Copyright: (c) 1996-1997 ACD Systems, Ltd.


Overview

Congratulations on choosing PicaView 32 version 1.3  the fastest and easiest-to-use Explorer add-on for viewing images.

Features

•	displays thumbnail, format and dimensions of selected image in context menu

•	handles BMP, DCX, GIF, IFF-ILBM, JPEG, PCX, Photo-CD, SoftImage PIC, PNG, PhotoShop PSD, SGI, TGA, TIFF and WMF image formats

•	rapid image decoding with incremental display and zoom

•	highly configurable image printing with print preview and contact sheet capability

•	auto enlarge or reduce image to fit screen

•	sets the desktop wallpaper to any image

•	single or batch format conversion of images to BMP, PCX, JPEG (including progressive JPEG) or TGA

•	256 colour and high colour quantization/dithering modes for high quality output

•	includes installation and uninstallation software

•	New! rotate JPEG images with no image degradation

Minimum System Requirements

•	Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0

•	Video display of at least 256 colours


What cat I do with PicaView?
What can I do with PicaView?

Because PicaView is an Explorer extension, PicaView is always ready and available to use.  PicaView conveniently lets you do many useful things with images, all without having to leave Explorer and start a separate application:

Thumbnails

When you click on a file with the secondary mouse button in Explorer, My Computer, Find Files results, or File | Open/Save windows, you will get a pop-up menu, or context menu.  PicaView will examine the file you clicked on, and if it is an image, it will insert a thumbnail of the image into the menu.

Image display

If you select the thumbnail image in the context menu, PicaView will open the image full-size in a new window.  You can zoom the image in and out, and scroll images that are larger than the screen size.

Printing

PicaView lets you print images either one at a time, or as a batch.  You can also print just a selected part of an image.

Contact sheets

When you select more than one image and click on the selection, PicaView adds a Print selected command to the context menu.  You can then configure the Print Setup window to print out the images as thumbnails.

Format conversion and rotation

You can convert one image type (PCD, TIFF, etc...) to another (BMP, JPG, etc.)  You can even convert a group of files at once.  You can also rotate JPEG images without any loss in image quality.

Copy to clipboard

You can copy an image to the clipboard, or from full-size windowed view, copy a selected part of an image.

Wallpaper

You can turn any image, or a selected part of an image, into Windows desktop wallpaper, centered or tiled.


Changes
Changes - What’s new in version 1.3?

+	New feature

o	Minor change

!!	Bug fix

Changes since version 1.21

+	all new, highly configurable print module with print preview and contact sheet capability

+	lossless JPEG rotation

+	support for SGI image format

+	gamma correction

+	configurable thumbnail size

+	configurable quantization and dithering

+	copy to clipboard

+	set wallpaper to selection

+	convert to TGA

o	option to add thumbnail to sub-menu instead of top-level menu

o	use device-dependent bitmaps option corrects problems with some video drivers

o	disable GIF animation option

o	compatibility mode option to work with 3rd party Explorer applications that do not support IContextMenu3

o	support for TIFF images with 16-bit samples

!!	fixed errors reading certain image types

Changes since version 1.2

+	print support for multi-page images (DCX and TIFF)

!!	context menu in view windows did not come up with right mouse button

!!	only the first line of a long file description was rendered during printing

Changes since version 1.12

+	batch format conversion

+	convert to PCX

+	JPEG conversion options

o	convert 1bpp images to JPEG

!!	fixed problem handling RLE encoded BMP files with delta escapes

!!	fixed support for 16/32 bpp BMP files using BI_BITFIELDS encoding

!!	worked around bug in Win95 that caused system resource leak when decoding WMF files

!!	changed PCX decoder to correctly decode badly encoded images: those where byte runs cross row boundaries and those with incorrect 256 colour palette markers

!!	fixed support for EGA PCX images

!!	updated Internet Explorer 4.0 extensions to work with IE 4.0 release

Changes since version 1.11

!!	bug could cause Explorer to crash when closing PicaView windows

!!	possible failure displaying large images in Windows 95

!!	worked around bug in Win32 that prevented Options dialog from displaying

!!	problem handling animated GIF images with missing GCE's

Changes since version 1.1

+	added support for SoftImage PIC format

+	added support for DCX format (multi-page PCX FAX)

+	added support for IFF HAM, HAM8 and EHB sub-formats

+	added support for JPEG-CMYK and PSD-CMYK

+	added German and French language support

o	reduced memory overhead for loading GIF images

!!	some interlaced animated GIF images were not decoded properly

!!	fixed bug which could cause Explorer to crash after closing certain images

!! wallpaper would not set correctly on Windows NT/97

!! round-off error could cause horiztonal lines to appear when decoding interlaced images at a high zoom level

