About the ACDSee user interface
The ACDSee user interface provides easy access to the various tools and features you can use to browse, view, edit, and manage your images and media files. The following section describes each of the three main parts of ACDSee, and explains the function of each component.

The Browser

The ACDSee Browser is the main browsing and managing component of the user interface, and is what you see when you start ACDSee using the shortcut icon on your desktop. In the Browser, you can find, move, preview, and sort your files, and access the organization and sharing tools. The Browser consists of nine panes, eight of which can be closed when not in use. The File List pane is always visible, and displays the contents of the current folder, the results of your latest search, or the files in your database that match your filtering criteria. A status bar, located at the bottom of the Browser window, displays information about the currently selected file, folder, or category.
8 | Running ACDSee for the first time
The Browser also features two toolbars: the main toolbar, which provides shortcuts to commonly used commands, and the context-sensitive toolbar, which provides different shortcuts depending on what is currently selected in the Browser. You can open and close panes, move them to different areas of your screen, and stack them on other panes or dock them to the edge of your desktop. Most panes also have additional options you can set to further customize their behavior and appearance. For more information about the Browser panes and their different functions, see About Browser panes on page 20.

The Viewer

The ACDSee Viewer plays media files and displays images in full resolution, one at a time. You can also open panes in the Viewer to view image properties, display areas of an image at varying magnifications, or examine detailed color information. You can open the Viewer directly by double-clicking an associated file type in Windows Explorer, and you can use the Viewer to flip quickly between all of the images in a folder, or compare two or more images side by side. The Viewer contains a toolbar with shortcuts to commonly used commands, and a status bar, located at the bottom of the Viewer window, which displays information about the current image or media file. For more information about the Viewer, as well as more detailed descriptions of the Viewer panes, see Viewing on page 57.

Customizing thumbnails

You can customize the appearance of thumbnails in the File List pane by choosing which image information and overlay icons to display, and by setting the thumbnail size, ratio, and spacing. You can control and adjust the size of the thumbnails by moving the Thumbnail Size slider in the File List pane toolbar. For more information, see File List toolbar on page 25. To customize thumbnails in the File List pane: 1. Click Tools | Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click Thumbnail Display or Thumbnail Ratio. 3. On the thumbnail options pages, set or change any of the options described below. 4. Click OK to accept your changes and return to ACDSee.
Thumbnail Display options Information File name Choose Thumbnail Info Choose Tiles Info Displays the name of each file on the thumbnail in the File List pane. Opens a dialog box where you can select the information to display on each thumbnail in the File List pane. Opens a dialog box where you can select the information to display on each tile in Tiles view mode.
Using the File List pane | 31
Thumbnail Display options Thumbnail style Show drop shadow Show image border Show outer border Thumbnail spacing Overlay icons Displays a drop-shadow effect on thumbnails in the File List pane. Displays a border around images on thumbnails in the File List pane. Displays a border around each thumbnail in the File List pane.
Specifies the amount of space between thumbnails in the File List pane. Sound Rating Database information Icon Category Shortcut Offline Excluded items Displays a sound overlay icon on thumbnails if the image contains embedded or associated audio. Displays a rating overlay icon on thumbnails if the file has been rated in the ACDSee database. Displays a database overlay icon on thumbnails if the file has information stored in the ACDSee database. Displays a file format overlay icon on thumbnails in the File List pane. Displays a category overlay icon on thumbnails if the file has been categorized. Displays a shortcut overlay icon on thumbnails if the item is a shortcut to another file. Displays an offline overlay icon on thumbnails if the file is stored on an offline device. Displays an excluded file icon on thumbnails if the file is excluded from the ACDSee database.

