You can edit the properties of a graphic by double-clicking on it. You can also resize your graphics directly in the editor by selecting it and dragging its corners with the mouse or by double-clicking and entering a zoom factor. Although this function is primarily designed for high-resolution printing with PDF files you can use it for all your output formats whenever you need a quick resize. You may obtain slightly better quality if you resize in Impict or another graphics program, but this feature can be a great time-saver when you are in a hurry.
•Just double-click on any graphic to display the Open Image dialog where you can edit the caption, alignment, spacing (empty space around the graphic) and hotspots (clickable links in the graphic). •You can adjust the size of graphics precisely with the Zoom % setting in the Open Image dialog. This does not physically resize the image until you publish and in PDF the full image resolution is used (see below). •You can also edit the properties and hotspots by right-clicking on a graphic and selecting from the Picture... options in the context menu. |
Right-clicking on an image in the Help+Manual editor pops up a context menu including the Picture option:  Picture Properties: Edit picture hotspots: Convert Picture to a Toggle: Edit picture with Impict: Show in Windows Explorer: Reload: |
Note that resizing does not physically change the image file, except in one case in CHM output (see further below). The full original images are always exported, along with a scaling command for the individual output format. If you want smaller image files you need to resize the images physically in a graphics program. •Quick resize: Just click once on the graphic to select it and resize it by dragging the resize handles displayed at the edges. It doesn't matter which handle you drag because the height and width of the graphic are always resized proportionally. •Precise resizing: Double-click on the graphic to display the Image dialog and enter a zoom factor in percent. This also allows you to configure responsive image settings. •Undo resize: To return the graphic to its original size just double-click on it to display the Open Image dialog and select the Autosize option. |
Nothing is actually done to the image when you resize it in the Help+Manual editor. Your original source image file is not changed at all, and is never changed. Any processing is only performed on publishing. How resized images are handled on publishing depends on the output format: WebHelp, ePUB, Kindle and eWriter: Export images with original dimensions The images are exported with their original native dimensions when you publish to to these formats. Instead of physically resizing the image, Help+Manual simply adjusts the display size of the image. Modern browsers and eBook viewers do an excellent job of scaling and this provides much better quality for responsive images on high-resolution devices. HTML Help/CHM: Original images or physical resizing Help+Manual generates fully scalable pages for CHM output if you activate the setting Make CHM file compatible with high-resolution monitors in Configuration > Publishing Options > HTML Help > HTML Export Options. Then the original images are exported in exactly the same way as for WebHelp, along with a scaling setting. If you turn this option off the images are physically resized to the target dimensions during the publishing process. PDF and DOCX: Export images with original dimensions Images exported to these formats are handled in the same way as WebHelp. The image is exported with its full original dimensions along with a scaling command that controls its display dimensions on the page, in accordance with your image dimensions settings. Here too, this gives you better quality for zooming and printing if you insert an image with native dimensions larger than those of the display dimensions. |
When you print PDF or DOCX files or view them at above 100% graphics can look "blocky" and "jaggy". You can solve this problem by using larger graphics and resizing them in the Help+Manual editor. Since the images are exported with their original dimensions they then have enough "reserve resolution" for better quality display on high-resolution devices and printers. |
For the best possible resize quality when using native image dimensions rather than responsive images you can also resize your graphics files physically. However, with the increasing use of high-resolution devices this method is no longer as useful as it used to be. Generally, it is now almost always better to insert larger responsive images that will give you better display quality on these modern devices. Impict and SnipSVG as graphics editors You can resize your images with your own favorite graphics editor, or with Impict, the screenshot enhancement and graphics editor included with Help+Manual. For a more modern solution, check out our new, free Opening images in your default graphics editor •Click on the graphic in the editor to select it and then select the image editor tool in Project > Tools. •Or right-click on the image and select Picture > Edit with <Program Name> in the context menu. Resizing images in SnipSVG Open the image in SnipSVG. Then right-click on the image and select Change Image > Physically Resize in the right-click menu. Save and in Help+Manual right-click on the image and select Picture > Reload to see the changes. Resizing graphics in Impict Open the image in Impict , then right-click on it and select Edit Properties and then Quality Resize. Save and in Help+Manual right-click on the image and select Picture > Reload to see the changes. |
See also:
