Swerve

Flaming Pear Software

What it does What it does

How to install Swerve warps images by stretching them in a smooth or jagged way.

Quick start

Controls

Things to try

Other controls

Memory dots

Hints

Versions

How to purchase

Questions
How to install

Illustrated installation instructions are online at [Link]/[Link] .

To use this software, you need a paint program which accepts standard
Photoshop 3.02 plugins.

Just put the plug-in filter into the folder where your paint program expects to
find it. If you have Photoshop, the folder is Photoshop:Plugins:Filters or
Photoshop:Plug-ins. You must restart Photoshop before it will notice the new
plug-in. It will appear in the menus as Filters->Flaming Pear->Swerve.

Most other paint programs follow a similar scheme.

If you have Paint Shop Pro: you have to create a new folder, put the plug-in filter
into it, and then tell PSP to look there.

PSP 7:

Choose the menu File-> Preferences-> File Locations... and choose the Plug-in
Filters tab. Use one of the "Browse" buttons to choose the folder that contains
the plug-in.

The plug-in is now installed. To use it, open any image and select an area. From
the menus, choose Effects->Plug-in Filters->Flaming Pear->Swerve.

PSP 8, 9, X, XI, and X2:

Choose the menu File-> Preferences-> File Locations... In the dialog box that
appears, choose Plug-ins from the list. Click "Add." If you are using PSP 8 or 9,
click "Browse". Now choose the folder that contains the plug-in.

The plug-in is now installed. To use it, open any image and select an area. From
the menus, choose Effects->Plugins->Flaming Pear->Swerve.

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Quick start

When you invoke Swerve, a dialog box will appear.

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If you just want to see some effects quickly, click the dice button until you see
something you like; then click OK.

Using the dice is the easiest way to use Swerve. If you

want to hand-tune your own effects, it helps to learn
the controls, which are explained below. dice

Controls

Swerve offers controls for basic warping and for adding extra distortion.

Warping is the strength of the distortion, ranging from 0 (no distortion) to 100
(maximum).

Warp size is the scale of the distortion features. Low values give many small
wiggles, and high values give fewer, larger wiggles.

Chop makes the distortion more jagged.

The Chop Mode popup menu determines what kind of disruption is added by
the Chop slider. There are four settings: normal, sawteeth, triangle, stairsteps,
and wiggle. To remove all chopping, choose the normal mode and set the Chop
slider to zero.

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Things to try

Try loading the settings files that come with Swerve to see what it can do, or
click the dice until you see something you like.

Here are some example effects that you can do. Open a favorite picture for these
examples you won't see anything if you start with a blank canvas.

Basic warping

Try these settings:

Warping 20

Warp size 50

Chop 0

Chop mode 0 original image

This is a basic smooth warp with no chopping. To

change the look of the warp, try different settings for
Warping and Warp size.

basic warping

Chopping

Use the same settings as for the first example, but

increase Warping to 50, Chop to to 50, and choose the
V-shaped item from the Chomp Mode popup menu.

When Warp size is small, the individual distortion

features in the picture become small too.

chopping

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Wobbles

Use a small warp, a large warp size, and any chop

mode you like. Set the glue mode to "exclusion."

The small warp creates a new image barely different

from the image you started with. When combined with
the original, a visual echo is created.

wobbles

Graphics hash

Use a very high Warp, a small Warp Size, high Chop and
the normal Chop Mode.

With settings this strong, an image can be turned into

an abstract swirl of color.

graphics hash

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Other controls

Dice: This randomizes the settings. Click it as much as

you want to see different effects.
dice

Reset: Gives you the factory settings.

reset

Glue: Lets you combine the result image with the

original, instead of replacing it. The next-glue button
advances to the next glue mode. next glue

Send to photo manager: Sends the result to iPhoto (on

Macintosh).
send to photo manager

Export to PSD: Renders the result to a .psd file.

export to PSD

Make Gallery: Builds a web page showing all the

presets in a folder that you choose.
make gallery

Plus, % and minus buttons: If the selected image area

is bigger than the preview, these buttons let you zoom
in and out. Drag the preview to move it.

Load preset: Presets are files containing settings. To

load one, click this button and browse for a preset file.
load preset

Save preset: When you make an effect you like, click

this button to save the settings in a file.
save preset

Undo backs up one step.

undo

Info: briefly explains the controls.

info 7
Three more buttons:

OK: Applies the effect to your image.

Cancel: Dismisses the plug-in, and leaves the image

unchanged.

Register: Allows you to type in a registration code and

remove the time limit from the demo.

Memory dots

Although you can save your settings permanently to

files, you can also stash settings in memory dots.

Click an empty dot to stash the current settings in it.

Click a full dot to retrieve its settings.

Hover the mouse over a dot to see what it contains.

Option-click to erase a dot on Macintosh.

memory dots
Right-click to erase a dot on Windows.

If a dot is orange, Swerve's currently using that dot's

settings. empty

Dots remember their contents until you erase them. If full

you'd rather make a temporary dot that forgets when
you exit Swerve, control-click it. Temporary dots are current
square.
temporary
When you start Swerve, it puts the starting settings in a
temporary dot. That way it's easy to start over without
exiting the plug-in.

On Mac, you can drag-and-drop settings files from the

central memory well.

You can build a web page showing how the current

image would look with every memdot setting. Just
option-click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) on the big
memdot image.

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Version history

Version 1.8 December 2009

64-bit version for Windows.

Version 1.7 June 2008

The Swerve effect now changes to suit the scale of the input image. Adds
convenience features to the interface. Changes the calibration of the Chop slider.
Works with 32-bit-per-channel images. Adds the wiggle mode. Adds
convenience features to the interface. The Mac version is faster on multicore
machines and is resizable.

Version 1.6 June 2007

Fixes a Macintosh problem where the plug-in could have bad settings or crash
when installed on a machine for the first time.

Version 1.55 April 2007

Universal binary for Macintosh. Works as a Smart Filter in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Macintosh. Fixes a Windows problem where the plug-in wouldn't remember its
registration when it was installed in one user account but activated in another.

Version 1.4 July 2004

Works in 16-bit color.

Version 1.3 December 2003

Recordable as a Photoshop action.

Version 1.25 September 2003

Adds more glue modes and the next-glue button.

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Version 1.22 February 2003

Adds more glue modes and fixes a crash that could happen when using the
menus under Windows XP.

Version 1.21 December 2002

Adds new glue modes: Color, Luminance, Linear Light, and Pin Light. Fixes the
appearance of text in the interface when running under Mac OS X 10.2.3 .

Version 1.2 February 2002

Adds previews in the preset browser.

Version 1.1 September 2001

Adds an Undo button.

Version 1.0 September 1999

First release.

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How to purchase

You can place an order online here. A secure server for transactions is available.

Questions

The software, documentation, and supporting materials are made by Flaming

Pear Software. Answers to common technical questions appear on our support
page, and free updates appear periodically on the download page.

Trouble with your order? Orders are handled by Kagi; please contact them at
admin@[Link] .

For bug reports and technical questions about the software, please write to
support@[Link] .

©2009 Flaming Pear Software

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