Various Effects

ToyViewer is able to make a new image with less colors from the original image that has more colors. However, this operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

Clicking "Effect / Color Reduction (256)" (Cmd-R) of the menu, you can make a new image with only 256 colors. The new image is displayed on newly opened window.

Click "Effect / Color Reduction..." of the menu to display the tool panel for color reduction. You can specify the method and parameters of reduction with it. Usually, "Median Cut Method" with Error Diffusion would realize pretty good quality. Reduction by "Fixed Palette" uses the palette that is common to Windows and Macintosh. You can also cut off bits of each color element to 4, 2, or 1.

If you want to save an image in palette based format, especially in GIF, you should apply color reduction operation beforehand.

If you want to make a monochrome image, see "Brightness / Monochrome".


Reduction (Cmd-R)	Median Cut without Error Diffusion	Fixed Palette

Ordered Dither	Ordered Dither	Cut Off Bits (4bits)

You can make a negative image of the original one with "Effect / Negative" of the menu. If an area is selected by dragging, only the area is made negative.

The new image is displayed on newly opened window.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

You can enhance or soften edges in images.

If you click "Effect / Enhance & Blur..." of the menu a panel is displayed, on which you can set the degree of enhancement or blurring. Clicking the button "Enhance" or "Blur", you can display a new image.

If an area is selected by dragging, only the inside (or outside) of the area is enhanced / blurred.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).


Original	Enhancement

Blur (Gaussian)	Blur (Median)	Blur (Kuwahara)

There are three kinds of filters for blurring; Gaussian filter, Median filter, and Kuwahara filter. You can select one of them using the popup menu on the panel.

Brightness, contrast, and gamma value of images can be changed. You can also make monochrome images from color images.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

If you click "Effect / Brightness/Monochrome..." of the menu a panel is displayed. With three sliders on the panel you can set brightness, contrast, or gamma of the image newly created.

If you click "Brightness" button a new image is displayed, whose brightness/contrast is changed. Clicking "Grayscale" button, you can make a grayscale image. Sliders on the panel influence the grayscale image as well.

Auto Fix

If "Auto Fix" button is clicked, ToyViewer examines the balance of the brightness of the image, and sets the sliders of brightness, contrast, and gamma. Clicking "Brightness" button, you can make a new image. Here is an example.

However, Auto fix does not always function appropriately. If newly displayed image is not good, you should adjust the sliders by your self.

If a part of image is selected, ToyViewer refers to only the inside (or outside) of the selection.

Monochrome and Bilevel Image

If you click "Monochrome" button on the panel, a monochrome (or bilevel) image is newly displayed. The brightness/contrast is also controlled by the sliders on the panel. The button "Setting..." at the bottom of the panel shows the interface for monochrome (or bilevel) images.

If you want to cut off pixels into 4, 2, or 1 bit without dithering, use menu of "Color Reduction".

For each element of RGB, you can adjust brightness (strength), contrast, and gamma.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

Auto Fix

If "Auto Fix" button is clicked, ToyViewer examines the balance of the color balance of the image, and sets the sliders automatically. Clicking OK button, you can make a new image. Here is an example.

However, Auto fix does not always function appropriately. If newly displayed image is not good, you should adjust the sliders by your self.

In order to tune the color balance, using mainly gamma sliders is recommended. Take notice that smaller gamma value makes the corresponding color thick. Moreover, if the original color balance need not be corrected, you can use Auto fix function of Brightness panel instead.

If a part of image is selected, ToyViewer refers to only the inside (or outside) of the selection.

You can tune color tone (saturation and hue) of images.

If you click "Effect / Enhance Color Tone..." of the menu a panel is displayed, on which you can set the degree of enhancement. Large value of "Saturation" makes images brilliant. You can also control hue of images.

If you click "OK" button an enhanced image is newly displayed.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

You can replace specified color in the image with the other color. This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

If you click "Effect / Replace Colors..." of the menu a panel is displayed, on which you can set replaced colors with the color-wells. The degree of exactness in comparison of colors is set by the slider.

If an area is selected by dragging, this operation will be applied to only inside or outside of the area.

If you click "OK" button a new image is newly displayed.

ToyViewer provides 4 ways of color replacement.

Replace with target
Only matched colors are replaced monotonously.
Convert matched colors
Only matched colors are changed. Differences among matched colors influence new colors.
Convert all gradually
Colors near to the specified color are changed much, and colors that are not so similar to the specified color are also changed slightly.
Convert all similarly
Changes all colors using the difference between the original color and the target color.

Original	--> Replace
(1)	(2)
(3)	(4)

You can replace alpha (transparent) value in images with some color. You can also add transparent colors into images.

If you click "Effect / Transparency..." of the menu a panel is displayed.

To remove transparency, specify background color and click "OK" button of "Remove Transparency".

"Add Transparency" makes the image semi-transparent. The degree of opaqueness is set by the slider.

"Replace Color by Transparency" replaces specified color in the color well is replaced with (semi)transparent colors. The degree of exactness in comparison of colors is set by the slider.

If "Bright part" or "Dark Part" is selected with the popup menu, the parts of the image with high (or low) brightness are replaced with transparent colors. The color well and the slider are ignored. This function is provided mainly to make a "mask" from a monochrome image.

