure that you are in Normal view from the View Menu.

3.	Select "Resize" from the Image Menu. This will bring up the Resize Image option dialog box.

4.	Select the new width and height of the image in pixel units. Note that you cannot change the height of the image if the Keep Aspect Ratio check box is checked. When this box is checked, the height is predetermined by the width.

5.	Click on OK when you ready to resize the image.


Flip An Image
How To Flip An Image

Flipping an image requires you to have an image loaded.

 To flip an image:

1.	Make the window with the image you want to flip as the active window.

2.	Select "Flip" from the Image Menu. This will flip the image contained in the active window.


How To Crop An Image

Cropping an image means that you want to throw away a part of the image. You must have an image loaded to perform the cropping feature.

 To Crop an image:

1.	With the image loaded, position the window so that the portion of the image that you want to save is shown.

2.	Next, drag out the area you want to keep.

3.	Select "Crop" from the Image Menu. This will throw away all of the image except the selected area. You now have a new image to work with.


How To Change The Intensity

Changing the intensity of an image is the same as increasing or decreasing its brightness.

 To Change intensity:

1.	Open the image.

2.	Select Intensity from the Color Menu.

3.	Use the scroll bar to select the change in intensity.

4.	Next, choose whether you want to lighten or darken the image.

5.	When you are ready, click on OK to begin the process.


How To Convert An Image To Gray Scale

 To Convert to gray scale:

1.	Open the image.

2.	Select "Gray Scale" from the Color Menu. This will convert all types of image into a gray scale format.


How To Perform Color Reduction

Color reduction can decrease the amount of colors in an image while trying to maintain optimum quality. Reducing the number of colors in an image can also reduce the file size of the image when stored on disk.

 Doing color reduction on large size image can take some time.

 To perform color reduction:

1.	Open an image.

2.	Select one of the color or bits selection from the Color Menu.

3.	Next, select the Palette to use during the color reduction phase. Use "Nearest Color" for the highest quality image.

4.	Choose a Dithering method.

5.	When you are ready, click on OK.


How To Capture A Screen

There are two capturing methods;

•	Marked area

•  Entire desktop screen

 Capturing a Marked area:

1.	From the "Capture" menu, check on how the LEADVIEW Main Window should appear during capture. This selects the capture option you want to use.

2.	Prepare the target capture area the way you want it to look.

3.	Select "Marked Area" from the Capture menu. This will change the mouse pointer into a capture cursor; [image].

4.	Drag out the area you want to capture. When you release the mouse button, you will get a child window with the capture area.

  Capturing Entire desktop screen:

1.	From the "Capture" menu, check on how the LEADVIEW Main Window should appear during capture. This selects the capture option you want to use.

2.	Prepare the target capture screen the way you want it to look.

3.	Select "Desktop" from the Capture menu. This will capture the entire desktop area as shown on the current screen. You will get  a child window with the captured screen.


How To Save A Captured Screen

 To save a captured image:

1.	Make sure that the window you want to save is the top window

2.	Select Save As from the File menu.

3.	Select the file name to want to save the captured screen as.

4.	Next, choose the file format to save the image. You can save the image as any supported file format.

5.	Type in the new width and height of the image in pixel units. Leave these fields blank if you want to keep the original width and height.

6.	Click on OK when you are ready to save the image.


How To Save An Image

When an image is opened, you can save it into any supported graphics file format.

 To save an image:

1.	Open the image.

2.	From the Main Window, select "Save As" from the File menu.

3.	Select the file name to want to save the captured screen as.

4.	Next, choose the file format to save the image. You can save the image as any supported file format.

5.	Type in the new width and height of the image in pixel units. Leave these fields blank if you want to keep the original width and height.

6.	Click on OK when you are ready to save the image.


How To Reverse An Image

Reversing, or transposing, an image will turn the image from right to left.

 To transpose an image:

1.	Make the window with the image you want to flip as the active window.

2.	Select "Transpose" from the Image Menu. This fill reverse the image in the active window.


 Commands

Available menu commands in the Main Window are:

File Menu

Edit Menu

View Menu

Image Menu

Color Menu

Capture Menu

Photo Album

Window Menu

Help


File Menu

Open	Retrieve file(s) for viewing and processing.

Save As	Saves the current image to a particular file format.

Close	Close the current window.

Delete	Delete file(s) on disk.

Convert/Compress	Convert and/or compress images.

Print	Print the current image.

Printer Setup	Configure and setup the printer.

Preference	Select default Video and Palette information.

Exit	Quit LEADVIEW for Windows.


Open

Opens the selected file(s) to be viewed. Note that you can select more than one file by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the file name.

To "unselect" a file, move the mouse cursor over the file name, hold down the CTRL key and click on the file name. You will notice that the file is no longer highlighted.

Click on the part of the Open screen you want to know more about.

See Also . . .

How To View Images

Open Using Drag And Drop


Save As

The Save As commands allows you to save the current image in the current window or active window into any supported file formats including compressed formats. You must have an image loaded to use this command.

If you had the Keep Two Images Option set, when the image was opened, then the original image data will be saved.

Click on the part of the Save As screen you want to know more about.

See Also . . .

Compression

Conversion

Graphics File Formats

How To Save An Image


Save File Name

This is where you need to type in your file name. Also, you can select the file name already shown by clicking on the file name in the File List Box. The file names in this list are located in the current drive and directory shown in the Drive and Directory List Boxes.


Save File List

This list shows all the selected files in the current directory. The file names in this list are located in the current drive and directory shown in the Drive and Directory List Boxes.


List File By Type

This Drop Down List lists all the files in the current directory with the same file type as the one selected in this box. Use ALL to show all files in the current directory. For a list of supported file types see Convert.


Directories and Drives Box

These two drop list box shows the current working drive and directory.


Bits Per Pixel

This box allows you to select the Bits Per Pixel for the image. Note that some file format have limited bits per pixel selection. For more information, see the list of supported graphics file formats.


Width And Height Selection

These two boxes lets you select the resulting with and height of the image. Do not change this selection if you do not want to resize the image during the save process. See Resize for more information.


Save Palette

This save the VGA palette along with the compressed image. Note that this option only works when compressing images using LEAD CMP compression. See also Compression.


Load Image

If this option is set, then LEADVIEW will load the image that you just saved. This option is useful if you would like to see the image after the save process.


Dont't Resize
Don't Resize

Select this option if you do not wish to resize the image during the save process. If this option is not set, then the image will be resized according to the Width and Height box.


Qfactor

This area lets you change the desired Qfactor. The Qfactor only applies to compressed formats such as LEAD CMP and JPEG. The higher the Qfactor the smaller the file size. Also, setting a high Qfactor number will affect the quality of the resulting image. See also Compression.


