Editing Images
Dr. Diane E.  Newby
newby1de@cmich.edu
Central  Michigan University

Netscape Communicator
 Graphic Converter
 

Editing Images using Netscape Communicator

Use these dialogue boxes to edit your images by double clicking on the image.  You should see this dialogue box.

Look at the above Image Dialogue box and focus on Dimensions.
If you click in the Custom Size circle and click in Constrain, you will be able to change the height and width of the image by changing the size in either height or weight.

Look at Space Around Image to the right of the box.
Change the space around the image.

• Left to Right 4 pixels
• Top and Bottom 4 pixels
• Do not change the Solid Border.

To use the text wrap tool, double click image to access the image dialogue box like the one above.  Hold down the arrow next to the text wrap image for your options.

The text wrap image will allow you to place an image next to text.  Your  options are the following:

• Center the image next to the text.

• Place the image to the left of the text where lots of text will surround the image.

• Place the image to the right of the text.

Graphic Converter

The Edit Menu.

These features allow you to copy, paste, crop, or trim an image. The second set of features, listed under the Picture menu, lets you change the size, proportions, orientation, or resolution of an image. The last set of features, listed under the Effects menu, can be used to perform various filtering, smoothing, or sharpening effects on an image to enhance or obscure its quality.

To begin editing an image:

1. From the File menu select Open.
2. On the bottom of the window that appears, make sure the Filter is set to All Available.
3. Select the file you wish to edit, then click Open. To open multiple images, hold down the Apple key while selecting images.

To Copy an image into memory:

1. From the Edit menu choose Select All
2. From the Edit menu choose Copy.
3. The image will be stored in memory. You can then paste the image into a Word document, web page, Excel spreadsheet, or any other file by choosing Paste from the Edit menu in those applications.

To Crop or Trim an image:

1. Choose either the Lasso or Select tool from the Toolbar.
2. Enclose the portion of the image that you would like to trim. The portion you want to trim away should be located outside the dotted select line.
3. From the Edit menu choose Trim Selection. The trimmed portion will appear in a new window.

Note: You can also select Edit > Smart Trim if you want Graphic Converter to crop the image automatically to get rid of excess white borders.

To Resize an image:

To change the size of an image relative to its current size:

1. From the Picture menu choose Size and then Scale.
2. In the Dimension section of the Scale dialog box, make sure that Width and Height are set to Percent.
3. Type in the percent value you want the image to change by. For example, a value of "0.5" will shrink the width or height by one-half while a value of "3.0" will triple it.
4. If you wish to maintain the original image's proportions, make sure the Keep Proportions box is checked. If you want to change the width and height of the image separately, leave the Keep Proportions box unchecked.
5. Click OK.

To change the exact size of an image by actual dimensions:

1. To find the exact dimensions of your image, from the Picture menu choose Show Information.
2. An Information window will appear.
3. From the Picture menu, choose Size and then Scale.
4. In the Size section of the Scale dialog box, choose either pixel, inch or cm.
5. In the Width or Height fields, type a number for the desired change.
6. If you wish to maintain the original image's proportions, make sure the Keep Proportions box is checked. If you want to shrink the image by only one dimension, leave the Keep Proportions box unchecked.
7. Click OK.

Note: To undo size changes from the Edit menu choose Undo:Scale. Once you perform another operation or save the file, however, the changes cannot be undone. It is a good idea to keep backup files in case you accidentally change an image permanently.

To change the Orientation of an image:

To rotate the image by a certain degree:

1. From the Picture menu choose Rotate
2. Select an angle by which to rotate the image.
3. You can use Other Value with Line to rotate at an angle specified by a line drawn on the image
4. You can type in a specified angle of rotation under Other Value....

To flip the image across an axis:

1. From the Picture menu choose Mirror
2. Select an axis on which to flip the image

To change the Resolution of an image:

1. From the Picture menu choose Resolution
2. Enter the desired resolution (generally 150-250 for images that you will print out and 72 for images that will be displayed on a screen)

To change the Appearance of an image:

Brightness and contrast can be altered to adjust the shading of an image.

1. From the Picture menu choose Brightness/Contrast
2. Adjust these values according to the desired appearance.


Note: You can also use Graphic Converter's various filtering effects to change the appearance of an image. These features are listed in the Effects menu. One of the most useful features is one that sharpens the edges of an image, making most images look cleaner and of higher resolution.

From the Effects menu choose Sharpen Edges and choose a value. The image will appear sharper than before.

Saving Your Image as a  Gif or Jpeg

Be sure to save your image as .jpeg or .gif   Make sure you change the file format to JPEG or GIF.

Different programs can also use different file formats. Although Microsoft Word can read PICT files, Netscape reads only JPEG or GIF images files. Again, you can use Graphic Converter to convert images so that other programs can read your image files.

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