Page 399 - Xara Web Designer Premium

The Photo Tools 399

Select a photo, go into the PHOTO TOOL, and the InfoBar should look like this;

First click the PREPARE button to prepare the photo for the scaling. This starts an analysis
of the photo to calculate which parts of the image can be stretched and which parts
should be kept. This process can take some time depending on the resolution of the
photo, and how many processors your computer has.

For really high resolution images it's recommended that the image resolution be reduced
if you do not require the maximum resolution. Do this before you select the Prepare
buttons. To reduce the resolution of your photo select the OPTIMIZE button and enter a
pixel width or dpi resolution into the dialog. The image size on the page will not change,
only the resolution or number of pixels inside the photo changes.
Once you've prepared the image, new resize arrows will appear on the sides of the
photo. Just drag on these to stretch or squash the image in the desired direction.
Optimize

Photos that have been prepared to enable Content Aware resizing have a lot of
additional data stored alongside them, to enable further adjustments. When you save a
document this additional data is saved also, meaning that you can load such a document
and continue to adjust the width or height without having to do a new Prepare operation.

When you've finished scaling the photo you are recommended to 'fix' the changes by
using the Optimize feature. This will convert the stretched image back to an embedded
JPEG image, at any required resolution, and so make a substantial file size saving.

Reset
Clicking the 'Reset' button will restore the image back to its original state, removing any
stretch, and removing any mask that might have been applied.

Using Masks With Content Aware Scaling
Using the MASK PAINTER TOOL you can provide further control by protecting areas of the
picture from being distorted. Masked areas will not be distorted at all. See the Masks
(on page 295) chapter to find out more about masks, but here's a brief summary of how
to use masks with Content Aware Scaling.

To protect one or more areas of the photo from being distorted;
1. Select the MASK PAINTER TOOL from the Mask tool flyout bar and mark the
part or parts of the photo you wish to protect.

2. Now go into the CONTENT AWARE PHOTO RESIZE TOOL and click on the
photo.

Now when you use the PREPARE button this area will be protected from distortion. You
may need to select the photo to enable the PREPARE button.