User Guide
User Guide
User Guide
User Manual
Copyright ©2014 onOne Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Welcome to Perfect Photo Suite 1
Chapter 2: Introduction 3
Using the Help System 4
Contacting onOne Software 5
Additional Help 6
System Requirements 7
Installation 8
Licensing and Registration 9
Opening and Saving Files 10
Using Modules 12
Using as Standalone 13
Using with Adobe Photoshop 14
Using with Adobe Lightroom 16
Using with Apple Aperture 19
Using with Other Applications 20
Managing Extras 21
Preferences 25
Create extraordinary images, inspire your creativity, and solve the most
common photo problems with Perfect Photo Suite 8—a complete photo
editor designed to make your images look their best. Work the way you
want and perform editing tasks that are too timeconsuming in Adobe®
Photoshop®, or impossible to do alone in Lightroom®, Photoshop
Elements, or Apple® Aperture®. You'll have all that you need to
enhance, retouch and stylize images, replace backgrounds, and create
high quality enlargements
What's New
What's Included
Browse Layers
Enhance Portrait
Apply the basic adjustments that almost every image needs Focus on the art of portrait creation because the most time
to go from good to great. You'll find tools to improve color, consuming retouching tasks are automated in the Portrait
tone, and detail, and brushes for spot healing, cloning, and module. Improve skin texture and color, remove blemishes,
removing objects with content-aware fill technology. and enhance eyes and mouths to create flawless portraits.
Effects B&W
Make your images extraordinary with the best effects available today. Develop stunning images that recreate the timeless look of black and
Customizable filters and hundreds of built-in presets inspire your white master photographers. Use a library of expertly-crafted presets
creativity and give you ultimate control to create effects that make your for instant results or powerful, darkroom-inspired controls for you own
images look their best. custom look.
Mask Resize
Create high-quality masks with state-of-the-art tools that help you The Resize module gives you everything you need to prepare your
select subjects and isolate backgrounds for removal—even around hair images for print. Powered by Genuine Fractals technology, you'll
and trees and through glass and veils. maintain total clarity and sharpness of your image for your enlargements
—even for snapshots taken with a mobile device.
For Adobe® Lightroom®
Standard Edition Premium Edition
and Apple® Aperture® Edition
Includes Browse Module Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Layers Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Enhance Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Portrait Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Effects Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect B&W Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Mask Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Resize Yes Yes Yes
Includes Perfect Batch Yes Yes Yes
Use as a standalone application Yes Yes Yes
Integrates with Adobe® Lightroom® No Yes Yes
Integrates with Apple® Aperture® No Yes Yes
Integrates with Adobe® Photoshop Elements No Yes Yes
Batch Processing through export dialog in Lightroom No Yes Yes
Opens Raw files from most digital cameras Yes Yes Yes
Integrates with Adobe® Photoshop® No No Yes
Create or refine layer masks in Photoshop No No Yes
Resize CMYK, Grayscale and LAB colorspace images No No Yes
Use modules as re-editable Smart Filters in Photoshop No No Yes
Record Photoshop actions for repeated tasks or batch processing No No Yes
Live phone technical support First 90 Days Yes Yes
Email and online technical support Yes Yes Yes
Introduction
This introductory chapter includes general helpful information about how to use this help system, how to contact onOne Software, how to install and access the
software, etc. It covers many of the foundation topics that you will need to understand to get started.
This user guide is html based and readable in most web browsers. On the left side, you will see a table of contents that make it easy to find the section you are
looking for. The table of contents is hyperlinked and will take you to the specified section by clicking on them. The main body of the page will show you the
content you have requested. Use the scroll-bar at the right to scroll down for additional content. You may see hyperlinks in the body text. They will be blue and
underlined. Clicking on one of these hyperlinks will take you to more relevant information.
You use the same forward and back buttons in your browser to navigate this user guide as you would a regular web page. You can even bookmark pages so
you can find them quickly later.
If you don't see what you are looking for in the table of contents, try the search field at the upper right. You can type in what you are looking for and an index
of pages will be created automatically that contain your search term.
You can print individual pages by pressing the Print button at the top of the page. A complete printable PDF version of this user guide is available in the user
guide section of the onOne website. This version may be downloaded and viewed when you do not have an internet connection. The PDF version may also be
installed on your tablet or eReader device for viewing off our computer.
At onOne Software, we value our customers and offer a variety of ways to be contacted.
• Visit our company website at:
www.onOnesoftware.com
© 20072014 onOne Software, Inc. All rights reserved. onOne Software is a registered trademark of onOne Software, Inc. The onOne Software logo are trademarks
of onOne Software, Inc. Adobe, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated in the United
States and/or other countries. Mac OSX, the Mac logo, iPhoto and Aperture are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows
7, Windows 8 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The activation system used
by onOne Software, Inc. is licensed under Patent No. 5,490,216. For a full list of license disclosures view the LICENSE.TXT file installed with the software.
Additional Help
Technical Support
Contact technical support at www.ononesoftware.com/support or by filing out a request form.
Knowledge Base
Search the Knowledge Base for common issues, tips & tricks, and compatibility questions.
Video Tutorials
Visit the onOne University for free online video tutorials and archived webinars. Many users find these to be the best and fastest way to get
started and learn new techniques.
System Requirements
Minimum Recommended
Mac OSX 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 Mac OSX 10.8, 10.9
Operating
Windows Windows 7 or Windows 8 Windows Windows 7 or Windows 8
System
current maintenance releases, 64 bit only current maintenance releases, 64 bit
Quad-core Intel Core i5, Xeon or better
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo, Xeon or better processor(s)
processors(s)
RAM 8 GB RAM 8+ GB RAM
1 GB for installation
Hard Drive 1 GB for installation
Fast 7200 RPM or SSD drives
OpenGL 2.0 compatible video card with 256 MB OpenGL 4.0 compatible video card with 1GB
Display
dedicated video RAM, 1280x720 resolution dedicated video RAM, 1920x1080 resolution
Photoshop CS5, CS6, CC Photoshop CS6, CC
Optional
Photoshop Elements 10, 11, 12 Photoshop Elements 11, 12
Application
Photoshop Lightroom 4, 5 Photoshop Lightroom 5
Integration
Apple Aperture 3.4 Apple Aperture 3.4
Internet connection for activation, auto update
Wacom tablet for pressure sensitive input
Other checking, content downloads and tutorials.
Hardware display calibration tool
Adobe Flash Player
If you are using Perfect Photo Suite from a Windows based computer, it is important that you have the latest drivers for your video card installed to get the
best performance. Check with your video card manufactures website for the latest drivers. Be sure your video card is OpenGL 2 compliant and has 256MB or
more of dedicated VRAM. Many integrated video cards on low-end laptops may not meet these requirements.
Installation
To install Perfect Photo Suite, double click the installer icon and allow the installer to guide you. You may have downloaded the installer from the onOne
Software website or it may be on a DVD if you elected for a physical shipment.
You should close any supported host applications such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture as well as any standalone versions of
onOne products before installing or updating.
Mac OSX
The application is installed in the Perfect Photo Suite folder in the Applications folder.
All plug-in files for supported host applications (such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop Elements) found during the installation process
will be installed automatically. You will see a summary of installed plug-ins at the end of installation.
If a previous versions of Perfect Photo Suite is found, it will be maintained or replaced based on your preference during installation.
Support files are installed into /Library/Application Support/ and ~/Library/Application Support/ folder.
Windows
The application is installed in the Perfect Photo Suite directory in the onOne Software directory in the Program Files directory.
All plug-in files for supported host applications (such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop Elements) found during the installation process
will be installed automatically. You will see a summary of installed plug-ins at the end of installation.
If a previous versions of Perfect Photo Suite is found, it will be maintained or replaced based on your preference during installation.
Support files are installed into \ProgramData\onOne Software\.
Uninstalling
To uninstall Perfect Photo Suite, follow these instructions.
You should deactivate your product before uninstalling. This will allow you to transfer your license to another computer.
Mac OSX
Windows
1. Go to Control Panels.
2. Under Programs select Uninstall a program.
3. In the list that comes up select Perfect Photo Suite and then click on the Uninstall button.
If you wish to move your copy of Perfect Photo Suite from one activated computer to new computer you will need to deactivate it first. Deactivation is a simple
process. Simply open Perfect Photo Suite and select Deactivate from the Help menu. This will deactivate Perfect Photo Suite on the current machine, allowing
you to install and activate it on another machine.
If you lose your activation code, have your computer stolen and can not deactivate it, need to install on more than two computers or have other activation
issues please contact onOne customer service at 1-888-968-1468 or visit the support section of the onOne software website.
It is important to register your copy of Perfect Photo Suite if you did not purchase it directly from onOne Software, so we can provide you with the best possible
service. Registered users of Perfect Photo Suite are eligible for free technical support, information regarding new versions and products, free updates, upgrade
pricing and special offers on new products.
We believe that the best products are made by listening to our customers. We use many methods to gather your ideas and feedback including: emails, surveys,
direct conversations, market analysis and the Product Improvement Program. The Product Improvement Program is built into our software and gathers
information about how our software is used. It is the most accurate way for us learn what features are important to you and how our products fit into your
workflow.
Enrollment in the program is voluntary. When you participate, we collect basic information about how you use our programs and basic information about your
computer. This information helps us learn what features are important to you and how we can make our software easier to use. No personal information is
collected and you will not be contacted.
You can choose to participate in the Product Improvement Program the first time you launch an onOne product. You can change your participation later, just
click the Help menu, then Help Improve onOne Products.
You can learn more about the Product Improvement Program here.
Perfect Photo Suite uses the Photoshop (PSD) file format as its default file type. The Photoshop file format is a commonly supported, publicly documented file
format that is also the standard file for Adobe Photoshop. It is also supported by Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, Aperture and many other image editing
applications. It supports multilayered images and layer masks making it the perfect format for durable, adjustable imaging. Perfect Photo Suite also supports the
opening and saving of the following file types, in RGB either 8 or 16 bits per pixel.
Photoshop (PSD)
Photoshop Large Document (PSB)
Tagged Image File Format TIFF (TIF)
Joint Photographic Experts Group JPEG (JPG)
Portable Network Graphic (PNG)
Camera Raw files from over 200 digital cameras
Photoshop PSD files will maintain all the layers and layer masks you create in Perfect Photo Suite and are recommended as your main file format. If your saved
file will be larger than 2 GB or 30,000 pixels on a side, your image will automatically be saved in the .PSB or Large Document format. This is a newer version of
the PSD file format and still maintains all your layers and masks.
You can use the Edit a Copy or Save As command to save flattened TIF and JPG files or PNG files with transparency. Camera raw files can only be opened, not
saved directly. They must be saved as another file type.
Opening Files
1. Selecting a file(s) in the Browse module, then clicking on another module, like Layers or Effects.
2. Open the file from the File > Open menu if you are using the Layers module.
3. Dragging a file onto the Perfect Photo Suite icon.
4. Sending a file to Perfect Photo Suite from a host application like Photoshop or Lightroom using the Perfect Photo Suite plug-in.
When opening an existing PSD file that has been editing in Photoshop it may contain unsupported layer types such as text layers, adjustment
layers, etc. you will see a warning. You can still open a flattened version of the image if this happens. You can learn more here.
Opening Options
When you open a file(s) in the standalone application you will be presented with the
dialog to the right. It allows you to choose to work on the original file, a copy, or to
stack the files together as layers.
Edit a Copy: A copy of the original file is made using the Copy Options below
and saved in the same folder as the original.
Edit Original: The original file is edited directly. This overwrites the original file
with your changes. This option is disabled for Raw or read-only files.
Add as a Layer: The original file is added as a layer(s) into the current image
in Perfect Layers. If no image is opened, a copy of the first image in your
selection is created.
If you select to open a copy, you can control the file type, color space, bit-depth and
resolution. If you have multiple files selected, they will all be handled the same way.
Saving Files
1. You may save the open file using the save option command in the Layers module anytime.
2. If you opened your image from the Browse module, simply return to Browse to save and close the file.
3. If you have accessed Perfect Photo Suite using a plug-in from another application, follow the instructions from that application for saving.
Using Modules
Perfect Photo Suite is a complete photo editor. It uses a modular approach, allowing each module to focus on one task. This makes accomplishing the task easier
by removing unnecessary tools and giving access to just what you need to get the task done. When used as a standalone application, Browse is the default
module upon first launch, it is used to navigate your drives and cloud services to find images to begin working. In the Preferences you may change the default
startup module to Perfect Layers. If you prefer a layered workflow you can use the Layers module as the heart of your workflow, similar to using Adobe
Photoshop. Depending on how you access Perfect Photo Suite you may never notice Browse or Layers.
If you access Perfect Photo Suite as a standalone application you will start
in Browse or Layers module.
When you are ready to edit an image you will select the module you wish
to use from the Module Selector in the upper right corner of the main This is the module selector from the Perfect Photo Suite. It contains all of the
window. You can easily switch between modules by clicking on another in available modules that onOne Software makes. If you have purchased a single
the Module Selector. This allows you to perform multiple tasks during the product, you will only see that product module and Perfect Layers in your module
same editing session. selector.
When you have completed your work, you return the Perfect Layers
module to save your work.
If you access Perfect Photo Suite as a Photoshop Plug-in you see the Module selector, but it will be disabled, you can only use one module at a time through
Photoshop. The Module Selector will also be disabled if you use the following modules through Lightroom or Aperture:
Perfect Portrait
Perfect Effects
Perfect B&W
Perfect Enhance
Perfect Resize
When you access these modules, you use them on their own and then return back to Lightroom or Aperture directly. Your file will be saved and closed
automatically. If you access Layers or Mask through Lightroom or Aperture you will start in the Layers module.
If you want to have access to all your modules during an editing session from Lightroom or Aperture, select the Perfect Layers plug-in. This will start
you in Perfect Layers and the Module Selector will be visible, allowing you to access all of the installed modules.
Using as Standalone
Perfect Photo Suite can be used as a standalone application without the need of Photoshop, Lightroom or other host application. To launch it follow these steps:
Mac OSX
You can add Perfect Photo Suite to your dock for easy access by clicking and holding the icon in the dock, then select the Keep In Dock option. If you use
Launchpad it can be found there as well.
Windows 7
If you selected the "Add Icon to Desktop" option during installation you can also access Perfect Photo Suite from there.
Windows 8
If you selected the "Add Icon to Desktop" option during installation you can also access Perfect Photo Suite from there.
If you do not have the Premium Edition of Perfect Photo Suite and would like to use it inside of Photoshop, contact onOne Customer Service about
upgrading to the Premium Edition.
Perfect Layers and Browse are not accessible from Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
You can use the for Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture Edition inside of Adobe Photoshop Elements as well.
onOne Panel
Users of Adobe Photoshop CS5 and higher can also access Perfect Photo Suite as plug-ins
using the onOne Extension Panel. This provides fast access to the Perfect Photo Suite and its
presets. To access the onOne panel, go the Window > Extensions menu in Photoshop and
select onOne.
The onOne panel behaves just like any other panel in Photoshop. It can be minimized or
nested with other panels. To access a module, simple double-click on it. To use a preset,
single click on the module name. A menu of available presets will be displayed. Simply double-
click on one to apply it to your selected layer.
If you wish to record actions using Perfect Photo Suite be sure to access it from
the File > Automate menu when recording.
If you have the Premium or for Adobe® Lightroom® & Apple® Aperture® version of Perfect Photo Suite you can access Perfect Photo Suite as a
plug-in inside of Lightroom. This provides an integrated, round-trip workflow.
Perfect Photo Suite is the perfect companion for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. It integrates tightly with it and provides a seamless experience for
enhancing your images. There are several ways to use Perfect Photo Suite with Lightroom.
Plug-In Extras
When you use Perfect Photo Suite through the Plug-In Extras menu there are
important file handling options that are controlled in the Preferences dialog of the
Perfect Layers module. These need to be configured in advance based on your
desired workflow.
File Type: The file type drop-down menu determines what type of file will
be created. The default is PSD, which maintains layers. You can also select
JPG or TIF if you prefer those formats and are not concerned about
maintaining layers. The last option is same as source, which maintains the
file type of the original file, except for Camera raw files which are saved as
PSD.
Color Space: The color space drop-down menu determines what RGB
working color space is used; Adobe RGB 1998, sRGB or ProPhotoRGB.
Bit Depth: The bit-depth drop-down menu determines the bit depth,
either 8-bit or 16-bit per pixel.
Resolution: The resolution drop-down menu determines the resolution of
the file.
Stack with Original: When enabled, the new image is stacked with the
original image, making it easier to organize.
Use Original for Single PSDs: When enabled, if you select a single PSD
file, it will be edited directly, rather than having a copy made.
External Editor
Batch Processing
There are two ways to batch process multiple images in Lightroom with Perfect Photo Suite.
Perfect Batch
Perfect Batch is the preferred way to batch process. You start with a selection of
images in Lightroom or folder on disk, then batch-process them with multiple modules
at the same time to solve complex workflows. For example a portait photographer
can prepare images for a sales session by retouching every face, adding their
stylized look and output small JPGs with their logo watermark, all in the same batch
process. You can access Perfect Batch from the File > Plug-In Extras menu in
Lightroom. You can learn more about using in the Perfect Batch section of this user
guide.
Lightroom Export
If you have the Premium or for Adobe® Lightroom® & Apple® Aperture® Edition of Perfect Photo Suite you can access Perfect Photo Suite as a
plug-in inside of Aperture. This provides an integrated, round-trip workflow.
Perfect Photo Suite integrates tightly with Apple Aperture and provides a
seamless experience for enhancing your images.
Perfect Photo Suite can be accessed from the Photo > Edit with Plug-In menu.
To edit an image in Perfect Photo Suite follow these steps.
When you access Perfect Photo Suite as a plug-in from Aperture the module
selector is only available for Perfect Layers or Perfect Mask. When you select
one of these modules you can use as many modules as you desire during the
same editing session. At the end of the editing session you must save and close
the image from the Perfect Layers module.
When you select a module other than Perfect Layers or Perfect Mask your
image will be sent to it directly and when you press Apply, the image is saved
and closed automatically and you are returned back to Aperture.
If you have multiple images selected, the behavior varies depending on which
modules you select.
The file type, bit-depth and color space of the image is determined by the preferences in Aperture for external editors. Perfect Photo Suite will
maintain the file type, either PSD or TIF automatically to support compatibility with plug-ins from other manufactures. Keep in mind only PSD files store
re-editable layers and mask.
Batch Processing
Perfect Batch is the preferred way to batch process. You start with a selection of
images in Aperture or folder on disk, then batch-process them with multiple modules
at the same time to solve complex workflows. For example a portait photographer
can prepare images for a sales session by retouching every face, adding their
stylized look and output small JPGs with their logo watermark, all in the same batch
process. You can access Perfect Batch from the Photo > Edit with Plug-in menu in
Lightroom. You can learn more about using in the Perfect Batch section of this user
guide.
You can use Perfect Photo Suite as an external editor with many other workflow applications such as Adobe Bridge or Apple iPhoto. First check the application
user guide to see if it supports external editors. It should detail how to configure the host application to use an external editor. Generally this will include
selecting Perfect Photo Suite setting the file type to send to it. It is best to use PSD files if supported. Below are the instructions for configuring iPhoto.
Managing Extras
Importing extras is simple. Start by opening the Extras Manager then follow these steps.
1. Select the type of extras you wish to import in the left column (Backgrounds, Borders, etc.) You can only import extras of one type at a time.
2. Click on the Import button in the footer of the left column. A Finder or Explorer Window will appear where you can select the files to import. If you
want to import an entire folder, click into the folder then select the first file, then shift-click on the last file. Click import when you selection is
complete
3. Select a category for your extras to live in. This is where you will be able to find it inside of the Perfect Photo Suite. You can select from an
existing category or create a new one.
When your extras have been imported you will see them in the Extras Manager in the category you selected, in the type of extra they belong to.
Backgrounds and Textures may be any image file that Perfect Photo Suite can open including jpg, tif, raw or psd files. Border files
must have a large central area that is transparent. This means that only files that support transparency like png can be imported
as borders.
If you have a .ONPreset file that you have downloaded from the onOne Software website, simply double-click on it to install it. There is no need to
import it through the Extras Manager.
Browsing Extras
You can remove imported extras using the Extras Manager. Follow these steps:
See also
Using the Help System
Contacting onOne Software
Additional Help
System Requirements
Installation
Licensing and Registration
Opening and Saving Files
Using Modules
Using as Standalone
Using with Adobe Photoshop
Using with Adobe Lightroom
Using with Apple Aperture
Preferences
The preferences dialog contains general application settings. The preferences are accessed from the Perfect Photo Suite menu on Mac or the Edit menu on
Windows.
General Settings
Performance Settings
Browse Module
The Browse Module is the perfect place to find the images you want to edit with Perfect Photo Suite. It gives
you easy access to all your images, no matter where they live on your computer, network or cloud based
storage service. You can browse and search any file type that is supported. You can also view your images as
a thumbnail grid or larger detail view along with important metadata.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using the Browse Module. You might also try watching the getting started video tutorial. For
detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started section, see the "Using the Browse Module" section instead.
Browse Workspace
The Browse Module allows easy access to your images on your computer, network or cloud based storage device while viewing a thumbnail grid or scrolling
through a larger detail view.
A. Info Pane: This section will give you detailed information about your image when available.
B. Sources Pane: This contains a list of common photo locations, including disks, favorites and cloud storage services.
C. Folders Pane: This displays the hierarchical tree view of the current selected Source.
D. Recent Pane: This keeps track of recently opened files and folders.
E. Module Selector: This lists the available modules.
F. This will display the number of files and folders you are viewing, you can use the arrow keys to move from item to item.
G. This is your main preview window where you can view your images as thumbnails or a larger detail.
H. Use this button to switch from thumbnail view to detail view.
I. This slider will adjust the thumbnail size in your main preview window.
J. This pop up will adjust your sort from filename to date modified in your main preview window.
K. This search box allows you to search by name the contents of the current folder.
The Info Pane displays the metadata for the currently selected file. This information may include:
*If any of the metadata fields are unavailable they will be left blank.
Additional generic file information is also displayed in the Info Pane Including:
Filename
Colorspace (color profile)
Pixel Dimensions and Resolution
Image size and Bit depth
GPS Metadata
If your image has GPS metadata embedded in it, the GPS button will appear. Clicking on this button will open the default web browser to Google Maps and
navigate to the location where the image was taken.
