Viewer: On-Line Manual

Viewer
O N - L I N E M A N U A L
Copyright  1982 - 1999 by ERDAS, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
ERDAS Proprietary - Delivered under license agreement.

Copying and disclosure prohibited without express written permission from ERDAS, Inc.
ERDAS, Inc.
2801 Buford Highway, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30329-2137 USA
Phone: 404/248-9000
Fax: 404/248-9400
User Support: 404/248-9777
Warning
All information in this document, as well as the software to which it pertains, is proprietary material of ERDAS, Inc., and is
subject to an ERDAS license and non-disclosure agreement. Neither the software nor the documentation may be reproduced in
any manner without the prior written permission of ERDAS, Inc.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Trademarks
ERDAS is a trade name of ERDAS, Inc. ERDAS and ERDAS IMAGINE are registered trademarks of ERDAS, Inc. Model
Maker, CellArray, ERDAS Field Guide, and ERDAS Tour Guides are trademarks of ERDAS, Inc. Other brands and product
names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Viewer On-Line Manual
Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Recomputing Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
New Arc Coverage Layer Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
New SDE Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
New Shapefile Layer Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
View to Image File Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Choose Screen/Color Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Set View Extent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Raster Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Vector Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Annotation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
TerraModel Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Three-Band Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Multi-Band Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Save Functional Layer As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Save Layer As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Image Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Moving an Inquire Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
iii
Inquire Cursor Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Inquire Box Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Inquire Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Inquire Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Measurement Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Set Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Measure Map Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Viewer Blend/Fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Viewer Swipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Viewer Flicker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Arrange Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Window Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Split Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Set Zoom Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Viewer - Linear Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Rotate Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
iv
Background Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Frame Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
View Extent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Box Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Ellipse Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Oval Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Point Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Poly Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
RotBox Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Simple Arc Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Choose Symbology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Symbol Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Select Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
New Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Add Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Select Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
About the IMAGINE Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
v
Starting a Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
The Viewer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Opening Data Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Changing the Viewer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Resampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Scrolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Animated Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Box Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Real-Time Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Zoom Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Viewing Multiple Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Overlapping Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Non-Overlapping Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Quick View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Inquiry Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Active Pointers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Moving an Inquire Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Zooming or Warping the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Moving and Resizing an Inquire Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Zooming or Warping the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Linking Viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Making a Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Image Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Screen Pixels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Primary Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Color Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Brightness Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Bits for Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
vi
Colormaps and Lookup Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Colormap vs. Lookup Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
ERDAS IMAGINE and Lookup Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
IMAGINE Viewer vs. ERDAS Ver. 7.X Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Gray Scale Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Gray Scale Lookup Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Contrast Stretch and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Pseudo Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Lookup Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Color Schemes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Gray Scale Color Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
True Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

True Color Lookup Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Statistics for Contrast Stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Layer to Color Gun Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
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Viewer
Viewer
An IMAGINE Viewer is started automatically when ERDAS IMAGINE starts. You may start
additional Viewers by clicking the Viewer icon (shown below) on the IMAGINE icon panel.
The Viewer menu bar is opened across the top of every Viewer window. You can left-hold on
each word on this menu bar to access a pull-down menu of ERDAS IMAGINE operations that
are performed in the Viewer.
Many commonly used Viewer functions are also accessible from the Quick View menu that
appears when you right-hold in a Viewer.
The Viewer can be resized by dragging any corner.
File
New This submenu contains options for creating new layers in an existing viewer and
for creating new viewers.
AOI Layer Select this option to create a new AOI (area of interest) layer.
Vector Layer... Select this option to create a new vector layer. The File Selector
dialog is opened.
Annotation Layer... Select this option to create a new annotation layer. The File
Selector dialog is opened.
Viewer Select this option to create a new viewer with specified visuals.
Viewer Specified... Select this option to create a new viewer with the default visuals.
The Choose Screen/Color Mode dialog is opened.
Map Composition... Select this option to create a new map composition. The New
Map Composition dialog is opened.
Open This submenu contains options for opening existing files.
AOI Layer... Select this option to open an existing AOI (.aoi) layer. The File Selector
dialog is opened.
Raster Layer... Select this option to open an existing Raster (.img) layer. The File
1
Viewer
Vector Layer... Select this option to open an existing Vector (Arc Coverage) layer.
The File Selector dialog is opened.
Annotation Layer... Select this option to open an existing Annotation (.ovr) layer. The
File Selector dialog is opened.
TerraModel Layer... Select this option to open an existing TerraModel (.pro) layer.
View... Select this option to open an existing View (.vue) layer. The File Selector
dialog is opened.
Map Composition... Select this option to open an existing Map Composition (.map).
Three Layer Arrangement... Select this option to open a Three-Band Layer (.img).
The File Selector dialog is opened. Three-Band Layer
☞ The results of selecting File | Open | Three Layer with more than one Viewer window open,
or if selected from a Viewer other than Viewer #1.
Multi Layer Arrangement... Select this option to open a Multi Layer (.img) file. The
File Selector dialog is opened.
☞ The results of selecting File | Open | Multi Layer with more than one Viewer window open,
or if selected from a Viewer other than Viewer #1.
Save This submenu contains options for saving one or more layers.
Top Layer Select this option to save changes to the top layer displayed in the Viewer.
Upon closing the Viewer, you are prompted to save each modified layer.
☞ NOTE: Image files opened in Relief can not be saved.

