Things you can do to bitmap images<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Today, bitmap image editing tools have become so
\nadvanced and so sophisticated and every day we see so many of
\ntheir new and creative uses around. Programs such as Adobe
\nPhotoShop, Aldus PhotoStyler and CorelPHOTO-PAINT! provide us
\nwith a raft of powerful tools and exotic filters that help us
\ncreate different effects automatically. Those with advanced
\nmastery of these programs combine the uses of the tools to
\nachieve stunning effects.<\/p>\n
So, knowing that I only have rudimentary knowledge of image
\nediting, I've always wanted to learn more about image editing and
\nretouching using some of these leading software programs. The
\nchance came as I got a copy of the newly released CorelPHOTO-
\nPAINT! 5.0, and I embarked on some serious exploration into
\ntoday's world of bitmap editing.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, bitmap editing is definitely not for those who
\nstill use a 386 machine, though. As my experience demonstrated,
\nthis paltry amount of power so frequently stretched my patience
\nalmost to its limit by forcing me to wait a long time for screen
\nredraws before I could see the results of the action I'd taken.
\nIn addition, the system frequently crashed when I tried a series
\nof more complicated actions.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, here are some effects that I've learned to use
\nand would like to share with you--if you happen to be curious
\nabout image editing as well. Please remember that although I used
\nCorelPHOTO-PAINT! 5.0 for the works that you see in the accompa
\nnying illustration, you can easily find similar tools in the
\nother top-notch image editing programs as well. In some cases,
\nthe other programs even beat CorelPHOTO-PAINT! in the quality of
\nthe resulting effects. The application of motion blur, shown in
\nthe BLUR.TIF window, would have given me a better result had I
\nused the much less expensive Image-Pals 2.0.<\/p>\n
Resampling<\/p>\n
Here's a method to get an image with the right dimension that
\nI wish I had learnt long ago. Formerly, I would just resize a
\nbitmap image to fit my need. I would import a bitmap image into
\nPageMaker or CorelDRAW! and resize it using the pick tool. The
\nresults were unpredictable; sometimes I got a smooth printout,
\nsometimes it was full with rough and ugly rasterized surface.<\/p>\n
If you rescale a bitmap image, it is important to use the
\ncorrect enlargement factor. In PageMaker and CorelDRAW!, to
\nensure that you get the optimum rescaled size for your bitmap
\nimage, you have to hold down the Shift key as you drag the
\nrescaling handle--usually the ones on the corners. The problem
\nis, the right size after rescaling may not be the right one for
\nyour layout. Whenever that is the case, you'll have to make a
\ncompromise between the quality of the bitmap image and the size
\nof the picture.<\/p>\n
The resampling command, found in most up-to-date bitmap
\nediting programs, offers a better solution. Take a look at the
\npicture in the WOMAN.TIF window in the illustration. I have
\nresampled the image into a larger one, using the same resolution
\nand color depth (color depth means the number of colors in the
\npicture, whether 16, 256, or 16,7 million colors).<\/p>\n
The reason resampling is a better method to enlarge or reduce
\nthe size of an image than just resizing is that you can apply the
\nanti-aliasing technique for inserting new pixels. This technique
\nchooses a pixel color that is the average between two adjacent
\noriginal pixels. A different technique in CorelPHOTO-PAINT! is
\nstretching and truncating, but the result is not as smooth as
\nanti-aliasing.<\/p>\n
When I resampled the image, I also specified that the new
\nimage should be 50 percent bigger. With a little calculation, you
\ncan resample an image so that the resulting one will fit exactly
\ninto the frame that you've prepared for it in your page layout.
\nThe best thing about resampling instead of resizing an image is
\nthat--as you can see in the illustration--the quality of the
\nimage does not change, unless you resize it again. In fact, you
\ncan even improve the quality by modifying the parameters, such as
\nthe number of colors if you're using a color printer or a 24-bit
\ncolor video subsystem.<\/p>\n
Motion blur<\/p>\n
At the bottom center of the illustration you'll find two
\nimages, each containing a picture of two motorcyclists on a race
\ntrack. I've applied the Motion Blur effect to the one in the
\nBLUR.TIF, which has given the picture the illusion of movement.<\/p>\n
There are two parameters in the Motion blur effect that you
\ncan play around with. One is the direction--whether up, down,
\nleft, right or diagonal. The other is the speed of the motion.<\/p>\n
Had I selected the pictures of the two racers with the lasso
\ntool, the result of the motion blur effect would have been more
\nrealistic, as the background would have remained sharp. As it is,
\nthe image looks as if it was a photograph taken with a moving
\ncamera.<\/p>\n
Emboss<\/p>\n
Applying the Emboss effect gives the impression that the image
\nhas been chiseled into a flat surface. Usually this particular
\neffect uses gray, light gray or dark gray to simulate a stone
\nwall.<\/p>\n
In most programs, you can specify the direction of the
\nlight--whether from the top, the bottom, left, right or
\ndiagonally. In some programs--unfortunately not in CorelPHOTO-
\nPAINT! 5.0--we can also specify the depth of the emboss.<\/p>\n
There are two important things to take into account when using
\nthe Emboss effect. First, you have to choose the right font for
\nthe text. Fonts with too many slanting lines do not make a good
\nemboss effect. On the other hand, rather boxy-looking fonts give
\na nice effect. In the illustration, I've used USABlack for the
\ntext.<\/p>\n
Second, different directions of lighting will give different
\nresults. Therefore, you should experiment with different lighting
\ndirections to find the one that gives the best readability.
\nIn the illustration, I added another effect to the emboss. First
\nI created a rectangle mask around the text, and then I applied
\nthe one-color granite canvass mask. The result would look much
\nmore impressive in full color.<\/p>\n
Vignette<\/p>\n
Take a look at the image in the VIGNETTE.CPT window. It looks
\nas if the text THE JAKARTA POST had been painted on a wall with a
\nrough surface, and a spotlight were used to light it. In full
\ncolor, the effect is much more eye-catching than in grayscale.<\/p>\n
I created the bitmap by first choosing yellow as the solid
\nfill color and applying STUCCOC.PCX as the canvas. Then I chose
\nbright red as the color, using the Color Roll-up. I added the
\ntext, using the Algerian font with 72 point size. Finally, I
\nchanged the color in the Color Roll-up to brown and applied the
\nVignette effect using the pen color option.<\/p>\n
Next week we'll explore some more of the special effects that
\nyou can achieve. Again, if you're lucky enough to have a 486DX2-
\n66 machine with 16 MB of RAM, you are free to explore more
\ncomplicated combinations of tools.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, here's some more information on CorelDRAW!
\n5.0's secret screens. If you don't press and hold down the Shift
\nkey when you double-click on the icons in the About CorelDRAW!
\ndialog box, you'll get a daylight version of the show. Now, click
\nthe right mouse button once, and you'll see something on the
\nscreen. Click twice, you'll see two of them. You can see only two
\nof them at any given time, though. Wait until one of them
\ndisappears before you click the right mouse button again.<\/p>\n
And now try this: Hold down the Shift key when you double-
\nclick on the icon in the dialog box. You'll get the night version
\nof the show. Click with the right button, and you'll see spectac
\nular fireworks in the sky!<\/p>",
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