Navigating Sources
The Sources Pane contains a list of cloud storage services, attached disks, and common or favorite
locations.
Browse supports several common cloud storage services including Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Sky
Drive and Apply iCloud Photo Stream. All of these services keep local copies of your images on your
computer. Browse finds and monitors these locations automatically. If you edit an image stored in one of
these locations they are automatically updated to the cloud.
Browse automatically finds the default installation locations for these services. If you do not have one of
these services installed, or you have it installed to a non-standard location you will be asked to install or
locate the folder when you click on the source.
iCloud Photo Stream is a read-only source. You can open an copy of an image from it and save it
to a new location only.
Attached Disks
Browse automatically recognizes any disk (volume) inside or attached to your computer. This includes:
Disks appear in the middle of the Sources pane with a hard drive icon next to them. Keep in mind that
some disks, like optical drives, are often read-only. You will be able to open a copy of an image, but will be
prompted to save the image to a new location.
Favorites
Browse also supports creating Favorites. A Favorite is a short-cut to any file path where you store your
images. Several Favorites are installed by default such as your Desktop, Pictures and the onOne Sample
images folders.
You can create your own Favorites by pressing the plus icon at the top of the Sources pane. An open
dialog will appear where you can navigate to the folder you wish to add as a Favorite. You can also
remove a favorite by selecting it in the Sources pane, then pressing the minus button.
You can also add a favorite by simply dragging it into the Sources pane.
Navigating Folders
The Folders pane displays the hierarchical tree view of the current selected Source. You
can close and open the subfolders by clicking on the triangle. You can navigate to your
folder of choice within the pane or you can also use your preview window. Keep in mind
that the Folder view only shows the folders, or directories inside the current source. This
helps to reduce clutter and make it faster to find the image you are looking for. If you need
to see folders outside of the current source, select the disk the images are located on
instead of the Favorite.
You can add a new folder, as a child of the current folder, by pressing the plus icon.
You can delete the current folder by pressing the minus icon.
You can rename a folder by right-clicking and selecting Rename.
You can move a folder by dragging it into another folder.
The Recent Pane keeps track of recently opened files or manually browsed folders. Files are listed in
order of last opened. If you have not opened any files this pane will be empty. You can quickly access
your most recent files in this pane by clicking on the one you want and it will appear in your main preview
window. Keep in mind the Recent pane only shows files you have opened directly from Perfect Photo
Suite, not files you have sent to Perfect Photo Suite from Lightroom, Aperture or Photoshop.
You can clear the recent file list by pressing the trash can icon.
A. Adjust the size of the thumbnails using the slider located at the bottom or use "-/+" keys on your keyboard.
B. Change the viewing mode between thumbnail and detail view.
C. When Previewing images at full screen you can quickly go to the next image by using the navigational arrows.
D. Use the breadcrumbs to quickly return to the root or click "back" to return one folder.
E. Sort the thumbnails by filename or date using the pull down menu. The sort will always be descending, A-Z or oldest to newest.
F. Search for folders or files in the current folder.
See also
Using the Info Pane
Navigating Sources
Navigating Folders
Navigating Recent Pane
Working in Detail View
Managing Files and Folders
Opening an Image
Menus
Keyboard Shortcuts
There is also a Navigator pane where you can reposition the preview and change the magnification amount.
See also
Using the Info Pane
Navigating Sources
Navigating Folders
Navigating Recent Pane
Working in Thumbnail View
Managing Files and Folders
Opening an Image
Menus
Keyboard Shortcuts
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
Navigator
At the top of the control panel on the right of the main window is the Navigator | Info panes. It contains four useful tools for inspecting and viewing details
of your image.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
Then confirm that you wish to move the file to the trash. If you make a
mistake you can use the undo command. If you have multiple files and or
folders selected it will move them all to the trash. Some files or folders, like
those on a network volume must be deleted immediately and cannot be
undone.
Renaming a file or folder
You can rename a file or folder by selecting it, then choose Rename from the right-click
contextual menu.
Creating folder
You can create a new folder from the the right-click contextual menu in the preview area or
by pressing the plus "+" icon in the Folders pane. This will create a new folder inside the
selected folder.
You can also use the familiar drag and drop functions to copy or move files and folders.
Dragging and dropping a file or folder will move it if it is on the same drive or copy it to
another drive. You can drag and drop into and out of the Browse module.
Opening an Image
Select the file and select a module from the module selector in the upper right menu bar or right click on the file and choose a module from the pop up menu. You
will be presented with the What to Edit dialog below.
What to Edit
After you have selected a file and chosen a
module a File Options dialogue will appear.
You can choose between: Edit a Copy, Edit
Original or Add as a Layer.
Copy Options
File Format- Choose one of the following
file formats you wish to work with.
Photoshop (.psd) files will support layers, this
means when the file is saved all the individual
layers will be available again when re-opened.
For Tiff and JPEG no layers will be retained
and the Layers will be merged into a single
composite when saved.
See also
Using the Info Pane
Navigating Sources
Navigating Folders
Navigating Recent Pane
Working in Thumbnail View
Working in Detail View
Managing Files and Folders
Menus
Keyboard Shortcuts
Menus
About Perfect Photo Suite: Opens the about box, displays your version
number and activation code. (Help menu on Windows)
Preferences: Opens the preferences dialog. (Edit menu on Windows)
Quit Perfect Photo Suite: Quits Perfect Photo Suite.
File Menu
Browse Folder: Opens the browse dialog where you can select which
folder you would like to browse
Add Favorite: Opens the add favorite dialog that you can add a favorite
folder permanently to the Sources pane
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
Edit in...: Will launch the module with the file you have currently selected
Batch: Opens the Batch mode window
Edit Menu
Undo: Undoes the last file operation. This is only available the last thing you
did.
Redo: Redoes the undo operation. This is only available if the last thing you
did was an undo.
Select All: Selects all the images in the current folder
Select None: Deselects all the images in the current folder
Deselect: Deselects the current item
Copy: Copies the currently selected items
Paste: Pastes (copies) the items in the clipboard to the current location
Rename: Renames the selected file or folder
Delete: Moves the selected files and or folders to the trash
Add Subfolder: Adds a new empty subfolder inside the current folder
View Menu
Window Menu
Help Menu
Keyboard Shortcuts
Mac OSX Windows
Browse Folder cmd b ctl b
Exit cmd q ctl q
Select All cmd a ctl a
Select None cmd d ctl d
Deselect / /
Bigger Thumbnails cmd + ctl +
Smaller Thumbnails cmd - ctl -
Return to Thumbnail View esc or g esc or g
Switch to Detail View e e
Delete Item delete delete
Copy Selected Items cmd c ctl c
Paste Items from Clipboard cmd v ctl v
Zoom in cmd + ctl +
Zoom out cmd - ctl -
Fit to screen cmd 0 ctl 0
Actual pixels cmd opt 0 ctl alt 0
Info cmd 1 ctl 1
Sources cmd 2 ctl 2
Folders cmd 3 ctl 3
Recent cmd 4 ctl 4
Hide Panels tab tab
Full Screen Mode cmd ctl f F11
Keyboard Shortcuts cmd shift k ctl shift k
Perfect Enhance
Automatic fixes and or fine tune your brightness, contrast, white balance, vibrance, detail, vignette
and basic tools
Tools for cropping, retouching small blemishes, and red eye correction.
Perfect Eraser using content-aware fill technology, remove objects and automatically
reconstructs the area.
Enhance colors, vibrancy, dictate contrast, precision temperature control for white
balancing.
Automated options for one click correction.
Sharpening for increasing clarity and detail.
Complete vignette control with a customizable center.
Presets commands for streamlining the editing process.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Enhance. If you have never
used Perfect Enhance before, this is a good place to start. You might also try watching the getting
started video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting
started section, see the "Using Perfect Enhance" section.
Perfect Enhance provides you with an easy-to-use work space for editing your photos. Below is an overview of the main sections.
Perfect Enhance provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The white rectangular region marks the
image area that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and
dragging inside the blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows
you to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane there is a slider for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the
image RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping.
Clipping is when your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or
shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights. At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that
side of the histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on
your image. The areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas
with the red overlay are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on
one of the triangles. You can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J
key at any time. The clipping view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness
and contrast of your image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the
pane.
Clipping View
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions and resolution
File Size and Bit-Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get
the GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have
GPS enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Perfect Enhance as a Photoshop
plug-in.
The Quick Fixes pane is home for common adjustment controls in the form of simple buttons to quickly tune your image. The basic adjustments can be
controlled through these buttons as an alternative to using the sliders. The buttons have two sides, "-" and "+". By clicking on these you can either turn
down(-) or up(+) the intensity of the corresponding adjustment. For even quicker automated adjustments use the "Auto Levels" and "Auto Color"
buttons. Click "Reset All" to start over and revert to the original image.
Auto Levels: This button sets the white and black point automatically. The Auto
button in Tone adjustments Pane will also do the same.
Auto Color: This button will attempt to remove the color cast and correct the
white balance. The Auto button in Color adjustments will do the same.
Brightness: This button will adjust the Brightness slider 10 points with each click.
Contrast: This button will adjust the Contrast slider 10 points with each click.
Vibrance: This button will adjust the Vibrance slider 10 points with each click.
Temperature: This button will adjust the Temperature slider 10 points with each
click.
Detail: This button will adjust the Detail slider 10 points with each click.
Vignette: This button will adjust the Vignette slider 10 points with each click.
The Color & Tone Adjustments Pane provides the tools needed to correct and enhance the brightness, contrast, detail and color in your images.
Tone
The Tone sliders control the global tonality, or brightness and contrast of the image. You can
adjust each of the following:
Brightness: Adjusting the slider to the right will lighten your image. Adjusting to the left
will darken your image.
Contrast: This will increase or decrease the contrast in your image.
Shadows: This slider lightens the shadows, revealing details.
Highlights: This slider darkens the highlights, recovering detail.
Levels
The Levels sections sets the white and black points which are key to gaining good contrast. Every
image should have at least some pure white and black. It is handy to watch the histogram and/or
use the clipping overlay when adjusting the levels.
Auto Button: The auto button sets the white and black points automatically.
Whites: This slider will clip the whites adding more contrast to the whites.
Blacks: This slider will clip the blacks adding more contrast to the blacks.
Color
The Color sliders control Temperature, Tint and Vibrance. They are used to remove a color cast
and enhance the color of the image.
Auto Button: The auto button attempts to detect and remove a color cast. It makes
adjustments to the Temperature and Tint sliders.
Temperature: This slider will shift the color either cooler or warmer (Blue/Orange).
Tint: This slider will shift the color either green or magenta.
Vibrance: This slider controls the vibrance of the colors.
Reduce Vibrance on Skin: When turned on, adjustments made with Vibrance slider are
reduced on skin colored areas. This allows you to increase the vibrance of clothing and
the background without adversely affecting the skin color.
Gray Dropper
The Gray Dropper is used to remove a color cast or "neutralize" the image. Click the icon to
activate, the cursor will change to the Gray Dropper. Click an area in the image that should be
gray with no color and the sliders will automatically adjust according to the sample you have
selected.
Reset: will revert to the original image and set all the sliders back to the zero
value.
Vignette
The Vignette pane creates flexible vignettes which focus the viewers eye toward the center of
the image by darkening distracting edges. Use the Preset Buttons to quickly apply a vignette and
customize the look with the advanced controls. Use the global on/off button to toggle the
vignette effect on or off.
Preset Buttons:
The sliders may be used for fine tuning the look of the vignette.
The Center Tool allows you to select the center point of the vignette. Click on the tool icon to
activate and then click on the area in the image you wish to make the center.
The Reset button will return the setting to the default with no vignette.
Sharpening
The Sharpening pane contains the controls for increasing the sharpness of the image. Use the
Preset Buttons to quickly apply sharpening and customize the look with the advanced controls.
Use the global on/off button to toggle the sharpening effect on or off.
Preset Buttons
The Sharpen For drop down menu includes additional presets based on the output type including
paper and subject matter types.
The Type drop down menu includes the three sharpening methods; progressive, high-pass and
unsharp mask.
The Sliders may be used for fine tuning the sharpening effect.
The Reset button will return to default settings that applies no sharpening.
There are six different tools in the Perfect Enhance tool well.
More details about each tool are covered in the following chapters.
Crop Tool This tool will crop your image to the desired pixels.
Perfect Eraser This tool will help you eliminate unwanted areas in your image by erasing them.
Retouch Brush This tool will help retouch out any areas of your image that you want to remove.
Red Eye Tool This tool will remove red eye in your photo.
Hand Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview window.
Crop Tool
Crop Tool: This is used to crop the entire image. The crop tool removes any pixels outside a crop box and changes
the canvas size at the same time. To crop the image, select the Crop Tool from the tool well. Then drag a box over the
area you wish to keep. The area outside the crop box appears darkened for guidance. You can resize and move the crop
box. When you are satisfied with your settings, press the Apply button in the Tool Options Bar or press enter.
Moving the Crop Box: To move the Crop Box, simply click and drag
inside the box. You can also nudge the box using the arrow keys on
your keyboard.
Resizing a Crop Box: To resize the Crop Box, click and drag on any
of the resize handles. Clicking on a corner handle allows you to adjust
two sides at the same time. Clicking on a side handle allows you to
adjust that side. If you hold the shift key down while adjusting the
size, the proportions of the box are maintained. You cannot rotate a
Crop Box. You can enter a custom size, in pixels, by typing in the
width and height fields of the Tool Options Bar. There are also
buttons to automatically set the crop to the current layer or canvas
size.
The Crop tool is not available when Perfect Enhance is accessed via
Photoshop.
Perfect Eraser
The Perfect Eraser can be used to remove distracting elements and blemishes from your image.
How it Works
The Perfect Eraser employs a content aware
algorithm that replaces the pixels with a natural
and plausible result within the boundaries that are
painted.
If the first attempt does not give you a perfect result, simply paint over it again and it will improve with each pass. You can also fine tune the area after
using the Retouch Brush.
Retouch Brush
Retouch Brush: Use the Retouch Brush to remove small imperfections like dust or blemishes. Just dab the retouch brush
on spots like acne, dust spots, power lines, etc. It looks at the neighboring areas and fills in the brush with similar color
and texture. It is best to use the smallest brush size possible and to work by dabbing rather than making large brush
strokes. If you dab with the Retouch Brush and don't like the results, use the undo command and try using a smaller brush
or vary your brush stroke and try again. The Retouch Brush is perfect for retouching skin.
You can control the Retouch Brush using the Tool Options Bar
Red-Eye Tool
Red-Eye Tool: To instantly reduce red-eye.
The Red-Eye Tool is the perfect tool for eliminating or reducing red eye
in your images. It's a simple one-click stamp that will immediately take
care of red eye.
You start by selecting the red eye brush in your Tool-Well. Next adjust
your brush size to be as close to the same size as the red eye you are
wanting to remove. Then place brush right over the eye and click once
to remove.
The Protect Skin toggle reduces the tools affect on skin colored areas.
It is on by default. If the red-eye reduction is not strong enough, try
toggling this off.
Presets
Presets store all of the settings and adjustments in the the control panes. Presets are a fast and easy way to get consistent results. You can save your own
presets for batch processing or for simply reproducing your look in the future.
Using a Preset
Using a preset is simple, just click on the Preset in the Browser Panel
on the left.
Saving a Preset
Saving a preset is simple. Once you have your settings that you wish
to save, go to the Preset menu and select Save Preset.
The New Preset dialog will appear (shown to the right). There are
several fields to complete including the preset name, the category,
creator and description.
In the category pull-down you can select which existing category the
preset should saved into. You can also create a new category this way
by selecting new category from the bottom of the list.
Deleting a Preset
You can remove a preset from Perfect Enhance if you no longer want
to have access to it. To remove a preset, follow these steps:
You can import presets you have downloaded from the onOne website
using these steps.
That's it, next time you use Perfect Enhance the new presets will be
located in the My Presets tab, in a category named after the preset
pack. You can delete the files you downloaded, they have been copied
into Perfect Enhance.
You can share presets like you would share any other file, such as
email or posting them to a website. First you need to find the preset
files. The easiest way it to open Perfect Enhance, then from the
Preset menu select Show Presets Folder. A Finder (Mac) or Explorer
(Win) window will open and will display the presets folder. In the
presets folder are sub-folders for your preset categories. Inside each
sub-folder are the individual preset files, with a .ONEnhance
extension. You can copy these presets to another computer, attach
them to an email or post them on a website.
Module Settings
The Perfect Enhance settings dialog contains options for customizing your experience at launch.
Default Settings
The default settings section allows you to control what adjustments are applied
each time you open an image in Enhance.
Apply Results
Menus
Perfect Enhance
About Perfect Enhance: Opens the about box. This dialog contains your
serial number, version number and information on contacting onOne Software
for support.
File
Save & Close: Applies the current settings to your image and returns to the
host application.
Cancel: Cancels Perfect B&W and returns back to the host application with no
changes.
Edit
Cut: Unused.
Copy: Unused.
Paste: Unused.
Preset
Import Preset: Opens the import preset dialog to help you import presets
you have downloaded.
Edit Preset Info: Opens the preset dialog so you can edit the name, author
or description information.
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
View
Zoom In: Zooms the preview window in one increment. This will make the
preview image larger.
Zoom Out: Zooms the preview window out one increment. This will make the
preview images smaller.
Fit to Screen: This sets the preview image so that the entire image is on
screen at once. Think of this as an overview of the entire image. This is the
setting you will use most of the time.
Actual Pixels: This sets the preview image so that it zooms to actual pixels or
1:1 also called 100%. This setting allows you to see every pixel in the image.
This is useful when making precision adjustments.
Browser Mode: Allows the user to select how the Browser Library displays
the categories.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which over-rides the current
mask view.
Window
Navigator: Hides or shows the Navigator, Loupe, Histogram and Info pane.
Color & Tone Adjustments: Hides or shows the Color & Tone Adjustments
pane.
Solo Mode: Enables solo mode. When Solo Mode is enabled, only one control
pane may be open at a time.
Document Name: Shows the name, zoom level and bit depth of the open
image.
Help
Perfect Enhance Online Help: Opens this html Help in your default web
browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens the online Video Tutorial in your default web browser.
Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are
running the current version. If there is a newer version you will be notified and
be walked through the update process.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page of the onOne website.
About Perfect Enhance (Windows Only): Opens the about box with the
version number and license code displayed.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perfect Layers
Perfect Layers provides the benefits of a layered workflow without the need for Adobe Photoshop.
It can also act as the hub of your workflow in Perfect Layers if you are familiar with the Photoshop
and Plug-in workflow. It can be used for:
If you access Perfect Layers via Adobe Photoshop you won't see Perfect Layers.
On its own, Perfect Layers is incredibly useful, especially if you don't own Adobe Photoshop. It is the
fast and easy way to a layered workflow. Use it to change skies, composite multiple images together
or retouch portraits.
With Perfect Layers, multiple images can be merged as separate layer of a single new file. Then you
can easily reorder and position each layer; As well as change blending modes and opacity. In
addition, you can selectively blend, or mask layers together using the Masking Brush and Masking
Bug. Perfect Layers saves its work as native layered Photoshop files so users can open them directly
with Photoshop for additional editing.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Layers. If you have never used
Perfect Layers before, this is a good place to start. You might also try watching the getting started
video link. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started section, see
the "Using Perfect Layers" section instead.
A. Browser Section: This is located on the left side of the window. It is where you browse and select your images.
B. Tool Well: This is where the tools are located.
C. Preview Window: This is the main section where you preview and work on images.
D. Tool Options Bar: This strip above the preview window contains the options for the selected tool.
E. Navigator, Loupe Histogram and Info Pane: This pane will access navigational, loupe, histogram features as well as file information.
F. Layers Pane: This is where you control the layer order and apply blending modes.
G. Module Selector: This is where you select other modules to work in.
H. Close & Save Buttons: This is one way to save or close the current image.
More details about each tool are covered in the following chapters, click on a tool title to learn how to use it.
Transform Tool This moves and changes the size and rotation of your layer.
Masking Brush This masks areas using brush strokes to expose underlying layers.
Masking Bug This masks areas using gradients to expose underlying layers.
Perfect Eraser This uses content aware technology to remove unwanted objects.
Clone Stamp This tool paints over an area from a sample of another area.
Pan Tool This tool repositions your image within the preview window.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview window.
Built into Perfect Layers is a file browser, located in the left panel. You can use it to browse your images as well as content you download from the onOne
website. The browser starts by displaying a series of sample images used in many of the onOne Software video tutorials. Below is a description of the controls in
the file browser.
A. Browser Tabs: This switches between the File tab and the Extras tab. The Extras tab displays the
included backgrounds, borders and textures.
B. Folder Tree: This drop-down menu displays the folder paths above the folder you are browsing.
You can use this to quickly navigate up the folder tree. The currently selected root folder is displayed
here as well.
C. Search Field: Use the search field to locate files in the current sub-folder.
D. Image Thumbnails: Images are displayed as thumbnails and will have the filename and
extension listed below it.
E. Resize Handle: On the right edge is a resize handle that you can drag to change the size of the
browser or close it.
F. File Info: This window will show captured and modified dates, color space, exposure settings and
size on disk if applicable.
G. Browser Modes: These icons control the browser views. One column, two column, three column
or list view.
H. Quick View Browser Button: Press this button to open the current folder in the Quick View
Browser.
Browsing a Folder
You can select which folder to browse by selecting a folder in the drop down menu under Files.
The last folder you browsed will be remembered and displayed automatically.
You can open an image in the browser by double-clicking it. If you already have an image open you will be prompted to either merge the selected file as
anew layer or to open it as a new file.
If you have multiple images selected, you can open them as layers using the Open Selected from Browser command in the File menu.
To search for files in the currently selected folder, type in the name of the file in the search field.
The search results appear in a new sub-folder called search results, which will be selected automatically.
You can clear the search field by pressing the x at the right end of the search field.
Browser Pop-Up
To view a larger preview on an image, enable the Show Browser Pop-up in the View menu.
When you mouse over a thumbnail, a larger preview will be displayed in a pop-up window.
The browser can be resized by dragging the resize handle on the right margin of the browser.
The browser can be closed or reopened by clicking on the resize handle or using the cmd (control on Windows) left and right arrow keys.
Browser Modes
Extras Tab
The Extras tab displays add-on content including backgrounds, borders and textures.
