INSTANT ARTIST as the name implies is a graphic package that affords the user to make quick/immediate graphic designs with the aids of template, layout and other Instant Artist’s readymade effects
BASIC TERMS IN INSTANT ARTIST
Document
Anything you create using Instant Artist, whether it contains graphics and fill only, text only, or a combination.
Document Type
One of eight kinds of documents you can create: sign, banner, business card, envelope, greeting card, letterhead, postcard, or certificate.
Fill
A fully coloured-in-rectangle used to fill in space in document and set off graphics and text.
Graphic
An illustration included in Instant Artist’s Graphic library.
Layout
Fully formatted and designed, ready-to-print document included in Instant Artist. Nearly 400 professionally designed layouts are included. Layouts and the layout library are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.
Object
Text block, fill, or graphic that has been inserted into an Instant Artist document.
Symbol
A special kind of graphic to which effects can be applied.
Text block
A group of words or letters that has been inserted in a document.
The Mouse in Instant Artist
The pointer changes appearance as you move it around the screen with the mouse. Each of the different forms, or “icons”, represents a different function in Instant Artist. These icons types are shown in the
User Guide.
To get access to the function you want, move the mouse until the correct icon appears and then keep the mouse in that area until you’ve begun using the function.
If you are unfamiliar with Windows conventions and using the mouse, you should take the time to work through the tutorials provided with Windows. These will give a basic idea of how to navigate in Windows and how to maneuver with the mouse.
Screen Conventions
As in most Windows application, the two basic screen displays in Instant Artist are the Workspace screen or Desktop and the Instant Artist dialog box.
The Select Document Type dialog box into which the program opens differs from all other dialog boxes in Instant Artist; instead of categories and Selection lists, it has a document type area above the preview screen and command button buttons for selecting the type of document buttons for selecting the type of document you wish to create or open.
Saving and naming new documents
When you are ready to save your document, you need to assign two names to it¾a "descriptive name" and a standard DOS "filename.
The "descriptive name" is for your personal use and should remind you of the document's contents. When you later open your document, Instant Artist will show you an alphabetical list of all the documents you have created in that document type¾for example, a list of all the business cards you have created¾so they are available for preview and selection.
DOS filenames, on the other hand, are for the computer's use and follow normal DOS conventions: they can have a maximum of eight characters and must not contain certain special characters reserved for use by DOS. For more information, consult your DOS documentation.
Instant Artist automatically assigns the following file extensions to the DOS filenames that you choose:
.SGN sign
.BC business card
.LTH letterhead
.ENV envelope
.BAN banner
.CER certificate
.PC postcard
.GC greeting card
Even if you add a different file extension, the program will overwrite it with the correct extension for that document
type. This allows the program to list your saved files in the correct document type when you choose the Open
command from the Select Document Type dialog box.
Saving a new document
To save a new document:
1. Choose the Save command from the File menu.
2. Type in a descriptive name of up to 40 characters, and press ENTER.
3. Type in a DOS filename.
4. Decide on the drive and subdirectory in which to save the document. Your Instant Artist subdirectory is the default storage directory¾if you do nothing at this point, Instant Artist will use this subdirectory for storing your document. If you want to change the storage location, follow these steps:
4a. Click the arrow beside the Drives list to display a list of available drives.
4b. Select the desired drive from among those listed.
4c. Select the desired directory from the Directories list.
4d. Confirm your choices by clicking OK or pressing Enter.
Saving an existing document and renaming files
You can save an existing document just like you do a new one¾by pressing CTRL + S or choosing Save from the File menu. This saves the document under the same descriptive name and filename that it had before.
It's a good idea to get in the habit of saving often, as this will prevent loss of work in case of program or hardware failure. It will also make it more worthwhile to revert to the most recent version if you're not satisfied with the changes you've made to your document.
To rename your file:
1. Choose the Save As... command from the File menu or press F12.
The Save As dialog box will open, listing the document's current names.
2. Highlight the name you wish to change by double-clicking the box with the mouse.
3. Type the new name and click OK or press ENTER to confirm.
Note: You must enter a new DOS filename to save the document as a new document. Changing the descriptive name only will not create a new file in your Instant Artist subdirectory.
Suggestions about naming files
Once you have started to accumulate Instant Artist files, it will become more important to be able to tell them apart by their names. You can incorporate quite a bit of information into both the descriptive name and the filename to help you.
For example:
Indicate which version of the file you have stored. You may want to save successive drafts of a document if you're not sure which one you'll ultimately use. If you are making a birthday card for your mother and have two
designs you like, save both of them with descriptive names of MOTHER CARD 1 and MOTHER CARD 2, and with DOS filenames of MOTHER1.GC and MOTHER2.GC.
Dialog Boxes
The main difference between Instant Artist Dialog boxes in other Windows program is the addition of the Preview screen, which allows you to see what you are selecting before you confirm the selection.
