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"I just used BlowUp to produce a 125 x 55 inch proof for a customer and I have to say, bravo! I'm not a huge plug in user, but this one will stay in my tool box."
– Stephen Baumbach
> River Tree Photography

BlowUp features a streamlined version of our standard user interface. Below is a quick review of the most important controls.



A: Menus
Command menus are accessible when you are using the plug-in. Macintosh users see the menus in place of their usual menu bar. Windows users see the menus at the top of the plug-in window.

B: Preview
This area shows how the image will look after resizing. The Preview is fixed at 100% magnification to avoid confusion between zooming and actual resizing of the image. If the resized image is larger than the preview area, simply click in the Preview and drag. For large images, navigation can be easier using the Navigation Thumbnail.

Only the currently selected layer is previewed. Clicking OK, however, will resize every layer in the document. To make the Preview larger, resize the Blow Up window just like any other standard window on your system.

C: Pixel Dimensions
This shows the size of the image in pixels. Also, memory required for the original and new image is displayed in the top border of the Pixel Dimensions area.

D: Document Size
For images destined for print, the most intuitive way to specify their size is in the Document Size section. This section uses real world units like inches and centimeters.

E: Duplicate Image Before Resizing
Enabling this option creates a new, open document and renders the upsampled image into it. This makes non-destructive editing easier and faster.

F: Sharpen Amount
Increasing Sharpen Amount addresses the blurring of high contrast edges. The result is very different from traditional unsharp masking and does not create distracting halos or sparkles. As a result the sharpening of BlowUp is more subtle.

G: Add Grain
In some extreme enlargements, adding grain provides a surprisingly realistic illusion of detail. Usually grain is only necessary when an image enlarged more than 200%.

H: Mouseover Help Text
For instant guidance (without consulting the online help), simply glance down to the bottom of the preview window as you mouse over a control. A short comment or two will pop up to the left of the progress bar and magnification indicator.

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