Free Image Objects allow you to make individual changes to the automatically-created graphic. You can create as many Free Image Objects as you want. Each object is inserted into an individual layer in the resulting graphic (see The FamilyTreeFactory Layer Model).

To create a new Image Object, select New... and give the object a unique name in the additional dialog (or accept the suggested name). The object will appear in the list at the top left with this name. The list shows all objects in the order of the layers. The top object in the list will also be the top layer in the output. In case of overlapping it will cover other objects. The objects can be located below or above the person box layer, in which the actual tree is contained. To change the layer order, use the four buttons with arrows.

Use the button Select Image File... to choose an image file. It must be saved in the directory (or subdirectory) that is specified in the Program Options on the Directories tab. The image is fitted to the edges but retains its width/height ratio. Use the checkboxes Shadow like person box and Black frame line to give the object more contrast from the graphic background. The black frame line cannot be activated if the image file is an EMF file. If you would like to give an EMF file a frame line, add a frame to the image before exporting the file.

You can also drag image files from Windows Explorer with the mouse into the preview area.

The shadow here corresponds to the shadow settings for person boxes, which are set in the Treeview Options on the Box Format tab.

The elements labeled with '...edge' are for defining the edges of the object. This refers to the area in which an Image Object is to be output. To ensure that the position of the objects in relation to the column/row grid of the graphic remain the same if the box format (column width and/or row height) is changed, the column/row grid of the graphic is used as the scale. This ensures that the Image Objects maintain their positions and sizes in relation to the person boxes, even if box widths or heights are changed, such as if the content of the boxes is changed. No manual adjustments are necessary. To allow for exact positioning, the units mbox-columns (speak milli-box...) and mbox-rows are used for the scale. This allows you to make extremely fine adjustments at an interval of a thousandth of the row and column measurements. This is based on the metric system, where one thousandth of a meter ('m") is defined as a millimeter ('mm').

In general, you will not need to use the mbox-columns and mbox-rows very often. The position and size of objects can be most easily adjusted with your mouse in the treeview (see Functions in Treeviews). However, if you need to make high-precision adjustments (which is not possible with the mouse), click the How to define the edges button for a detailed explanation.

If you insert a Free Image Object with a tree exported before into an EMF or JPEG file, you may want to show this tree in its original size: Click in the treeview with the right mouse button on the Image Object and select the function Size Free Image Object to Original Size in the menu. You find details on the combination of several trees in one single graphic in the section Combination of Multiple Trees.

With the radio buttons Justification in the edges you can determine how the picture is justified in the edges. If the area in the edges has another width/height ratio than the image, there is either in the width or in the height space for justification; because the image is always output as large as possible in the edges, there can never be space for justification in the width and in the height. How an available space for justification shall be used, is selected with these radio buttons. The position of the radio buttons in the dotted frame corresponds to the justification in the edges; the radio button in the middle stands for a horizontal and vertical centering.

The following scheme shows the horizontal or vertical justification in the edges depending on the selected option:

Click the button Rename... to rename an Image Object in the list. The Delete... button deletes the selected object after confirming deletion. You can also hide an object by deactivating the checkbox Output object to prevent the object from being output. This is the preferred method if you only want to hide an object temporarily. You can also delete a Free Image Object directly in the treeview by selecting it and pressing the Delete key. A confirmation dialog appears to avoid accidents.

If you click the OK button to leave the dialog, the settings will be saved and used as default settings for new Image Objects.

We recommend setting the zoom and position of the treeview in such a way that the current Image Object can be seen next to the dialog, which can be dragged to the side of the screen. You can then preview the effects of any changes you make in the open dialog by clicking the Apply button.

Sample output for the above dialog example:

 

 

 

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