Adding a Plant

Realtime Landscaping Photo includes a large variety of
plants commonly used in landscapes around the world. These are high-resolution
photographs of real plants, not drawings or models. The background has been
professionally removed so they can be seamlessly placed in your landscape
designs.
All of the plants included with Realtime Landscaping Photo
can be edited using the Realtime Picture Editor (included), so you can easily
make changes and even create new varieties. You can also import and edit
pictures of plants that you have photographed using a digital camera or
downloaded from the Internet.
To add a plant:
1.
Click Add Plant.
2.
Select the desired plant by clicking the picture in the property window. (See
below for a description of the plant browser.)
3.
Click to add the plant. Hold Ctrl while you click to add more than
one.
4.
Move and size the plant as desired. To move the plant, position the cursor over
the plant and drag using the mouse. To resize, click and drag the green
rectangle at the upper right of the plant.
The following landscape design illustrates a few of the
many types of plants in Realtime Landscaping Photo.

Using the Plant Browser
The plant browser makes it easy to select which plant you
want to add to your landscape. In addition, the botanical name, category
(annual, perennial, tree, shrub, cactus), planting zones, and mature height are
also displayed for the currently selected plant.

Searching for a Plant
To search for a plant:
1.
Click Search. The following dialog will appear:

Common
name Enter the plant’s common name. You can enter the entire name, or
just part of the name. If you don’t want to search by common name, then leave
this field blank.
Botanical
name Enter the plant’s botanical (scientific) name. You can enter the
entire name, or just part of the name. If you don’t want to search by botanical
name, then leave this field blank.
Types Select
which types of plants you want to search for.
Planting
zones Select which planting zones you want to search for.
Planting
Zones Click to display the hardiness zone map for your region. Maps are
included for the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, Europe,
Australia, and Mexico.
All Click
to check all types and zones.
None Click
to uncheck all types and zones.
2.
Click OK. The plants that match your search will be displayed.
3.
To change your search, click Search.
Editing Color and Brightness
You can easily make minor color and brightness adjustments
to your plants using the Color and Brightness command.
To change the plant’s color and/or brightness:
1.
Select the plant you want to modify.
2.
Click the options button to the right of the plant picture.
3.
When the drop-down menu appears, select Edit Color and Brightness. The
following dialog will then appear:

4.
Change the brightness, contrast, saturation, and tint as desired. When finished,
click OK. To undo any changes, click Reset.
You can make more extensive changes using the Realtime
Picture Editor. For example, you can use the color replacement feature to change
the flower color and create a new variety of plant.
To edit the picture using the Realtime Picture
Editor:
1.
Select the plant you want to change.
2.
Click the options button to the right of the plant picture. When the drop-down
menu appears, select Edit using Picture Editor.
3.
The Realtime Picture Editor will then start and automatically load the plant
picture. When you are finished editing it, simply click Save and then
Exit. Realtime Landscaping Photo will then reappear and the modified
version of your plant will be automatically loaded.

In the following example, the Realtime Picture Editor’s
Replace Color command was used to change the color of the flowers.

Creating Custom Plants
You can expand the library of available plants using the
wizards. There are two methods you can use. To import a picture of a plant, use
the Picture Import Wizard. To create a
custom plant using the currently selected plant, use the Plant Creation Wizard.
Setting a Plant’s Starting Age
You can set the starting age of your plants to reflect how
old they are when planted. This will help them grow more realistically when
using the Plant Growth feature. For
example, if your landscape includes an existing oak tree that is 10 years old,
you would set the starting age to 10.
The following example shows an American Arborvitae with a
starting age of 3, 5, and 7 years.

The age of a plant is the sum of the plant growth and the
plant’s starting age. For example, suppose your landscape has an existing
American Arborvitae that is already 5 years old. You would set the Starting
Age property to 5, and the size will be automatically recalculated as shown
above.
You can also see how your plants would look over time using
the Plant Growth feature. See Setting Plant
Growth for more information.
Note: Plant growth will vary based on
soil conditions, hardiness zones, species, and other factors. Please consult
your local nursery for more detailed information about specific plants you’re
planning to use in your landscape design.
See also:
Plant Properties Setting Plant Growth Selecting Objects Editing Objects Setting Object Properties
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