Additions:
Opening Acorn
Tools Palette
Layers
Color and Fonts Palette
Menu Items
Taking Screen Shots with Acorn
Making Slideshows with Acorn
Edited on 2008-02-28 13:26:19 by BradEllis
Additions:
Hitting New Image... will prompt you asking for what size you would like to make the new document.
If you're unsure how big to make it, try using the size thats already filled in, the canvas size is always adjustable later.
Pressing OK will create the new blank document or, if you have recently copied an image to your clipboard, you can also hit the From Clipboard button in the lower left to create a new document with that image.
Hitting Open Image... will open up the Open dialog box, and will ask you to find the image you want to open.
If you're running Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, there will be a list of favorite folders on the left side of the window. At the bottom of that list will be a heading titled MEDIA which will have in it all of your photos from iPhoto or Aperture.
Deletions:
Hitting "New Image..." will prompt you asking for what size you would like to make the new document. If you're unsure how big to make it, try using the size thats already filled in, the canvas size is always adjustable later. Pressing "OK" will create the new blank document. If you have recently copied an image to your clipboard, you can also hit the "From Clipboard" button in the lower left to create a new document with that image.
Hitting "Open Image..." will open up the Open dialog box, and will ask you to find the image you want to open.
If you're running Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, there will be a list of favorite folders on the left side of the window. At the bottom of that list will be a heading titled "MEDIA" which will have in it all of your photos from iPhoto or Aperture.
If you no longer wish to see this window, uncheck the "Show this window at startup" button.
Edited on 2008-01-28 17:31:07 by BradEllis
Additions:
Another great way to open images in Acorn is to simply drag the image on top of the Acorn icon down in the dock. This works with things inside iPhoto, Photo Booth, or anywhere else on your computer, try it out.
Deletions:
If you're not using 10.5 or are having trouble with integrating iPhoto and Acorn please refer to the iPhoto Integration page.
Now that we have something to work with check out one of the following:
Opening Acorn
Tools Palette
Layers
Color and Fonts Palette
Menu Items
Taking Screen Shots with Acorn
Making Slideshows with Acorn
Edited on 2008-01-28 16:16:15 by BradEllis
Additions:
If you're running Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, there will be a list of favorite folders on the left side of the window. At the bottom of that list will be a heading titled "MEDIA" which will have in it all of your photos from iPhoto or Aperture.
Deletions:
If you're running Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, there will be a list of favorite folders on the left side of the window. At the bottom of that list will be a heading titled "MEDIA" which will have in it all of your photos from iPhoto or Aperture. (need to include a pic here, when i get the ability to post things)
Edited on 2008-01-25 19:48:30 by BradEllis
Additions:
Back to Acorn
Edited on 2008-01-25 19:45:10 by BradEllis
Additions:
Opening Acorn
Making Slideshows with Acorn
Deletions:
Opening Acorn
Filters
Edited on 2008-01-23 17:28:23 by BradEllis
Additions:
Taking Screen Shots with Acorn
Edited on 2008-01-23 17:08:09 by BradEllis
Additions:
If you're running Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, there will be a list of favorite folders on the left side of the window. At the bottom of that list will be a heading titled "MEDIA" which will have in it all of your photos from iPhoto or Aperture. (need to include a pic here, when i get the ability to post things)
If you're not using 10.5 or are having trouble with integrating iPhoto and Acorn please refer to the iPhoto Integration page.
If you no longer wish to see this window, uncheck the "Show this window at startup" button.
Now that we have something to work with check out one of the following:
Opening Acorn
Tools Palette
Layers
Color and Fonts Palette
Menu Items
Filters
Deletions:
You may be finding it difficult to find images if you use iPhoto for your photo organization. For questions on that, please refer to the iPhoto Integration page.
If you don't wish to see this, uncheck the "Show this window at startup" button.
Tools palette
The tools palette has 3 sections, on the left is a list of the tools that you can use to manipulate your image, on the upper right is the settings for the tool that you are currently selecting, and below that is a list of the layers and options for manipulating them.
Tools for moving around
Move (Shortcut 'v')You can use the move tool to click on a layer and move it around. You can also use it to click on graphics in a shape layer, and to change the bounds of an image or move it around. This is your go-to tool to start moving things around in Acorn.
Panning / Hand Tool (Shortcut 'h' or hold down 'space')If you're zoomed in on your image, or its too big for you to see the entire thing on your monitor, use this tool to move your view around. Try out the shortcut of holding down the space bar, once you get used to it, you'll use this tool all the time.
