Working with Puzzle Pro 3.1 / The Puzzle Mode / Built-in Effects' HOWTOs
How to employ the Image Overlay effect?
Note! The Image Overlay built-in effect can be used only if Puzzle Pro 3.1 works under Adobe® Photoshop®.
The Image Overlay window contains controls that allow you to quickly and conveniently perform (either automatically or manually) the very useful
operation - to make the particular puzzle piece (or a group of pieces) carry the content taken from the layer other than the active layer.
This problem arises when you, for example, want to create the collage of a school graduates with each graduate on a particular piece.
(Check our on-line Gallery for the similar sample.) To successfully employ the Image Overlay effect, make sure that two conditions are fulfilled first:
- The images that you want to use as the content of the particular pieces (or the groups of pieces) are placed into the separate layers.
- The position of these images within the document canvas coincides with the position of the appropriate pieces (or groups of pieces). Moreover, not just coincides, but fully covers the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces).
Note! If there is only one layer in the document you work with, then you won't be able to use the Image Overlay effect. Both the Image Overlay menu item from under the Adjust menu and the Image Overlay button in the main window on the plug-in will be disabled.
Note! For obtaining the most predictable result when using the Auto mode (read below), we recommend that you avoid organizing the images (that you want to use as the content of the pieces) into folders and subfolders of the Photoshop document that you are working with (as it is possible in the later versions of Photoshop). Instead, we recommend that you prepare the "simple" document, where each image, including the main image that you cut, is placed into a separate layer. If there are some layer effects, layer masks, etc., then apply them.
Tip! To conveniently position the images within the document canvas, we recommend that before starting this process, you get the Splitter drawn (Use the Draw Splitter option of the plug-in for that.) with some color that is best visible over the content of your document and make sure that the layer with the Splitter is the topmost of your document. This will let you use the drawn Splitter as the guide while positioning the images.
Tip! In some cases, when the picked image does not fully cover the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces), it is a good idea to add the sufficient area to this image, using one of the plethora of methods that provides Adobe® Photoshop®, rather than find another image or change the layout.
Tip! When you have finished the above mentioned preparations, then it is a good idea to turn OFF all layers of your working document, except the layer, which content you want to cut using Puzzle Pro 3.1.
Note! For obtaining the most predictable result when using the Auto mode (read below), we recommend that you avoid organizing the images (that you want to use as the content of the pieces) into folders and subfolders of the Photoshop document that you are working with (as it is possible in the later versions of Photoshop). Instead, we recommend that you prepare the "simple" document, where each image, including the main image that you cut, is placed into a separate layer. If there are some layer effects, layer masks, etc., then apply them.
Tip! To conveniently position the images within the document canvas, we recommend that before starting this process, you get the Splitter drawn (Use the Draw Splitter option of the plug-in for that.) with some color that is best visible over the content of your document and make sure that the layer with the Splitter is the topmost of your document. This will let you use the drawn Splitter as the guide while positioning the images.
Tip! In some cases, when the picked image does not fully cover the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces), it is a good idea to add the sufficient area to this image, using one of the plethora of methods that provides Adobe® Photoshop®, rather than find another image or change the layout.
Tip! When you have finished the above mentioned preparations, then it is a good idea to turn OFF all layers of your working document, except the layer, which content you want to cut using Puzzle Pro 3.1.
When the appropriate images are set, then select the layer, which content you want to cut and start Puzzle Pro 3.1. Then click the Cut button in the Cutter window and then, when the plug-in switches into the Puzzle mode, do one of the following:
- Go under the Adjust menu and choose Image Overlay menu item.
- Click the Image Overlay button.
When the Image Overlay window appears, then there are two scenarios of what may occur, depending on the Image Overlay effect's settings and the picked images' location within the canvas of your working document:
- The Auto mode (the main scenario): after clicking the Image button, located in the Image Overlay window, you choose the From Document Layer (Auto)
menu item (Chances are high that it is already chosen, because this menu item is used by default.). In this case, in the Main Preview area you can see that the
picked images have automatically become the content of the specified pieces (or the groups of pieces). If the obtained appearance suits your needs, then you
should just click the OK button in the Image Overlay window.
