TactileView-en

Images imported into TactileView need to be edited prior to printing using a combination of the filters and retouching tools. Because source images vary widely, it is helpful to experiment with the different filters to find out what works best for your image. If a filter does not produce the desired result, undo the action by selecting ‘Undo’ from the Edit menu or pressing CTRL+Z.
You can activate one of the filters by selecting ‘Filters’ icon in the left vertical toolbar, or selecting one from the Filters menu. For some of the filters, a horizontal slider allows you to adjust the extent in which it is applied. The filters are applied to the entire design and will fuse all objects in the design.

You can also apply filters to a selected area only, without affecting the rest of the design; see ‘Select area; editing parts of the design’. Please note: in the images on this page, the filters are only applied to the right-hand side of the image to show the effect compared to the original image on the left.

Convert to line drawing

One way to process the image so that it can better be embossed is to convert it to a line drawing. Select the Convert to Line Drawing option from the Filters menu. A slider bar will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Drag the slider left or right until the image looks as desired.

Convert to black and white

Some images can come out better when converted to black and white rather than to a line drawing. Select the Convert to Black and White option from the Filters menu. A slider bar will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Drag the slider left or right until the image looks as desired.

Change line thickness

Use this filter to increase or decrease line thicknesses in the image all at once. If your image contains a lot of light, thin lines or a dark, thick lines, this filter is helpful to make them all thicker or thinner at the same time. Select Change Line Thickness from the Filters menu. When the slider appears at the upper left corner of the screen, slide it to the right to make lines thicker or to the left to make them thinner.

Add contours

This option allows you to add outlines around each different colored area in an image. Contours (black lines) are added at the transition point between one color and another and the thickness of the contour lines is controlled using the slider that appears at the upper left corner of the screen when you select the filter. This filter can be helpful for simple drawings that have well-defined areas in distinct colors, but is less useful when applied to photos or other images where color fades from lighter to darker without a distinct transition point.

Blur image

The use of this filter lets you soften or sharpen edges between areas of color in an image. Select Blur the Image from the Filters menu, then use the slider that appears at the upper left corner of the screen to adjust the image. Sliding the slider right will soften edges and sliding it left will sharpen the edges.

Replace colours

This filter is mostly used to remove certain colours in the image by converting them to white or black. In the dialog that appears, you can select which colour should be replaced from the list of colours that are present in the design. You can also adjust the colour range to include similar shades in the colour replacement. Once you are finished replacing the desired colours, click ‘OK’ to confirm the changes.

Negative

This option is mostly used when an image has a lot of black area. Choosing Negative from the Filters menu will exchange all colors in the image file with their opposites. Black areas become white, blue areas become orange, red areas become green, etc.

Rotating, mirroring and scaling the image

To rotate the entire image, select either ‘Rotate Clockwise’ or ‘Rotate anticlockwise’ from the Filters menu. The image will rotate 90 degrees in the direction you selected.

To mirror the image, select ‘Mirror Horizontally’ or ‘Mirror Vertically’ from the Filters menu. Mirroring horizontally flips the image left to right, like turning a page in a book. Mirroring vertically flips the image upside down, like turning a page in a wall calendar.

To scale the image, select it and then drag the blue square in the lower right corner of the design area diagonally to scale the image smaller or larger.

Drawing straight lines

To draw a straight line, choose the ‘Draw Straight Line’ icon from the toolbar on the left side of the screen. In the design area, click the starting position for your line, then click the end position.

Drawing squares and rectangles

To draw a square, choose the Draw Square-Rectangle icon from the tool bar on the left side of the screen. Click in the design to mark the position of the first corner, then move the mouse to determine the size of the square and click a second time to confirm. Alternatively, you can click and drag, then release at the opposite corner.

By dragging the markers in one of the four corners the size can be increased or decreased. Dragging inwards or outwards with the markers in the middle of the four sides will turn the square into a rectangle.

Drawing circles and ellipses

To draw a circle, choose the ‘Draw Circle-Ellipse’ icon from the left vertical tool bar on the left side of the screen. In the design area, click the location for the first position, then move the mouse until the circle is the desired size and click again to confirm. Alternatively, you can click and drag, then release at the opposite corner.

By dragging the markers in one of the four corners the size can be increased or decreased. Dragging inwards or outwards with the markers in the middle of the four sides will turn the circle into an ellipse.

Drawing triangles

To insert a triangle into your drawing, select the ‘Draw Triangle’ icon from the left vertical toolbar. Next, select what type of triangle to insert from the right vertical properties tool bar that appears.

The bottom four icons on this tool bar show the available types of triangles. From top to bottom, the triangle types available in the tool bar are right, isosceles, equilateral and scalene. Triangles may be changed from one type to another after you have placed them in your drawing, but it is easiest to select the appropriate triangle type prior to inserting the shape.

Once you have selected the type of triangle you want, click the point in the design area where you want one of the corners and then drag until the triangle is the desired size. Alternatively, you can click and drag, then release at the opposite corner.

The ‘Angles and lines’ dialog can be used for a more mathematically oriented notation. The corners of the triangle are marked with letters A, B and C.  By default they will only show on screen (green colour, not embossed). By checking ‘Characters A, B, C at corners’ in the ‘Angles and lines’ dialog, they will also be presented in braille characters once embossed.

The corners of the triangle can each be provided with 3 types of specific lines: altitude, median line and bisector, which will be embossed as dotted lines.

Drawing polygons

A polygon consists of several lines that are connected as one object. To insert a polygon, choose the ‘Draw Polygon’ icon from the tool bar on the left side of the screen. Click in a number of positions in the design area to draw a polygon. To finish the polygon, click on the first anchor point (first purple marker) to close the polygon. Alternatively, you can click again on the last placed anchor point to make an open shape. You can also choose these two options from the toolbar or context menu by selecting ‘Close polygon’ or ‘Finalize the polygon (leave the last connection open)’.

When you have an open polygon selected, two green plus symbols on screen allow you to continue drawing at the ends of the polygon. You can also choose ‘Continue drawing at first/last endpoint’ from the context menu. The red border around a selected polygon can be used to resize it by dragging the purple markers.

You can choose between straight and curved lines between the anchor points. This allows you to make use of rounded curves in your design.

Drawing freehand line or closed shape

To draw freehand lines or closed shapes, choose the Draw Freehand Line or Closed Shape icon from the tool bar on the left side of the screen. In the design area, click the desired starting location and drag the mouse to create the desired line. To create a closed shape, click the desired starting location and drag the mouse to create the desired shape, returning to the starting location before releasing the mouse button.

As with the polygon, you can choose between straight and curved lines between the anchor points. The dashed red border can be used to resize the entire object.

Drawing dots

To add round dots to your design, select the ‘Draw filled dots’ from the let vertical toolbar, then click in your design to position the dot. The size of the dot can be changed with the purple markers. The dot size can range from only one braille dot up to a large filled circle of multiple centimetres in diameter.