HGTV Home & Interior Painter

User Manual

Copyright ©2008 Scripps Networks, LLC.

©2008 Nova Development.
©2008 CBN Systems.
All rights reserved.
 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................... 1
Introducing HGTV Home & Interior Painter................................................................................1
Overview of HGTV Home & Interior Painter Features...............................................................1
Opening Image Files....................................................................................................................................1
Specifying Areas..........................................................................................................................................1
Colorizing Areas...........................................................................................................................................1
Other Features.............................................................................................................................................2
Contacting Technical Support.....................................................................................................2
Using Help for HGTV Home & Interior Painter...........................................................................2
The Help Menu............................................................................................................................................2
ToolTips........................................................................................................................................................2
Accessing Context-Sensitive Help...............................................................................................................2
Conventions for This User Guide................................................................................................2

Chapter 2: Installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter............................. 4

System Requirements..................................................................................................................4
Preparing Your Computer............................................................................................................4
Installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter....................................................................................4
Uninstalling the Program.............................................................................................................4

Chapter 3: Getting Started.............................................................................. 6

Opening a Digital Photo ..............................................................................................................6
Creating a SmartImage Area........................................................................................................6
Colorizing an Area........................................................................................................................7

Chapter 4: Using HGTV Home & Interior Painter....................................... 8

The HGTV Home & Interior Painter Workspace ........................................................................8
Tabs.............................................................................................................................................................8
Standard Toolbar..........................................................................................................................................8
Dynamic Toolbar..........................................................................................................................................9
Toolbox.........................................................................................................................................................9
Changing Views............................................................................................................................9
Customizing HGTV Home & Interior Painter............................................................................10
Opening Image Files...................................................................................................................10
Saving Image Files...................................................................................................................... 11
Quitting the Program.................................................................................................................. 11

Chapter 5: Creating SmartImage Areas.................................................... 12

About SmartImage Areas ..........................................................................................................12
Using the Selection Tools..........................................................................................................13
Creating Complex Selections....................................................................................................14
Dynamic Toolbar Buttons...........................................................................................................................14
Shortcut Menu Commands........................................................................................................................14

Chapter 6: Applying Colors............................................................................ 15

About the Colorize Tab ..............................................................................................................15
Working with the Color Palette..................................................................................................15
The Gradient Tab.......................................................................................................................................15
The Coordinate Tab...................................................................................................................................16
The Convert Tab........................................................................................................................................16
The Color Grabber Tab..............................................................................................................................17
Locating a Color in a Fandeck...................................................................................................17
Retrieving a Color.......................................................................................................................18
The My Colors Palette...............................................................................................................................18
The Color History Palette...........................................................................................................................18
Viewing Colors and Textures.....................................................................................................18

Chapter 7: Printing Images and Generating Reports.......................... 20

Printing Colorized Images . .......................................................................................................20
Calculating Quantities of Paint..................................................................................................20
Generating a Report...................................................................................................................20
Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome to HGTV Home & Interior Painter. When remodeling, redecorating, or designing a new home, you can use this easy-to-use
program to test colors on digital photos of your home’s exterior or interior — walls, doors, windows, ceilings, floors, or structural
elements. You can even color furniture, appliances, cabinets, or other decorative elements. Use your imagination when mixing and
matching colors — it’s easy and fun to do!
This chapter provides an overview of the basic features of HGTV Home & Interior Painter and covers other important introductory
information.

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

Introducing HGTV Home & Interior Painter

HGTV Home & Interior Painter is a simple, but powerful program in which you can quickly and easily re-color areas in a digital photo
or image file to test color samples and evaluate possible interior design changes.
With HGTV Home & Interior Painter you can:
• Re-color digital photos of your home’s interior or exterior photos so you get the color you want.
• “Grab” and match a color from an existing digital photo.
• Access standard colors available by major paint manufacturers.
• Create, save, share, and re-use a personal color palette.
• Print a report that shows the colors and quantities of paint to buy.