Note: You can save an image with transparent part in only TIFF, PNG, or GIF formats. Besides, only TIFF and PNG can keep semi-transparent colors. If you try to save an image with transparent colors in other format, ToyViewer paints background white automatically. See "Transparent Color".

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

You can put various kinds of frames on images.

If you click "Effect / Make Soft Frame..." of the menu a panel is displayed. With "Shape" button, you can select the shape of the frame added. With "Width" slider, you can set the width of the frame. And, with the color-well, you can set the color of the frame. If you click "OK" button a new image is newly displayed.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

Examples in the figure are results of (A) Rectangle, (B) Round Rectangle, (C) Oval, (D) Bezel (convex), (E) Bezel (concave), (F) Aqua (Round Rect.), (G) Aqua (Oval), (H) Drop Shadow, correcpondingly. Additionally, if the background of the original image is transparent, the results of Drop Shadow and Aqua would be (I) and (J) correspondingly.

Solid Frame

When Rectangle, Round Rectangle, or Oval is selected, you can check the button "Solid Frame" on the panel.

You can cover the whole of the image or a selected part of the image with random noise, mosaic, or solid painting. To display the tool panel, click "Effect / Noise/Mosaic..." of the menu.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

Noise

With "Frequency" slider, you can set the ratio of pixels that is modified. And, with "Magnitude" slider, you can set the magnitude of noise added. If an area is selected by dragging, this operation will be applied to only inside of the area.

If you click "Noise" button a new image is displayed.

Mosaic

This function dulls the selected area with mosaic-like pattern. Without selection, whole the image is dulled.

With "Granularity" slider, you can set the size of blocks which form mosaic. If you click "Mosaic" button a new image is newly displayed.

Paint Out

This function paints out the selected area with the specified color. The color is set by the color well. You can also specify the opacity of the color. If the button "Scratch" is checked, random lines are drawn on the area.

If you click "Paint Out" button a new image is displayed.

You can give embossing effects to images. Embossed images look like relief.

If you click "Effect / Emboss..." of the menu the tool panel is displayed. You can specify the degree of embossing with the "strength" slider. With "Mixed Color" slider, you can add color to the image. You can select the direction of embossing with the popup menu. The check button "Plaster Relief" makes the image white. If you click "Emboss" button an image is newly displayed.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).


Original	Emboss (Strength=1.0)	Plaster Relief	Plaster Relief (Color=80%)

The areas in which pixels have similar color are painted uniformly.

If you click "Effect / Posterize..." of the menu the tool panel is displayed. Division into areas is controlled by the setting of the gray scale and the slider "Color Control". If the setting isn't suitable to divide the image, ToyViewer automatically adjust it during processing. In this case it takes a little more time to make a new image.

If the button "Draw Contour" is checked, the contour is added to the result of posterizing. Parameters to make the countour are specified using "Sensitivity" and "Thickness". The most sensitive value is 0.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g., PDF).

Cartoon

The result of Cartoon is like the result of Posterize. In Cartoon, ToyViewer divides an image into areas referring to only the brightness of the areas, that is, the number of steps of the gray scale on the panel. Therefore, cartoon can't make a distinction between areas that are in different colors with the same brightness.

If button "Smooth Boundary" is checked, the boundaries of areas become smooth. If button "Draw Contour" is checked, the contour is added to the result of cartoon.

Only when both "Smooth Boundary" and "Smooth Contour" are checked, you can specify "Enlarge". If the value larger than 1.0 is specified, an enlarged image is generated with the boundaries and the contour kept smooth. You can't shrink the image, however.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g., PDF).


Posterize	Posterize + Contour

Cartoon	Cartoon + Contour

The original of the sample photo was in http://digital-baka.at.webry.info/

You can extract contour lines of the image.

If you click "Effect / Contour..." of the menu the tool panel is displayed. Parameters of the countour are specified using "Sensitivity" and "Thickness". "Sensitivity" specifies the degree of detection. The most sensitive value is 0. "Thickness" specifies the strength of the lines. Click the button "Contour" to make a new image.

If button "Smooth Contour" is checked, the contour is drawn smoothly. And if the button is checked, you can specify "Enlarge". If the value larger than 1.0 is specified, an enlarged image is generated with the contour kept smooth. You can't shrink the image, however.

With "Paint" slider, you can add colors to the image, and you can also specify the opacity of the painted colors. If the opacity is 0, only the contour is drawn. With the popup menu, you can select whether the painted image is the original one or the blurred one. The digits specified on the right of the menu is the strength of blur.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

Trace

This function extracts only the dark areas of the image, and makes a monochrome image with the smooth contour.

The value of "Threshold" specifies the brightness (or darkness) of the areas to be extracted. If the value of "Enlarge" is larger than 1.0, an enlarged image is generated with the contour kept smooth. You can't shrink the image, however. In the example below, the result image is expanded to 1.5 times.

This operation can't be applied to vector images (e.g. PDF).

ToyViewer (Ver.5.00)

Various Effects

Color Reduction

Negative

Enhance & Blur

Brightness / Monochrome

Auto Fix

Monochrome and Bilevel Image

Color Balance and Auto Fix

Auto Fix

Color Tone

Replace Colors

Transparency

Frame

Solid Frame

Noise & Mosaic

Noise

Mosaic

Paint Out

Embossing

Posterize

Cartoon

Contour

Trace