!!	removed Internet Explorer 4.0 extensions, which no longer work with the IE 4.0 release version

Changes since version 1.0

+	added support for animated GIF, WMF, IFF and PSD formats

+	added zoom features

+	added configuration options

+	added SHIFT and CONTROL modifiers to temporarily disable/enable PicaView

+	added new print options

o	changed menu layout to use less space in primary menu

o	thumbnails now appear correctly on 256 colour displays (when Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 shell integration has been installed)

o	a selection rectangle is drawn around the thumbnail when selected, rather than inverting the thumbnail’s colours (when MSIE 4.0 shell integration has been installed)

!!	fixed bug which caused a “pure virtual function call” error when used with MSIE 4.0

!!	fixed bug which could cause PicaView to hang when decoding truncated IFF images


Using PicaView

PicaView installs into Windows Explorer.  There are several different areas in Explorer where PicaView is active: • Explorer windows • My Computer windows • Open/Save as dialog boxes • Find Files result windows To access PicaView’s features, simply highlight an image file and click on it with the alternate (right) mouse button.  If you have a Microsoft keyboard, you can also press the Menu key.  If PicaView recognizes the image type, it will add items to the normal context menu.


Context Menu Commands

If PicaView recognizes the file you selected as an image, it will add two items to its context menu: • image thumbnail • image format and dimensions The image format and dimensions item is actually a sub-menu containing the following items: View Print Copy Convert Rotate Wallpaper Options About Help If PicaView does not recognize the file you selected as an image, then no items will be added to its context menu. If you selected more than one image file, PicaView will provide the following additional top-level menu items: Convert selected Print selected Rotate selected You can prevent PicaView from displaying a preview in the menu by holding down the SHIFT key when accessing the context menu.  If you hold down the CTRL key, PicaView is disabled and will not add any items at all to the context menu.


Image thumbnail

PicaView will add a small version (thumbnail) of the selected image to the context menu.  This is a convenient way of quickly viewing an image.

The thumbnail can be selected like any other menu item.  When it is invoked, PicaView will display the full size image in a new window.

You can prevent PicaView from adding the thumbnail by holding down SHIFT when you access the context menu.  The remaining menu items will still be added as before.  To disable PicaView completely, hold down the CTRL key when you access the context menu.

by setting the Context Menu Thumbnail OptionIDH_OPTIONS,  you can specify that the thumbnail should appear in a sub-menu off of the main context menu, or that no thumbnail should be shown at all.

Note:  If you are running on a system with a 256 colour display, Internet Explorer 4.0 with Shell Integration is required for the thumbnail colours to correctly appear.  (In addition, IE 4.0 allows PicaView to display a selection rectangle around the thumbnail when selected rather than inverting the image colours)  The Internet Explorer 4.0 upgrade is available freely from Microsoft.


Image format and dimensions

PicaView will add the format, pixel dimensions and colour depth of the image to the context menu.  This is a useful summary of the image properties.

The information is displayed in the following form:

width x height x colours  format

For example, a JPEG format colour image that is 350 pixels wide by 632 pixels high would have the following information displayed:

350x532x16M jpeg

This format and dimensions menu item is actually a pop-up menu.  The following commands are available from this menu:

•	View

•	Print

•	Copy

•	Convert

•	Rotate

•	Wallpaper

•	Options

•	About

•	Help


View command

Invoking this command will cause the image to be viewed full-size in a new view window.


Print command

Invoking this command will cause the image to be printed.

You can configure how to print images using the Print Setup dialog.


Copy command

This command can be used to copy the selected image to the clipboard.  You can then paste it into another application such as WordPad.


Convert… command
Convert command

This command allows you to change the format of an image from any supported type to BMP, JPEG, PCX or TGA.  The converted file will be written to the same folder as the original and with the same file name, but with a new extension that corresponds to the image format you chose.

“Options...” button

When you are converting to JPEG or TGA format, you can click on this button to adjust the encoding  parameters specific to that format.

“Overwrite existing” option

In cases where the output file already exists, the following actions are taken based on the choice you have selected in the drop down list of conversion dialog box

Replace	The existing file is overwritten by the converted image file
Skip	The conversion is cancelled and the existing file is preserved
Rename	The file name of converted image file is altered as necessary so that it does not conflict with any other file in the same folder
Ask	You are prompted as to whether you want to overwrite the existing file or not.
Remove/replace original option

Checking this option will replace the original image with the converted image.

See also: Batch format conversion command


Rotate command

	The lossless JPEG rotate command allows you to rotate a JPEG image, or group of JPEG images without decompressing and recompressing and re-quantizing the JPEG information.  This means that no quality is lost in the transformation.   (However, odd-sized images will be cropped to the nearest multiple of 8 in each dimension). Click on the rotation buttons until the preview is in the desired orientation, and then click on OK to rotate the image. If you are rotating a group of images, you can turn on the “Apply now” box, in which case the same rotation will be applied to all images.  Otherwise, you will be prompted to specify a rotation for each image.  The actual rotations take place as a batch operation after all rotations are specified. The rotate command is available only when you select one or more JPEG format images.