Overview of HGTV Home & Interior Painter Features

With HGTV Home & Interior Painter you work with image files from digital cameras, scanners, camcorders, or photo-editing
programs to alter colors in specific areas of the image.
This involves a simple 3-step process:
1. Open an image file in HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
2. Specify areas of interest to re-color.
3. Re-color defined areas as desired.

Opening Image Files

You may use almost any raster (or bit-mapped) image files with HGTV Home & Interior Painter (such as .bmp, .jpg, .pcx, .png, .psd,
.psp, .tga, and .tif files). See Chapter 4: Using HGTV Home & Interior Painter for information about the various methods for opening
image files.

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.

Contacting Technical Support

If you’re having difficulty using the program, our trained technical support staff is ready to help.
For answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), troubleshooting tips, and your technical support options, go to the support section
of our web site:
www.novadevelopment.com/Support/
You can also look through this user guide and in the program help in the Help menu to find answers to your questions.

Using Help for HGTV Home & Interior Painter

HGTV Home & Interior Painter features online help including program help, ToolTips, and context-sensitive help. You’ll be able to
view help for your program by opening the Help menu and selecting Program Help.

The Help Menu

• Help Contents has general information and step-by-step instructions for tasks. You can also press F1.
• Technical Support opens your default web browser to the technical support page for Nova Development.
• About shows a dialog with version and registration information.

ToolTips
When you move the pointer over a toolbar button, a ToolTip message appears giving you the button’s functionality or its name.

Accessing Context-Sensitive Help

Context-sensitive help is available for certain dialogs in this program.
To get help in a dialog:
• When you have a dialog open, click the Help button if it’s available.
The HGTV Home & Interior Painter Help system opens to a topic describing the content of the dialog.

Conventions for This User Guide

• Bold text is used for keys, buttons, check boxes, options, menus or menu items, and text that you are directed to type.
• Italicized text is used for names for folders, files, disks or discs, windows, and dialogs. It’s also used for new terms and
important ideas.


 • 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

Preparing Your Computer

Before installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter, check for any updates to your Windows operating system. Many problems can be
prevented by updating Windows and Internet Explorer components before installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter. To check for
Windows system updates, connect to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

Installing HGTV Home & Interior Painter

The HGTV Home & Interior Painter Installer guides you through the process to install all program files.
To install your HGTV home design software on Windows Vista:
1. Insert the HGTV Installer disc into your CD drive.
• If the AutoPlay dialog appears, click Run setup.exe and then click Continue in the User Account Control dialog.
• If you have AutoPlay on, then in the User Account Control dialog click Continue.
• If you have AutoPlay off, then open the Windows Start menu and select Computer. Double-click the icon for your CD
drive and click Continue in the User Account Control dialog.
2. On the installer startup screen, click Install HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
To install your HGTV home design software on Windows XP:
1. Insert the HGTV Installer disc into your CD drive.
2. On the installer startup screen, click Install HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
or
If the startup screen doesn’t appear, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. Open your CD-ROM drive and
double-click setup.exe.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Uninstalling the Program

To uninstall HGTV Home & Interior Painter, you should use its uninstall program. The Uninstaller will properly remove all HGTV
Home & Interior Painter files and settings. Follow the steps listed below for your operating system.
To uninstall the software in Windows Vista:
1. Make sure HGTV Home & Interior Painter is not running.
2. Open the Windows Start menu and select Control Panel.
3. Under the Programs heading, click the Uninstall a program link.


 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

Opening a Digital Photo

To get started, you need to open an image file in HGTV Home & Interior Painter. You can use the Open command in the File menu,
or you can paste an image file copied to the Clipboard.
Note: The best sizes for working on images in HGTV Home & Interior Painter are either 800x600 or 1024x768 pixels. You may want to crop or scale
your digital photos before opening them in HGTV Home & Interior Painter.