When you download content packs from the onOne website they are automatically installed in the Extras tab.
Layers Module
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights.
At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side of the
histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your image. The
areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red overlay
are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the triangles. You
can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time. The clipping
view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
Clipping View
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Layers Module as a Photoshop plug-in.
Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to quickly switch view modes. Items in parenthesis are for Windows.
Command (Control) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right Split screen.
Command (Control) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom Split screen.
Command (Control) Y: Change the view mode to single image.
This section covers the complete use of Perfect Layers. It includes how to use each tool and control
as well as information on preferences and menu options.
1. Create a new, empty file from the File > New menu. The New Image dialog is presented,
see the image to the right. From the New Image dialog, you have the following options.
1. Merge one or more images together using the Add Layer from File command.
2. Merge one or more images together using the Lightroom or Aperture plug-ins or external
editor option.
3. Dragging one or more images onto the Perfect Layers icon.
1. Using the Add Layer from File command from the File menu.
2. Opening a file from the Browser or the Browse module and choosing the
Add as a layer option.
New with Perfect Photo Suite 8 is the ability to open multiple projects. The tabs for each canvas
appears at the top of the interface. Close a tab by clicking on the "X" icon.
The canvas size, or image size is the aperture through which you view
the layers. An image may have layers that are larger than the canvas
size and are partially hidden by the canvas size aperture.
1. When creating a new empty file from the File > New dialog, an arbitrary size is
set by you. When creating a new image, you have the option to set the
resolution.
2. When creating a new PSD file by merging other files together using the Add
Layer from File command, the source image that has the largest pixel
dimensions will become the bottom most layer and will set the canvas size. The
canvas size is adjustable by the user.
3. When opening an existing PSD file, the canvas size is already set. The canvas
size is adjustable by the user by accessing the Canvas Size dialog from the Edit
menu.
1. In the top section, Current Size, it displays the current canvas size and is non-editable.
2. Below the Current Size is the New Size section. It displays the current width and height and is editable.
There is a drop-down menu with options for pixels, inches, and cm.
There are width and height fields where you can adjust the canvas size.
The canvas size dialog does not interpolate (resize all the layers at the same time). This is the same as the image size dialog box in Photoshop
when the resize image option is disabled.
There is a lock proportions toggle that locks the width and height proportions together. Adjusting the width will change the height
proportionally. This option is on by default.
At the top of the new size section is a pop-up called Set To.
The values in the pop-up are; Current Layer, All Layers and Custom.
When a user selects the current layer option, the width, and height are set to the size of the currently selected layer(s).
If the user selects all layers, the width and height are set to the union of all the layers, making all the pixels on all layers visible
in the canvas.
If the user selects one of the layer size options and then manually overrides them, the pop-up changes to custom.
Layer Visibility
You may change the visibility of a layer (hide it) by pressing the eye icon to the left of the layer
thumbnail. This will hide a layer without deleting it. You can hide all layers except the current layer
by holding the option (Mac OS X) or alt (Windows) key when clicking on the eye icon. This is
especially useful for viewing the bottom most layer, which in some cases is the original image. This
acts like a before and after preview.
You may change the order of layers by dragging and dropping layers into the order you prefer.
You may select multiple layers at the same time by holding down the command (Mac OS X) or
control (Windows) key while clicking.
Renaming Layers
You can rename a layer by double-clicking on it. The name turns into an editable field. Type in your
preferred name and press enter. When merging files together the layer name is the name of the
source image. This is a useful verification of the source image.
Deleting a Layer
You may delete a layer by selecting the layer, then pressing the Delete button . You may also use the Delete key on your keyboard.
Duplicating a Layer
You may duplicate or copy the current layer by pressing the Copy button . You may also use the command (Mac OS X) or control (Windows) + J
keyboard shortcut.
Merging Layers
You may merge layers by selecting them and then pressing the Merge button . You may also use the command (Mac OS X) or control (Windows) + E
keyboard shortcut.
Color Fill Layers are new layers filled with a solid color. They are useful for altering the color and tone of the image. To create a Color Fill Layer, press the
Fill button . You can learn more about using Color Fill Layers here.
Blending modes determine how the selected layer blend with the layer(s) below it. The default blending mode is normal. This maintains the full opacity of
the upper layer. Perfect Layers also supports many other blending modes which can be used to alter the brightness, contrast and color of the image by
combining either a copy of the underlying layer or a Color Fill Layer.
Changing Opacity
The opacity slider controls how opaque, or how strong the selected layer is. The default is 100%. At lower settings, the layer will blend with the layer(s)
under it. Altering the blending mode and opacity of a layer can create a wide range of color and tone effects.
Layer Masks
If you use any of the masking tools, a layer mask will be created automatically. A layer mask appears as grayscale thumbnail next to the layer icon. There
is no need to select the layer mask to work on it, invert it, or reset it. Think of it as always selected with the layer. You can also copy and paste Layer
Masks from the Layers menu or by dragging and dropping them from layer to layer.
Transforming Layers
Transform Tool: The Transform Tool is located at the top of the tool well. It is used to manipulate the image and layers.
A layer may be repositioned, sized or rotated using the Transform Tool. When the Transform
Tool is selected, transform handles will appear on the edges of the selected layer. You use
these transform handles to manipulate the image. You can only transform one layer at a time.
Repositioning a Layer
To reposition a layer, simply click and drag inside the transform box. You can also use the
keyboard arrow keys to nudge a layer one pixel in any direction.
Resizing a Layer
To resize a layer, click and drag on any of the transform handles. Clicking on a corner handle
allows you to adjust two sides simultaneously. Clicking on a side handle allows you to adjust
that side. If you hold the shift key down while adjusting the size, the proportions of the layer
are maintained. If you hold down the option (Mac OS X) or alt (Windows) key while resizing
your image will resize from the center instead of from the edge. You can hold down both the
shift and option or alt simultaneously to resize, proportionally from the center.
You can also type in the size you desire in the Tool Options Bar (see below) in the width and
height fields. You can also size a layer to fill the canvas automatically by pressing the Fill but
in the Inspector.
Rotating a Layer
To rotate a layer, move the Transform Tool near but just outside a corner transform handle. Notice that the tool cursor changes to a rotate cursor. Now
click and drag to rotate the layer. You can also use the opt (alt) left and right arrow keys to rotate a layer when the transform tool is selected. To rotate
the layer quickly in 90 degree increments, you can use the rotate left and rotate right buttons in the Tool Options Bar.
Flipping a Layer
You can flip a layer either horizontally or vertically by pressing the flip buttons in the Tool Options Bar.
When you have completed your transforms you need to commit the changes. You can do this by pressing the Apply button that appears in the Tool
Options Bar or by pressing the enter key. You can cancel a transform by pressing the Cancel button in the Tool Options Bar or by pressing the escape key.
To resize the Crop Box, click and drag on any of the resize handles. Clicking on a corner handle allows you to adjust two sides at the same time. Clicking on
a side handle allows you to adjust that side. If you hold the shift key down while adjusting the size, the proportions of the box are maintained. You cannot
rotate a Crop Box. You can enter the size in pixels of the crop box by typing in the width and height fields of the Tool Options Bar. There are also buttons to
automatically set the crop to the current layer or canvas size.
Trimming Layers
Trim Tool: The trim tool is used to trim or crop a layer. It removes any pixels outside of a crop-style box for the current layer.
To trim a layer, select the Trim Tool from the tool well. It looks like a pair of scissors. Then
drag a box over the area you wish to keep on the selected layer. The area outside the trim
box appears darkened for guidance. You can resize and move the trim box. When you are
satisfied with your settings, press the Apply button in the Tool Options Bar.
To move the Trim Box simply click and drag inside the box. You can also nudge the box
using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
To resize the Trim Box, click and drag on any of the resize handles. Clicking on a corner
handle allows you to adjust two sides simultaneously. Clicking on a side handle allows you
to adjust that side. If you hold the shift key down while adjusting the size, the proportions
of the box are maintained. You cannot rotate a Trim Box. You can manually enter the size
of the trim box in pixels using the width and height fields in the Tool Options Bar (see
below).
When you have completed your adjustments, you need to commit the changes. You can do
this by pressing the Apply button that appears in the Tool Options Bar or by pressing the
enter key. You can cancel a transform by pressing the Cancel button in the Tool Options
Bar or by pressing the escape key.
Color Fill Layers provide fast, re-editable ways to alter the brightness,
contrast and color of your image. Color Fill Layers leverage the power of
layers, blending modes, and opacity. Color Fill Layers are simply layers
filled with a solid color. However by changing the color, blending mode,
and opacity along with Perfect Layer's masking tools you can do the
following: Before After
To create a Color Fill Layer, press the Fill button in the Layers Pane or
use the New Color Fill Layer command from the Layers menu. The Color
Fill Layer dialog will appear. With this dialog you can select a preset or
manually adjust the color, blending mode, and opacity of the Color Fill
Layer.
1. Preset: This pop-up list contains presets for many common filter
effects. Select a preset from the menu to preview it on your
image.
2. Fill Color: This is a color well that displays the current color. You
may press the color well to open a color picker dialog. Selecting
new colors in the color well will be previewed in realtime on the
image.
3. Blending Mode: This option sets the blending mode for the
layer. You can always change this later from the Layers pane.
4. Opacity: This slider sets the opacity for the layer. You can think
of this as a strength slider for the effect. You can always
change this later from the Layers pane.
You can edit an existing Color Fill Layer by using the Edit Color Fill Layer
option from the Layers menu. It will reopen the Color Fill Layer dialog
where you can adjust the settings.
Color Fill Layers work similar to a regular layer. You can move, resize,
rotate, trim, delete and duplicate them.
You can mask, or selectively apply a Color Fill Layer using any of the
masking tools in Perfect Layers, similar to any other layer. To learn how
to mask a layer, see the Masking Layers section.
Perfect Eraser
The Perfect Eraser can be used to replace distracting elements from your image.
How it Works
The Perfect Eraser employs a content aware
algorithm that replaces the pixels with a natural
and plausible result within the boundaries that are
painted.
If the first attempt does not give you a perfect result, simply paint over it again and it will improve with each pass. You can also fine tune the area after
using the Retouch Brush.
Retouching Layers
Retouch Brush: Use the Retouch Brush to remove small imperfections like dust.
You can retouch small imperfections on a layer using the Retouch Brush. Just dab
the retouch brush on spots like acne, dust spots, power lines, etc. It looks at the
neighboring areas and fills in the brush with similar color and texture. It is best to
use the smallest brush size possible and to work by dabbing rather than making
large brush strokes. If you dab with the Retouch Brush and don't like the results,
use the undo command and try using a smaller brush or vary your brush stroke
and try again.
You can control the Retouch Brush using the Tool Options Bar (see below).
Clone Stamp
Clone Stamp: Use this tool for replacing an area of the image with a sample area from a different part of the image.
This will allow you to select an area to clone. Hold down the option (Mac) or alt key (Win)
and click the area you want to clone from.
Then click and drag on the area you want to clone over and it will clone from the point you
selected.
You can adjust the size of brush, feather and opacity just as you would with the regular
brush. This just gives you more control over the area you want to retouch.
Masking Layers
Masking allows you to selectively blend layers together. It is the heart of using Perfect Layers.
You can think of masking as painting with black paint on white paper. A white
mask reveals all the layer that the mask is attached to. An all white mask is
considered blank or empty and shows all the selected layer. As you use the
masking tools, you are adding black paint (Paint-Out mode). Where you paint
with black you are hiding the current layer, allowing the layer(s) under it to
show through. Think of it like cutting a hole in the mask. If you make a mistake,
you can switch your paint color to white (Paint-In mode) and paint the layer
back in like an eraser. When you paint you have more than just white or black,
but any shade of gray in between depending on the opacity of the brush.
Shades of gray partially hide the layer, blending the layers together.
Each layer in Perfect Layers has a mask automatically added to it. This allows
you to blend each layer differently. Masking in Perfect Layers is done in a
nondestructive, re-editable way that is compatible with Photoshop. The
masking done in Perfect Layers is stored as layer masks which can be viewed
and edited later in Perfect Layers and Photoshop.
There are several global masking options that can be accessed from either the
Tool Options Bar or the Masking Menu. They affect the entire mask on the
selected layer.
Reset Mask
Invert Mask
Invert swaps the white for black and black for white. What was hidden is now
revealed and vice-versa. Inverting a mask can be very useful. It allows you to
paint a layer in, rather than out, which is handy if you only want to work with a
small area.
Perfect Layers allows you to copy the mask from one layer to another. This is
handy if you have painted a complex mask on one layer for an adjustment and
you wish to use the same mask on another layer for a different adjustment. To
copy or paste a mask, use the Copy Mask and Paste Mask commands from the
Masking menu. It is important that the source and target layers are the same
size, or you may get odd results.
Mask Modes
Mask Mode allows you to view your image mask in several ways.
The drop-down menu for Mask View Mode is located at the bottom of A close-up of the Mask View Modes
the Preview Window.
Mask View allows you to view the mask for each effect layer that you have created with the Masking Brush and Masking Bug. You can view the mask in
several modes, which are accessible from the Masking menu or from the Mask View drop-down in the bottom left of each preview pane. Below are
examples of the different mask view modes. You can toggle the mask view on and off with the control (Mac OSX) or control (Windows) + M keyboard
shortcut.
Mask-Red
The masked area appears Mask-White
as 50% red. This is similar The masked area appears
to the Quick Mask view in as solid white.
Photoshop.
Mask-Grayscale
The masked area appears
as black. The unmasked
Mask-Dark areas appear as white.
The masked area appears This is the same as
as 90% black. viewing a layer mask in
Photoshop.
To use the Masking Brush, select it in the tool well. Make sure you are on the effect you wish to hide. Then check your brush mode and confirm it is set to
Paint-Out. You are ready to mask now, simply paint on the image in the areas you wish to hide. As you brush, you will see the underlying effect(s) appear. If
you make a mistake while brushing you have several options to correct them:
First you can use the Undo command from the edit menu. This will undo the last brush stroke you created.
You can toggle the paint mode to Paint-In and brush over your mistake.
Paint Mode
The paint mode controls is you are Painting-Out (hiding the effect) or Painting-In (restoring the effect). You can tell your current mode by looking at the plus
or minus icon in the center of the brush. If the icon is minus, you are painting out. If the icon is a plus, you are painting-in. You can change the mode in the
Tool Options Bar, or by pressing the X key, or by holding down the option (alt) key temporarily.
Invert Mask
Invert swaps the hidden areas for the visible areas. What was hidden is no revealed and vice-versa. Inverting a mask can be very useful. It allows you to
paint a layer in, rather than out, which is handy if you only want to work with a small area. You can invert the mask by pressing the Invert button in the
Tool Options Bar.
Reset Mask
Reseting a mask reveals the entire layer it is associated with. You can reset the mask by pressing the Reset button in the Tool Options Bar.
Brush Size
You can control the size of the brush using the Size pop-
up in the Tool Options Bar. You use a small brush at high
magnification for precise work, and a large brush at fit to
screen for general work. To the right, you can see
examples of brush strokes at varying sizes. You can
control the size of the brush several ways:
Feather
You control the amount of feathering or hardness of the
brush by using the Feather pop-up in the Tool Options
Bar. The feather has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You
use a small feather at high magnification for precise,
hard-edged work and a large, soft-edged brush at fit to
screen for general work. You can visually see your
feather by watching the outer concentric circle of the
brush tool. To the right you can see examples of different
feather options. You can control the size of the brush
several ways:
Opacity
You can control the opacity, or strength of the brush with
the Opacity pop-up in the Tool Options Bar. Think of the
opacity as the shade of gray you are painting with. The
opacity has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You use a
high opacity to paint quickly and hide large areas. You
use a lower opacity for blending areas together or for
subtle work. To the right you can see examples of
different opacity options. You can control the size of the
brush several ways:
Wacom® Controls
Perfect Layers supports pressure sensitive Wacom
tablets. When you use the Masking Brush you can enable
pressure sensitive controls for the brush size, brush
opacity, or both simultaneously. Click on the W button
next to each control in the Tool Options Bar to activate
the pressure sensitive controls.
The harder you press; the greater the size or opacity will
get. You can set the maximum value you want to use the
Brush Size and Opacity sliders. To the right you can see
examples of how pressure sensitivity can be used to
control the Masking Brush.
Perfect Brush
The Perfect Brush option enables a unique, color-based,
self masking technology. When enabled, as you paint
with the Masking Brush it collects the colors under the
center of the brush and only masks those colors. This
protects the mask from being applied across edges. A
great of example of using the Perfect Brush option would
be to mask a sky along a horizon of mountains.
Masking Bug: This is used for blending layers by creating Radial, gradient, and reflected gradient mask shape quickly.
The Masking Bug is perfect for tasks like darkening skies, creating vignettes and graduated filters. Learning to use the Masking Bug is fast and easy. All the
adjustments made with the Masking Bug are live and readjustable until you press apply.
The Tool Options Bar for the Masking Bug includes the options shown above and detailed here:
Preset: The preset pop-up includes several common ways to use the Masking Bug. These presets change the current Masking Bug to match the preset
Shape: The shape pop-up controls the shape of the Masking Bug. The shapes are center, edges, gradient and reflected gradient.
Opacity: Sets the maximum opacity or density of the mask.
Add: Adds a new Masking Bug using the current settings.
Delete: Deletes the current Masking Bug
Reset: Resets the mask on the layer completely. This removes all Masking Bugs and clears and brushing that has been done.
Start by adding a Masking Bug to a layer by clicking on it or pressing the Add button. Then set the Mask View mode to Mask - Grayscale. This will let you
see the Masking Bug in simple black and white.
Center Edges
You can use up to six Masking Bugs per layer. Each Masking Bug is re-editable
until you hit Apply and save your image. To add another Masking Bug, to create
a complex mask shape, press the Add button or click outside of the current
Masking Bug while the Masking Bug tool is selected.
Only one Masking Bug may be adjusted at a time. This is the active Masking Bug.
You will see the overlay controls for the active Masking Bug while your mouse is
over the preview area. Inactive Masking Bugs are marked with a small circle. You
can select an inactive Masking Bug by clicking on this small circle marker.
Masking Bugs are subtractive. Each Masking Bug hides more and more of the
current layer. When Masking Bugs overlay each other they may hide more of the
layer too. You can always use the Masking Brush to over-ride and paint areas
back in hidden by the Masking Bugs.
Menus
About Perfect Layers: Opens the about box, displays your version
number and activation code. (Help menu on Windows)
Preferences: Opens the preferences dialog. (Edit menu on Windows)
Quit: Quits.
File Menu
New: Opens the create new file dialog for creating a new file.
Open: Opens the open dialog for locating and opening an existing file.
Add Layer(s) from File: Opens the open dialog for location files to merge
into the current open file.
Open Selected from Browser: Opens the images selected in the
browser.
Browse Folder: Fly-out sub-menu of sources to Browse. You can also
opens the browse dialog where you can select which folder you would like to
browse in a new browser tab.
Browse Extras: Switches the browser to the Extras tab where you can
view and open website content.
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
Open Recent: Displays a list of recently opened files.
Close: Closes the current file. You will have the opportunity to save or not.
Close All: Closes all open files. You will have the opportunity to save or not.
Save: Saves the current file.
Save As: Opens the Save As dialog where you can select the filename and
location to save to.
Revert to Saved: Reopens the file without your changes.
Batch: Opens Perfect Batch window.
Edit Menu
Layer Menu
Masking Menu
Invert Mask: Inverts the mask. Visible areas become hidden and hidden
areas become visible.
Reset Mask: Resets the mask to plain white.
Copy Mask: Copies the mask from the current layer.
Paste Mask: Pastes the mask in the clipboard to the mask on the current
layer.
Masking Bug Tool Opacity: Sets the opacity of the Masking Bug tool
cursor.
View Menu
Zoom In: Adjusts the preview zoom in one increment, makes the preview
image larger.
Zoom Out: Adjusts the preview zoom out one increment, makes the
preview image smaller.
Fit to Screen: Sets the zoom to fit the entire image on screen.
Actual Pixels: Sets the zoom to 100% or actual pixels.
Show Browser Pop-up: Enables the browser pop-up window.
Browser Mode: Allows the user to select how the Browser Library displays
the categories.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which over-rides
the current mask view.
Preview Mode: Allows the user to switch preview modes.
Preview Background Color: Toggles the background color options.
Show Mask: Allows the viewer to see the mask.
Mask View Mode: Allows the user to select the various mask modes.
Window Menu
Help Menu
Keyboard Shortcuts
Action Mac Win
New File cmd n ctl n
Open cmd o ctl o
Add Layer(s) from File cmd shift o ctl shift o
Open Selected from Browser cmd opt o ctl alt o
Save cmd s ctl s
Save As cmd shift s ctl shift s
Exit cmd q ctl q
Preferences cmd , ctl k
Undo cmd z ctl z
Redo cmd shift z ctl shift z
Cut cmd x ctl x
Copy cmd c ctl c
Paste cmd v ctl v
Duplicate Layer cmd j ctl j
Delete Layer delete delete
Merge Layers cmd e ctl e
Merge Visible cmd shift e ctl shift e
New Layer from Composite cmd shift j ctl shift j
Next Blend Mode Shift + Shift +
Previous Blend Mode Shift - Shift -
1 (10%) 1 (10%)
2 (20%) 2 (20%)
Layer Opacity
0 (100%) 0 (100%)
etc etc
Paint in/ Paint Out x x
Invert Mask cmd i ctl i
Toggle Perfect Brush cmd r ctl r
larger ] larger ]
Brush Size
smaller [ smaller [
softer shift ] softer shift ]
Brush Feather
harder shift [ harder shift [
opt 1 (10%) opt 1 (10%)
opt 2 (20%) opt 2 (20%)
Brush Opacity
opt 0 (100%) opt 0 (100%)
etc etc
Show/Hide Mask ctl m alt m
Zoom In cmd + ctl +
Zoom Out cmd - ctl -
Fit to Screen cmd 0 ctl 0
Actual Pixels cmd opt 0 ctl alt 0
Next Browser View Mode cmd b ctl b
Preview Modes
-Single cmd y ctl y
-Left/Right cmd l ctl l
-Left/Right Shift cmd opt l ctl opt l
-Top/Bottom cmd t ctl t
-Top/Bottom Shift cmd opt t ctl alt t
Transform Tool v v
Red Eye Tool e e
Crop Tool c c
Trim Tool t t
Masking Brush b b
Masking Bug m m
Perfect Eraser q q
Retouch Brush r r
Pan Tool h h
Zoom Tool z z
Perfect Mask
Perfect Mask is the next generation of Mask Pro, the leading software for background replacement.
