Open or Save As dialog box

The Save As dialog box allows you to determine the name, location, and characteristics of a file when saving it. The Open dialog box allows you to locate and open a file of a specifed type.:

Look in/Save in: Locate a folder.

  View the contents of the parent folder.

  Create a new folder.

  View files as icons.

  View detailed information about the files.

File name: Identify the file selected for saving, opening or loading.

Files of type: (Only available in the Open dialog box.) Select a particular file format for opening.

Save as type: (Only available in the Save As dialog box.) Select a particular file format for opening or saving to.

Data type: (Only available in the Save As dialog box.) Select the amount of color information to use for saving the image to a file. This affects the number of colors that are used to display the image thus affecting the quality of its appearance. This is also directly related to the final size of the file that is going to be generated after saving.

Duration: Displays the duration of the selected clip or image.

File information: Shows the data-type, size, resolution, and other file statistics.

Save selection: (Only available in the Save As dialog box.) Saves any selected areas in an image.

Preview: (Only available in the Open dialog box.)Displays a thumbnail picture of the selected image. (Images with preview information automatically appear.)

Options: Define save options for the selected format. (Not all file formats have options.)

Browse: Search for files or folders.


Some file formats do not offer any save options. In this case, the Options button is disabled.


Browse dialog box

Look in: Locate a folder.

  View the contents of parent folder.

  Create a new folder.

  View files as icons.

  View detailed information about files.

(Note: Some of these options are not available in all dialog boxes.)

Folder name: Displays the path of the current folder.

File name: Defines the search criteria for finding files. You may use the * and ? wildcards to find files with similar names.

Files found: Shows all files found matching the search criteria in the File name box.

Scan: Expands the search to include any folders inside the selected folder.


This help file contains topics about certain Photo Explosion dialog boxes. You can access these topics through those dialog boxes or by clicking the Index tab in the main help system.


This help file contains topics about certain Photo Explosion Deluxe dialog boxes. You can access these topics through those dialog boxes or by clicking the Index tab in the main help system.


Insert Thumbnails into Album dialog box

Places thumbnails of newly saved image files into an existing album.

Album: Choose the album to insert the thumbnail into from the drop-down list.

Thumbnail Information: Displays the filename and description information for the thumbnail.

New Album: Creates a new album to hold the thumbnail.

Description: Adds a description for the thumbnail.

Apply To All: Applies the same description to all thumbnails.


Thumbnail Description dialog box

Type a description for the thumbnail being inserted into an album. This description appears when you click View: Photo Properties – Album Info.


New Album dialog box -- General
New Album dialog box
  General	  Fields
  Advanced

Determines the name location, and size characteristics for a new album.

Title: Type the title for the album.

Create album file in folder: Initially displays the current folder. Type the desired folder or click Browse to locate the folder.

Browse: Click to locate another folder.

Thumbnails: Enter the size, compression and color for the thumbnails in the new album.

Description: Displays default image description. Enter new description, add new fields, or use the default.


New Album dialog box -- General
New Album dialog box
  General	  Fields
  Advanced

Determines sharing and folder monitoring behavior for a new album.

Folder: Type the folder for monitoring.

Browse: Click to locate another folder.

File types: Type the file format to monitor or select from the File formats list.

File formats list: Select the file format to monitor.

Enable folder monitoring: Check to monitor defined folder.

Password: Type a password for access security.

Verify: Type the password again for verification.


New Album dialog box -- General
New Album dialog box
  General	  Fields
  Advanced

Assigns fields for thumbnails in the album.

Field name: Type the field name to add or modify.

Field type Select the data types for each thumbnail. Add/modify/delete from the user-defined list.

Add: Click to add new field name to the fields list.

Change: Click to change the selected field name's current field type.

Remove: Click to remove field name from the fields list.

Total fields: Displays the total number of fields in the album.

Fields list: Displays the field names and their field types in the album.


Certain field types can be modified provided that the field name is not computer default field by clicking on the Edit button.


Options dialog box -- Calibration
Options dialog box
  Calibration	  Postscript	  Halftone

Redistributes the color distribution in the image to correct for the printer's idiosyncrasies.

Use printer's default: Select to have the printer determine how to print colors and shades. This disables all other options in the dialog box.

Map: Drag the curve to remap the color distribution according to your needs. The horizontal axis represents the current image color values and the vertical axis represents the final values. The line shows the equivalent new value for each existing one.

