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User Manual
Chapter 1 at a glance:
Introducing HGTV Home & Interior Painter
Overview of HGTV Home & Interior Painter Features
Contacting Technical Support
Using Help for HGTV Home & Interior Painter
Conventions for This User Guide
Specifying Areas
HGTV Home & Interior Painter provides a palette of tools to define rectangular, oval, or oddly shaped areas in an image. You
can select individual areas and join them together in various ways to define a complex area. For details see Chapter 5: Creating
SmartImage Areas.
Colorizing Areas
You can specify the color for an area in many ways. The colorization tools include a Color Palette dialog, a fandeck list, a color
history log, a way to coordinate colors, or the Color Grabber tool:
• With the Color Grabber tool, you can select a color from any image on your computer.
• You can purchase fandecks for samples from your favorite paint manufacturers to use in HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
• When using the Color Palette dialog, you may select colors from a color gradient or a color coordinator. Alternatively, you
may specify colors by their RGB or HTML hex code equivalents.
• As you work with the program, it keeps track of colors that you use. You may refer to your color history log to apply a color
to a new image.
• If you are working on a major project you can specify favorite colors so they’re quickly accessible when working on a new
room in your home.
Additionally, if you find a color you like, you can apply various textures to see how the color works with different surfaces. Chapter
6: Applying Colors has the details for working with the color options.
Other Features
You can save your colorized images to re-use later or export the images as either .bmp or .jpg files to share with others. See Chapter 4:
Using HGTV Home & Interior Painter for details on saving and exporting images. You may also print a colorized image.
When you’re ready to buy paint, you can use the Paint Calculator dialog to determine quantities.
HGTV Home & Interior Painter can generate a report of all the colors used in re-colorized areas of the image for you to take with you
when purchasing paint or other materials.
Note: When you print a report, closely compare any color to the actual color samples of the paint you want to use. Colors on screen may appear
different when printed onto paper and may not exactly match prepared paint.
You’ll find information about printing images, and the reporting and calculating features in Chapter 7: Printing Images and
Generating Reports.
ToolTips
When you move the pointer over a toolbar button, a ToolTip message appears giving you the button’s functionality or its name.
• Hierarchical submenus are noted as Submenu Submenu Item. For example, the Export JPG command on the Export
submenu would be described as “Open the File menu and select Export Export JPG.”
• Ctrl, Shift, or Alt followed by a letter means hold down that key while pressing the letter. For example, Ctrl+S means hold
down the Ctrl key while pressing the S key.
• Click means click the left mouse button. Double-click means click the left mouse button twice in quick succession. Right-
click means click the right mouse button. Shift-click means hold down the Shift key while clicking the left mouse button.
• Instructions for interacting with the Microsoft Windows® operating system are given for Windows Vista®. Adjust the
instructions as necessary if you have a different version of Windows.
• Warnings, notes, and tips look like this:
Note: You should always make backups of your work.
Chapter 2: Installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter
This chapter lists the minimum system requirements for using HGTV Home & Interior Painter on your computer. It also covers
installation and uninstallation procedures.
Chapter 2 at a glance:
System Requirements
Preparing Your Computer
Installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter
Uninstalling the Program
System Requirements
To run HGTV Home & Interior Painter, you’ll need a personal computer running Windows Vista® or Windows® XP (SP2) with:
• Intel® Pentium® III-compatible processor at 800 MHz (or faster)
• 256 MB RAM
• 25 MB free hard drive space (minimum)
• CD-ROM drive
• Color monitor with 1024x768 resolution or higher
• Internet Explorer 6 or later
4. Select HGTV Home & Interior Painter from the list.
5. Click the Uninstall button at the top of the list and follow the instructions.
To uninstall the software in Windows XP:
1. Make sure HGTV Home & Interior Painter is not running.
2. Open the Windows Start menu and choose Settings Control Panel Add/Remove Programs.
3. Select HGTV Home & Interior Painter from the list.
4. Click Remove and follow the instructions.
Chapter 3: Getting Started
HGTV Home & Interior Painter has a unique three-tab interface that you use to colorize your home’s digital photos with Original,
Prepare, and Colorize tabs. By reading through this chapter you can learn the basics of working with the tabs to start colorizing your
home’s digital photos right away.
