INSTRUCTION MANUAL
E
2 EXAMPLES
By selecting individual color channels on the tone curve, adjustments to the overall color
of an image can be made. If the image is too red, green, or blue, simply drag the
corresponding color-channel curve down until the color appears natural. If the color cast
is predominantly one of the secondary colors, cyan, magenta, or yellow, move the curve
of the complementary color up. In this example, the image is too yellow. By moving the
blue curve up, the image looks more neutral. For more on tone-curve corrections, see
page 50.
TONE-CURVE CORRECTIONS
3
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Before installing the DiMAGE Viewer software, read the data-transfer section in the
camera manual. This section details how to connect the camera to a computer using the
supplied USB cable. The examples in this manual assume the camera is connected to
the computer with a USB cable as described in the camera manual.
This instruction manual does not provide instruction in the basic operation of the personal
computers, or the basic operation of Windows or Macintosh operating systems; refer to
the manuals supplied with the computer.
The examples in this manual use Windows software. The appearance of the screens may
differ from the examples when using Macintosh or other Windows operating systems.
Every precaution has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this material. Contact Minolta
if you have any questions. Minolta is not responsible for any loss or damage caused by
the use of this software.
This instruction manual may not be copied either in part or in its entirety without the prior
permission of Minolta.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
System requirements .............................................................................................................................6
DiMAGE Viewer system requirements......................................................................................6
QuickTime system requirements...............................................................................................7
Before installing the DiMAGE Viewer........................................................................................7
Installation ......................................................................................................................................8
Installing the DiMAGE Viewer - Windows .................................................................................8
Installing the DiMAGE Viewer - Macintosh .............................................................................10
Starting up the Viewer..........................................................................................................................12
Starting up the Viewer - Windows...........................................................................................12
Starting up the Viewer - Macintosh .........................................................................................13
Importing and editing images...............................................................................................................14
Loading image files..................................................................................................................14
Updating the thumbnail window ..............................................................................................14
Opening audio files..................................................................................................................15
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Changing the display format....................................................................................................16
Changing the thumbnail format...............................................................................................17
Sorting image files...................................................................................................................18
Selecting thumbnails ...............................................................................................................18
Renaming single files ..............................................................................................................19
Renaming multiple files ...........................................................................................................19
Creating folders............................................................................................................... ........20
Moving images to another folder.............................................................................................21
Copying images to another folder ...........................................................................................22
Cut, copy, paste, and delete - Windows..................................................................................23
Cut, copy, paste, and delete - Macintosh................................................................................23
Displaying and saving image information................................................................................24
Image information setup..........................................................................................................25
Editing the subject line ............................................................................................................25
Basic image processing .......................................................................................................................26
Image-correction window.........................................................................................................26
Tool bars .....................................................................................................................27
Displaying images in the image-correction window ................................................................28
Flip and rotate images .............................................................................................................29
Controlling the image display.................................................................................................. 30
Fit-to-window button ...................................................................................................30
Resizing the viewer window .......................................................................................30
Grab tool.....................................................................................................................31
Magnifying tool............................................................................................................31
Menu options..............................................................................................................31
Variation palette.......................................................................................................................32
Brightness, contrast, and color-balance palette ......................................................................33
An introduction to color............................................................................................................35
Comparing pre- and post correction images...........................................................................36
Undoing and redoing an image correction ..............................................................................37
Processing images of text and line art ...................................................................................37
Data imprinting ........................................................................................................................38
Saving images ....................................................................................................................................40
Resizing an image to be saved...............................................................................................40
Saving an image......................................................................................................................40
Changing the image name or format.......................................................................................41
Printing ....................................................................................................................................42
Creating an index sheet ..........................................................................................................44