OK Button

Click on the OK button once you have selected the desired file name and save method.


Cancel Button

Click on the Cancel button to abort the process. This will take you back to the main LEADVIEW window.


Close

This command closes out the current image window. You must have a window selected for this command to work. Save the file before closing if you want to save any changes made to the image.


Convert/Compress

This command performs file to file conversion and compression. You can select multiple files for conversion and compression. When compressing and converting file to file, you can only apply one single compression or conversion option. That is, compression or conversion will be done to all the selected file(s) using the same options.

You can select multiple files for conversion and compression by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the left mouse button on the desired file names. Release the CTRL key when all the files have been selected. When you are ready to perform the compression or conversion process, click on the OK button.

See Also . . .

Screens

Conversion

How To Convert Images

How To Compress Imagess


Printer Setup

This allows you to properly configure the printer to print images in LEADVIEW for Windows. Once you have defined you print options select Print to start your print job.


Print

This command prints out the current image. You must select a valid printer in the Printer Setup to print images.


Preference

This screen lets you select the default video and palette information.

Device Load Options

Due to various implementation of video boards, some video boards uses RGB (Red-Green-Blue) rather than BGR (Blue-Green-Blue) video order. If you find that your image tends to be more "reddish" then select the BGR color order. You can only use one of the above selections.

Palette

LEADVIEW for Windows can display images using a Fixed Palette. For users with 256 color drivers, having this option set will increase display time for 16-bit or higher images. However, the quality of the resulting displaying image will be affected. For users with higher than 256 color display, this option will not have any affect on the quality of the image.

If Default Palette is selected then all images will use its own unique palette. For users with 256 color drivers, having this option set will slow down display time for 16-bit or higher images. The advantage of using Default Palette is to allow you to view the image with its own unique color palette.

For users with a 32K or higher graphics driver, the Palette information will not apply.


Edit Menu

The Edit Menu performs copy and paste operations on to the clipboard.

Undo	Undo the last command performed.

Copy	Copies the current image into the Windows clipboard.

Paste	Paste from the clipboard into a new windows.

Empty Clipboard	Empties all contents of the clipboard.

See Also . . .

Copying and Pasting from the clipboard.

Screens


Undo
Edit Menu Commands

Undo

Undo the last command performed on the image. LEADVIEW for Windows will keep in memory the last command performed.

Copy

Copies the content of the current image into the Windows clipboard. This command will allow you to use the clipboard to move images from one Windows application to another.

Paste

Paste the contents of the clipboard into a new window. This will allow you to use the clipboard to copy from another Windows application and paste into LEADVIEW for Windows. Note that the contents of the clipboard must be a bitmap object.

Empty Clipboard

Empties out the current contents of the clipboard. Since the clipboard's contents reduces the amount of available memory, it is recommended that you empty out the clipboard to free up memory for Windows to use.


Cutting and Pasting From the Clipboard
Copying To and Pasting From the Clipboard

Once an image is loaded, you can copy and paste bitmap images to and from the clipboard. LEADVIEW for Windows allows you to define an area within an image to be copied and placed on to the clipboard.

When an image is loaded, use the mouse to drag out an area to be place to the clipboard. Once the image is on the clipboard you can select Paste from the Edit Menu to place the cut section to another window. You can also use the clipboard to paste the section into other windows application.

See Also . . .

How To Copy Using the Clipboard

How To Paste Using the Clipboard

Paste


View Menu

Snap Window to Image

Force the window border to align with the image size.

Normal	Use default windows window size.

Fit Image to Window

Make the image to fit within the specified window.

Zoom In	Zoom in 2x into the image.

Zoom Out

Zoom out to the previous magnification.

Full Screen

View the image full screen.

Fit Image to Full Screen

Fill in the entire screen with the current image.


Snap Window To Image

This command forces the window border to be flush with the edge of the image. If the window is larger than the current screen resolution, then scroll bars will automatically be place on the main window.


Normal View

This uses the default windows screen to view the image. If the image is too large to fit within the main window then scroll bars will automatically be placed. You can then use the scroll bars to move around within the child window.


Fit Image To Window

This command forces the current image to fit within the child window. You can resize the child window and the image will automatically fit within the resized window. Use this command to resize the image. Note that the aspect ratio of the image is maintained.


Zoom In

In Zoom Mode, use the left button to zoom in and the right mouse button to zoom out. During the zoom mode, you cannot do image manipulation. The title bar will tell you the current magnification factor.

This command will "zoom in" on the image. Each time you select Zoom In, the image will be magnified. Each successive zoom magnifies the image even greater. The maximum magnification is 9X. Use the scroll bars to move around the magnified area.

Use the Zoom Out command to return to the previous zoom magnification. To return back to normal view, select Normal from the View Menu. This will take you out of the magnification mode.


Zoom Out

In Zoom Mode, use the left button to zoom in and the right mouse button to zoom out. During the zoom mode, you cannot do image manipulation. The Title bar will tell you the current magnification factor.

This command takes you back to the previous magnification level. Use the Zoom In command to magnify the image. Each time you select Zoom In, the magnification level is increase and is shown on the title bar.

To return back to normal view, select Normal from the View Menu. This will take you out of the magnification mode.


View Full Screen

This will view the image full screen. This command will display the image without any windows properties. To force the image to fit to current video mode at full screen use the Fit Image to Full Screen command from the View Menu.

Click the mouse button or hit any key to return back to the Windows desktop.


Fit Image to Full Screen

This will force the image to fit into the current video mode. It will also not display any windows properties. To view the picture in full screen mode without a forced resize, use the View Full Screen command from the View Menu.

Click the mouse button or hit any key to return back to the Windows desktop.


Color
Color Menu

The color menu allows you to transform the current image into different color formats.

Intensity	Change the intensity of the image.

Gray Scale	Convert the image into a gray scale image.

2 color (1-bit)	Convert to a black and white half tone image.

16 color (4-bit)	Convert to a 16 color image.

256 colors (8-bit)	Convert to a 256 color mapped image.

32K color (16-bit)	Convert to a 32,000 color image.

16 million (24-bit)	Convert to a 24-bit True Color image.


Intensity

This changes the intensity, or brightness of the image. You can either darken or lighten the appearance of the image.

Gray Scale

Converts the image into a black and white gray scale image. All color attributes of the image is transformed into a gray mapped image.

See Also . . .

How to convert to gray scale

How to change intensity


Image Menu

The Image Menu allows you to do fundamental manipulation of images.

Image Info	Get information about the image.

Transpose	Flips the image vertically.

Mirror	Moves the image from right to left.

Rotate	Rotates the image.