Chapter 3 at a glance:
Importing a Digital Photo
Creating a SmartImage Area
Colorizing an Area
6. With the SmartImage Area still selected, click the Rectangular Marquee
Tool’s icon on the toolbox and outline a rectangular section of the image.
Depending on the image, you could work with the Ellipse Marquee Tool,
the Polygon Marquee Tool, the Freehand Marquee Tool, or the Magic Wand
Selection Tool to create one or more areas for this named SmartImage Area.
Colorizing an Area
After creating one or more SmartImage Areas you can colorize them. You can use
any of the colorization tools, but one of the simplest ways to apply a color is to
select a color from a fandeck. HGTV Home & Interior Painter includes one fandeck:
California Paints. You can purchase fandecks for paint samples from other paint
manufacturers.
Note: To apply a color to your image, you must have defined at least one SmartImage Area.
Chapter 4: Using HGTV Home & Interior Painter
When you work with a new digital photo, the photo appears in the HGTV Home & Interior Painter tabbed workspace for you to
colorize as needed.
This chapter introduces you to the important areas of the HGTV Home & Interior Painter workspace and its basic features.
Chapter 4 at a glance:
The HGTV Home & Interior Painter Workspace
Changing Views
Customizing HGTV Home & Interior Painter
Opening Image Files
Saving Image Files
Quitting the Program
Standard Toolbar
Dynamic Toolbar
Tabs
Tabs
The tabs determine what you can do with the image file. When the Original tab is active, you can open or import a new image. When
the Prepare tab is active, you can define SmartImage Areas to colorize. When the Colorize tab is active you can colorize specific
areas and generate reports. You can click the tabs to change modes or use the commands at the bottom of the View menu (or the
keyboard shortcuts): Switch to Original Mode (F10), Switch to Prepare Mode (F11), and Switch to Colorize Mode (F12).
Standard Toolbar
The Standard toolbar has buttons for frequently used commands and a Zoom list for quickly zooming in and out of the current image.
Dynamic Toolbar
The Dynamic toolbar shows the currently active tool in the Toolbox and any related buttons or options for that tool. For example,
if you’ve selected the Rectangular Marquee tool, you’ll see that tool’s icon on the Dynamic toolbar, buttons for creating complex
selection areas, a list for specifying the type of area, and Width and Height boxes.
Toolbox
When the Prepare tab is active, you can work with the tools on the Toolbox. Only
one tool can be active at any one time. Each tool has a unique set of properties
which you can access from the Dynamic toolbar.
The first six tools select areas on the image or move selection areas. The
pan and zoom tools work on the entire image.
The selection tools include:
• Rectangle Marquee Tool: You use this tool to make rectangular
selections.
• Ellipse Marquee Tool: You use this tool to select circular or
oval areas.
• Polygon Marquee Tool: With this tool, you can select areas that
have many straight sides by repeatedly clicking the mouse.
• Freehand Marquee Tool: To select freeform areas you select this tool
and drag the mouse as needed until you return to your starting point.
• Magic Wand Tool: With this tool you can select an entire area that has similar color values. On the Dynamic toolbar you’ll
see a Tolerance box where you can specify how similar the color values should be.
You’ll use the Move tool, located next to the Magic Wand tool, to move an entire SmartImage Area without affecting its shape or size.
Changing Views
You can change how the image appears in the workspace by zooming in or out of the image.
To zoom in to see more detail:
• Open the View menu and select Zoom In. (Ctrl+Num +)
• Specify a higher percentage in the Zoom box on the Standard toolbar.
• Click the Zoom In tool on the Toolbox and then click on the image where you want to see more details.
• Click the Zoom In tool and then specify a higher percentage in the Zoom box on the Dynamic toolbar.
To zoom out to see less detail:
• Open the View menu and select Zoom Out. (Ctrl+Num -)
• Specify a lower percentage in the Zoom box on the Standard toolbar.
• Click the Zoom Out tool on the Toolbox and then click on the image where you want to see fewer details.
• Click the Zoom Out tool and then specify a lower percentage in the Zoom box on the Dynamic toolbar.
To return the image to its actual size:
• Open the View menu and select Actual Size. (Ctrl+Alt+0)
• Click the Actual Size button on the Standard toolbar.