To open a digital photo in the workspace:

1. Open the File menu and select Open. (Ctrl+O)
or
Click the Open Picture button on the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog locate and select an image file.
(HGTV Home & Interior Painter will open many standard raster image files
such as .bmp, .jpg, .png, and .tif files.)
3. Click Open.
Your image appears in the Original tab.
If you’ve taken a digital photo and edited it in an image editing program, you can
copy it and then paste it into HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
To copy and paste an image:
1. Open the digital photo in an image-editing program.
2. Select the image and copy it to the Clipboard.
Most programs have a Copy command on the Edit menu.
3. Open the File menu and select New from clipboard. (Ctrl+N)
or
Click the New from clipboard button on the toolbar.

Creating a SmartImage Area

Once you’ve opened an image in HGTV Home & Interior Painter, you’re ready to prepare the image for coloring. To prepare the
image for coloring you need to specify areas on the image that you want to color. You do this by creating selection areas called
SmartImage Areas on the image. You will associate each named SmartImage Area, which may have one or more selection areas, with
a specific color within the image file.
To prepare an image for colorizing:
1. Click the Prepare tab.
2. To access the tools for selecting areas, if the tools palette isn’t showing,
open the View menu and select Toolbox.
or
Click the Show Toolbox button on the toolbar.
3. If necessary, to show the SmartImage Areas palette, open the View menu
and select SmartImage Areas.
or
Click the Show SmartImage Areas Palette button on the toolbar.
4. Click the New SmartImage Area button on the palette’s toolbar.
5. Click the Properties button on the palette’s toolbar to open the area’s
Properties dialog. Type a name for this area and click OK.


 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.

To colorize an area on an image:

1. With a SmartImage Area selected in the palette, click the Colorize tab.
2. Open the View menu and select Fandecks.
or
Click the Fandecks button on the toolbar.
3. On the Fandecks palette, select California Paints in the left pane.
4. Scroll through the color swatches on the right until you find a color you
like.
5. To apply the color to the image, double-click the color swatch.


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

The HGTV Home & Interior Painter Workspace

The tabbed workspace is where you colorize image files. You’ll find a set of menus with commands at the top of the window, two
toolbars above the workspace, and three tabs along the left side.

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.

Opening Image Files

You can open or import an image file at any time, but can only work with one image file at a time. If you have another image file
open, you’ll be asked if you want to save it before opening the new image file. (Alternatively, you may close the image file by using
the Close command on the File menu before opening another file.)
Note: The best sizes for images to use in HGTV Home & Interior Painter are either 800x600 or 1024x768 pixels. You may want to crop or scale your
digital photos before opening them in HGTV Home & Interior Painter.

To open a digital photo in the workspace:

1. Open the File menu and select Open. (Ctrl+O)
or
Click the Open Picture button on the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog locate and select an image file.
(HGTV Home & Interior Painter will open many standard raster image files
such as .bmp, .jpg, .png, and .tif files.)
3. Click Open.
Your image appears in the Original tab.
If you’ve taken a digital photo and are working on it in an image editing program,
you can copy the image and then paste it into HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
To copy and paste an image:
1. Open the digital photo in an image-editing program.
2. Select the image and copy it to the Clipboard.
Most programs have a Copy command on the Edit menu.
3. Open the File menu and select New from clipboard. (Ctrl+N)
or
Click the New from clipboard button on the toolbar.

10
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.

To import an image file:

1. Open the File menu and select Import  New Base Image.
2. In the Open dialog locate and select an image file.
(HGTV Home & Interior Painter will open many standard raster image files such as .bmp, .jpg, .png, and .tif files.)
3. Click Open.
4. In the confirmation box, click Yes.