Perfect Mask takes the core strengths of Mask Pro to another level, by automating many common
masking tasks with incredible accuracy.
Perfect Mask's new masking technology makes selecting subjects and isolating backgrounds
surprisingly easy. With Automatic Background Removal, an initial mask is made on your image that
can be fine-tuned using the Erase and Refine Tools. With these new features, you can create high
quality masks in just a few clicks. You'll be amazed at how well this works even when masking tough
subjects like hair and glass on complex backgrounds.
Perfect Mask works where you do with seamless integration into your workflow whether you use
Lightroom, Aperture or Photoshop. It even works as a standalone application.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Mask. If you have never
used Perfect Mask before this is a good place to start. You may also watch the getting started
video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started
section, see the Using Perfect Mask section.
Understanding Masking
Masking allows you to selectively blend layers together.
Keep Brush Tool This tool offers a selective undo for the drop brush.
Drop Brush Tool This tool offers a fast way to remove large sections in a single stroke.
Refine Brush Tool This tool cleans up intricate areas and the borders between the Keep and Drop Brush.
Masking Brush Tool This masks out areas using brush strokes to expose underlying layers.
Magic Brush Tool This precise tool protects the Keep Colors and removes Drop Colors.
Color Spill Brush Tool This tool is used to help remove color spill from solid backgrounds like blue and green screens.
Keep Color Eyedropper Use this tool to add colors to the Keep List.
Drop Color Eyedropper Use this tool to add colors to the Drop List.
Pen Tool Use this tool for detecting and tracing edges around an image for masking.
Chisel Tool This tool is used for removing fringes or halos along hard edges.
Blur Tool This tool is similar to the chisel, but rather than removing edge pixels, it softens or blurs them.
Pan Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the highlights.
At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side of the
histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your image. The
areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red overlay are
pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the triangles. You can
also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time. The clipping view is
useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Perfect Mask as a Photoshop plug-in.
Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to quickly switch view modes. Items in parenthesis are for Windows.
Perfect Mask provides several ways to work depending on your user level and the type of image. It works for beginners through advanced users. Below are
example workflows for different user levels.
Perfect Layers
You can view the mask in several modes, which are accessible from the Mask View Mode at the bottom of each Preview Window pane.
Below are examples of the different mask view modes. You can toggle Mask View on and off with the control + M keyboard shortcut.
Original
Shows the original target layer, with no mask. Think of this as a before image.
Composite
Shows the current layer with the masked areas transparent so you can see the layers
under it. This is what the results will look like when you apply. Think of this as the after
image.
Red Overlay
The masked area appears as 50% red. This is similar to the Quick Mask view in Photoshop.
White
The masked area appears as solid white.
Dark
The masked area appears as 90% black.
Grayscale
The masked area appears as black, the unmasked areas appear as white. This is the same
as viewing a layer mask in Photoshop.
Segments
Displays the results of the initial segmentation.
When you launch Perfect Mask it starts by breaking the image down into small similar colored segments.
The Keep and Drop Brushes are used to assign segments to be kept or removed. By default, all segments
are marked as Keep when you open Perfect Mask.
The first step in masking most images is to use the Drop Brush and make large brush strokes through
areas you want to remove. The brush strokes you make will automatically be expanded to similar color
and textured segments. The Drop Brush offers a fast way to remove large sections in a single stroke.
Below are descriptions of the controls in the Keep and Drop Brush Tool Options Bar.
Size: Adjusts the size of the brush. Use a large size for large areas and a smaller brush to get into the tight spots.
Refine: Sets how thick of an edge is automatically refined. This smooths out segment artifacts and reduces color fringing.
Segment: Sets the size, or mass of the segments that are created. The default setting of 8 works best for most images. You can see the segments
using segment view. If your image has few colors and is creating too many segments will little difference, try a higher setting. If your image has many
colors and gradations use a lower setting.
Tolerance: The expand tolerance controls how similar segments need to be before they are grouped together.
Auto Expand: When enabled, segments of similar color to those under the drop brush will be dropped as well.
Remove Background: Attempts to find a solid color background and remove it automatically. If you press the button and nothing happens, your
background is too varied to be removed automatically. You can increase the segment size and try again or use the Drop Brush.
Wacom Toggle: If you have a Wacom pressure sensitive tablet you can control certain parameters with pressure. Controls with a W icon next to them
support this when they are turned on.
Refine Brush: This tool cleans up intricate areas and the borders between the Keep and Drop Brush.
The Refine Brush is used to clean up the borders between keep and drop segments as well as intricate
areas like hair, lace, mesh and tree branches. Once you have removed the majority of the background
with the Drop Brush, paint the intersection of the subject and background to refine the border. This will
remove islands of background color and make the edge more defined.
Below are descriptions of the controls in the Refine Brush Options Bar.
Size: This slider adjusts the size of the brush. Select a brush size that is just larger than the intersection of the subject and background. Avoid using
oversized brushes it will take longer to process and may yield lower quality results.
Color Decontamination: When enabled, colors from the drop regions are filtered out of the keep regions. This changes the colors of the pixels in the
image. This is useful when the background you are trying to remove have a strong color such as green or blue screens.
Reset: This will reset the tool back to the default settings.
Wacom Toggle: If you have a Wacom pressure sensitive tablet you can control certain parameters with pressure. Controls with a W icon next to them
support this when they are turned on.
Magic Brush: The Magic Brush is used to make powerful and precise masks in difficult places.
The Magic Brush is the most powerful and precise tool in Perfect Mask. When you are dealing with the most difficult subjects, the Magic Brush is the go-to
tool. It works by comparing Keep and Drop colors. It protects the Keep colors and removes the Drop colors. This allows it to mask through glass, smoke,
fog or other semitransparent, non-sharp edged subjects.
Below are descriptions of the controls in the Magic Brush Options Bar.
Painting Mode: Toggles the painting mode, either Paint-Out, Paint-In or Automatic. Automatic is generally the best choice for this tool. It will paint-in
and out at the same time based on the colors.
Size: The brush size slider controls the size of the brush. Use the smallest brush needed.
Feather: The brush feather slider controls the feather, or hardness of the brush. Make sure you have a feather of at least 25 to blend in retouched
areas evenly.
Transition: The transition slider determines how hard the cut-off is between Keep and Drop colors. Think of this like feathering. A low transition setting
creates a harder edge between the Keep and Drop colors. A higher setting will create a softer transition.
Threshold: The threshold slider determines how far away from the exact keep colors are allowed to be removed. A low threshold setting will keep only
the exact colors in the keep pane. As you increase the threshold, more colors close to the keep colors will be protected.
The Transition and Threshold are linked together. Changing one, has the inverse affect on the other. If you can't adjust one control, try
increasing or decreasing the other.
Reset: This will reset Tool Options Bar back to default settings.
Wacom Toggle: If you have a Wacom pressure sensitive tablet you can control certain parameters with pressure. Controls with a W icon next to them
support this when they are turned on.
Color Decontamination: When enabled, Perfect Mask will attempt to remove the Drop color component from semi-transparent areas. This can be
helpful for reducing color fringing and spill colors when working on blue or green screens.
Auto Brushing
There are two ways to use the Magic Brush. The first method is called auto brushing. Start by
selecting the Magic Brush and simply click in the background, then brush into the subject. The
color to remove is automatically assigned as the color at the center of the brush when you click
down. As long as there is a strong difference between the subject and background this can be a
quick way to paint away the background.
Tip: When using the auto brush technique, you should have no colors in your Colors
pane. Be sure to confirm that the Painting Mode is set to Paint-out only.
The second and more precise way to use the Magic Brush is to select colors to keep and drop
using the Eye Dropper tools. The Eye Droppers live in the tool well. There are two droppers; one
for selecting colors to keep and one for selecting drop colors. It is best to zoom into at least
100% or use the Loupe tool when selecting colors. When working with selecting colors for the
Magic Brush, it is best to work in small, similar colored sections.
Avoid selecting every keep and drop in your image. The Keep and Drop colors and Magic Brush
are global tools, meaning that they don't care what area of the image you are painting. If you
have the color blue for example that you want to remove from the background, but your
subjects eyes are blue... if you paint over both areas the background and eyes would be
removed.
To deal with similar colors in different regions, you can create different color sets. In the
Colors pane you can create as many Keep and Drop color sets as needed.
To create a new color set, press the Add button at the bottom of the Colors pane. You
have the option to create either a new Keep, Drop, or both color sets.
You can also disable a set by clicking on the toggle in its upper left corner.
You can delete a color or a set, depending on your selection by pressing the delete
button.
You can manually adjust a color by double-clicking on it. This will open a color picker
where you can see the color values as well as adjust the color if needed.
Once you have selected the Keep and Drop colors for your region, brush over it with the Magic
Brush. If the results are not as desired, refine your Keep and Drop colors and brush over the
region again.
Tip: Keep the number of colors per set to less than six to maintain optimum
performance. You can create as many sets as you need as you work your way
around the image.
Color Spill Brush: The color spill brush removes reflected or transmitted background color from the keep or edge areas.
It works by removing adjacent colors marked by the drop brush without altering the transparency. This brush is useful for removing reflected or spill color
from reflective, opaque subjects such as chrome, leather, metals, etc. It is not desirable to alter the opacity of these opaque areas, as they are not near
the edge of the subject. Instead the reflected color needs to be painted away.
Below are descriptions of the controls in the Color Spill Brush Tool Options Bar.
Size: The brush size slider controls the size of the brush. Use the smallest brush needed.
Feather: The brush feather slider controls the feather, or hardness of the brush. Make sure you have a feather of at least 25 to blend in retouched
areas evenly.
Smart Strength: When the Smart Strength option is enabled, the strength is automatically adjusted based on how strong the local drop colors are.
Override Color: When enabled, the Color Spill brush paints with the color you specify rather than one determined automatically. You can select the
color to paint with either with the associated dropper tool or by clicking on the color well.
Masking Brush
The Masking Brush: The Masking Brush functions like a brush tool for masking layers.
The Masking Brush in Perfect Mask is the same as in other onOne modules, or using
the paint brush in Photoshop. When you select the Masking Brush, your tool icon
changes to a circle that represents the size of the brush. It may also appear as
two concentric circles (see below), indicating the inner hard edge and outer soft
edge of the brush if the feather control is set above zero. There is also either a
plus or minus in the center of the brush. Minus means the brush mode is set to
paint-out, plus means it is set to paint-in.
To use the Masking Brush, select it in the tool well. Make sure you are on the layer you wish to hide. Then check your brush mode and confirm it is set to
Paint-Out. You are ready to mask now, simply paint on the image in the areas you wish to hide. As you brush, you will see the underlying layer(s) appear. If
you make a mistake while brushing you have several options to correct them:
First you can use the Undo command from the edit menu. This will undo the last brush stroke you created.
You can toggle the paint mode to Paint-In and brush over your mistake.
Paint Mode
The paint mode controls is you are Painting-Out (hiding the layer) or Painting-In (restoring the layer). You can tell your current mode by looking at the plus
or minus icon in the center of the brush. If the icon is minus, you are painting out. If the icon is a plus, you are painting-in. You can change the mode in the
Tool Options Bar, or by pressing the X key, or by holding down the option (alt) key temporarily.
Invert Mask
Invert swaps the hidden areas for the visible areas. What was hidden is no revealed and vice-versa. Inverting a mask can be very useful. It allows you to
paint a layer in, rather than out, which is handy if you only want to work with a small area. You can invert the mask with the command (Mac OS X) or control
(Windows) I keyboard shortcut, or by pressing the Invert button in the Tool Options Bar.
Reset Mask
Reseting a mask reveals the entire layer it is associated with. You can reset the mask by pressing the Reset button in the Tool Options Bar.
Brush Size
You can control the size of the brush using the Size pop-up in the Tool Options
Bar. You use a small brush at high magnification for precise work, and a large
brush at fit to screen for general work. To the right, you can see examples of
brush strokes at varying sizes. You can control the size of the brush several
ways:
Feather
You control the amount of feathering or hardness of the brush by using the
Feather pop-up in the Tool Options Bar. The feather has a range from 1 to 100
percent. You use a small feather at high magnification for precise, hard-edged
work and a large, soft-edged brush at fit to screen for general work. You can
visually see your feather by watching the outer concentric circle of the brush tool.
To the right you can see examples of different feather options. You can control
the size of the brush several ways:
Opacity
You can control the opacity, or strength of the brush with the Opacity pop-up in
the Tool Options Bar. Think of the opacity as the shade of gray you are painting
with. The opacity has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You use a high opacity to
paint quickly and hide large areas. You use a lower opacity for blending areas
together or for subtle work. To the right you can see examples of different
opacity options. You can control the size of the brush several ways:
Wacom® Controls
Perfect Mask supports pressure sensitive Wacom tablets. When you use the
Masking Brush you can enable pressure sensitive controls for the brush size,
brush opacity, or both simultaneously. Click on the W button next to each control
in the Tool Options Bar to activate the pressure sensitive controls.
The harder you press; the greater the size or opacity will get. You can set the
maximum value you want to use the Brush Size and Opacity sliders. To the right
you can see examples of how pressure sensitivity can be used to control the
Masking Brush.
Clean Up Tools
Perfect Mask features several handy clean-up tools. The clean-up tools are located towards the bottom of the toolwell on the left side of the screen. The clean-
up tools are the chisel, blur and bucket.
The Chisel Tool: The Chisel tool is used for removing fringes or halos along hard edges.
Fringes are common when the background to be removed is brighter than the foreground. The chisel works like a chisel or plane in a wood shop. It removes just
a sliver along the edges. The chisel tool only works on the edges so you don't have to be careful with it.
Size: Adjusts the size of the chisel tool. Feel free to use a large chisel to make brushing
fast. The size of the chisel does not affect how much is chiseled off.
Amount: Controls the amount, or depth of the chisel. Use the lowest amount needed to
maintain as much detail as possible.
Chisel Hardness: Adjusts how sharp the edge created by the chisel is. The higher the
amount, the softer the edge.
Tip: You can double-click on the chisel tool icon in the toolwell to apply the
chisel to the entire image.
Softening the edges on blurred or semi-transparent subjects like hair can make them blend with a new background in a more realistic manner. The blur tool only
works on the edges so you don't have to be careful with it.
Size: Adjusts the size of the blur tool. Feel free to use a large size to make brushing
fast. The size of the brush does not affect the blur amount.
Amount: Controls the amount of blur. Use the lowest amount needed to maintain as
much detail as possible.
Hardness: Adjusts how sharp the edge between the blurred and sharp area is. The
higher the amount, the softer the edge.
Tip: You can double-click on the blur tool icon in the toolwell to apply it to the
entire image.
The Bucket Tool: The Bucket Tool is used to remove large areas quickly.
Simply click in any isolated area to remove it completely. It is important that the area to be removed has a completely transparent margin around it, or the
entire image will be removed instead.
Mode: Controls whether the bucket tool is to remove (Paint Out) or replace (Paint-In) the area that is clicked on.
Pen Tool
The Pen Tool: The Pen tool works by detecting and tracing edges.
It is useful for when you have large hard-edged areas or if the difference in color between the subject and background are too close together for the color
based tools to work. The Pen creates a path, or selection. When you complete a path you have the option to remove either what is inside or side of the path.
The controls for the Pen Tool are located in the Tool Options Bar.
In Magic Mode: the default, the pen attempts to detect and trace edges. It works well
when there is a significant difference between the subject and background and the edge
is variegated such as a mountain.
In Classic Mode: the pen draws straight lines from point to point that you click. You can
force classic mode by toggling the Classic Pen check-box, or by holding down the shift
key.
Area: Adjusts the size of the area that the pen tool looks at to detect an edge. Use as
small a magnetic area as possible while being practical.
Attraction: Adjusts how precise or tight the path is to the edge. If you have a highly
variegated subject use a high setting of 100 or more. If you subject is mostly straight or
curved edges, like a building try a lower setting to create cleaner, straighter lines.
Hardness: Adjusts the hardness of the edge that is created when you select the region
to remove. The lower the setting, the harder the edge.
Classic Pen: When enabled, the pen only draws straight lines between points when you
click. This is useful when working on straight lined subjects like architecture or when the
boundary of the subject and background are ambiguous and need an artists
interpretation.
To use the Pen Tool, start by selecting it in the toolwell. Then click and hold at the edge
you want to trace. Then move the pen along the edge. You will see that the path is
attracted to the edge and attempts to trace it.
If you make a mistake, just trace backwards and the path will change.
If you let go, click on the last point and continue to work with the path.
You can manually push the path where you like by clicking in the middle and
tugging it like a string.
If you encounter an area where the pen will not detect the edge automatically,
try holding down the shift key and drawing straight line segments until the edge
becomes hard again.
You must complete a path by returning to the starting point to be able to remove the
selected area. To complete the path, hold down the shift key and move your cursor back
over the starting point. A red circle will appear and the text "Click now to close the path"
will appear. Click to close the path.
Tip: you can automatically close the path by command (Mac) or control (Win)
clicking any time you are not over a control point.
When the path is complete the pen tool will turn into a gavel with either a minus or plus
symbol. Click in the region, either inside or outside the path to remove an area. If the
gavel has a plus icon, rather than minus it is set to Paint-in, instead of paint-out. Just
change the mode in the inspector. If the edge is too hard or too soft, use the undo
command, adjust the Edge Mask slider in the inspector and click again in the region you
want to remove.
The pen tool when used in classic mode is similar to the pen tool in most illustration applications. Simply click to set a standard control point. If you click and drag
you create a Bezier control point with handles for adjusting the curve of the line segment. There are several keyboard shortcuts that are essential when using
the classic pen tool.
Mac Windows
Option Modifier Modifier
Key Key
Move Point Mode: Used to reposition a point. Hold the modifier key, then mouse over a point. When the icon turns to a normal
Command Control
arrow you are in move point mode.
Auto Close Path: Used to close a path without moving to the origin point. Hold the modifier, wait for the icon to turn to the
Command Control
complete icon and click anywhere except a control point.
Convert Point Mode: Used to convert a standard point into a Bezier point. Hold the modifier and move over a point. When the
Option Alt
icon turns to a carrot (^) click and drag on a point to reveal the handles.
Break Bezier Handles: Used to adjust Bezier handles independently of each other. Useful for complex curves. Hold the
modifier and move over a control handle. When the icon turns to a carrot (^) click and drag on the control handle to change the Option Alt
angle.
Adjustments: The Adjustments button opens the Adjust Mask dialog, pictured below.
This dialog contains several global mask adjustments.
You can apply the results to the current layer, permanently removing pixels. This
is generally not recommended.
New Layer, this is safer as the original image is preserved, but you can not
readjust the mask. This is generally not recommended
Layer Mask, this is the default setting. The mask is stored as a re-editable, non-
destructive layer mask. Layer masks are supported by Perfect Layers, Perfect
Photo Suite and Photoshop.
Copy with Layer Mask. This is the safest option. It applies the mask as a re-
editable, non-destructive layer mask on a copy of the original layer. keep in mind
that if you use color decontamination you are also changing the color of the
layer, not just the transparency so this option is the most flexible.
Accessed from the Adjust Mask pane, the Adjust Mask dialog contains several global
mask adjustments.
White Contrast: Sets the white clip point of the mask. This is useful for reducing haze
that shows too much of the original layer.
Black Contrast: Sets the black clip point of the mask. This is useful for reducing haze
that shows too much of the new background layer.
Feather: Softens the edge of the mask globally. Generally this is better accomplished in
a selective way using the blur tool.
Grow/Shrink: Increases or decreases the size of the mask. Shrinking the mask globally
can remove minor fringes but may sacrifice small details such as hair. Generally this is
better accomplished in a selective way using the chisel tool.
Reduce Noise: Looks for and reduces noise in the mask caused by a noisy, grainy
image or dust on the camera sensor.
Module Settings
There is a settings dialog located in the Edit menu which contains settings
specific to Perfect Mask.
Remember tool mode for each tool: When enabled, the tool mode
(Paint-In, Paint-out, Auto) is remembered for each tool rather
than a global basis.
Segment Scaling: When Perfect Mask opens, it segments the
image into many small similar colored irregular segments. The
number of, and thus the precision of segments is determined on
the number of processing cores and the segment scaling
preference. The default setting, Smaller will be the fastest and
will take about ten seconds to process. Selecting the Medium or
Large option will take longer to load but will create smaller, more
precise segments.
Menus
About Perfect Mask: Opens the about box. This dialog contains your serial number, version
number, and information on contacting onOne Software for support.
Tip: On Windows, the preferences can be found in the Edit menu, the About Box can
be found in the Help menu.
File Menu
Apply: Applies the current settings and options to your image and returns to the host application.
Cancel: Cancels Perfect Mask and returns back to the host application with no changes.
Edit Menu
Undo Stroke: If the last action was a brush stroke, this reverses the entire brush stroke.
Redo Stroke: If you last action was an undo of a Brush Stroke, this reapplies the entire stroke.
Reset All: Resets all the floating palette controls back to their default settings.
Mask Menu
Remove Background: Attempts to remove the background automatically if the background color is
consistent.
View Menu
Zoom In: Adjusts the preview zoom in one increment, makes the preview image larger.
Zoom Out: Adjusts the preview zoom out one increment, makes the preview image
smaller.
Fit to Screen: Sets the zoom to fit the entire image on screen.
Fill with Layer: Sets the zoom to fit the current layer.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which over-rides the
current mask view.
Mask View Mode: Allows the user to select the various mask modes.
Window Menu
Document Name: Shows the name, zoom level and bit depth of the open image.
Help Menu
Perfect Mask Online Help: Opens this html Help in your default web
browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens the online Video Tutorial in your default web browser.
Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are
running the current version. If there is a newer version you will be notified and
be walked through the update process.
Deactivate: Opens the activation dialog. These are used to deactivate your
software for moving it to another computer or for a return.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page of the onOne website.
Help Improve onOne Products: Opens the Improve onOne Products dialog.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perfect Mask has many keyboard short-cuts to make it faster to access common buttons and menu items. It also uses many of the keyboard shortcuts that
Photoshop uses, making it intuitive to learn. Here is a list of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts:
Perfect Portrait
Focus on the art of portrait creation because the most time consuming retouching tasks have now
been automated. With Perfect Portrait, you can improve skin texture and color, remove blemishes,
and enhance eyes, lips and teeth. You'll find that it's never been so easy to create stunning portraits
your family and clients will love.