3. Select or change the text options. 4. Click OK.
66 | Viewing file properties in the Viewer
Text options Alignment Background Description Insert Metadata Font Specifies the justification of the captions. Adds a background color to the text. Click Color to specify a color. Displays the text you want to see on your images. Inserts file-specific information into the text for each image. Sets the font, size, and color of the caption text.
To insert metadata in image text: 1. Position the cursor in the Description field where you want to display the file information and click Insert Metadata. 2. In the Choose Property dialog box, select the file information you want to include. 3. Click OK. 4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each metadata item you want to add. Toggling image text You can show or hide the header or footer, or toggle both at once, without changing or deleting the information in the header and footer fields. To hide the image text: 1. From the Viewer, click View | Edit Header/Footer. 2. Do one or both of the following: Clear the Header check box to remove text from the top of the image. Clear the Footer check box to remove text from the bottom of the image.
3. Click OK. To show or hide both headers and footers simultaneously, click View | Show Header/Footer.
Viewing file properties in the Viewer | 67
Changing image color depth
You can modify an image's color depth in the Viewer. Color depth refers to the range of colors an image contains. To change the color depth of an image: Click Modify | Change Color Depth, and select one of the options described below.
Color depth options Black and White 16 Grays 256 Grays 16 Colors 256 Colors Hicolor Truecolor Two-color black and white palette 16-color grayscale palette 256-color grayscale palette 16-color palette 256-color palette (GIF format uses 256 colors by default) 32,768-color palette 16,777,216-color palette of all colors visible to humans
You can use ACDSee to convert an image to any of these color depths. However, to use certain image enhancement tools, filters, blends, and adjustment options, the image must be Hicolor or Truecolor. To edit an image that is not originally Hicolor or Truecolor, you can convert it, edit the image, and then convert it back to its original color depth.
Selecting part of an image
You can use the Select tool in the Viewer to select a rectangular area of an image. You can then zoom in on the selection, copy the selection, save the selection as a new image, print the selection, and use the selection as the desktop wallpaper. To select part of an image: 1. Drag the mouse pointer across the image to create a marquee. 2. Right-click inside the marquee and select one of the options described below. 3. To cancel the selection, click an area of the image outside of the marquee.

Removing red-eye from digital photos | 95
To sharpen an image using the Sharpness tool: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Sharpness, and then select the Sharpness tab. 2. To increase the image's sharpness, move the slider to the right. To decrease the image's sharpness, move the slider to the left. 3. Do one of the following: Click Apply to apply your changes and set options on another tab. Click Done to apply your changes and close the Sharpness tool. Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.
Using the Unsharp Mask tool
You can use the Unsharp Mask tool to sharpen an image by enhancing the contrast of medium and high contrast edges. You can save your options as a preset for future use. To sharpen an image using the Unsharp Mask tool: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Sharpness, and then select the Unsharp Mask tab. 2. Specify the options. 3. Do one of the following: Click Done to apply your changes and close the Unsharp Mask tool. Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.

Blurring an image

You can use the Blur tool to apply different kinds of blur to an image, and you can save your options as a preset for future use. To blur an image: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Sharpness, and then select the Blur tab. 2. In the Blur type drop-down list, select the type of blur to apply. 3. Specify the options for the blur type, as described below. 4. Do one of the following: Click Done to apply your changes and close the Blur tool. Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.
96 | Sharpening and blurring images
Blur types Gaussian Produces an even, smooth blur over the entire image. Amount Linear Specifies the amount of blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect. Specifies the amount of blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect. Specifies the direction of the blur effect.
Produces a blurring effect that gives the illusion of movement. Amount Angle

Radial

Produces blur around a central point. Click the image to set the center point of the effect. Amount Clockwise Counter-clockwise Horizontal position Vertical position Specifies the amount of blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect. Specifies clockwise blur. Specifies counter-clockwise blur. Specifies the blur effects center point on the horizontal axis. Specifies the blur effects center point on the vertical axis. Specifies the amount of blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect.