Each part of the dialog box has a particular function:
1. The Screen title bar shows the dialog box you are currently working with.
2. The Categories list includes the categories of layouts or documents available to choose from.
3. The Selections list contains the descriptive names of all layouts or documents in the currently highlighted category.
4. The preview screen shows the document type or document currently highlighted on the screen.
5. The Command buttons execute commands available within a dialog box. These may change as you enter different dialog boxes.
Note:
The preview screens for Greeting Cards and Postcards have list boxes which allow you to preview the fronts and backs of both types of cards, and both sides of the Greeting Card interior, for each layout in these documents types.
Creating new documents in Instant Artist
You can create a document in any one of four ways.
1. Creating your own document from scratch using a “blank”
2. Beginning with a template, which is a special kind of blank
3. Beginning with one of the documents layouts from Instant Artist
4. Beginning with a document type from the Select Document Type dialog box or the File menu.
To choose document type:
1. Press or click its button in the Document type area.
2. Click the New button. This activates a screen whose title matches the type of document you just chose.
Note:
Greeting cards have an intermediate screen that asks you to choose a card fold pattern. Once you have done this, you will see the dialog box, New Greeting Card.
Next, decide whether you want to work with a blank, template, or layout by clicking to highlight Blank, Template or the category from which you wish to choose a layout.
To choose a layout, template, or blank format:
1. Scroll using the scroll bar on the right side of the list, and click your choice.
2. Click OK OR double-click the preview screen or the highlighted name when your choice is visible.
Once you have chosen a blank, template, or layout, you will see Instant Artist’s main Workspace, from which you can call up the Graphics library insert text in one o many different fonts, and apply effects, shapes and colours.
If you wish to close your current document and open another in the same document type, choose New from the File menu or press Ctr + N. This returns you to Select New….screen. To open a different type from the Workspace screen, choose Document Type from the File menu.
Note:
The selected screen also gives you a choice of viewing the document you select in monochrome. This is especially helpful if you have colour monitor but are going to print on a monochrome printer. This choice is also available for graphics, as discussed in the “Effects and Colour section”.
Frames
Learning to use the frame is the key to using Instant Artist. All the essential functions for manipulating text and graphics are found there.
Every object in a document is surrounded by a frame, although you see the frame only when this object is selected, you cannot move, reshape, or edit the contents of a frame unless the frame itself is “active”, that is, selected and visible on the screen. Activate a frame by clicking somewhere within the frame, or press spacebar which activates one frame in your document, and then press tab to activate each succeeding frame one at a time. Changes you make to the frame affects everything within the frame in the same way. Usually, only one frame is active at a time, but there are ways to link and group frames. No two objects ever occupy the same frame.
The Palettes
The Colour, Effect, Font and Shape palettes are different from the menus in Instant Artist in that they can be dragged to any part of the Desktop for quick reference any time you need them and, if moved away from the Toolbar, they will remain open on screen until you close them (by double-clicking their control boxes or pushing their toggle buttons on the Toolbar) Also unlike menus, palettes have a scrolling area where their many options are listed.
To move a palette, place the pointer in the title bar and hold down the left mouse button while dragging the palette to the part of your screen where you want it. Instant Artist will save your palette placements, even when you exit the program, unless you turn off the Save Palette Placement function on the View menu. To activate a palette that has been left open on screen, click anywhere in the palette.
Palettes may be opened using the More… option from the corresponding menus, or by pushing the buttons on the Toolbar. Palettes contain all the options (except more….) available on the menus, as well as the added choices available in the lists.
The Toolbar
Certain often-used functions are also available on buttons on the Toolbar below the Menu Title Bar. The Toolbar is hidden when you first enter Instant Artist. To display the Toolbar, choose the Button Bar command from the View menu.
To use these functions, simply click the appropriate button with the mouse. The following list describes the buttons and their functions in Instant Artist.
Document Type
Opens the Select Document Type dialog box.
New
Opens the Select New... dialog box in the document type currently open on the Desktop.
Open
Allows you to open a previously saved document of the type currently open on the Desktop.
Save
Saves the current document.
Opens the Print Control Panel/Preview dialog box.
Text
Opens the Insert New Text dialog box for text entry.
Graphic
Opens the Insert New Graphic dialog box for the insertion of graphics into a document.
Fill
Inserts a fill into the document.
Basic Shapes
Opens the graphics dialog box with the Basic Shapes category already open.
Fonts
Displays the palette of fonts available for use in Instant Artist.
Effect
Displays the palette of effects which may be applied to text, fills, basic shapes, and symbols in Instant Artist.
Color
Displays the Color palette.
Shapes
Displays the palette of shapes which may be applied to frames in Instant Artist.
Left align
Aligns text in a selected text block to the left frame border.
Center align
Centers lines of text in a selected text block in its frame.
Right align
Aligns text in a selected text block to the right frame border.