Advanced image processing................................................................................................................46
The tone curve / histogram palette..........................................................................................47
5
Using the tone curve ...............................................................................................................48
Drawing tone curves by freehand............................................................................................49
A short guide to tone-curve corrections...................................................................................50
White, black, and gray-point corrections.................................................................................52
Setting the white and black-point values .................................................................................54
Tone-curve / histogram auto setting........................................................................................55
Displaying the color histograms ..............................................................................................55
Histogram corrections..............................................................................................................56
A short guide to histogram corrections ....................................................................................58
Hue, saturation, and lightness palette.....................................................................................60
Auto-setting button......................................................................................................61
Sharpness................................................................................................................................62
Area marquee - saving or printing a portion of an image........................................................64
Tracking image corrections - snapshot button........................................................................65
Saving image corrections........................................................................................................66
Loading image-correction Jobs ...............................................................................................67
Processing RAW images.........................................................................................................68
Saving RAW images................................................................................................................70
Saving RAW Jobs....................................................................................................................71
Loading RAW Jobs..................................................................................................................71
Batch processing.....................................................................................................................72
Movie Enhancer ...................................................................................................................................74
Flicker correction............................................................................................................. ........75
Editing movie files....................................................................................................................76
Splicing two movie clips..............................................................................................76
Copying sections from movie to another....................................................................77
Correcting movie images.........................................................................................................78
Advanced setup....................................................................................................................................80
Customizing the viewer - Preferences.....................................................................................80
Color matching - Color preferences ........................................................................................82
Using printer ICC profiles ........................................................................................................84
Using monitor ICC profiles ......................................................................................................85
About DiMAGE Viewer ICC profiles........................................................................................85
ICC profile locations ................................................................................................................86
Viewer notes ....................................................................................................................................87
Uninstalling the DiMAGE Viewer .............................................................................................87
Copying Job files.....................................................................................................................88
Embedded camera color profiles.............................................................................................90
Note on color measurement....................................................................................................90
Hue correction example...........................................................................................................91
Apple Macintosh series computersIBM PC/AT compatible computers
6 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
PowerPC 100MHz or higher
128MB or more of available RAM
200MB or more of available hard-disk
space
A 24-bit color or greater monitor with a
minimum resolution of 800 X 600. 1024
X 768 or higher is recommended.
DIMAGE VIEWER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Refer to the DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh operating system
requirements. The requirements are printed on the CD-ROM disk. Compatibility with
Windows XP is with the Home or Professional editions only.
Computers with Windows 98 operating systems require Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or
later.
133MHz Pentium processor or higher
64MB or more of RAM
(128MB or more with Windows XP)
200MB or more of available hard-disk
space
A True Color (24 bit) or greater monitor
with a minimum resolution of 800 X
600. 1024 X 768 (XGA) or higher is
recommended.
CD-ROM drive
QuickTime 5 or later QuickTime 4 or later
7
RAM-stationed programs such as anti-virus or installation-monitoring software may cause
the installer to fail. Remove or disable these programs before installing the DiMAGE
Viewer. Reinstall or enable the software when the installation is complete.
If you are upgrading the DiMAGE Viewer from a version earlier than 2.2, see page 88 on
how to save any Job file which may have been created. The procedure must be
completed before installing the new Viewer version.
BEFORE INSTALLING THE DiMAGE VIEWER
QUICKTIME SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
IBM PC / AT Compatible
Pentium-based computer
Windows 95, 98, 98SE, NT, Me,
2000 Professional, or XP.
32MB or more of RAM
Sound Blaster or compatible sound card
DirectX 3.0 or later recommended
To install QuickTime, follow the instructions in
the installer. In the window to choose the type
of installation, select the recommended
option; the minimum or custom options may
prevent the DiMAGE Viewer from operating
properly.
Macintosh users can download the latest
version of QuickTime free of charge from the
Apple Computer web site: www.apple.com.
8
INSTALLING THE
DiMAGE VIEWER - WINDOWS
In the example below, the hard disk drive is drive F. The letters designating the drives will
vary between computers. With Windows 2000 or XP ,the software should be installed with
the Administrator privilege.
Turn on the computer to start Windows.
Insert the DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM into the CD-
ROM drive. The DiMAGE Viewer Installer window
will open automatically. The installer window varies
with the camera model.
Click the “Starting up the DiMAGE Viewer installer”
button to begin installation.
The welcome window
will open. Click “Next>”
to continue.
The license agreement appears. If you accept the
agreement, click “Yes” to continue the installation
routine.
Read the entire license agreement carefully before
continuing. If you do not agree to the terms, click
“No” to exit the installation program.