Wallpaper command
Wallpaper commands

These commands allow you to change your desktop wallpaper to the selected image.  You can do this with any image format – PicaView will automatically convert it to BMP format.  If the image is larger than the current screen size, it will be automatically shrunk to fit.  The following menu sub-items are the commands to control the wallpaper feature:

Tiled

This command will cause the selected image to be tiled (repeated) over the desktop to fill the entire space.

Centered

This command will cause the selected image to be placed in the center of the desktop.

Restore

This command will remove PicaView’s desktop wallpaper, restoring your normal wallpaper (if any).


Batch convert command
Batch format conversion command

This command is available when you have selected more than one image.  It works just like the Format conversion command, except that all of the files are converted to the selected output format in one action.


Batch print command

This command is available when you have selected more than one image.  It will print all selected files at once.

You can configure via the print setup options whether the images are printing one per page, or as thumbnail contact sheets.


Options

Selecting the Options command from the PicaView context menu will allow the following options to be configured. To get context-sensitive help on a particular option directly from the dialog box, click on [image] and then click on the option.

General

Check files with these extensions

Normally, PicaView will attempt to read every file you access the context menu for in order to determine if it is an image.  This allows you to use PicaView with image files that do not have an appropriate extension.  However, this may slow down access to the context menu, especially on CD-ROM and floppy drives.  Therefore, it is possible to configure PicaView to only attempt to read files that have a recognized extension, such as .JPG.

Context menu thumbnail

Specifies if and how PicaView should add image thumbnails to the context menus of image files.

Selection	Default effect	<Shift> effect
No thumbnail	Don’t add thumbnails to context menus.	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.
Add thumbnail to top-level menu	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.	Don’t add thumbnails to context menus.
Add thumbnail to sub-menu	Add thumbnails to PicaView’s sub-menu.	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.
Compatibility mode

You should turn on compatibility mode if your browsing software is not displaying PicaView’s thumbnail context menu item correctly.

Checking this option will force PicaView to use the IContextMenu shell extension interface instead of IContextMenu3.  By default, PicaView will use IContextMenu3 when it detects that it is supported by your version of Explorer.  However, this may cause problems with other software such as Mijenix PowerDesk that does not yet support IContextMenu3.

Thumbnail size

You can specify the maximum dimensions of the thumbnails that PicaView inserts in the context menu.

Display

Quantization/Dithering

If you have a 256 or 32k/64k (high color) display, 24 and 32 bit images with 16 million colors must be processed by PicaView before being displayed to reduce the number of colors used.   This two-stage process is called quantization and dithering.  By selecting different quantization and dithering methods, you can trade off image quality against decoding speed.  That is, higher quality output will cost you some extra decoding time.

True color displays (16 million colors)

For true color displays, PicaView always gives you the highest quality output possible.  No quantization or dithering is required.

High color displays (32768 or 65535 colors)

For high color displays, the available quantization and dithering methods are:

No dithering	Fastest, high quality output.
Ordered	A little slower, very high quality output. (default)

For many images, there is very little visible difference between these two methods.  The superior output of the ordered dithering method is most noticeable in computer generated images.  However, this option is recommended for general use since the difference in speed is hardly noticeable.

8-bit color Displays (256 colors)

For 256 color displays, the available quantization and dithering methods are:

1-pass ordered	Fastest, reasonable quality output. (default)
1-pass Floyd-Steinberg	Somewhat slower, reasonable quality output.
2-pass Floyd-Steinberg	Much slower, good quality output.

In 2-pass Floyd-Steinberg dithering, the image is decoded in two passes.  In the first pass, PicaView decodes the image and determines the optimal color palette.    While this is being performed, the image is displayed using the 1-pass ordered method.  In the second pass, PicaView dithers the image using the optimal palette.  After the second pass completes, the image is redrawn using the optimal palette.  This method normally produces high quality output, but takes longer than the single pass method.  It is available only in windowed view mode.

Gamma correction

Ideally, every monitor would display an image the same way.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  Each make of monitor applies its own characteristic nonlinear transfer function to the pixels of an image when displaying it.  For this reason PicaView allows you to specify a gamma correction value. A gamma value of 1.0 is normal, with no correction.  Lower gamma values will appear to darken the image, while higher gamma values will appear to lighten the image.  Note that no gamma correction is ever applied when you print or copy an image.  The gamma correction option is located on the Display options page.

