Modifying Raster (bitmap) Images

Using the bitmap selection tools available in the Tools panel will crop the image to exclude the areas of the image that are unneeded and then modify the image in other ways as well.

Modifying a Raster (Bitmap) Image

Download our working floating woman image by right clicking here and select "Save Target As".

1. Working in bitmap mode requires that a portion of the image first be selected. Unlike vectors, you can’t simply use the Pointer tool to select an object on the canvas. You must first define the bitmapped area that you want to work with and then perform your operations. There are some great tools available at the top of the Tools panel to help in this process.

Any tools with the small down pointing triangle in the lower right hand corner of the tools designate that there is a sub menu for that tool. Hold down the mouse button on the tool and a flyout menu will expose other options for that tool.

2. The first tool you’ll try is the MARQUEE TOOL, and it’s the simplest to use. This tool will create either a rectangular or oval selection area on the image based on the option you choose. Try an oval marquee first, drawing an oval marquee around the woman as you see here. Once an area is selected, you will see the MARCHING ANTS dashed line that dances around your selection.

Hold down the Shift key while dragging any oval or square tool in the Tools panel and you will draw an object with equal height and width rather than an ellipse or rectangle. back to top

3. Now that part of the image is selected, you can create a new document that will only include the oval cutout of the woman. Just select CTRL + C from the keyboard. Fireworks MX® has an excellent method for getting this done and will automatically record the exact canvas size that is necessary to hold this image.
   
4. To create a new image document to hold the woman, choose FILE/NEW and notice that the canvas size has already been set. Accept the default canvas size and click OK. Pasting the copy of the man you created earlier is a simple matter of choosing EDIT/PASTE (or right-clicking the canvas and choosing Paste from the context menu) and placing the copy onto the new canvas. Your finished product should appear as you see here. back to top
   
5. To delete an object on the canvas, use the Pointer tool to select the entire image of the man by clicking it, and then press the DELETE KEY. You can also try moving the image around the canvas by using the Pointer tool. Notice how it will snap into place as you near the edge of the canvas. When you’re finished, you can save this document or close it without saving the changes.
   
6. Marquee tools are great when you want to select a portion of a bitmap image in a rectangular or circular shape. To capture an irregularly shaped area, the tools to use are the two Lasso tools for selecting regular or polygon shaped areas of the document.
   
7. With the regular Lasso tool selected, you can draw a freehand selection area around an object. Try it now by drawing around the outside edges of the floating man. Be sure that you close the circle you are drawing by returning to the starting point and overlapping the selection lines. Don't worry about being precise this is just an exercise. Zoom in if you need to using the VIEW option on the menu bar.
   
   When you are finished, release the mouse button to stop selecting areas of the image. As you’ve done previously, copy the selection and paste it into a new document that you create. Your finished project should appear as you see here.
   
8. The Polygon Lasso tool is also used to select areas of an image, but rather than dragging the mouse to draw a circle, the Polygon Lasso tool is used by clicking the mouse button to define a series of points, which allows Fireworks MX® to draw selection lines between the points. Just as with the regular Lasso tool, be sure to end your selection area as close to the starting point as possible. back to top
   
9. The next tool to try is the MAGIC WAND. As the name implies, what it does can seem a little magical at times because the effects that can be created by using this tool are often very interesting. Essentially, the Magic Wand is able to discern areas of an image based on their colors, and then selects those with similar colors automatically.
   
10. Deselect any previously selected regions of the woman image you have been working on. Remember, to deselect all regions of an image, you need only click the Stop button at the bottom of the Document window or CTRL + D from the keyboard. Using any of the bitmap tools with the image will then automatically take you back to bitmap editing mode.
    
11. Choose the MAGIC WAND tool and place your cursor on top of the water in the image. Click once and notice how the tool selects an irregular area that corresponds to the color of the area of the water the tool is over when clicked.
    
    
12. Hold down the Shift key and select another area of the water. The original selection remains while the new selection area is added. As long as you hold down the Shift key, you can move around the image selecting multiple areas of the water. Try this now by selecting as much of the water as possible. The result of this selection area when copied and pasted into a new document would appear as you see here.
    
13. Changing the tolerance for color selections will allow a larger area of the image to be selected. To increase the tolerance of the color settings for the Magic Wand tool, you will need to access the Options panel for the Magic Wand located in the properties manager window. To select all of the water you will need to edit the color TOLERANCE in the properties window. A color tolerance of 45 selects all of the water. Set the tolerance for the tool to a value of 45 by moving the sliding bar up or by typing in 45 in the Tolerance box of the Options panel. back to top

You can drag a selected object directly from the source canvas onto a new canvas by using the pointer tool. While the original selection remains in place, a copy of the selected area will be pasted onto the other canvas.

14. Try changing the color of the canvas now by choosing Modify | Canvas Color and seeing what kinds of effects you can create just by changing the background color of the canvas that contains the floating woman. By using the Eyedropper tool and selecting one of the colors on the swimming pool itself, you can achieve a nice effect like the one shown here. If you wish, you can save this file or continue practicing on your own. back to top