Top Layer As... Select this option to save changes to the top layer displayed in the
Viewer as a different file. The Save Layer As dialog is opened.
AOI Layer As... Select this option to save changes to the AOI layer displayed in the
Viewer as a different file. The Save AOI As dialog is opened.
All Layers Select this option to save all layers in the viewer.
View... Select this option to save the Viewer as a .vue file for use with the VUE Player.
View to Image File... Select this option to save the image in a viewer to a 3 band RGB
file. The File Selector dialog is opened. Select the output file type from the Files of Type:
popup list. Use the Options tab to select the area to use and output file size.
2
Viewer
Print... Select this option to print the contents of the viewer. The Print dialog is opened.
Clear Select this option to clear all data from the Viewer, but leave the Viewer running.
Close Select this option to quit this Viewer. Unmodified layers are closed immediately.
You are prompted to save each modified layer. Other Viewers remain running, and ERDAS
IMAGINE remains running.
Close Other Viewers Select this option to closes all Viewers except the one from which
you select this option.
Utility
Inquire Cursor... Select this option to open the Inquire Cursor dialog and place a cross-
hair cursor over the image in the Viewer.
Inquire Box... Select this option to open the Inquire Box Coordinates dialog and place
a query box over the image in the Viewer.
Inquire Color... Select this option to select the inquire cursor color. The Inquire Color
dialog is opened.
Inquire Shape... Select this option to change the shape of the cursor. The Inquire
Shape dialog is opened.
Inquire Home Select this option to move the cursor to the center of the displayed portion
of the image.
Measure... Select this option to measure points, lines, and areas in the Viewer. The
Measurement Tool is opened.
Selector Properties... Select this option to display or change properties for the current
selector. The Rotbox Editor dialog is opened if the current selector is an inquire box. The
Point Edit dialog is opened if the current selector is a an inquire cursor.
Pick Properties... Select this option while you are digitizing a polyline or polygon to view
the Poly Edit dialog. This is the same as pressing the space-bar while digitiging.
Blend... Select this option to blend or fade two images or layers together. The Viewer
Blend/Fade dialog is opened.
Swipe... Select this option to view portions of the top and bottom images (layers) in a
Viewer at the same time. The Viewer Swipe dialog is opened.
Flicker... Select this option to quickly flip between the top and bottom layers in the
Viewer. The Viewer Flicker dialog is opened.
3
Viewer
Layer Info... Select this option to view information about the top layer in the Viewer. If
the top layer is an .img file, the Image Info dialog is opened with the top layer in the Viewer
loaded. If the top layer is a vector coverage, the VectorInfo dialog is opened.
HFA Info... Select this option to view the IMAGINE hierarchical data structure of the top
layer displayed in the Viewer. The Hierarchical File Viewer dialog is opened.
This data structure is described in detail in the ERDAS Field Guide.
Image Drape... Start Image Drape with Displayed DEM.
VirtualGIS... Start VirtualGIS with Displayed DEM. This option available only with add-
on module.
View
☞ Screen transformations in the View menu work in a cumulative manner. They do not reset
every time you click Apply.
Arrange Layers... Select this option to rearrange the layers displayed in the Viewer. The
Arrange Layers dialog is opened.
Create Magnifier... Select this option to start a new Viewer with the same data displayed
at a zoom ratio of 2 X the zoom ratio in the Viewer.
Tile Viewers Select this option to rearrange the Viewers on the screen. This option is
designed for use when there are two or more Viewers open. It rearranges the Viewers so
that none overlap.
Window Information... Select to display information about the window visual of the
current Viewer. The Window Information dialog is opened.
Split... Select this option to create new Viewers by splitting the current Viewer. The new
Viewer(s) will be empty.
Split Vertical Select this option to create a new Viewer by splitting the current Viewer
in half vertically.
Split Horizontal Select this option to create a new Viewer by splitting the current
Viewer in half horizontally.
Split ... Select this option to split the Viewer bi-directionally. The Split Viewer dialog
is opened.
Zoom Select this option to reduce, magnify, and zoom in on a particular area. The zoom
is based on the center of the displayed portion of the image. See also Real-Time Zoom.
4
Viewer
To zoom based on a user-selected portion of the image, use the Rotate and Magnify
option or the Box Zoom feature.
In By 2 Select this option to quickly magnify the displayed data. Multiplies the current
zoom ratio by 2.
Out By 2 Select this option to quickly reduce the displayed data. Divides the current
zoom ratio by 2.
In By X... Select this option to specify a custom zoom. This option may also be used
to change the resampling method used by many features such as zoom, rotate, pan,
etc. The Set Zoom Ratio dialog is opened.
Out By X... Select this option to specify a custom reduction factor. This option may
also be used to change the resampling method used by many features such as zoom,
rotate, pan, etc. The Reduction dialog is opened.
Default In the Viewer, left-hold to reset the zoom ratio to 1. Any annotation or vector
data is reset to register with the raster layers. If annotation or vector is displayed with
no raster layers, then the zoom ratio is reset to its original value when the data were
displayed.
In the Map Composer, left-hold to set the zoom ratio to “actual size,” as it would appear
when printed.
Rotate and Magnify Select this option to rotate and/or magnify an area of the
displayed layer. A resizeable box is displayed in the Viewer window.
-- to move and position the box, left-hold the mouse in the box and drag the cursor.
-- to resize the box, left-hold and drag the handles on the corners or sides of the box.
-- to rotate the box, middle-hold (UNIX only), or control-left-hold (Windows only)