Use device-dependent bitmaps

This option specifies that PicaView should use device-dependent bitmaps for displaying images, previews and thumbnails, rather than device-independent bitmaps.  The following table describes the difference between the two bitmap types.

Device-dependent bitmaps (DDBs)	Device-independent bitmaps (DIBs)
Slower decoding of images	Faster decoding of images
Faster display, zooming and panning	Slower display, zooming and panning
More memory required for some images.	Less memory required for some images.
Very large images cannot be displayed.	Images of virtually unlimited size can be displayed
The magnitude of quantitative differences between DDBs and DIBs varies from system to system.  Some systems do not correctly support DIBs due to video driver bugs.

Disable GIF Animation

Using this option, you can turn off animation of animated GIF images.

Auto-zoom

When you click on the thumbnail for an image in the context menu, the image is opened in a window and shown at full size.  If you check the Shrink image to fit screen option, an image that is larger than the screen will be automatically reduced in size to fit within the screen.  If you check the Enlarge image to fit screen option, an image that is smaller than the screen will be automatically enlarged to fit the screen.  Note that whether or not you have these options checked, you can always use the * key on the numeric keypad to enlarge or reduce the image to fit the screen.

Full-screen

Specifies that images should be viewed using the entire screen.  You can also toggle full-screen mode using <Ctrl+F>, or by double clicking on the image.


Full-size viewing windows

When you click on an image thumbnail in the context menu for an image, the image is displayed in full size in a view window.  You can have several view windows open simultaneously.

Scrolling If the image is larger than the size of the view window, then you can scroll it by clicking within the window with the primary (left) mouse button and dragging in the direction you wish to move the image.  You can also scroll using the cursor keys.  Holding down the Control key and pressing one of the cursor keys will scroll one page in the corresponding direction. Selection By holding down the primary (left) mouse button and dragging, you can select a region of the image.  The Copy, Print and Wallpaper commands will then be applied only to the selected region. Zooming You can enlarge or reduce the view of the image by pressing the + and - keys on the numeric keypad, respectively.  The * key automatically sizes the image to fit your screen.  The / key will return the image to normal size.  You can also zoom into a selected region by clicking on it. Context menu You can click in the view window with the alternate (right) mouse button (or press the Menu key) to get a context menu of commands.  These commands allow you to copy, print, set the desktop wallpaper, zoom, toggle full-screen mode, reload the image, and set options.

You can close a view window by clicking on the close button [image] in the right of the title bar, or by pressing the Esc key.  When you close the Explorer window, all PicaView windows will be closed automatically.


What is registration?

PicaView is "Shareware".  This means that we have made the software available to you for free evaluation.  You are entitled to evaluate the software for up to 30 days without obligation to pay.  After 30 days, if you decide to keep the software, you must register your copy with us for a small fee.

Shareware (non-registered) PicaView is a "full-featured" release.  This means that the same capabilities available in the registered software are present in the non-registered software.  This allows you to try out all the features in PicaView to confirm that they work to your satisfaction.  In fact, the non-registered software includes a bonus feature - the shareware nag box.  This is an added incentive for users to register the software rather than continue using it indefinitely without paying.

•	Why should I register?

•	How can I register?


Why should I register?

For many people, the most pressing reason to register is to get rid of the annoying nag box, which pops up at the most inconvenient times.

But besides this, registration entitles you free technical support and minor upgrades to the software.  Registration may also entitle you to discounts on new software releases from ACD Systems.  We will also send you information bulletins by email to let you know about what’s happening with ACD Systems’ shareware products.

Finally, by registering the software, you provide us with the resources and incentive to support the software with updates and to develop additional quality shareware products in the future.


How can I register?

The registration fee for PicaView32 is $26 US.  Registered users of PicaView for Windows 3.x are automatically registered for PicaView32.  If you are part of a business and wish to use several copies of PicaView within your company, greatly reduced site licensing rates are also available.

For your convenience and protection, we provide the following secure methods of registration:

•	Telephone

•	FAX

•	Internet

•	CompuServe

•	Postal mail

See also:

PicaView order form

How to unlock the software

Licensing agreement


Unlocking the software

One you have registered PicaView with ACD Systems, Ltd, you will receive a registration code that you can use to unlock the software:

1.	Bring up the Registration dialog box by first clicking on an image and then selecting Register PicaView from the context menu.

2.	Enter your name in the registration dialog.

3.	A pre-registration code appears.  This is a numerical encoding of your name.  ACD Systems may require you to state this number if you register by telephone.

4.	Enter your registration code in the box provided.

5.	Click on OK

If you entered your name and registration code correctly, you will be thanked and the software will unlock itself.  Otherwise you will have to try again.


Getting a multiple-user site license

If your company or institution is interested in licensing PicaView for several users, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a site license.  The program is licensed to your company for use at a single site with the agreed upon number of users.

