Hot Metal Pro 4.0/Hot Metal Pro 4.0.iso/Special/text/imagedit.txt

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5. Editing images



Using PhotoImpact SE

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

While some people are content to use clip-art and other
free images available all over the Internet, others
want to add a personal touch, or even design all of
the images for their Web site themselves. HoTMetaL PRO
comes with Ulead's PhotoImpact SE image editing tools,
which make it possible to do the following (and much
more) quickly and easily:

* Adding text to images.

* Creating buttons.

* Creating shadows and frames.

* Adding transparency to images.

* Optimizing image colors for the Web.

If you didn't install PhotoImpact SE when you installed
HoTMetaL PRO, you can do so now from the HoTMetaL PRO
CD.

 HoTMetaL PRO comes with a rich collection of image
editing tools in Ulead's PhotoImpact SE. This powerful
graphics program makes it easy for you to customize
and create professional looking graphics for your Web
pages. This manual does not cover all of the functionality
of PhotoImpact SE; full documentation is available from
PhotoImpact SE's online help.

5.1. Choosing an image editor/viewer

PhotoImpact SE is the default image editor for HoTMetaL
PRO, but you can change the default editor and viewer
for a particular image type from the HoTMetaL PRO Editor
Options dialog. These applications will be launched
instead of the default for a file of that type when
you click on the image and choose Edit Image File or
View Image File from the pop-up menu.

* Choose Options... from the HoTMetaL PRO Editor Tools
menu.

* Click on the Helper Apps tab.

* Enter the file extension for the image type in the
File Extension text box. If files of that type could
have more than one extension (for example, .jpg and
.jpeg), you will have to make a separate entry for each.

* Click on [Add New Type].

* You can choose an editor, viewer, or both. Enter the
locations and filenames of of the desired applications
in the Viewer and Editor text boxes (you can use the
[Choose...] button to select them).

* Click on [OK].

5.2. Web image basics

While you don't need to be a graphics wizard to insert
an image into your page, before you begin it's a good
idea to understand a bit about how images are displayed
in the HoTMetaL PRO Editor and in Web browsers. If you're
already familiar with using images on the Web, you can
skip this section.

Images can enhance the appearance of your page and make
it easier to communicate your ideas, but they also increase
the time it takes for someone to load your page over
the Internet. Here are some guidelines for using images
in your Web pages:

* Try to keep your file sizes small. You can achieve
this by keeping the actual dimensions of the image small,
and also by reducing the number of colors that are stored
in the file. You can use graphics software such as PhotoImpact
SE to reduce the number of colors in individual image
files.

* Don't rely exclusively on images to convey your information
For example, using only a logo image to give the name
of your company means that not everyone will get that
important information.

* Use alternate text for images. Providing a short text
description of the image in its ALT attribute makes
your page accessible to more people. Not only do some
Web surfers still use text-based browsers like Lynx,
or surf with images turned off in their browsers to
speed up download time, but also people with visual
impairments use voice synthesis technology to surf the
Web. By taking the time to enter a meaningful description
of your image you don't exclude these people from sharing
your Web page.

* Don't use background images that make it difficult
to read the text of the page.

5.2.1. Available image formats

HoTMetaL PRO can display many different image formats
(for example, BMP, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, GIF) in the document
window. Not all of these image formats are available
to Web browsers, however, so you should convert the
images before you upload them to the Internet or an
intranet. The most common image format on the web is
GIF.

All browsers that are capable of displaying images can
display GIF files. Most newer browsers can also display
JPEG images, and some browsers can display other platform-specific
image types. If you want your Web pages to be viewed
by the broadest possible audience, however, make sure
that your images are in GIF or JPEG format.

NOTE: The HoTMetaL PRO Editor also supports the PNG
image format (portable network graphic), which is a
standard file format endorsed by the World Wide Web
Consortium. While few browsers currently display this
graphics format inline, future releases of Microsoft
Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator will support
PNG graphics.

5.2.1.1. GIF or JPEG?

While GIF files were once the standard image format
on the Web, most browsers now support JPEG files as
well, and many people are confused about which file
format is `better' for their Web images.

