# @(#)ECLIPSESTART	2.1 10/7/93
#
# Copyright (c) 1993 Alias Research Inc. All rights reserved.
# This is unpublished proprietary source code of Alias Research 
# Inc.
# The copyright notice does not evidence any actual or intended
# publication of such source code.  Alias Research Inc. cannot 
# be held responsible for any inaccuracies contained herein.
#


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Opening an Existing Image:

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After you start Alias Eclipse, use the Open command from the File menu to open an existing image. To open an image, follow these steps:


1. Select File from the menu bar, and then select the Open command.


Alias Eclipse displays a submenu with four items: All, Image, Mask, and Shapes.


2. Select Image from the submenu.


Alias Eclipse displays the Open dialog box. The box displays the path to the current image file directory, the contents of the directory, an Image Name text box, and a Preview button.


3. To choose a different directory path, click the left mouse button in the Image Path text box, type a directory pathname, and press Enter.


Alias Eclipse displays the names of any image files in the new directory.


4. You can also select the Go Up button to move up one directory level from the path displayed in the Image Path box. To return to the original path, select the Original button.


5. Type the name of the image you want in the Image Name text box, or select a name from the scroll box. Use the scroll bar to see additional names in the box. When you select a name from the list, Alias Eclipse inserts the name in the Image Name box.


6. To see a sample of the image, select the Preview push button.


If a proxy for the image exists, Alias Eclipse displays a small sample of the image in the lower right corner of the dialog box.


7. Select Okay to open the image. Select Cancel to create a new image instead of opening an existing one.


Alias Eclipse opens the image and displays it. Alias Eclipse also opens the Shapes, Brushes, and Brush Color tool windows.


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Creating a New Image:

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After you start Alias Eclipse, use the New command from File menu to create a new image. To create a new image, follow these steps:


1. Select File from the menu bar, and then select the New command.


Alias Eclipse displays the New Image dialog box. You use this box to define the width and height of the new image and choose CMYK or RGB options.


2. To choose the unit of measurement for the new image, click the left mouse button on the small rectangle next to Units .


Alias Eclipse displays a pop-up menu listing the available units of measurement. 


3. Click the left mouse button on Pixels, Inches, or Millimeters.


Alias Eclipse displays your choice in the field.


4. Click the left mouse button in the Width text box, type the width of the new image and press Enter.


5. Click the left mouse button in the Height text box, type the image height and press Enter.


As you type the width and height, Alias Eclipse calculates the image Size and displays these values at the bottom of the dialog box. 


6. Click the left mouse button on the small rectangle in the RGB/CMYK color option field.


Alias Eclipse displays a pop-up menu with the two color options.


7. Click the left mouse button on RGB or CMYK.


Alias Eclipse displays your choice in the field.


8. If you want a different output resolution, click the left mouse button in the Resolution text box, type a new value and press Enter. (Resolution is the number of pixels per unit of measurement.)


9. When you are done with the dialog box, click the Okay button.


Alias Eclipse opens a blank white image. Alias Eclipse also opens the Shapes, Brushes, and Brush Color tool windows. The image file has no name until you Save it.


When you start Alias Eclipse, you can also import an image file instead or opening or creating one. See the Import command in the File Menu section for instructions on importing image files.


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The Main Window:

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The Alias Eclipse main window is divided into three basic parts: the title and menu bars at the top, the image area in the middle, and the status box at the bottom as shown in the following illustration. You can move and size the main window.


The title bar at the top of the window displays the product name and version. This bar also contains the window control menu at the far left and the stow and expand buttons at the far right.


Use the window control menu to move, raise, lower, and close the window. The stow button collapses the window to an icon; the expand button expands the Alias Eclipse window to fill the entire screen.


The menu bar displays the nine Alias Eclipse menus: File, Edit View, Organize, Effects, Correct, Mask, Window, and Help. Each menu displays a pull-down list of commands.


