Graphical Visualization of a Tree Growth Process Model

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The Visualization Program: High Quality Tree Pictures

If a higher quality picture of an ECOPHYS tree is needed, say for a poster or presentation, it can be accomplished in the same manner as the tree graphics with only a few additional steps. Follow the instructions under the first two headings on the graphics page (Geomview and Snapshot), and then continue with the following steps:

XView

For high quality pictures, RGB files can be converted in XView to a jpeg format. When jpeg is chosen in the save window, a new window appears that asks for two percentages. The first is for quality, where the higher the quality, the larger the file's size. The second is for smoothing, which is used when saving an 8-bit image. It is best to choose the highest setting for the quality of the picture, and the smoothing at about half. Both settings can be experimented with until the image is as desired. Once these values are set, the "Ok" button is pressed, and the file is saved.

File Transfer

Up to this point, the tree graphic file has been created and converted on an SGI platform. In order to complete the finishing touches, an image-editing program called Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 is needed. Currently, PhotoShop is available at the University of Minnesota, Duluth on the Power Macs. To use PhotoShop on the tree image(s), the files must be transferred to a Macintosh machine. This can be accomplished in two ways:

1) Since the files currently reside on a UNIX account, an FTP program can be used to transfer the files to a Power Mac. Double-click on the hard drive of the Mac, then on the "Communications" folder, and finally on the "Fetch 3.0.3" folder and "Fetch 3.0.3" icon. This will bring up the Fetch window. Type in the following in the appropriate fields:


Host: ub.d.umn.edu
User ID: the user name of the account the tree files are on
Password: the password for that account
Directory: the path of the tree file (the directory it is in)

Hit "OK". Now, highlight the name of the tree file in the list and click on the circle next to the label "binary". Click on the "Put File..." button and choose the directory the file should go in. Select "OK". The file should now be saved on the computer.

2) Using Netscape, a picture can be downloaded to a machine by holding down the mouse button while over the picture and dragging it to the desktop. In order to download the ECOPHYS tree pictures this way, the picture must be in the www directory of the account it resides in with the proper permissions set. To move the picture to the www directory, type the following command at the unix prompt:



mv picture_name ~/www/.


Next, change to the www directory with the command:



cd ~/www

Finally, change the permissions on the file to readable by all:



chmod a+r file_name

To download the file onto a Power Mac, start the Netscape browser on the machine and point it at the tree file by typing the following into the URL field on the top of the browser:



http://www.d.umn.edu/~user-name/www/file_name

The user-name should be the name of the account the file currently resides on. The picture should now appear in the browser's window. Position the mouse over the picture and click and hold down the mouse button. Next, drag the mouse from the browser window onto the desktop. This will download the file onto the desktop.

Adobe PhotoShop 4.0

PhotoShop is an image-editing program that can be used to add the final touches to the tree picture. Using snapshot to capture a screen image does not allow for much control on the size of the picture. A typical size for a poster or high quality picture would be 8.5x11" or 11"x17". PhotoShop has the capabilities to resize the picture and to sharpen the resulting image since the resize leaves it blurrier than the original. Finally, the picture can be sent through PhotoShop to be printed on the color printer.

At the University of Minnesota, Duluth, PhotoShop is available on the Power Macs. To start the program, double-click on the hard drive icon, then on the "Adobe PhotoShop" folder, and finally, the "Adobe PhotoShop 4.0" icon. The program should now load. To load the picture, select Open under the File menu. When the load window appears, go to the directory where the tree file is at and select it.

Resizing

The first step in resizing is to increase the number of dots per inch, or DPI, of the image. This gives the picture greater resolution, preventing the picture from becoming too blurry or distorted when it is resized. Select Image size from the Image menu. Next, edit the "Resolution" field under the "Print Size" heading: set it to 150 for an 8.5"x11" or 300 for an 11"x17" picture (Note: these are the values used on the previously used on pictures, but they can be adjusted as seen fit). Hit "Ok".

To resize the picture, select Image size from the Image menu. In the window that appears, make sure that the "Constrained Proportions" is selected. Then, set the "Print Size" width to be 7.5 inches for an 8.5"x11" picture or 10 inches for a 11"x17" one. When the new width is typed in, look at the height field. If this value is larger than 10 inches for an 8.5"x11" or 16 inches for a 11"x17", change them to those values. This will change the values for the width. The purpose of this is to assure that the picture is not larger then the paper it will be printed on. Otherwise, part of the picture may get clipped off. The print size for an 8.5"x11" is 7.5"x10", and the print size for an 11"x17" is 10"x16". The final step is to adjust the picture to these sizes using the Canvas Size option under the Image menu. Type in the proper canvas size (7.5"x10" or 10"x16") and hit "Ok".

Sharpening

Resizing causes the picture to become slightly blurry. To fix this, select the Filter menu, then Sharpen. This will bring up a menu with three choices: Sharpen, Sharpen More, and Unsharpen Mask. Sharpen and Sharpen More automatically sharpen the image a set amount. To have more control over the filter, choose Unsharpen Mask. A window will appear that contains sliders. On the "Amount" slider, change the percentage until the image is as sharp as desired, then hit "OK". If any mistakes are made while sharpening, it can be undone by selecting the Undo option under the Edit menu.

Saving

The last step is to save the file. Simply select Save from the File menu to replace the old image file with the new one.

Printing

High quality color photos are printed on the color printer at the Darland Print Services. To set this as the printer to send the image to:

Now, select Page Setup from the File menu, and set the "Paper" as "US Letter" for 8.5"x11" or as 11"x17" for the larger file. To print the picture, select Print from the File menu. In the print window, type in the number of copies in the Copies field, select "Auto Select" under the "Paper Source" heading, and select "Tray 2" as the paper source.

The last step in printing is to call and notify Darland Print Services that you are sending a picture down. They will ask you information such as the file name, the paper size and type, the number of copies, and the CUFS number of the department you are charging the printing to.

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Author : Jennifer Messel, jmessel1@d.umn.edu