Additional Features
 
     
  The program also includes these popular features:

  • Insert Image.  This feature automatically resizes your photos - no other software required.  A resized photo improves performance, so even if you have large, high-resolution images, they will be inserted onto your canvas with a minimum impact to performance..

  • Lock and Unlock.  You can lock any object on the canvas to keep it from moving. (This is in addition to locking an entire layer!)

  • Dimension Tool.  The freeform version of the dimension tool conveniently stops at increments of one-eighth inch.

  • Progress Bars are used on both the Open and Save commands, so you can see the status of your file as it either is opening in the program or being saved.

  • Sizing Proportionately.   PC users have always been able to resize a design element proportionately.  This same capability is available to all operating systems for Mac users as well.

 
 
 
     
     
 

Insert Image

This popular feature automatically resizes your photo images to improve performance, when designing on a photo. Many of our customers take beautiful high resolution images with their digital cameras. You don't have to use other software programs or change the settings on your camera to resize your photos before importing into DreamDraper!

The program will automatically reduce the size of your photo.  It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

  1. Click on the INSERT IMAGE icon (illustration 1)

  2. Click on the canvas to position the photo (illustration 2)

  3. LOAD and INSERT your photo (illustration 3)

   
  1. To use this capability, just click on the Insert Image icon, as shown at right.
   

  1. Click on the LOAD IMAGE button, located in the top right corner of the pop-up window.  Navigate to the location on your computer where you have saved your photo and OPEN it.  Your photo will appear in the pop-up, similar to what is shown in the illustration below. 

 

  
  1. Notice the small preview window in the lower right corner of the pop-up.  That will show how your photo will be positioned on the canvas. Just click on the INSERT IMAGE button and you're done!
   
 
 

The following options are mainly of interest if you are using an older computer with less RAM and a slower processor, as you may want to adjust your photo even more to reduce its size.  Reducing the photo size improves system performance when you are designing.  Otherwise, just skip the rest of these steps.

The two features described below (in steps 4 and 5), Compression and Size, are strictly optional.  Most users will never have to use these features, even those who are using older computers.  The two options below are provided for your convenience, if you are using an older computer and you feel that your computer is running too slow when designing on a photo. 

  1. If you need to adjust your photo to improve performance (reducing the file size), you have 2 options.  The first option (COMPRESSION) is shown on the right.  Compression reduces the quality of the image (thereby making the file size smaller), leaving the physical size of the image intact.  To reduce the quality, choose a higher compression.  The default value is NONE.  If you choose to compress, you can click on the CHECK IMAGE SIZE button to see how your photo was reduced in file size.  The large preview window in the pop-up will show how the quality of the photo was affected when compressed.  If satisfied, click on the INSERT IMAGE button.

   

  1. The second option that you have to reduce the size of the file is to physically size your photo smaller.  The Insert Image pop-up window has another drop-down box, the SIZE option, which is shown on the right.  You can actually resize the photo so that it appears either smaller or larger on your canvas.  The small preview window in the lower right section of the pop-up window will display how the photo has been resized and how it will appear on the canvas.   If you choose to size, you can click on the CHECK IMAGE SIZE button to see how your photo was reduced in file size.  If you are satisfied, then click on the INSERT IMAGE button.

   

  1. Also notice the CHECK IMAGE SIZE button below the small preview window in the pop-up.  Click on that button to see the size of your photo file.  In the illustration shown in step 3, the photo is 3.53 MB.  You will be able to determine how using the COMPRESSION or SIZE commands affect the size of your photo.

 
 
 
     
     
 

Lock and Unlock

This popular feature has always been available in the DreamDraper, and allows you to lock objects on the canvas so that they cannot be moved. These object locks are available in your toolbar.

You can lock any object on the canvas, either a photo or any design element. When you click on a locked object, you will see that the handles, which are normally blue squares, are now replaced with locks and the object is outlined in red. See the illustraiton at right. A locked object will remain locked after you have saved your design file and have exited the program, so that the next time that you open the file, those objects are still locked.

 
 
 
     
     
 

Dimension Tool

This popular feature will conveniently stop at increments of one-eighth inch.  When you click on the freeform version of the Dimension Tool (shown at right) and you drag your mouse to draw the tool, as you release your finger on the mouse, the measurement made by the tool will automatically stop to the closest one-eighth inch.  (See the example on the right.)  Many of our designers have requested this feature, and we were pleased to provide it!

 
 
 
     
     
 

Progress Bars

Progress bars display the status of your file as it is being opened (see the illustration on  the immediate right), or as it is being saved (see the illustration on the far right).  When the save operation has been completed, you will see the message that your file was "Successfully Saved" and you can then click on the DONE button.
OPEN

SAVE

 
 
 
     
     
 

Sizing Proportionately

Whether using a PC (XP, Vista, or Windows 7) or Mac (including native Mac OS like Snow Leopard, or a Windows environment), you can resize a design object proportionately larger or smaller (maintaining the aspect ratio of the width to the height), do the following:

  1. Depress the SHIFT key on the keyboard.
  2. Keep the SHIFT key depressed as you pull on one of the corner handles of the object. You can size the object larger or smaller.
  3. When done sizing, then release the SHIFT key.
  
     
     

 

Click here to contact Evan Marsh Designs.

Evan Marsh Designs, Inc.

P.O. Box 664

Bethlehem, PA  18016

USA

Email us  Click here to contact Evan Marsh Designs.

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610-868-5067 or

1-866-56-DREAM  toll free

610-868-1303

    

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DreamDraperŽ, PC TeacherŽ, and Quick QuoteŽ are trademarks of Evan Marsh Designs, Inc.  Copyright © 2003-2009 by Evan Marsh Designs, Inc.  All rights reserved.