The Advanced Image Editor enables you to change the appearance of the images that you insert into your templates and include in your messages. The editor offers a range of editing features that you can use to manipulate your images, helping you add a touch of professional quality to your email messages.
NOTE: You can edit only the "custom" images that have been uploaded to Asset Manager. The "stock," pre-loaded images cannot be edited.
Why you should include images in your messages:
- They're a great way to make and reinforce a point.
- They're more memorable than a block of text.
- They more easily evoke a "feeling" (strictly business vs. lighthearted) that you want your message to convey.
TIP: If you have little or no graphic design or image-editing experience, consider using the Basic Editor to modify your images instead.
Accessing the Image Editor
There are two ways to access the Advanced Image Editor; both entry points are within Mailing Designer 2 (MD2). When editing either a message or a template, add an image or select an existing one.
- If adding an image, click choose another image, and in the resulting image manager dialog, click an image's edit image button.
- If editing an existing image, select it and click the edit image button.
Resizing the Image Editor
Drag-and-drop the gray title bar (where it's labeled Image Editor) to re-position the editor within the Designer window. You can also grab the lower-right corner of the editor to make it larger or smaller, as desired.
NOTE: If the image is large and displaying at less than 100%, it will "grow" when you expand the editor.
The Image Editor Interface
The Image Editor interface has three primary sections:
Features Menu
The features menu on the left is where you select a feature set. Hover anywhere in this column and the fly-out panel displays the feature set names. Click one to select it. Refer to the Editing images section below to learn more about each feature set.
Palette
When a feature set is selected, its title and associated options are displayed here, in the palette. Many feature sets include more options than can be displayed at once, so use the scroll bar to access any additional options.
Canvas
The canvas is your image-editing work space. All changes made via the features are shown in real time on the canvas.
At the top of the canvas are several universal controls and options that remain in place, irrespective of which feature set is in use:
- On the left are the undo and redo controls.
- The number in the center is the size-percentage of the image on the canvas, in relation to the actual size. Use the minus (–) and plus (+) controls to re-size the image (i.e., zoom out and zoom in) on the canvas. Zooming does not alter the size of the image file; it only changes your perspective.
The minus (–) and plus (+) controls do not decrement and increment the image by 1% or 10% with each click; there are preset display percentages.
TIP: You can "zoom" to more than 100% to isolate an area of the image for more detailed editing. If the image is larger than the canvas, use the "cross hairs" to drag the image left, right, up, and down to the area that you want to focus on.
- Click Save to preserve any changes that you make.
NOTE: The image editor's save behavior lets you either overwrite the original image file or save a copy.
- Click Close to close the image editor. If you have not saved your changes, you can either discard them (click OK) or return to the canvas and save your changes (click Cancel).
Editing Images
The feature sets and their editing options are detailed in the top-to-bottom order they're listed in the features menu.
Transform
Use these options to crop, re-size, flip, and rotate the image.
In the Common Crops area, you can apply Custom, Square, 4:3, and 16:9 crops to the image.
NOTE: When using these options, the height of the image doesn't change; the width is adjusted based on the height, while maintaining the image resolution.
Standard image sizes for Facebook are also included for convenience in the Facebook area. Click to automatically resize the image to these sizes; note that Lock Resolution gets set by default when these are clicked.
TIP: Click Reset Default at any time to undo any changes you've made with this feature set. The changes are reversible until the image is saved.
Canvas Options
On the canvas:
- Use the mirror icons to vertically and horizontally flip the image to a "mirror reflection."
- Use the dotted-line slider to rotate and zoom in on the image; the number in the center indicates the degree of angle of the rotation.
- Use the circle-arrow icons to rotate the image, clockwise or counter-clockwise, in 90-degree increments.
Cropping and Resizing an Image
The distinction between image cropping and image resizing is often confused, but these are very different actions, with very different results. Cropping removes (cuts off) a portion of the image, whereas resizing maintains the fullness of the image but changes its dimensions. One of the important things to remember as you consider resizing an image is whether you want to maintain the image's aspect ratio — that is, its width in relation to its height (think of this as "scaled" version of the original, such as a model car). If this ratio isn't preserved, the image might appear "stretched" or display some other unintended distortion.
TIP: If you crop or resize an image and don't like the result, click Reset Default.
Cropping
Apart from the more common cropping options mentioned above, you can grab the corners of the image grid (the cursor becomes a hand) and drag the border to "cut off" portions of the image. If you know what dimensions your image should be, you can simply change the pixel numbers in the lower portion of the palette.