Resize	Resizes the image to a new width and height.

Crop	Crops the image and keeps only the selected area.

See Also . . .

Edit Menu


Image Info

Getting image information provides you with technical information about the image. When you select "File Info" from the Image menu a message box will appear showing the complete information about the image.

File Name - This is the complete file name of the image.

Format - Original file format of the image.

Width - Describes the width of the image expressed in pixels.

Height - Describes the height of the image expressed in pixels.

Bits Per Pixel - This is the image depth of the image. The bits per pixel can be either 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32.

Size on Disk - The physical file size stored on disk.

Size in Memory - Total amount of memory the image will take up in memory.

Compression - This field will show the compression method used in the file (if any).


Rotate

LEADVIEW for Windows allows you to rotate the image to any single degree increments. Also, you can select the direction of rotation.

The rotation process can be very complex and could take some time to process on larger size images.

Note that since rotation involves moving data from one location to another, the rotation process can affect the quality of the resulting image.

See Also . . .

How to rotate images


Resize

LEADVIEW for Windows lets you resize the current image to any width and height (in pixels units). By default, the aspect ratio is maintained. That is, the height of the image is automatically determined by the width. If you want to manually control the width and height, deselect the keeps aspect check box.

 It is important to keep a copy of the original scan or capture until you achieve the desired results.

Each time an image is resized, pixels of data are added in some areas and removed from other areas. If you resize the same image several times, the image quality will deteriorate.

See Also . . .

How to resize images


Crop

Cropping allows you to select a portion of the image to keep while the remaining part is discarded. This option is only available when you select an area to be cropped and in the Normal View mode.

The area to be cropped can be defined by moving the mouse to click and drag out the area.

See Also . . .

Edit Menu

How to Copy to the Clipboard

How to Paste from the Clipboard


256 Color Reduction

Since 32, 24, and 16-bit images can store more than 256 colors, LEADVIEW for Windows will allow you to reduce these images down to 8-bit, or 256 colors. There are various ways to optimize down to a 256 color palette.

To obtained the best quality during optimization, select Optimize under the Palette area. This process will select the best possible color palette for the selected image. For optimization using LEAD's Fixed Palette, select Fixed instead. You can also choose to include the standard 16 windows colors by checking the Include System Palette check box.

 If the resulting image is unsatisfactory, select Undo from the Edit menu.

See Also . . .

Dithering

Graphics File Formats


Dithering

LEADVIEW for Windows provides various dithering methods for color reduction. Using different dithering methods affects the resulting image. The dithering methods supported are known algorithms that provides high quality images.

Applying different types of dithering algorithm will result in various level of image quality. Make sure to keep a copy of the original image until you get the desired result.

LEADVIEW for Windows supports:

Flyod-Stein Dithering

Burkes Dithering

Stucki Dithering

Sierra Dithering

Stevenson Dithering


Window Menu

The Window menu allows you to manipulate all open windows within LEADVIEW. Windows can be minimized, maximized, closed, and arranged.  Menu items include:

Cascade	Arrange all open windows with the title bar of each window shown.

Title	Arrange all open windows so that no windows overlapping each other.

Arrange Icons	Arrange all minimized icons to be shown.

Close All	Close all windows. This closes all open and minimize opened file(s).

(open file list)	Shows all files that are currently open. Select the file listed to quickly open the window.


Photo Album Menu

The photo album menu allows you to create and open albums.

New	Create a new photo album.

Open	Open an existing album.

See Also . . .

Photo Album

Creating a New Photo Album

Opening an Existing Photo Album


Help
About Help

LEADVIEW for Windows v2.0

LEADVIEW is a unique image compression and conversion package that is JPEG-compliant, but also offers a compression format that produces smaller files of higher quality.

LEAD Technologies, Inc.

8701 Mallard Creek Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28262

Outside North Carolina call: 1-800-637-4699

In North Carolina: 704-549-5532

© Copyright 1991-1993, LEAD Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.


LEADVIEW Glossary
 Glossary

The following are available glossary terms for LEADVIEW for Windows. For additional information, please see the LEADVIEW for Windows User's Guide and the Microsoft Windows User's Guide.

active window

aspect ratio

bits per pixel

capture cursor

click and drag

client application (OLE)

clipboard

color mapped

Desktop Area

Fixed Palette

Icon

LZW Compression

Optimize

Palette

Photo Album Category

pixels

Run Length Encoding Compression

server application (OLE)

thumbnail

true color

window properties


bits per pixel

The number of bits used to define color in a pixel of image information. While 8 bits per pixel means that there a maximum of 256 colors, 24 bits per pixel means that there are a maximum of 16 million possible colors.


color mapped

Table of predefined color values assigned to the image. Most 8-bit file formats are color mapped images which provides a "look-up" tables to describe the available colors in the image.


RLE Compression
Run Length Encoding Compression

RLE compression relies on long stretches of repeating data and is most effective when an image's pixel values change infrequently. Some file formats such as PCX, TGA and BMP uses RLE type compression.


LZW Compression

Also known as LZ77 or LZ87, it is one of the best lossless compression techniques developed. This compression technique was the start of all dictionary based methods. The dictionary consists of all the strings in a window into the previously read input stream. Some file formats such as GIF uses the LZW scheme to store image data.


Desktop Area

The desktop area is defined as the entire screen of the Windows environment. Any open windows, icons and DOS screen will be capture if you choose to capture the desktop area.


Click And Drag

The term click and drag is the process of holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse to define an area. Once you have defined the area to capture, release the left mouse button.


 Capture Cursor

This is the capture cursor. When you want to capture a marked area, the mouse pointer will change into this shape.


client application
client aplipcation

A client application is the Windows application that contains the embedded object within its working environment. The embedded object can be any object such as a sound or image file that can be associated with a Windows application. Some Windows application can be both a server and client OLE application.


windows properties

Windows properties are items such as the title bar, control box, menu items, and dialog boxes.


pixel

The smallest unit of measurement for graphic images that can be displayed on the screen. LEADVIEW for Windows uses pixel as its unit of measurement when resizing and saving.


aspect ratio

The aspect ratio is determined by the proportion of width versus height. For example, an image with a width of 100 and height of 200 pixel has an aspect ration of .5.


Clipboard

A temporary storage location used to transfer data between applications.


Optimize

The process of reducing an image to the best 256 color to represent the image. See also palette.


Palette

A "look-up" table that contains (at most) 256 color entries that best represents the colors contained in the image.


Fixed Palette

The fixed palette is a predefined 256 color palette that comes within LEADVIEW for Windows.


Icon

Graphical representation of various Windows elements.