In fact, the two file formats are both good at specific
tasks. The GIF format uses a maximum of 256 colors,
and uses combinations of these to create colors beyond
that number. The GIF format is better for displaying
images that have been designed using a graphics program,
like logos, icons, and buttons. JPEG files can contain
millions of colors, and are much better for photographic
images.

GIF images come in two different versions and have some
extra functionality that JPEGs do not. You can save
GIF images in GIF 87 or GIF 89a format. GIF 89a is newer
and has the following features that GIF 87 and JPEG
files do not:

* Interlacing - if you save a GIF 89a image as interlaced,
the browser will be able to display the image as it
loads, getting gradually crisper and clearer until it
is finished. Interlaced GIFs have slightly larger file
sizes than non-interlaced GIFs, so you will have to
decide whether the interlacing effect is worth the extra
download time for your images.

* Transparency - with GIF 89a format images you can
set a single color to be transparent, that is, it will
allow the background color or image to show through
it. Transparency is most commonly used to make the rectangular
background canvas of an image invisible; this feature
can be very effective in Web page design. The image
editing software included with HoTMetaL PRO, Ulead PhotoImpact
SE,  makes it easy to save transparent GIFs.

* Animated GIFs - GIF 89a images can also be animated
using special software. Animated GIF images are simply
a number of GIF images saved into a single file and
looped. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer
can both display animated GIFs, but many other browsers
cannot, and may not be able to display even the first
image in the loop. Use animated GIFs with caution. HoTMetaL
PRO includes Ulead's GIF Animator software  so you can
create your own animated GIF images.

JPEG images don't give you the option of including transparency
or of interlacing images, but they do allow you to specify
the degree of file compression so that you can create
a balance between image quality and file size. To learn
more about how to do this using Ulead's PhotoImpact
SE, see Editing Images.

5.2.2. Image color

One of the most difficult aspects of working with computer
images--especially over the Internet--is color. Good
Web designers must always keep in mind that the images
they put on the Web may look different on different
machines depending on the user's display capabilities.
This section gives a general overview of some image
color issues. The Ulead PhotoImpact SE online help contains
a detailed discussion of image colors.

5.2.2.1. Image dithering

Keep in mind that, while your images may look fine on
your computer, they may not look as good on other computers
that may have fewer colors in their displays. Many users
will have computers that have 8 bit displays, that is,
they can display a maximum of 256 colors. This means
that if a user loads a true-color (millions of colors)
JPEG image, the browser has to use two pixels of different
colors in combination to create colors above the 256
colors available. This process is called dithering.
Because dithering uses two pixels to create a single
color, it reduces the image quality.

5.2.2.2. Browser palettes

In addition, Web browsers use their own internal color
palettes (tables of pre-defined colors available to
create color images) to display images, which can sometimes
result in your true-color images looking different in
your browser. Many of the images provided with HoTMetaL
PRO are true-color images, and may lose some of their
quality on some systems and in some browsers.

5.2.2.3. Multiple palette problems

If you have a number of GIFs that will appear in a single
browser window, you should take steps to maintain the
image quality by making sure that their color palettes
are compatible. For example, if you have two images,
one with 200 shades of red and one with 150 shades of
green, your total number of colors is more than 256.
On systems that can display only 256 different colors,
the browser will have to combine the palettes of each
of these images and then dither both images to use the
custom color palette. This results in lower image quality
for both images. It's best to use a `browser safe' palette
for all of your GIF images.

5.3. Introducing PhotoImpact SE

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

PhotoImpact SE consists of five main components:

1. PhotoImpact SE Editor, for editing and creating images
(this is the default image editor for HoTMetaL PRO).

2. PhotoImpact SE Explorer, for browsing image thumbnails
(this is launched when you choose Image Explorer from
the HoTMetaL PRO Tools menu).

3. PhotoImpact Album SE, for organizing and grouping
images.

4. PhotoImpact Viewer SE, an image viewer (this is the
default image viewer for HoTMetaL PRO).

5. PhotoImpact GIF Animator, the default editor and
viewer for animated GIFs.

The HoTMetaL PRO online help  covers only certain aspects
of the PhotoImpact SE Editor. You can learn about the
other PhotoImpact applications from the PhotoImpact
online help.