Channel: Select which channel to edit. Master mainly affects brightness and contrast. The other channels specific colors

Show control points: Select to add handles to the mapping curve. This may make it easier for you to reassign color values.

Accumulatively: Select to have each change you make to the mapping curve add on to previous changes.

Smooth: Check to smooth the mapping curve after you create a freehand map. This may make the change to the image more natural.

Load: Use a previously saved map file to remap the colors.

Save: Saves the current map settings to use with another image

Apply enhancement: Select from a list of pre-defined mapping curves or functions


Options dialog box -- Postscript
Options dialog box
  Calibration	  Postscript	  Halftone

If you are printing to a Postscript printer, you can select the following options:

Use Postscript Level 2 features: Select to take advantage of Postscript 2 quality and compression features.

Best quality: Select to print at the best possible quality.

Compress bitmap: Select to compress images.

Default: Click to use Photo Explosion’s default settings.

Compress: Select the type and level of compression.

Type: Select a compression scheme.

Level: Select the level of compression. A lower value will compress the image more, resulting in a higher loss of detail.


Options dialog box -- Halftone
Options dialog box
  Calibration	  Postscript	  Halftone

If you are using a printer that does not support PostScript features, you can select the following options to configure the printer to print halftone images.

Use printer's default: Check to have the printer determine how to print colors and shades. This disables all other options in the dialog box.

Shape: Select a desired shape for each pixel in the image.

Optimized screen: Correct the range of colors in the image for the best printout.

Frequency: Set the desired distance between the centers of each halftone dot.

Angle: Set the angle for printing the dots.

Default: Click to reset all the custom settings to the printer defaults.


Convert to Black & White dialog box

Define the image characteristics for capturing or converting to black and white images.

Resolution

Select a resolution from the preset choices or define your own. When selecting a resolution, consider what you will use the image for. If displaying on screen, do not exceed the maximum resolution of the display. For printing, use the printer's resolution.

Halftone Screen

Shape: Choose a dithering option or a halftone screen shape. Here are some guidelines to help you decide which to choose:

None: No dithering or patterns are used for the image. All lighter colored pixels are changed to white and all darker ones to black.

Dispersed and Diffusion: Surrounding pixels are considered when determining whether to apply a black or white pixel. These options usually produce the best results.

Frequency: Choose a higher frequency for smaller dots. As the frequency increases, the pattern becomes less noticeable.

Angle: Choose the relationship of one pattern to the next. 0 degrees means the patterns are arranged horizontally across the image.


When you select a shape, the Frequency and Angle settings become available.


Convert to Indexed 16 Color dialog box

Palette

Select a palette type to apply.

Standard: Applies the standard Windows 16-color palette.

Optimized: Applies an optimized palette to the image. This often provides a better looking image, especially if your image has many shades of the same color. Colors not present in the image are not represented in the optimized palette.

Reserve entries: Select to reserve entries in the palette for Black & White or the 8 primary colors (Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black and White). The remaining entries will be filled by dominant colors in the image.

From file: Uses a previously saved palette (*.PAL) file. Click Load to select a palette.

Dither

Select a dithering method. Dithering reduces the effect of sharp edges between pixels of differing colors by adding intermediate colors to an image.

None: Use when the image is composed almost entirely of large single-colored areas.

Pattern: If selecting None results in blotchy images, this may offer a pleasing alternative.

Diffusion: Use when the image has multi-colored patterns, shading, and other fine points. While you can't avoid losing some detail, this usually produces the most pleasing results.


Convert to Indexed 256 Color dialog box

The Convert to Indexed 256-Color dialog box offers options for creating Indexed 256-color images. Depending on the format of the source, it may contain some or all of the following items:

Palette

The Palette selection determines the colors to include in a new image.

Standard: This uses the default 256-color palette shared by most Windows programs. This is most useful when you plan to use multiple images in the same program and you want them to appear consistently.

3-3-2 bits: This assigns a unique color to every spot in the color palette. This offers the widest range of colors, but may introduce some inconsistencies when displayed by programs that do not recognize the unique palette.

6-7-6 levels: This fills 252 assignments in the color palette. This is more than the number of assigned colors in the standard palette, but may introduce some inconsistencies when displayed by programs that do not recognize the unique palette.

Optimized: Use this to have Photo Express use the 256 most needed colors in the image it creates. This usually results in a much more accurate reproduction, but can cause compatibility and consistency problems with other programs.

