Rendered Effects

Image Effects

The image effects feature allows imported images (bitmaps), image resources, viewports, image textures, and image-based Renderworks backgrounds, to be easily enhanced without requiring a time-consuming full rendering or the need to export to an external image program. More than one item can be selected and adjusted at the same time.

Use the Eyedropper tool for Transferring Attributes, including image effects, between bitmaps or viewports.

To adjust image effects for a selected bitmap, image resource, imported image, or viewport:

1. Do one of the following:

●        When Importing Image Files, click Image Effects from the Image Import Options dialog box.

●        Select a bitmap object, select Apply Image Effects, and then click Image Effects from the Object Info palette.

●        When Creating Resources using an image, click Image Effects from the Image Import Options dialog box.

●        Once an image resource exists, right-click on it from the Resource Manager and select Edit Image Effects from the Resource Viewer Menus.

●        When modifying Viewport Properties, select Apply Image Effects, and then click Image Effects from the Object Info palette, or select Edit Image Effects from the context menu. The viewport must be rendered with OpenGL or a Renderworks mode, and be updated.

●        When creating an image-based color shader, and Importing Images for Color Shaders, click Image Effects from the Edit Image Color dialog box.

●        When Creating Image Backgrounds, click Image Effects from the Edit Image Background dialog box.

The Image Effects dialog box opens.

Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Preview	Displays the image or viewport and previews the changes
Saved Settings Options
Settings	To use a set of saved parameters, select them from the list; <Active Settings> indicates the parameters currently selected in the dialog box, whether the parameters are set manually or are from a saved set. Several default presets are available. The default presets cannot be deleted.
Save	Opens a dialog box to name and save the currently selected parameters so that they can quickly be selected as a set
Manage	Opens the Manage Saved Presets dialog box to rename or delete sets of saved parameters
Exposure	Adjusts the amount of light in the image; left is darker, and right is brighter
Contrast	Adjusts the relative difference between lighter and darker areas. Increasing the contrast (to the right) makes the difference between lighter and darker areas more pronounced, while decreasing it (to the left) can add a washed-out effect, with darker light areas and lighter shadows.
Highlights	Adjusts the brightness of only the light areas. Left is darker light areas, and right is brighter.
Shadows	Adjusts the brightness of only the dark areas. Left is lighter dark areas, and right is darker dark areas.
Saturation	Adjusts the color intensity of the image. Left is muted colors, and right is bright colors.
Temperature	Adjusts the red/blue balance of the image. Left is cooler and bluer, and right is warmer and redder.
Blur and Sharpness	Adjusts the edges within the image. Left is blurrier, and right is sharper.
Sepia	Adds sepia tones to the image; move the slider to the right to add more sepia
Soft Edges	Adds soft edges around the outside of the image, similar to an old photograph. Move the slider to the right to increase the effect.
Auto-Level	Determines the optimal settings for the image and automatically adjusts the settings
Invert Colors	Automatically inverts the colors in the image, as in a negative; white becomes black, red becomes cyan, blue becomes yellow, etc.
Reset	Resets all sliders to their default positions, and sets the colors back to normal if they were inverted, undoing any changes
Preview	Click to preview the changes for an image or viewport in the drawing (does not apply when importing an image)

2. The preview area displays the changes to the image or viewport as the sliders are adjusted. Click Preview to see the changes in the drawing, for an existing image or viewport.

3. Click Apply.

When the image effects are accessed from the Object Info palette, the effects can be toggled on and off by clicking Apply Image Effects.

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