User manual ARCSOFT COLLAGE CREATOR QUICK START GUIDE

[. . . ] ARCSOFT PRODUCT FAMILY ArcSoft PhotoStudio ® Awesome photo editing for the home or office. ArcSoft VideoImpression TM Create multimedia presentations by combining photos and video clips with audio, text and scene transitions. Macintosh OS 8. 6/9/X. ArcSoft PhotoImpression TM This all-in-one solution blends powerful photo editing with project templates and a slick, easy-to-use interface. Macintosh OS 8. 6/9/X. ArcSoft PhotoBase TM Your complete multimedia manager. [. . . ] When printing within the program, the size of the printed image is directly dependent on two things: resolution and DPI (dots per inch). By setting the DPI for your collage, you determine how many pixels will be contained in each inch that is printed. For example, if you have a photo that is 1000 x 1000 and print at a DPI of 100, you'll get a 10" x 10" image. Because the image is 1000 pixels high and you're printing 100 pixels in an inch, you'll have a print that is 10" high (divide the image pixels by the DPI). The DPI that you use to set your print size is not the same as the DPI used to describe the capabilities of your printer. This means that for each inch that the printer prints, it will shoot out 2000 individual dots of ink. Within the software, DPI refers to pixels printed per inch; with respect to your printer, it refers to the number of individual ink dots the cartridge puts on the paper within a single inch. A printer my use several dots of ink to make one single pixel of the photo. Image Acquisition Device: An "image acquisition device" is any hardware device that you can connect to your computer so you can download, or "acquire" images. It's basically a fancy term that has been adopted to describe these things. Driver: Drivers are actually programs or files that are placed on your computer whenever you install a CD that comes with a piece of hardware. A driver basically tells the computer what device you have, and is responsible for transferring data back and forth from the device to your computer. all of these devices have a driver installed on your computer that tell it exactly what the device is, what it does, and how it does it. When you installed your flashy new digital camera software, the drivers for the camera were installed as well. You can acquire photos from your devices through Collage Creator, but the device driver is doing the actual downloading or acquiring. Whenever you acquire photos, the program basically sits and waits while the driver for your device goes to work. If you're having problems downloading/acquiring images, contact the manufacturer of your camera (or other hardware device) to see if they have an update. Most companies have their drivers available for free download on their Web site, and update them whenever issues arise. · · · -2- Collage Creator Quick Start Guide Getting Started Now that you have an understanding of some of the terms that are used when referencing digital photography, let's get started!In general, it's a good idea to keep all of the images on your computer stored in one location. It's good to create subfolders so that you can categorize them, but generally, you'll want them all readily accessible. The My Documents folder is a great place to use because it's easy to remember and find. -4- Collage Creator Quick Start Guide If you choose the From Album option, simply choose the album from the pull-down to see the available thumbnails. To create a new album, choose "< New >. " You can then use the Add and Acquire tools to add to your album. [. . . ] Your doodle can be applied as a transparent object, just like clip art. Or, it can be applied as a standard photo with a square, opaque background. The Letterboard tool works almost exactly the same as adding clip art. The entire alphabet (as well as numbers and some symbols) is available--just click and drag the characters you want onto the workspace. Use the Layer buttons beneath the workspace to adjust the stacked order of each individual letter. [. . . ]