Saving Image Files

You can save your colorized image files and maintain the SmartImage Areas by using the Save or Save As commands on the File
menu. In this way, you can re-open the image files without losing your work and continue to try different colors or make additional
SmartImage Areas. These colorized image files will be .cbn files and can only be opened in HGTV Home & Interior Painter.
To save an image file:
1. Open the File menu and select Save. (Ctrl+S)
or
Click the Save Picture button on the toolbar.
If you’ve saved this image before, you’re done. If this is the first time this image has been saved, you’ll see the Save As dialog.
2. In the Save As dialog, locate and open the folder where you want to save the colorized image.
3. Specify a name for the image.
4. Click Save.
To save an image file in a different location or with a different name:
1. Open the File menu and select Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog, to save the file in a different location, locate and open the folder where you want to save it.
3. To save the image file with a different name, type a different name for the image.
4. Click Save.
To be able to share the colorized image files, you’ll need to export them so they’re in a form that can be opened in other programs.
When you export an image file, you can save it as a .bmp or .jpg file. In this form, all information about the SmartImage Areas is lost,
but the colors you’ve applied will remain.
To export a colorized image file:
1. Open the File menu and select Export  Export BMP.
or
Open the File menu and select Export  Export JPG.
2. In the Save As dialog, locate and open the folder where you want to save the image file.
3. Specify a name for the exported image.
4. Click Save.

Quitting the Program

To close HGTV Home & Interior Painter, open the File menu and select Exit. If you haven’t saved changes in the open image file,
you’ll be asked if you want to save the changes before the program quits.

11
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

About SmartImage Areas

SmartImage Areas are defined areas that tell HGTV Home & Interior Painter where to color and where not to color. You’ll see these
areas as outlines in the workspace and listed by name in the SmartImage Areas palette.
You can apply one color to each SmartImage Area, which may have multiple selection areas associated with it. To apply different
colors to an image, you must create separate SmartImage Areas. For example if you’re working on a digital photo of the exterior of
your house, it may show the front door, several windows, and the front wall of the house. You would create three SmartImage Areas;
one area for the door, one area for all windows, and one area for the wall. You would then specify a color for each area.
Note: The program must be in Prepare mode for you to define or modify a SmartImage Area.

To define a SmartImage Area:

1. If the program isn’t in Prepare mode, click the Prepare tab.
2. If necessary, to show the SmartImage Areas palette, open the View menu
and select SmartImage Areas.
or
Click the Show SmartImage Areas Palette button on the toolbar.
3. Click the New SmartImage Area button on the SmartImage Areas
palette’s toolbar.
or
Right-click the SmartSelection Areas palette and select New SmartImage
Area.
4. Click the Properties button on the palette’s toolbar to open the area’s
Properties dialog.
or
Right-click the SmartSelection Areas palette and select Properties.
5. Type a name for this area.
6. If you wish, add comments about this area.
7. Click OK.
Once you’ve defined a SmartImage Area, you can adjust its properties or delete it.
To adjust the properties of a SmartImage Area:
1. Select the area in the SmartImage Areas palette.
2. Click the Properties button.
3. In the Properties dialog, to re-name the area, type a new name in the Name box.
4. To adjust the transparency of any applied color, move the Opacity slider.
The default value is to have the maximum transparency; Max gives the maximum opacity.
5. To edit or add more comments for identifying or qualifying this area, type in the Comments box.
6. Click OK.
To delete a SmartImage Area you’ve defined, select it and click the Delete SmartImage Area button on the palette. Alternatively,
right-click the SmartSelection Areas palette and select Delete SmartImage Area. This function is only available when the Prepare
tab is active.
You can hide or show the selections within a SmartImage Area by clicking the Eye icon next to the SmartImage Area in the palette.
When you see the Eye icon, the SmartImage Area appears in the workspace. When the Eye icon doesn’t show, the SmartImage Area is
hidden. This icon only appears when the Prepare tab is active.
To rearrange the SmartSelection Areas in the palette:
• Right-click the SmartSelection Areas palette and select Move Area Up or Move Area Down.
Other buttons and icons are available when the Colorize tab is active. See Chapter 6: Applying Colors for details.