INSTALLATION
9
To install the software in the default location F:\Program Files\DiMAGE Viewer, click “Next >.”
To install the software in a different location, click
browse button to display the folder selection
window. Specify the directory in which to install the
software.
The name of the default program folder is
displayed. To install the software icons in this
folder, click “Next>.” Installation will begin.
To install the software icons in another folder,
select one of the folders listed in the existingfolders box below. Click “Next>” to begin
installation.
When the software installation has been
completed, a message will be displayed. Click
“Finish.”
The DiMAGE Viewer
installer window will be
displayed. Click “Finish” to
close the window.
10 INSTALLATION
The license agreement appears. If you accept the agreement,
click “Yes” to continue the installation routine.
Read the entire license agreement carefully before continuing.
If you do not agree to the terms, click “No” to exit the installation
program.
Turn on the computer to start the operating system. When the desktop appears, insert the
DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. The contents of the CD-ROM appear
automatically. If the contents do not appear, double-click the CD-ROM icon to open it.
INSTALLING THE
DiMAGE VIEWER - MACINTOSH
Open the utility folder, and then open
the appropriate operating system and
language folder.
Double-click on the installer icon to start the
Installation program.
When the installation screen appears click “Next>” to begin the
setup.
11
The location for the DiMAGE Viewer files must be specified.
Click the reference button.
Confirm the installation location on the installer screen. Click
“Next >>” to install the DiMAGE Viewer.
A window will appear when the software has been installed.
Click “Finish” to exit the installer.
Using the folder-selection
dialog box, select the
location where the software
should be installed. Click
“Choose.”
12 STARTING UP THE VIEWER
STARTING UP THE VIEWER
- WINDOWS
Select the DiMAGE Viewer from
the DiMAGE Viewer folder in
the program option of the start
menu.
The utility will start up
and the thumbnail window will be displayed.
13
STARTING UP THE VIEWER
- MACINTOSH
Open the DiMAGE Viewer folder.
Double-click the DiMAGE Viewer icon to
start up the application. The main
window of the utility will be displayed.
14 IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
Images can be loaded directly from a digital camera or from
image folders saved in the computer. Simply use the folder
tree to select the file containing the images. For information
on the camera’s folder organization, and connecting the
camera to the computer, refer to the camera’s instruction
manual.
Click on the positive (+) nodes to display the contents of a
folder. Click on a negative (–) node to hide the folder
contents.
Click on the image folder to load the images. All still-image,
audio, and movie files in the folder will be loaded.
LOADING IMAGE FILES
UPDATING THE THUMBNAIL WINDOW
If any changes are made to the folder tree or thumbnail
display, for example, the camera is disconnected from
the computer, the window can be updated. Select the
update option from the view menu to update the
DiMAGE Viewer.
IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
15
OPENING AUDIO FILES
Voice memos, audio captions, and audio
recordings made with the camera can
be played back with the DiMAGE
Viewer. To confirm if your camera can
make audio recordings, refer to the
instruction manual. After setting up the
preferences box (see below), simply
click on the note button or double click
on the audio file to play back the
recordings.
Voice memo / Audio caption
Audio recording
To set up the Viewer to play back audio files, select the
preferences option from the file menu to open the
dialog box.
Click on the view button next to the WAV file playback
application text box to display the open dialog box.
Locate the application to play back audio files;
QuickTime or the Windows Media Player can be used
for playback. Click the open button; the execution path
will be displayed in the preferences window.
Click the OK button in the preferences
window to complete the operation.
16 IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
CHANGING THE DISPLAY FORMAT
The contents of a folder can be displayed as thumbnail images, icons, or in a list with file
data. To change the display format, simply press the appropriate button located on the
tool bar.
Thumbnail display button
Icon display button
List display button
17
CHANGING THE THUMBNAIL FORMAT
The thumbnail format can be
changed. Four format are
available: large, medium, small,
and medium with data.
To change the format, highlight
the Thumbnail Preferences option
on the view menu to display the
format options. Highlight and click
the desired thumbnail format; the
thumbnail display will change
accordingly.
Large
Medium
Small
Medium with data
To edit or add a
subject line in
the data display
see page 25.