The pricing schedule for site licenses can be found on the WWW at:

http://www.acdsystems.com

If you are interested in arranging a site license, please give us a call toll-free at 1-800-414-2237, fax 1-800-819-2207, or e-mail acdtech@acdsystems.com.


Order Form
PicaView 32 v1.3 Order Form

USA	Canada

ACD Systems, Inc.	ACD Systems, Ltd.

Suite 100, 2201 North Collins	PO Box 730

Arlington, TX  76011	Victoria, BC Canada V8W 2P9

North America	International

Phone: 	1 (800) 414 2237	Phone: 	1 (250) 382 5828

Fax: 	1 (800) 819 2207	Fax: 	1 (250) 382 7099

Date____________________________

Name__________________________________________________________________________________________

Company____________________________________________________	Phone___________________________

Street_______________________________________________________	FAX____________________________

City _________________________	State/Province______	Country____________________	 Zip/PC______________

Email______________________@__________________________________________________________________

All amounts are in United States dollars.  Prices will be honoured until June 30, 1997.

Please call about site licenses rates, special educational discounts and other offers.

Single user license	___@ $26.00	=__________

            (or)

Single user license + latest version on disk	___@ $30.00	=__________

Disk shipping and handling, if applicable

U.S. & Canada	___ @ $4.95	=__________

Other Areas	___ @ $11.00	=__________

Total  (US funds only)	=__________

Method of payment:  Cheque___	 Money order___	 MasterCard___	VISA___

Name exactly as on credit card_____________________________________________________________________

Card number____________________________________________________________________________________

Exp. Date_____________	Signature________________________________________________________________


Registering by telephone

To register by phone, call 1 (800) 414 2237.

Where international 800 service is unavailable, please call 1 (250) 382 5828.

Operators are standing by to take your order 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

Please have your VISA or MasterCard ready when you place your call.

You may also need to provide your Pre-registration code.  To obtain your Pre-registration code, bring up the Registration dialog box by selecting Register PicaView from Explorer’s context menu and enter your name in the box.  Your pre-registration code will appear in the box to the right.


Registering by FAX

1.	Print out and complete the supplied order form.

2.	FAX the completed form to 1 (800) 819 2207 [outside North America: 1 (250) 382-7099].

3.	We will send you your registration number via e-mail or post.


Registering through CompuServe

If you are a member of the CompuServe Information Service, you may register via the Shareware Registration Database:

1.	Log onto CompuServe.

2.	Enter GO SWREG.

3.	Follow the on-line instructions.

4.	Enter the title PicaView for the search criteria and then select Display Selected Titles.

5.	Select PicaView 32 for Windows 95/NT, click on Description and follow the on-line instructions.

You can use the following list of numbers to locate this and other ACD Systems products that can be registered via SWREG:

PicaView 32	14209

PicaView NT	14208

PicaView 16	6115

ACDSee 16	4057

ACDSee 32	10146

Your registration information will be electronically mailed to your CompuServe account within a few business days.


Registering by postal mail

1.	print out and complete the supplied order formREGISTRATION_FORM

2.	send completed order form with your US funds cheque or money order to one of the addresses listed at the top of the order form

Your registration information will be sent to you via e-mail or post.


Registering by Internet

If you have a credit card, you can register via the Internet from our web site:

http://www.acdsystems.com/acd/acdsee95.htm


Licensing details

1. Distribution

This shareware software may be freely distributed, provided that:

1.	Such distribution includes only the original archive supplied by ACD Systems, Ltd.  You may not alter, delete or add any files in the distribution archive.

2.	The distribution does not include a registration number.  In particular, you may not distribute a registered version of ACDSee.

3.	No money is charged to the person receiving the software, beyond reasonable cost of packaging and other overhead.

For information about redistribution of ACDSee...

WWW:	http://www.acdsystems.com

E-mail:	acdtech@acdsystems.com

Fax:	1 (800) 819 2207 (toll free)

2. License

By receiving and/or using ACD Systems software, you accept the following Evaluation and Registered User Agreement.  This agreement is a binding legal agreement between ACD Systems Ltd. and the purchasers, users or evaluators of ACD Systems' software and products.  If you do not intend to honor this agreement, remove all installed  ACD Systems software from your computer now.

3. Evaluation (Unregistered) and Registered User Agreement

3.1. Unregistered shareware use

You may evaluate the Shareware program for maximum of thirty calendar days, after which you must register the program with ACD Systems Ltd. or remove the software from your computer.

You may allow other users to evaluate copies of the unregistered Shareware. All evaluation users are subject to the terms of this agreement.

