7.0

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.
If you want to Optimize the image at the same resolution as the selected photo, just make a note of the
resolution (the dpi figure is shown on the status line), and in the Optimize dialog, on the Bitmap Size tab,
enter the same resolution.
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 feature 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
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 from being distorted, select the mask at the bottom of the main toolbar on
the left of the Xara Web Designer 7 Premium window, or the menu "Window" > "Mask mode on"
.
Selecting the mask control turns on mask mode
This covers the entire drawing area in a pink colored mask layer. You can now use any of the drawing
tools to cut holes out of the mask. The easiest way to protect an area of the photo is to use the
Freehand Tool
and just draw around the object, making sure it's a closed shape (you end the drawing on the start
point).
The pink areas of the mask are the 'protected' areas, and so this mask needs to be inverted (you are
trying to protect the area you drew around, not the outside area), so click the 'Invert Mask' button on
the InfoBar or select "Window" > "Invert mask
".
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. In the Photo Tool
you can do this just by clicking on the picture.
Note:
You can't mask more than half the image. The prepare operation will give an error if you try this.
Adjusting a mask, or adding a new mask
You can't add a mask to an image that has already been stretched. Instead, if you want to add a new
mask or adjust an existing one, you have these options:
1.
Click the Reset button and draw a new mask
2.
Click undo as many times as necessary to get back the mask, and then use the normal drawing
tools to adjust the mask shapes.
3.
Or, before you select the Prepare buttons, copy the mask to the clipboard. If you want to use
this later, perform a Reset on the image, then re-enable mask mode and past the shape back
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