The image area is the largest portion of the window. This is where Alias Eclipse displays your images and shapes. There are scroll bars at the right and bottom sides. You use the scroll bars to move around your image when it is too large to fit inside the image area.


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Status Area:

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The status area at the bottom of the window displays information about the image, system messages, and contains some frequently-used tools and commands.


Each image window has its own status area that controls that image. The following sections describe the information and tools in the status area, starting from left to right.


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Cursor Location:

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At the far left are two fields that show the current position of the cursor in relation to the entire image area. The upper field shows the X, or horizontal position; the lower field shows the Y, or vertical position. Notice that the values in these fields change as you move the cursor around in the image area.


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Zoom Buttons and Zoom Option Menu:

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The Zoom Option menu displays the current zoom level.  You can also use the menu to select the zoom level you want:


1. Select the small rectangle to the right of the Zoom Option menu.


Alias Eclipse displays a menu of all the zoom levels.


2. Select the level you want.


If you are zooming in, Alias Eclipse prompts you to Select zoom center.


3. Move the cursor to the image and click at the point you want to be in the center of the screen after the zoom.


The small Z button is the zoom-out button; the large Z is the zoom-in button. Each time you select one of the zoom buttons, you zoom in or out to the next level listed in the Zoom option menu. 


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View and Apply Layer Buttons:

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The View and Apply Layer buttons determine which separation layers of an image you see or work on. You can view or apply changes to any combination of separation layers, including the mask layer.


When you select a View or Apply button to make a layer active, it changes color and looks as if it is pushed in. To turn off the layer, select the button again; the button changes colors and looks as if it has popped out.


When you select a single View layer, you see the layer as a b/w positive or negative. When you select more than one layer, Alias Eclipse displays the layers in color.


You can view any color layer with the mask layer, or view the mask layer independently. By default, when you select a View layer, Alias Eclipse activates the corresponding Apply layer. However, you can select Apply layers independently.


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Use Mask Button:

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Select the Use Mask push button to use the current mask layer as a barrier to any corrections, effects, or paint you apply to the current image. To create a mask, select the Apply S push button and paint on the mask layer of the image, or select AutoMask or AutoHSL from the Mask menu and specify or select a color range for the mask.


You can also use the Open command in the File menu to open an existing mask file. See the File Menu section for more information.


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Message Area:

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The Message Area display messages about the current status of the image, commands, or functions. When you select a command, the Message Area displays prompts to help you perform any actions needed to complete the command.


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Scroll Bars:

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You pan, or move, the image in a window using the scroll bars. To pan with the scroll bars, click MB1 on the arrows on either end of the scroll bars. You can also drag the rectangles inside the scroll bars.


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Panning Images:

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You can also use MB3 to pan horizontally and vertically at the same time. For example, to pan to the top right portion of an image, move the cursor to the top right corner of the image area, click and hold MB3, and drag the cursor down toward the bottom left corner. If you select Show for the Pan Control Preference, you see the image slide down to the left. When the image is where you want it, release the mouse button.


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Using the Mouse:

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When working with Alias Eclipse, you use the mouse buttons for different tasks. This manual assumes that you are using a three-button mouse.


Use the left button (MB1) on a Silicon Graphics mouse to select menus, commands, and tools, and to paint images and draw shapes.


Use the middle button (MB2) to undo actions and to unpaint. Use the right button (MB3) to pan an image.


If you use a one-button mouse or a tablet stylus, press Ctrl+Z to perform MB2 functions (undo and unpaint). To pan an image, use the scroll bars at the right and bottom sides of the image window.


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Clicking and Dragging:

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There are two basic actions you perform with the mouse buttons: clicking and dragging. A click is a quick press and release of the button. You click a mouse button to select a command or an object on the screen. In this manual, the phrase, Select the File menu, means to move the cursor to the word File in the menu bar and click MB1.


Dragging means to press and hold the mouse button as you move the cursor across the screen. You drag to move selected objects or to pan the image directly. For example, you might see the following instruction - 
Drag the square to the right and then release MB1 when it is positioned where you want it.


