Quick Start GuideSimple steps for editing and

enhancing your photos.

PhotoPlus X7

1

In this guide, we will refer to specific tools, toolbars, tabs,or menus. Use this visual reference to help locate them onthe PhotoPlus workspace.

2

This Quick Start Guide will walk you through the key stages ingetting started in PhotoPlus X7, including cropping andstraightening, making image adjustments, retouching portraits,and applying creative effects. There are also some helpful tipsfor exporting or printing your finished project.

To install PhotoPlus X7, insert the PhotoPlus X7 program disc intoyour disc drive. The AutoRun feature automatically starts thesetup process. Simply answer the on-screen questions to installthe program.

3

When you launch PhotoPlus, the appears.

The assistant lets you create new images, open PhotoPlus files,launch Organizer, and access articles (tutorials, news and more)from Serif's Learn and News feeds. All of the resources you needto transform your photos are right at your fingertips!

For this Quick Start Guide, we'll concentrate on thebutton, where we can easily browse to and open photos readyfor editing in PhotoPlus.

PhotoPlus Organizer is Serif's powerful photo managerthat makes it easy to put together a stunning photo libraryto last a lifetime. Click on the Startup

Assistant to begin.

4

You don't have to create a new image from scratch withPhotoPlus. Instead, you can edit photos already on your harddrive. Access these via the Startup Assistant in just a few clicks.

1. On the left of the Startup Assistant, click .

2. From thepane, select .

3. In the dialog, navigate to thefolder where your photos arestored, and select the one(s) youwant to use.

Use -click to selectmultiple adjacent files,

and -click to select multiple random files.

4. Click .

Your photo will be displayedin the centre of theworkspace. Access any otherphotos from thetab at the bottom.

To open photos during a session, click on the toolbar above your workspace.

5

Cropping is the electronic equivalent of cutting a photographwith scissors. Use this technique to focus on an area of interest,or remove unwanted areas from an image.

1. From the toolbar on the left, selectthe .

2. On the context toolbar above your photo,select a crop size (e.g., 5 x 7 in).

3. (Optional) For perfect composition,select on the context toolbar.

4. Drag on your photo to define the croparea, then release the mouse button.

5. Click within the crop area and drag tomove the grid into position.

Aim to position the grid’s intersectionpoints over key features of your photo.

6. To finish, click on the contexttoolbar.

6

If the horizon in your photo is slightly crooked, it can makeyour photo look a little lopsided. Fortunately, you canquickly correct the alignment of any photo in PhotoPlus.

1. From the toolbar, click the down arrow next to the

, and select the.

2. Using the cursor,drag a horizon line from one sideof the image to the other.

If you aren’t sure where to drawthe new line, look for a straight lineon the image to use as the horizon.

Don’t worry about the length of the horizon line—this isn’t important and won’t affect the final results.

3. When you release the mouse button, the image willorient itself to the new line.

7

White balance adjusts "off-colour" photos to make them morecolour accurate. It's easy to adjust white balance in PhotoFix, apurposely designed environment for making images flawless.

1. On the toolbar at the top, click .

2. Locate the filter in the list on the right.

3. Choose a preset from the drop-down list. This depends on the lightingcondition at the time the photo wastaken. Selecting or willwarm up your photo, and or

will cool it down.

4. (Optional) Adjust the and via the sliders—use your

visual judgement to select the right values.

5. When you're happy, click to exit PhotoFix.

To complement your photo’s white balance, try adjustingthe and settings on the filter.

8

Converting images to black and white is perfect forexperimenting with tints, tones and contrast, and can even beused to rescue poor-quality colour photos.

1. On the tab to theright, locate the

adjustment.

2. To apply the default adjustment,simply click on its name, or for apre-defined adjustment, clickand select a preset.

3. Adjust individual colour channels via the sliders.

A Black and White adjustmentlayer will have been added tothe tab. With this

selected, you can modify this adjustment only. Remember to reselect the layer if further editing is required.

9

If you use a flash when taking photos, you've probably noticedthat your subject can appear to have red eyes. This looksunsightly, but can easily be corrected using the Red Eye Tool.