True Color

True color are also referred to as 24-bit images. These type of images contain the highest possible color ranges for a file format. 24-bit images can contain up to 16.7 million colors within the image.


active window

The window that you are currently using or that is currently selected. Only one active window can be activated at any time.


image description

Each image in the album can have a description attached to it. This desctiption can be a single line giving additional information about the image. You can type any one-line description about the image here.


category

You can place all images that have common reference in a single category (e.g. boats.)  You can have more than one category within a single album.


server application (OLE)

A server application is the application providing support for the embedded object. LEADVIEW is a server OLE application. It supports the graphical files formats embedded in a Windows application supporting OLE features.


thumbnail

A small represenation of a larger image. Thumbnail images are usually low resolution images.


Index

The following are topics found in this on-line help file.

BMP

Capture

CCITT

Close

CMP

Color Menu

Color Reduction

Commands

Compression

Conversion

Convert/Compress

Copy

Crop

Edit Menu

Empty Clipboard

EPS

Dithering

File Menu

Flip

Fit Image to Full Screen

Fit Image to Window

Full Screen

GIF

Help Menu

How To . . .

Image Menu

JFF

JPEG/JPG

JTF

LEAD CMP

Normal

Open

Optimization

Paste

PCX

Print

Printer Setup

QfactoridQfactor

Resize

Reverse

Rotate

Save As

Screens

Snap Window to Image

TGA

TIFF

Undo

View Menu

View Sequence

Window Menu

WMF

Zoom In

Zoom Out


Compression

Image compression is very image dependent. Compressing different type of images yields different results. The less colors and less complex the image, the more the image will compress. Conversely, if the image contains many colors and is complex, then compression will be less. In either case, the compressed size will still be considerably less than the original file size.

LEADVIEW for Windows supports various types of compression formats. Different compression scheme will apply to certain types of images.

LEADVIEW for Windows supports compression of:

JPEG

LEAD CMP

CCITT Group 3 & 4

LEAD Extended 1-bit

TIFF with LZW

Related Topics:

Qfactor

Alpha Channel

Compression Limitations

How To Change The Qfactor

How To Compress Images


JPEG Compression

JPEG stands for the Joint Photographers Experts Group and grew out of two standardized groups; CCITT and ISO. The purpose of JPEG compression is to provide a unified standard under which hardware and software developers can operate. Images with JPEG compression can be exchanged between a wide variety of hardware platforms and applications.

LEADVIEW for Windows supports various versions of JPEG compression. Two most popular methods are JPEG/JFIF (JPEG File Interchange format), more commonly known as JPG, and JPEG/TIFF. All LEAD JPEG formats are fully compliant. The LEAD1JTIF, LEAD2JTIF, LEAD1JFIF, and LEAD2JFIF are also JPEG compliant file formats. The JPEG compression method does not support 1-bit black and white images. The LEADVIEW for Windows User's Guide provides technical information about JPEG file formats.

LEAD1JFIF	JPEG File Interchange File Format using the Y:U:V 4:1:1 color space and will produce the smallest file.

LEAD2JFIF	JPEG File Interchange File Format using the Y:U:V 4:2:2 color space and will produce the second smallest file size.

JFIF	JPEG File Interchange Format using the Y:U:V 4:4:4 full color space and will produce the largest file size.

LEAD1JTIF	JPEG TIFF using the Y:U:V 4:1:1 color space and will produce the smallest file.

LEAD2JTIF	JPEG TIFF using the Y:U:V 4:2:2 color space and will produce the second smallest file size.

JTIF	JPEG TIFF using the Y:U:V 4:4:4 full color space and will produce the largest file size.

Color Images

The LEAD CMP format will always save color images as 24-bit color information. If the image is not a 24-bit (i.e. 8-bit 256 color) then the image is internaly converted to 24-bit before compression starts. To produce a smaller file size than the original use a higher Qfactor such as "Quality and Size Equally Important". Choose the "JFIF" compression option to compress color images.

Gray Scale Images

The LEAD CMP format will recognize true gray sclale image. True gray scale implies that the image contains ONLY 256 levels of gray shades within the palette. Choose the "JFIF" compression option to compress gray scale images.

See Also . . .

Qfactor

LEAD CMP

How To Compress Images

How To Change The Qfactor


Qfactor

The Qfactor is a number that determines the degree of loss in the compression process. The Qfactor can be a value from 2 to 255. For the maximum compression option, use a Qfactor value of 255. Conversely, use a Qfactor of 2 for the least amount of compression. JPEG and LEAD CMP compression will use this Qfactor value to determine the degree of compression. For LEAD CMP and JPEG compression process, it is recommended that you use the pre-defined compression options. The pre-defined compression options are provided to achieve maximum compression while maintaining the highest possible image quality. Some of the following settings are not available for JPEG compression.

Perfect Quality 1
This option compresses all colors of a 24-bit file and maintains the quality of the original image at a smaller file size. When viewing the image, all the original colors are preserved. This option will produce the exact image when decompressing back to the original file format.

Perfect Quality 2
This option is virtually the same as Perfect Quality 1. This option will keep the original colors intact but will not save any unnecessary information about the image.

Quality Far More Important than Size
This option removes colors not noticed by the human eye. Most viewers cannot tell the difference between an image compressed at this level compared to the original image.

Quality More Important Than Size
While more colors are removed, most of them are colors or shades that are close to one another. The compressed image will appear very much like the uncompressed image.

Quality and Size Equally Important
This option provides the most compression while maintaining good image quality. Try this option first, then move up or down the list accordingly to obtain acceptable compression size and image quality.

Size More Important Than Quality (Sharp)
This option is recommended for images that have sharp edges. For example, an image that has a text overlay or images with many straight lines. While it creates a large file than the next option, it retains better edges.

Size More Important Than Quality (Less Sharp)
The option produces less blocks in the image that the previous options. However, it may distort text or straight lines. It is a good option for image database applications.

Give Maximum Compression Keeping Quality
This option provides maximum compression while maintaining as high as possible image quality

Maximum Compression
This is a full compression implementation using the highest available compression.

See Also . . .

How To Change The Qfactor

JPEG

LEAD CMP


LEAD CMP

This format delivers a much smaller file size and better image quality than any other compression techniques, including JPEG. The LEAD CMP format produces smaller files size as well as higher quality resolution. The CMP file can only be read by software that supports the LEAD compression format.

When compressing using LEAD CMP compression, you should use the pre-defined Qfactor to achieve higher compression and image quality. An image that has been compressed using LEAD CMP can be converted to any supported file format.

The LEAD CMP format can compress:

•  8, 16, and 24-bit color images

•  8-bit gray scale images

•  1-bit black and white images.