5.3.1. The PhotoImpact SE editor

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

The following is a basic introduction to the PhotoImpact
SE editor interface.

To open an image file with PhotoImpact SE Editor from
HoTMetaL PRO:

* Right-click on the image in the HoTMetaL PRO Editor
window and choose Edit Image File from the pop-up menu;
this will start PhotoImpact SE and load the image file
for editing.

You can also start PhotoImpact SE from the Windows Start
menu, or by choosing Image Editor from the HoTMetaL
PRO Tools menu, and then open the image file using the
Open... command in the PhotoImpact SE File menu.

The main tools for using PhotoImpact SE are the menus,
the Standard toolbar, the Tool Panel, and each tool's
Attributes toolbar. All of the toolbars and panels can
be moved around the screen as floating toolbars, or
anchored to any part of the PhotoImpact SE window.

To configure PhotoImpact SE to display these toolbars:

* Choose Toolbars & Panels from the View menu.

* Select the toolbars you want to display; we recommend
that you show the Standard Toolbar, the Attribute Toolbars,
and the Tool Panel.

From this dialog, you can also set the size of the buttons
and determine whether or not to show tool tips.

5.3.1.1. The Switch menu command

The Switch menu at the right-hand end of the menu bar
of each PhotoImpact SE component gives you to access
the PhotoImpact SE Editor, Viewer, Explorer, and Album.
If you choose a PhotoImpact SE component from the Switch
menu, that component will start, or, if it is already
open, will come to the foreground.

5.3.1.2. Standard Toolbar

The Standard toolbar gives quick access to frequently
needed tools and menu items.

5.3.1.3. Tool Panel

The Tool Panel provides all the editing tools you need
to work on images. By selecting the appropriate tool,
you can select, draw, transform, and touch up images.
Each tool has its own Attribute toolbar. Some of the
tools, such as the Paint tool, have different modes
that you can select by clicking on the small triangle
in the bottom right corner of the tool button.

5.3.1.4. Attribute Toolbars

When you select a tool in the Tool Panel, all of the
attributes that you can configure for that tool appear
in the Attribute toolbar. Note: some options may be
grayed-out; typically, these options are not available
in PhotoImpact SE, but are available in the full version
of PhotoImpact.

5.4. Working with files

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

To open an image file with PhotoImpact SE Editor from
HoTMetaL PRO, right-click on the image in the HoTMetaL
PRO window and choose Edit Image File from the pop-up
menu. This will start PhotoImpact SE Editor or PhotoImpact
GIF Animator, as appropriate, and load the image file
for editing.

There are two other ways to launch PhotoImpact SE:

* Choose Image Editor from the Tools menu.

* Start PhotoImpact SE from the Windows Start menu

You can then open the image file using the Open... command
in the PhotoImpact SE File menu.

5.4.1. Using PhotoImpact SE tools on GIF image files

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

Most of the image filters and advanced image editing
features work only in true color 24-bit images (millions
of colors). If you are editing GIF files for your Web
pages, they will be 256 or fewer color images. To maximize
the number of features you can use when editing the
image, you should increase the number of colors while
you work on the image in PhotoImpact SE, then reduce
the colors to save it as a GIF file again.

NOTE: The PhotoImpact SE online help has a detailed
section on color, color palettes, and color depth.

To work on a GIF file in true color 24-bit mode:

* Open the GIF file in PhotoImpact SE.

* Choose Data Type in the Format menu or click on the
image type button in the bottom right corner of the
PhotoImpact SE window.

* If Create a New Image is checked in the fly-out menu,
deselect it by clicking on it with the mouse.

* Choose true color (24-bit) from the Data Type menu;
the image is converted to true color and all the image
processing tools will be available.

To resave the image as a GIF file:

* Choose Data Type in the Format menu or click on the
image type button in the bottom right corner of the
PhotoImpact SE window.

* Choose a color depth of 256 colors or fewer.

