Universe Image Creator v1.6

by Diard Software at www.diardsoftware.com

Getting Started: 
Install or Remove Universe Image Creator and
How to Create a Simple Universe

The latest release of Universe Image Creator (IC) may be downloaded from our website at http://www.diardsoftware.com.  Once unzipped, run unisetup.exe.  This installation program will install the program to the directory you specify on your computer. 

Other prompts in the installation program include:

Registration Information:  If this is a registered copy, enter in the User Name and User Key exactly as it is listed in your registration information.  If you are using Universe IC in its "Shareware" mode, simply leave this information blank and continue with the installation.  Note that in the "Shareware" mode, some of the space objects are disabled, including the vortex, planets, lens flare, and galaxies.   There are still plenty of space phenomena available to create a suitable universe including nebulas, stars, interstellar gas, and globular clusters.

License Agreement:
Shareware mode-- please try out our program and pass it to your friends.  If you like it and want to continue using it, visit our website at http://www.diardsoftware.com and register your product. 

Add to Start Menu:
If you select this, a Program Group called "Universe" will be created that can be accessed from the Start Menu's TaskBar.

Run Universe:
Check this if you want Universe to run after the installation program completes. 

Uninstalling Universe IC

To remove Universe, select the Start Button on the taskbar and choose "Programs".  Next, choose "Universe".  To uninstall Universe IC, select "Uninstall" and follow the prompts in the un-install program provided.  The default settings are usually appropriate for most un-installs.

Creating a Simple Universe

The key to a good Universe is to set up the background first.  Remember to move from back to front in placing your design elements.  The first step is to define the size of your image.  The second thing that should be placed is the Star Field.   Simply click on the tool and the Starfield properties dialog window appears.   Feel free to change any of the settings and click inside the preview window to see what your changes will do.  Once you are comfortable with the "sample" displayed in the preview window, just click in the image area.  To get more stars, just click the mouse again in the image area. 

After the starfield is in place, add whichever astronomical elements you desire.   Practice makes perfect.

Undo / Redo

Universe will allow you to "Undo" any of your actions.  To do this,

1. Pull down the Edit Menu
2. Select "Undo".  The shortcut for "Undo" is to press Ctrl-Z.

You can "Redo" any of the items you chose using "Undo" by selecting "Redo" from the Edit menu or pressing CTRL-Y.

Note:  You cannot move an object after it has been placed.  You will need to "Undo" the object and then try to place it again.

Note:  Universe is designed to work with other graphic programs as a tool.  Typically, you would create a background in Universe, then import the bitmap/jpg image into your other editing program for fine-tuning.  Thus, Universe doesn't have certain features that would be standard for other graphic editing programs.   This includes "Print" and "Zoom-In/Zoom-Out" features.  We have created a plugin version of Universe Image Creator that can be used with PhotoShop compliant graphic editing programs.