Frequently Asked Questions

Q:

Will Opal handle images used on Web Pages?

A:

Yes, absolutely. Opal is 100% web-friendly, and works very well with both GIF and JPEG image types, the two most common image types found on the net. Opal understands JPEG images from Apple Macintosh computers as well, even when Apple operating system proprietary binaries are attached to the beginning of the JPEG file. Opal also handles PNG images, an image type that is growing in importance on the net. In fact, Opal understands (loads, and often also saves) many other image types you will surely find useful.

Q:

Most programs don't make very good GIF's from 24-bit images. What about Opal?

A:

Opal's GIF image generation is optimized for the most accurate and faithful color representation of your images. Since Opal's specialty is the creation of 24-bit special effects, images will typically contain many subtle shades of color. To properly handle this, Opal uses extremely high-performance proprietary color palette generation and dithering technologies that result in the highest possible quality output. Many times, the results are so fine that it is difficult or impossible to to tell an 8-bit GIF render result from a 24-bit image without enlarging an image.

Q:	Does Opal work well with other software?
A:	Yes. Opal supports copy and paste via the Windows clipboard for immediate transfer of image information from one program to another. If the other program does not support the Windows clipboard, then Opal can almost certainly save an image in a format that the other program can understand; Opal's file type compatibility is extensive.

Q:	What size images can Opal work with?
A:	Anything you have the memory for. Opal can deal with images up to an incredible 32,000 pixels by 32,000 pixels, so basically the answer is: If you have the memory, you can work on the image. For images that are intended for the web, the odds are you'll never have any problems of any kind at all.

Q:	What about large effects and areas? Are they high quality?
A:	Yes. In fact, the larger the effect, the more detail it will have. In addition, Opal offers 16-times antialiasing which precisely smoothes the edges of all area selections so that effects can look good at any size.

Q:

Does Opal handle text well?

A:

Opal's text handling is virtually ideal. Opal's 16-times antialiasing is particularly useful with the Windows fonts used to generate text - you will obtain truly excellent quality text results in any size. You can apply bold, italic, bold italic, strikethrough, and underline attributes to any Windows Truetype font, and you can place text strings using anywhere you like using solid colors or other options. Opal can also skew, rotate and scale text in any combination live and on-screen during placement so you can see exactly what you are doing with it. This is particularly useful in the creation of shadow and glow effects for text in any orientation.

Q:	Are these effects "full screen only", like filters are in other programs?
A:	No. Opal's effects can be applied to any area using the flexible set of area selection tools provided. Opal's area selections allow you to place effects on your image using freehand shapes, inside ellipses and circles, rectangles and squares, and within complex polygons - you can even place effects in the shape of text, which can produce extraordinary results!

Q:	Can I work on more than one image at a time in Opal?
A:	Yes. You can work on as many images as you care to. In addition, you can open multiple views on an image so that you can have one view of an area magnified for precise area selection, and another one at 1:1 size so you can see the results as they will appear in the final result.

Q:	Does Opal have an "Undo" capability?
A:	Yes. Opal supports any number of undo operations, and redo operations as well via a powerful undo/redo history. When working on multiple images, Opal keeps track of which undos and redos belong to which image. This allows you to skip from one to another and never get confused or lose an important step. You can set the number of undos available at any time.

Q:

What image types does Opal understand?

A:

Opal handles many types of image file formats. It handles both compressed and uncompressed images, with and without alpha channels and mattes, and of various bit depths defined by the particular format. Here is a complete list of the various image types that Opal can load: AVI Frames (types matching any resident CODEC) Alias 24-, 32- & 8-bit "matte" images BMP images of all types ELF layered image files FLC frames FLI frames FS Framestores (16-bit Newtek Video Frames) GIF images of all types IFF Amiga format images JPEG "JFIF" images PCX 8- and 24-bit images PIC Softimage "Pict", 24- & 32-bit PNG 1- through 32-bit image files PPM portable bitmap binary and ASCII images 8- & 24-bit PSD Photoshop 24-, 32- & 40-bit RGB, RGBA, CMYK & CMYKA images RAW 24-bit RGB triplet files RGB Wavefront 24- & 32-bit RGB and RGBA SGI 8-bit grayscale, 24- and 32-bit RGB and RGBA images TGA Targa 24- and 32-bit images TIFF 24- & 32-bit RGB and RGBA TRM 24- & 32-bit high compression lossless images