* Click on the {Save} or choose Save from the File menu
to save your changes to the GIF file at the proper color
depth.

PhotoImpact SE gives you several options for color palettes,
including optimizing for the WWW

You can also use this process to reduce the colors of
high color images such as BMP and JPEG files before
saving them as GIF files.

NOTE: If the file originally had only a 16 color palette,
save it as a 16 color file so that you don't unnecessarily
increase the file size.

5.4.2. Using Smart Savers to set image options

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

Because both GIF and JPEG files can be saved with several
customizable settings, PhotoImpact SE includes Smart
Savers for GIF and JPEG files. These make it easy to
optimize your images for the Web. You can access the
Smart Savers by choosing Export... from the File menu,
or by choosing either the GIF or JPEG Smart Saver from
the Web menu.

The GIF Smart Savers make it easy to set:

* Transparency

* Color reduction

* Color palette

* Interlacing on or off

The JPEG Smart Savers let you balance file size with
image quality by setting:

* File compression

* Smoothing

* Mode

* Subsampling

You can also run batch image processes from the Smart
Savers. See PhotoImpact SE's online help for more information.

5.5. Adding text to an image

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

With Ulead PhotoImpact SE you can easily add text to
images to personalize buttons, logos, and other customized
Web graphics.

To add text to an image:

* Click on the text tool icon; the mouse pointer becomes
an I-bar and the text tool settings toolbar appears
below the main toolbar.

* Click in the image window; this brings up the Text
Entry Box dialog.

* Type the text you want to place on your graphic. To
put a line break type [Ctrl+Enter].

* Click on [OK]; this inserts the text into the graphic.

Click and drag the text to the desired location in the
image.

5.5.1. Modifying image text

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

You can change the properties of the text using the
PhotoImpact SE Text toolbar:

* Click on the {T} (text) toolbar button in the Tool
Panel.

* Put the pointer over the text you want to change;
the pointer arrow will have a small `T' inside i

* Click on the text; it will have a dotted line around
it, which means it can be moved or changed.

You can now use the text Attributes toolbar to change
the font, color, style, size, and other options as described
in the Ulead PhotoImpact SE online help.

To edit the text:

* Click on the {T} (text) toolbar button in the Tool
Panel.

* Put the pointer over the text you want to change;
the pointer arrow will have a small `T' inside it.

* Double-click on the text; this brings up the Text
Entry Box with the current text in the editing box.

* Edit the text.

* Click on [Update]; the text will be updated in the
image.

5.5.2. Adding text shadows

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

A popular effect to use for creating text images is
a drop-shadow beneath the text. Ulead PhotoImpact SE
makes creating shadowed text easy:

* Using the text tool, move the pointer over the text
until the pointer arrow has a small a small `T' inside
it: {T}; the text will be surrounded by a moving dotted-line
marquee.

* Click on the text you want to shadow; it should have
dotted lines around it.

* Click on the {Style}  button in the Attributes Toolbar;
this brings up a menu of styles.

* Choose Shadow from the style menu.

This creates a drop shadow of the text. You can change
the appearance of the shadow (position, distance from
the original, color, etc.) by clicking the styles button,
and choosing Options from the menu.

5.5.3. Saving an image with text

When you add text to an image, PhotoImpact SE regards
the text as a separate object that can be manipulated
(for example, moved around or deleted) independently
of the image. Most image formats--for example, GIF and
JPG--do not support objects, so if you save the image
in one of these formats, you will get a warning message
informing you of this. In this situation the text will
be `merged' into the image, which simply means that
it will become part of the image rather than residing
on top of the image. You can turn this warning message
off for future saves.

5.6. Web image tricks

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

PhotoImpact SE provides tools for easily creating images
suitable for Web pages. All of these tools are available
from the Web menu. We have provided information on only
a few of the available tools in PhotoImpact SE; you
can learn about the others from the PhotoImpact SE online
help.