Zoom (Shortcut 'z')The Zoom tool is used for magnifying your image so you can see those pixels up close and personal, or for zooming out. To zoom in with the tool, simply click, or to be more specific, drag a box around the area you want to end up on. To zoom out, hold down the option key and click. Once you start getting used to this action, you can also use the hot key (apple +) to zoom in and (apple -) to zoom out.
Crop (Shortcut 'c') The Crop tool is for cropping your image down to a smaller size. Use it to define the area of your image you would like to keep. You'll notice as you drag it around that there are lines dividing the new image up. These lines are helpful when choosing how to crop an image. Please read up on the rule of thirds∞ for more information.
If you make a mistake, place your mouse near one of the boarders of the crop area and drag it out to change it.
When you're happy with the area you've selected press return to accept, or esc to cancel.
Tools for performing selections
Rect, Oval, and Free Selection Tools (Shortcut 'm')These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rectangular selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it to.
If you'd a selection and would like to select another area as well, hold down the shift key while using one of the selection tools and the new area will be added to the existing area. Similarly, if you selected something you don't want, you can hold down the option key while using one of the tools, and the new area will be subtracted from the existing selection. If that sounds confusing, give it a try and see what happens.
Selections are important because change the area that will be affected by another action. ie, if you have nothing selected and use the blur filter, everything in that layer will become blurry, but if you make a selection, then apply the filter, only the selected area will become blurry. (Needs video)
Magic Wand (Shortcut 'w')The Magic Wand tool works by selecting a single pixel, and then expanding that selection out to neighboring pixels that match the same color. You can adjust the tolerance so that there is a little bit more freedom in determining if a neighboring pixel should be selected or not. This is helpful for selecting all the white in the background and deleting it quickly. Play around with tolerance and feathering to improve the result. (Note for brad: needs video demo)
Pencil (Shortcut 'b')This is your most basic tool for getting new pixels down on the canvas. You can adjust the size of the brush and opacity for different results. Holding down the shift key will let you draw in only straight straight lines. (Note for brad: needs video demo)
Eraser (Shortcut 'e')The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. If there is a layer underneath it, it will be exposed. For more on how layers work read the layers page. You can also hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
Flood Fill (Shortcut 'k')The flood fill tool works similarly to the magic want, but instead of selecting the area, the flood tool replaces that color with the foreground color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how thorough the fill is, try experimenting with this value.
Gradient (Shortcut 'g')Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color. The linear gradient tool will produce an even color from the point you click, to the place you drag to, while the radial tool will produce a circle with the background color inside, and the foreground color outside.
Text (Shortcut 't')The text tool allows you to put text onto an image. Selecting the tool and clicking once on your image will let you start typing. Once you're done, hit the enter key, or change to the move tool to solidify the text that you've written. Using the text tool will add the text on top of the image as a new layer, which means that by using the move tool you can move the text around and align it up however you want.
If you're looking for more options with the text, go to Menu>Window>Fonts to pull up the font palette where you can adjust all the details about the font.
Shapes (Shortcut 'r', 'o', and ';')Simple shapes can be added to your image using the Shape tool. They can also be re-edited later on by using the Move tool to select, move, and adjust the bounds using the handles.
Layers
Layers are what make image editors so powerful. Images are stacked on top of each other in the layers palette, and you see a flattened version of that in the canvas. If you take the text tool and write something on your image, you'll notice that a new layer called "Shape Layer" has been created. By using the move tool, you can move around this layer, without affecting the layer underneath. Also, if you apply a filter, it will only apply to the layer you currently have selected in the layers palette.
There are two different kinds of layers can be created. One is a "Bitmap Layer" and the other is a "Shape Layer." Bitmap layers are pictures that you bring in from iPhoto, or things that you draw. They are a grid of pixels on the screen. Shape Layers are more like a set of instructions than pixels. You can go back at any time in a shape layer and change the font, the colors, or the size easily. However if you resize a bitmap layer you'll start to see pixelation, or big bad blocks of color.
Shape layers cannot be drawn on or erased, nor can you use filters on them. In fact, if you try to use a filter on it, it will ask you if you would like to "rasterize" the layer, which is the process of turning a shape layer into a bitmap layer. If you would like to perform a filter on a shape layer, simply click 'OK' to this dialog box, however you wont be able to edit the layer like you previously could.
Important word of warning: JPG, the format that most images are stored in, cannot have layers, so saving out to a JPG will "flatten" all of the layers into one. If you would like to save your layers, save as the file formate acorn.