• Click one of the zoom tools on the Toolbox and then click the Actual Size button on the Dynamic toolbar.
To fit the image in the workspace:
• Open the View menu and select Zoom To Fit. (Ctrl+ 0)
• Click the Zoom To Fit button on the Standard toolbar.
• Click one of the zoom tools on the Toolbox and then click the Fit On Screen button on the Dynamic toolbar.
If the image is larger than the workspace (for example, if you’ve zoomed in several times), you can use the Pan tool to move the image
to see areas hidden off screen.
Additionally, the Show/Hide All Palettes command on the View menu will hide any open palettes or restore them if they’ve been
hidden.
Customizing HGTV Home & Interior Painter
You can use the Preferences dialog to customize certain aspects of HGTV Home &
Interior Painter.
To open the Preferences dialog:
• Open the Tools menu and select Preferences.
On the General tab:
• If you select the Show Area Labels check box, you’ll see the name of each
SmartImage Area within the area on the workspace.
• If you select the Enable Mouse Wheel Zoom check box and you have
a scroll-wheel mouse, you can control the zoom function with the scroll
wheel.
• You can specify whether to show the Welcome screen or not whenever
HGTV Home & Interior Painter starts.
• In the Allow History Colors box you specify the maximum number of
colors to show in the Color History palette.
On the Editor tab:
• If you select the Clear Undo Cache After Save check box, the program
clears the Undo cache whenever you save an image. With this option
selected, the program uses less system resources.
• If you select the Create Backup File check box, the program makes a
backup copy of your working file whenever you save the image.
• You can specify how many levels of changes the program needs to keep
track of in the Undo Limit box. With a lower setting, the program uses less
system resources. (The Undo and Redo commands are on the Edit menu.)
• Click the Restore button to return all palettes and windows to pre-defined
positions on the workspace. Use this if a palette or a window accidentally
happens to go off screen.
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You can also import an image file. By importing an image, you replace the original image without losing the SmartImage Areas. See
Chapter 5: Creating SmartImage Areas for information.
Note: If the image files are of different sizes, the SmartImage Areas may be unusable.
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Chapter 5: Creating SmartImage Areas
One of the most important skills for effectively colorizing an image file is to carefully define the SmartImage Areas. In this chapter
you’ll learn how to work with the selection tools and how to create complex selections.
Chapter 5 at a glance:
About SmartImage Areas
Using the Selection Tools
Creating Complex Selections
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Using the Selection Tools
With a SmartImage Area defined and still selected in the SmartImage Areas palette on the Prepare tab, you can specify one or more
selection areas associated with the active SmartImage Area.
HGTV Home & Interior Painter has five selection tools for you to outline areas in your image files. These tools are on the Toolbox,
which appears automatically when you click the Prepare tab.
If you’ve closed the Toolbox, you can show it again:
• Open the View menu and select Toolbox.
• Click the Show Toolbox button on the toolbar.
Note: New selections apply only to the active SmartImage Area. If you do not have a
SmartImage Area selected, you must select an existing SmartImage Area or create a new one
prior to making a new selection. You cannot delete a selection area from its association with a
SmartImage Area
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You can move the set of selections associated with a SmartImage Area by using the Move tool on the Toolbox. You cannot move
individual selections — just the whole set.
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Chapter 6: Applying Colors
Once you’ve set up SmartImage Areas, you’re ready to apply colors to your house’s digital photos. HGTV Home & Interior Painter
provides a range of methods for coloring the SmartImage Areas — from specifying RGB values to selecting a specific color from a
paint manufacturer’s fandeck.
This chapter gives you complete information on the various methods of applying colors to your digital photos or other image files.
Chapter 6 at a glance:
About the Colorize Tab
Working with the Color Palette
Locating a Color in a Fandeck
Retrieving a Color
Viewing Colors and Textures
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3. Click a shade of that color in the main color area.
4. When the color you want to apply shows in the color swatch, click the Paint Brush button to apply that color to the
selected SmartImage Area.
or
Drag the color swatch over one of the selection areas in the SmartImage Area.
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The Color Grabber Tab
You may want to use a color that exists elsewhere in the open image or in another
area on your computer’s screen, If so, you can use the Color Grabber tool to specify
that color on the Color Grabber tab. The Color Selector area on the tab shows a
magnified view of the sampling area under the pointer. You can change the zoom
factor to accurately pick a color.
