PhotoPlus X2 User Guide - Serif

120 Image Adjustments and Effects
In the tab you’ll see a variety of
remarkable 3D surface and texture
presets grouped into wide-ranging
“themed” categories (e.g., Text,
Abstract, Wood, Metal, etc.). Click
any thumbnail to apply it to the
active layer. Assuming the layer has
some colour on it to start with,
you’ll see an instant result!
If you want to have complete flexibility when creating 3D effects, you can
click the Add Layer Effects button on the Layers tab (or choose Effects>Effects...
from the Layers menu). The dialog is shared for both 2D and 3D effects—simply
check the 3D Effects box and experiment with the settings (enable other 3D check
boxes as appropriate).
To apply an Instant Effects tab preset to the active layer:
• Display the Instant Effects tab and select a category, then click a gallery
thumbnail.
• To make the effect appear smaller or larger in relation to the image, drag the
Scale slider or type a value in the tab.
You can apply an effect from the Instant Effects tab preset, edit it (using the Layer
Effects dialog) and then save it as a custom preset in a user-defined category (you'll
have to create and select the category first). To save the preset, right-click in the
tab, and choose Add Item.... From the dialog, you can adjust the Scale of the effect
and have your thumbnail preview stored as a Rectangle or as Text (using the letter
"A"). For either type, the thumbnail will appear in the gallery.
Instead of editing a preset, you can apply one or more specific effects from scratch,
using the Layer Effects dialog. There you'll find a wide variety of controls for finetuning
each 3D layer effect; some effects have sub-stages for more options. Once
you're happy with your effect you can save it as described above.
You don't need to grasp the inner workings of the 3D Effects to experiment with
them... but you're unlikely to get beyond trial-and-error without absorbing a few
basic concepts.