Edited on 2008-01-22 16:36:38 by BradEllis
Additions:
Tools palette
The tools palette has 3 sections, on the left is a list of the tools that you can use to manipulate your image, on the upper right is the settings for the tool that you are currently selecting, and below that is a list of the layers and options for manipulating them.These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rectangular selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it to.
If you'd a selection and would like to select another area as well, hold down the shift key while using one of the selection tools and the new area will be added to the existing area. Similarly, if you selected something you don't want, you can hold down the option key while using one of the tools, and the new area will be subtracted from the existing selection. If that sounds confusing, give it a try and see what happens.
The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. If there is a layer underneath it, it will be exposed. For more on how layers work read the layers page. You can also hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
The flood fill tool works similarly to the magic want, but instead of selecting the area, the flood tool replaces that color with the foreground color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how thorough the fill is, try experimenting with this value.
Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color. The linear gradient tool will produce an even color from the point you click, to the place you drag to, while the radial tool will produce a circle with the background color inside, and the foreground color outside.
The text tool allows you to put text onto an image. Selecting the tool and clicking once on your image will let you start typing. Once you're done, hit the enter key, or change to the move tool to solidify the text that you've written. Using the text tool will add the text on top of the image as a new layer, which means that by using the move tool you can move the text around and align it up however you want.
If you're looking for more options with the text, go to Menu>Window>Fonts to pull up the font palette where you can adjust all the details about the font.
Layers
Layers are what make image editors so powerful. Images are stacked on top of each other in the layers palette, and you see a flattened version of that in the canvas. If you take the text tool and write something on your image, you'll notice that a new layer called "Shape Layer" has been created. By using the move tool, you can move around this layer, without affecting the layer underneath. Also, if you apply a filter, it will only apply to the layer you currently have selected in the layers palette.
There are two different kinds of layers can be created. One is a "Bitmap Layer" and the other is a "Shape Layer." Bitmap layers are pictures that you bring in from iPhoto, or things that you draw. They are a grid of pixels on the screen. Shape Layers are more like a set of instructions than pixels. You can go back at any time in a shape layer and change the font, the colors, or the size easily. However if you resize a bitmap layer you'll start to see pixelation, or big bad blocks of color.
Shape layers cannot be drawn on or erased, nor can you use filters on them. In fact, if you try to use a filter on it, it will ask you if you would like to "rasterize" the layer, which is the process of turning a shape layer into a bitmap layer. If you would like to perform a filter on a shape layer, simply click 'OK' to this dialog box, however you wont be able to edit the layer like you previously could.
Important word of warning: JPG, the format that most images are stored in, cannot have layers, so saving out to a JPG will "flatten" all of the layers into one. If you would like to save your layers, save as the file formate acorn.
Deletions:
Tools Pallet
The tools pallet has 3 sections, on the left is a list of the tools that you can use to manipulate your image, on the upper right is the settings for the tool that you are currently selecting, and below that is a list of the layers and options for manipulating them.These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rectanglar selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it to.
If you'd a selection and would like to select another area as well, hold down the shift key while using one of the selection tools and the new area will be added to the exsisting area. Similarly, if you selected something you don't want, you can hold down the option key while using one of the tools, and the new area will be subtracted from the exsisting selection. If that sounds confusing, give it a try and see what happens.
The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. If there is a layer underneith it, it will be exposed. For more on how layers work read the layers page. You can also hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
The flood fill tool works similarly to the magic want, but instead of selecting the area, the flood tool replaces that color with the foreground color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how thorough the fill is, try experiementing with this value.
Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color. The linier gradient tool will produce an even color from the point you click, to the place you drag to, while the radial tool will produce a circle with the background color inside, and the foreground color outside.
The text tool allows you to put text onto an image. Selecting the tool and clicking once on your image will let you start typing. Once you're done, hit the enter key, or change to the move tool to solidify the text that you've writen. Using the text tool will add the text on top of the image as a new layer, which means that by using the move tool you can move the text around and align it up however you want.
If you're looking for more options with the text, go to Menu>Window>Fonts to pull up the font pallet where you can adjust all the details about the font.
Edited on 2008-01-22 16:04:55 by BradEllis
Additions:
Opening Acorn
You can use the move tool to click on a layer and move it around. You can also use it to click on graphics in a shape layer, and to change the bounds of an image or move it around. This is your go-to tool to start moving things around in Acorn. Panning / Hand Tool (Shortcut 'h' or hold down 'space')If you're zoomed in on your image, or its too big for you to see the entire thing on your monitor, use this tool to move your view around. Try out the shortcut of holding down the space bar, once you get used to it, you'll use this tool all the time.
The Zoom tool is used for magnifying your image so you can see those pixels up close and personal, or for zooming out. To zoom in with the tool, simply click, or to be more specific, drag a box around the area you want to end up on. To zoom out, hold down the option key and click. Once you start getting used to this action, you can also use the hot key (apple +) to zoom in and (apple -) to zoom out.
The Crop tool is for cropping your image down to a smaller size. Use it to define the area of your image you would like to keep. You'll notice as you drag it around that there are lines dividing the new image up. These lines are helpful when choosing how to crop an image. Please read up on the rule of thirds∞ for more information.
If you make a mistake, place your mouse near one of the boarders of the crop area and drag it out to change it.
When you're happy with the area you've selected press return to accept, or esc to cancel.
These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rectanglar selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it to.
If you'd a selection and would like to select another area as well, hold down the shift key while using one of the selection tools and the new area will be added to the exsisting area. Similarly, if you selected something you don't want, you can hold down the option key while using one of the tools, and the new area will be subtracted from the exsisting selection. If that sounds confusing, give it a try and see what happens.
Selections are important because change the area that will be affected by another action. ie, if you have nothing selected and use the blur filter, everything in that layer will become blurry, but if you make a selection, then apply the filter, only the selected area will become blurry. (Needs video)
The Magic Wand tool works by selecting a single pixel, and then expanding that selection out to neighboring pixels that match the same color. You can adjust the tolerance so that there is a little bit more freedom in determining if a neighboring pixel should be selected or not. This is helpful for selecting all the white in the background and deleting it quickly. Play around with tolerance and feathering to improve the result. (Note for brad: needs video demo)
This is your most basic tool for getting new pixels down on the canvas. You can adjust the size of the brush and opacity for different results. Holding down the shift key will let you draw in only straight straight lines. (Note for brad: needs video demo)
The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. If there is a layer underneith it, it will be exposed. For more on how layers work read the layers page. You can also hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
The flood fill tool works similarly to the magic want, but instead of selecting the area, the flood tool replaces that color with the foreground color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how thorough the fill is, try experiementing with this value.
Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color. The linier gradient tool will produce an even color from the point you click, to the place you drag to, while the radial tool will produce a circle with the background color inside, and the foreground color outside.
The text tool allows you to put text onto an image. Selecting the tool and clicking once on your image will let you start typing. Once you're done, hit the enter key, or change to the move tool to solidify the text that you've writen. Using the text tool will add the text on top of the image as a new layer, which means that by using the move tool you can move the text around and align it up however you want.
If you're looking for more options with the text, go to Menu>Window>Fonts to pull up the font pallet where you can adjust all the details about the font.
Deletions:
Opening Acorn
You can the move tool to click on a bitmap layer and move it around. You can also use it to click on graphics in a shape layer, and to change the bounds of an image or move it around. This is your go-to tool to start moving things around in Acorn.
Panning / Hand Tool (Shortcut 'h')If your image doesn't fit in the window because it's too big or you are zoomed in, you can use this tool to pan your view of the image around.
The Zoom tool is used for magnifying your image so you can see those pixels up close and personal, or for zooming out. To zoom out with the zoom tool, hold down the option key when clicking on your canvas.
The Crop tool is for cropping your image down to a smaller size. Use it to define the area of your image you would like to keep, and then double click inside the crop area, or press the enter key to perform the crop on your image.
These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rect selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it too.
Holding down the shift key while using one of these tools will add to any selection that may currently already be in place. Holding down the option key will cut out from the selection.
The Magic Wand tool works by selecting a single pixel, and then expanding that selection out to neighboring pixels that match the same color. You can adjust the tolerance so that there is a little bit more freedom in determining if a neighboring pixel should be selected or not.
This is your most basic tool for getting new pixels down on the canvas. Hold down the shift key to draw in straight lines.
The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. Hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
The flood fill tool fills in adjacent pixels with the same color. Using the flood fill tool on a pixel will change it's color to the current foreground color, and then turn any neighboring pixels with the same original color to the new color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how close in color neighboring pixels are to be filled in.
Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color.
Add new text layers using the Text tool. Use the palette to change the font and style of your text.
