User manual NUANCE KAI S PHOTO SOAP 2

[. . . ] 1 User Guide for Windows and Macintosh® ® Trademarks Kai's Photo Soap 2 is a trademark of ScanSoft, Inc. "Macintosh" is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Incorporated. "Windows" and "PowerPoint" are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. "Pentium" is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. [. . . ] Use the transparency brushes to soften the edges of a Composit Library Objects layer. You can even create some very cool cutout effects. Changing a layer's transparency setting can give you neat effects. To adjust transparency for an entire layer: 1 2 Select a layer. If you selected the layer by choosing it in the Layers tray, click the transparency control bar at the bottom of the Layers tray to display the Layers Attributes control for the selected layer. Click to display Layer attributes. 99 If you selected the layer by clicking on it in the composition, choose Layers menu > Show/Hide Layer Attributes to display the Layers Attributes control for the selected layer. The Layer attributes control. 3 Move the Transparency slider left to make the entire layer more transparent (faded out). Move it right to make the layer less transparent (more pronounced). Move the Transparency slider to adjust a layer's transparency. To adjust transparency for part of a layer: 1 2 Select a layer. Choose Layers menu > Hide/Show Transparency Brushes or click the brush icon at the bottom of the Layers tray. 100 COMPOSING IMAGES 3 Use the Transparency brushes to adjust the transparency of those parts of the layer that you want to fade. As you brush on transparency, you can see your changes right in the composition. Set brush size, change the opacity or softness of the effect you're adding. Adjust the flow of the transparency (or how much it builds up as you continue to brush over an area. Brush on Transparency. To create a layer cutout: 1 2 3 Select a layer. Reduce the overall transparency of the layer until you can see the rest of the composition showing through (to help with positioning. ) Move the layer until the part you want to keep is positioned correctly. For example, if your composition has a picture of aman and the layer you are placing on top is a picture of a cat, you could position the top layer so that the cat's head is on top of the man's body (obscuring the man's head. ) Choose Layers menu > Hide/Show Transparency Brushes or click the brush icon at the bottom of the Layers tray. This temporarily restores the transparency of the layer you are placing and allows you to brush on layer transparency. 5 Now, use the Transparency brushes (remember to use the eraser to fine-tune the area where the transparency is applied) to make transparent everything but the part of that layer that you want to keep (in the example--the cat's head. ) 4 101 The final result is a composition that shows a cat's head "transplanted" onto a man's body! Creating a layer cutout. For a more precise cutout effect, advanced users can drag an image with an Alpha channel into a composition, then use the Transparency brushes to adjust what is displayed--without affecting the Alpha information. Changing Layer Order - or What's in Front? The order that layers appear in the Layers tray is important. When you add a layer, it just gets added to the top of the layers list. A layer that's at the top is displayed "on top" or in front of everything below it in the list. Imagine again that each layer of your composition is drawn on a piece of clear plastic or film. As you lay each piece of "film" in place, you build a composition. When you get a few layers in place, to move one layer in front or behind another layer, drag it up or down in the list. 102 COMPOSING IMAGES To bring a layer to the front: 1 2 Select a layer in the Layers tray. Drag the layer up to the top of the Layers list in the Layers tray. To send a layer to the back: 1 2 Select a layer. Drag the layer down to a new position in the Layers list. Place it below anything that should be displayed on top (or in front) of the layer you're moving. Hiding and Locking Layers You can see what a composition would look like without a layer. You can always show it again. To hide a layer: 1 2 Select the layer (either click on it or select it in the Layers tray). [. . . ] The higher the number, the larger the file, and the larger it can be printed without obvious pixels showing. However, if your image has been scanned with more pixels than you'll ever use for output, the file size will be larger than needed, and will take up more space. Plug-ins Plug-ins allow you to add to the functionality of Soap 2. Various types of plug-ins are supported include device plug-ins that allow additional devices to work with Soap 2, and effects which provide you with additional tools to manipulate your photos. 159 Red eye Red eye is a common problem caused by the camera flash reflecting off the back of the eye. [. . . ]