Color Images

The LEAD CMP format will always save color images as 24-bit color information. If the image is not a 24-bit (i.e. 8-bit 256 color) then the image is internaly converted to 24-bit before compression starts. To produce a smaller file size than the original use a higher Qfactor such as "Quality and Size Equally Important". Choose the "LEAD" compression option to compress color images.

Gray Scale Images

The LEAD CMP format will recognize true gray sclale image. True gray scale implies that the image contains ONLY 256 levels of gray shades within the palette. Choose the "LEAD" compression option to compress gray scale images.

Black and White Images

The LEAD 1-bit CMP will produce a smaller file size than CCITT Group 3 or 4 compression. Choose the "LEAD 1-bit CMP" compression option to compress black and white images.

See Also . . .

Qfactor

JPEG


Alpha Channel

LEADVIEW for Windows will compress 32-bit TGA files while saving the Alpha channel. The alpha channel will be in a separate file with the same file name but will have a .ALF extension. Note that when compressing 32-TGA file using JPEG, the alpha channel will be stripped.

If you want to convert the CMP file back to the original 32-bit TGA format (including the alpha channel), make sure the saved alpha channel file (ALF) is in the same directory as the CMP file. If there is not an alpha channel file present, LEADVIEW will fill the alpha channel with zeroes.


CCITT Group 3 & 4 Compression

LEADVIEW for Windows supports compression of 1-bit black and white images. These types of images are usually found in FAX and document imaging applications. CCITT Group 3 and 4 compression standard is defined under the guidelines of the TIFF 6.0 specification. Supported compression for 1-bit images include:

•  TIFF CCITT Group 3 unmodified compression scheme.

•  TIFF CCITT Group 3 1D facsimile compression scheme.

•  TIFF CCITT Group 3 2D facsimile compression scheme.

•  TIFF CCITT Group 4 facsimile compression scheme.

See Also . . .

Compression

JPEG

LEAD CMP


LEAD Extended 1-bit Compression

LEADVIEW for Windows can also compress 1-bit black and white images. These images can either be 1-bit uncompressed formats or TIFF CCITT Group 3 or 4. This compression method is suitable only for compressing and decompressing black and white images.

When compressing using "LEAD 1-bit CMP" compression, you can use any of the following predefined compression settings:

LEAD Lossless Compression

LEAD Excelent Compression


Compression Limitations
Compression Limitations & Considerations

There are some considerations when compressing images. This section will give you some technical information about the compression process and its limitation.

JPEG Compliant

LEADVIEW for Windows is fully JPEG compliant. Any file using the JPEG compliant compression can be view and converted. LEADVIEW supports JPEG color spacing of RGB, YCbCr, YYbCr, and YCbCr.

4-bit and 1-bit Images

Image compression is geared more toward high resolutions images. As a result, it is impractical to compress 4-bit and 1-bit images using JPEG compression. Due to internal conversion processes, the resulting image will probably be larger than the original image. However, LEAD CMP 1-bit and CCITT Group 3 and 4 compression method can compress black and white (1-bit) images. The TIFF LZW format can compress 1 and 4-bit images.

8 and 24-bit Images

The JPEG and LEAD CMP compression process must convert the image data into raw RGB 24-bit information before the compression process begin. As a result, 8-bit images will take longer than true 24-bit images (TGA and TIFF). Also, if the original file is a 24-bit format, then the compressed file will give a higher quality and smaller size than converting the file to an 8-bit format and then compressing it.

Built-in Compression

Some graphics format already have built-in compression schemes. These internal compression scheme will affect the compression time and results. During compression, the data must be decoded for the compression process to start. For example, GIF image will have built-in compression scheme that will affect the compression time.

Gray Scale Images

Both JPEG and LEAD CMP will recognize gray scale images and treat them accordingly. Types of gray scale images includes the TIFF file format. True gray scale images are images that have the same RGB values for each component in the palette.


TIFF with LZW Compression

LEADVIEW can save your image files using the TIFF LZW compression format. This format will give you a TIFF compatible file that is smaller in size. The image file can be any pixel depth.

See Also . . .

Conversion

Graphics File Formats

How To Save An Image


File to file Compression

This is the recommended method for compressing images. This is done by selecting Convert/Compress from the File menu. This will provide the quickest and highest quality images since the image will not be loaded and dithered to the screen to match you screen resolution.

This method will also allow you to do batch conversion and compression. Select multiple files by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on the file names you want to convert or compress. Click on the file name again to de-select the file.

 File to file compression:

1.	Select "File" from the Main Window.

2.	Choose Convert/Compress. The "Convert: Sourve Image File(s)" dialog box appears.

3.	Change to the directory as needed.

4.	Hold down the CRTL key while clicking on individual file names to compress.

5.	Continue to click on individual files until you have selected all the files to convert/compress.

6.	Click on OK or hit the Enter key when you are ready to continue. The "Convert: Destination Image File" dialog box appears.

7.	Next, select the compression type from the List Files of Type drop down list. Supported compression are: LEAD, JFIF, JTIF LEAD1JFIF, LEAD2JFIF, LEAD1JTIF, LEAD2TIF, LEAD 1-bit CMP, CCITT, and TIFF LZW.

8.	Enter in a new width and height in pixels units. If you want the original width and height, then check the "Do not Resize" checked.

9.	Select the Qfactor for compression. For LEAD CMP or JPEG compression, you can use a Qfactor number or use any of the predefined options.

10.	Click on OK when you want to begin file to file compression.


Saving the loaded image as a compressed file

This method will compress the image data currently in memory. If you are not using a true color video driver, the image data in memory will change according to your video driver's number of colors. In most cases the image will have be dithered down to meet your graphics card requirements.

To save the original color information while working with a low color driver, use the Keep Two Images Option when the image is loaded. This will slow the view time but lets you work with the original image data. Do not have this option set if you just want to quickly view images without modifications. This will give you fastest display time since LEADVIEW does not have to make two copies of the image data.

 If you are not working with a true color video driver (16 or 256 color driver), the image data in memory will be changed to match you video resolution.

 Saving from a loaded image:

1.	Open an image for viewing with the Keep Two Image option selected.

2.	After the image has been loaded to the screen, select File from the Main Window.

3.	Choose Save As.

4.	Type or select the file name to save.

5.	Choose the compression scheme to compress.

6.	Select the compression Qfactor.

7.	Click on OK or hit the Enter key when you are ready to save the image to a compressed format.


Graphics File Formats

LEADVIEW for Windows supports numerous bitmap based file formats. The following list the formats the LEADVIEW for Windows can process.

Due to the many version of bitmap based formats, some version of a particular format might not be supported.

