Go to Home Page
                                                Intro Mary Garden
                                                Garden Design Index


Computerized Mary Garden Design

ClarisWorks/AppleWorks Instructions

     - AppleWorksª 6.0, produced by

          Apple Computer, Inc

               - Description

               - Step-by-step Procedures



Description

The drawing and painting graphics programs of AppleWorksª 6.0
general purpose software for Macintosh and Windows, can be used in
conjunction with FLOWERscapeª, for:

     - The preparatory re-sizing of custom digitized flower or
       sculpture images - downloaded from this web site using a web
       browser; scanned from printed photos; or taken with a digital
       camera - for proportioned addition to exported FLOWERscape
       garden layouts in PICT file format opened in AppleWorks.

     - The graphics editing of these miniature flower or sculpture
       photos to make their backgrounds transparent, so that
       FLOWERscape garden design graphics over which each new
       graphics object is placed will show through around it.

     - The positioning or "pasting" of these edited graphics in
       imported FLOWERscape garden layouts,

     - For larger gardens, the combination of two of more garden
       section layouts from FLOWERscape for printing out on
       standard 8-1/2 x 11 in. or 11 x 17 in. printer paper.

     - Printing
          - Virtual Garden only

These same operations, and others, may also be accomplished in the
professional Photoshop software program.

AppleWorksª 6.0 Step-by-Step Procedure

Task

To make the rectangular background of a custom flower or sculpture
image file transparent, so that when the image is pasted as an
addition to an existing graphic garden layout opened in ClarisWorks,
such as one imported from FLOWERscape, the portions of the layout
immediately around the pasted image will continue to be visible
after the pasting.  Paste.

Steps

(Particular applications of general ClarisWorks commands listed in
user's manual and in screen "Help" instructions)

     - Open graphics file of flower or sculpture - usually in PICT
       or GIF format (as "Painting" document type and "PICT" or
       "GIF" file type, as appropriate).

     - In the Transform menu, choose "Scale by percent", and enter
       the percentage size change (same for height and width) to
       scale the image to a 2-1/2" height proportioned to the
       FLOWERscape plant images."

     - In the Paint toolkit choose (1) white color (upper left
       box in color palette), and (2) transparent fill (upper left
       box in fill pattern palette)

     - In Paint Toolkit choose the Lasso tool.  Press-trace-outline
       the flower or sculpture image to separate-select it from its
       background (or outline-enclose and delete-clear successive
       background areas, until only the graphic flower or sculpture
       image remains in a white background, and then
       outline-select.  (In a white background a loosely surrounding
       lasso contracts around the cleared image for precise
       selection).  Make any final clean-up of selected image so
       object edges will be accurately outline-selected.

     - Select the Paint Bucket tool, move the screen pointer to
       anywhere in the cleared background area of the file, and
       press-fill the background with the (previously selected)
       transparent fill.  Repeat for any internally cleared areas
       within the plant image.

     - Outline-surround the graphic with Lasso tool and release, so
       moving selection-line contracts to outline of the graphic.
       Copy the selected graphic (and accompanying now transparent
       background and internal cleared areas) to clipboard.

     - Open imported FLOWERscape garden layout PICT screen-save
       file (as Drawing document and Pict file type), and paste new
       graphic and its transparent background to it from clipboard
       as graphic object (pastes initially with opaque,
       non-transparent background)

     - In Draw toolkit select transparent fill (upper left box
       in fill pattern palette).  (Pasted graphic becomes
       transparent). Save as PICT file.

     - Repeat the above procedure for other flower or sculpture
       images to be added to layout.

     - Make any desired adjustments to locations of newly pasted
       graphics objects.  Leave "ungrouped" (do not "group").

     - Save design and added images to disk (still in PICT format).
       With images ungrouped, the PICT file may be re-opened at any
       future time for further individual adjustment (or deletion),
       with subsequent re-grouping of entire composite graphic
       layout. If objects are "grouped" in PICT file format, they
       cannot be properly "ungrouped".

     - Print the AppleWorks-augmented virtual garden


Return to Computerized Mary Garden Design INDEX