18 IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
SORTING IMAGE FILES
Image files can be sorted by name, date, extension, or subject line in ascending or
descending order. This function works with the thumbnail, icon, or list displays (p. 16). To
sort the displayed images, use the sort menu or the sort-by drop-down menu on the tool
bar. Simply highlight the sorting category with the mouse.
The sort menu can also be used to change the display between ascending and
descending order. The reverse-order button on the tool bar will also change the display
order.
Reverse-order button
SELECTING THUMBNAILS
Click on the thumbnail boarders or file icon to select a
single image. To select multiple images, press and hold
the control key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh)
and then click on each image; the selected frames will
have a dark border. To deselect an image, click on the
thumbnail or icon a second time while holding the control
key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh). To select
consecutive images, press and hold the shift key and
then click on the first and last image of the series. Press
the control key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh)
and “A” key at the same time to select all images.
19
RENAMING MULTIPLE FILES
Multiple files can be renamed in the thumbnail, icon, or list displays (p. 16). Click on the
thumbnail boarders or file icon to select the images to be renamed (p. 18).
From the tool menu, select the
rename-all option. The renameall window will open.
In the rename-all window, enter the new file
name up to ten characters, and enter the
first serial number up to five digits.
Click the OK button to change the file
names of the selected images.
RENAMING SINGLE FILES
Single files can be renamed in the thumbnail, icon, or list
displays (p. 16). When rewriting file names, always include
the original file extension.
Click on the thumbnail, icon, or file name to highlight it.
Click on the file name to activate the cursor or select rename
from the edit menu. Use the keyboard to change the file
name.
20 IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
New folders can be created to store images. Click on the
desired location for the new folder. In this example the new
folder will be placed in Camera Images.
Click on the new-folder button on the tool bar
or select new folder from the file menu. The
new folder will be created in the specified
location.
The folder name can be changed with the
keyboard.
CREATING FOLDERS
MOVING IMAGES TO ANOTHER FOLDER
Multiple files can be moved from one folder to
another. Click on the thumbnail boarders or file icon
to select the images to be moved.
• To select multiple images, press and hold the control
key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh) and then
click on each image to be moved; the selected frames
will have a dark border. To deselect an image, click on
the thumbnail or icon a second time while holding the
control key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh).
To select consecutive images, press and hold the shift
key and then click on the first and last image of the
series. Press the control key (Windows) or command
key (Macintosh) and “A” key at the same time to select
all images.
Click on the move-to-folder button on
the tool bar or select the move-to-folder
option from the edit menu. The moveto-folder window will open.
In the move-to-folder window, click on the destination
folder. Click the select button to move the specified
images to the designated folder. If an image has an
attached audio, or thumbnail file, those files will also be
copied.
A new folder can be created in this window. Click on the
location for the new folder and click the new-folder
button; a folder will appear in the folder tree in the
window. The folder can be renamed.
New-folder button
21
22 IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
COPYING IMAGES TO ANOTHER FOLDER
Multiple files can be copied from one folder to
another. Click on the thumbnail boarders or file icon
to select the images to be copied.
• To select multiple images, press and hold the control
key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh) and then
click on each image to be copied; the selected frames
will have a dark border. To deselect an image, click on
the thumbnail or icon a second time while holding the
control key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh).
To select consecutive images, press and hold the shift
key and then click on the first and last image of the
series. Press the control key (Windows) or command
key (Macintosh) and “A” key at the same time to select
all images.
Click on the copy-to-folder button
on the tool bar or select the copyto-folder option from the edit menu.
The copy-to-folder window will
open.
In the copy-to-folder window, click on the destination
folder. Click the select button to copy the specified
images to the designated folder If an image has an
attached audio, or thumbnail file, those files will also be
copied.
A new folder can be created in this window. Click on the
location for the new folder and click the new-folder
button; a folder will appear in the folder tree in the
window. The folder can be renamed.
New-folder button
23
CUT, COPY
, PASTE, AND DELETE - WINDOWS
When a delete command is given, a
confirmation screen will appear. Clicking
the yes button will execute the command
and delete the data, clicking the no
button will cancel the delete command.
Cut Copy Paste Delete
Select the folder or images to be moved. Click the cut or copy button. The display will not
change when a cut is made until the paste has been completed. Click on the new location
for the folder or images. Click the paste button to complete the operation.