3.2. Usage and distribution restrictions

The evaluator/user/buyer/owner may not use or distribute ACD Systems’ software for any unlawful purpose.  Distribution of ACD Systems’ software together with pornographic material is prohibited.

The evaluator/user/buyer/owner is not allowed to attempt to reverse engineer, disassemble or decompile ACD Systems Software and products.

3.3 Copyright restriction

ACD Systems name and any logo or graphics file that represents our software may not be used in any way to promote products developed with our software.  All parts of ACD Systems software and products are copyright protected.  No program, code, part, image, video clip, audio sample, text or computer generated sequence of images may be copied or used in any way by the user except as intended within the bounds of the single user program.

3.4. Limitation of responsibility

The evaluator/user/buyer/owner of ACD Systems software will indemnify, hold harmless, and defend ACD Systems against lawsuits, claims, costs associated with defense or accusations that result from the use of ACD Systems software.

ACD Systems is not responsible for any damages whatsoever, including loss of information, interruption of business, personal injury and/or any damage or consequential damage without limitation, incurred before, during or after the use of our products.  Our entire liability, without exception, is limited to the customers' reimbursement of the purchase price of the software (maximum being the suggested retail price as listed by ACD Systems) in exchange for the return of the product, all copies, registration papers and manuals, and all materials that constitute a transfer of ownership from the customer back to ACD Systems.

3.5. Licensed software restrictions

Each registered copy of the ACD Systems software may be used in only one single location by one user.  Use of the software means that you have loaded the program and run it or have installed the program onto a computer.  If you install the software onto a multi-user platform or network, each and every individual user of the software must be registered separately.

You may make one copy of the registered software for backup purposes, providing you only have one copy installed on one computer being used by one person. If any person other than yourself uses ACD Systems' software registered in your name, regardless of whether it is at the same time or different times, then this agreement is being violated!

The sale of and or distribution of registered copies of this software is strictly forbidden.  It is a violation of this agreement to loan, rent, lease, borrow, or transfer the use of registered copies of ACD Systems Software products.


Getting program updates

You may download PicaView 32 from the following sources:

Internet WWW

http://www.acdsystems.com

http://www.acdsys.com

http://www.acdvictoria.com

Internet FTP

ftp://ftp.servtech.com/pub/users/acdsys/PicaView/

ftp://ftp.islandnet.com/acd/PicaView/

ftp://ftp.island.net/pub/acdsys/PicaView/

ftp://ftp.coast.net/pub/SimTel/win95/graphics/

ftp://ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win95/desktop/

PicaView should also be available from any other mirror of the Winsite or SimTel, the Coast to Coast Software Repository (tm) Windows 95 archives.

Direct Modem Connection

(250)479-6253, N81, 9600-14.4k, log on as acdsys


Getting technical support and contributing feedback

Technical Support

Registered users are entitled to technical support, should the need arise.  Please contacts us by email at acdtech@acdsystems.com or 74404,2711 on CompuServe..  If you do not have e-mail access, you may telephone us at (250) 382 4701.  Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM PST.

Feedback

If you have any comments or concerns about PicaView please direct them to acdtech@acdsystems.com or 74404,2711 on CompuServe.  Your feedback is important to us in order to get an idea of how to make PicaView a better product for you.  Many of PicaView’s features and significant portions of PicaView’s interface have been heavily influenced by comments from users.  So if you have an grand idea for a new feature, or a better way of doing something, please drop us a note.


Contacting ACD Systems

E-mail	acdtech@acdsystems.com

WEB	http://www.acdsystems.com

http://www.acdnet.com

http://www.acdsys.com

http://www.acdvictoria.com

FTP	ftp://ftp.acdsystems.com/pub

ftp://ftp.islandnet.com/acd

ftp://www.servtech.com/pub/users/acdsys

CompuServe	74404,2711

Telephone	Support	1 (250) 382 4701	9 AM to 5 PM PST, Monday to Friday

Orders only	1 (800) 414 2237	24 hours a day, 7 days a week

1 (250) 382 5828

FAX	N. America	1 (800) 819 2207

International	1 (250) 382 7099

Post	USA	ACD Systems, Inc.

Suite 100, 2201 North Collins

Arlington, TX  76011

Canada	ACD Systems, Ltd.

PO Box 730

Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 2P9


Acknowledgments

The colour quantization/dithering features and JPEG decoder of PicaView were made possible through the use of code produced by the Independent JPEG Group.

PicaView’s TIFF support was made possible through the use of code in Sam Leffler's TIFF library, version 3.4 beta.

Thank you to all users who have contributed to PicaView by communicating problems, suggestions, designs and art work.


Enter your full name here (as it appears on your credit card, if you are registering by credit card).  It must contain at least 5 letters.


This is your pre-registration code.  It is generated from your name.  ACD Systems may ask you for this number if you register by telephone.