Give each face in your image the specific attention it needs. Perfect Portrait automatically recognizes
each person in your photo and allows you to retouch each separately.
More than just finding each face, Perfect Portrait also quickly finds the eyes and mouth in a portrait
automatically. You no longer have to waste time painting in the features or use complicated manual
"wizards" because the features are identified right away. So, you can quickly get to the task of
enhancing those critical features.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Portrait. If you have never
used Perfect Portrait before, this is a good place to start. You might also try watching the getting
started video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting
started section, see the "Using Perfect Portrait" section instead.
User Interface
Perfect Portrait Main Window:
There are 5 different tools in the Perfect Portrait tool well. More details about each tool will be covered in the next chapters.
Face Select Tool This tool lets you select the face to edit.
Face Edit Tool This tool lets you edit the areas of the face like the skin, eyes and mouth.
Perfect Eraser The Perfect Eraser can be used to replace distracting elements from your image.
Retouch Brush This tool lets you retouch areas like blemishes, wrinkles and discoloration.
Hand Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview up to 1600%.
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights. At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side
of the histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your
image. The areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red
overlay are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the
triangles. You can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time.
The clipping view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your
image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Portrait Module as a Photoshop plug-in.
Browsing Presets
Built into Perfect Portrait is a preset browser, located in the left panel. You can use it to browse the factory supplied presets, presets you have created or
downloaded from the onOne website or for marking and finding your favorites. Below is a description of the controls in the file browser.
A. Browser Tabs: This switches between the Effects tab, Favorites tab and My Presets
tab.
B. Search Field: Use the search field to locate effects and presets. Simply start to type and
your results will appear in a new sub-folder called search results while you type.
C. Categories: Categories work just like folders. Select one to open it and view its contents
D. Effect: An effect is displayed as a thumbnail of the image with the effect applied and will
have the effect name listed below it.
E. Resize Handle: On the right edge is a resize handle that you can drag to
change the size of the browser or close it.
F. Favorite Flag: Click on the flag to mark an effect or preset as a favorite. It will appear in
the Favorites tab automatically.
G. Browser Modes: These icons control the browser mode. Either thumbnail columns or list
view.
H. Quick View Browser: Pressing this button opens the Quick View Browser where you
can see larger versions of each preset.
Browser Tabs
The Browser is divided into three tabs; Library, Favorites and My Presets.
Library: The Library tab contains the factory presets provided by onOne Software. They are a good place to start.
Favorites: When you click on the favorite flag on a preset, in any tab, it is added to the Favorites tab automatically. This makes it fast to find the
presets you use most frequently.
My Presets: When save your own presets, or install presets from the onOne website, they will be located here.
To search for presets in the current browser tab, type in the name of the file in the search field.
The search results appear in a new sub-folder called search results, which will be selected automatically.
You can clear the search field by pressing the x at the right end of the search field.
Browser Pop-Up
To view a larger preview on a preset, enable the Show Browser Pop-up in the View menu.
When you mouse over a thumbnail, a larger preview will be displayed in a pop-up window.
The browser can be resized by dragging the resize handle on the right margin of the browser.
The browser can be closed or reopened by clicking on the resize handle or using the cmd (control on Windows) left and right arrow keys.
Browser Modes
Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to quickly switch view modes. Items in parenthesis are for Windows.
Command (Control) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right Split screen.
Command (Control) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom Split screen.
Command (Control) Y: Change the view mode to single image.
Perfect Portrait is designed to simplify retouching and empower portrait photographers of all levels to create stunning portraits. It contains what we feel are the
most important tools for color correcting, retouching, smoothing, and enhancing portrait images.
Step 1
When you launch Perfect Portrait, it scans for faces in the image. The selected faces
are marked with a white rectangle box. Select a face to edit and a green highlight box
will surround it.
Each face box will have an "X" icon in the upper left corner. This icon can be pressed
to delete that face selection.
If Perfect Portrait does not find a face automatically you can manually select one by
using the Face Select Tool and clicking on the face to add.
See "Adding Faces" in the Face Select Tool section for details.
Step 2
When you select a face by clicking on it, the preview will zoom in to the face and the
eye & mouth control points will be visible.
You can adjust the selection by moving the control points. If you need to adjust the
overall location of an eye, click on the cyan dot in the center of the eye. Use the
control points to fine tune the selection around the eyes and mouth. You may press
the Hide Controls button located in the Tool Options Bar which will hide the control
points.
Step 3
Now, you can refine the skin selection as well as adjust the color, eyes and mouth
using the controls in the panes located to the right. These include:
Skin Retouching
Color Correction
Eye & Mouth Enhancing
Step 4
A user may also select the Retouch Brush to manually reduce stubborn spots
anywhere in the image.
The Face Select Tool is used to select which face to edit. When the Face Tool is
selected, boxes appear on each face in the image. The current face box is marked in
green, other face brackets are marked in white. You click on the face you wish to
work on, the tool automatically switches to the Face Edit Tool. The eye & mouth
control points become visible.
Adding Faces
Occasionally Perfect Portrait may not find the face you wish to retouch in a scene.
If Perfect Portrait does not find a face automatically you can manually select it by
clicking the Face Select Tool on the face you would like to add.
A Square box appears on screen. Move it over the face you wish to add. Adjust the
size of the box with the side handles. The box should go from the hairline to the chin
and be centered on the face. When you have the box adjusted, press the Apply
button and Perfect Portrait will add the new face.
Deleting Faces
If Perfect Portrait detects a face you do not wish to retouch, simply click on the X in
the upper left corner of the face box.
Face Edit Tool: Refines the Skin Selection and Moves the Control Points.
The Face Edit Tool is a dual-mode tool. It is used to refine the mask for the skin selection
as well as adjust the eye & mouth control points. When the Face Edit Tool is not over a
control point it is similar to the Masking Brush in other onOne Software tools. It is used to
refine the skin selection. It has two states, "Add to Skin" and "Not Skin" which equate to
paint-in and paint-out in mask mode. The tool is represented as concentric circles that are
white.
When this tool is over an eye & mouth control point it switches to a normal cursor. A user
clicks and drags a control point to adjust its location. There are five control points for each
eye and six for the mouth. They are used to define these areas for enhancement:
The number of control points is kept minimal to make Perfect Portrait easier to use. The
lines don't need to match the contours of the eyes & mouth perfectly. The selections are
feathered on the edges and are limited to the expected color and tonal ranges of the
area to be adjusted.
Mode: This mode selects either Not Skin, or Add to Skin. Use the Add to Skin mode to
brush more mask areas on the skin or Not Skin to subtract mask areas around the skin.
Size: This controls the brush size, also contains a toggle "W" to turn off or
on the Wacom pressure sensitivity.
Opacity: This controls the opacity, also contains a toggle "W" to turn off or
on the Wacom pressure sensitivity.
Perfect Brush: This enables the Perfect Brush function, a self masking mode
based on color that protects edges.
Tip: You can turn the Perfect Brush on and off using the command
or control -r keyboard shortcut. You can also temporarily lock the
color the remove by holding down the control key. This is useful
when brushing through areas with lots of openings like hair.
Hide Controls: This button toggles the showing of the control points.
Normally, the control points are visible. This is good when you are fine-
tuning control point position. However, it obscures the image and makes it
difficult to know how to adjust the Skin Retouching, Color Correction and
Eye & Mouth options. When you press this button, it hides the control
points. This allows the you to see the results of the current settings and to
better adjust the controls.
Reset Face: This button resets the mask, control points and right group
settings to their defaults for the face.
The Retouch Brush removes blemishes such as acne, spots and stray hairs. It functions like the spot healing brush in Photoshop. It uses the color and detail
information from the areas directly outside the brush to fill in the brush area. It is important that the area to be filled maintains the texture and tonal
gradation of the nearby skin so that the patched area blends in.
When you select the Retouch Brush, the tool will appear as a circular brush in the after preview window. The brush will appear as two
concentric circles.
The outer circle represents the outer edge, or soft edge of the brush.
The inner circle represents the hard edge of the brush.
The relationship between the hard edge and soft edge is controlled with the brush size and brush feather controls.
Adjust the brush size to the same size as the blemish you wish to remove, then dab the brush on the spot. It is best to use the
smallest brush size needed to remove a blemish. If you don't like the results of a brush stroke, use the undo command and try again
brushing in a different direction or with a smaller brush in steps.
Size: The brush size slider controls the size of the brush. Use the smallest brush needed.
"W" Wacom Controls: If you have a Wacom pressure sensitive tablet you can adjust the size of the brush with the pressure of the tablet. To activate
the Wacom control, click on the box with the "W" on it.
Feather: The brush feather slider controls the feather, or hardness of the brush. Make sure you have a feather of at least 25 to blend in retouched
areas evenly.
Opacity: Sets the opacity, or strength of the Retouch Brush. The default is 100%, which will completely remove a blemish. If you would like to reduce
rather than remove a blemish, try a lower opacity like 50%. It is great for under eye bags and crows feet.
Tip: Keep the brush size about the same size as the blemish you want to remove. Make small dabs rather than brushing large areas for the
best results.
Perfect Eraser
The Perfect Eraser can be used to remove distracting elements and blemishes from your image.
How it Works
The Perfect Eraser employs a content aware
algorithm that replaces the pixels with a natural
and plausible result within the boundaries that are
painted.
If the first attempt does not give you a perfect result, simply paint over it again and it will improve with each pass. You can also fine tune the area after
using the Retouch Brush.
Skin Retouching
Reduce Blemishes, Smooth the Skin and Even the Skin Hue.
The Skin Retouching Pane contains the controls for adjusting the automatic blemish reduction, skin smoothing, shine and shadow reduction as well as
texture addition.
Face Size: The Face Size drop-down menu is used to adjust the overall size of the face skin
mask. To adjust it, click and hold on the drop-down. The current automatic face skin mask is
shown. If important skin areas at the edges of the face are not included select a larger size. It
may take a second or two to render the updated mask. Keep the drop-down held down so you
can see the results of your selection. Keep in mind you can always refine the skin mask using
the Face Edit Tool as well
Blemishes: Adjust the Blemishes slider first. It attacks the medium sized blemishes such as
large pores, acne, freckles, fine lines, etc. It reduces the appearance of blemishes while
maintaining the fine pore structure of the skin for a natural appearance. Typical settings for
females and children are 60-80, 30-50 for males.
Smoothing: Smoothing is the second slider to adjust. It acts on the smallest details to add a
smooth finish to the skin, similar to powder in the cosmetics world. Use the smallest amount you
can to preserve a natural look. Typical settings for females are 20-40, males and children 10-20.
Shine: The shine slider is used to reduce the brightness of highlights on the skin. It is great for
reducing shine from oils in the skin.
Shadows: The shadow slider is used to brighten shadows in the skin. This is useful for dark eye
bags and deep wrinkles.
Texture: The texture slider introduces a synthetic skin texture to the skin areas. Generally it is
not needed. It is useful on overexposed images where no texture remains.
Evenness: Evenness adjusts how consistent the skin color is across the entire face. It is great
for correction highlights that may be too yellow, shadows that may be too green or reducing
redness in noses and ears. It is also useful for making family portraits more consistent from
person to person.
Face Only: The face only toggle limits the skin retouching to just the skin of the face. This is on
by default and is recommended for most uses. This will prevent other flesh colored areas in your
scene from being retouched. This includes things like hair or other people.
There are two occasions when you would want to disable the face only toggle:
If you are working on a single subject with little or no clothing and you wish to apply the
skin retouching to all the subjects skin.
Your're working on a large group portrait where it is impractical to adjust each face
separately. You can instead disable the face only option and apply the same retouching
to everyone in the scene.
Color Correction
The Color Correction pane is used to color correct the image based on skin color.
When a face is selected, Perfect Portrait automatically color corrects the entire image based on the
skin color of your subject. When Perfect Portrait finds the first face in the scene, it analysis the
average skin color of that face and compares it to libraries of hundreds of thousands of color correct
skin color samples.
If the first face is deleted, the next face takes over and the color correction base value is reset.
Color correction only needs to be performed on one person in a scene. If you have multiple people,
they all have the same color cast issues. Using the Color Correction controls on one person will
correct the others as well.
Warmth: Warmth is set automatically based on the image but can be adjusted up or down based
on personal preference. Underexposed images may have too much warmth, where open sky, or
overexposed images may not be warm enough.
Color Shift: Color correction does its best too automatically correct color but may need help based
on personal preferences. Use the Color Shift slider to adjust the color or hue to control how red the
skin is.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity pop-up determines which color library to use for the color correction.
Every ethnicity has a different hue characteristic no matter how bright or saturated the skin is. For
the best results, use the ethnicity library for the face that is selected. If you are not sure, use the
Average option which is an average of all ethnicities.
The eyes and mouth are the key features of the face. Beyond skin retouching, they
are the most important and common areas to retouch or enhance. Brightening the
eyes and teeth are very common but can be difficult to do in Photoshop in a realistic
way.
Perfect Portrait automatically detects the mouth and eye regions to provide
enhancement. You can adjust the automatic selections using the Face Edit Tool.
The eye and mouth selections are broken down into four regions:
The number of control points is kept minimal to make Perfect Portrait easier to use.
The lines don't need to match the contours of the eyes & mouth perfectly. The
selections are feathered on the edges and are limited to the expected color and tonal
ranges of the area to be adjusted.
Eyes-
Whitening: The Eye Whitening slider is used to lighten and whiten the sclera or the
whites of the eyes.
Detail: The Eye Clarity slider increases the clarity or sharpness of the eye area.
Reduce Red Eye: When this is checked it will automatically reduce red eye.
Mouth-
Whitening: The Mouth Whitening slider whitens and lightens the teeth. If the
subject's teeth are not showing, don't use this control.
Vibrance: The Mouth Vibrance slider increase the vibrancy or color saturation of the
red hues in the mouth region. It is useful for enhancing lip color, typically for women
with lipstick.
for can be viewed and adjusted in the Skin Retouching Pane under
the Face Size selection. You can adjust the mask by using the Face
Edit Tool. This tool work the same as the Masking Brush in other
onOne products.
You can also edit the skin mask directly using the Face Edit Tool. Visit
the Refining the Masking Selections page for details.
You can view the mask in the Masking menu on the bottom left corner of You can also view the mask and adjust the size in the Skin Retouching Pane
each preview pane. under the Face Size selection.
You can toggle mask view on and off with the command (Mac OSX) or control (Windows) plus m keyboard shortcut.
Red
The masked area appears as 50% red. This is similar to the Quick Mask
view in Photoshop.
White
The masked area appears as solid white.
Dark
The masked area appears as 90% black.
Grayscale
The masked area black, while the unmasked area is white.
In many cases adjusting the Skin selection mask is not needed. The automatic selections created by Perfect Portrait work well on many images. To see if you
need to refine the selection masks, follow the steps below.
First, select the Face Edit tool. This dual-mode tool functions as a masking brush
with concentric circles when not over a control point. You control the
brush Size and Feather settings in the Tool Options Bar.
Enable either the Mask-Red or Mask-Dark setting in the Mask View drop-down located bottom-left of
the Preview Window. This will allow you to view the mask that Perfect Portrait uses to define the skin
areas to edit.
These view modes make it easy to see the mask and the image simultaneously.
Now use the Face Edit tool to paint-in areas of the skin that might have not been included in the
automatic selection.
You can also set the mode to "Not Skin" to undo areas of the mask you painted in.
Focus on the hair around the face. Don't worry too much about the areas around the eyes and
mouth, these areas are adjusted in the Eye and Mouth window pane.
Make sure that the eyebrows are not selected unless you want to soften them.
Perfect Brush
The Perfect Brush option enableds a unique, color-based, self masking technology. When
enabled, as you paint with the Masking Brush it collects the colors under the center of the brush
and only masks those colors. This protects the mask from being applied across edges.
Tip: You can turn the Perfect Brush on and off using the command or control -r
keyboard shortcut. You can also temporarily lock the color to remove by holding down
the control key(win) or the command key(mac). This is useful when brushing through
an area with a lot of openings.
Presets
Presets store all of the settings you can adjust in the the control panels on the right. Presets are a fast and easy way to get consistent results. You can save
your own presets for batch processing or for simply reproducing your look when retouching.
Using a Preset
Saving a Preset
Saving a preset is simple. Once you have your settings that you wish to
save, go to the Preset menu and select Save Preset.
The New Preset dialog will appear (shown to the right). There are several
fields to complete including the preset name, the category, creator and
description.
In the category pull-down you can select which existing category the
preset should saved into. You can also create a new category this way by
selecting new category from the bottom of the list.
Deleting a Preset
You can remove a preset from Perfect Portrait if you no longer want to
have access to it. To remove a preset, follow these steps:
You can import presets you have downloaded from the onOne website
using these steps.
1. Download the preset pack from the onOne website. It should have
a .ONPreset extension.
2. Double-click on the preset pack, it will install the presets into a
category named the same as the preset pack.
That's it, next time you use Perfect Portrait the new presets will be located
in the My Presets tab, in a category named after the preset pack. You can
delete the files you downloaded, they have been copied into Perfect
Portrait.
You can share presets like you would share any other file, such as email or
posting them to a website. First you need to find the preset files. The
easiest way it to open Perfect Portrait, then from the Preset menu select
Show Presets Folder. A Finder (Mac) or Explorer (Win) window will open
and will display the presets folder. In the presets folder are sub-folders for
your preset categories. Inside each sub-folder are the individual preset
files, with a .ONPortrait extension. You can copy these presets to another
computer, attach them to an email or post them on a website.
The Module Settings are located in the Edit menu allow you to control the default
settings that Perfect Portrait uses. Below are the options:
Natural: Adds a modest amount of skin retouching and facial feature enhancement.
No color correction is added. This is the default setting.
Strong: Adds a heavy retouch with color correction and feature enhancement. This
is the default from Perfect Portrait version 1.
My Settings: A set of drop-down menus where the user may select a category and
preset saved in the My Presets tab. This way you can set your own defaults exactly
they way you want.
Menus
Perfect Portrait
About: Opens the about box. This dialog contains your serial number, version
number and information on contacting onOne Software for support.
File
Apply: Applies the current settings and returns to the host application.
Cancel: Cancels and returns back to the host application with no changes.
Edit
Undo Stroke: If the last action was a brush stroke, this reverses the entire
brush stroke.
Redo Stroke: If your last action was an undo of a Brush Stroke, this reapplies
the entire stroke.
Cut: Unused
Copy: Unused.
Paste: Unused
Reset All: Resets all the floating palette controls back to their default settings.
Face
Reset Face: Resets the selected face controls and masks to default.
Next Face: Cycles to the next face. This is disabled if only one face.
Previous Face: Cycles to the previous face. This is disabled if only one face.
Show All Faces: Displays all selected faces. Sets the preview zoom to fit and
changes tools to the Face Select Tool.
Copy Settings: Copies the settings from the current face to the clipboard.
Paste Settings: Pastes the settings from the clipboard onto the current
image.
Preset
Edit Preset: Opens the preset dialog so you can edit the name, author or
description information.
Import Preset: Opens the import preset dialog to help you import presets you
have downloaded.
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
View
Zoom In: Zooms the preview window in one increment. This will make the
preview image larger.
Zoom Out: Zooms the preview window out one increment. This will make the
preview image smaller.
Fit to Screen: Fits the zoom to the screen so the entire image is viewable.
Fill with Face: Sets the zoom so the current face fills the entire screen.
Actual Pixels: This sets the preview image so that it zooms to actual pixels or
1:1 also called 100%. This setting allows you to see every pixel in the image.
This is useful when making precision adjustments.
Browser Mode: Allows the user to select how the Browser Library displays the
categories.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which over-rides the current
mask view.
Window
Document Name: Shows the name, zoom level and bit depth of the open
image.
Help
Perfect Portrait Online Help: Opens this html Help in your default web
browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens the online Video Tutorial in your default web browser.
Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are
running the current version. If there is a newer version you will be notified and
be walked through the update process.
Deactivate: Opens the activation dialog. These are used to deactivate your
software for moving it to another computer or for a return.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page of the onOne website.
Help Improve onOne Products: Opens the Improve onOne Products dialog.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perfect Portrait has many keyboard short-cuts to make it faster to access common buttons and menu items. It also uses many of the keyboard shortcuts that
Photoshop uses, making it intuitive to learn. Here is a list of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts:
Perfect Effects
Perfect Effects gives photographers a fast and powerful way to create images with
impact.
It includes an updated library of professional quality photographic filters that can be previewed live
on your image before being applied. Live previews are shown in full screen so you can see your
image at its best. You'll enjoy the ability to stack multiple filters together to create your own unique
look.
Perfect Effects takes the idea of stacking filters further with updated blending options that provide
better control over how effects are combined. These advanced tools include blending modes options
and the ability to limit filters to specific color or tonal ranges of an image.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Effects. If you have never used Perfect Effects before this is a good place to start. You can
also watch the getting started video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started section see the Using Perfect
Effects section instead.
The broad range of effects in Perfect Effects makes it useful at many steps in the digital workflow. For example, the filters in the Brightness, Contrast and Color
Correction categories may be used early in the workflow for correcting the color and tone of an image. While filters in many categories are designed for a more
artistic effect, it may be used in the middle of the process as well. Finally, Perfect Effects has several filters designed for sharpening in the Sharpening category
that should be applied as the last step before printing.
User Interface
Perfect Effects Main Window:
A. Effects Browser: This library of filters is located on the left side of the window for easy browsing.
B. Tool Well: This is where the tools are located.
C. Preview Window: This is the main section where you preview and work on images.
D. Tools Option Bar: This is where information and options about each tool is set.
E. Module Selector: This is where you choose which software module to open.
F. Navigator, Loupe and Histogram Pane: This pane will access the Navigational, Loupe and Histogram features.
G. Filter Stack: This is where you view and stack filters.
H. Filter Options: This is where you access the filter options pane.
I. Cancel/Apply Buttons: This is where you cancel or apply an action.
There are four different tools in the Perfect Effects tool well. More details about each tool will be covered in the next chapters.
Masking Brush This masks out areas using brush strokes to expose underlying layers.
Masking Bug This tool lets you mask out the layer to expose the original underlying image.
Hand Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview window.