To specify a color from the Convert tab:
1. Make sure that the color you want to pick up is showing on the screen. (For
example, if it’s in another image file, open the image file in another program
and adjust the windows so you can see it when the Color Grabber tool is
active.)
2. Open the View menu and select Color Grabber.
or
Click the Show Color Grabber button on the standard toolbar.
Note: You can also open the Color Palette as with the other tabs and then click the Color Grabber tab.
3. Adjust the Zoom value as needed to select the exact color you want.
4. Click the Press and Hold button on the Color Grabber tab and hold the left mouse as you move the eye dropper over the
screen to find the color to pick up.
You can move the eye dropper anywhere on the computer screen — even outside the HGTV Home & Interior Painter
window.
5. When the color you want is under the eye dropper (and the color shows in the Color Grabber tab), release the mouse button.
6. When the color you want to apply shows in the color swatch, click the Paint Brush button to apply that color to the
selected SmartImage Area.
or
Drag the color swatch over one of the selection areas in the SmartImage Area.
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Retrieving a Color
There are two ways to retrieve colors that you’ve applied previously: using the My
Colors palette or the Color History palette.
The My Colors Palette
With the My Colors palette, you can store favorite colors that you’ve used with other
images.
To set up a project:
1. Open the View menu and select My Colors.
or
Click the Show My Colors button on the standard toolbar.
2. Click the New Project button on the palette.
or
Right-click in the palette’s left pane and select New Project.
3. Type a name for the new project.
Once you’ve created a project, you can delete it by selecting Delete Project (Del) on the shortcut menu. To rename a project, select
Rename Project on the shortcut menu. Type a new name in the Change Name dialog and click OK.
To add colors to a project, select it and then drag colors from any other color-related palette — including the SmartImage Areas
palette.
You can use the Search box on the My Colors palette to locate colors within your projects. You can type a name, a manufacturer’s
code, or the CBN code.
To apply a color from your My Colors palette, drag the color swatch to a selection in the current SmartImage Area.
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On the Color Chip palette, you can apply different textures to the color swatch to give you an idea of how different surfaces can affect
a color.
To apply a texture to the color:
• Select a texture from the Textures list.
Note: This texture does NOT get applied to the image. It’s only for your information.
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Chapter 7: Printing Images and Generating Reports
Once you’ve colorized an image you can print it to show to others. Additionally, with HGTV Home & Interior Painter you can print a
report that includes color samples, notes, and the amount of paint to purchase.
Chapter 7 at a glance:
Printing Colorized Images
Calculating Quantities of Paint
Generating a Report
Generating a Report
After you’ve colorized an image, you can generate and print a detailed report that includes the colors and any notes you have specified
about the colorized image.
WARNING: The printed report may not accurately represent the colors you selected. This is due partially to the differences among types of paper,
various printers, and the inks or toner used. Whenever possible you should cross-reference any color to an original color chip. Using the CBN code gives
the highest degree of color accuracy and is best for communicating consistent colors.
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To generate a report about a colorized image:
1. Open the Tools menu and select Generate Report.
or
Click the Generate Report button on the toolbar.
2. In the Generate Report window on the Customize Report Data tab, select
the SmartImage Areas to include in the report.
3. For each area, specify the amount of paint in the Quantity boxes.
You can use the Paint Calculator dialog before generating the report and
type the values. Alternatively, click the Show Paint Calculator button
next to the Quantity box. When you click Finish, the results will
automatically appear in the Quantity box for that SmartImage Area.
4. In the Notes box, include any comments that you would like to have with the
printed report.
5. When you’ve finished specifying information on the Customize Report
Data tab, click the Preview tab.
6. If you wish to adjust the size of the report on screen, click one of the first three buttons on the toolbar:
Size the Report to Fit Whole Page in Window
Size Report to Actual Size
Size Report to Fit Page Width in Window
7. Review the report.
If the report is longer than one page, use the navigation buttons on the toolbar to view the different pages.
8. When you’re ready to print the report, click the Print Report button on the toolbar.
9. In the Print dialog, specify the printer and make any other needed adjustments.
10. Click OK.
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