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Pictures
ConceptDraw lets you import pictures from various graphic files and insert them into your documents. You can also create new pictures by converting ConceptDraw shapes to various graphic formats. Unlike the previous versions, starting with ConceptDraw V the program allows import vector images and store them in an internal vector format. Such vector pictures take up much less resources and allow to perform additional operations on them.
- Pictures and Graphic Formats
- Raster Pictures
- Vector Pictures
- Converting Vector Pictures
Pictures and Graphic Formats
Picture - is one of the shape types, used in ConceptDraw.
To insert a picture into your document, use the Insert / Picture menu.
The file open dialog will come up, where you can choose a picture to be inserted. In the Preview window you can see a small image of the picture.
Note: To find the desired file easier, you can choose the needed file format in the Files of type box.
Click the Open button to open the selected file.
The picture will be inserted in the center of the active window. Note that the picture is now part of the document and is no longer related to the file it was taken from.
Note: If you want the picture to be opened in a separate document, open it using the File / Import command.
Raster Pictures
Raster pictures are stored inside the document and allow limited editing only: you can resize, reposition and rotate them.
ConceptDraw supports the following raster formats:
BMP, ICO, GIF, JPEG, PNG, PCD(Photo CD), PCX, PSD, SGI(Irix), SUN Rasterfile(*.ras, *.sun), Targa(*.tga), TIFF, X Window system bitmap(*.xpm, *.xbm).
Vector Pictures
Working with vector pictures is very much like working with raster ones, except for some additional possibilities.
ConceptDraw supports the following vector graphic formats:
Windows metafile(*.wmf, *.emf), Macintosh PICT(*.pct), AutoCad DXF(*.dxf), Word Perfect Graphics(*.wpg).
Once you've inserted a vector image, you can transform it to ConceptDraw shapes. This is described in the following section.
Converting Vector Pictures
Being a vector drawing program, ConceptDraw provides more control on imported vector images, compared to raster ones. You can convert vector images to ConceptDraw shapes for further editing. ConceptDraw also employs a proprietary Vector Picture format, which helps to increase performance and reduce document size when working with vector graphics.
When a vector image is inserted into a document, it's stored either in its original format, or is transformed into the proprietary ConceptDraw Vector Picture format. This depends on the platform and original format of the vector image.
For instance, an image in EMF format is stored in its original format in the Windows version of ConceptDraw. It allows for a limited set of operations - resizing, repositioning or rotation, and the original format is preserved.
If a document with such image is opened in the Macintosh version of ConceptDraw, the picture will be automatically transformed into the proprietary ConceptDraw Vector Picture format; however, the original EMF image is also preserved in the document for better compatibility with the Windows version.
The same happens with images in the PICT format. The only difference to EMF is that PICT images are stored in the original format on the Macintosh, and converted into ConceptDraw Picture Format in the Windows version.
Some vector formats, such as Autocad DXF are converted into the internal ConceptDraw format immediately and are never stored in the original format.
You can convert a vector image into a group of ConceptDraw shapes. Select the image in the document, and choose Convert / To Group from the Shape menu.
The result will be a group of ConceptDraw shapes, with which you can work as with any ConceptDraw group - ungroup and work with individual shapes, or edit shapes inside the group without ungrouping.
Sometimes an opposite operation may be required. Documents containing large number of shapes need a lot of memory, and may cause the program to work slowly. In most cases shapes don't contain complex formulas or control handles, can be converted to the Vector Picture format. This saves memory and increases performance for complex documents.
To convert selected shapes to Vector Pictures, choose Convert / To Vector Picture from the Shape menu. To transform the Vector Picture back into a group of shapes, perform the Convert / To Group command.
Note: The Vector Picture format doesn't preserve all properties of ConceptDraw shapes. Complex formulas and control handles will be lost when you convert shapes to Vector Pictures, and won't be restored when you convert Vector Picture back to ConceptDraw shapes.
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