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights. At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side
of the histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your
image. The areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red
overlay are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the
triangles. You can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time.
The clipping view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your
image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
Clipping View
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Perfect Effects as a Photoshop plug-in.
Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to quickly switch view modes. Items in parenthesis are for Windows.
Command (Control) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right Split screen.
Command (Control) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom Split screen.
Command (Control) Y: Change the view mode to single image.
Perfect Effects provides several ways to work depending on your skill level. It works for beginners through advanced users. Below are example workflows for
different levels.
Beginner
A new user can simply click on an filter and apply it. This is the easiest way to get started.
Intermediate
An intermediate user may try stacking filters and adjusting their strength.
Advanced
An advanced user may stack multiple filters, adjust the strength, blending options, filter options and use the masking tools to selectively apply filters.
Browsing Filters
Built into Perfect Effects is a browser, located in the left panel. You can use it to browse the factory supplied filters, presets you have created or downloaded
from the onOne website or for marking and finding your favorites. Below is a description of the controls in the browser.
Browser Tabs
The Browser is divided into three tabs; Filters, Presets and Favorites.
Filters: The Filters tab contains the factory Filters provided by onOne Software.
Presets: When save your own presets, or install presets from the onOne website, they will be located here.
Favorites: When you click on the favorite flag on a filter or preset, in any tab, it is added to the Favorites tab automatically. This makes it fast to find
the filters and presets you use most frequently.
Searching
To search for filters or presets in the current browser tab, type in the name of the file in the search field.
The search results appear in a new sub-folder called search results, which will be selected automatically.
You can clear the search field by pressing the x at the right end of the search field.
Browser Pop-Up
To view a larger preview on a filter or preset, enable the Show Browser Pop-up in the View menu.
When you mouse over a thumbnail, a larger preview will be displayed in a pop-up window.
The browser can be resized by dragging the resize handle on the right margin of the browser.
The browser can be closed or reopened by clicking on the resize handle or using the cmd (control on Windows) left and right arrow keys.
Browser Modes
When you add a Filter to your image, it will appear on the current Filter Layer in the Filters
Stack pane. The Stack works similar to the Layers or History palettes in Photoshop. At the
bottom of the Filters Stack is your original image. Each Filter you select in the Library will
replace the Filter on the currently selected Filter Layer.
You move forward and backward in time by selecting different Filter Layers in the Stack.
For example, if you had a Filter Stack with the original and three Filter Layers applied, you could go back to the first Filter by selecting it in the Filters
Stack. The second and third Filter Layers will appear disabled and your preview will show only the results of the original with the first Filter Layer applied.
You can then click on the third Filter Layer, the most recently applied, and the second and third Filters will appear active again and the preview will show
the results of all three Filters. The results of each Filter Layer in Perfect Effects are cumulative, so the results of the first Filter are passed to the second
Filter and so forth.
It is best to work with Perfect Effects in a step-by-step process, knowing that the results from each step are the starting point for the next Filter. This
means that when selecting the Filters to apply, think about the workflow order you use.
It is best to make color and tonal adjustments first, followed by special Filters and finish with final touches such as vignettes and sharpening. Thinking of
the proper steps to add Filters in Perfect Effects will give you better and faster results.
When you start in Perfect Effects, there will be an empty Filter Layer on top of your original.
Your original is at the bottom of the Filter Stack. To add an Filter to the empty Filter Layer,
select it first, then click on an Filter thumbnail in the Filters Browser. You can change the Filter
in a Filter Layer by clicking a different Filter thumbnail in the Filter Library.
Adding Filters
To add another Filter Layer so you can stack multiple Filters, click the Add button at the bottom
of the Filters Stack. This creates a new empty Filter Layer. Then select another Filter from the
Filter Browser.
You can also double-click on an Filter in the Filter Browser to place it in the current Filter Layer
and add a new empty Filter Layer above it.
Hiding Filters
A Filter may be temporarily hidden or revealed by pressing the Eye icon next to the Filter in the
Stack. When you hide a Filter, you are not removing it from the Stack. You can reveal it again
anytime. Keep in mind that hiding a Filter in the middle of the Stack may take a moment to re-
render and update your preview.
Filters may be reordered in the Stack by clicking and dragging them into the desired position.
Reordering Filters can have a huge difference on the results of the image. Reordering Filters
will cause the Stack to re-render which may take a few moments.
Deleting an Filter
You remove a Filter by selecting it and pressing the Delete button at the bottom of the Filters
Stack or by pressing the delete key on your keyboard.
Tip: You can clear all the Filters from the Frame Stack at once by option (alt on
Windows) clicking on the delete button.
The Layer Opacity slider controls how the selected Filter blends with the previous Filter or the original image. You adjust the opacity for any Filter by
selecting it and then adjusting the layer opacity slider. Adjusting the opacity slider effectively adjusts the strength of a Filter. For example, if you add a
black and white conversion Filter, sliding the layer opacity down will reveal some of the color from the previous state. Usually, the opacity slider will be set
to 100% when you add a Filter, however with some Filters like vignettes and soft focus Filters, it may be automatically set at 50%.
Adjusting the layer opacity slider to greater than 50% will make the Filter stronger, while adjusting it to less than 50% will make the Filter weaker.
Blending Options
Clicking on the Blending Options arrow will drop down the Blending Options. This window offers
advanced blending options between Filters.
Blending: A pop-up list of blending modes. The list includes normal, lighten, darken, screen, multiply, softlight, hardlight, overlay and color.
Apply Filter To: A pop-up list of color or tonal ranges will appear, only one may be selected. The options are; all, highlights, midtones, shadows,
reds, greens, blues, magentas, cyans, yellows, flesh colors, vivid colors and neutrals. This applied Filter creates a selection based on the lightness, hue, or
saturation range specified. There is a Fuzziness slider associated with this control that adjusts the hardness or precision of the selection. The range is zero
to 100.
Custom: Select the Dropper tool and click on the image to sample a custom color range.
Protect: The protect sliders are used to remove an Filter from a specific color or tonal range. The sliders are; highlights, shadows and skin. The selection
created should be feathered and appear natural. The default for these sliders is zero; the range is zero to 64. The range for Flesh Colors is zero to 100.
Using Filters
Perfect Effects has its own image-processing engine. This allows you to control the settings for
many filters down to the smallest detail.
There are 23 Filters that do all the work in Perfect Effects. Stacking and blending these filters will
create different effects. These filters are accessed in the Filter Options pane or the Browser
Adjustable Gradient
Adjustment Brush
Antique
Black and White
Bleach Bypass
Blur
Borders
Color Enhancer
Cross Process
Dynamic Contrast
Glow
Grunge
HDR Look
Lens Blur
Photo Filter
Portrait Enhancer
Sharpening
Split Tone
Sunshine
Texturizer
Tone Enhancer
Vignette
Vintage
Adjustable Gradient
Adjustable Gradient makes it fast to add common adjustments to a portion of the image. Adding the
Adjustable Gradient will automatically activate the Masking Bug. This is used when you want to
apply a custom filter to a particular area of an image.
Adjustment Brush
The Adjustment Brush filter lets you paint-in common adjustments just where you need them.
When you add an Adjustment Brush, nothing appears on your image until you paint it in
where you want.
Antique
To give your image an aged look, older than the vintage filter, monochromatic or hand colored.
The black and white effect is used to turn a color image into a monochromatic image.
Bleach Bypass
An old color processing technique when the bleaching step was skipped. It reduces the saturation
and increases the contrast.
Blur
The blur filter contains four options for blurring the image. These options are Normal, Radial, Motion
and Surface. Each Type of blur has it own individual sliders. Use the Preset drop down menu or
click on the Type Icon to select the blur.
Radial: A zoom from center style. Amount controls the strength of the blur.
Quality controls how noisy or the graininess of the blur. Smoothing softens
the lines created by the motion. The Radial option also includes a center
spot selector. Activate the spot selector by clicking on the icon and then
click on the part of the image you want to make the center of the radial blur.
Surface: Simply maintains the edges but adds blur to the details. Amount
slider controls the strength of the blur. Halo slider controls the fuzziness of
the radius. Threshold sets how similar colors are grouped.
Reset will return the settings to the default.
Borders
Color Enhancer
The color enhancer can be used to control the saturation or vibrancy of colors in the image. This
can be done on a global basis (All) or per a range of colors.
Presets: Pop-up that lists all built-in presets for the filter.
Auto: Detects and removes a color cast.
Temperature: Adjusts the warmth of the image.
Tint: Shifts the hue between green and magenta.
Vibrance: Adjusts the vibrance of muted colors.
Gray dropper: Manually select a gray area to set the temperature and tint
sliders automatically.
Limit Vibrance on Skin box: When checked will protect flesh tones.
Color Range: Selects which color range to adjust.
Hue: Changes the hue for the selected color range.
Saturation: Adjusts the saturation of the selected color range.
Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the selected color range.
Purity - Highlights: Reduces the saturation in the highlights.
Purity - Shadows: Reduces the saturation in the shadows.
Cross Process
This filter simulates processing film deliberately with the incorrect chemistry. This process will create
unnatural colors and high contrast.
Dynamic Contrast
Dynamic contrast adds clarity or tonal contrast to your image making the image pop.
Glow
Grunge
This filter is used to add a dirty or grungy look to your image. Its great for urban exploration or
even senior portraits.
HDR Look
Lens Blur
This filter is the replacement for FocalPoint. It creates a blur, based on a camera lens such as a tilt-
shift or a shallow depth of field look.
Photo Filter
This filter recreates solid color filters like warming and cooling. It also creates gradient filters like
neutral density and bicolor filters. Bicolor filters are different colors on each side of a divide. Each
filter offers different options.
Center
Portrait Enhancer
The Portrait Enhancer is used to reduce blemishes, smooth skin and reduce shine on skin.
Sharpening
The sharpening filter adds a touch of sharpness to compensate for a moving subject, out of focus
camera or for an illustrative effect.
Progressive
Unsharp Mask
Split Tone
This filter was formally known as Duotone. It is a gradient map that tints the dark and light portions
of the image in different hues. This is used to age an image and give it an antique or vintage look.
Sunshine
This Filter increases the appearance of sunshine. It makes a flat cloudy day more vivid.
Texturizer
This filter places a texture over the image to add a stylized look. When loading a texture file, it will
be rotated automatically to match the orientation of the destination image layer. The user can
override the rotation with the rotate and flip tools.
Tone Enhancer
The tone enhancer controls the brightness and contrast, or tone of the image.
Vignette
The vignette control allows the user to darken or lighten the edges of the image.
Vintage
The vintage filter is for adding an aged, vintage look reminiscent of films and papers for the late
20th Century.
A white mask reveals all the filter that the mask is attached to.
An all white mask is considered blank or empty and shows all
the selected filter. As you use the masking tools, you are
adding black paint (Paint-Out mode). Where you paint with
black you are hiding the current filter, allowing the filter(s)
under it to show through. Think of it like cutting a hole in the
mask. If you make a mistake, you can switch your paint color to
white (Paint-In mode) and paint the filter back in like an eraser.
When you paint you have more than just white or black, but
any shade of gray in between depending on the opacity of the
brush. Shades of gray partially hide the layer, blending the
layers together.
Reset Mask
Invert Mask
Invert swaps the white for black and black for white. What was
hidden is now revealed and vice-versa. Inverting a mask can be
very useful. It allows you to paint a layer in, rather than out,
which is handy if you only want to work with a small area.
Perfect Effects allows you to copy the mask from one filter
layer to another. This is handy if you have painted a complex
mask on one layer for an adjustment and you wish to use the
same mask on another layer for a different adjustment. To
copy or paste a mask, use the Copy Mask and Paste Mask
commands from the Masking menu.
Paint-In Effects
Some of the filters in Perfect Effects are designed to be painted-in. When you add them to your
image, you will not see the image change, but the Masking Brush will be selected automatically.
Simply paint where you would like the filter to be applied.
You can identify Paint-In filters by the paint-brush icon in the upper left corner of the thumbnail.
Most of the Paint-In filters are located in the Basic Brushes category.
Mask Modes
Mask Mode allows you to view your image mask in several ways.
The drop-down menu for Mask View Mode is located at the bottom of A close-up of the Mask View Modes
the Preview Window.
Mask View allows you to view the mask for each effect layer that you have created with the Masking Brush and Masking Bug. You can view the mask in several
modes, which are accessible from the Masking menu or from the Mask View drop-down in the bottom left of each preview pane. Below are examples of the
different mask view modes. You can toggle the mask view on and off with the control (Mac OSX) or control (Windows) + M keyboard shortcut.
Mask-
Red
The
masked Mask-
area White
appears as The
50% red. masked
This is area
similar to appears as
the Quick solid white.
Mask view
in
Photoshop.
Mask-
Grayscale
The
masked
area
Mask- appears as
Dark black. The
The unmasked
masked areas
area appear as
appears as white. This
90% black. is the same
as viewing
a layer
mask in
Photoshop.
To use the Masking Brush, select it in the tool well. Make sure you are on the effect you wish to hide. Then check your brush mode and confirm it is set to
Paint-Out. You are ready to mask now, simply paint on the image in the areas you wish to hide. As you brush, you will see the underlying effect(s) appear. If
you make a mistake while brushing you have several options to correct them:
First you can use the Undo command from the edit menu. This will undo the last brush stroke you created.
You can toggle the paint mode to Paint-In and brush over your mistake.
Paint Mode
The paint mode controls is you are Painting-Out (hiding the effect) or Painting-In (restoring the effect). You can tell your current mode by looking at the plus
or minus icon in the center of the brush. If the icon is minus, you are painting out. If the icon is a plus, you are painting-in. You can change the mode in the
Tool Options Bar, or by pressing the X key, or by holding down the option (alt) key temporarily.
Invert Mask
Invert swaps the hidden areas for the visible areas. What was hidden is no revealed and vice-versa. Inverting a mask can be very useful. It allows you to
paint a layer in, rather than out, which is handy if you only want to work with a small area. You can invert the mask by pressing the Invert button in the
Tool Options Bar.
Reset Mask
Reseting a mask reveals the entire layer it is associated with. You can reset the mask by pressing the Reset button in the Tool Options Bar.
Brush Size
You can control the size of the brush using the Size pop-
up in the Tool Options Bar. You use a small brush at high
magnification for precise work, and a large brush at fit to
screen for general work. To the right, you can see
examples of brush strokes at varying sizes. You can
control the size of the brush several ways:
Feather
You control the amount of feathering or hardness of the
brush by using the Feather pop-up in the Tool Options
Bar. The feather has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You
use a small feather at high magnification for precise,
hard-edged work and a large, soft-edged brush at fit to
screen for general work. You can visually see your
feather by watching the outer concentric circle of the
brush tool. To the right you can see examples of different
feather options. You can control the size of the brush
several ways:
Opacity
You can control the opacity, or strength of the brush with
the Opacity pop-up in the Tool Options Bar. Think of the
opacity as the shade of gray you are painting with. The
opacity has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You use a
high opacity to paint quickly and hide large areas. You
use a lower opacity for blending areas together or for
subtle work. To the right you can see examples of
different opacity options. You can control the size of the
brush several ways:
Wacom® Controls
Perfect Layers supports pressure sensitive Wacom
tablets. When you use the Masking Brush you can enable
pressure sensitive controls for the brush size, brush
opacity, or both simultaneously. Click on the W button
next to each control in the Tool Options Bar to activate
the pressure sensitive controls.
The harder you press; the greater the size or opacity will
get. You can set the maximum value you want to use the
Brush Size and Opacity sliders. To the right you can see
examples of how pressure sensitivity can be used to
control the Masking Brush.
Perfect Brush
The Perfect Brush option enables a unique, color-based,
self masking technology. When enabled, as you paint
with the Masking Brush it collects the colors under the
center of the brush and only masks those colors. This
protects the mask from being applied across edges. A
great of example of using the Perfect Brush option would
be to mask a sky along a horizon of mountains.
Masking Bug: This is used for blending layers by creating Radial, gradient, and reflected gradient mask shape quickly.
The Masking Bug is perfect for tasks like darkening skies, creating vignettes and graduated filters. Learning to use the Masking Bug is fast and easy. All the
adjustments made with the Masking Bug are live and readjustable until you press apply.
The Tool Options Bar for the Masking Bug includes the options shown above and detailed here:
Preset: The preset pop-up includes several common ways to use the Masking Bug. These presets change the current Masking Bug to match the preset
Shape: The shape pop-up controls the shape of the Masking Bug. The shapes are center, edges, gradient and reflected gradient.
Opacity: Sets the maximum opacity or density of the mask.
Add: Adds a new Masking Bug using the current settings.
Delete: Deletes the current Masking Bug
Reset: Resets the mask on the layer completely. This removes all Masking Bugs and clears and brushing that has been done.
Start by adding a Masking Bug to a layer by clicking on it or pressing the Add button. Then set the Mask View mode to Mask - Grayscale. This will let you
see the Masking Bug in simple black and white.
Center Edges
You can use up to six Masking Bugs per layer. Each Masking Bug is re-editable
until you hit Apply and save your image. To add another Masking Bug, to create
a complex mask shape, press the Add button or click outside of the current
Masking Bug while the Masking Bug tool is selected.
Only one Masking Bug may be adjusted at a time. This is the active Masking Bug.
You will see the overlay controls for the active Masking Bug while your mouse is
over the preview area. Inactive Masking Bugs are marked with a small circle. You
can select an inactive Masking Bug by clicking on this small circle marker.
Masking Bugs are subtractive. Each Masking Bug hides more and more of the
current layer. When Masking Bugs overlay each other they may hide more of the
layer too. You can always use the Masking Brush to over-ride and paint areas
back in hidden by the Masking Bugs.
Presets
Presets store the Effect Stack and all of the settings you can adjust in the the control panels on the right. Presets are a fast and easy way to get consistent
results. You can save your own presets for batch processing or for simply reproducing your look when retouching.
Using a Preset
Saving a Preset
Saving a preset is simple. Once you have your settings that you wish to
save, go to the Preset menu and select Save Preset.
The New Preset dialog will appear (shown to the right). There are several
fields to complete including the preset name, the category, creator and
description.
In the category pull-down you can select which existing category the
preset should saved into. You can also create a new category this way by
selecting new category from the bottom of the list.
Deleting a Preset
You can remove a preset from Perfect Effects if you no longer want to
have access to it. To remove a preset, follow these steps:
You can import presets you have downloaded from the onOne website
using these steps.
1. Download the preset pack from the onOne website. It should have
a .ONPreset extension.
2. Double-click on the preset pack, it will install the presets into a
category named the same as the preset pack.
That's it, next time you use Perfect Effects the new presets will be located
in the My Presets tab, in a category named after the preset pack. You can
delete the files you downloaded, they have been copied into Perfect
Effects.
You can share presets like you would share any other file, such as email or
posting them to a website. First you need to find the preset files. The
easiest way it to open Perfect Portrait, then from the Preset menu select
Show Presets Folder. A Finder (Mac) or Explorer (Win) window will open
and will display the presets folder. In the presets folder are sub-folders for
your preset categories. Inside each sub-folder are the individual preset
files, with a .ONEffects extension. You can copy these presets to another
computer, attach them to an email or post them on a website.
Menus
Perfect Effects
About Perfect Effects: Opens the about box. This dialog contains your serial
number, version number and information on contacting onOne Software for
support.
File
Save & Close: Applies the current effect Stack and options to your image and
returns to the host application.
Cancel: Cancels Perfect Effects and returns back to the host application with no
changes.
Edit
Reset All: Resets all the floating palette controls back to their default settings.
Mask
Invert Mask: Inverts the mask, what was hidden is revealed and vice versa.
Masking Bug Tool Opacity: Sets the opacity of the Masking Bug tool overlay.
This has no effect on the image, just how obvious the Masking Bug tool is on
screen.
Preset
Import Preset: Opens the import preset dialog to help you import presets you
have downloaded.
Edit Preset Info: Opens the preset dialog so you can edit the name, author or
description information.
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
View
Zoom In: Zooms the preview window in one increment. This will make the
preview image larger.
Zoom Out: Zooms the preview window out one increment. This will make the
preview image smaller.
Fit to Screen: This sets the preview image so that the entire image is on
screen at once. Think of this as an overview of the entire image. This is the
setting you will use most of the time.
Actual Pixels: This sets the preview image so that it zooms to actual pixels or
1:1 also called 100%. This setting allows you to see every pixel in the image.
This is useful when making precision adjustments.
Select Filter Automatically: This will apply the first filter in each category
automatically.
Browser Mode: Allows the user to select how the Browser Library displays the
categories.
Mask View Mode: Allows the user to select the various mask modes.
Window
Filter Options: Hides or shows the Filter Options pane. Filter Options is only
available in Advanced mode.
Open Quick View Browser: This toggles open your quick view browser.
Document Name: Shows the name, zoom level and bit depth of the open
image.
Help
Perfect Effects Online Help: Opens this html Help in your default web
browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens the online Video Tutorial in your default web browser.
Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are
running the current version. If there is a newer version you will be notified and
be walked through the update process.
Deactivate: Opens the activation dialog. These are used to deactivate your
software for moving it to another computer or for a return.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page of the onOne website.
About Perfect Effects (Windows Only): Opens the about box with the
version number and license code displayed.
Help Improve onOne Products: Opens the Improve onOne Products dialog.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perfect Effects has many keyboard short-cuts to make it faster to access common buttons and menu items. It also uses many of the keyboard shortcuts that
Photoshop uses, making it intuitive to learn. Here is a list of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts:
Perfect B&W
The easiest way to develop stunning black & white images
The pinnacle for many photographers is the perfectly mastered black and white print. With Perfect
B&W, you can easily develop your own stunning black and white images. Its powerful and intuitive
tools give you instant results with complete creative control. Use Perfect B&W to add dramatic and
elegant looks to your photos and create the many moods black and white photography can evoke—
resulting in beautiful and provocative imagery.
Reproduce vintage styles using film grain and darkroom techniques quickly with a library of
well crafted presets.
Save time and stay focused on your image editing when your library of favorite effects are
always nearby.
Precisely dodge and burn, add detail, and apply selective color with a set of powerful
brushes designed for black & white processing.
Paint inside the lines with precision using the new edge-detecting Perfect Brush.
Use Blending Modes to blend your black & white image with your original to achieve a unique
hand-painted or grungy effect.
Imply mood and depth with striking detail using the Toner Presets in Perfect B&W.
Use built-in color filter presets to enhance contrast in your image.
