HELP02.txt  14.01.02  using IrfanView

notes on using  IrfanView  (flat red cat icon) to manipulate images)

ASSUME:  Image files are removed from an eMail or camera/SDcard 
    ONTO the PC harddisk.  perhaps in an "image folder", 
    like:   C:\HopeHill\Images-2014-March\
    where you created  'Images-2014-March' as a sub-folder under C:\HopeHill\
    These files are expected to be directly from the  camera
    and named by the camera... "DCF00383.JPG" or some-such name/numbering.

A. start  IrfanView
   double-click the  Flat-Red-Cat icon  on the DeskTop
   The window will open and be blank.
   Click on  'File/Open'  and navigate to   C:\HopeHill\Images-2014-March\
    (or where-ever your camera files are located).  
   Select/click on an image to start using  IrfanView.
   IrfanView will select the next-image (alphabetically) 
     in the folder when SPACE-BAR is pressed.

B. VIEWING
   IrfanView can be used to simply  VIEW the images to look at them 
   or to "find" one that you want to email or process.
   Just look and then press the SPACE-BAR for the next (alphabetically) 
      image-file-name.

C. SAVING
   The following operations can be used to modify an image file.
   after making the alterations that you want, you must  SAVE the
   modified image using a  NEW-FILE-NAME as your modified image.
   Suggest KEEPING the original image (from your eMails or Camera),
   as RE-MODIFYING-the-Modified image will look  "crappy" pretty quik.

 . No-Save
   If you have selected some modify-process, that did not work-out
   as expected, simply  press ESC to close/stop  IrfanView and
   start again to select your image and try again.

 . Over-Write
   You can  SAVE with the SAME name as before, when you want to
   OVER-WRITE a previous image and keep the name, the prior image is LOST.

   While viewing a modified image, you can select  FILE/SAVE-AS
   and direct the saving/naming of your modified file.
   Or press  'Control-S'  to go directly to the  File/SaveAs window.

   Enter your selected filename to save the modified file,
   the press  SPACE-BAR to move to the next (alphabetically) Image File
   to be modified.  If the 'next' image is not to be modified,
   just press  SPACE-BAR to move on until you see the one you want.
   The Right/Left-Arrows on the menu-bar will move to the Next/Previous
   image-file (let's you go-back when you  Space-Bar one too many).

D. Re-Size an Image

   NOTE: when working with IrfanView to modify images, you will likely
   want to crop/ rotate/ add-text/ etc, the image file... FIRST...
   THEN use the Re-Size option to reduce the size of the resulting image.
   As trying to  modify a Reduced-Size image may not preserve image
   quality...  modify first, THEN ReSize.

   the most-likely feature to be used is to  REDUCE the FILE-SIZE of
   an image file to make it easier to upload/eMail an image(s) to someone.
   Modern cameras often create an image file that is  3-5-7 MegBytes
   which if fine for getting  5x7 prints at  Walmart...
   but is LARGE to be eMailing photos of an event.
   A file-size of 75-KiloBytes to ~200Kb is usually more than enough
   image detail for nice viewing on a computer screen and can be
   more easily attached to an email without  over-flowing eMail 
   programs or wasting computer storage space.

   The IrfanView program can readily  Re-Size an image file.
   Think of an Image file of having  LOTS or Columns&Rows of colored
   dots... that you view as the image.  In fact, the 4-5Mb image file
   has more rows&columns than the computer can display on the Mtr...
   So, the computer must skip/combine rows-columns to show the image...  
   Camera images may have  2600 cols by 2000 rows (made up ##)
   in the 5Mb file...  you can easily enjoy viewing an image file
   that has ~640x480  ( ColxRow )...  
   IrfanView can change the file size by reducing the #Columns&Rows.

   While viewing a LARGE image...  press  Control-R  for  ReSize.
   --insure that the "preserve aspect ratio" is CHECKED (lower-Left)
   --look for the WIDTH box that will have the current  #ROWS (pixels)
     (IF it is a modest #, like  400-800, you might leave this image
      alone, as it is already reduced, and will not benefit from 
      changing it to a similar-value number)
   --by changing the WIDTH  col-count with the  'aspect ratio' checked
     the  HEIGHT will be calculated to maintain the original-view
     and not distort the width-height ratio.

   Press "OK" and view the Re-Sized image...  it may not appear different,
   as the computer is already showing a reduced-size image on the screen.  
   You simply have made a ReDuced-Sized image-file to be saved.

   Press  "Control-S" to save your resized-image (see above)

E. Cropping
   A farming background is not needed to use this option. ~~grin
   Often an image will contain  doors, objects, feet, people...
   that you wish were NOT in the image.  You want to have an image
   that is just-what-you-want to see... not what was photographed.
   Or maybe you have a nice image of your pet, but want just a 
   close-up of the "face", not the body/ tail/ rug...