inside the box and drag in the direction you want to rotate.
➲ When the box is rotated in the desired direction, and you double-click inside the box, the
rotation is reversed. This is because the rotation occurs specific to the parameters of the box.
The top line of the box always represents the top.
You can also modify the position and rotation angle of the box by pressing the space
bar to display the RotBox Editor dialog.
When you have the box positioned and sized the way you want it, double-Click inside
the box and the area will be rotated as described above and magnified to fill the viewer.
i You may also use the real-time rotation feature of the Roam tool to rotate an image.
5
Viewer
Scale
Image To Window Select this option to resize the image to the viewer size.
Window To Image Select this option to resize the viewer to the image size.
Extent... Select this option to define the area of the image to view. The View Extent
dialog is opened.
Scale Tool... Select this option to change the scale of the displayed image. The
Frame Scale dialog is opened.
Rotate... Select this option to rotate the layer in the Viewer. The Rotate dialog is opened.
Using this dialog has no effect on the file unless you save it.
Rotate/Flip/Stretch... Select this option to scale, offset, rotate, and/or reflect the image
in the Viewer. The Viewer - Linear Adjustment dialog is opened.
North Arrow Turn on this check box to enable a north arrow to be displayed in the
Viewer window. Use the North Arrow preferences in the viewer category of the
Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
Scale Bar Turn on this check box to enable a scale bar to be displayed in the Viewer
window. Use the Scale Bar preference in the viewer category of the Preference Editor
to set the default for this option.
Virtual Roaming Turn on this check box to enable the scrollbar to continuously render
the image displayed in the Viewer.
Link/Unlink Viewers Select this option to link or unlink Viewer windows.
Geographical Select this option to link Viewers geographically so that the same
image area is opened in all linked Viewers. This type of link will not reflect changes in
the arrangement of the layers, band combinations, or changes by other tools in the
Viewer. Select this option again to unlink.
Spectral Select this option to link Viewers spectrally so that any enhancements
made to an image will also be made in other Viewers if that same image, or portions
of it, are displayed in other Viewers. Select this option again to unlink.
Background Color... Select this option to change the background color of the Viewer.
The Background Color dialog is opened.
Status Bar Turn on this check box to enable the single-line help which displays at the
bottom of the Viewer window. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
6
Viewer
Scroll Bars This check box turns the Viewer scroll bars on or off. Turning off the scroll
bars increases your display area. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this
option.
Menu Bar This check box turns the Viewer menu bar on or off. Turning off the menu bar
increases your display area. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
Tool Bar Turn on this check box to enable the row of Viewer icon tools which displays
at the top of the Viewer window. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this
option.
Borders This check box creates or deletes the border around the outside of the Viewer.
Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
AOI
Tools... Select this option to open the AOI tool palette.
Undo Select to undo the last edit. Select multiple times to undo a series of edits (back
to the last saved version of this AOI layer).
Cut Select to delete the selected element(s). A copy is kept in a copy/paste buffer.
Delete Raster Mask Select to delete all raster areas from the AOI layer. Raster areas
are created by using the AOI | Copy Selection to AOI... option of the Viewer menu bar
from a pseudo color image.
Group Select to combine the selected elements into a group element.
Ungroup Select to break a group element into single elements.
Reshape Select to reshape a selected polygon or polyline:
♦ hold to move a vertex of the polygon or polyline;

♦ middle-click to add a vertex to the polygon or polyline;
♦ shift-middle-click to add or remove a vertex from the polygon or polyline;
♦ hold on any side of a polygon to move it without rotating.
To quit reshape mode, click outside the element or select another element.
Invert Polygon Select to invert a region grown area so that everything not in the region
grow is selected as an AOI. This option is helpful for selecting island polygons.
7
Viewer
Element Properties... Select to bring up the Properties dialog for the selected element:
♦ Ellipse
♦ Rectangle
♦ Polygon/Polyline
♦ Point
♦ Group
Styles... Select this option to define the default styles for AOIs using the AOI Styles
dialog.
Seed Properties... Select this option to select a model or “seed” pixel(s) to start a region
growing AOI. This method is often used to select training samples prior to classification.
The Seed Properties dialog is opened.
Copy Selection To AOI... Select this option to add the selected areas to a new or
existing AOI layer in this or another Viewer.
Link Select this option to link the AOI in this window to the specified AOI.
Tablet Input Select this option to use a digitizing tablet to select areas of interest. The
Viewer must contain an AOI layer for this option to be enabled.
New Configuration... Select this option to set up a new configuration. The Tablet
Setup dialog is opened.
Current Configuration... Select this option to use the current configuration. The
Tablet Setup dialog is opened.
Raster
Tools... Select this option to open the Raster tool palette.
Undo Click to undo the last edit. Click multiple times to undo a series of edits (back to
the last saved version of this raster layer).
Copy Select this option to copy the area enclosed by the currently selected AOI to a
paste buffer.
Paste... Select this option to paste a previously copied raster area into the viewer. The
Raster Paste dialog is opened.
8
Viewer
Band Combinations... Select this option to change band combinations. If you are
viewing a single band of data, the Set Layer Combinations (single-band display) dialog
is opened. If you are viewing multiple bands of data, the Set Layer Combinations (multi-
band display) dialog is opened.
Pixel Transparency... Select this option to change raster background transparency. The
Set Transparency dialog is opened.
Set Resampling Method... Select this option to set the resampling method used by the
current raster layer. The Set Resampling Method dialog is opened.
Data Scaling... Select this option to change spectral data scaling. The Set Data Scaling
dialog is opened.
Contrast
Histogram Equalize Select this option to equalize the histogram using 256 bins.
Standard Deviation Stretch Select this option to apply a standard deviation stretch
of 2 to the histogram.
General Contrast... Select this option to open the Contrast Adjustment dialog. The
Histogram Equalization method selected by default.
Brightness/Contrast... Select this option open the Contrast/Brightness Tool