Adjust the relative brightness of the details you care about, whether it's the sky, foliage, or
people.
Optimize the balance of tone and contrast in your image with the Tone Curve.
Adjust shadows, mid-tones, and highlights to create the exact look you want.
Accentuate your images with vignettes, authentic film & darkroom edge effects, and
borders.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect B&W. If you have never used
Perfect B&W before, this is a good place to start. You might also try watching the getting started
video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started
section, see the "Using Perfect B&W" section instead.
Perfect B&W provides you with an easy-to-use work space for editing your photos. Below is an overview of the main sections.
A. Browser Section: This is located on the left side of the window. It is where you browse different effects.
B. Tool Well: This is where the tools are located.
C. Preview Window: This is the main section where you preview and work on images.
D. Tools Option Bar: This is where information and options about each tool is set.
E. Module Selector: This is where you choose which software module to open.
F. The Navigator, Loupe and Histogram Pane: This pane will access navigational, loupe and histogram features.
G. The Control Panes: These are located on the right side. It's where you access the ten different control panes.
H. The Cancel/Apply Buttons: This is where you cancel or apply an action.
There are seven different tools in the Perfect B&W tool well.
More details about each tool are covered in the following chapters.
Brightness Brush This is used to locally lighten or darken areas of the image (burn or dodge).
Contrast Brush This is used to locally increase or decrease the amount of contrast in the image.
Detail Brush This is used to locally increase or decrease the amount of detail in the image.
Targeted Brightness This varies the brightness of a color range by adjusting the Color Response panel settings.
Selective Color Brush This is used to locally paint back the color from the original image.
Hand Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview window.
Layers Module
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights. At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side
of the histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your
image. The areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red
overlay are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the
triangles. You can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time.
The clipping view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your
image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access B&W Module as a Photoshop plug-in.
Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to quickly switch view modes. Items in parenthesis are for Windows.
Command (Control) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) L: Change the preview mode to Left/Right Split screen.
Command (Control) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom.
Command-Option (Control-Alt) T: Change the preview mode to Top/Bottom Split screen.
Command (Control) Y: Change the view mode to single image.
Browsing Presets
Built into Perfect B&W is a browser, located in the left panel. You can use it to browse the factory supplied presets, presets you have created or downloaded
from the onOne Marketplace or for marking and finding your favorites. Below is a description of the controls in the browser.
A. Browser Tabs: This switches between the presets tab, Favorites tab and My
Presets tab.
B. Search Field: Use the search field to locate presets and presets. Simply start
to type and your results will appear in a new sub-folder called search results while
you type.
C. Categories: Categories work just like folders. Select one to open it and view
its contents
D. preset: An preset is displayed as a thumbnail of the image with the preset
applied and will have the preset name listed below it.
E. Resize Handle: On the right edge is a resize handle that you can drag
to change the size of the browser or close it.
F. Favorite Flag: Click on the flag to mark an preset or preset as a favorite. It
will appear in the Favorites tab automatically.
G. Browser Modes: These icons control the browser mode. Either thumbnail
columns or list view.
H. Quick View Browser: Pressing this button opens the Quick View Browser
where you can see larger versions of each preset.
Browser Tabs
The Browser is divided into three tabs; presets, Favorites and My Presets.
Presets: The presets tab contains the factory presets provided by onOne Software.
Favorites: When you click on the favorite flag on an preset or preset, in any tab, it is added to the Favorites tab automatically. This makes it fast to
find the presets and presets you use most frequently.
My Presets: When save your own presets, or install presets from the onOne Marketplace, they will be located here.
Searching
To search for presets or presets in the current browser tab, type in the name of the file in the search field.
The search results appear in a new sub-folder called search results, which will be selected automatically.
You can clear the search field by pressing the x at the right end of the search field.
Browser Pop-Up
To view a larger preview on an preset or preset, enable the Show Browser Pop-up in the View menu.
When you mouse over a thumbnail, a larger preview will be displayed in a pop-up window.
The browser can be resized by dragging the resize handle on the right margin of the browser.
The browser can be closed or reopened by clicking on the resize handle or using the command (control on Windows) left and right arrow keys.
Browser Modes
Control Panes
Perfect B&W has a series of ten control panes to convert and enhance your B&W images.
Tone
Color Response
Tone Curve
Glow
Film Grain
Toner
Vignette
Border
Sharpening
Blending
Tone
The Tone pane controls the global tonality, or brightness and contrast of the image. You can adjust each of
the following:
Brightness: Adjusting the slider to the right will lighten your image. Adjusting to the left will darken
your image.
Contrast: This will increase or decrease the contrast in your image.
Blacks: This slider will clip the blacks adding more contrast to the blacks.
Whites: This slider will clip the whites adding more contrast to the whites.
Auto Levels: This will set the black and white points automatically.
Shadows: This slider lightens the shadows, revealing details.
Highlights: This slider darkens the highlights, recovering detail.
Detail: Increases the detail or structure in your image.
Color Response
The Color Response pane controls the black and white conversion. Get the effect of photographic filters
after the shot. Use built-in color filter presets to enhance contrast in your image and adjust the relative
brightness of the details, whether it's the sky, foliage, or people.
The top section contains presets based on different color filter options. These simulate using different
colored filters over the lens when photographing with film.
Color Sliders: The color sliders increase or decrease the brightness of each color range.
Auto Mix: When enabled, the color sliders are set automatically.
Tone Curve
The Tone Curve pane controls the global tonality of the image. You can adjust your shadows, mid-tones
and highlights to create the exact look you want.
Glow
The Glow pane controls diffusion over the camera or enlarging lens.
Film Grain
The Film Grain pane loads an overlay of scanned film grain to add the appearance of film grain. Choose
from a selection of carefully crafted film types that integrate realistic grain onto your images.
Film Type: A drop-down list of Film Grains from popular black and white films.
Amount: Adjusts the strength, or amount of film grain.
Size: Adjusts the size of the grain, simulating different sizes of film.
Toner
The Toner pane simulates different chemical toners or paper types used in the darkroom. It is divided into
two sections. One for toning the paper (the highlights) and one for toning the silver (the shadows). Select
from a collection of toners such as copper, cyanotype, selenium, sepia or build your own.
Vignette
The Vignette pane creates flexible vignettes and authentic film & darkroom edge effects.
Border
The Border pane creates flexible print edges. There are several categories and options to adjust your
border.
Sharpening
The sharpening pane controls the overall sharpness of an image.There are three types of sharpening;
Progressive, High Pass and Unsharp Mask. Each of the types have sliders to adjust the following:
Type: Sets the type of sharpening; Progressive, High Pass or Unsharp Mask
Halo: Sets the halo or radius.
Amount: Sets the amount of sharpening.
Protect: There are three sliders for adjusting the amount of protection for the Darks, Lights and
Skin colors.
Ethnicity: A drop-down menu to select the ethnicity of the skin to protect.
Blending
The Blending Pane allows you to blend the black and white version back to the original color image. With
this you can create subtle antique, hand-colored or grunge looks.
Adjustment Brushes
Perfect B&W features several adjustment brushes for local control. These brush tools (Brightness, Contrast, Detail and Selective Color) mimic many darkroom
techniques like burning, dodging, bleaching, and reducing. There are also options that were almost impossible in the darkroom such as local contrast and
sharpening.
Brightness Brush
The Brightness Brush is the most commonly used tool. It allows you to lighten or darken areas of the image where you paint. Think of this as burning or
dodging in the darkroom. When you use the Brightness Brush with the Perfect Brush option enabled you have a smart, auto-masking burn and dodge tool that
makes it fast and easy to adjust the brightness locally in a realistic way
Contrast Brush
The Contrast Brush works the same as the Brightness Brush but allows you to increase or decrease contrast locally. You can use this tool to enhance your
center of interest or to reduce distractions.
Detail Brush
The Detail Brush gives you the power to control the detail or structure of the image locally. You can use it add crispy details to your center of interest or to
reduce noise in the sky.
The Selective Color Brush allows you to hand-paint color back into your image, just like painting with oils on a print. The best part is you don't have to pick the
color to paint with. Reveal subtle bits of color or paint black and white just where you want it.
When you select the adjustment brushes, your tool changes to a circle representing
the size of the brush. It will appear as two concentric circles indicating the inner hard
edge and outer soft edge of the brush if the feather control is set above zero. There is
also either a plus or minus in the center of the brush. Minus means the brush mode is
set to paint-out, plus means it is set to paint-in.
To use the one of the adjustment brushes, select it in the tool well. Then check the brush mode and confirm it is set to the desired mode. Then adjust the size
and feather. Next, brush over the image in the areas you wish to adjust.
First you can use the Undo command from the edit menu. This will undo the last brush stroke you created.
You can toggle the paint mode to Paint-In and brush over your mistake.
You can always reset all the brush strokes for the tool by pressing the Reset button in the Tool Options Bar.
Mode
The mode toggles the control to Lighten or Darken an image when you brush over the image. You can tell your current mode by looking at the plus or minus icon
in the center of the brush. If the icon is minus, you are painting out. If the icon is a plus, you are painting-in. You can change the mode in the Tool Options Bar,
or by pressing the X key, or by holding down the option (alt) key temporarily.
Size
You can control the size of the brush using the Brush Size Slider. The brush has a
range from 1 to 500 pixels. You use a small brush at high magnification for precise
work, and a large brush at "fit to screen" for general work. To the right, you can see
examples of brush strokes at varying sizes. You can control the size of the brush
several ways:
Feather
You control the amount of feathering or hardness of the brush by using the Feather
Slider. The feather has a range from 1 to 100 percent. You use a small feather at high
magnification for precise, hard-edged work and a large, soft-edged brush at "fit to
screen" for general work. You can visually see your feather by watching the outer
concentric circle of the brush tool. To the right you can see examples of different
feather options. You can control the size of the brush several ways:
Amount
You can control the opacity, or strength of the brush with the Amount Slider. Think of
the amount as the shade of gray you are painting with. The opacity has a range from
1 to 100 percent. You use a high opacity to paint quickly and hide large areas. You
use a lower opacity for blending areas together or for subtle work. To the right you
can see examples of different opacity options. You can control the size of the brush
several ways:
Wacom® Controls
Perfect Layers supports pressure sensitive Wacom tablets. When you use the Masking
Brush you, can enable special pressure sensitive controls for the brush size, brush
opacity, or both simultaneously. Click on the "W" to activate the pressure sensitive
controls.
The harder you press; the greater the size or opacity will get. You can set the
maximum value you want to use the Brush Size and Opacity sliders. To the right you
can see examples of how pressure sensitivity can be used to control the Masking
Brush.
Perfect Brush
The Perfect Brush option enables a unique, color-based, self masking technology.
When enabled, as you paint with the Masking Brush it collects the colors under the
center of the brush and only masks those colors. This protects the mask from being
applied across edges. A great of example of using the Perfect Brush option would be
to mask a sky along a horizon of mountains.
Tip: You can turn the Perfect Brush on and off using the command or control
-r keyboard shortcut. You can also temporarily lock the color to remove by
holding down the control key(win) or command key(mac). This is useful when
brushing through areas with lots of openings like tree branches.
Keep in mind the Targeted Brightness Tool works by adjusting the brightness of an entire color range in the Color Response pane. Darkening the sky will also
darken anything else in the scene that is a similar color such as water.
Mask Modes
Mask Mode allows you to view your image mask in several ways.
The drop-down menu for Mask View Mode is located at the bottom of A close-up of the Mask View Modes
the Preview Window.
Mask View allows you to view the mask for each effect layer that you have created with the Masking Brush and Masking Bug. You can view the mask in
several modes, which are accessible from the Masking menu or from the Mask View drop-down in the bottom left of each preview pane. Below are
examples of the different mask view modes. You can toggle the mask view on and off with the control (Mac OSX) or control (Windows) + M keyboard
shortcut.
Mask-
Red
The
masked Mask-
area White
appears as The
50% red. masked
This is area
similar to appears as
the Quick solid white.
Mask view
in
Photoshop.
Mask-
Grayscale
The
masked
area
Mask- appears as
Dark black. The
The unmasked
masked areas
area appear as
appears as white. This
90% black. is the same
as viewing
a layer
mask in
Photoshop.
Zones View
This view simulates the 11 zones of the Zone System. It updates in realtime as the user makes changes.
The Zones view is accessed from the the Mask View mode drop-down menu. A close-up of the Mask View Mode drop-down
menu and options.
Presets
Presets store all of the settings you can adjust in the the control panels on the right. Presets are a fast and easy way to get consistent results. You can save
your own presets for batch processing or for simply reproducing your look when retouching.
Using a Preset
Saving a Preset
Saving a preset is simple. Once you have your settings that you wish to
save, go to the Preset menu and select Save Preset.
The New Preset dialog will appear (shown to the right). There are several
fields to complete including the preset name, the category, creator and
description.
In the category pull-down you can select which existing category the
preset should saved into. You can also create a new category this way by
selecting new category from the bottom of the list.
Deleting a Preset
You can remove a preset from Perfect B&W if you no longer want to have
access to it. To remove a preset, follow these steps:
You can import presets you have downloaded from the onOne website
using these steps.
1. Download the preset pack from the onOne website. It should have
a .ONPreset extension.
2. Double-click on the preset pack, it will install the presets into a
category named the same as the preset pack.
That's it, next time you use Perfect B&W the new presets will be located in
the My Presets tab, in a category named after the preset pack. You can
delete the files you downloaded as they have been copied into Perfect
B&W.
You can share presets like you would share any other file, such as email or
posting them to a website. First you need to find the preset files. The
easiest way it to open Perfect B&W, then from the Preset menu select
Show Presets Folder. A Finder (Mac) or Explorer (Win) window will open
and will display the presets folder. In the presets folder are sub-folders for
your preset categories. Inside each sub-folder are the individual preset
files, with a .ONB&W extension. You can copy these presets to another
computer, attach them to an email or post them on a website.
Menus
Perfect B&W
About: Opens the about box. This dialog contains your serial number, version
number and information on contacting onOne Software for support.
File
Apply: Applies the current settings to your image and returns to the host
application.
Cancel: Cancels Perfect B&W and returns back to the host application with no
changes.
Edit
Undo Stroke: If you have segmented undo enabled, if the last action was a
brush stroke this reverses the entire brush stroke.
Redo Stroke: If you have segmented undo enabled, if your last action was an
undo of a Brush Stroke this reapplies the entire stroke.
Cut: Unused.
Copy: Unused.
Paste: Unused.
Preset
Import Preset: Opens the import preset dialog to help you import presets you
have downloaded.
Edit Preset Info: Opens the preset dialog so you can edit the name, author or
description information.
Manage Extras: Opens the Extras Manager where you can import and
manage extras like Borders, Backgrounds, Textures and Presets.
View
Zoom In: Zooms the preview window in one increment. This will make the
preview image larger.
Zoom Out: Zooms the preview window out one increment. This will make the
preview images smaller.
Fit to Screen: This sets the preview image so that the entire image is on
screen at once. Think of this as an overview of the entire image. This is the
setting you will use most of the time.
Fill: If the target layer is smaller than the canvas size, it sets the zoom to fill the
preview with the target layer.
Actual Pixels: This sets the preview image so that it zooms to actual pixels or
1:1 also called 100%. This setting allows you to see every pixel in the image.
This is useful when making precision adjustments.
Browser Mode: Allows the user to select how the Browser Library displays the
categories.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which over-rides the current
mask view.
Mask View Mode: Allows the user to select the various mask modes.
Window
Solo Mode: Enables solo mode. When Solo Mode is enabled, only one control
pane may be open at a time.
Document Name: Shows the name, zoom level and bit depth of the open
image.
Help
Perfect B&W Online Help: Opens this html Help in your default web browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens the online Video Tutorial in your default web browser.
Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are
running the current version. If there is a newer version you will be notified and
be walked through the update process.
Deactivate: Opens the activation dialog. These are used to deactivate your
software for moving to another computer or for a return.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page of the onOne website.
About Perfect B&W (Windows Only): Opens the about box with the
version number and license code displayed.
Help Improve onOne Products: Opens the Improve onOne Products dialog.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perfect Resize
Welcome to onOne Software™ Perfect Resize
Perfect Resize, the next generation of Genuine Fractals, is the industry standard for
image resizing. It is renowned across the photographic and printing industries for its ability
to increase image size over 1000% without the loss of sharpness or detail that you would
normally expect. Its patented, fractal based interpolation algorithms work like nothing else
and the results speak for themselves. Perfect Resize 8 allows you to crop and resize your
image in a single step with no guess work. Its new Tiling and Gallery Wrap features make it
easy to get your enlargements printed just the way you want. Fire up the batch
processing engine to resize an entire folder of images quickly. You can even access the
power of Perfect Resize inside of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom or Apple Aperture.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Resize 8. If you have never
used Perfect Resize 8 before, this is a good place to start. You might also try watching the getting
started video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting
started section, see the "Using Perfect Resize" section instead.
Images are perceived in color, tonality and sharpness. Other interpolation techniques maintain color and tonality but sacrifice sharpness by "inflating" the
image uniformly. The image still looks familiar but will not be crisp. Depending on the amount of interpolation, this can be severe and noticeable even at
standard viewing distances. Perfect Resize maintains the color, tonality, and sharpness of an image at all sizes. It will always look the same when viewed
at the proper distances.
It is unrealistic to assume that the fidelity when viewed at 100% will be the same for an 8x10 and an 80x100 created by Perfect Resize. Perfect Resize will
maintain the edges which perceptually make the image sharp, but it cannot create detail where there was none in the past. When the shutter is pressed, a
finite amount of detail is captured. A good way to think about this is to look at an insect on a leaf. If you look at it with a magnifying glass, you will see
more detail than you did than when looking at it with the naked eye. Now if you take a digital photograph of that same insect and look at it in the computer
and zoom in past 100% you do not see any more detail. The information you see is limited by what the camera captured. Perfect Resize works the same
way, it can not create new detail but instead takes the finite amount of detail available and increase it in size.
Perfect Resize isn't magic. We have all watched CSI where they take a security photo and enlarge the reflection in the victim’s eye to see the killer, with
results that look amazing. This is pure science fiction. You cannot create detail where there was none before. But if your original file has good detail and
little noise, you will be able to make very good looking enlargements from your files. This is what Perfect Resize does better than any other software.
Understanding Resolution
How Much Resolution Do I Need?
The size of the print is as large you would like. This may be limited by the size of your printer. Resolution is the density of the pixels for a given distance,
usually measured in pixels or dots per inch. Most modern inkjet printers print anywhere from 1200 to 4800 dots per inch (what the printer manufacturers
really mean is 1200-4800 droplets of ink per inch). Inkjet printers use many tiny round droplets of 4-12 ink colors to reproduce one square pixel in your
image that could be one of any millions of colors. A common mistake is to set the resolution of the file to the resolution of the printer. In all but a few
special printers this will lead to huge files that will not print well, if at all. The secret is that the human eye cannot see more than 250-300 pixels per inch.
So the ideal resolution for your files should be close to this. Once you know the print size and resolution, it is easy to use Perfect Resize 7.5 to resize your
file to the desired output. Simply input the resolution and then either the print width or height. You'll see that the corresponding dimension is automatically
filled in by Perfect Resize 7.5 based on the proportions of your image.
Keep the proportions in mind because the proportions of film, digital camera sensors and paper can all be different. For example, most digital camera
sensors are proportioned so that the height is two-thirds the width or 1:1.5; While the most common paper size, in the US, is the letter which is 8.5x11
inches or about 1:1.25. These kind of proportion mis-matches are common and require that the original image be cropped to fit the proportions of the
paper size. If your image cannot be cropped without ruining the composition then you will need to adjust your print size to a longer dimension.
Resizing an image larger than the original size requires new pixels to be created. This process is called interpolation or resampling. There are many
mathematical ways, called algorithms, to do this. The most common method used by many pixel editing applications is called bicubic interpolation. Bicubic
along with its newer variants bicubic smoother and bicubic sharper work by averaging a small group of neighboring pixels to determine the color value of
the new pixels to be added. While this technique is fast, it does not distinguish edges so there is a uniform loss of sharpness and detail across the image.
Perfect Resize patented scaling algorithm is fundamentally different from bicubic or other interpolation methods. While other methods sample nearby pixels
and decide new pixel values one by one, Perfect Resize uses a sampling technique called Fractal Scaling. Fractal Scaling samples nearby "blocks," square
groups of pixels, and varying sizes, compares them to smaller versions of the original image and mosaics these patches together to create a larger version
of the original. By doing this repeatedly, often the characteristics of the image like edges, smooth areas, and textures are reinforced for each larger
version. Noise is de-emphasized and sharp details are maintained. All this number crunching may take a bit longer than the single pass interpolation
methods like bicubic, but good things come to those who wait and the reward is far superior results.
If you use Perfect Resize through Photoshop, you have access to a larger range of color modes, depending on the version of Perfect Resize you have. Consult
the chart below for details.
User Interface
The Perfect Resize Main Window
Perfect Resize provides you with an easy-to-use work area for editing your photos. Below is an overview of the main sections.
A. Preset Browser: This panel is located on the left side of the window and is where you view a Library of presets.
B. Tool Well: This is where the tools are located.
C. Tool Options Bar: This strip above the preview window contains the options for the selected tool.
D. Preview Window: This is the main section where you preview and work on images.
E. Module Selector: This is where you select other modules to work in.
F. Control Panel: This is where you access the Control Panes.
There are three different tools in the Perfect Resize tool well. More details about each tool will be covered in the next chapters.
Hand Tool This tool drags your image within the preview window when it's larger than the viewable area.
Zoom Tool This tool changes the magnification in the preview window.
Resize Module
This provides several ways to navigate and view your image in the Preview window.
The Preview Window above is the main section where you preview and work on images.
Hand Tool
The Hand tool is used to position the image within the Preview window, whenever the preview zoom is larger than the viewable area.
Select the Hand Tool and drag the image until you locate the area you wish to view.
With any other tool selected, hold down the spacebar while you drag the image in the window.
Double-click the Hand tool in the Toolbar to set the image to a magnification that fits completely in the current window size.
Zoom Tool
The Zoom tool changes the magnification of the image in the Preview window.
Click in the Preview window to zoom in and center the image at the location clicked.
Click and drag in the Preview window to draw a rectangular, the screen fills with the area within the rectangle when you release the mouse.
Hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Win) and click to zoom out.