Letter justify
Justifies text in a selected text block to the left and right borders within a frame by adding or removing spaces between letters.
Word justify
Justifies text in a selected text block to the left and right borders within a frame by adding or removing spaces between words.
Horizontal stretch
"Stretches" a selected object to fill its frame between the left and right borders.
Center object
Centers a selected object between the top and bottom borders of its frame.
Vertical stretch
"Stretches" a selected object to fill its frame between the top and bottom borders.
Word Wrap
Toggles Word Wrap ON and OFF.
Turning commands on and off: Toggles
Toggles are a special category of command that are either on or off, like a light switch.
Choosing the command
"flips the switch" and reverses the setting of the command. Examples of toggles in Instant Artist are Snap to Grid, Save Palette Placements, and Word Wrap.
Toggles often set the parameters of your working environment within the Desktop or within a frame in the Desktop.
Some toggles, like Snap to Grid, have keyboard shortcuts; others have buttons on the Toolbar.
The Layout library
Instant Artist includes over 400 layouts ready for your use. These layouts have been created by professional artists and graphic designers to be attractive and effective designs. Each has been created with the graphics from Instant Artist's Graphics library.
You can select any one of these layouts as a basis for a new creation of your own. Once you choose a layout from the Layout list, a copy of the layout will appear on the Desktop, ready to be edited according to your instructions.
Even if you would rather create your own documents from scratch, the layouts illustrate what the program does and can give you new ideas. They can also help you learn how to use Instant Artist's commands; you can select a layout you like, open it, and figure out what commands the artist has used to create it by pulling down the menus and opening the tool palettes. The menus record the commands applied to each graphic or text box with a check mark, the palettes with a highlight.
Each different document type contains its own Layout library. The layouts have been designed to meet the most common needs users have, and the library is divided into categories based on these needs.
The Graphics library
The Graphics library is divided into categories, based on the subject matter of the illustration. It includes various backgrounds and borders, basic shapes, a large number of international symbols, a selection of nation symbols, illustrations of people and animals, and zodiac signs, for a total of over 700 illustrations. To ease your browsing, the All category shows (in alphabetical order by name) all illustrations in all categories.
Some graphics are monochrome only and others are available in both monochrome and color, but you can always convert color graphics to monochrome and apply colors to monochrome graphics. The color version of a graphic will automatically preview in color, unless you have clicked the box next to View Monochrome at the bottom of the Instant Artist, as the name implies is a graphic package that enables the user to make quick/immediate designs with the aid of layout, and template designs and other graphic tools and effects available.
Select New Graphic dialog box.
Instant imagination's index shows all the illustrations in the Graphics library by category, as well as selected layouts and all the program's fonts.
The Quotation library
The Quotation library contains a variety of quotations ready to be inserted into your document with the click of a button. The Quotation library may be accessed from the Change Message Text dialog box. Quotes are listed alphabetically by category and author.
What are graphics, fills, shapes, and symbols?
Besides text, there are four other kinds of objects you can use to create your documents: graphics, fills, shapes, and symbols. Graphics are fully crafted illustrations, some in monochrome values, others with artists' preset colorsets assigned to them. Fills are rectangles "filled in" with color; they are often used to set off text and graphics, and to fill in white space in documents. Shapes are basic geometric shapes "filled in" with color; they may be inserted straight from the Object menu as well as from the Graphics library. Symbols are representational shapes "filled in" with color; they include nation symbols, which are found in the Places category in the Graphics library.
The crucial difference between graphics and fills, shapes, and symbols within Instant Artist is that fills, shapes, and symbols are treated much like text. This means you can apply almost the full range of Effect commands to them. However, you can apply only the Flipped command to graphics.
Graphics
Fill, shape, and symbol characteristics
Inserting and replacing graphics
To insert a new graphic:
1. Choose Graphic from the Insert menu, or press the Graphic button on the Toolbar.
2. Scroll through the categories of graphics until the desired category is visible, and then click the Category to highlight it.
3. Scroll through the Graphics list using the scroll bar. Click the desired name to highlight it and display the graphic on the preview screen.
4. Double-click the preview screen or the highlighted name, or press ENTER.
To replace a graphic already in your document:
1. Activate the frame around the unwanted graphic by clicking the frame, and then double-click. You will be returned to the point in the Graphics library where the original graphic came from.
2. If you want to replace the original graphic with one from the same category, use steps 3 and 4 from the previous list. If you want to replace the original graphic with one from a different category, return to the Category list and choose the category you want, and then use steps 3 and 4.
Replacement graphics will be inserted at the same frame size and orientation as the original graphic.
With templates, there are additional ways to insert graphics. For a discussion of templates, see the section on "Documents."
Once you have inserted a graphic in a document, the graphic's category and its descriptive name will remain highlighted to remind you of your choice. The next time you look at the Graphics library, you will see your previous selection on the preview screen (unless you are working with a template or as noted above).
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