Removing noise from an image
You can use the Remove Noise tool to remove unwanted image noise while preserving details that you want to retain. To remove noise from an image: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Noise, and then select the Remove Noise tab. 2. Set the options as described below. 3. Do one of the following: Click Done to apply your changes and close the Remove Noise tool. Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.
Remove Noise options Despeckle Square X Plus Removes noise. Removes noise using a 3 x 3 pixel square. Removes noise using a 3 x 3 pixel X shape. Use this option when you want to preserve an image's thin diagonal lines. Removes noise using a 3 x 3 pixel plus (+) shape. Use this option when you want to preserve an image's thin vertical and horizontal lines.
You can use the Remove Noise filter to remove hot image pixels caused by digital cameras with malfunctioning CCD array sensors, or the extra pixels caused by a dusty scanner or camera lens.
Adding and removing image noise | 99

Resizing an image

You can resize an image by adjusting its dimensions in pixels, percentage, or actual/print size. While resizing, you can also choose an aspect ratio and a resampling filter to adjust the resized image's appearance. You can save your options as a preset for future use. To resize an image: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Resize. 2. Select one of the following resize options: Pixels: resizes the image to specific dimensions in pixels. Percent: resizes the image to a percentage of the original. Actual/Print size in: resizes the image to match a specific output size. Click the drop-down list to specify a unit of measurement.
3. If you want to maintain a specific width to height ratio, select the Preserve aspect ratio check box, and select one of the following options from the drop-down list: Original: maintains the original image's width to height ratio. 1 x 1: forces the width and height to be equal. 2 x 3: forces a width to height ratio of 2:3. 3 x 2: forces a width to height ratio of 3:2. 3 x 5: forces a width to height ratio of 3:5. 5 x 3 forces a width to height ratio of 5:3. Custom: applies a custom ratio. Enter a width to height ratio in the Custom Aspect Ratio dialog box.

Box B-spline Lanczos

Mitchell

Triangle

Resizing an image | 101

Cropping an image

You can use the Crop tool to remove unwanted parts of your images, or to reduce the image canvas to a particular size. You can save your options as a preset for future use. To crop an image: 1. In Edit Mode, on the Edit Panel, click Crop. 2. Resize the crop window, and position it over the area of the image you want to keep. 3. To darken the parts of the image outside the crop window, drag the Darken outside crop area slider to the left. Drag the slider to the right to lighten the area outside the crop window. 4. To estimate the size of the output image, click the Estimate new file size button. 5. Do one of the following: Double-click the crop window to crop the image and close the Crop tool. Click Done to crop the image and close the tool. Click Cancel to exit the tool without cropping the image.

Resizing the crop window

You can resize the crop window in three ways: drag the edges of the crop window to the desired size, specify an exact size for the crop window in pixels, inches, centimeters, or millimeters, or apply a ratio to constrain the crop window proportions. To resize the crop window by dragging: 1. Position your mouse cursor over the edge or corner of the crop window until it changes into a double-pointed arrow. 2. Drag the crop window's border to the desired size. To specify an exact size for the crop window: 1. In the Units drop-down list, select a unit of measurement. 2. Use the Dots per inch spin box to specify a resolution. 3. Type the desired crop window proportions into the Width and Height spin boxes.

102 | Cropping an image

To constrain the crop window to a ratio: 1. Select the Constrain cropping proportion check box. 2. Select a ratio from the drop-down list and select or clear the Landscape check box to toggle the crop window between landscape and portrait orientation. 3. Do one of the following: Position your mouse cursor over the edge of the crop window until it changes into a double-pointed arrow, and then drag the edge of the crop window to the desired size. Use the Width or Height spin box to specify a dimension for one side of the crop window. ACDSee automatically resizes the other dimension based on the ratio you selected.
Rotating and flipping an image
You can use the Edit Modes Rotate and Flip tools to reorient your images horizontally, vertically, or at any angle you choose. You can save your settings as a preset for future use.

Rotating an image

You can rotate your image in 90-degree increments, or you can specify a custom angle of rotation in degrees. To rotate an image: 1. On the Edit Panel, click Rotate, and then select the Rotate tab. 2. Select the amount of rotation you want to apply. 3. If you selected Custom Angle, do one of the following: In the Custom angle rotation area, specify an Angle and Background color. In the Custom angle rotation area, click the Horizontal or Vertical button and use the mouse pointer to draw a line on the image that you want set as horizontal or vertical. Click Apply to apply your changes and set options on another tab in the Rotate/Flip tool. Click Done to apply your changes and close the tool. Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.