Edited on 2008-01-22 14:43:30 by BradEllis
Additions:
The tools pallet has 3 sections, on the left is a list of the tools that you can use to manipulate your image, on the upper right is the settings for the tool that you are currently selecting, and below that is a list of the layers and options for manipulating them.
Tools for moving around
Move (Shortcut 'v')You can the move tool to click on a bitmap layer and move it around. You can also use it to click on graphics in a shape layer, and to change the bounds of an image or move it around. This is your go-to tool to start moving things around in Acorn.
Panning / Hand Tool (Shortcut 'h')If your image doesn't fit in the window because it's too big or you are zoomed in, you can use this tool to pan your view of the image around.
Zoom (Shortcut 'z')The Zoom tool is used for magnifying your image so you can see those pixels up close and personal, or for zooming out. To zoom out with the zoom tool, hold down the option key when clicking on your canvas.
Crop (Shortcut 'c') The Crop tool is for cropping your image down to a smaller size. Use it to define the area of your image you would like to keep, and then double click inside the crop area, or press the enter key to perform the crop on your image.
Tools for performing selections
Rect, Oval, and Free Selection Tools (Shortcut 'm')These three tools will allow you to make various types of selections in your image. Use the rect selection tool to make a straight rectangular selection, the oval tool to make a round selection, or the freehand tool to make a selection that goes wherever you want it too.
Holding down the shift key while using one of these tools will add to any selection that may currently already be in place. Holding down the option key will cut out from the selection.
Magic Wand (Shortcut 'w')The Magic Wand tool works by selecting a single pixel, and then expanding that selection out to neighboring pixels that match the same color. You can adjust the tolerance so that there is a little bit more freedom in determining if a neighboring pixel should be selected or not.
Pencil (Shortcut 'b')This is your most basic tool for getting new pixels down on the canvas. Hold down the shift key to draw in straight lines.
Eraser (Shortcut 'e')The eraser is good for removing pixels from a bitmap image. Hold down the shift key to erase in straight lines.
Flood Fill (Shortcut 'k')The flood fill tool fills in adjacent pixels with the same color. Using the flood fill tool on a pixel will change it's color to the current foreground color, and then turn any neighboring pixels with the same original color to the new color. The tolerance setting lets you adjust how close in color neighboring pixels are to be filled in.
Gradient (Shortcut 'g')Use the Gradient tool to fill in your image or selected area with a gradual gradient, changing from what you have set as the background color, to the foreground color.
Text (Shortcut 't')Add new text layers using the Text tool. Use the palette to change the font and style of your text.
Shapes (Shortcut 'r', 'o', and ';')Simple shapes can be added to your image using the Shape tool. They can also be re-edited later on by using the Move tool to select, move, and adjust the bounds using the handles.
Edited on 2008-01-22 12:47:19 by BradEllis
Additions:
Hitting "New Image..." will prompt you asking for what size you would like to make the new document. If you're unsure how big to make it, try using the size thats already filled in, the canvas size is always adjustable later. Pressing "OK" will create the new blank document. If you have recently copied an image to your clipboard, you can also hit the "From Clipboard" button in the lower left to create a new document with that image.
Hitting "Open Image..." will open up the Open dialog box, and will ask you to find the image you want to open.
You may be finding it difficult to find images if you use iPhoto for your photo organization. For questions on that, please refer to the iPhoto Integration page.
Deletions:
Hitting "New Image..." will prompt you asking for what size you would like to make the new document. If you're unsure how big to make it, try using the size thats already filled in, the canvas size is always adjustable later. Pressing "OK" will create the new blank document, or if you have recently copied an image to your clipboard, you can also hit the "From Clipboard" button in the lower left to create a new document with that image.
Edited on 2008-01-22 12:37:14 by BradEllis
Additions:
Opening Acorn
When you first start up Acorn you'll see a window asking what you would like to do. This is a great way to set up a blank canvas, or continue working on a previous project.
Hitting "New Image..." will prompt you asking for what size you would like to make the new document. If you're unsure how big to make it, try using the size thats already filled in, the canvas size is always adjustable later. Pressing "OK" will create the new blank document, or if you have recently copied an image to your clipboard, you can also hit the "From Clipboard" button in the lower left to create a new document with that image.
If you don't wish to see this, uncheck the "Show this window at startup" button.
Tools Pallet
Deletions:
Tools Pallet
Oldest known version of this page was edited on 2008-01-22 12:05:48 by BradEllis []
Page view:
Tour of Acorn
Tools Pallet