What is Graphic Converter?

Manipulating a file includes cropping, resizing, changing the orientation and other fine tuning. A shareware program which can do all this is called "Graphic Converter." Graphic Converter can open several graphic formats including PICT and BMP. If you need to download Graphic Converter you can get it from Lemke Software. If you're in the Kent School District, the registered version is on the wwwdev server, in the WWW Tools section, as well as in the KSD_Public server. The main points of using Graphic Converter are below. Following this are some outside tutorials and tips.

 

1. It is important that you first open the program Graphic Converter and then open the PICT file from within the application. If you just double-click on your PICT file, you may launch the program used to create it instead of opening it within Graphic Converter. Always make sure you first open Graphic Converter, and then choose "Open" from the File Menu. You will see your picture in the main window, a smaller window with stats about your picture as well as a tool bar.
3. To crop your file, use the marquee tool to outline the part of the picture you want to keep. Then choose "Trim selection" from the Edit Menu. You can also use the tool bar to erase or color parts of your picture.
5. Under the Picture menu you can adjust brightness, contrast and hue by choosing the Brightness/Contrast option. You also need to make sure 256 Colors is selected under the Colors option which is under the Picture Menu. You can only save this in GIF format if it is in 256 colors.
7. The last important feature of Graphic Converter is its ability to resize documents. Make sure that you are viewing your picture at 100%. The size you see on the screen is approximately the size it will appear in your web page. To change the size, look under the Picture Menu, go to the Size option and then select Scale. The easiest way to scale is by Factor (already chosen). Be sure that the number you select is the same for the X and Y, otherwise your picture will be distorted. Now you are ready to convert your file.
9. To make part of your image transparent (i.e. the background), click the magic wand tool and then click on that color. Everything that is that color in your image will be transparent. If you have a white background and want white to show within your picture, use the paint bucket to dump a color in the background of your image that is not used elsewhere in the image. Then, make that color transparent.
11. Click here to learn how to use Graphic Converter to resize or convert several pictures at a time.
13. Before choosing Save, be sure to choose the Format type (GIF or JPEG). The program will add ".gif" to the end of your file name. Be sure you don't have any spaces in the name of your file and keep the .GIF on the end of your file name. I always change the capital GIF to a lowercase gif so that I don't have to remember which way it was saved later on in my HTML.
15. To create an entire Web site in just minutes that includes images and their thumbnail representations, try using the HTML Catalog feature. Another free program for making quick thumbnails of your images is QuickNailer.
17. If you want to build or alter an animated graphic, use GIF Builder (Macintosh) or Animagic (Windows/PC).

 

Here are some links to online tutorials for Graphic Converter:

• Graphic Converter Tutorial
  Just the basics of changing format, size, etc. and saving. Uses lots of screen shots from the older version of Graphic Converter which are still usable.
• Graphic Converter Tutorial
  This has basic directions using a specific photo that can be followed with any image. All the basics are covered as well as changing the brightness, etc. of a photo.