Documents

Picture Window Tutorial and White Papers

The following documents are distributed free -- most are in Acrobat (pdf) format. In order to view or print these documents you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. If it's not already installed on your computer, you can get it free from Adobe:

To copy an Acrobat file to your disk for later viewing, click on the link to the document with the right mouse button and then select a command from the menu that pops up. If you are using Netscape, use the Save Link As command; if you are using Internet Explorer, use the Save Target As command.

tutorial.pdf (669,357 bytes) -- Tutorial chapter from the Picture Window electronic manual

This document is a copy of the tutorial chapter from the Picture Window electronic manual, reformatted for screen display. The full electronic manual comes with Picture Window on its CD-ROM and has much higher resolution. The tutorial is provided here for use with the free evaluation version of Picture Window and to give an idea of what the electronic manual is like.

bird.jpg (145,440 bytes) -- Tutorial Sample Image

Downloading this image will let you work along with the tutorial. To save a copy on your computer first click on bird.jpg above -- when the image is finished loading, click on it using the right mouse button and select the Save Picture As item from the menu that pops up.

Using Picture Window 3.1 under Linux

astro.pdf (182Kb) -- Using Picture Window for Astrophotography

Several common situations that come up in astrophotography are addressed in this document:

Combining two or more exposures to obtain a single image equivalent to one long exposure.
Combining black and white photos taken through red, green, and blue filters to produce a color image.
Using a short exposure image to bring out highlight detail washed out in a long exposure image (e.g. in a photo of a globular cluster).
Creating a mosaic from two or more overlapping images.

basics.pdf (260Kb) -- The Basics of Digital Images

This document explains and illustrates digital images, image types, resolution, color, and other important concepts.

This document is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat, you can view it on your computer screen or print a copy on your own printer.

better prints.pdf (107Kb) -- Nine Tips for Making Better Prints

This describes a number of techniques for improving the quality of prints made on inkjet or other printers.

color balance.pdf (355Kb) -- Color Balancing Techniques

This document is an advanced tutorial on color balancing photographs with Picture Window.

color management.pdf (459Kb) -- Color Management

This document is an advanced tutorial on color management with Picture Window Pro.

There are also notes available concerning the use of Praxisoft's WiziWYG color profiling software with Picture Window Pro.

colorize.pdf (314Kb) -- Colorizing B&W Photos

This document is an advanced tutorial on colorizing black and white photos with Picture Window.

dodge and burn.pdf (141Kb) -- Dodging and Burning

This document is an in-depth tutorial describing a number of different techniques for lightening or darkening images with Picture Window.

drop shadows.pdf (488Kb) -- Creating Drop Shadows

This document describes how to use Picture Window to place offset shadows behind text, rectangles and objects with irregular boundaries.

dynamic range.pdf (281Kb) -- Extending the Dynamic Range of Film

This document describes how to combine and underexposed and an overexposed image of the same subject to create an image with extended dynamic range.

histogram.pdf (1,363Kb) -- Using Curves and Histograms

This document describes and shows you how to use curves and histograms to adjust brightness, contrast and dynamic range, and how to create a variety of special effects.

layout.pdf (213Kb) -- Using the Layout Transformation

This document describes and shows you how to use Picture Window's Layout Transformation to create album pages, business cards, ad layouts, etc.

mask.pdf (1,748Kb) -- Creating and Using Masks

This document is an advanced tutorial on the mask feature of Picture Window. It also describes how to use mask tools and transformations. It goes into considerable detail on using masks with the Composite transformation to combine images. It has been updated to reflect some of the masking improvements in Picture Window 3.0.

register and distort.pdf (322Kb) -- Registering and Distorting Images

This document describes how to use the Composite transformation to register multiple images of the same subject and how to use the multipoint alignment feature in Picture Window Pro to create freehand distortions of images.

resampling.pdf (290Kb) -- Image Resizing and Resampling Techniques

This document is an advanced tutorial on resizing images with Picture Window.

retouch.pdf (342Kb) -- Image Retouching Techniques

This document is an advanced tutorial on retouching images with Picture Window.

scan.pdf (219Kb) -- Scanners and How to Use Them

This document is an advanced tutorial on scanning images with Picture Window.

sharpen.pdf (322Kb) -- Sharpening Images

This document is an advanced tutorial on sharpening images with Picture Window.

text effects.pdf (556Kb) -- Text Effects

This document describes a number of techniques for applying text to images and creating special effects based on text.

Velvia vs Provia 100F -- Velvia vs. Provia 100F -- A Digital Perspective

This HTML document describes the results of some recent tests comparing there two professional films for resolving power, smooth rendition of blue skies, color rendition and exposure latitude.

vignette.pdf (548Kb) -- How to Vignette

This document describes a number of techniques for creating vignettes.

Color Blindness Test

Go to this page for a quick test of your color vision.