About Utilities			Notes Tool
Chapter 27, Utilities

Topics on this Page:

Enabling the Comparison tool

Selecting the Primary and Reference Inputs

Comparison Tool Controls

The Comparison tool is a viewer tool for comparing two images.

You can place the Comparison tool in either of two locations by dragging and dropping the tool from the Tools tab. Like any other tool, you can place the Comparison tool anywhere in the current composition by dropping the tool in the Schematic, Player, etc.

The Display Tools is the desired location for the Comparison tool. The Display Tools contains two place holders; one for the Comparison tool and one for the Display Modifier. By default these place holders contain the Comparison and the Display Pass Through tools.

The Comparison tool can be placed either before or after the display modifier. This placement is controlled by the Display Tools Order setting in the User Preferences (Creative tab), which has a default value of Comparison before the display modifier.

Access to the Display Tools Comparison tool is through the Player options menu in the south gate. By dropping a Comparison tool on the appropriate tab in the Player options, it will replace the current Comparison tool. This is similar to creating a display modifier.

Enabling the Comparison tool

By default the Comparison tool will already exist in the Player (Display Tools) but will be muted.

• Do one of the following:

  • Right-click in the Player and select Comparison.

    

  • Press Shift + C (or Shift + D for the Display Modifier).

  • Select the Mute button in the tool options of the Comparison Tool tab.

• Select the Delete button in the tool options of the Comparison Tool tab.

  This causes the Comparison Pass Through tool to be used.

Selecting the Primary and Reference Inputs

The comparison tool primary input is connected to the output that the viewer would be showing without the comparison tool. The reference input is set to current composition and has all of the display options available in the normal player. They are tool input/output, composition, published result and context points 1 - 4. These options can be changed by using the context menu Reference sub menu in the player. The display options in this menu refer to those of the reference input.

Hotkeys to switch the display options (1-8) will affect either the primary or reference input depending on which side of the manipulator the hotkey event takes place. The player information will indicate what sources are being shown for the primary and reference inputs--see Cycling through Inputs and Outputs.

Comparison Tool Controls

The Comparison tool has the following parameters:

The comparison tool contains a list of manipulators; a split bar and a region, which can be selected to change the behavior of what areas are being compared.

The split bar is the default manipulator. Through direct manipulation, the bar can be moved, rotated, and can have its pivot point changed. By default the split bar separates the viewer horizontally in two with the reference input on the bottom side.

There is a pivot point (indicated by a small box) around which the split bar can be rotated, or from which the split bar can be moved. The letter R next to the pivot box indicates the side of the bar where the reference input is displayed.

• Drag the split bar either above or below the pivot point.

  

  Reference processed with Gray tool.

  
  

• Drag the pivot point. You can also Ctrl + click the viewer to place the pivot point under the cursor, and then drag over the viewer to move the split bar.

  

  Reference processed with Gray tool.

  
  

The region rectangle is created and modified through direct manipulation. By default the region will be centered in the viewers. There are pivot points (indicated by small boxes) on each corner and side to change the width and height of the region. The letter R next to the left pivot point indicates whether the reference input is displayed in the interior or exterior of the region.

• Do one of the following:

  • Drag the interior of the region.

  

  Reference processed with Color Space tool.

  
  

  • Place the cursor at the location where you want the center of the region to be and press Ctrl + click.

• Drag any of the pivot points.

  

  Reference processed with Color Space tool.

  
  

• Press Shift + H. When the manipulator is hidden, it is still active.

• Press Shift + R.