Using Framed Images

Pixlabs - Smart Digital Photography Software

Using Your Framed Images

Now that you have created some interesting frames, you probably want to show your work to others. PhotoFramer is designed to help you with these tasks.

A primary use of digital images is to share with friends and family. PhotoFramer is designed to interface with your MAPI compatible email program to provide a simple way to send your framed images. Once you have created a framed image that you like, choose Email… from the File menu.

Figure 17 –Email Image Sizer Window

The Email Image Sizer window will be displayed to help you pick an appropriate size for your image. For email, it is important to create the right size of image to send. If you are sending your image to someone with a modem, they won’t appreciate you sending a full sized image that clogs up their modem and then is too large to display on the screen. PhotoFramer gives you a powerful way to adjust the parameters that control the file size of your image. There are two main things that control the file size of a JPEG image, the dimensions (how many pixels) and compression. If you give the image small dimensions it will take up less space on disks and email, however, it will also be smaller on the screen and not show as much detail. A little less intuitive is compression. Compression is a mathematical way of omitting some details when you save the image and then reconstructing it when you reload it. This process isn’t perfect, so some detail is lost in the process. If you use a lot of compression, the file size will get small, but your image will lose detail. If you use very little compression, the image will preserve its detail but it will have a large file size.

On the left size of the Image Sizer window, you choose the image dimensions and amount of compression. On the right side of the window is information about the resultant image. It includes the size of the image in bytes as well as the approximate time it will take to download based on different connection speeds.

In addition, you may press the Preview button to see the resultant image. To dismiss the preview image, you must simply click on it.

Once you are satisfied with the image quality, size and download speed, select OK and the image will be attached to an email that will open in you email editor. You can then enter the recipient’s email address and type in your personal message.

Using Framed Images on Web Pages

Images from PhotoFramer can be used to spice up images on a web page. By setting the wall color to match the web page background color, you can create impressive effects that blend right into your web page. Of course adding traditional looking frames can create an effect more like visiting a photo gallery. Other effects are also possible. One attractive effect is to use the Floating Photo style with a wall color that matches the web page background. The image appears to jump off the page. This is effective for both thumbnails and large images.

Images used in web pages have similar issues to those that are sent via email. Namely the image file size is very important because images are downloaded via a connection to the internet. In addition, web pages are often planned to work well with screens of a certain size. If the web site is designed to be best viewed on an 800 x 600 screen then the height of the image should not exceed 600 pixels and the width should not exceed 800 pixels. Because of this it is often useful to size portrait and landscape orientation images differently. Portrait orientation (taller than they are wide) images should not exceed 600 pixels in height and landscape orientation images (wider than they are tall) should not exceed 800 pixels in width.

PhotoFramer allows you to size images for best viewing on a particular screen size. In the About menu choose the Options item to bring up the Options window. The Image Save tab should be active. Click the Query for quality and dimensions on each save checkbox (see page 33). Now, each time you save you will be able to control the size of the image that you save. Now when you choose the File menu Save As… item, the Image Sizer window will appear to help you control the size of the file you create. Of special relevance here is the option to save images optimized for a certain screen size as well as thumbnail sized images.

Printing

PhotoFramer can help you easily create beautifully framed prints that you will be proud to display. There are two ways that PhotoFramer can help.

First, PhotoFramer can help you choose frame and mat colors and sizes. By experimenting with different combinations, you can determine the type and colors that best suit your picture. You can then print the image and take it to the local frame shop to find the closest matching mats and frames.

Second, PhotoFramer can help you save money and time by printing your mat with the picture. By choosing a style like Mat Only, you can create a print that can be placed in a frame and give the appearance of being matted.

Figure 18 - Print Sizer

When you choose File menu Print… the Print Sizer window will appear. You must press the Printer Setup button to set the paper size and type that you currently have loaded into your printer. Then you may choose a size from the selections on the left. If the Center on Page option is selected, the image will be printed in the center of the page. If the Print near Edge to Conserve Paper option is selected, the print will be placed near the upper left corner of the sheet of paper. This is a useful option if you are printing images smaller than the paper loaded into your printer. You may be able to make a print, then turn the paper upside down and print a second picture.

You may have noticed that different sizes of prints have different aspect ratios (ratio of width to height). A landscape orientation 3” x 5” print is 3 parts height for every 5 parts width. So if the print’s dimensions were doubled it would be 6” x 10”. Clearly a print with these dimensions will cut off parts of the picture that would be shown in an 8” x 10” print because the height is only 6” instead of 8”.

The Adjust Aspect Ratio checkbox controls how PhotoFramer handles the situation where your framed image’s aspect ratio is not the same as the desired print aspect ratio. If the box is unchecked, no special adjustments are made. PhotoFramer will make one dimension match the desired size and the other dimension will be determined by the aspect ratio of the image.

If the Adjust Aspect Ratio checkbox is checked then the outermost frame component is stretched to fill in any extra space required to fill the desired aspect ratio. If the Wall is active, it will be stretched, otherwise, if the Frame is active it will be stretched etc. This feature is very useful when using styles like MatteOnly to print matted images to place in a picture frame. With the MatteOnly style, checking this option will cause the outer mat to be stretched to fit exactly in your desired frame.

Once you have the parameters configured to your liking, you can press the Preview button to see what your image will look like printed. If you are satisfied, you can press the Print button to start the printing process.

Viewing

Zooming

Figure19 - View Menu

PhotoFramer provides you with several different ways to look at your framed images. These options are set using the View menu. When the Fit to Window menu item is selected, images that are larger than the window are reduced to fit in the window. If you resize the PhotoFramer window, the image is resized to fit it. For most situations this will work well, however, should you wish you may use the menu items or keyboard commands to zoom in and out.

When zoomed in, you may use the scroll bars or the arrow keys on the keyboard to move around the image.

For the highest quality, most detailed view, be sure to turn off the Downsample option described in General Options (page 38) before zooming in.

Rotating

Figure20 - Rotate Menu