Collage Creator Quick Start Guide

Transcription

ARCSOFT PRODUCT FAMILY
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PROFAM02
About ArcSoft
ArcSoft Inc. is a leading global provider or digital imaging technologies and services for
business and consumer use. The company develops world-class scalable imaging software and
infrastructure solutions for internet and network environments, delivering fully integrated,
comprehensive visual capabilities to corporate Web sites in all major markets. Its award-winning
desktop software is licensed to leading global manufacturers of still and video cameras, wireless
and mobile devices, printers, scanners and headquartered in Fremont, California, ArcSoft has
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sales and support offices throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
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of the software included in this package on any single computer. For each software licensee, the
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Table of Contents
System Requirements
1
Introduction
1
Getting Started
3
Adding Collage Pieces
4
Editing Collage Pieces
9
Creating New Collage Pieces
11
Saving Collages
13
Printing Collages
13
System Requirements
•
•
•
•
•
Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Pentium II-based processor or equivalent
100 MB free hard disk space
64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
16-bit color display at 1024 x 768
Introduction
Get ready—soon you’ll be creating the most unique and eye-catching collages ever. Collage
Creator takes all the fun from traditional collage building while leaves out all the messy paste,
paper trimmings, and most importantly, all the hard work. Because Collage Creator uses your
digital images, you’ll find it easy to construct and modify your collages in ways you never thought
possible.
One thing you’ll appreciate about the program is its ease of use. It’s a step-based program,
meaning all of the program options are segregated to prevent you from getting lost. While it’s
easy to use, this quick start guide will walk you through creating a sample collage. For more
detailed information on specific buttons, functions, and screens, consult the Interactive Help file
within the program.
Basic Vocabulary
If you’re an experienced user, you can probably skip this part and get right into the walkthrough. Otherwise, take a few minutes to learn these basic terms.
•
Digital photo/image/picture: The words “photo,” “image,” and “picture” can be used
interchangeably. Basically, any photo that you have on your computer is considered
digital. Once you scan a photo and it becomes a file on your computer—bingo—it’s now
a digital photo. The same can be said for documents. Text files are considered “digital
documents.” Once you print them out, they become “hardcopy.” It works the same way
with photos. They’re digital photos on your computer or digital camera until they’re
printed out, at which point they become “prints” or “posters” or whatever you print them
out as.
•
Thumbnail: A thumbnail is simply a small version of a photo, mainly used for
previewing.
•
Pixels: Pixels are the “unit of measurement” for screens such as your television or
computer monitor. Imagine a grid of hundreds or thousands of tiny squares covering
your monitor. Each individual square is a pixel. You’ve probably noticed that when you
zoom into a picture, it becomes blocky, with rough edges. This is because you’re getting
closer and closer to seeing the individual pixels that make up the image.
-1-
•
Resolution: You now know that the size of a digital image on your screen is noted in
pixels. Resolution is simply the measurement of an image’s width and height. For
example, an image that has a resolution of 100 x 100 means that it is 100 pixels high by
100 pixels wide. Note that this image may still look different on various monitors. This
is because your monitor has a “resolution” as well. Some people have their monitor
resolution set at 640 x 480; others have it as high as 1600 x 1200! In general, monitors
with a higher resolution will make pictures look much smaller than on a monitor with a
lower resolution. Why? If your monitor is set to a width of 640 pixels, a 100 x 100
image will take up almost 1/6 of the width. By comparison, the image will only take up
1/16 of the screen width of a monitor with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. It’s the same
100 x 100 image, but because of the different monitor screen resolutions, they appear
different in size.
•
DPI: This can be a bit confusing, but in principle it’s very simple. When printing within
the program, the size of the printed image is directly dependent on two things: resolution
and DPI (dots per inch). By setting the DPI for your collage, you determine how many
pixels will be contained in each inch that is printed. For example, if you have a photo
that is 1000 x 1000 and print at a DPI of 100, you’ll get a 10” x 10” image. Because the
image is 1000 pixels high and you’re printing 100 pixels in an inch, you’ll have a print
that is 10” high (divide the image pixels by the DPI). Here’s the confusing part. The DPI
that you use to set your print size is not the same as the DPI used to describe the
capabilities of your printer. For example, some printers can print at a DPI of 2000. This
means that for each inch that the printer prints, it will shoot out 2000 individual dots of
ink. Within the software, DPI refers to pixels printed per inch; with respect to your
printer, it refers to the number of individual ink dots the cartridge puts on the paper
within a single inch. A printer my use several dots of ink to make one single pixel of the
photo.
