Effects Listing

The following effects are currently available from the Sheets and Effects dialog.

Adjust Hue/Saturation

$image\adjust.gif$

Adjusts the hue, saturation and lightness values of every pixel. Usually used on an entire drawing.

Parameters

Bevel

$image\bevel.gif$

Parameters

Uses

Blur

$image\blur.gif$

Parameters

Uses

Displace

$image\displace.gif$

Distorts pixels based on another sample image.

Parameter

Technical Data

The displace filter works by using a displacement map to compute the new pixel to use at the current location. The displacement map is implemented as the red and green channels of the . The normal map is an image that encodes a vector’s X, Y, and Z components into the R, G, and B components of a pixel. The Normal Map shader in FT generates examples of a normal map. For every XY pixel in the output image, the appropriate normal map XY components are added to the current XY position and that pixel in the input image is used as the output pixel.

A bump map is a grayscale image that represents height data. These heights are used to compute a normal map which is used as described above. If you don’t have a handy normal map, using a grayscale image as a bump map will often work well.

The "best" files to use are normal maps because you have complete control over the displacement. However, bump maps are much easier to generate. For example, you can use a logo, text, or any shape that you want as a displacement map. Just turn that map into a slightly blurred grayscale (or even slightly blurred color image; the filter will convert to grayscale before using the image) and specify it as a bump map. The ball.png file is an example of a bump map. The image converts to a vector field pointing directly away from the center point. Pixels are pulled from outside the image area into the gray area. Using a semi-random field will generate semi-random displacements. This effect could be used with a rough paper bitmap to apply a set of displacement patterns to the image. Combine this with texturize using the same or a slightly different paper image for an interesting effect.

Uses

Drop Shadow

$image\drop_shadow.gif$

Drop Shadow gives the impression that entities are floating over the background by adding a shadow.

Parameters

Uses

Edge Fade

$image\Edge_fade.gif$

Uses

Glow

$image\Glow.gif$

Adds a color halo around the affected sheet. The glow will make a copy of the entity in the selected color. This is then blurred.

Mode: Choose Inside for the glow to be in the interior of the shape, Outside to be outside the shape.

Color: Click the colored area to choose a color from the palette, or type an RGB value.

Strength: The density of the glow. 0 gives a minor effect.

Blur Radius: The width of the glow.

Uses

Inner Glow

$image\inner_glow.gif$

A glow inside an entity which is less graduated than Glow.

Parameters

RGB Matrix Process

$image\RGB_matrix.gif$

Adjusts the color of the pixels in the affected region. It gives you a linear combination of the input RGB color components. This technique lets you perform color conversions such as sepia tone, grayscale, pure red, pure blue, pure green, and so on. There are many possible combinations of operations, but the important idea is that it's one pixel in, one pixel out. You can also use this filter to darken or lighten an image.

Parameters

Technical info

[1.000 0.000 0.000 0.000]

[0.000 1.000 0.000 0.000]

[0.000 0.000 1.000 0.000] n

[0.000 0.000 0.000 1.000]

[0.800 0.000 0.000 0.000]

[0.000 0.800 0.000 0.000]

[0.000 0.000 0.800 0.000]

[0.800 0.000 0.000 0.200]

[0.000 0.800 0.000 0.200]

[0.000 0.000 0.800 0.200]

Screen Border

$image\Screen_Border.gif$

CC3 can't calculate certain effects for example, a drop shadow from something off the active window. To make sure maps look fine in your drawing window and prints , you can add an opaque border to the active window.

Parameters

Uses

Spatial Matrix Process (SMP)

$image\spatial_matrix.gif$

This allows you to define a multitude of different effects; blurs, displacements, edge effects, embossing and brightness/darkness. It works in the same fashion as Paint Shop Pro's User Defined Filters. There are a number of saved settings, and it is likely you will want to use these. SMP works on a pixel basis, so its effects will vary with zoom levels. Most users will be content with preset values, or slight modifications of them.

Parameters

Techical Information

This effect changes each pixel's color based on its current color and the colors of surrounding pixels. The effect each surrounding pixel has is defined in the filter matrix.

Each pixel's color value is multiplied by the coefficient in the matrix center, and any pixels within the matrix are multiplied by the corresponding coefficients. The sum of the products becomes the target pixel's new value.

For a good tutorial on how to create user defined filters in Paint Shop Pro which applies equally well to CC3, try Lori's Web Graphics.

Uses

Texture Overblend

Texture overblend replaces filled areas with a selected tileable texture, and fades that texture towards its edge.

Parameters

Uses Background areas filled with different fill styles, for example grass contours. Each type of grass contour would be on a different sheet, with the Texture Overblend file pointing at the correct bitmap tile.

Texturize

$image\texture.gif$

Adds a semi-transparent pseudo-3D texture to the affected area.

Parameters

Uses

Transparency

$image\trans.gif$

Change the opacity of the selected area.

Parameters

Uses

Wall Shadow

$image\wallshadow.gif$

Adds a shadow to all appropriate edges which looks as if it has been cast from a vertical surface.