-
The Manual mode (the secondary scenario): is used when there is more than one image that fully covers the particular piece (or the particular
group of pieces). In this case you should select this piece (or the group of pieces) first (If the Image Overlay window was opened, then you should close it
beforehand.) and then open the Image Overlay window and choose the From Document Layer menu item from under the Image button. Once this menu item is chosen,
then the Document Layers window appears. Then you will see all existing document's layers, so you should pick the layer, which content you want to be
used for this piece (or the group of pieces) and then, click the OK button on the Document Layers window and finally, if you like what you see in the
Main Preview area, click the OK button in the Image Overlay window.
Note: the image that you use as the content of the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces) does not replace the default content* of the piece (or the group of pieces). Instead, this image is used as the cover-content or, in other words, is placed over the default content of the piece (or the group of pieces).
Note: if there is more than one image that fully covers the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces) and you use the Auto mode (the From Document Layer (Auto) menu item has been chosen), then the plug-in's engine picks one of the images, which fits most (by its parameters) for the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces). So, if the plug-in engine's choice is not suitable for you, then you should use the manual mode (see the secondary scenario above).
Note: if you use the Manual mode, then the layers, the content of which is suitable for the selected pieces (Once again, NO selection means that the plug-in uses ALL pieces.) are marked with "+". If you choose the layer that is not suitable (there is no "+" mark next to the layer's name in the Document Layers window), then you will see the red blinking area that indicates this layer's current unsuitability. By the way, this warning might be quite confusing at first sight, especially if you have correctly fulfilled both conditions mentioned above. So, just make sure that you had selected the specific piece (or the group of pieces) before you have started using the Image Overlay effect in the Manual mode.
* By default content we mean here the appropriate part of the active layer's content that has appeared in the piece (or in the group of pieces) when you had cut this layer using Puzzle Pro 3.1.
Note: if there is more than one image that fully covers the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces) and you use the Auto mode (the From Document Layer (Auto) menu item has been chosen), then the plug-in's engine picks one of the images, which fits most (by its parameters) for the particular piece (or the particular group of pieces). So, if the plug-in engine's choice is not suitable for you, then you should use the manual mode (see the secondary scenario above).
Note: if you use the Manual mode, then the layers, the content of which is suitable for the selected pieces (Once again, NO selection means that the plug-in uses ALL pieces.) are marked with "+". If you choose the layer that is not suitable (there is no "+" mark next to the layer's name in the Document Layers window), then you will see the red blinking area that indicates this layer's current unsuitability. By the way, this warning might be quite confusing at first sight, especially if you have correctly fulfilled both conditions mentioned above. So, just make sure that you had selected the specific piece (or the group of pieces) before you have started using the Image Overlay effect in the Manual mode.
In addition you can adjust the opacity of the images that you use as the cover-content of the pieces to which you apply this built-in effect. For that do one of the following:
- If you only need to adjust the Opacity value, then drag the upper slider of the Opacity control (it is the DSC control).
- If you need to specify the range of the Opacity values, then do the following:
- Select the Auto Adjustments check box to enable the Auto Adjustments option.
- Choose the type of the parameters' values distribution using the VRC control.
- Specify the range of the Opacity values by dragging both sliders of the Opacity DSC control.
- Select the Auto Adjustments check box to enable the Auto Adjustments option.
Note: if only one piece is selected, then the Auto Adjustments option is disabled.
To preview the adjustments of the opacity, you can use the following possibilities:
- The Image Overlay window's small preview area, where all changes of the opacity that you make are displayed in real time.
- The Main preview area of the plug-in, where all changes that you make will be displayed according to the following scenario:
- If the Auto check box (next to the preview area) is selected, then all changes that you make in the Image Overlay window will be displayed in the Main Preview area as soon as you have finished (released the mouse) the adjusting process.
- If the Auto check box is not selected, then you will have to click the Preview button in order to display in the Main Preview area the changes that
are made in the Image Overlay window.
- If the Auto check box (next to the preview area) is selected, then all changes that you make in the Image Overlay window will be displayed in the Main Preview area as soon as you have finished (released the mouse) the adjusting process.
You can disable the Image Overlay effect at any time and then enable it back, if necessary. For that, do one of the following:
- Go under the Adjust menu and deselect ("untick") the Enable Image Overlay menu item. Then, if you need to enable the effect back, choose the same menu item, but now this will "tick" the Enable Image Overlay menu item.
- Click the ON/OFF switch that is located beneath the Image Overlay button, to disable (OFF) the effect and then click it again to enable (ON) the Image Overlay effect back.
AV Bros. Puzzle Pro 3.1 Online User Guide. © 2011 AV Bros.