•
Image Acquisition Device: An “image acquisition device” is any hardware device that
you can connect to your computer so you can download, or “acquire” images. These
include digital cameras, scanners, and webcams. It’s basically a fancy term that has
been adopted to describe these things.
•
Driver: Drivers are actually programs or files that are placed on your computer
whenever you install a CD that comes with a piece of hardware. A driver basically tells
the computer what device you have, and is responsible for transferring data back and
forth from the device to your computer. Every piece of hardware you have on your
computer has a driver. Your printer, your video card, your modem, your sound card…
all of these devices have a driver installed on your computer that tell it exactly what the
device is, what it does, and how it does it. When you installed your flashy new digital
camera software, the drivers for the camera were installed as well. You can acquire
photos from your devices through Collage Creator, but the device driver is doing the
actual downloading or acquiring. Whenever you acquire photos, the program basically
sits and waits while the driver for your device goes to work. If you’re having problems
downloading/acquiring images, contact the manufacturer of your camera (or other
hardware device) to see if they have an update. Most companies have their drivers
available for free download on their Web site, and update them whenever issues arise.
-2-
Getting Started
Now that you have an understanding of some of the terms that are used when referencing digital
photography, let’s get started! When you first start the program, a window will appear with
some program settings:
•
From the pull-down, choose the type of paper you’ll be using when you print your
collage. Even if you aren’t going to print your work (let’s say you’re going to email it to
someone), choose a paper type you like since it will affect the general dimensions of
your collage.
•
Choose the desired orientation. Collage Creator lets you create both “portrait” and
“landscape” type collages.
•
The initial background color for your collage is white. Click the box to select a different
color. Think of this as choosing the color of the poster board for your project. The color
you set will be the default color for all new projects. You can always change the color to
whatever you want.
Once you click okay, you’re ready to go. Let’s walk though creating a collage! Notice that at the
top of the screen, there are 5 main buttons. Add Pieces lets you add your photos, clip art, and
text. Edit Pieces lets you modify any collage piece (add a frame or border, use a cool crop
shape, etc.). Make Pieces lets you use two mini applications to create new doodles and letter
cut-outs. Save Collage obviously lets you save your work, and Print Collage lets you print you
final project at various sizes across multiple pages.
You’ll automatically start out on Add Pieces. You need to add at least one collage piece before
many of the other options become available.
-3-
Collage Creator Walk-Through – Adding Collage Pieces
The first step in creating your collage is selecting the individual pieces you want to use. This
includes photos, clip art, and text. Notice that the left side of the screen consists of three tabs:
IMAGES, TEXT, and CLIP ART. Each tab allows you to add a different type of collage component.
Adding Images
You can add images stored anywhere on your computer. There are two ways you can do this:
•
•
From File
Choose a folder on your system from
which you can select images for
inclusion on your collage.
From Album
Choose an ArcSoft album, then use the
available thumbnail shortcuts to add
images to your collage.
If you choose From File, use the Browse button to select the folder you want. The photos in
that folder will appear as thumbnails. In general, it’s a good idea to keep all of the images on
your computer stored in one location. It’s good to create subfolders so that you can categorize
them, but generally, you’ll want them all readily accessible. The My Documents folder is a great
place to use because it’s easy to remember and find.
-4-
If you choose the From Album option, simply choose the album from the pull-down to see the
available thumbnails. To create a new album, choose “< New >.” You can then use the Add and
Acquire tools to add to your album. Consult the Interactive Help file within the program for more
specific directions.
Note: It’s important to remember that albums do NOT store images; they merely reference
where they’re stored. You can create an album that contains thumbnails of images stored in a
wide variety of locations. Albums provide you with a great to organize your photos by date,
occasion, etc.
Once you have your set of images listed in the pane on the left side of the screen, you can click
and drag any thumbnail to the main workspace to add it to your collage:
-5-
Here are a few commands that can help you quickly organize the photos on your collage:
Moving a photo:
Click and drag any photo
on the main workspace to
move it about the page.
Rotating a photo:
Click and drag the rotate anchor
to spin the photo.