Pixel Explosion options Horizontal center Vertical center Intensity Explosion direction Specifies the center point of the explosion on the horizontal axis. A value of 500 places the explosion at the middle of the image. Specifies the center point of the explosion on the vertical axis. A value of 500 places the explosion at the middle of the image. Specifies the intensity of the explosion. A higher value creates a larger, more brilliant spread of the pixels in the image. Specifies the direction of the explosion. Select one or both of the following: Explode horizontally: explodes the pixels towards the top and bottom of the image. Explode vertically: explodes the pixels towards the right and left sides of the image. Random Seed Indicates the random placement of the pixels. When you apply the Pixel Explosion effect to an image, ACDSee places the pixels randomly. This makes the pixels different every time you apply the filter. You can define a specific random seed to generate identical pixel patterns. To generate a new random seed, click Random Seed.
Applying a Pixelate effect
A pixel is the smallest piece of a digital image, arranged in rows and columns. When you reduce the resolution of your image, the size of the pixel increases and produces blurring. You can use the Pixelate effect to increase the size of the pixels in your image, and save your options as a preset value for future use.
112 | Applying special effects filters
To use the Pixelate effect: 1. On the Edit Panel, click Effects, and then double-click Pixelate. 2. On the Pixelate tab, drag the Width and Height sliders to set the size of the pixels in your image. Select the Square check box to make the width and height equal. 3. Do one of the following: Click Done to accept your changes and close the Pixelate tab. Click Cancel to discard your changes and close the tab.
Applying a Posterize effect
You can use the Posterize effect to reduce the number of brightness levels in your image. You can select or change the Posterize options to apply this effect to your image, and save your options as a preset value for use at another time. To use the Posterize effect: 1. On the Edit Panel, click Effects, and then double-click Posterize. 2. On the Posterize tab, drag the Brightness levels slider to adjust the variance of colors in the image. The lower the value, the fewer colors used in the image. 3. Do one of the following: Click Done to accept your changes and close the Posterize tab. Click Cancel to discard your changes and close the tab.

Applying a Ripple effect

You can use the Ripple effect to divide your images into concentric circles that resembles what you see when you drop a pebble into water. You can select or change the Ripple options to apply ripples to your image, and save your options as a preset value for use at another time. To use the Ripple effect: 1. On the Edit Panel, click Effects, and then double-click Ripple. 2. On the Ripple tab, set the options as described below. 3. Do one of the following: Click Done to accept your changes and close the Ripple tab. Click Cancel to discard your changes and close the tab.

Managing database information | 133
To use the ACD Database Import Wizard: 1. Click Database | Import, and then select Database. 2. On the Welcome page, click Next to start the wizard. 3. On the Import options page, select the type of exported database information you want to import. You can import image information from a compressed database version, or information from an XML-based text file. 4. Click the Browse button to locate the database you want to import, and then click OK. 5. Select the Optimize database files after import check box to optimize the database after exiting the wizard, and then click Next. 6. On the Summary page, review your selections. Click Back to make changes, or click Next to begin importing the database information. 7. Click Finish to close the ACD Database Import Wizard. If you are importing database information sent to you by another ACDSee user, ensure that the files to which the information applies are in an identical location and folder structure on your hard drive.
Importing file information from other sources
You can import file information into your database from other sources, including Photo Discs and files from previous versions of ACDSee. Importing Photo Discs Previous versions of ACDSee (versions 4.0 and 5.0) created separate database files with a.ddf file extension for Photo Discs. You can import the Photo Disc database files into your ACDSee database. To import a Photo Disc: 1. Click Database | Import, and then select Photo Disc. 2. In the Browse for Photo Disc dialog box, locate and select the photo disc file you want to import. 3. Click Open. To import the information from Photo Discs created with ACDSee 6.0 or later, you must convert and import the entire database. For more information, see Converting an older ACDSee database on page 132.
134 | Managing database information
Importing albums In previous versions of ACDSee, you could create albums in an.ais file format that consisted of organized shortcuts to your images. Now you can use categories to create albums of images that do not require a separate file extension. You can, however, import your albums from previous versions of ACDSee, and add the information from the albums to the database. ACDSee creates a new category for each album you import. To import album information into the database: 1. Click Database | Import, and then select Album. 2. In the Open dialog box, select the.ais file you want to import. 3. Click Open. Importing descript.ion files In previous versions of ACDSee, file descriptions were stored in a separate descript.ion file in each folder that contained images. ACDSee now stores file descriptions as captions in the database, along with other file information such as notes and keywords. You can use the Descript.ion tools to import your old descript.ion files and add the information to the database, or export your existing file captions to a descript.ion file. To import a descript.ion file: 1. Click Database | Import, and then select Descript.ion File. 2. In the Open dialog box, locate and select the descript.ion file you want to import. 3. Click Open. To export captions to a descript.ion file: 1. Click Database | Export, and then select Decript.ion File. 2. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the descript.ion file in the File name field. 3. Click Save.