dialog.
Piecewise Contrast... Select this option to open the Piecewise Contrast Tool
dialog.
Breakpoints... Select this option to open the Breakpoint Editor dialog.
Load Breakpoints... Select this option to open a File Selector dialog to load
breakpoints from file.
Save Breakpoints... Select this option to open a File Selector dialog to save
breakpoints to file.
Filtering
Smooth Select this option apply a 3X3 low pass filter to the image display.
Sharpen Select this option to apply a 3X3 edge enhance filter to the image display.
Find Edges Select this option to apply a 3X3 edge detect filter to the image display.
Convolution Filtering... Select this option open the general Convolution dialog.
9
Viewer
Statistical Filtering... Select this option to perform statistical filtering on the image.
The Neighborhood Functions dialog is opened.
Recode... Select this option to open the Thematic Recode dialog.
Fill... Select this option to open the Area Fill dialog.
Offset Values... Select this option to open the Area Offset dialog.
Interpolate... Select this option to perform a local surface interpolation on the selected
AOI. The Interpolation dialog is opened.
Recompute Statistics Click to recompute histogram and statistics for the top raster layer
in the Viewer. The Recompute Statistics function does not affect thematic raster layers.
(More...)
Attributes... Select this option to open the Raster Attribute Editor dialog.
Geometric Correction... Select this option to geocorrect the image. The Set Geometric
Model dialog is opened.
Set Drop Point... Select this option to make a single point shift to geocorrect the image.
The Image Offset dialog is opened.
Profile Tools... Select this option to open the Select Profile Tool dialog.
Relief Shading Tool... Select this option to open the Relief Tool dialog. The top layer
must contain an image that was loaded with the Display as: Relief option.
Vector
Enable Editing Select this option to enable vector editing.
Tools... Select this option to bring up the Vector Tools dialog.
Undo Select this option to undo the last edit or all edits performed since the layer was
saved. Simply Click Undo as many times as needed to undo any number of edits.
Cut Select this option to cut the selected elements from the coverage and save them to
the paste buffer. These items can be restored using the Paste command or the Undo
button.
Copy Select this option to copy the selected features to the paste buffer.
Paste Select this option to paste the items stored in the paste buffer. (Write items to the
paste buffer using either the Cut or Copy commands.)
10
Viewer
Items are pasted in the same location as the items in the buffer. Therefore if you select a
line, copy it, then paste it into the same layer, it will be placed exactly on top of the original
line. You must move it if that is not where you want it.
This makes it very easy to select a group of features in one coverage and use that same
group in another layer and maintain the same level of accuracy. For example, you may
want to use county boundaries from one layer in a related layer.
Delete Select this option to delete the selected items from the layer. Deleted items are
not stored in the paste buffer and can only be restored using the Undo command.
Reshape Select this option to change the shape of a single element.
♦ left-hold to move a vertex;

♦ middle-click to add a vertex;
♦ shift-middle-click to add or remove a vertex;
♦ left-hold on any side of a polygon or segment of a polyline to move it
without rotating.
To quit reshape mode, Click outside the element or select another element.
Spline Select this option to smooth the selected arcs according to the grain tolerance
that is stored with the coverage, or that you specify in the Options dialog. Vertices are
added to the line according to the grain tolerance specified. The shape of the lines will
change when Spline is used.
Densify Select this option to smooth the selected arcs according to the grain tolerance
that is stored with the coverage, or that you specify in the Options dialog. Vertices are
added to the line according to the grain tolerance specified. The shape of the lines will
change when Spline is used.
Densify does not change the shape of the lines.
Generalize Select this option to eliminate unnecessary vertices in a line according to the
weed tolerance stored with the layer or that you enter in the Options dialog. Performing
Generalize may speed further processing since the number of vertices in the layer may
be greatly reduced.
Join Select this option to combine two arcs that share a node, if they are the only two
lines sharing that node. The combined lines cannot have more than 500 points.
Group Select this option to create a single multi-part feature by grouping the selected
features.
11
Viewer
Ungroup Select this option to break up a selected multi-part feature into its component
parts.
Attributes... Select this option to view the attributes of the currently displayed vector
layer in the Vector Attribute Table dialog.
Viewing Properties... Select this option to display or edit vector properties. The
Properties dialog is opened.
Symbology... Select this option to show and define vector symbology using the
Symbology dialog.
Options... Select this option to show and set vector snap distances and tolerances using
the Options dialog.
Seed Properties... Select this option to specify a model or “seed” pixel(s) to start a
region growing polygon. The Seed Properties dialog is opened.
Copy Selection To Vector... Select this option to add the selected objects to a vector
layer. The vector layer to which you are adding elements must be displayed.
Tablet Input Select this option to digitize new vector information using a digitizing tablet.
Annotation
Tools... Select this option to open the Annotation tools palette.
Undo Select this option to undo the last edit. Select multiple times to undo a series of
edits (back to the last saved version of this annotation layer).
Cut Select this option to delete the selected element(s). A copy is kept in the copy/paste
buffer.
Copy Select this option to make a copy of the selected element(s) in the copy/paste
buffer.
Paste Select this option to paste the contents of the copy/paste buffer to the same
location. Select the copied element and move it to the desired location.
Group Select this option to combine the selected elements into a single group element.
12
Viewer
Ungroup Select this option to break a group element into individual constituent
elements.
Reshape Select this option to reshape a selected polygon, polyline, arc, or AOI. This
option also lets you create or reshape the invisible polyline that text may follow:
♦ left-hold to move a vertex of the polygon, polyline or text polyline;

♦ middle-click to add a vertex to the polygon, polyline or text polyline;
♦ shift-middle-click to add or remove a vertex from the polygon, polyline or
text polyline;
♦ left-hold on any side of a polygon or segment of a polyline or text polyline

to move it without rotating.
To enter precise size and positioning coordinates when reshaping an arc, press the space
bar after clicking Reshape to bring up the Ellipse Editor dialog.
Raise
To the Front Click to move the selected element(s) in front of all others in the drawing
order.
Forward by One Click to move the selected element(s) forward by one rank in the
drawing order.
Lower
To the Back Click to move the selected element(s) behind all others in the drawing
order.
Backward by One Click to move the selected element(s) back by one rank in the
drawing order.
Distribute
Vertically Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements vertically

between the top element and the bottom element.
Horizontally Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements horizontally