Resizing
Resizing generates a copy of the image, but with different (smaller or larger) dimensions. When resizing, it's important to maintain the aspect ratio of the image to prevent it looking distorted. The easiest way to do this is to check the Lock Resolution box and then edit the pixel numbers. Notice that the height (h) and width (w) pixel numbers increase/decrease in relation to one another.
NOTE: If you don't check Lock Resolution, the image will get cropped rather than resized.
NOTE: There is no visual evidence in the editor that the image has been resized.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.
Filters
Use these options to add a variety of textures, tones, and special effects to the image. Each filter has sub-filters that are slight variations of the main, and the thumbnails offer a preview of the effect. You can apply an effect and then customize it by using the gradient slider right on the thumbnail.
TIP: Click None at the top of the filter list to undo any changes you've made with this feature set.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.
Adjust
Use these options to modify the brightness, color saturation, contrast, and gamma settings of the image. You can also use the Refinements options to customize the clarity, exposure, shadows, highlights, whites, blacks, and temperature aspects of the image.
TIP: Click Reset Default at any time to undo any changes you've made with this feature set. The changes are reversible until the image is saved.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.
Text
Use these options to add and customize a text overlay to your image. After you've added text, you can change the font, font size, alignment, text color, background color, and line spacing. When you've finished formatting your text, click off the text box in order to be able to move it; you can double-click the text box again to edit the text.
TIP: Double-click any of the color-palette options to expand the color selector and refine your color choice.
After adding and customizing text on your image, click New Text in the palette to add another text box that you can then independently customize. The subsequent text box will adopt the properties of the prior one.
If you've added two text boxes (Text Box #1 and Text Box #2) and want to replicate the properties of Text Box #1, click it and then click New Text. Text Box #3 will have the same properties as Text Box #1.
WARNING: If you add multiple text boxes and then navigate away to a different feature set, ALL of your text box additions and edits are stored as one action. If undo is then clicked, that one action (of additions and edits) is deleted. Click redo to restore them.
Canvas Options
On the canvas:
- Double-click the text box to edit the text.
- Grab and move the handle under the text box to rotate it.
- You can click and drag the text box to anywhere on the image, within the borders (pink lines) permitted by the editor.
- You can resize the text box by clicking and dragging the border "handles."
NOTE: The text will proportionately resize as you resize the text box.
- On the text-box menu:
- Click the trash can icon to delete the text box.
- Click the copy icon to replicate the text box.
TIP: If you have added Text boxes and are working with a different feature, click the text box to return to the text-based canvas.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.
Text Design
Use these options to select a formatted text layout to apply to your image. These eye-catching designs are great for headlines. Start by typing your message and clicking the check mark. Then select one of the formatted layouts from the palette.
TIP: Double-click any of the color-palette options to expand the color selector and refine your color choice.
TIP: Most of these designs have multiple variations that you can see and apply by repeatedly clicking the design option.
After adding and customizing a text design on your image, click New Text Design in the palette to add another text design box that you can then independently customize. (This could be a sub-title to the previous text design box with a distinct design.) The subsequent text design box will adopt the properties of the prior one.
If you've added two text design boxes (Text Design Box #1 and Text Design Box #2) and want to replicate the properties of Text Design Box #1, click it and then click New Text Design. Text Design Box #3 will have the same properties as Text Design Box #1, but it will populate as one of the other designs in the option series.
WARNING: If you add multiple text boxes and then navigate away to a different feature set, ALL of your text box additions and edits are stored as one action. If undo is then clicked, that one action (of additions and edits) is deleted. Click redo to restore them.
Canvas Options
On the canvas:
- Double-click the text box to edit the text.
- Grab and move the handle under the text box to rotate it.
- You can click and drag the text box to anywhere on the image, within the borders (pink lines) permitted by the editor.
- You can resize the text box by clicking and dragging the border "handles."
NOTE: The text will proportionately resize as you resize the text box.
- On the text-box menu:
- Click the trash can icon to delete the text box.
- Click the copy icon to replicate the text box.
- Click the "negative" option (an A in a square) to swap the black and white of the text and background.
TIP: If you have added Text Design boxes and are working with a different feature, click the text box to return to the text-based canvas.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.
Overlays
Use these options to add a special-effects overlay to your image. Each overlay has an opacity slider so you can adjust how distinct or muted it is on the image.
TIP: Click None at the top of the Overlays list to undo any changes you've made with this feature set.
Continue working with other features or click Save to preserve the changes to the image and close the editor.