File Format	Description

TGA	Format created by Truevision Inc., and is also referred to as TARGA files. Most TARGA files are true color and contains up to 16 million colors. The file format also supports 16-bit which can contain up to 32,000 colors and 8-bit color mapped formats. LEADVIEW for Windows supports all uncompressed and RLE compressed TGA formats as well as gray scale formats.

TIFF	This is a tag-based file format designed to promote the more universal interchange of digital image data. TIFF is capable of storing 1, 4, 8, 16, and 24-bits per pixel images. LEADVIEW for Windows supports the TIFF 6.0, CCITT and LZW compression specification for TIFF formats.

BMP	Format used mostly in Windows based applications that can store 1, 4, 8, and 24-bits per pixel images. Also, some BMP images are compressed using RLE compression within the file. LEADVIEW for Windows supports all version of BMP formats.

PCX	This format was created by ZSoft. The PCX file format can store 1, 4, 8, and 24-bits per pixel images. This format compresses its image data using RLE type compression. LEADVIEW for Windows supports the compression of 24-bit, and 8-bit color and gray scale images. For conversion and viewing images, LEADVIEW for Windows can read 4 and 1-bit images as well.

GIF	The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) was created by CompuServe for storing and exchanging color raster images. GIF files can store 1, 4, and 8-bit color information. This format compressed its image data with the LZW compression scheme. LEADVIEW for Windows supports compression of 8-bit gray scale and color files. For conversion and viewing, it will support 1 and 4-bit images.

WMF	Windows Metatfile consists of a collection of "functions" that describes the image. Hence, WMF files are not bitmap based. LEADVIEW for Windows can only write out to this file format.

EPS	This is the Encapsulated Postscript format. This format can be used in any Postscript or compatible printers. LEADVIEW for Windows can only write to this format.

See Also . . .

Compression

JPEG

LEAD CMP


 Capture Images

LEADVIEW for Windows allows you to capture screen from any windows based applications. You can capture the entire desktop area or just a marked area.

When an image is capture, the captured area will be placed in its own window within the LEADVIEW for Windows workspace. From there, you can save the image to a file or manipulate the image.

Related Topics:

Capture Options

Capture Methods

Saving Captured Files

How To Capture Screens


Capture Options

Hide Window On Capture

This option completely hides the LEADVIEW for Windows opened window and icon during the capture process.

Keep Window On Capture

This option will keep the LEADVIEW for Windows opened window in its current position during the capture process

Minimize Window On Capture

This option will minimize the LEADVIEW for Window program into an icon.

See Also . . .

Capture Methods

How To Capture Screens


Capture Methods

You can capture screen using two methods:

•  In a Marked Area

•  Entire Desktop Area

Marked Area

When you capture a marked area, the mouse cursor will change into a "pointer". The pointer will define the capture area based on the next mouse click and drag. Once you have dragged out the area, LEADVIEW for windows will capture the defined area.

Desktop Area

Capturing the entire desktop area will essentially do an entire screen capture of the current windows screen.

See Also . . .

Capture Options

How To Capture Screens


 Photo Album

The Photo Album allows you to organize your images. These images can be organized into collections known as albums. Albums can have categories and descriptions of each image in the album. Each images shown in its "thumbnail" form. These thumbnails images provides you with a small representation of the image.

Features of the photo album include:

•  Display image name, resolution, category, description, and file format

•  Copy or move thumbnails from one album to another

•  Copy or move thumbnails from one category to another

•  Search for each thumbnail images by description, filename, and category

•  "Always on top" feature

•  "Drag and Drop" images to and from applications that supports drag and drops methods including LEADVIEW

See Also ...

Working With the Photo Album

Menu Commands

Album Screens


Photo Album Commands

The LEADVIEW Photo Album gives you additional commands to manipulate and manage your images. Commands that are available when using the photo album are:

File Command

Category Command

Image Command


Photo File Command
Photo Album File Command

The File command allows you to save the current album. Available menu items are:

Save

Saves the album as its current name. If the current name is "untitled," then LEADVIEW will prompt you for a file name to save.

Save As ...

Save the album as a new name. LEADVIEW will prompt you for a new file name to save the photo album as.


Photo Album Category Command

The Category Command allows you to sort and describe each thumbnail images in the album. Each album can have more than one category. Each category can contain a set of images and descriptions. Each image in the category can also contain a single line description about the image.

Add

Add an additional category to the album. You will be asked to enter in a new category name.

Modify

Change the name of an existing category. Changing the name of the category will also change the thumbnails that are associated with the category to the new category name.

Search by File Name

Search the entire category for an image based on the file name of the image. This is not a case sensitive search.

Search by Description

Search the entire category for an image based on its description. You can search with or withour case sensitivity.

Next

Perform the next search based on the last search method.


Photo Album Image Command

This command allows you to insert, delete, and replace thumbnails within the photo album.

File Info - CTRL I

Displays a dialog box showing information about the image.

Insert - Ins

Insert an new image at the current position. The current position is shown as a highlighted yellow square around the thumbnail image. The Insert key can also be used to add a new image. The inserted image will be place after the selected image and the preceeding thumbnails will be moved down.

Delete - Del

Delete the current image. All images after the deleted image will be moved up to replace the empty slot.


Photo Album Name

The title bar will display the name of the photo album. If the photo album does not have a name the the album will be named "untitiled."


Photo Album File

This is the file command. This allows you to save your photo album to the same file name or as another file.

See Also ...

File Command


Photo Album Category

This command allows you to modify, rename, search, or delete a category.

See Also ...

Category Command


Photo Album Image

This command allows you to insert, delete, and replace images within the photo album.

See Also ...

Image Command


Photo Album Thumbnail Images

These are the "thumbnail" images. The enclosed square signify that this is the current, or selected, thumbnail image. Squares that do not show a thumbnail image are empty slots.


Photo Album Source Category

This is the current category that the photo album has displayed. This is a drop down list box that can be used to select the current category. When the category is selected, all thumbnails associated with the category will be displayed. Each category will contain its own set of thumbnails associated with the category.


Photo Album Destination Category

This is the destination category. This is a drop down list box that will display all available categories within the photo album. Use this to copy thumbnails from one category to another. You can drag on a thumbnail and place it on top of the destination category to put the thumbnail image into a new category.


Previous Page

This arrow allows you to move from page to page within the photo album. If there more images to be displayed, this arrow will be available.


Next Page

This arrow allows you to move from page to page within the photo album. If there more images to be displayed, this arrow will be available.


Image File Name

This shows the complete file name of the image currently being represented by the thumbnail image.


Image Description

This shows a brief description associated with the image. You can enter any description you want in this field.