   You can use IrfanView to "crop" or cut-out a  rectangular-box image
   from an existing image, and save this as a NEW image file.

   1. view the image you want to crop-from,
      imagine a "box" around the portion you want to "see/save"...
   2. use the mouse-cursor to  Click-the-up-left corner
      and drag (a box will be shown) to a lower-right corner
      to form a box around the image you want.
      If you miss, just click somewhere to reset and re-mark the crop-box.
   3. once you have the desired-image  "boxed",
      carefully press  "Control-X", this will CUT the boxed-image
      to your Windows-ClipBoard and leave a  black-box cut-out.
      The original image-file is NOT changed because it has NOT been SAVED.
   4. carefully press  "Shift-N" to open a  New-empty-image-file
      a spec-box will allow you to select a black-background
      (hopefully the default), so you just press  "OK"
      The image width/height are NOT set here, they will automatically 
      scale when the cropped-image is inserted from the clip-board.
   5. carefully press  "Control-V"  to insert your cropped-clip-board
      image INTO this new  image-file...
   6. Now.  SAVE your new-cropped image.

   You will want to try to keep a  5x7 or 8x10  "ratio" box when you
   'crop' or you may end up with a  too-tall or too-fat for the new image.
   experiment... and erase the  boo-boos... and try again.

   Basically, the Portrait/Landscape width-to-height ('aspect') ratio
   is pleasing to view and a too tall/short or too fat/skinny image
   may be distorted, again... try and see...
   IrfanView tries to maintain the "aspect ratio" of an image and
   when the #Cols is  changed, it will re-calc the #rows
   when the #rows are changed, it will re-calc the #cols
   Changing BOTH rows&cols will CREATE a distorted image.

F. ROTATE
   We often will turn our camera sideways (up/down) to get a  
   "portrait" orientation, rather than the "landscape" orientation
   that the camera will produce.  This is fine for our photos and
   when we (used to) get prints to look at...  but now, we like for
   our computer-images to be oriented to view as either  'portrait 
   or landscape'...  IrfanView can rotate an image easily.

   View the image that is  "sideways".
   simply press  'R'  (no  control or shift,  just  'r')
   and it will  rotate the image to the right.
   if it rotated the wrong-way,
   pressing  'r'  two more times will rotate again and again
   to be oriented as you wanted...

   IrfanView permits pressing 'R' to rotate to the right,
   and 'L' to rotate to the Left and 'H' to flip-Horizontally
   and 'V' to flip-Vertically... I just try to remember 'R' and
   press it 2-3 times to get the orientation I want.

   Save your rotated-image.

G. insert TEXT onto the image
   We may want to insert a simple label, name, number, etc
   into an image to help identify or remind of what something is.

   IrfanView is free, not a paid-for "do what you think should happen"
   program, so inserting text is not simple to do.  YOU have to try
   different FONT/ Size/ Color choices to see which one are useful.
   You can select a location and insert a brief text.
   I have NOT found it to be useful for descriptions or instructions,
   just for a 'reminder annotation' of a name/ word/ number of two.

   While viewing an image.  Left-Click on what will be the  "text area",
   and drag-the-box to define an area where your word(s) will be.
   THEN press  "Control-T" and a specification box will come up,
   type the text you want in the "text box" and press OK.
   You will see your text inserted into the image.
   If the text is not located/ sized/ colored to your liking,
   press  'Contro-T' to change the settings and "OK" to view again.
   You will have to experiment to get it the way you want...
     as  existing  foreground/text colors/sizes will vary for
     each image... you can try a few and see if this helps..

   You can insert multiple 'text' boxes to label several peoples-names,
   for example.

   When done with your text(s),  SAVE your modified image file.


   the above concludes the IrfanView features that I use for
   about 98% of my use of the program...
   MANY other features exist... mostly under the  "Image"  menu item.
   Feel free to try some features... just be careful to NOT over-write
   your ORIGINAL image-file... and see what you can learn that I haven't.

/\/\

   Below, I started a description of how to  Light/Dark an image.
   and the  features are NOT there... I'm sure they used to be...
   as I've used  IrfanView for over 10years..  
   there are  Color-Substitution features and many I do not understand.
   have fun...


?. Lighten/Darken   (not there... not found...  oops )
   We often have little control of how much/little light is available
   when we take a photo.  Too-much Sun when outdoors  or too little
   light when indoors..  or  a dark-cat lying on a dark-blanket.

   IrfanView can scan the image-pixels and modify them to be a
   Lighter-shade of their respective color or a darker-shade.
   It is difficult for a computer program to "see" a black cat in
   the coal-bin, so do not expect a  Lighten/darken to correct for
   poor exposure... but you can try a few settings to see how it works.

   While viewing a  too-Light/Dark image, 

      uh... oops
    
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