Tools

This part contains the following chapters:

Selection

With Selection tool the user can choose region of the image for editing.

• "Lasso" allows to choose variable region.
• "Select all" selects the whole image.
• "Rectangle" allows to choose rectangle region.
• "Invert" inverts selection.
• "Hide" hides selection from the screen.
• "Transform to Path" transforms selection to path. It is useful for the more accurate selection.
  

It is also avaiable feaser toolbar for all selection tools, which allows to produce feasered borders of the selected region. The user can specify the size of feaser and the blending options. It can be used for example to smooth the retouching photos.

You can use "Free Transform" for transforming current selection.

Paths

Path tool allows to work with a selection and tools more accurately.

There are three ways to create a path:

• Convert current selection by clicking on "Convert selection to Path" button.
• Select pencil tool in the path tools toolbar and draw path on the image.
• Select line tool in the path tools toolbar and place points on the image where the path will be based.
• The user can edit (move, add, delete base points, and change curves) of the current path, by path tools toolbar.

Creating accurately selection is the main feature of the paths. To convert path to a selection just click corresponding button on the path tools toolbar .

Photoimpro allows to apply tools (brushes, dodge, burn, etc) to the paths. Just select interested tool and click "Apply brush to path" button.

Crop

Cropping is the process of removing portions of the image to create focus or strengthen the composition. The user can crop the image using the Crop tool.

To crop the image:

• Select the Crop tool.
• Enter proportions in the crop toolbar.
• Drag over the part of the image you want to keep to create the marquee. The marquee does not have to be precise-you can adjust it later.
• If necessary, adjust the cropping marquee:
  • To move the marquee to another position, place the pointer inside the bounding box and drag.
  • To scale the marquee, drag a handle.
• To complete the crop press Enter or click the Commit button in the toolbar.
• To cancel the cropping operation press Esc or click the Cancel button in the toolbar.

Brush tools

The Brush tool paints with the current foreground color on the image.

To use Brush tool:

• Choose the foreground color. (See the color picker)
• Choose the brush from the Brush Presets picker, and set brush options.
• Select the Brush mode
• Drag in the image to paint.

Brush Presets picker

The user can specify predefined brush preset or create new preset with the custom parameters, such as Size, Hardness, Peak count, Rotation, Radius, Outline, etc...

Also the dynamic parameters for brushes can be specified: Spacing, Scatter and Hue.

Brush modes

• Dodge and Burn
  Used for lightening or darken areas of the image, the Dodge and the Burn mode are based on a traditional photographer's technique for regulating exposure on specific areas of the print. Photographers hold back light to lighten the area on the print (dodging) or increase the exposure to darken areas on the print (burning).
• Sharpen
  Sharpen mode focuses with a specific brush soft edges to increase clarity or focus.
• Blur
  Blur mode softens with a specific brush hard edges or reduces detail in the image.
• Sponge
  Sponge mode subtly changes the color saturation of the area. Increases or decreases contrast by moving gray levels away from or toward the middle gray.

Clone Stamp

The Clone Stamp tool takes a sample of the image, which can then be applied over a part of the same image. Each stroke of the tool paints more samples. The Clone Stamp tool is useful for duplicating an object or removing a defect from the image.

When the user use the Clone Stamp tool, he sets a sampling point on the area (with "Alt" button places point on the image) which should be applied to another area.

Due to different brush tips the user have a lot of control over the size of the area which is cloned.