Canvas 3.5 to 5 FAQs

This document contains answers to recent questions about differences between Canvas 3.5 and Canvas 5.

Paint object resolution
Q: When I import a Canvas 3.5 (Mac OS) file into Canvas 5, the resolution of some paint objects seems to change, though the objects still look the same. In particular, paint objects created in 3.5 at 300 dpi come into Canvas 5 at 288 pixels per inch. Is the resolution of these objects really changing?		A: No, not really. Canvas 5 is reporting the resolution accurately. In Canvas 3.5 on Mac OS, only even multiples of 72 ppi (144 ppi, 216 ppi, 288 ppi, and so on) are supported. If you use the pop-up menu in the Object Specs dialog box to set a paint object's resolution to 300 ppi, Canvas sets the resolution to the nearest exact multiple of 72, which is 288 ppi. This is the resolution that Canvas 5 reports if you import the object. Standard paint object resolutions are "translated"from Canvas 3.5 to Canvas 5 as follows:  Canvas 3.5  Canvas 5  72 dpi  72 ppi  144 dpi  144 ppi  216 dpi  216 ppi  300 dpi  288 ppi  635 dpi 576 ppi 1270 dpi 1152 ppi 2540 dpi 2304 ppi You've probably also noticed that resolution terminology has changed from Canvas 3.5 to Canvas 5. In Canvas 3.5, resolution is expressed as the number of "dots per inch" (abbreviated dpi). In Canvas 5, the now-standard terminology of "pixels per inch" (abbreviated ppi) is used.
Converting to paint objects
Q: In Canvas 3.5, I use the Object Specs or Group Specs dialog box to change draw (vector) objects to paint (image) objects. How can I do this in Canvas 5?		A: Canvas 5 consolidates most image functions in the Image menu. To change vector objects or text into image objects (or to combine separate images into one new image), you can use the Render command. The command is in the Area submenu in the Image menu. The Render command is available when an object is selected. Select the objects that you want to render and choose Area > Render. In the Render dialog box, you can set the resolution and other options for the resulting image. When you click OK, Canvas renders the image and places it in front of the original objects.
Duplicating objects
Q: What happened to the Duplication command? In Canvas 3.5, you could use Duplication (in the Edit menu) to copy, rotate, resize, and distribute objects all at once. Why can't I do this in Canvas 5?		A: You can. The powerful duplication feature of Canvas 3.5 is also in Canvas 5, but the name has been changed. Many users found it confusing to have two commands, "Duplicate" and "Duplication,"in the Edit menu. So "Duplication" is now "Replicate."The Replicate command lets you replicate objects (to build an illustration of DNA, for example), by copying, rotating, and repositioning one object any number of times. The Duplication dialog box in Canvas 3.5 also includes pop-up menus to cycle through colors and patterns. In Canvas 5, you can use the improved Blend command in the Effects menu to create a cycle of colors in a series of objects generated by Canvas. Select at least two objects, then choose Blend in the Effects menu. Select the settings you want (see the User's Guide for details) and click Apply.
Copying PICT objects
Q: In Canvas 3.5 (Mac OS), I used the Copy Without Comments command to copy objects to the Clipboard. This helped make sure that other programs pasted the objects correctly. Is this command still available in Canvas 5?		A: Yes. In Canvas 5 for Mac OS, hold down the Shift key when you open the Edit menu and the commands "Cut Without Comments" and "Copy Without Comments" will appear. These commands place Canvas objects on the Clipboard without any Canvas-specific PICT comments. If another program has trouble interpreting the PICT comments, the Cut Without Comments or Copy Without Comments commands might let you transfer the objects successfully.
Color palettes
Q: The colors in the Canvas 5 palette look darker compared to the default palette in Canvas 3.5. I know I can create new colors, but why does the default palette look so different?		A: The default palette in Canvas 3.5 (like the other palettes shipped with the program) contains colors defined in the RGB system. In this system, colors are defined by various amounts of red, green, and blue light. This is the way colors are displayed on computer monitors. Although the default palettes for Canvas 3.5 are slightly different for Mac OS and Windows, the palettes on both platforms contain bright, vivid RGB hues. While Canvas 5 lets you use RGB colors as easily as before, the new program is more focused on the demands of professional publishing, so the default colors in Canvas 5 are defined in the CMYK system. This system defines colors as mixtures of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. CMYK color is used for nearly all color printing on paper, from offset commercial presses to inkjet printers on your desktop. While color printing can create a wide range of colors on paper, many of these hues don't match the luminous intensity of the hot pinks, richs reds, and electric blues you can see on a computer screen. The default palette in Canvas 5 isn't as bright as the RGB colors in Canvas 3.5 because CMYK colors on paper aren't as bright as RGB colors on screen. Of course, even though the default palette in Canvas 5 contains CMYK colors, Canvas can't spread CMYK inks on your computer screen -- it has to use RBG values to simulate the appearance of printed CMYK colors. The Canvas 5 Inks palette lets you save and load sets of colors defined in either RGB or CMYK color systems. To obtain additional color palettes without creating them yourself, you can download many ready made color palettes from Deneba's web site, including the original Canvas 3.5 palettes, for use in Canvas 5.
Pen size
Q: In Canvas 3.5, I often create pen sizes with different heights and widths. How can I do the same thing in Canvas 5?		A: Canvas 3.5 (and earlier versions) for Mac OS lets you choose pen sizes that have different vertical and horizontal sizes, such as 1 point wide and 3 points high. Varied pen size is a feature of Apple's QuickDraw graphics engine in the Macintosh operating system. Canvas 3.5 for Windows offers uniform vertical and horizontal pen sizes only. In Canvas 5 for both Mac OS and Windows, you can apply varied strokes to lines and vector object outlines using the Calligraphic option of the Pen manager. Choose the Pen tab in the Strokes palette and open the tab's manager (click the triangle button at the lower-left) if necessary. Choose Calligraphic from the pop-up menu. You can enter Weight, Width, and Angle values, and use the handles in the edit box to alter the pen shape interactively. At angles of zero and 180 degrees: the Weight setting is the size of the stroke when it runs vertically the Width is the size when the stroke runs horizontally At angles of 90 and 270 degrees: the Weight setting is the size of the stroke when it runs horizontally the Width is the size when the stroke runs vertically

About | News | Products | Purchase | Support | International | Prepress | Gallery | Register | Send E-Mail | Map | Home
	Copyright © 1997 Deneba Systems Incorporated All rights reserved worldwide Legal