Creating a contact sheet | 173

PRINTING

With the ACDSee print utility, you can print your images on any size of paper, in any orientation, and at any resolution your printer can support. You can also use the print utility to create and print contact sheets, complete with headers, footers, and captions specific to each image. As you change the options in the Print dialog box, you can view a dynamically updated preview of the image and its position on the page. You can adjust the output size, print multiple copies of each image, and change the orientation of the images on each page.

CHAPTER 10: PRINTING

Printing images in ACDSee
You can use the ACDSee print utility to print your images from the Browser or the Viewer, and create full page layouts or contact sheets. To print your images: 1. Select the image or images you want to print, or open an image in the Viewer, and then click File | Print. 2. Under Print Layout, do one of the following: Select Full page, and then choose a print size from the Format list, or click Add to create a custom format. Select Contact Sheet, and then set the Contact sheet format options. For more information see Setting contact sheet options on page 177.
3. Select your preferred measurement units from the Units of measurement drop-down list. 4. On the Printer Options tab, specify the number of copies, the resampling filter, and the printer you want to use. For more information, see Setting printer options on page 178. 5. On the Page Settings tab, specify the size and positioning of your images. For more information, see Adjusting page settings on page 179. 6. Using the Caption, Header, and Footer tabs, set the text options for your pages. For more information, see Adding text to pages on page 179. 7. Click Print. Creating a custom print format You can create your own custom full page print formats and store them in the Print dialog box for future use. To create a custom format: 1. In the Format area of the print dialog box, click Add. 2. In the Add Custom Format dialog box, select a measurement unit from the drop-down list. 3. Enter the dimensions for the new format in the Format width and Format height fields. 4. Click Add. 5. To remove a custom format, select it in the Format list, and click Delete.
176 | Printing images in ACDSee
Setting contact sheet options
The Contact sheet format area of the print utility contains settings you can adjust to control the appearance, layout, and size of your thumbnails.
Contact sheet format options Thumbnail settings Size Spacing Specifies the number of columns and rows to create on each page. Specifies the amount of space between rows or columns. In the Horizontal and Vertical spin boxes, type a value to indicate the amount of space to display. Creates a frame around each thumbnail. Specifies the width of the frame. Specifies the frame's color. Click the color picker to define a color. Specifies an image to use as a frame. Click Browse to locate the image you want to use. Creates a drop shadow effect around each thumbnail. Click the color picker to define a color. Creates a fading frame effect around the image. Click the color picker to define a color. Creates a matte effect around each thumbnail. Click the color picker to define a color. Creates a bevelled edge effect on each thumbnail. This effect is not displayed in the Preview window. Uses a solid color as a background for the page. Click the color picker to define a color. Uses a tiled image as the background for the page. Click Browse to locate the picture you want to use.

Number of prints Specifies how many copies of each image to print. The print utility per image adds pages as required. Automatically rotate picture based on print format Maintain aspect ratio Specifies whether you want the print utility to determine automatically which orientation to use for each image. If you select the check box, the print utility changes each page's orientation to best suit the image you are printing. Specifies whether you want the print utility to maintain the original image's aspect ratio. Select one of the following options to indicate how the print utility should handle the aspect ratio for oversized images: Crop image to fit print format: prints only the part of the image that fits within the print format. Shrink image to fit print format: prints the entire image, reduced to fit inside the print format.