This is the product ID code.  ACD Systems may ask you for this number if you register by telephone.


Type in the registration code given to you by ACD Systems when you register.


Validates your registration information and unlocks the software


Closes the dialog box without validating your registration information.


Provides information on the registration process.


Connects to the ACD Systems web site using the default browser.


Specifies the height of the top margin, in inches.


Specifies the width of the left margin, in inches.


Specifies the width of the right margin, in inches.


Specifies the height of the bottom margin, in inches.


Specifies the sizing mode for the printed images:

Default	Images are printed at the same size as it is displayed on your monitor.  If you are printing an image that you have enlarged or reduced, the printed image will be enlarged or reduced accordingly.

Fit to page	Images are sized  to fill the page as completely as possible, within the margins.

Specified	Images are sized to fit the specified Width and Height values as closely as possible.

Thumbnails	Images are printed out as a series of thumbnails.  The printed pages are also known as contact sheets.  The thumbnail size is specified by the Width and Height values.


When checked, size the image equally in each dimension so that the ratio of width to height remains the same.  Otherwise, the image may be stretched more in one direction than in the other.


Specifies the desired width of the images, in inches.


Specifies the desired height of the images, in inches.


Specifies the resolution, in pixels per inch, at which the images should be printed.  This value should be set to the effective resolution of your printer, after taking the resolution reduction due to halftone screening into consideration.

•	If you have a continuous tone printer, set this value to the printer’s DPI rating.

•	If you have a laser, bubble jet, or other type of discreet tone printer, set this value to approximately ¼ of the printer’s DPI rating.

This Net DPI value determines how to sub-sample large images prior to sending them to the print driver.  A larger value may generate higher quality output, but will use more memory and take longer to print.  Conversely, a lower value may generate lower quality output, but will use less memory and print faster.

Note: If you are experiencing problems printing large images, try lowering the Net DPI value.


Prints the image’s file name.


Prints the path of the folder containing the image .


Prints the image’s file description.


Prints the image’s resolution and format.


Apply gamma correction to the image before printing.


Specify the gamma constant used for gamma correction, within the range [0.10 .. 3.00]

•	A value of 1.0 is the median value, where correction has no effect.

•	A lower value darkens the image and increases the dynamic range of brighter areas.

•	A higher value lightens the image and increases the dynamic range of darker areas.


Specifies how to position the images on the page:

top-left	top-center	top-right,

center-left	center	center-right,

bottom-left	bottom-center	bottom-right.


Shows a preview of how the printed pages will look.

•	Changes you make to the print setup options will be reflected here.

•	It may take a moment to complete internal computations (“pagination”) before the preview is updated to reflect changes.

•	Page margins are represented by dotted lines.

•	Note that when part of an image boundary lies outside the margins, the image will be clipped to the margins.  The clipped areas of the image are drawn in red.


Specifies which page of output to preview.


Save the current settings as the defaults.


Specifies that PicaView should only examine files with names ending in a recognized image extension. (BMP, BW, DIB, RLE, GIF, IFF, LBM, ILBM, JPG, JPE, JPEG, JIF, JFIF, PCD, PCX, PNG, PSD, RGB, RGBA, SGI, TGA, TIF, TIFF, WMF).  Using this setting will speed up access to the context menu for non-image files, especially for files on slow-seek devices such as floppy disk and CD-ROM.


Specifies that PicaView should examine all files, including those with unrecognized file name extensions.


Automatically reduce large images to fit within the screen when displayed.


Automatically enlarge small images to fit the screen when displayed.


Automatically change the size of the image to fit in the window when it is resized.


Specifies if and how PicaView should add image thumbnails to the context menus of image files.  You can alter this behaviour at any type by holding down the <Shift> key while bringing up the context menu.

Selection	Default effect	<Shift> effect
No thumbnail	Don’t add thumbnails to context menus.	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.
Add thumbnail to top-level menu	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.	Don’t add thumbnails to context menus.
Add thumbnail to sub-menu	Add thumbnails to PicaView’s sub-menu.	Add thumbnails to top-level context menu.


Do not attempt to use IContextMenu3 features.  Use this option if the thumbnail does not appear correctly in the context menu.


Specifies the dithering/quantization method to use for rendering context menu thumbnails.

None	Perform no dithering. (64k colors only)

Ordered	Perform fast dithering.

Floyd-Steinberg	Perform high-quality dithering. (256 colors only)

2-Pass Floyd-Steinberg	Perform high-quality dithering and high-quality quantization. (256 colors only)


Specifies the dithering/quantization method to use for rendering images in window mode.

None	Perform no dithering. (64k colors only)

Ordered	Perform fast dithering.