The cut, copy, and paste functions are located in the edit menu. They can be used for
editing file and folder names, but they cannot be used to cut, copy, or paste files and
folders.
The delete button on the tool bar or pressing the command and delete button on the
keyboard will erase files and folders. When a delete command is given, a confirmation
screen will appear. Clicking the yes button will execute the command and delete the data,
clicking the no button will cancel the delete command.
CUT
, COPY, PASTE, AND DELETE - MACINTOSH
The tool bar and edit menu can be used to cut, copy,
paste, and delete folders and single or multiple
images. These functions affect any audio or thumbnail
files attached to an image. The delete key on the
keyboard will also delete folders and images.
Image information can be saved as a special text file.
Simply select single or multiple thumbnails and then
select the save-image-information option from the file
menu; the save-as dialog box will open.
The image-information file can be
opened in spreadsheet software
such as Microsoft Excel or with
word processing application like
Simple Text.
24
DISPLAYING AND SAVING IMAGE INFORMATION
With an image selected in the thumbnail window, click
the image-information button. If more than one
thumbnail image is selected, one window for each image
will open.
To close the window, click the close button in the top
right corner. The information displayed in the window
may vary between camera models.
Recording data is contained in an exif tag attached to
the image file. If an image is opened in a imageprocessing application that does not support exif tag
data, and then the image is saved overwriting the
original data, the exif tag information will be erased.
When using software other than the DiMAGE Viewer,
always rename the image file to protect the exif tag
data.
IMPORTING AND EDITING IMAGES
25
IMAGE INFORMATION SETUP
The Exif information displayed in the image
information window can be edited. Select
the image-information-setup option from
the file menu to open the setup window.
Click on the item to be added to or
removed from the image information
display and click the appropriate move
button.
>>: to move to the show list.
<<: to move to the hide list.
The show-all and hide-all buttons adds or
removes all Exif information in the imageinformation display.
Click “OK” to save the setup.
EDITING THE SUBJECT LINE
Cameras like the DiMAGE A1 can attach text
to an image’s Exif data. This is shown in the
subject field in the image-information display.
Exif 2.1 or later format images can have a
subject line added or edited.
Select the image(s) to be edited. Choose the
edit-subject-line option from the tool menu to
open the edit window. Enter the subject line
and click the save button to complete the
operation.
26 BASIC IMAGE PROCESSING
BASIC IMAGE PROCESSING
The image-correction window displays the utility’s image-processing tools. Adjustments to
color, contrast, brightness, and saturation can be made. This section contains details on
the basic image-processing tools. For descriptions of the advanced tools, see pages 46
though 73.
IMAGE-CORRECTION WINDOW
Tool bars
Status bar
Color
histogram
display
Image
information
display
(p. 25)
The view menu can
turn the tool bars,
snapshot display area,
status bar, image
information display,
and color histograms
on and off. Simply
choose the menu
option to show or hide
the display.
Snapshot
display area
(p. 65)
Image display area
Image display area only
27
Brightness, contrast, and color-balance button (p. 33)
Image number
display (p. 28)
Fit-to-window button
(p. 30)
Reset-all button (p. 37)
Redo button (p. 37)
Undo button (p. 37)
Variation button (p. 32)
Tool bars
Magnifying button (p. 31)
Grab button (p. 31)
Index-display button (p. 28)
Flip-vertical button (p. 29)
Flip-horizontal button (p. 29)
Rotate-left button (p. 29)
Rotate-right button (p. 29)
Comparison-display button (p. 36)
Data-imprinting button
(p. 38)
28 BASIC IMAGE PROCESSING
In the index display, an image can automatically
be loaded into the image-correction window.
Simply double-click on a thumbnail or icon to
display the image in the image-correction
window.
The color-correction window will display the image number and the total number of
images loaded. Clicking on the arrows on each side of the display will load the previous
or next image.
Image number of the image currently displayed
Total number of images loaded in the utility
DISPLAYING IMAGES IN THE IMAGE
-CORRECTION WINDOW
Click to display the previous image
Click to display the next image
To return to the index
display, click the
index-display button.
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