GT Ripple Help

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Ripple Regions

What is a Ripple Region?

A ripple region allows you to define an area of the screen (called a mask) to ripple.

Region masks are saved as bitmap files that can be edited with most graphics programs. The default program for editing a region mask is the standard Windows Paint program.

How to Use a Ripple Region

Ripple Regions can be used with GT Ripple by itself or in conjunction with GT Desktop.

When used by itself, GT Ripple is designed to handle only one ripple mask at a time. The ripple region is always saved as a bitmap file called GTRippleRegionMask.bmp.

When used in conjunction with GT Desktop, a different ripple region can be made for each image and the mask file is saved with a name specific to each image.

GT Desktop

To use Ripple Regions in conjunction with GT Desktop, select the Effect tab in GT Desktop and select GT Ripple from the drop-down list. Then click Settings and GT Ripple will be launched.

See below for the GT Ripple instructions.

Each ripple mask that you create in conjunction with GT Desktop, will only apply to the image that you are using in GT Desktop. So when you use GT Desktop to change the wallpaper, GT Ripple will close and only restart if you have selected to have the new image ripple.

GT Ripple

1) To create a ripple mask for the first time, click the Use Region button

.

2) To begin editing the region, click the Edit Region button

. This will launch the default edit program.

NB If the image that appears in the edit program is not the current desktop image, then close the edit program and delete the current ripple mask by clicking the Delete Region button then continue from step 1).

3) Using the edit program, color-in the area that you want to ripple using the mask color. The default mask color is pink

NB In Windows Paint, you would do this by clicking the pink color in the palette (normally at the bottom of the window). Then using one of the drawing tools such as pencil, brush or rectangle, to paint the area that you want to ripple.

4) When you are satisfied with the region mask that you have created in the Paint program, save it and GT Ripple will use the new region. Each time you save the mask, GT Ripple will detect the changes and start using the new region.

You have done it!
Now adjust the other ripple controls and then minimize (not close) the GT Ripple window, and watch the effect.

You can stop using a ripple mask by deselecting the Use Region button .
You can start painting the region again with a fresh image by clicking the Delete Region button , and proceeding from step 1).