Double-click the Zoom tool in the Toolbar to set the image to 1:1 or 100% magnification, showing every pixel. This is best when examining small details.
This gives you a birds-eye view of your image. The blue square region marks the image area
that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the
blue region.
At the bottom of the Navigator pane are several Zoom presets. Click on a Zoom preset to
activate.
FIT: Zooms to fit the current canvas size. This allows you to see your entire image.
100: Zooms to 100% or actual pixels. This is best for judging small details.
50: Zooms to 50%
25: Zooms to 25%
This gives you a magnified view of the section of the preview under the cursor. This allows you
to view the quality of your results while maintaining a complete view of your image.
At the bottom of the Loupe Pane is a sliding for adjusting the zoom level.
This gives you a color chart of the shadow, mid-tone and highlight areas based on the image
RGB values. This is useful to show areas within the image that may be clipping. Clipping is when
your image contains pure blacks or white and can signify loss of highlight or shadow detail.
The left side of the histogram represents the shadows, while the right represents the
highlights. At the top of each end is a triangle. If the triangle is lit, there is clipping on that side
of the histogram. If you click on the arrows, you will activate the clipping overlay on your
image. The areas of your image with a blue overlay are pure black, while the areas with the red
overlay are pure white. You can turn the clipping view off again by clicking on one of the
triangles. You can also temporarily enable clipping view by holding down the J key at any time.
The clipping view is useful when you are making adjusts to the brightness and contrast of your
image.
The Histogram pane also displays the RGB values under the cursor at the bottom of the pane.
The info pane will display important metadata about your file including:
Camera type
File type
Focal length and lens information
Date and time captured
Exposure information
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Value
Filename
Color Space
Dimensions
File Size and Bit Depth
If your camera allows for GPS the GPS button will be viewable and you can click on it to get the
GPS cordinates for where the image was taken. This feature only works if you have GPS
enabled on your camera or mobile device. Otherwise you will not see the GPS button.
The Info panel is not visible when you access Resize Module as a Photoshop plug-in.
Browsing Presets
Built into Perfect Resize is a preset browser, located in the left panel. You can use it to browse the factory supplied presets, presets you have created or
downloaded from the onOne website or for marking and finding your favorites. Below is a description of the controls in the file browser.
A. Browser Tabs: This switches between the Library tab, Favorites tab and My
Presets tab.
B. Search Field: Use the search field to locate presets in the current tab. Simply start
to type and your results will appear in a new sub-category called search results while
you type.
C. Closed Category: A closed category has a dark gray tab and the arrow faces to
the right.
D. Open Category: An open category has a light gray tab and the arrow faces
down.
E. Preset: A preset is displayed by its name.
F. Favorite Flag: Click on the this flag to mark a preset as a favorite. It will appear in
the Favorites tab automatically.
G. Resize Handle: On the right edge is a resize handle that you can drag to change
the size of the browser or close it.
Browser Tabs
The Browser is divided into three tabs; Library, Favorites and My Presets.
Library: The Library tab contains the factory presets provided by onOne Software. They are a good place to start.
Favorites: When you click on the favorite flag on a preset, in any tab, it is added to the Favorites tab automatically. This makes it fast to find the
presets you use most frequently.
My Presets: When save your own presets, or install presets from the onOne website, they will be located here.
You can open or close categories using the command (control on Windows) up and down arrows.
To search for presets in the current browser tab, type in the name of the file in the search field.
The search results appear in a new sub-folder called search results, which will be selected automatically.
You can clear the search field by pressing the x at the right end of the search field.
Browser Pop-Up
To view a larger preview on a preset, enable the Show Browser Pop-up in the
View menu.
When you mouse over a thumbnail, a larger preview will be displayed in a pop-up
window.
The browser can be resized by dragging the resize handle on the right margin of the browser.
The browser can be closed or reopened by clicking on the resize handle or using the cmd (control on Windows) left and right arrow keys.
The crop tool allows you to crop and resize your image at the same
time. Cropping removes any pixels outside the crop box and
changes the canvas size at the same time. To crop the image, select
the Crop Tool from the tool well. Then either select a crop preset or
drag a box over the area you wish to keep. The area outside the
crop box appears darkened for guidance. You can resize and move
the crop box. The crop is Perfect Resize does not need to be applied
or committed, it is always live until you apply your entire results.
To move the Crop Box, simply click and drag inside the box. You can
also nudge the box using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
To resize the Crop Box, click and drag on any of the resize handles. Clicking on a corner handle allows you to adjust two sides at the same time. Clicking on
a side handle allows you to adjust that side. If you hold the shift key down while adjusting the size, the proportions of the box are maintained.
To rotate the Crop Box, move your cursor just outside of any of the corners. The cursor will change to a rotate cursor. Click and drag to rotate.
There are two ways to preset the crop box size. The first is to select a document size preset from either the Crop Tool Options Bar, or the Document Size
pane. This will add a crop box to fix the image locked at the size and proportions of the preset. This is the fastest way to crop and resize your image at the
same time. You can then adjust the size and location of the crop box to best fit your composition.
You can also type in the size you desire into the width and height fields of the Crop Tool Options Bar, then drag out a crop box. This works similarly to a
Document Size Preset. It will lock the size and proportions of the crop box.
The original image is 10”x8” at a resolution of 200 pixels per inch.
Notice that the pixel dimensions are 2000 x 1600 pixels.
2000 px = 10”x200 ppi
1600 px = 8”x200 ppi
By changing the width to 20” the height changes to 16” proportionally
and automatically and the new pixel dimensions change to 4000 x 3200 pixels.
Note the resolution does not change.
4000 px = 20”x200 ppi
3200 px = 16”x200 ppi
Follow these steps to adjust the size of your image to what is desired for your output file.
Tip: Using Document Size Presets is the fastest way to get common sizes. They let you crop and resize your image simultaneously.
Keep the proportions in mind because the proportions of films, digital camera sensors, and papers can all be different. For example, most digital
cameras sensors are proportioned so that the height is two-thirds the width or 1:1.5; While the most common paper size, in the US, is letter size
which is 8.5x11 inches or about 1:1.25. These kinds of proportion mis-matches are common and require that the original image be cropped to fit the
proportions of the paper size.
Tip: The constrain proportions option locks the original image proportions so that when you change a value, like width,
in the Pixel Dimensions or Document Size Preset panes and the height will adjust automatically. This function is on by default and is always
recommenced to use. By turning Constrain Proportions off you can inadvertently stretch and distort your image.
Perfect Resize 8 comes with many commonly used print, paper and video Document Size
Presets but also allow users to create their own.
Tip: If you select the incorrect Document Size Preset you can change it by selecting a different one. If you do not
wish to use a Document Size Preset after you have selected one you can select “None” from the top of the Document
Size Preset pull-down. Or you can click once outside the crop region with the crop tool to clear at any time.
Tip: The lock crop option locks the proportions and document size settings for the given crop. This is enabled by default
when you use a Document Size Preset.
Settings
The settings dialog contains the controls for selecting the resizing method, or algorithm, and its
settings. Every image is different and selecting the correct settings here can improve the
quality of the results. To help you get started, try one of the presets in the Image Type drop-
down menu.
Image Type: This pop-up contains presets that adjust the settings for Amount and Threshold
automatically.
Method: The method drop-down selects the the method, or algorithm, used to resize the
image. The options are:
Genuine Fractals: This is the classic, patented, fractal-based algorithm that has made
Perfect Resize the standard for over a decade.
Perfect Resize Portrait: This is a new variation on the Genuine Fractals algorithm
designed for portrait images. It is slightly softer and does a better job representing skin
and hair textures.
Texture Controls
When you select the Genuine Fractals method there are several other controls that tune the
resizing algorithm based on the image. These deal with the texture of the image. If you were
to analyze an image from a detail perspective you could break it into three categories: Edges,
Continuous Tone and Textures. Edges are obvious; these are the sharp details that define the
edges of the subject in your image. It’s paramount that these are maintained in order for your
enlargement to maintain quality. The continuous tone areas are things like skin or skies that are
mostly solid or graduated color. These resize easily as there is little detail in these areas. The
last area, what we call texture is areas that fall between these two. They are areas that still
contain detail but are not sharp edges. These are things like the surface of rocks, tree bark,
fabric, animal fur, etc. The amount of detail in these texture areas can have a large impact on
the perceived sharpness and quality of an image. In Perfect Resize you can control the key
algorithm variables that effect these areas. In Perfect Resize there are even presets for
different image types and subject matters that help you get the best results in reproducing
these textured areas.
Texture: This controls the amount of detail in flat, non-edge areas of an image. If your image
contains lots of small detail that does not have defined edges (many organic patterns like
leaves, rock, bark; or man-made patterns like fabric) it may be good to increase the amount to
a setting of 4 or 5. Settings beyond 5 will often introduce a bumpy noise pattern which is
undesirable unless your original image was from scanned film. Settings lower than the default 3
are useful for images with large areas of continuous tone that have no appreciable detail (sand,
snow, sky) but have hard edged foreground subjects such as landscape images, architecture or
portraiture.
Threshold: This controls the amount of hard edge detail that is enhanced. The default setting
is 25. Decreasing the threshold will focus the algorithms only on edge information. This may be
useful for portraiture or for reducing noise in your image. Settings higher than 25 will increase
the amount of small detail in flatter areas of the image. Settings as high as 100 are useful for
highly detailed images such as hair or feathers. Higher threshold settings will also make Perfect
Resize process faster. A good way to start adjusting these controls is by setting the threshold
to 100 and then move the amount up until the image is too noisy (bumpy) and then reduce the
threshold to smooth out the noise in continuous tone areas. For detailed images with no little or
no continuous tone, you might try the amount at 4 and the threshold at 100. For portrait
images or images with significant JPG artifacts you should try an amount of 2-3 and threshold of
25 or lower.
Smoothness: The smoothness slider is used to reduce artifacts along hard curved edges. Use
the lowest setting needed.
Tip: Always make sure your zoom is set to 100% or 1:1 when adjusting the controls
in the Texture Control Pane.
Sharpening
The sharpening pane contains the controls to add additional sharpness to your image.
Unsharp Mask: Good for general sharpening. Similar to Photoshop's unsharp mask function
except it is only applied to the luminance of the image to prevent color artifacts.
Highpass: Highpass sharpening is helpful when the original image is not sharp.
Progressive: Similar to the unsharp mask except it sharpens different amounts depending on
the size of the details in the image. Small details are enhanced more than large ones.
Using the Sharpening controls can save you the workflow step of adding additional Sharpening before
printing and can help compensate for loss of sharpness due to dot gain from your printer. Sharpening
should only be applied at the end of your workflow just before printing. If you plan to do additional
retouching or compositing work after resizing your image, you should disable the Sharpening controls.
To sharpen your image for output, use these steps after you have adjusted the Document Size
pane controls.
1. Zoom in on your image to 1:1. You can do this easily by using the 1:1 Zoom preset located in the Navigator
pane.
2. Enable the Sharpening controls by toggling the on/off control in the Sharpening pane title bar.
3. Select the sharpening method that will provide the best results for your image. You may need to experiment
to determine this.
4. Adjust the amount slider to determine the amount of sharpening desired.
5. Use the Highlight and Shadow sliders to limit the sharpening from being applied to the darkest and lightest
areas of the image which can prevent sharpening of noise.
Film Grain
The Film Grain setting controls the amount of simulated Film Grain (noise) to
your image. Adding a modest amount of Film Grain can make your image
appear sharper visually and can help hide imperfections like JPG artifacts. This
is especially useful for monochrome images. Film Grain should only be added
just before printing. If you need to do other retouching or compositing work in
Photoshop after resizing your image, you should disable the Film Grain
controls.
1. Zoom in on your image to 1:1. You can do this easily by using the 1:1 Zoom preset located in the Navigator pane.
2. Enable the Film Grain controls by toggling the on/off control in the Film Grain pane title bar.
3. Adjust the slider up or down until the desired amount of Film Grain is added.
4. You can preview just the effect of the Film Grain by toggling the Film Grain on/off control.
Tiling
The tiling feature in Perfect Resize 7.5 will divide an enlargement into
smaller pieces that can be printed on a smaller printer.
Lets say you want to create a mural that is 8 feet tall by 12 feet long
but your printer can only print 24 inch wide strips. With the tiling
feature you could automatically create four separate files that are
24" wide and 8 feet tall so you can create your mural in sections.
With the tiling feature all you do is specify the size of paper you have
to print on and if you would like the pages to overlap. Then Perfect
Resize 7.5 will resize your image and section it down into the
individual tiles.
The preview will show cyan guide lines for each tile that will be
created. The bottom of the Tiling pane will tell you how many tiles will
be created.
Gallery Wrap
The Gallery Wrap feature is designed to help you print on canvas. When making
enlargements for canvas it is common to wrap a portion of the image around
wooden stretcher bars. These can be several inches thick and are used for
mounting the canvas. These are commonly called gallery wraps. However, if the
photographer had important detail near the edges of the image they may be lost in
the wrapping process. The Gallery Wrap feature in Perfect Resize Professional
Edition automatically creates extended margins by reflecting or stretching the areas
near the edge of the image allowing the photographer to create a gallery wrap
without having to sacrifice any of the original image. The Gallery Wrap feature
allows you to select the thickness of the canvas mounting bars and offers a variety
of techniques for creating additional margins.
1. Turn on the Gallery Wrap feature by toggling the on/off switch in the pane
header.
2. Set the Thickness control to the amount of margins you would like to add. A
good rule of thumb is the thickness of the stretcher bars, plus half an inch.
3. Select the Type you would like to use.
4. If you wish to add a color overlay to the gallery wrap wings set the color
and opacity.
The Gallery Wrap feature has several methods for adding margins:
Type:
Reflect: Copies an area equal to the thickness setting around your image, then flips each side and adds it as the margins. This is a good
general purpose technique.
Reflect Soft: Does the same as the Reflect method but softens the added margins.
Stretch: The Stretch method takes a small area around the edge of the image and stretches it to add the margins.
Stretch Soft: Does the same as stretch, but softens the added margins.
Thickness: This how thick your canvas stretcher bars are. Generally two inches works well for most gallery wraps.
Overlay Color: You can also add a color overlay over the wrap area. This can be used to darken the wrap or fill it with a solid color.
Opacity: This sets the opacity of the overlay color. At the default of zero, there is no color overlay added.
Add to New Layer: This places the wrap wings on their own layer, rather then merging them with the image.
Without the Gallery Wrap feature, important parts of the image get lost when With Gallery Wrap enabled, you can maintain the original image area
wrapped. but still have the extended margins needed to wrap canvas on thick
stretcher bars.
Note: It is not recommended that you use the borderless printing option on a printer or use borderless lab prints when the overlap is set to
zero. Both borderless methods increase the image size 1-3 percent to allow for overprinting and/or trimming. The resulting prints may not
align properly.
Presets
Presets store all of the settings you can adjust in the the control panels on the right as well as the crop settings. Presets are a fast and easy way to get
consistent results. You can save your own presets for batch processing.
Using a Preset
Saving a Preset
Saving a preset is simple. Once you have your settings that you wish to save, go to
the Preset menu and select Save Preset.
The New Preset dialog will appear (shown to the right). There are several fields to
complete including the preset name, the category, creator and description.
In the category pull-down you can select which existing category the preset should
saved into. You can also create a new category this way by selecting new category
from the bottom of the list.
You can edit a preset's name, creator or description by selecting it and then
selecting Edit Preset Info from the Preset menu. If you want to edit the
settings in a preset, load it into, make your adjustments and then re-save
the preset with the same name and location.
Deleting a Preset
You can remove a preset from Perfect Resize if you no longer want to have access to
it. To remove a preset, follow these steps:
You can import presets you have downloaded from the onOne website using these
steps.
1. Download the preset pack from the onOne website. It should have a
.ONPreset extension.
2. Double-click on the preset pack, it will install the presets into a category
named the same as the preset pack.
That's it, next time you use Perfect Resize the new presets will be located in the My
Presets tab, in a category named after the preset pack. You can delete the files you
downloaded, they have been copied into Perfect Resize.
You can share presets like you would share any other file, such as email or posting
them to a website. First you need to find the preset files. The easiest way it to open
Perfect Resize, then from the Preset menu select Show Presets Folder. A Finder
(Mac) or Explorer (Win) window will open and will display the presets folder. In the
presets folder are sub-folders for your preset categories. Inside each sub-folder are
the individual preset files, with a .ONResize extension. You can copy these presets
to another computer, attach them to an email or post them on a website.
Menus
Application Menu
About Perfect Resize: Opens the about dialog box. It contains your serial number, version
number and information on contacting onOne Software for support.
Tip: On Windows, the preferences can be found in the Edit menu and the About Box can be found in the Help menu.
File Menu
Cancel: Cancels Perfect Resize and returns back to the host application with no changes.
Apply: Applies the current document size settings and options to your image and returns to the host application.
Edit Menu
Redo: Unused
Copy: Unused
Cut: Unused
Paste: Unused
Reset All: Resets all the controls back to their default settings.
Preset Menu
Edit Preset Info: Opens the preset dialog so you can edit
the name, author or description information.
View Menu
Zoom In: Zooms the preview window in one increment. This will make the preview image
larger.
Zoom Out: Zooms the preview window out one increment. This will make the preview
image smaller.
Fit to Screen: This sets the preview image so that the entire image is on screen at
once. Think of this as an overview of the entire image. This is the setting you will use
most of the time.
Fill with Layer: Sets the zoom so the current layer fills the entire screen.
Actual Pixels: This sets the preview image so that it zooms to actual pixels or 1:1 also
called 100%. This setting allows you to see every pixel in the image. This is useful when
making adjustments to the Settings, Sharpening or Film Grain.
Show Browser Pop-up: Enables the browser pop-up window. A checkmark should
appear next to this when it is enabled.
Show Clipping: Shows the clipping overlay view, which overrides the current mask
view. No checkmark is displayed for this mode. The user can temporarily show this mode
by holding down J as well.
Preview Background Color: Flyout with background color options, the selected
item should have a checkmark next to it.
Window Menu
Help Menu
Perfect Resize Online Help: Opens this html help in your default web
browser.
Video Tutorials: Opens a web browser to the tutorial section of the onOne
website.
Getting Started: Opens the Getting Started section in your default web
browser.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Opens a dark style dialog that displays the keyboard
shortcuts for that platform.
Check For Updates: Checks for updates with the onOne auto update server.
Register: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the registration
page.
Provide Feedback: Opens the default web browser and navigates to the
feedback page.
Help Improve onOne Products: Opens the Improve onOne Products dialog.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Action Mac Win
Preferences cmd , ctl k
Undo cmd z ctl z
Redo cmd shift z ctl shift z
Open/Close Navigator Pane cmd 1 ctl 1
Open/Close Pixel Dimensions Pane cmd 2 ctl 2
Open/Close Document Size Pane cmd 3 ctl 3
Open/Close Settings Pane cmd 4 ctl 4
Open/Close Sharpening Pane cmd 5 ctl 5
Open/Close Film Grain Pane cmd 6 ctl 6
Open/Close Tiling Pane cmd 7 ctl 7
Open/Close Gallery Wrap Pane cmd 8 ctl 8
Open/Close Browser Panel cmd left arrow ctl left arrow
Open/Close Control Panel cmd right arrow ctl right arrow
Hide Panels tab tab
Full Screen Mode cmd ctl f F11
Select Pan Tool h h
Select Zoom Tool z z
Select Crop Tool c c
Zoom-In cmd + or cmd = ctl + or ctl =
Zoom-Out cmd - ctl -
1:1 cmd opt 0 ctl alt 0
Fit to Screen cmd 0 ctl 0
Fit to Layer cmd shift 0 ctl shift 0
Show Clipping opt J alt J
Perfect Batch
Perfect Batch is an engine for automating processes or applying presets that are available in each
module. It is ideal for applying universal adjustments across a large number of images. It can be
launched from the Browse module or through Perfect Layers. There are a number of reasons to use a
Batch process.
Convert Files: Select a source folder and create a new child folder and convert a large
number of files to a new desired format.
Resize Files: Prepare files for printing, web or simply changing the dimension and/or
resolution.
Apply Module Presets: Use the factory presets or apply your own custom preset created
from Perfect; Enhance, Portrait, Effects, B&W and Resize.
Getting Started
This getting started section will give you the basics of using Perfect Batch. If you have never used Perfect Batch before, this is a good place to start. You
might also try watching the getting started video tutorial. For detailed information on steps and controls mentioned in the getting started section, see the
"Using Perfect Batch" section instead.
Batch Workspace
To launch the Batch dialog box you must first be inside of either Perfect Layers or the Browse module. Go to File > Batch to bring up the workspace dialog box.
Within this dialog box you will be able to select a source, the preset(s) that will be applied, the destination and even place a watermark on the image.
Launch the stand alone application of Perfect Photo Suite 8. The Batch module can be accessed inside of
either Browse or Perfect Layers. Go to File > Batch and this will launch the batch dialogue.
You can also select a group of images in the Browse module and select Perfect Batch from the right-click
contextual menu.
You can also access Perfect Batch inside of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture.
This section covers the complete use of Perfect Batch. It includes how to select files, adding a
module preset and saving to a destination.
Selecting Files
The first step to beginning a Batch process is to select the Folder or Files. The Source defines those Files or Folders. There are
two ways to choose the Source.
Selected Items: Inside of Browse you can simply select the the Folder or Files before going to File > Batch. The Source drop
down menu will read "Selected Items."
Folder: This option will require you to click the Choose button. The Choose button presents you with a Finder or Windows
Explorer dialogue where you will navigate to and select a Folder. After you have a folder selected the description will appear next
to Folder.
Include SubFolders: If this box is checked the Batch will also process any that reside within subfolders of the parent Folder you
have selected.
Adding a Module
After you select a source you choose the module(s) you wish to use for the Batch process.
Each Module has its own pane that contains a choice of Type, Category and Preset.
If you are not familiar with Presets we recommend you review the Preset pages for each module to better understand how this works.
Destination Pane
Batch Presets
Presets for the Batch settings can be saved and used again. Presets will remember all of the settings and details selected on the right, in the Batch
dialogue.
Saving Presets: To save a preset click the "+" icon at the lower left. This opens a preset dialogue
where you define the name, category, creator and description.
Using Presets: To use a preset simply double click on the name. This will load the preset settings in
the batch dialogue.
Deleting Presets: To delete a preset select the item and click the "-" icon at the bottom left.
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