-6-
Resizing a photo:
Click and drag any of the
corner anchors to resize the
photo.
Layers
Since collage pieces can overlap, you’re provided with the means of altering the stacked, or
“layer” order of the photos.
Move a selected piece up or down in the layer order by clicking the respective layer button.
You can also click the Layers button to see a visual representation of each
layer. You can drag/drop any layer to a new position. The thumbnails go
from top to bottom, representing the stacked order of the actual collage
pieces.
Click the eye icon to hide a layer. It can be useful to hide layers when
you’re trying to select a collage component that’s mostly covered by other
objects.
To delete a layer, click the trash can icon at the bottom of the layer
palette. This completely removes the selected item from the collage. It
serves the same function as pressing the DELETE key on your keyboard
when the item is selected on the main workspace.
Altering the Collage View
The View buttons allow you to alter how your collage is displayed in the main workspace. Let’s
take a look at the various options and what they do.
Best Fit: This is the default view. It displays the entire collage on the screen at the
largest possible size.
Zoom: Use these buttons to zoom in/out on your collage.
-7-
The current magnification will be listed above the Zoom buttons. If the Best Fit option is
selected, it will simply state “Best Fit.”
Adding Text
In addition to photos, you can also add multiple layers of text. Each text layer can be modified in
the exact same way as a photo.
Type your text in the text box. Use the pull-downs and
buttons to set your font, size, style, alignment and color.
Check the Shadow box to add a shadow to your text. In
the shadow preview area, click and drag to set the
position of the shadow. Use the sliders to adjust the
presence of the effect. When you’re ready, click Apply.
Your text will be set as a collage piece. You’ll be unable to
edit the actual words that you type, but you can resize,
rotate, and alter the layer order of the text. You can
include multiple text layers. Remember, once you click
Apply, the text becomes just like any other collage piece.
Adding Clip Art
Adding clip art is identical to adding images. Included in the program is a collection of clip art
images sorted into various categories. Simply choose the category you wish to view from the
pull-down, then add the clip art you want in the same way that you added your images. Rotate,
resize, and reposition each piece as you see fit. Don’t forget that you can also alter the layer
order to create virtually any type of overlap.
-8-
Collage Creator Walk-Through – Editing Collage Pieces
In addition to the editing we’ve already discussed (moving, resizing, rotating, and altering the
layer order), the program contains three tabs that contain fun image modifying features: CROP,
EFFECTS, and ENHANCE.
Cropping
The options under the CROP tab let you stamp out unique cutout shapes from your photos. An
entire library of crop templates is available. All you need to do is click on the crop shape you
want and it will automatically appear over the selected photo. You can reposition, resize, and
rotate the crop shape just you can a photo. When you’re satisfied with the crop shape, click the
Apply button. You can remove the crop shape by clicking the Restore button. If you move on to
another photo, you will be unable to use the Restore function.
Freehand Cropping: Click the Freehand Crop button if you would like to create your own
crop shape. The Freehand Crop window will appear with the selected photo in it.
Add Crop: Click here, then click and
drag on the photo to draw your crop
shape. You can also click in a “connectthe-dots” type fashion to create polygon
shapes.
Subtract Crop: This works the same
way as the Add Crop tool, but instead it
removes areas of an existing crop
shape.
-9-
The Reset button will remove the current crop shape on the photo. Check the Soft Edge box
if you want the cropped image to fade out along the edges. Use the slider to adjust the
intensity of the fade. If you’re satisfied with your cropped image, click OK. Otherwise, click
Cancel.
Adding Effects
Applying an effect works exactly the same way as applying a pre-defined crop shape. Simply
select the effect you want for any photo that you feel needs to be spiced up.
Here’re some examples of various crop and effect enhancements:
Color Enhancing
The ENHANCE tab contains sliders that let you adjust either the brightness and contrast or the
hue and saturation of a selected collage component.
- 10 -
All that you need to do is select the collage piece you want to enhance, then choose the type of
enhancement you want. Click and drag the sliders to adjust the values. If you’re happy with the
enhancement, click the Apply button. Click the Restore button to undo any modifications you’ve
applied.
Collage Creator Walk-Through – Creating New Collage Pieces
The program contains two utilities that let you create additional collage pieces. Both are great
tools that really let you add a touch of creativity to your work.