12
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

To create a rectangular selection:

1. Click the Rectangular Marquee Tool’s icon on the Toolbox.
2. On the Dynamic toolbar (under the standard toolbar), specify whether this is
a Normal rectangular selection (where you determine the size by dragging)
or a Fixed Size selection.
3. If this is a fixed rectangle, type the dimensions for the Width and Height of
the rectangle.
If the width and height are the same, you’ll create a square selection.
4. For a normal rectangle, click on the image where you want to start the
selection and then drag the pointer to create a rectangular selection area.
or
For a fixed rectangle, click on the image where the upper-left corner of the
rectangular selection should be.
To create an oval or a circular selection:
1. Click the Ellipse Marquee Tool’s icon on the Toolbox.
2. On the Dynamic toolbar, specify whether this is a Normal selection (where
you determine the size by dragging) or a Fixed Size selection.
3. If this is a fixed circle or oval, type the dimensions for the Width and Height of the selection.
If the width and height are the same, you’ll create a circular selection.
4. For a normal oval or circle, click on the image where you want to start the selection and then drag the pointer to create the
selection area. (The selection is drawn from the center of the circle or oval.)
or
For a fixed oval or circle, click on the image where the upper-left part of the oval or circular selection should be.
To create a rectangular selection:
To create a polygonal selection:
1. Click the Polygon Marquee Tool’s icon on the Toolbox.
2. Click on the image where you want to start the selection.
3. Click to create a line from the first point.
4. Continue clicking to create lines as needed.
5. To close the polygon, double-click the last point.
A line will be drawn from the first point to where you double-clicked.
The more vertices you make for the polygon; the smoother your area will be.
To create a freeform selection:
1. Click the FreehandMarquee Tool’s icon on the Toolbox.
2. Click on the image where you want to start the selection and then drag the pointer around to create the selection area.
When you release the mouse button, the program will draw a straight line between that last point and the starting point. If you want to
make a smooth freeform shape, release the mouse button when the pointer is close to or at the starting point.
To make a selection based on color values:
1. Click the Magic Wand Tool’s icon on the Toolbox.
2. Adjust the Tolerance level on the Dynamic toolbar.
A low tolerance will limit the range of colors. A high tolerance will include more colors in the selection.
3. Click on color in the image that would determine the selection.
Any additional selections of any type become part of the active 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.

Creating Complex Selections

HGTV Home & Interior Painter has several ways in which you can create more complex selections: buttons on the Dynamic toolbar
and commands on the shortcut menu.
Dynamic Toolbar Buttons
When you select a tool on the Toolbox, the Dynamic toolbar changes to reflect the currently active tool. With all selection tools, three
buttons appear on the Dynamic toolbar:
• Add to Selection button: With this button you create a new selection area by adding to an existing one. You can form
complex shapes by continually adding new selections. This is the default action when making selections.
• Subtract from Selection button: If you click this button, you create a new selection area by subtracting the current selection
area from an existing one.
• Intersect Selection button: By clicking this button, you create a new selection area from the intersection of two areas.
Shortcut Menu Commands
When you right-click the SmartImage Areas palette, the shortcut menu that appears has two commands that affect selections:
• The Duplicate & Invert command duplicates the current SmartImage Area and inverts its selection.
• The Merge Visible command merges the visible SmartImage areas and combines them into a single area.

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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

About the Colorize Tab

You apply colors to your image files when the Colorize tab is active. In this mode you can apply colors to an area, but you cannot
modify a SmartImage Area. To modify a SmartImage Area, you must click the Prepare tab.
When the Colorize tab is active, the SmartImage Areas palette changes somewhat:
• A Paint Brush icon appears next to each defined SmartImage Area.
When you see the Paint Brush icon, you can apply a color to an area.
• When you apply a color to a SmartImage Area, the CBN code (Color By
Numbers code) and a color swatch for the applied color appears with the
name of the associated SmartImage Area.
• You may ‘lock’ a SmartImage Area by selecting it and clicking the Lock
button on the palette’s toolbar. Do this to prevent yourself from making
inadvertent changes. A Lock icon replaces the Paint Brush icon for that
SmartImage Area.
• An Apply all colors button appears on the palette’s toolbar. You use this
button to.

