How to Ceate New Sprites in Image Composer

• Microsoft Image Composer, versions 1.0, 1.0a

SUMMARY

Image Composer allows you to create new sprites (images) in addition to manipulating existing sprites within your composition. New sprites can be extracted from existing sprites or created using either the Text or Shapes palettes. This article describes how to create a new Rectangle and Text sprite using the Shapes and Text palettes.

MORE INFORMATION

The Geometry group, located on the Shapes tools palette, allows you to create rectangular, oval, and polygon sprites, in addition to irregularly shaped sprites with the spline tool. You can adjust the opacity and color for any of these shapes and line width, edit points, and other values for the spline and polygon.

Creating a Rectangle Sprite

To create a new Rectangle sprite follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Shapes.

2. On the Shapes tool palette, click Rectangle.

3. Set the Opacity slider to the desired position.

4. Place the pointer on the workspace, then drag to draw a rectangle with the bounding box.

5. Alter the size of the sprite by dragging the editing points of the sprite Editing points appear as small squares on the rectangle you have drawn and click Render.

Sprites are created in the current color displayed in the Color Swatch. When you want to use a different color for a sprite, you must change the current color before creating the sprite.

Creating a Text Sprite

Text sprites are like any other sprites: you can move them, shape them, color them, texture them, and apply any of Image Composer s effects, tools, or filters. After you have created a text sprite, you can apply any effect or filter to the text, but you cannot change the text string itself. Text you have typed using the Text tool palette remains in the edit box, so creating a new text sprite with slightly altered text is easy.

To create a new Text sprite follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Text.

2. On the Text tool palette, click Select Font.

3. In the Font dialog box, choose a Font type, Font style, and Size and click OK.

4. In the Text edit box, type the text you want to appear in your composition.

5. Move the Opacity slider to the setting you want for the text sprite and click Apply.

Image Composer supports any scaleable fonts that you have installed on your computer, including the sample fonts that can be installed with this program.