between the right element and the left element.
Flip
Vertically Click to flip selected annotation vertically.
13
Viewer
Horizontally Click to flip selected annotation horizontally.
Align Object North Select this option to align selected annotation toward north.
Alignment... Select this option to align selected annotation objects. The Align dialog is
opened.
Element Properties... Click to open the Properties dialog for the selected element:
♦ Text
♦ Ellipse
♦ Arc
♦ Rectangle
♦ Symbol
♦ Map frame
♦ Group
Styles... Select this option to open the Annotation Styles dialog.
Attributes... Select this option to open the Annotation Attributes dialog.
Seed Properties... Select this option to specify a model or “seed” pixel(s) to start a
region growing polygon. The Seed Properties dialog is opened.
Copy Selection To Annotation... Select this option to add the selected objects to an
annotation layer. The annotation layer to which you are adding elements must be
displayed.
Tablet Input Select this option to digitize new annotation using a digitizing tablet.
TerraModel
Palette... Select this option to choose a color scheme to use with the project file. The
Select Colors dialog is opened.
14
Viewer
Select Layer... Select this option to choose which data layers from the project file to
display in the Viewer. The Select Layers dialog is opened.
Help
Help for Viewer Select this option to see this On-Line Help document.
Click to open a raster layer. The File Selector dialog is opened.
Click to close the top layer opened in the Viewer.
Click to display the Image Info dialog if the top layer in the Viewer is an .img file and
the VectorInfo dialog if the top layer is a vector coverage.
Click to save the top layer in the Viewer.
Click to print the contents of the Viewer.
Click to clear the Viewer.
Click to reset the image to a zoom factor of 1.0.
Click to zoom in by two from the center of the displayed portion of the image. See also
Animated Zoom.
Click to zoom out by two from the center of the displayed portion of the image. See also
Animated Zoom.
Click to measure points, lines, and areas in the displayed layer. The Measurement
Tool is opened.
15
Viewer
Click to start/update the inquire cursor. The Inquire Cursor dialog is opened if it is not
already open.
Click to display the tool palette for top layer.
Click to start the Profile tools. The Select Profile Tool dialog is opened.
Click to reset the window tools.
Click for zoom re-center, box zoom and real-time zoom features. For zoom re-center,
left-click in the Viewer to indicate the center of the enlarged area. For Box zoom, left-hold and
drag a box in the Viewer. For real-time zoom, middle-hold (or Ctrl-left-hold) and drag up and
down in Viewer. See Zooming.
Click for zoom re-center, box zoom and real-time zoom features. For zoom re-center,
left-click in the Viewer to indicate the center of the reduced area. For Box zoom, left-hold and
drag a box in the Viewer. For real-time zoom, middle-hold (or Ctrl-left-hold) and drag up and
down in Viewer. See Zooming.
Click to roam the image. Left-hold and drag the hand-shaped cursor over the image to
pan up, down, left, and right. Middle-hold (or Ctrl-Left-hold) and drag to rotate the image in
real-time.
➲ For information on using the ERDAS IMAGINE graphical interface, see the on-line IMAGINE
Interface manual.
➲ See the ERDAS IMAGINE Tour Guides for step-by-step instructions on many Viewer
functions.
➲ For theoretical information about how images are opened, see the “Image Display” chapter
in the ERDAS Field Guide.
16
Viewer
Recomputing Statistics
For athematic raster layers, the histogram and statistics are computed for the entire image using
all pixels and excluding no values. The computations use the bin function from the descriptor
table unless a new bin function has been created using the Set Data Scaling dialog. If no bin
function exists for the layer, the computations will be based on a default bin function created from
the original, unedited layer as described in the Default Bin Functions table below.
Any edits made to the image (pending or saved) are considered in the computations. The new
histogram and statistics are used by the raster Data Scaling, Histogram Equalize, Standard
Deviation Stretch and Contrast Adjust tools and the Breakpoint Editor the next time the tools are
invoked.
When statistics are recomputed for a layer that has no defined bin function, one of the following
methods is used:
Data Binning
Data Type * Stats Bin Range # of Bins
Range Method
U1, U2, U4, U8 Y N/A Direct Data Range Data Range

U1, U2, U4, U8 N N/A Direct Data Type Range Data Type Range
S8, U16, S16, U32, S32 Y 0 - 255 Direct Data Range Data Range
S8, U16, S16, U32, S32 Y Other Linear Data Range Data Range
S8, U16, S16, U32, S32 N N/A Linear 0 - 255 256
F32, F64, C64, C128 Y N/A Linear Data Range 256
F32, F64, C64, C128 N N/A Linear 0 - 255 256
* See Raster Data Types for a description of the abbreviations used in this column.
For all other cases, linear binning of 256 bins from 0 to 255 is used. Data values outside that
range are binned into the first or last bins.
17
New Arc Coverage Layer Option
New Arc Coverage Layer Option

This dialog is opened when you select File | New | Vector Layer... from the Viewer menu, select
Arc Coverage from the Files of Type: list and then click OK in the file selector.
New Coverage Precision:

Single Precision Click to create a single precision coverage.
Double Precision Click to create a double precision coverage.
OK Click to create the coverage and close this dialog.
Cancel Click to cancel the coverage creation and close this dialog.
Help Click to open this On-Line Help document.
18
New SDE Layer
New SDE Layer

This dialog presents a series of panels to assist you in creating a new SDE layer. Please read
the information in the ERDAS IMAGINE Installation Guide regarding the configuration of your
computer for use with an SDE server. This dialog is opened when you select File | New | Vector
Layer... from the Viewer menu, select SDE Vector Layer from the Files of Type: list and then
click OK in the file selector.
Cancel Click to cancel the creation of a new SDE layer and close the dialog.
<Back Click to return to the previous panel.
Next> Click to move to the next panel.
Finish Click to complete the creation of a new SDE layer.
Help Click to display this help file.

Connect to SDE Server
To create an SDE layer, you must first establish a database connection to an SDE server.
SDE Connection: Select whether to create a new connection to the SDE server or use
an existing connection if one is available.
Create new Establish a new connection to the SDE server.
Use existing Use an existing SDE connection.
Specify connection info: This information is required only if the Create new
radiobutton above is selected.Fill in necessary information to make a connection to the SDE
server.
SDE Server: The machine on which the SDE server is running.
SDE Instance: The name of the SDE instance. Default is “esri_sde”.
Username: Your database user name.
Password: Your database password.
Connect Click here to initiate connection to the SDE server using above info.
Select an existing connection: This information is required only if the Use existing
radiobutton above is selected. Use an existing connection to the SDE server.
19
New SDE Layer
Connections: A list of existing connections to the SDE server.
Disconnect Click here to disconnect the selected connection from the SDE server.
Select a Feature Table