Adding text to pages

You can add headers and footers to pages, and captions beneath your images. You can insert automatic page numbers into the header and footer, and file-specific information to display in the caption for each image. To add captions to your printed images: 1. In the Print dialog box, select the Caption tab. 2. Select Use caption text. 3. Click Font to open the Font dialog box and set the font options.
Printing images in ACDSee | 179
4. In the text field, type the text you want the caption to display. 5. Click Insert Metadata to insert file-specific information into the caption for each image. 6. In the Text alignment drop-down list, select the caption positioning. 7. To set the maximum number of text lines for each caption to display, select the Number of lines check box and specify a number in the field. To add headers and footers to your printed pages: 1. Do one or both of the following: Click the Header tab and select Use header text. Click the Footer tab and select Use footer text.
2. Click Font to open the Font dialog box and set the font options. 3. In the text field, type the text you want the caption to display. 4. To insert the current page number or the total number of pages into the text, click Insert Page Number and select an option from the menu. 5. In the Text alignment drop-down list, select the header or footer positioning. 6. To set a maximum number of text lines, select the Number of lines check box and specify a number in the field.

Ordering prints online

Enjoy the benefits of ordering photographic prints online from a reliable photo service provider partnered with ACD Systems. You can have prints of your favorite photos delivered right to your door, in the sizes and number of duplicates you want. To order prints online: In the Browser, click Create | Prints and Gifts. The Order Prints tool opens in a new pane in the Browser. Follow the instructions in the pane to order your prints.

Working with plug-ins

A plug-in is a software module that adds functionality to a larger program. ACDSee comes standard with many different plug-ins and you can download new plug-ins from our Web site. To access the Plug-in Settings dialog box: Click Tools | Plug-in Settings. There are six types of plug-ins: Image Decode: allows ACDSee to display images of many different file formats. The files that you can view with ACDSee depend on which decoding plug-ins are installed on your computer. Image Encode: allows ACDSee to save (or convert) images to many different file formats. The files that you can edit and save with ACDSee depend on which encoding plug-ins are installed on your computer. Archive: allows ACDSee to display and save archives of many different file formats. The archives that you can view and create with ACDSee depend on which archive plug-ins are installed on your computer. Camera: allows ACDSee to browse images on certain older digital cameras and transfer them to a folder on your hard drive. Most newer
Appendix 2: Supported File Formats | 189
camera models connect to your computer with drivers or as a mass storage device, and do not require a camera plug-in. If you are using an older model digital camera, you can download free camera plug-ins from our Web site. Command Extension: adds functionality to ACDSee. For example, there is a plug-in that you can use to share your images over the Internet. Pane Extension: adds a pane to the ACDSee Browser where you can perform tasks like order prints of your digital images. We cannot ensure the quality of plug-ins that are not certified by ACD Systems. As with any other piece of software, you are trusting that the plug-in is free from viruses and that the company that produced the plug-in is trustworthy. Viewing plug-in properties You can view and set properties for certain plug-ins. To view plug-in properties: 1. In the Plug-in Settings dialog box, select one of the Plug-in tabs. 2. Select a plug-in in the Plug-ins list. 3. Click the Properties button. Disabling and prioritizing plug-ins Some file formats are supported by more than one plug-in. You can control which plug-in is used to read or write a file format by changing the order of the plug-ins in the list, or by disabling plug-ins that you dont want ACDSee to use. The order that plug-ins appear in the Plug-in Settings dialog box is the order in which ACDSee uses the plug-ins. To change the plug-in order: 1. In the Plug-in Settings dialog box, select one of the Plug-in tabs. 2. Select a plug-in name in the Plug-ins list. 3. Do one of the following: Click the Move up button to move the plug-in higher in the list. Click the Move down button to move the plug-in lower in the list.