Always On Top
Control Menu

This is the standard Windows control menu. The control menu contains menu items that allows you to control the look of the current window. You will find the "Always On Top" command in this menu. The "Always On Top" check box will force the photo album window to always stay on top as the active window.


Working with the Photo Album

This topic contains procedures and information that will help you while working with the photo album. Click on the topic for additional information.

Album Management

Creating a New Photo Album

Opening an Existing Photo Album

Closing an Album

Saving a Photo Album

Moving Thumbnails between Albums

"Always on Top" Feature

Thumbnail Management

Selecting thumbnails

Adding Images into the Album

Moving Thumbnails in Albums

Moving Around in a Category

Adding a Description to the Thumbnail

Searching Thumbnails for an Image

Getting Thumbnail Information

Viewing the Original Image

Category Managemnt

Adding a Category

Deleteing A Category

Moving & Copying Thumbnails Between Categories

Modifying a Category

Searching Thumbnails for an Image

Drag and Drop Features

Using Drag and Drop

Moving and Copying Thumbnails


Adding a New Photo Album

A new photo album can be created by selecting "New" from the Photo Album menu in LEADVIEW's main window. Multiple photo albums can be opened allowing you to cut and copy between any number of opened photo albums.

 To add a new photo album:

1.	From the LEADVIEW main window, select "New" from the Photo Album menu.

2.	You will then be asked to enter a new category for the album. Every photo album must have at least one category.

3.	A new photo album will be displayed. The new album will be named "untitled" until you save it to a file name. You will then be given the chance to add new images into the photo album.

See also...

Adding Images into the Album


"Always on Top" Feature

The "Always on Top" feature can be found in the control menu of every photo album window. When this option is checked, the photo album will always be shown as the top-most window. This allows you to move images from one place to another more efficiently. Note that you can only have one photo album that will be always on top at any time.


Opening An Existing Album

Album can be opened and close as needed. Multiple albums can also be opened allowing you to copy and insert from one album to another.

 To open an album:

1.	Start LEADVIEW if it is not already running.

2.	Select "Open" from the Photo Album menu.

3.	Choose the name of the album you want to open. LEADVIEW's photo albums will have a default extension of ALB.

4.	Click on "OK" when you are ready to open the album.

5.	Repeat the steps again if you want to open another photo album.


Closing an Album

To close the album, double-click on its control menu box or select "Close" from the control menu of the photo album window.


Adding Images into the Album

When you add an image to the album, LEADVIEW will generate a thumbnail image. This thumbnail image is used to represent the original image. The thumbnail image can then be moved and/or copied to a new category or another album. LEADVIEW recognizes any supported image file formats.

Thumbnails image can also have a description associated with the image. You can enter a single line of text describing in more details about the image.

The generated thumbnail image will be inserted before the currently selected image. The preceding images will be moved to make room for the new image.

You can add image to the photo album two ways:

•  Select "Insert" from the Image menu

•  Moving thumbnail images from one album to another

•  Drag and drop files from another application

See Also ...

Moving & Copying Thumbnails Between Categories

How to insert images into an album

Adding a Description to the Thumbnail


How to Insert Images Into an Album

 To Insert from the Image menu:

1.	Select the album and category to place the new image.

2.	Select the position in the photo album where you want the images to be placed, If you are inserting over an existing image, the image will be move back to make room the new image(s). If the photo album is empty, then the first empty space is used.

3.	Select "Insert" from the Image Menu of the Photo Album window. Alternatively, you can press the Insert (or Ins) key to insert the new image at the current location in the photo album.

4.	Next, select the file(s) that you want to add into the album. You can select one or more image to place in the album. To select multiple file, hold down the CTRL key while selecting the files you want to add. To deselect an image, click on the file again. Also, you can use the mouse to select multiple file by dragging the mouse over the beginning and ending file names.

5.	Select "OK" when you are ready to add the images to the photo album. Depending on the number of images you select, LEADVIEW will then generate thumbnail images for each of the files and then place them into the album under the selected category.

6.	Select the album and category to place the new image.

 To Insert an Image using Drag and Drop:

1.	Select the album and category to place the new image.

2.	Select the position in the photo album where you want the images to be placed, If you are inserting over an existing image, the image will be move back to make room the new image(s). If the photo album is empty, then the first empty space is used.

3.	From another application such as the File Manager, select the file name of the image to insert into the photo album. You can select more than one file name.

4.	Hold down the left mouse button and drag it to any space in the photo album. The selected image will be placed in the new photo album at the current location of the photo album.

See Also ...

Moving Around in a Category


Saving a Photo Album

You can save a photo album to its original file name or save it as a new file name.

 To Save an Album:

1.	Select the album that you want to save.

2.	Next, choose the "Save" from the File. This will save the album to the current file name.

 To Save an Album to another name:

1.	Select the album that you want to save.

2.	Next, choose the "Save As" from the File menu.

3.	Type in the new file name and click on "OK".


Selecting Thumbnails

Before you move and arrange a thumbnail image, you must first select the thumbnail. To select an image, just simply click on the thumbnail image. After clicking on the image, a yellow border will be around the image.


Placing Thumbnails in an Album

The photo album allows you to move and add images to an album. Every time you add an image to the album, a thumbnail image is generated. The generated thumbnail is then inserted into the current location in the album.

See Also ...

Adding Images into the Album

Moving & Copying Thumbnails Between Categories


Moving Thumbnails in Albums

You can move thumbnails from any location in an album to another location, category, or even to another photo album. Selected thumbnails can be moved by simply clicking and dragging them to a new position within the album or to another album.

Note that you can copy the thumbnail by holding down the CTRL key while dragging the thumbnail to its new locations. This allows you to have two copies of the thumbnail images at different location. However, these thumbnails still reference the same file name.

See Also ...

Moving Thumbnails Between Categories


Moving Around in a Category

There are two ways to move around in a photo album:

•  Page to Page

•  Single Thumbnails

Page to Page

If there are more thumbnails to be shown, the photo album will make available to you a left and right arrow as shown below. You can use these arrows to move entire pages at a time.

Single Thumbnails

The cursor keys can be used to move from one thumbnail to another. When you press the cursor key, the yellow border (representing the selected thumbnail) will move accordingly. If the next thumbnail is on another page, then the photo album will shift the thumbnails over to display the next column of thumbnails.

See Also ...

Moving Thumbnails Between Categories


Adding a Description to the Thumbnail

You can attach a description to any thumbnail images. Each description can be up to 256 characters. These description can be to used remind you of some particular even or subject. The description can also be as a search criteria.

Once you enter a description, it will then appear at the bottom of the window every time you select the thumbnail image. When you move the thumbnail image, the description will be moved as well.

See Also ...