Floyd-Steinberg	Perform high-quality dithering. (256 colors only)

2-Pass Floyd-Steinberg	Perform high-quality dithering and high-quality quantization. (256 colors only)


Apply gamma correction to images as they are decoded for display or wallpaper.  The gamma correction is not applied to images during printing or file conversion.


Specify the gamma constant used for gamma correction, within the range [0.10 .. 3.00]

•	A value of 1.0 is the median value, where correction has no effect.

•	A lower value darkens the image and increases the dynamic range of brighter areas.

•	A higher value lightens the image and increases the dynamic range of darker areas.


Use device-dependent bitmaps for displaying images, previews and thumbnails, rather than device-independent bitmaps.  The following table describes the difference between the two bitmap types.

Device-dependent bitmaps (DDBs)	Device-independent bitmaps (DIBs)
Slower decoding of images	Faster decoding of images
Faster display, zooming and panning	Slower display, zooming and panning
More memory required for some images.	Less memory required for some images.
Very large images cannot be displayed.	Images of virtually unlimited size can be displayed

The magnitude of quantitative differences between DDBs and DIBs varies from system to system.  Some systems do not correctly support DIBs due to video driver bugs.


Disable the animation of animated GIF images.


Specifies the maximum width for context menu thumbnails.


Specifies the maximum height for context menu thumbnails.


Select an output format from the list.


Specify options for the selected output format.


Specify what to do when the output file already exists:

Replace	Overwrite the existing file.

Skip	Skip conversion of this file.

Rename	Change the name of the output file by added _1, _2, etc.

Ask	Ask for confirmation before overwriting.


Remove the original image file after converting it.


Perform file conversion.


Cancel file conversion.


Specify the JPEG quality/compression level.

Lower value	More compression, lower quality

Higher value	Less compression, higher quality

The default value is 65.


Save the current settings as the defaults.  Otherwise, the settings are applied to the current image set only.


Reset all options to the “factory” settings.


Optimize the Huffman code tables in order to increase compression.  Although this option will not affect the image quality, compression will take slightly longer and the file might not be readable by some older software.


Use progressive encoding.  Progressive encoding allows images to appear more quickly when transmitted over a low-bandwidth connection, but can slow down decoding when being accessed locally.  Progressive encoding also improves compression levels without any loss in image quality.  Some older software cannot read progressive mode JPEG images.


Specifies the amount of smoothing to apply to the image before compressing it.  Smoothing results in better compression with less visible artifact, but some detail is lost.  The default value is 0, for no smoothing.


Specifies how to subsample the colour components of the image.

YUV 111	Don’t subsample

YUV 122	Subsample colour components 1:2

YUV 122, the default setting, normally results in much better compression with insignificant loss of quality.


Turns of Run-Length Encoding image compression.  This option will reduce the size of the file, but may take longer to encode and decode.


Writes the rows of the image from top to bottom, rather than bottom to top.


Rotate the image 180 degrees (i.e., upside-down)


Rotate the image 90 degrees counter-clockwise (i.e., to the left)


Rotate the image 90 degrees clockwise (i.e., to the right)


Specifies that the selected rotation operation should be applied to each of the remaining selected images.


Shows a thumbnail of how the image will appear after rotation.


Cancel the rotation operation.


Perform the selected rotation operation.


Frequently Asked Questions - version 1.3

What is PicaView32?

PicaView32 is an add-on which installs into Windows Explorer.  It allows images to be quickly and conveniently viewed from within Explorer without launching external programs.  You can access PicaView from the following locations:

•	Explorer windows

•	My Computer windows

•	Open/Save as dialog boxes

•	Find Files result windows

How do I use PicaView32?

To access PicaView’s features, simply select an image file and click on it with the secondary (right) mouse button. If you have a Microsoft keyboard, you can also press the Menu key. If PicaView recognizes the image type, it will add a thumbnail of the image and text specifying the image dimensions to the menu. The image dimensions text is actually a sub-menu containing more PicaView commands.  If PicaView does not recognize the file you selected as an image, then no items will be added to its context menu.

PicaView does not display thumbnails correctly in my Explorer-like application.

Some applications do not support the IContextMenu3 interface that PicaView uses for enhanced display of thumbnails.  To get around this problem, turn on PicaView’s Compatibility mode option.

After installing MS Internet Explorer 4 PicaView32 will not display thumbnails correctly for shortcuts to images.

There also appears to be a bug in IE 4.0 that causes problems when PicaView inserts the thumbnail menu item for an item that is a shortcut (link) to an image.  We are hoping that Microsoft will soon release an Internet Explorer service update to fix this problem.  You can use PicaView’s compatibility mode option to get around this problem.

After installing MS Internet Explorer 4 PicaView32 will not display thumbnails.

Versions of PicaView prior to v1.11 are not compatible with IE4.  Install the latest version of PicaView to solve the problem.