DoodleMaker lets you create transparent
drawings that can be added as clip art or
images to your collage.
Letterboard offers a set of magazine
cutout text so you can “paste” together fun
catchphrases, titles, or captions.
To draw, select the Pencil tool and click and drag on the workspace. You can control the color of
the paint as well as the color of the background. To erase any part of your painting, click the
Eraser tool and then click and drag over the area.
- 11 -
The size of the brush tip or eraser can be controlled with the Tool Size slider. Undo/Redo
buttons are also available to help you correct any mistakes that you may make. If you want to
completely start over, drag the Slide-Erase slider across the workspace.
Your doodle can be applied as a transparent object, just like clip art. Or, it can be applied as a
standard photo with a square, opaque background.
The Letterboard tool works almost exactly the same as adding clip art. In fact, the letter cutouts
are basically clip art images. The entire alphabet (as well as numbers and some symbols) is
available—just click and drag the characters you want onto the workspace. You can reposition,
resize, and rotate any character you add. Use the Layer buttons beneath the workspace to
adjust the stacked order of each individual letter. To remove a character, click it, then click the
trash can icon.
Once you click okay, the letters will be merged together onto one layer. You can reposition,
resize, and rotate the entire phrase. You will not be able to modify individual letters at this point.
If you make a mistake, just open the Letterboard window and create the phrase again.
- 12 -
Collage Creator Walk-Through – Saving Collage Pieces
Your collage projects can be saved as either “projects” or “images.”
Project Files
Project files are files that are exclusive to the program. These files retain each individual
component of your collage and allow you to edit each piece at any time.
Image Files
These are your standard “regular” photo files. Your collage can be saved as a single-layer, “flat”
image.
Save as a project file if you want to be able to edit your collage at a later time. You’ll want to
use this option if you have to stop working on your project, or if you feel that you may need to
fix or change parts of it at another time.
Save as a standard image file if you would like to email your collage to friends or family. They
won’t be able to read project files.
Collage Creator Walk-Through – Saving Collage Pieces
Printing images is a snap. The preview that you see is exactly how the page will print. Here’re
the essential details:
Adjusting the Print Size
You can do this one of two ways:
1. Use the slider at the bottom of the print options section. As you click and drag the slider,
you’ll notice the collage get larger or smaller on the page. You’ll see the width, height
and DPI just above the slider. For the best results, print at 200 DPI or higher.
2. Click and drag the corner handles of the collage directly on the preview page.
Moving Your Print
Click and drag your collage on the preview to move it around the page.
Setting the Print Orientation
Click the desired orientation button. You can print in either portrait or landscape format.
Choosing the Print Layout
You can print your collage on one page, or across several pages. Pick the format you want by
clicking on the corresponding bubble.
Printing Multiple Copies
Type in the number of copies you want printed, or use the + and – buttons to alter the amount.
- 13 -
Contact Information
N. America
46601 Fremont Blvd
Fremont, CA 94538
Tel: 1.510.440.9901
Fax: 1.510.440.1270
Website: www.arcsoft.com
Email: [email protected]
Central Europe
46601 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538 USA
Tel: +1-510-440-9901
Fax: +1-510-440-1270
Japan
Japan Support Center
M.D.S., Inc.
JTT Building 3F
3-3-4 Ueno, Taito-ku
Tokyo 101-0005, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3834-5256
Fax: +81-3-5816-4730
Website: www.arcsoft.jp
Taiwan
ArcSoft Inc. Taiwan Branch
Tel: +886 (0) 2-27181869
Fax: +886 (0) 2-27190256
Latin America
Tel (Brazil): 00817-200-0709
Tel (Chili): 800-202-797
China
ArcSoft Beijing Co., Ltd.
No. 6 South Capital Gym Road
Beijing New Century Hotel
Office Building
#1060
Beijing 100044, China
Tel: 8610-68491368
______________________________________________________________
Visit us at www.arcsoft.com
How to Register:
Register your program online at www.arcsoft.com.
Quick Start Guide:
Written and layout by Steve Toribio
Copyright 1999-2003 by ArcSoft, Inc. All rights reserved. ArcSoft Funhouse is a registered trademark of ArcSoft, Inc. All other brands
and product names are trademark or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Collage Creator Quick Start Guide

Transcription

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