Searching Thumbnails for an Image


Searching Thumbnails for an Image

There are two ways to search for a thumbnail within an album:

•  Search by description

•  Search by file name

 To search based on description:

1.	Select the album that you want to search.

2.	Next, "Search by Description" from the Category menu.

3.	Type in the search string you want to search on. Check the "Match Case" check box if you want the search to be case sensitive.

4.	Click on "Find Next" when you are ready to start the search. When LEADVIEW encounters a match, the thumbnail image will be selected. The selected image will be shown with a yellow border.

5.	To continue to search, click on "Next" from the Category menu.

 To search based on file name:

1.	Select the album that you want to search.

2.	Next, "Search by File Name" from the Category menu.

3.	Type in the file name you want to search on.

4.	Click on "Find Next" when you are ready to start the search. When LEADVIEW encounters a match, the thumbnail image will be selected. The selected image will be shown with a yellow border.

5.	To continue to search, click on "Next" from the Category menu.


Getting Thumbnail Information

Getting thumbnail information provides you with technical information about the image. When you select "File Info" from the Image menu a message box will appear showing the complete information about the image.

File Name - This is the complete file name of the image.

Format - Original file format of the image.

Width - Describes the width of the image expressed in pixels.

Height - Describes the height of the image expressed in pixels.

Bits Per Pixel - This is the image depth of the image. The bits per pixel can be either 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32.

Size on Disk - The physical file size stored on disk.

Size in Memory - Total amount of memory the image will take up in RAM.

Compression - This field will show the compression method used in the file (if any).

See Also ...

How to get file information


How To Get File Information

 To get file information:

1.	Select the album and thumbnail that you want to get information about. Once you select the thumbnail image, a yellow border will be shown around the thumbnail image.

2.	Next, choose "File Info" from the Image menu. Alternatively, you can hit CTRL+I to get the information.


Viewing the Original Image

The Photo Album allows you to the original images from the thumbnail. There are two methods for viewing an image:

•  Viewing from LEADVIEW

•  Viewing from another application

Viewing from LEADVIEW

You can view the images using the LEADVIEW application. Just double click on the thumbnail image and the image will then be opened in LEADVIEW. Also, you can drag the thumbnail image from the photo album and place it on the LEADVIEW main window. This will signal LEADVIEW to open the image.

Viewing from another application

LEADVIEW's Photo Album uses Windows 3.1 drag and drop features. Any application supporting drag and drop capabilities can be used to open and view the original files. To open an image in another application, simply drag the thumbnail image from the photo album and place it in the application icon or main window.

Note that not all application supports "drag and drop" features. Check with its documentation to see whether the application has this feature.


Adding a Category

A photo album can have more that one category. Every time you add a new category, the category will add added to the category drop-down list box at the bottom of the photo album window. Use the drop-drop down list to select the current and destination category.

Once the category has been added, there will be no thumbnails associated with the category. You will then need to add images to the category as needed.

 To add a new category:

1.	Select the photo album you want to add the category.

2.	Next, choose "Add" from the Category menu. The "Add Category" dialog box will appear.

3.	Enter the name of the category. This name must be unique to the album. That is, no duplicates are allowed.

4.	Click on "OK" when you are ready to add the category to the album.

See Also ...

Adding Images into the Album

Moving & Copying Thumbnails Between Categories


Deleting A Category

Deleting the category will remove the name from the list of categories in the current album.

Deleting the category will also delete the thumbnail(s) associated with the category. It does not affect the original image file.

 To add a delete category:

1.	Select the photo album you want to delete the category.

2.	Select the name of the category that you want to delete by making sure that the album is displaying the category. The category name will be shown in the source category drop-down list box.

3.	Next, choose "Delete" from the Category menu. This will delete the category from the photo album.


Moving Thumbnails Between Categories

Moving thumbnails is based on the drag and drop features of Windows and LEADVIEW. Note that drag and drops features are only available in Windows version 3.1 only.

Moving the thumbnails from one category to another can be done by clicking and dragging the desired thumbnail image and moving the thumbnail to the destination category drop-down list box. Release the mouse button on while the mouse pointer is over the destination drop-down list box to place the thumbnail to that category.

The category on the left is the current (or displaying) category. The category on the right is the destination category. Any thumbnail that you drag and place on top of the destination category will be copies into that category.

Note that you can also copy thumbnail images between category by holding down the CTRL key while dragging and releasing the thumbnail over the destination category.

 To move a thumbnail to another category:

1.	Select the photo album.

2.	Display the category that the thumbnail is in by choosing the category from the left category drop-down list box. The thumbnails for the category will appear in the album.

3.	Next choose the destination category on the right category drop-down list. You will notice that the thumbnail associated with the destination category is not displayed.

4.	Find the thumbnail that you want to move by using the cursor keys or the mouse.

5.	Click and drag on the thumbnail from the photo album to the destination category and release the mouse button. If you want to make a copy of the thumbnail, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the thumbnail to the destination category.

See Also ...

Moving Around in a Category


Modifying a Category

Any category an be renamed. Any thumbnail that was associated with the category will also be renamed to match the new category.

 To modify category:

1.	Select the photo album.

2.	Choose the category that you want to modify by selecting the category from the Category drop-down list. You will notice that the thumbnails associated with the category will be displayed.

3.	Next choose "Modify" from the Category menu.

4.	Enter the new category name.

5.	Click on "OK" when you are ready to change the category.


Moving Thumbnails Between Albums

Thumbnails can be moved from a category of one album and be placed in another photo album. You must have both albums open to copy or move the thumbnails.

Note that you can also copy thumbnail images between albums by holding down the CTRL key while dragging and releasing the thumbnail over the destination album.

 To move thumbnails between albums:

1.	Open the source photo album by selecting "Open" from the Photo Album menu in LEADVIEW and locate the thumbnail you want to move.

2.	Open the destination photo album by selecting "Open" from the Photo Album menu in LEADVIEW and locate the position you want to place the thumbnail.

3.	From the source album, click and drag (with the left mouse button) the thumbnail and place it over the destination album at the location you want to insert the thumbnail.

4.	Release the mouse button when you are ready to move the thumbnail image to the new album.

See Also ...

Moving Around in a Category


Using Drag and Drop
Using Drag and Drop With Photo Album

"Drag and drop" features can help you work more efficiently while using the photo album. Copying and moving thumbnails can be done by simply holding down the mouse button while dragging the thumbnail and dropping it on the destination area.

Moving Thumbnails

When moving thumbnails, just click and hold down the left mouse button while dragging to its desired new location. When you are ready to insert the thumbnail, release the mouse button.

Copying Thumbnails

When copying thumbnails hold the CTRL key while clicking and dragging the thumbnail to it new locations.