An SDE database containd one or many feature tables. They are displayed below in the
format of [TableOwner].[TableName].[FeatureColumn].
Select a table to define the new layer: From a list of tables that contain a shape
column, select one as the data source for the new SDE vector layer.
Select Attribute Tables

Select attribute table(s) to join with the feature table. Tables are joined using a common
key column. Double click an available table to see columns to the right.
Available Table List: From a list of attribute (or business) tables, select one or more to
be joined with the feature table you have just selected. The columns of the attribute tables will
become the attributes of the new SDE vector layer.
Columns in Table: A list of columns for the attribute table you have just double clicked
on the table list on the left. You can examine the column list of a table to see whether it shares
a common key column with the feature table so that they may be joined to create the new SDE
vector layer.
--> Add an attribute table to the Selected Table List on the right.
<-- Remove an attribute table from the Selected Table List on the right.
Selected Table List A list of tables (a feature table and additional attribute tables) to be
joined to constitute the data source of the new SDE vector layer.
Join Feature and Attribute Tables

Join tables by specifying a JOIN statement of key columns, such as
“Table1.Column1=Table2.Column2”. Use “and” between statements.
Double click for columns: You can double click a table to see its columns.
Columns: A list of columns for the table you have just double clicked.
JOIN Statement: The clause to be used to join the tables together.
= Put an equal sign into the JOIN Statement.
20
New SDE Layer
and Use this to append additional equal statements.
Clear Clear the join clause.

Specify SQL Where Clause
Specify an SQL Where Clause for attribute constraints.
Tables: A list of tables you have selected for the new SDE vector layer. Double click a table
name to see the columns on the right.
Columns: A list of columns for the table (on the left) you have just double clicked.
Compares: Select a comparision operator to be put into the where clause.
(keypad) Use this keypad to enter numeric values, arithmetic operators in the where
clause.
and Use this to append additional constraints to the where clause.
or Use this to specify a SQL “or” operator to the where clause.
not Use this to specify a SQL “not” operator to the where clause.
Clear Clear the text from the SQL Where Clause field.
SQL Where Clause A constraint to be imposed in the SQL query to the database so that
only a subset of rows (or records) will be extracted from the feature table (and the attribute
tables if selected).
Select Attribute Columns to Display

Select a subset of columns to be displayed as attributes of the SDE layer.
Table to select columns from: Select a table here to have its columns displayed
below.
(cellarray) Click in the Selected field to determine whether a column should be displayed
as an attribute column of the new SDE vector layer.
21
New Shapefile Layer Option
New Shapefile Layer Option

This dialog is opened when you select File | New | Vector Layer... from the Viewer menu, select
Shapefile from the Files of Type: list and then click OK in the file selector.
Select Shapefile Type: Select a shape type for the new shapefile. A shapefile can only
contain one type of shapes.
Arc Shape A shape type of arcs composed of one or more polylines.
Point Shape A shape type of a single points (x, y pairs).
Polygon Shape A shape type of polygons composed of one or more rings.
Multipoint Shape A shape type of points or point groups.
3D Point Shape A shape type of three dimensional points.
3D Arc Shape A shape type of three dimensional polylines.
3D Polygon Shape A shape type of three dimensional polygons.
3D Multipoints A shape type of three dimensional point or point groups.
Measured Point A shape type of points with measurement values.
Measured Arc A shape type of polylines with measurement values
Measured Polygon A shape type of polygons with measurement values.
Measured Multipoint A shape type of points or point groups with measurement value
OK Create Shapefile Layer

Cancel Cancel new shapefile creation.
22
View to Image File Options
View to Image File Options

This tab lets you set parameters for saving the data currently displayed in the Viewer to an .img
file. By default, this .img file will be a 3-band (RGB) file, regardless of how many bands are in the
data set. If, however, Gray Scale is enabled, the .img file will contain only one band.
Not everything opened in a viewer can be converted to .img. The exceptions are:
♦ AOI
♦ Shaded Relief through viewer
♦ Transparency across frames
☞ Enhancements to the image file in the Viewer must be saved in order to be included in the
output file. You must use the Edit | Compute Statistics function in Image Info to create
statistics for the new file before it can be enhanced.
Select File | View to Image File... from the Viewer menu bar then click the Options tab to open
this dialog.
Area to Use: Select area of viewer to use in output image file.

Full Click to save the entire image (including any part not visible in the Viewer) to an
.img file.
Visible Click to save just the part of the image that is visible in the Viewer to an .img file.
Output Image Size:

Width at: (percentage) is (number) Pixels Use these number fields to specify the width
of the output image as a percentage of the original, or in pixels.
Height at: (percentage) is (number) Pixels Use these number fields to specify the
height of the output image as a percentage of the original, or in pixels.
Maintain Aspect Ratio Select this checkbox to hold the ratio of width to height constant
as the output image size is adjusted.
Use Gray Scale Output: Select this checkbox to output to gray scale (a singleband
image).
Help Click to view this help file.
23
Choose Screen/Color Mode
Choose Screen/Color Mode

This dialog allows you to select the display type of a new Viewer, such as TrueColor, DirectColor,
etc. This dialog is opened when you select File | New | Viewer Specified... from the Viewer
menu bar.
☞ Creating a new Viewer with new display attributes is supported under UNIX only.
Screens/Color Modes Click on the popup list button to select the display type. The
options that are displayed depend on your system configuration.
OK Click to use the selected display type and close this dialog.
Cancel Click to cancel this process and close this dialog.
Help Click to see this On-Line Help document.

Interface manual.
➲ See the “Image Display” chapter in the ERDAS Field Guide for more information about
display devices.
24
Set View Extent
Set View Extent

This dialog allows you to define the area of the image to view by typing in upper left and lower
right corner coordinates of the portion of the image you want to view.
This dialog is opened when you click the Set View Extent check box in the Raster Options of
the File Selector dialog.
ULX: Enter the upper left X coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
ULY: Enter the upper left Y coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
LRX: Enter the lower right X coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
LRY: Enter the lower right Y coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
File Coords Click to specify the coordinates in file coordinates.
Map Coords Click to specify the coordinates in map coordinates.
OK Click to use these coordinates and close this dialog.