Working with the Color Palette

The Color Palette provides you with four different ways to apply color to a
SmartImage Area.
These appear as tabs on the Color Palette:
• Gradient tab: This tab shows a range shades of a selected color.
• Coordinate tab: Click this tab to view a color wheel from which you can create color schemes.
• Convert tab: You use this tab to type known RGB values or HTML hex codes for a specific color.
• Color Grabber tab: With this tab active, you can select a color from anywhere on your computer’s screen and apply that
color to your image file.
When you’ve specified a color in the Color Palette, that color appears as a small swatch at the top of the palette. You may apply that
color to the currently active SmartImage Area by clicking the Paint Brush button on the palette or by dragging the color swatch to
one of the active selection areas. Click the CBN Code button on the palette to copy the CBN code for that color to the Clipboard.

The Gradient Tab

You’ll use this tab to select a shade of a color. With this tab you can easily apply
different colors and shades until you find one you like.
To specify a color from the Gradient tab:
1. Open the View menu and select Color Palette.
or
Click the Show Color Palette button on the standard toolbar.
The Gradient tab is active by default.
2. Drag the slider on the color spectrum on the right to select a color.

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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.

The Coordinate Tab

You’ll use this tab to set up a color scheme to use throughout a digital photo. This tab
has a color wheel where you specify a color, a Selection Method list for determining
how the color scheme gets set up, and a list of options in the Variations area that
adjust the brightness of the color scheme.
Depending on the selection method you specify, you’ll see a band of one or more
colors at the bottom of the tab. Each row represents one hue in a color family and
there are as many rows as the circles on the color wheel. The colors on each row get
progressively darker from left to right.
To set up a color scheme with the Coordinate tab:
1. Open the View menu and select Color Palette.
or
Click the Show Color Palette button on the standard toolbar.
2. Click the Coordinate tab.
3. Specify a starting relationship for the colors on the color wheel from the Selection Method list.
Single: Use this for selecting a single color.
Analogous: Use this to select two colors that are close to each other.
Complementary: Use this for selecting two colors that are opposite each other.
Triangle 1: Use this to select three colors that are equidistant from each other.
Triangle 2: Use this to select three colors; two of which are complementary colors.
Tetrad: Use this for selecting four colors that are equidistant from each other.
Pentad: Use this for selecting five colors that are equidistant from each other.
Sextet: Use this for selecting six colors that are equidistant from each other.
4. Adjust the points on the color wheel to a pattern that fits your needs.
The black circle indicates the reference color. A gray circle indicates a complement of the reference color. You can drag
individual or coupled circles or rotate the whole set within the wheel.
5. To adjust the brightness of the colors, select one of the options in the Variations area.
6. Select a color in one of the band of colors at the bottom of the tab.
7. 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.
If you want to start over with the default values for the specified selection method, click the Reset button.

The Convert Tab

If you have the RGB or HTML hex code values for a color, you can use those to
specify a color in a SmartImage Area.
To specify a color from the Convert tab:
1. Open the View menu and select Color Palette.
or
Click the Show Color Palette button on the standard toolbar.
2. Click the Convert tab.
3. If you have RGB values for a color, either type them in the appropriate
boxes or use the arrows to adjust the values shown.
or
If you have the HTML hex code for a color, type that into the HTML box.
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.

