BLACK BOX 2.0 Cutout filter demo for
Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photopaint
and MicroGrafx Picture Publisher


Installation 

You should have received two directories along with this file (CUTOUT16 and
CUTOUT32). If not, then you should get them from the place you found this file.
If you can not find the appropriate directories, then contact Alien Skin Software
using the information at the end of this document.

To install the Cutout filter, you must first determine which version of the
filter you need to use.

32-Bit Applications

If you wish to use our demo filter with Photoshop 3.0 or with Corel Photopaint
6.0 while running Windows 95 or NT, you would want to use the 32-bit version of
the filter. Run the setup program "SETUP.EXE" found in the "CUTOUT32" directory.
The setup program will display a welcome screen. Select "Continue". It will then
ask you to confirm that it has correctly detected the version of Windows you are
running. After you select "Continue", the setup program will make a guess at the
location of your plug-in directory. If you would like Cutout Demo installed in a
different directory, then select the "Browse..." button and choose another
directory. When you are satisfied with the plug-in directory, select "Continue"
and installation will finish.


16-Bit Applications

If you wish to use our demo filter with Photoshop 2.5, Corel Photopaint 5.0, or
Micrografx Picture Publisher 5, you would want to use the 16-bit version of the
filter.  Run the setup program "SETUP.EXE" found in the "CUTOUT16" directory. The
setup program will display a welcome screen. Select "Continue". It will then ask
you to confirm that it has correctly detected the version of Windows you are
running. If it detects Photoshop 3.0 anywhere on your system, you will get a
warning to "Exit!" Ignore it, and select "OK". It might appear that the
installation has stopped, but it hasn't. The setup program is making a guess at
the location of your plug-in directory. If you would like Cutout Demo installed
in a different directory, then select the "Browse..." button and choose another
directory. When you are satisfied with the plug-in directory, select "Continue"
and installation will finish.

 
This is a Demo 

The installer will place the file AS Cutout Demo 2.0 in your
Photoshop plug-in folder.  AS Cutout Demo 2.0 is a Photoshop filter.  It is a
demonstration version of Cutout, one of the 10 filters in The Black Box 2.0
filter set.  The demo of Cutout is exactly the same as the commercial version,
except that a splash screen is displayed every time the demo is run.  You can
dismiss the splash screen by clicking the mouse in it.

Compatibility 

This demo works with Photoshop 2.5, Photoshop 3.x, PhotoPaint 5 and Picture
Publisher 5. Some report that our 32-bit demo works with Picture Publisher 6 and
with PhotoPaint 6, but we have not been able to confirm that yet.

Usage Tips

Make a Selection 

We strongly recommend that you create a selection before
applying Cutout.  The filter will make it appear that there is a hole in your
image in the shape of the selection.  A good experiment is to create large bold
text and then run Cutout.  To see the results clearly, we recommend that you hide
the marquee by pressing Ctrl-H.  After running Cutout, it should appear that you have
cut a hole in your image in the shape of the letters.

Previews 

There is a preview window in the upper left corner of the dialog.  After
you move a slider, the preview is rendered to show how your image will be
affected by the filter.  You can view different parts of your image by dragging
the cursor in the preview window.  If you wish to interrupt a preview rendering,
press the space bar.  To force the preview window to redraw, simply click the mouse in
it.

Presets 

To help you get started, there are presets available in the popup menu
below the preview window.  To quickly see a variety of effects, select different
settings from the menu.  Note that your last used settings are always saved in
the menu as Last Used.

Save your own settings by clicking on the camera icon.  Delete settings by
clicking on the trashcan icon.

About The Black Box 2.0

What is Cutout? Cutout is one of the 10 filters in The Black Box 2.0.  The filter
you received with this package is a demonstration version of the commercial
Cutout filter.  The commercial version does not display the splash screen.  The
demo is absolutely free and we encourage you to distribute it widely.  The Black
Box 2.0 is not free.  You can purchase it using the order form at the end of this
document.

Why is The Black Box 2.0 so great?

Time Savings The Black Box filters are huge time savers.  The filters in The
Black Box produce effects that used to require complicated series of channel
operations to achieve.  Now you can easily make parts of your image float, glow,
or push out of the page by just clicking the OK button.

Previews With version 2.0, you can preview a filter before running it on your
entire image.  This interactivity helps you painlessly get each effect just
right.  If you typically work with large images, then this feature will make
experimentation fast and painless.

Photoshop 3 Layer Aware All of the filters in The Black Box 2.0 work in Photoshop
3 layers.  In addition, Glow, Drop Shadow, Motion Trail, and Swirl edit
transparency in layers.  These are the first third-party filters to edit
transparency!  This means that you can put your company logo in a layer, make it
glow, and then move the logo along with it's semi-transparent glow without
mangling the rest of your composition.

Savable Settings After you have painstakingly tweaked all of the sliders and
knobs in one of our filters to the perfect positions, you can save those
settings.  With this new feature, you can reproduce your favorite subtle drop
shadow with the touch of a button.  To help you get started, there are over 75
presets.  To see typical uses of the filters, just start loading the presets that
we supply!

Order Form

To order all 10 Photoshop filters in The Black Box 2.0, e-mail, fax, phone, or
print out and snail-mail the following information.

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Alien Skin t-shirt (specify size)  $10  x  ______  = ______
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Send this ordering info to:
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Raleigh, NC  27603-3400         alien@mercury.interpath.net
Voice: (919) 662-4934
Fax: (919) 662-1336

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This demo is freely distributable, though it remains the property of Alien Skin
Software.