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