Start index: Prevent colors with values below a certain level from being included in the image by identifying a starting index level.

Max number of colors: Limit the number of colors to include in the palette here. Use to add your own custom colors to the palette after the image is created without affecting existing pixels in the image.

Reserved entries: Select to reserve entries in the palette for colors from a previously saved palette.

From file: Use a previously saved 256-color palette as the basis for the new image. Click Load to search your system for the desired palette.

Dither

Select a dithering option to create the most accurate reproduction. The best choice depends on the source material.

None: Use None when the image is composed almost entirely of large single-colored areas.

Pattern: If selectinng None results in blotchy images, using Pattern may offer a pleasing alternative.

Diffusion: Use when the image has multi-colored patterns, shading and other fine points. While you can't avoid losing some detail, this usually produces the most pleasing results.


Black & White to Grayscale dialog box

Determine how many shades of gray to use when converting a black and white image to grayscale.

Cell size: For line-art images, where contrast and distinct lines are important, select 1. For photos or other images where you need finer shading, select a higher setting.

Scale down: Reduces the physical size of the image according to this setting. This may be useful for minimizing a "mosaic-like" effect that can result from conversions using large cell sizes.


Edit Keyword dialog box

Allows you to add, change, or remove items in the Items list.

Total items: Displays the total number of items defined in the List/Keyword field types.

New item: Enter the new item to add to the current list.

Items list: Displays the items defined in the selected field type. Click an item to change or remove it.

Add: Adds the new item to the Items list.

Change: Changes the selected item in the list with the newly defined item.

Remove: Deletes the selected item from the Items list.

Remove all: Deletes all items from the Items list.

Load: Loads previously saved items from other files.

Save: Saves the current items list for future use.


Edit List dialog box

Add: Creates an entry in the list.

Change: Replaces the name of the selected list with the new list name entered.

Remove All: Deletes all list names.

Load: Imports a previously saved list.

Save: Saves the list as a text file for future use.


Album Properties dialog box -- General Tab
Album Properties dialog box
  General	  File
  Fields

Title: Displays the title of the album.

No of records: Displays the number of items in the selected album.

Password protected: Displays "Yes" if the album has a password applied to protect it from file deletions or additions.

Monitored: If you have selected a folder to be monitored for changes, it is displayed here.

File format version: Displays the version of Album being used.

Description: Displays the description entered in the Thumbnail Description dialog box.

Mark file: Displays the mark file associated with the selected album.


File monitoring immediately updates your album when you add or delete an image file from the selected folder.


Marks allow you to tag thumbnails to easily identify your files within an album.


Album Properties dialog box -- Fields tab
Album Properties dialog box
  General	  File
  Fields

Displays the number of fields within the album and their names.


Album Properties dialog box -- File tab
Album Properties dialog box
  General	  File
  Fields

Thumbnail: Displays the size and compression scheme of thumbnails.

File attributes: Displays information such as file name, size and creation date.


Print dialog box

Determine how images appear when printed.

Printer: Identifies the currently selected printer.

Copies: Set how many copies to print.

Scale to fit the page: Check to resize the image to fill the page according to the printer's horizontal or vertical margins.

Center image horizontally: Print the image with equal amounts of white space on the left and right.

Center image vertically: Print the image with equal amounts of white space above and below it.

Title: Type a caption to print with the image. "&f" tells Photo Explosion to use the file name as the caption.

Printer: Click to access the Windows Print Setup dialog box.


Screen Saver dialog box -- General
Screen Saver dialog box
  General	  Music
  Info	  File List

Note

Click the Advanced button to display all available options.

Transition: Select a type of transition effect or select Random to have Photo Explosion to determine the transition.

Delay (in seconds): Determines the length of time an image remains on the screen before a transition effect begins.

Advanced: Reveals more options.

Repeat continuously: Select to display the selected images for the screen saver in a continuous loop.

Resize large images to fit screen size: Select to resize large images and graphics accordingly. (Images that are smaller than the screen size will not be resized.)

Use a common palette to show images: Select to use the system palette to show images and protect them from being distorted. (Only active in 256-Color display mode.)

Display True Color images at best quality: Select to ensure the best possible display of True Color images (Only active in 256-Color display mode.)

Hide pointer: Select to prevent the pointer from appearing during the slide show. Clear for the pointer to be visible during the presentation. (When the pointer is hidden, press the Esc key to stop the slide show.)