5.6.1. Creating buttons

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

Adding graphical buttons to act as hypertext links is
an easy way to give your page a sense of style. PhotoImpact
SE can take a regular image and add a variety of beveled-edge
button styles. While buttons tend to look better in
GIF format, the greatest range of button types is available
if you are working in 24-bit color; see the section
onworking with GIF files for more about changing the
Data Type.

To create a button effect for the image:

* Open the image in PhotoImpact SE.

* If the image has less than 24-bit color, increase
the color depth using the Data Type command in the Format
menu.

* Choose Button Designer... from the Web menu.

The easiest way to work with the Button Designer is
to experiment until you get the effect that you want.
The following options are available:

* Style - Click the style of button you want to create.
The preview window will immediately display a preview
of your image with that style applied.

* Direction - If you choose Outward, the button border
will be added to the outside of the current image, changing
its size. If you choose Inward, the button border will
remain within the original borders of the image, covering
part of it.

* Options - Specify the size, color, and other attributes
for the button border.

* Mirror - Turn on Mirror to keep the top and left edge
and the right and bottom edge sizes synchronized with
each other. Turn off Mirror to set the size of each
edge independently.

* Width - Set the width of the selected edge.

* Transparency - Set how much of the original image
should show through the button border.

* Colors - Depending on the type of button, choose the
colors to use for button borders or adjust other color
attributes.

* Quick samples - The buttons in the lower panel on
the right-hand side of the Button Designer are preset
button settings. You can use them to create a button
with a single click; then fine tune the settings if
you wish.

5.6.2. Adding image frames and shadows

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

You can quickly create frames (borders) and shadows
for entire images by choosing Frame Designer... from
the PhotoImpact SE Web menu.

This dialog gives a number of options:

* Frame - Choose the width and color or pattern for
the border; the result is displayed in the preview image.
You may choose any of these types of borders for the
image:

1. Color - A single color border matching that of the
color square. To choose a different color, right-click
on the color square and choose the desired command for
selecting a new color.

2. Magic texture - Create a multi-color border matching
that of the texture square. To change textures, click
on Library... and choose from the samples in the Magic
Texture dialog box.

3. Natural texture - Create a natural looking multi-color
border matching that of the texture square. To change
textures, click on Library... and choose from the samples
in the Texture Library dialog box.

* Shadow - Choose the size and color of a shadow to
go around the border.

1. Color and Direction - The shadow color will match
that of the color square. To choose a different color,
right-click on the color square and choose the desired
command for selecting a new color. Then select the option
that shows a shadow in the direction you want.

2. X offset, Y offset - Set the size, in pixels, of
the shadow. (X is the distance of the shadow from either
side, Y is the distance of the shadow from the top or
bottom.)

3. Transparency - Set a higher value to allow more of
the underlying image to appear through the shadow.

4. Edge blending - Set a higher value to have the shadow
blend into the background more smoothly.

* Canvas - Set the size and color for the background.


1. Color - Choose a color for the background. To choose
a different color, right-click on the color square and
choose the desired command for selecting a new color.


2. Direction - Set the size for the background. Click
on the Lock button to set the sizes individually.

5.6.3. Creating seamless backgrounds

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

Using the Shift Image... command in the PhotoImpact
SE Web menu, you can adjust images so that they will
tile seamlessly as a background image in your page.
The Shift Image dialog displays the image as your browser
would. Simply use the mouse to shift the preview image
until the tiling looks right. If you need to adjust
the offset more precisely than you can with the mouse,
you can use the Horizontal Offset and Vertical Offset
spin boxes to choose precise values.

5.6.4. Creating transparent GIFs

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

A transparent GIF is a GIF image in which one color
is designated as transparent, that is, it allows background
images or colors to show through. You can create transparent
GIF images using the PhotoImpact SE GIF SmartSaver....

To create a transparent area in a GIF image:

* Choose GIF SmartSaver... from the Web menu, or choose
Export... from the File menu and choose GIF SmartSaver...
from the pop-up menu.

* In the GIF SmartSaver dialog, choose Pick Color from
the Transparency pull-down menu.

* Click on the Transparent Area Preview Color square
to choose a color that will represent the transparent
color.

