PhotoBlender Help

Introduction Functions (Buttons & Menus) Registration Information

Introduction

About PhotoBlender

PhotoBlender is a Java application for Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT 4.0, XP, Linux, Unix, and Mac!

PhotoBlender is a powerful Photo (image) transparency processing software! With PhotoBlender, you can:

Open and save .jpg or .jpeg photos (images) with the transparency information.
You can blend four layers together in one photo: the background color layer, the background photo layer, the foreground (top) photo layer, and the foreground color (cover color) layer.
You can change the transparency of the background photo, the top photo, and the cover color.
You can change the transparency (in a 1 - 100 scale) in three ways: one step a time by click the slider, cautiously by drag the slider, and automatically by click the start (play) button.
You can change the three kinds of transparency all at the same time by using the auto function.
You can change the background color or cover color to the popular color by simply click a button, or you can choose any color using the color chooser.
You can move the top photo in the background photo in three ways: fast move by dragging the top photo, fine move (one step a time) by click the eight direction buttons, and auto move by click the start (play) button.
You can exchange (swap) the background photo and top photo at any time by simply click a button.
You can open a background photo or top photo or both at any time to change the background photo or top photo.
You can reset the top photo to its original position (top-left corner) at any time.

System requirements

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.2 or above for the operation system your machine use. You can download it free from: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/jre/
Operation systems: any one of:
    Windows 95/98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP
    Linux
    Unix
    Mac
32 MB RAM or more
1 MB free disk space
VGA - True Color video mode

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Functions (Buttons & Menus)

File Operations:

Open background photo - Open a exiting file on the disk. For now, only .jpg or .jpeg file can be opened.

Open foreground (top) photo - Open a exiting file on the disk. For now, only .jpg or .jpeg file can be opened.

Save the file using a name you input or choose in the "Save as..." dialog. You don't need to input the file extension (.jpg), the program will add it. Because you can open two photos at the same time, no "Save" operation is proved.

Swap - Swap the background and top photo so you can move the photo you want. Generally and practically, the background photo should bigger than the top photo, and the size of the saved photo is the bigger ones.

Exit PhotoBlender without save anything.

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Transparency Operations:

You can change the transparency of the background photo, top photo, and the cover color. The transparency of an image or color decides how much of the underground image is displayed. Here we use a scale from 0 to 100 to represent transparency. Zero (0) represent fully transparent, that is, all the underground image is displayed; And 100 represent fully opaque, that is, non of the underground image is displayed.

By using different transparency for the background photo, top photo, and the cover color, you can get many kinds of effects, for example, if you set the top photo's transparency to 100 and choose a yellow cover color with transparency less than 100, you can get a highlight color effect.

You can use the following control - slider and buttons - to change the transparency:

1. By click on the bar of the slider, you can change the transparency 1 at a time.

2. By dragging the box of the slider, you can change the transparency continually.

3. By clicking the play button, the transparency will automatically changed one step at a time. And you can change the steps between 1 and 10. Please note that if you computer is not fast enough, or the size of the photo is very large, the actually change may be larger that the step you set.

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Move Operations:

You can move the top photo in the background photo. There are 3 kinds of method to move the photo:

1. Fast move - By dragging the top photo to the position you want. When the mouse become the ship of a hand, you can drag the top photo to anywhere within the background. The current position (the top-left corner) of the top photo is displayed on the status window:

2. Fine move - By click the following eight direction buttons, you can move the top photo one step a time. The initial step is 1 pixel, but you can change it between 1 and 100 using the step buttons.

Move one step up-right.

Move one step right.

Move one step down-right.

Move one step down.

Move one step down-left.

Move one step left.

Move one step up-left.

Move one step up.

Reset the top photo to its initial position, that is, 0, 0 (the top-left corner).

Increase the step one pixel. The largest step is 100.

Decrease the step one pixel. The smallest step is 1.

3. Auto move - By click the start (play) button, the top image will automatically move. The initial moving direction is right, but you can click the eight direction buttons at any time to change the moving direction. The current moving direction is displayed in the status window. The step of auto move is same as the fine move, and you can also change the step during the auto move. Please note that if your computer in not fast enough, or the photo is too large, the actual moving step may be larger.

If you want to move the background image instead of the top image, you can simply swap the background and top image by click the sway button.

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Color Operations:

The background color decide which color is blend with the background photo when its transparency is less than 100 (that is, it's not fully opaque). The cover color only apply to the top photo, it acts like put a color glass to the top photo. There are many convenient ways to choose or change the background color and the cover color.

1. Fast choose - Using the following color palette to choose one of the 18 most used color:

When you left-click one of the 18 palette, the cover color is changed to this color, and the background color is changed when you right-click a palette. Also, the current background color and cover color is displayed above the color palettes. The bigger rectangle represent the background color, while the inner small one represent the cover color.

2. Fine choose - If the color you want is not at the color palettes, you can bring out a color chooser dialog window by click the color display rectangles or click the buttons on the toolbar:

Choose the background color in the color chooser window.

Choose the cover color in the color chooser window.

In the color chooser window:

You can choose the color you want is three ways: Swatches, HSB, and RGB.

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Other Information:

Show this help information.

Show the following window, which display the user name and license code if you have registered PhotoBlender.

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Registration

Reasons to register

PhotoBlederis a "Shareware". You are entitled to evaluate the software for 30 days without having to pay. After 30 days, if you decide to keep the software, you must register your copy with us for a small amount of fee. The unregistered copy of PhotoBleder will include "Processed with PhotoBlender" in the saved image.

After registration you will get :

1. The Registration Code (by e-mail) and instruction to register.
2. Notifications of every Major Upgrade.
3. life-of-product technical support.

Ways to register:

Personal (1 to 9 copies) - One user only .
Price: $15.00 USD.

Site License (10 copies or more) - Site license order is made for a company which wants to install 10 or more copies on its computers.

Copies	10 to 24	25 to 49	50 to 99	100+
Registration Fee/copy	$14.00	$13.00	$12.00	$10.00

Online registration:

It's faster and safe to register your copy of PhotoBlender from RegNow. Just use the following link to register online:

https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=6519-1

After registration, an email with the registration code and instructions will send to you immediately.

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Other Information

Distribution (Shareware Version)

You are licensed to make as many copies of the UNREGISTERED SHAREWARE VERSION of PhotoBlender as you wish and distribute them to anyone, but you must distribute all the files. You are also licensed to save the UNREGISTERED SHAREWARE VERSION of PhotoBlender to your software library for others to download.

Limitation of Liability

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL IMAGE ECHO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR FOR ANY AND ALL OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES. IN NO EVENT WILL IMAGE ECHO BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE LIST PRICE IMAGE ECHO CHARGES FOR A LICENSE TO THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF IMAGE ECHO SHALL HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY SHALL NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY TO THE EXTENT THAT APPLICABLE LAW PROHIBITS SUCH LIMITATION. FURTHERMORE, SOME STATES AND JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THIS LIMITATION AND EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

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