Text and background color squares:The color square at the front is for setting the text color. The color sqare in the back is for setting the background color. Click the corresponding color square to change the current color.

Font: Click to display the available fonts.

Load: Click to use a previously saved slide show and use as as screen saver.

Save: Click to save the current slide show for future use.


The transition effect controls the way the slides are replaced. You can select from 18 types: Blind (Horizontal), Blind (Vertical), Chess(Large), Chess (Small), Dissolve, Interlace, Louver, Random, Spiral (Inwards), Spiral (Outwards), Strip (Left-Downwards), Strip (Left-Upwards), Strip (Right-Downwards), Wipe (Downwards), Wipe (to the Left), Wipe (to the Right) or Wipe (Upwards).


Time specified does not include the time it takes to read or display images. This means that for large images, the time between images may considerably be longer than the specified amount.


Screen Saver dialog box -- Info
Screen Saver dialog box
  General	  Music
  Info	  File List

Note

Click the Advanced button to display all available options.

Transition: Select a type of transition effect or select Random to have Photo Explosion to determine the transition.

Delay (in seconds): Determines the length of time an image remains on the screen before a transition effect begins.

Advanced: Reveals more options.

Attributes to show: Select the boxes for text information to display in the screen saver.

Subject: Specify a word that can give an idea about the screen saver.

Location: Select where to display the text on the screen when playing the screen saver.

Alignment: Select where to align the text, to the left, right, or center.

Text and background color squares: The color square at the front is for setting the text color. The color square at the back is for setting the background color. Click the corresponding color square to change the current color.

Font: Click to display the available fonts.

Load: Click to use a previously saved slide show and use as as screen saver.

Save: Click to save the current slide show for future use.


Screen Saver dialog box -- Music
Screen Saver dialog box
  General	  Music
  Info	  File List

Note

Click the Advanced button to display all available options.

Transition: Select a type of transition effect or select Random to have Photo Explosion to determine the transition.

Delay (in seconds): Determines the length of time an image remains on the screen before a transition effect begins.

Advanced: Reveals more options.

List files (to be played): Displays the audio files to play for the screen saver.

Remove: Click to delete the selected audio file from the list.

Remove All: Click to delete all audio files from the list.

Add: Click to search for other audio files and add them to the current list.

Info: Click to display more detailed information about the selected audio file.

Repeat continuously: Select to play the selected background music continuously. (If you are playing only one MIDI or sound (.WAV) file, select this option so that the sound doesn't stop during the presentation.)

Text and background color squares: The color square at the front is for setting the text color. The color square in the back is for setting the background color. Click the corresponding color square to change the current color.

Font: Click to display the available fonts.

Load: Click to use a previously saved slide show and use as as screen saver.

Save: Click to save the current slide show for future use.


Screen Saver dialog box -- File List
Screen Saver dialog box
  General	  Music
  Info	  File List

Note

Click the Advanced button to display all available options.

Transition: Select a type of transition effect or select Random to have Photo Explosion to determine the transition.

Delay (in seconds): Determines the length of time an image remains on the screen before a transition effect begins.

Advanced: Reveals more options.

List files (to be played): Displays the names of the image files you have selected to use in the screen saver. (You must select Update Screen Saver file list in the Screen Saver Options panel.)

Remove: Click to delete the selected file from the list.

Remove All: Click to delete all the files from the list.

Add: Click to search for other files and add them to the current list.

Info: Click to display more a detailed information about the selected file.

Text and background color squares: The color square in the front is for setting the text color. The color square at the back is for setting the background color. Click the corresponding color square to change the current color.

Font: Click to display the available fonts.

Load: Click to use a previously saved slide show and use as as screen saver.

Save: Click to save the current slide show for future use.


Set Text/Background Color dialog box

Select colors for the slide show text and background.

Basic colors: Select a color to use from the standard Windows color palette.

Custom colors: Select a color you created and saved using the Custom Colors dialog box.

Define Custom Colors: Create a color from a palette showing all available options for your computer.


Font dialog box

Allows you to set a typeface to use for the text in a slide show presentation.

Font: Select a typeface from the list.

Font style: Select a style for the selected font.

Size: Set a size for the selected font.

Effects::Select the effects to apply on the selected font.

Sample display: Provides a preview of the defined typeface.


If you are in high-resolution display mode, such as 1024x768, increase your font size to better see the names of the thumbnails. Likewise, in 640x480 resolution,you may want to reduce the font size.