Gobe Productive User's Guide - Image Processing Tools and Plugins

- Working in the Image Processing environment
- Image Processing tools and plugins
- Cropping an image
- Deselect and unfloat a selection
- Placing images in other documents

# Image Processing Tools and Plugins

Image Processing Tools | Image Processing Plugins | Retouching Images

## Image Processing Tools

Several tools are available in the Image Processing environment with which you can alter your images.

The descriptions of these tools are below:

Marquee Tool: The Marquee Tool is used to select a certain area of the image. The cursor changes to display a crosshair with which you draw a box around the area of the image you want to select. The selection is identified by a border of black and white dashes. You can move a selection, copy or delete its contents, alter its colors, apply a filter to it, and more. To select more than one area, click and hold [SHIFT] while you make the selection. To decrease the area selected, hold [ALT] while you make the selection.

To deselect an area go to the Image menu and click Deselect. The selection is thus removed. Another way to do this is to hold down the [SHIFT][ALT] and [A] keys at the same time, or simply Undo the action.

Lasso Tool: The Lasso is another selection tool. It is more flexible than the Marquee, allowing you to draw a selection freehand, effectively "lassoing" an area of the image. To select more than one area, click and hold [SHIFT] while you make the selection. To decrease the area selected, hold [ALT] while you make the selection.

To deselect an area go to the Image menu and click Deselect. The selection is thus removed. Another way to do this is to hold down the [SHIFT][ALT] and [A] keys at the same time, or simply Undo the action.

Magic Wand Tool: The Magic Wand is also a selection tool. But, contrary to the Marquee Tool in which you define the edges of the selection, this tool selects contents by color. After you click on the Magic Wand Tool, select the desired color and release the mouse button. A marquee surrounds the area containing the selected color. You can then move, copy, delete, or otherwise change the selection. To select more than one area, click and hold [SHIFT] while you make the selection. To decrease the area selected, hold [ALT] while you make the selection.

Right click on the Magic Wand Tool to display the Magic Wand tolerance slide bar. This bar selects how "tolerant" the color matching is. A tolerance of 0 means that the Magic Wand only chooses exactly the color selected, not any colors similar to it. A tolerance of 100 means that any color matches the chosen color. Basically, if the Magic Wand tolerance is 100, it is tolerant of any color differences, and thus the whole image is selected.

To deselect an area go to the Image menu and click Deselect. The selection is thus removed. Another way to do this is to hold down the [SHIFT][ALT] and [A] keys at the same time, or simply Undo the action.

Magnify Tool: This tool increases the magnification level of the image. To zoom in, click the image with the primary mouse button. This increases the magnification factor by one level, centered on the click location. To zoom out, use the Zoom Tool, or hold the Option key and click the image with the primary mouse button. This decreases the magnification factor by one level, centered on the click location.

To zoom in on a particular area, click and drag on the image. A marquee will be displayed; when the mouse is released, that area will be zoomed to fit the window.

Find Color Tool: Click on this tool to select all areas that contain the foreground color (as seen in the Color Picker). To deselect the area, click on the tool again.

Right click on the Find Color Tool to display the Find Color tolerance slide bar. This bar selects how "tolerant" the color matching is. A tolerance of 0 means that the tool only finds and selects the exact color displayed in the Color Picker. It does not find any colors similar to it. A tolerance of 100 means that any color matches the chosen color. Basically, if the Find Color tolerance is 100, it is tolerant of any color differences, and thus the whole image is selected. To select more than one area, click and hold [SHIFT] while you make the selection. To decrease the area selected, hold [ALT] while you make the selection.

To deselect an area go to the Image menu and click Deselect. The selection is thus removed. Another way to do this is to hold down the [SHIFT][ALT] and [A] keys at the same time, or simply Undo the action.

Pencil: Use the pencil to draw freehand over the image. The pencil uses the foreground color displayed in the Color Picker. To only draw within a specific area, select the area with one of the selection tools first.

To draw a straight vertical or horizontal line, hold down the [SHIFT] key while drawing.

If you hold the Windows/OPTION key with the Pencil Tool selected, the Eyedropper Tool will become selected.

| Eraser Tool: Use the eraser to erase the image to the background color displayed in the Color Picker. The area erased is the same as that obscured by the cursor, regardless of the zoom scale. To only erase within a specific area, select the area with one of the selection tools first.
| Eye Dropper Tool: Use the Eye Dropper Tool to pick an active color from the image. Selecting from the image lets you match colors exactly. Left click on the color in the image to change the foreground color. The Color Picker displays the selected foreground color. If you want to select a color from the image and use it as a background color, follow the steps above as if you were choosing a foreground color. Once this is done, proceed to switch the foreground and background colors using the arrow in the Color Picker.

Bucket Tool: Use this tool to fill an area with the foreground color. Place the black lip of the bucket on the area you wish to fill. Click to change the color of the selected area to the foreground color. If you want to fill within a specific area, select it first with the Marquee Tool. The bucket then only applies color within that selection.

Right click on the Bucket Tool to display the Bucket Fill tolerance slide bar. This bar selects how "tolerant" the color matching is. A tolerance of 0 means that the tool only fills areas that have the exact same color of the area clicked on. It does not fill areas where the color is merely similar to the color clicked on with the bucket. A tolerance of 100 means that any color matches the chosen color. Basically, if the Bucket Fill tolerance is 100, it is tolerant of any color differences, and thus the whole image is filled with the foreground color.

If you hold the Windows/OPTION key with the Bucket Tool selected, the Eyedropper Tool will become selected.

Air Brush Tool: This tool simulates painting with an airbrush or spray can. To determine how the tool applies color, right click on the Air Brush Tool. This displays a dialog box with the air brush configuration options. If you want to paint only within a specific area of the image, select that area first with the Marquee Tool. Color will only be applied within that area.

Right click on the Air Brush Tool to display the Air Brush settings dialog. This dialog allows you to set the radius (size), flow rate, spacing, and focus (sharpness) of the Air Brush Tool.

If you hold the Windows/OPTION key with the Air Brush Tool selected, the Eyedropper Tool will become selected.

## Image Processing Plugins

Image Processing Plugins are used to retouch images. This release of the Gobe Productive suite includes a variety of common retouching tools.

Since each system and image is different, it is difficult to accurately describe the output of the image processing plugins. The particular outcome of each plugin varies widely based on color depth and resolution. Therefore, Gobe Software recommends experimenting with each plug-in to locate the desired effect.

Retouching actions are performed to the entire image unless a specific area is selected. For example, if you select a portion of an image and apply a blur, only the selected portion is blurred. All other areas of the image remain untouched.

In this example, a portion of the image was retouched (using a blur effect). The remainder of the image remains untouched.

### To Retouch an Image

1. Select the portion of the image you wish to retouch. If you want to retouch the entire image, you do not need to select anything.
2. Each retouching tool is located on the Plugins menu. The retouching tools are sorted into general categories. Some tools do not require any configuration. Others display dialog boxes to configure the different options of the component.
3. Follow any on-screen instructions associated with the retouching tool.

Copyright © 1999, Gobe Software, Inc