* Move the mouse pointer over the image on the left
(the original image) and hold down the [Ctrl] key; the
pointer will turn into an eyedropper tool. (If the image
already contains a transparent color you can make it
solid by holding down the [Alt] key and clicking the
mouse button.)

* Click on the color you want to make transparent; any
part of the image that contains that color will now
take on the preview color you chose, and this will be
displayed in both the uncompressed and compressed preview
images.

* Click on the [Save As...] button to save the image
with the transparency information.

5.6.5. Using Web-safe colors

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

PhotoImpact SE gives you the option of saving GIF images
with a color palette optimized for Web browsers. If
you save your images using this palette, you will ensure
that browsers on all platforms will be able to display
your images with the best quality available to the user's
computer. To save your images using the color palette
optimized for the Web:

* Choose Data Type from the Format menu; (if you turn
on Create a New Image, a new copy of your image will
be created, leaving your original image intact).

* Choose WWW Browser Optimized from the palette choices.

The image now has a color palette that is most suited
to Web browsers.

5.6.6. PhotoImpact SE tricks

The functionality described in this topic is available
in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0, but not in the Evaluation Version
that you are now using. Choose `How To Purchase' in
the Help menu for ordering information.

* Animating images - Animated GIF files have become
a popular feature of the Web. HoTMetaL PRO includes
the PhotoImpact GIF Animator for creating animated GIF
images. Please note: if you open an animated GIF in
the PhotoImpact SE editor and save it again, the image
file will no longer be an animated GIF; the first image
of the animation will be saved and the others will be
lost. Neither the PhotoImpact SE Editor, Viewer, or
Explorer display GIF animations. If you're unsure whether
a file is an animation, view it in an animations-capable
viewer (such as a Web browser or the PhotoImpact GIF
Animator) to verify its format. To learn how to create
animated GIFs, consult the PhotoImpact GIF Animator
online help.

* Making basic shapes - Rectangles, squares, ellipses,
circles, and polygons are easy to make with PhotoImpact
SE once you know the tricks. PhotoImpact SE does not
have a specific tool for creating these shapes, so it
requires an extra step.

To create an outlined rectangle, square, ellipse, or
circle:

1. Click on the {Standard Selection} toolbar button
in the Tool Panel.

2. Choose the shape you want to create from the Attributes
toolbar.

3. Drag the mouse in the editing window to produce a
selection area, defined by a dotted line. To make the
selection a specific size, check the Fixed size checkbox
in the Attributes toolbar, and set the size of the area.

4. Right-click on the area and choose Border from the
pop-up menu; this brings up a dialog box.

5. Choose the thickness of the border.

6. Click on [OK]. The selection will now be surrounded
by a double dotted line.

7. Click on the Fill tool icon.

8. Choose a fill color for the box outline from the
Attributes toolbar.

9. Apply the fill between the selection outlines (use
the Zoom tool to do this if you have made a narrow border).

To create an irregular polygon:

1. Click on the {Lasso} toolbar button in the Tool Panel.

2. Click in the editing window to start drawing the
figure.

3. Move the mouse to the second point in your drawing;
a line will follow the pointer from the location where
you clicked the mouse. Click the mouse again, the pointer
will now be connected to both points where you clicked
before, creating a three-pointed shape.

4. If you click and drag the mouse, you will draw a
freehand line rather than a series of connected points.

5. Continue clicking and moving the pointer until you
have the shape you like.

6. Double-click the mouse to stop drawing; this creates
a selection area surrounded by dashed lines.

7. Right-click on the area and choose Border from the
pop-up menu; this brings up a dialog box.

8. Choose the thickness of the border.

9. Click on [OK]. The selection will now be surrounded
by a double dotted line.

10. Click on the Fill tool icon.

11. Choose a fill color for the box outline from the
Attributes toolbar.

12. Apply the fill between the selection outlines (use
the Zoom tool to do this if you have made a narrow border).

*  Right-click color choosing - When you right-click
on a color box in dialog boxes or the Attributes toolbar,
a pop-up menu appears giving you a choice of color choosers.
The eyedropper tool allows you to choose a color from
the current image so that you can be sure of a match.