Locating a Color in a Fandeck

HGTV Home & Interior Painter gives you access to complete fandeck collections
with standard color samples. You can use the supplied California Paints fandeck or
purchase fandecks with color samples of other manufacturers. These colors have been
carefully scanned and digitally verified.
Within a fandeck, each color has a company name, color name, and a CBN code.
Within the Fandeck palette, colors are sorted in ascending order by company name.
To specify a color from the Fandeck palette:
1. Open the View menu and select Fandecks.
or
Click the Show Fandecks button on the standard toolbar.
2. Select the Company Name in the left pane.
3. Scroll through the color swatches in the right pane.
4. When you see the color you want to apply to the currently active SmartImage Area, double-click it.
If you know the name of a color or the manufacturer’s code for it, you may search for it directly.
To search for a color:
1. Type part of the color’s name or the manufacturer’s code into the Search box at the top of the palette.
2. Click the Find button.
HGTV Home & Interior Painter lists all available manufacturer’s fandecks, which are installed in the program, that have a
color similar to the search conditions.
3. In the left pane, select the manufacturer of interest to view the possibilities from that manufacturer.
4. When you see the color you want to apply to the currently active SmartImage Area, double-click it.
5. To search for a different color or return to the full listing, click the Clear button and repeat steps 1-4.
To purchase additional fandecks, click the Purchase Fandecks button. Your default browser will open and you’ll be able to purchase
and download fandecks for a variety of paint manufacturers.
Note: You must be connected to the Internet to be able to purchase fandecks.

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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.

The Color History Palette

The Color History palette keeps track of the most recent colors you’ve applied. You
can adjust the number of colors available on the General tab of the Preferences
dialog.
To view the Color History palette:
• Open the View menu and select Color History.
• Click the Show Color History button on the standard toolbar.
The Color History palette has four different views, which you specify from the View
list at the top of the palette:
1. Small Thumbnails
2. Large Thumbnails
3. Small List
4. Large list
To apply a color from the Color History palette:
• Double-click a color swatch.
• Drag a color from the palette to a selection area in the active SmartImage Area.

Viewing Colors and Textures

The Color Chip palette shows a large swatch of the active color selected in the active
color palette and the CBN code for that color. Whenever you apply or select a color,
the Color Chip palette updates to show the new color. You might find it helpful to
have this palette open when picking colors to see this larger color swatch before
applying it to a SmartImage Area.
To view the Color Chip palette:
• Open the View menu and select Color Chip.
• Click the Show Color Chip button on the standard toolbar.
You can copy the CBN code to the Clipboard by clicking the Copy CBN Code
button or pressing Ctrl+C.

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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

Printing Colorized Images

You may print the currently open image from any tab. In particular, if you have a color printer, you may want to print the colorized
image from the Colorized tab.
To change the printer’s options before printing, open the File menu and select Printer Setup.
To print the open image:
1. Open the File menu and select Print. (Ctrl+P)
or
Click the Print Picture button on the toolbar.
2. In the Print options dialog, specify the size for the printed image:
Fit to page: If you select this option, the image will fill the page (allowing for margins).
Actual size: If you select this option, the image will not be adjusted for size.
3. If you wish, select the Center on page check box.
If this check box is clear, the image will print at the top of the page.
4. Click OK.
5. In the Print dialog, specify the printer and adjust the other print options as needed.
6. Click OK.

Calculating Quantities of Paint

Once you’ve decided on the colors for your home, you’ll need to buy paint. HGTV
Home & Interior Painter includes a handy calculator that determines how much paint
you will need for a specific area — like a room or a single wall.
To calculate how much paint you’ll need:
1. Open the Tools menu and select Paint Calculator.
2. Select the unit of measure for the calculations: Feet/Gallons or Meters/
Litres.
3. In the Surfaces Being Painted area, specify the width and height of each
surface.
4. In the Surfaces Not Painted area, specify the number of windows and doors
(or other area) to exclude from the calculation.
5. Select a Surface Type option that best matches the surfaces to be painted.
6. After noting the final amounts for this area, click Finish.
If you’ve accessed the Paint Calculator dialog from the Generate Report window, the values will automatically appear in the
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.

20
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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