1. On the toolbar above yourphoto, select the tool. Clickand drag on your photo to zoom in tothe subject's eye(s).

2. From the toolbar, expand the

and selectthe .

3. Click and drag to draw a selectionaround the red area(s).

Take care not to make the selectionarea too large, as this could affectother red-based areas of the photo.

4. Release the mouse button. The red eye has been corrected!

10

Spots and blemishes have the habit of showing up at the mostinconvenient times. Fortunately, with PhotoPlus, you can digitallyremove any skin imperfections from your images with ease.

1. From the toolbar, expand the

flyout and

select the .

2. On the context toolbar above yourphoto, set the brush .

3. Click on the blemish to define a targetarea, (or to correct automatically).

For a closer view, zoom in with yourmouse’s scroll wheel, if available.

4. (Optional) Drag to a suitable pickuparea that blends nicely with the targetarea. Pixels in the target area will update automatically.

5. Release the mouse button. The blemish is removed!

11

PhotoPlus's Filter Gallery offers a one-stop studio where you canexperiment with powerful filter effects for stunning creativity.

For best practice, we recommend using filter layers toapply changes which doesn’t affect the original photo.Right-click the layer on the tab and

click . Then, right-click the duplicated layer, and select .

1. On the toolbar, click .

2. In the pane on the right, scroll down to reveal theeffects category.

3. Select a thumbnail (e.g., Pointillist) to apply it to your image.

It may take a few moments for the preview to update. Agreen bar at the bottom of the dialog indicates progress.

4. (Optional) Adjust filter-specific settings via the sliders.

5. Click . The image has taken on a fantastic creative look!

12

You may prefer to apply effects in isolation. The menuhosts a range of creative filters, perfect for a stylized finish. We'lllook at softening the edges of a photo by applying a vignette.

1. Add a filter layer by following the instructions on page 11.

2. At the top of the workspace, click to open the menu.

3. Select and then click The dialog willbe displayed.

4. Adjust the slider to control the transition between theimage and the vignette.

5. To change the colour of the vignette, click theswatch. Select a colour, and click .

6. When you're happy, click .

7. (Optional) On the tab reduce the layer opacity.

Remember, if you’re using filter layers and later changeyour mind about an effect, you can simply delete the filterlayer and your image won’t be affected.

13

Up to now you've been working on a PhotoPlus project (.sppfile). To share your work, you'll need to export it to a popularimage format such as JPEG or PNG.

1. From the menu, at the top-left of the workspace, click. The will be displayed.

For a side-by-side preview of different file formats, click or at the bottom-left of the dialog.

Click on a preview image to change its properties.

2. On the tab, choose a file format from thedrop-down list.

3. (Optional) Specify the image's size or resolution (dpi). Theselected preview image’s settings will update accordingly.

4. (Optional) If using or view, ensure yourchosen preview image is selected

5. At the bottom-right of the dialog, click .

6. In the dialog, select a folder and enter a filename.

7. Finally, click .

14

When you've finished editing, you'll want to showcase yourphotos! There are a variety of print options and sizes available,from single images to paper-saving print layouts.

1. On the toolbar, above the workspace, click

to launch the .

2. From the drop-down list at the top-right corner of the dialog,select a template category.

To print multiple images on the same page, selectContact Sheets or one of the Print Layouts options.

3. Several template thumbnails will be displayed. Scroll downto browse the thumbnails, and then click on the one youwant to use.

4. (Optional) From the left-hand pane, click the buttons tofurther customize your print options.

Expand the section for sizing and rotatingimages. From here, you can also give your imagesborders and captions (labels).

5. Click .

:� Bonus retro image effects available in PhotoFix.

� Inclusion in future promotions and discount offers.

To register PhotoPlus, run the software and, whenprompted by the registration screen, follow the on-screeninstructions. To manually start registration, click atthe top of the workspace to open the Help menu, andthen select Registration Wizard.

Visit community.serif.com to have your questionsanswered by the Serif community.

0845 345 6770

800 489 6720

1710

3