Glossary | 211

Clipboard A Microsoft Windows tool that you can use to copy data from one source to another. To place something on the Clipboard, you can use the Cut or Copy tools. To take something from the Clipboard, you can use the Paste tool. CMYK A color model that uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black as its primary colors. codec A technology that compresses and decompresses data. A codec can be used to compress files for transport over a network, the Internet, or to decrease size for storage. The codec then expands files to their original size so that they can be played or viewed on a computer. Stands for compressor/decompressor. color calibration The process of setting up your computer so that the color output from your printer matches the colors you see on your monitor. command line A line in an application where the system prompts you for a command. compression The process or result of converting data to a storage format that requires less space than the original data. contact sheet A sheet of paper that contains a series of small images. contrast A measure of the differences of color and brightness in an image. convert To change a file from one format to another. cropping A digital method of removing unwanted areas of an image.

212 | Glossary

D database An electronic filing system where a computer can quickly access data. More specifically, the ACD Systems Database contains two parts: a cached thumbnail file and an information file. The cached thumbnail file contains small copies (thumbnails) of the images on your system. The information file contains more specific information about the files on your system, such as descriptions, dates, authors, notes, keywords, and categories. database date A date that you apply to the properties of a file and save in the ACD Systems database. DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) A multiple process communication system used by Macintosh and Windows operating systems. With DDE, two active applications can share the same data. decode To read (or view) a file format. descriptions Free form text associated with a file. Previous versions of ACDSee stored descriptions in a hidden file called descript.ion. One descript.ion file was generated for each folder that contains files with descriptions. File descriptions in ACDSee 6.0 are referred to as captions. dithering Adjusting the appearance of colors and shades in an image by varying the size and shape of the pixels. dock To attach a toolbar, window, or dialog box to different areas of the screen. DPI (dots per inch) A measurement of the resolution of a displayed image. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution, and therefore quality of the image. For example, 92 DPI means 92 dots horizontally and 92 dots vertically, which equals 8464 dots per square inch.

Glossary | 213

E editor, image See "image editor". elevation The height of an imaginary light source over an image. The elevation of the light works in conjunction with azimuth to generate a threedimensional emboss effect. encode To write (or save) a file format. encryption A method of converting data into a secure format. You need a password or key to read an encrypted file. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) A standard for storing information, primarily with images that use JPEG compression. Most digital cameras create EXIF information. EXIF information is embedded in the image file. export To move data from one application to another. The data is placed in a format that the other application understands. F feather To soften the edges of an image so that the image blends into the background. file listing A report of the files currently displayed in the ACDSee Browser. file name collision An action that results from moving or copying an item to a folder or drive that already contains an item with the same file name.

214 | Glossary

file format A medium for encoding information in a file. Each type of file has a different file format that specifies how the information is organized. filter A program that can add an effect to an image. footer A comment or description added to the bottom of an image. Also referred to as a caption. frame A single still image in a film or video. frame rate The rate at which frames are displayed in a film or video. Frame rate is measured in Frames per Second (FPS). G gamma The range of color values a monitor, scanner, or printer can display. Adjusting this value increases or decreases the intensity of the light spectrum. A gamma corrected image simulates the adjusted display value when it is saved. gray scale An image composed of different shades of gray. H header A comment or description added to the top of an image. Also referred to as a caption. hue The predominant color in an image.

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I image editor A program, such as ACDSee or ACD Photo Editor, that you can use to create and edit images. image optimizer A program that you can use to make your images more suitable for the Internet. For example, RealOptimizer. image resolution Refers to the quality of the details and colors in an image. It is also used to describe the quality of monitors and printer output. image viewer A program that displays images. For example, ACDSee. import To bring data into an application from another using a format that the receiving application understands. interpolation When resizing an image, a process that uses nearby pixels to estimate the color of new pixels added to the larger image. J jaggies Individual pixels displayed in an image with low resolution. The appearance of pixels in an image cause lines and curves to look jagged. L lossless compression A form of compression where no data is lost, and therefore, does not affect image quality. lossless rotation The rotation of a JPEG image without the loss of image quality. This works best on images with dimensions that are a multiple of 8 or 16.