Interface manual.
25
Print
Print
This dialog enables you to print using a specific map template applied to a specific map area.
This dialog opens when you select File | Print... from the IMAGINE Viewer menu bar.
i The Viewer Print tool prints the data from saved files. Unsaved edits are not printed.
Map Template: Select one of the template options below:

Landscape Select this option to use a default template for landscape orientation.
Portrait Select this option to use a default template for portrait orientation.
Other Select this option to specify a pre-defined template. Enter the template name or
click the File Selector button.
Area to Print:
Full Select this option to print the entire image area.
Subset Select this option to print a subset of the entire image area.
ULX: Upper Left X Map Coordinate of Subset Area
ULY: Upper Left Y Map Coordinate of Subset Area
LRX: Lower Right X Map Coordinate of Subset Area
LRY: Lower Right Y Map Coordinate of Subset Area
Select Area... Select Subset Area from Box
OK Click this button to accept the parameters. The Print Map Composition dialog is
opened.
Preview... Click to view the image you are about to print in a map composition window.
Cancel Click to cancel the operation and close the dialog.
Help Click to open this help file.
26
Raster Options
Raster Options
This file tab is accessible from the Select Layer To Add dialog that is accessed via File | Open |
Raster Layer... from the Viewer menu bar. Clicking the Options tab enables you to select from
a variety of raster options to apply to the image you are about to display.
Raster Options Choose from the raster options below.

Display as : Click on this popup list to select the color mapping method from the
following selections:
True Color Click to display the selected image in true color mode. True color display
is appropriate for most interval or ratio multi-layer images.
Pseudo Color Click to display the selected image in pseudo color mode. Pseudo
color is appropriate for nominal or ordinal images in one layer.
Gray Scale Click to display the selected image in gray scale mode. Gray scale is
appropriate for a single layer of interval or ratio data.
Relief Click to display the selected image as a shaded relief layer. This option is
appropriate only for gray scale layers.
When a layer is displayed using this option, you can click the Tool icon on the Viewer
tool bar or select Raster | Relief Shading Tool... to bring up the Relief Tool dialog.
Layers to Colors: This group is opened if you select multilayer data (a layerset) and True
Color display. Select the layer to color gun assignments for multilayer data. Use the
Red: Enter the layer to display in the red color gun.
Green: Enter the layer to display in the green color gun.
Blue: Enter the layer to display in the blue color gun.
Display Layer: This group is opened if you choose to display multilayer data as Pseudo
Color, Gray Scale, Relief, or if you select a single layer image.
Layer: Select the layer of the layerset to display.
Orient Image to Map System Click to resample loaded image when displaying in the
Viewer.
27
Raster Options
If the check box is not activated (gray), the Viewer will display the image in the image's file
coordinate system with file coordinate 0, 0 at the upper left of the view and the X
coordinate increasing from right to left and the Y coordinate increasing from top to bottom
of the view. Map coordinates may still be read in the status bar of the Viewer and with the
Inquire Cursor.
If the check box is activated, the Viewer will display the image in the map coordinate
system associated with the image layers in the file. In this case, the map coordinate map-
min-x, map-max-y will be placed at the upper left of the view and the X map coordinate
will increase from right to left and the Y map coordinate will decrease from top to bottom
of the view. Map-min-x and map-max-y are obtained from the map bounding box of the
image. The pixel size selected for viewing the image is as specified in the MapInfo section
of the ImageInfo dialog.
Clear Display If this check box is on, the Viewer will be cleared before new data are
displayed. Otherwise, the new data will be displayed on top of any currently displayed
data.
Fit to Frame If this check box is on, the image will be magnified or reduced to fit the
Viewer window at its current size.
Data Scaling Normally when grayscale and true color data are displayed, a linear
stretch from 0 - 255 is applied to the entire range of data.
Click to specify an alternate range in which to stretch the data. When you click OK, the
Set Data Scaling dialog is opened. This dialog shows a histogram of the data file values
and allows you to enter the minimum and maximum data file values to display.
No Stretch Click to display data without applying the normal 0 - 255 linear stretch.
Set View Extent Click to specify the upper left and lower right coordinates of the portion
of the image to display. The Set View Extent dialog is opened.
Background Transparent Click to make the background of true color and gray scale
areas transparent so that the layer underneath will show. This option clips black areas
from displayed images and is especially helpful when displaying images that will be
mosaicked.
Zoom by: If Fit to Frame is off, then you can enter the zoom ratio for the data
Using: Choose from a set of interpolation methods.
Help Click to view the On-Line Help for this file tab.
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Vector Options
Vector Options
This Options tab is accessed from a file selector dialog, which enables you to open or create a
vector coverage in a Viewer. This Options tab is opened when you select File | Open | Vector
Layer... or when you select File| New | Vector Layer...from the Viewer menu bar and then click
on Vector Options.
Vector Options
Use Symbology Click to use symbology for displaying vector data.
Clear Display Click to clear the Viewer window before displaying vector data.
Option: If the Use Symbology checkbox is enabled, the current vector symbology file
is listed.
Set ... Click to set up the symbology for this vector layer. The Choose Symbology dialog
is opened.
Help Click to view the On-Line Help for this Options tab.
➲ For more information on using a digitizing tablet to create vector data, see the Digitizing Tips
section of the IMAGINE Interface manual
29
Annotation Options
Annotation Options
This file tab is accessible from the Select Layer To Add dialog that is accessed via File | Open |
Annotation Layer... from the Viewer menu bar. Clicking the Options tab in the Select Layer To
Add dialog enables you to access the Clear Display option for the annotation.
Annotation Options Select or deselect the following annotation option:

Clear Display Turn on this check box to clear the Viewer window before displaying
annotation.
Help Click to view the On-Line Help for this dialog.
30
TerraModel Options
TerraModel Options
This tab is accessible from the Select Layer To Add dialog that is accessed via File | Open |
TerraModel Layer... from the Viewer menu bar. Clicking the Options tab in the Select Layer To
Add dialog enables you to access the Clear Display option for the TerraModel.
Options Select or deselect the following TerraModel option:

Clear Display Turn on this check box to clear the Viewer window before displaying
annotation.
Help Click to view the On-Line Help for this tab.
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Three-Band Options
Three-Band Options
This Options tab is accessed through the Open Three Layer dialog, which enables you to
automatically open four Viewers; one Viewer for a true color image, plus three additional
Viewers — one for each of the layers assigned to the red, green, and blue color guns. The red,
green, and blue layers are displayed in gray scale. The four Viewers are automatically linked.
This Options tab is opened when you select File | Open | Three Layer Arrangement... from the
Viewer menu bar and then click on Options.
Options
Display: Select the type of image from the following selections:
True Color Click to display the selected image in true color mode. True color is
appropriate for most interval or ratio (continuous) multi-layer images.
color is appropriate for nominal or ordinal (thematic) images in one layer. If this option
is chosen, then one layer is displayed in pseudo color and there is no three-layer
display.
appropriate for a single layer of interval or ratio data. If this option is chosen, then one
layer is displayed in gray scale and there is no three-layer display.
Layers to Colors: This group is opened if you select multilayer data (a layerset) and
True Color display. Select the layer to color gun assignments for multi-layer data.
Red Enter the layer to display in the red color gun.
Green Enter the layer to display in the green color gun.
Blue Enter the layer to display in the blue color gun.
Display Layer: This group is opened if you choose to display multilayer data as pseudo
color or gray scale, or if you select a single-layer image.
Number of Layers Shows the number of layers of the selected image file.
Clear Display Turn on this check box to erase any data that are already displayed in the
Viewer. Otherwise, data will be displayed on top of the currently displayed data, and will
be magnified or reduced (if necessary) to register to it and fit in the Viewer window.
Help Click to display On-Line Help for this Options tab.
32
Three-Band Options
Interface manual.
➲ For more information about how images are opened, see the “Image Display” chapter in the
ERDAS Field Guide.
33
Multi-Band Options
Multi-Band Options
This file tab is accessible from the Open Multi Layer dialog, accessed via File | Open | Multi
Layer Arrangement... from the Viewer menu bar. Clicking the Options tab in the Open Multi
Layer dialog enables you to select the display and color options for the image.
Options Select from the options below.

Display: Select the color mapping method from the following selections:
True Color Click to display the selected image in true color mode. True color display
is appropriate for most interval or ratio multi-layer images.
color is appropriate for nominal or ordinal images in one layer.
appropriate for a single layer of interval or ratio data.
Layers to Colors: This group is opened if you select multilayer data (a layerset) and True
Color display. Select the layer to color gun assignments for multilayer data. Use the
Red: Enter the layer to display in the red color gun.
Green: Enter the layer to display in the green color gun.
Blue: Enter the layer to display in the blue color gun.
Display Layer: This group is opened if you choose to display multilayer data as Pseudo
Color, Gray Scale, Relief, or if you select a single layer image.
Number of Layers: The number of layers in the image is displayed.
Clear Display Click to clear the image currently displayed in the Viewer when the new
image displays.
Help Click to view the On-Line Help for these options.
34
Save Functional Layer As
Save Functional Layer As

This dialog lets you save a functional layer to a new file. A functional layer is a function of the
Signature Editor and the underlying image, such as Image Alarm, Threshold, or Image to
Feature Space. The layer is saved as a pseudo color file.
To use this dialog, left-hold File | Save | Top Layer As... in the Viewer menu bar with the
functional layer you want to save displayed on top. When the Verify Save on Close dialog is
opened, answer Yes.
Save Functional as: Use the file name part to enter a name for the new file.
OK Click to save the functional layer and close this dialog.

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35
Save Layer As
Save Layer As
This dialog enables you to save the top layer displayed in a Viewer to a new file. It is opened
when you select File | Save | Top Layer As... from the Viewer menu bar. This dialog is also
opened when you select Save Layer As from the right-button menu of a layer bar in the Arrange
Layers dialog.
☞ If you have the same raster or annotation layer displayed in more than one Viewer, then Save
As will save only the layer in the current Viewer as a new file. The other Viewers will contain
the old file. This is not true for vector layers however. If the same vector layer is displayed in
more than one Viewer, Save As works on all views of that layer.
Save as: Use this file name part to enter a name for the new file. The default file extension
depends on the type of layer you are saving.
OK Click to save the layer to the specified file and close this dialog.

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36
Image Information
Image Information
This dialog gives you individual pixel information by using a cursor which displays as a cross-hair
in the Viewer window. The Viewer window which is under inquiry will be listed in the Inquire
Cursor dialog title bar (e.g., Viewer #1: lanier.img).
The Inquire Cursor dialog can be accessed two ways (an image must be displayed in the
Viewer):
♦ Select the Inquire Cursor... option of the Quick View right button menu
♦ Left-hold Utility | Inquire Cursor from the Viewer menu bar
☞ If a cursor seems to disappear when moving it, go to the Preference Editor and turn off the
Fast Selectors preference.
(coordinate type) Left-hold this first popup list and select the type of coordinates in which
to display the image information.
Map Show the map coordinates. If the data are georeferenced, the coordinates are
displayed. If the image is registered to another image, the coordinates are displayed in the
units of the other image’s map-to-layer-pixel transformation. Otherwise, coordinates in the
default pixel map system are shown.
File Show the file coordinates, which are pixels, starting with 0,0 in the upper left corner.
Lat/Lon Show Latitude/Longitude coordinates, if the data are geocoded.
Paper Show the units this area would be on paper if data were printed. The origin (0,0)
of the paper coordinate system is in the lower left corner.
X: X coordinate value or the cursor position.

Y: Y coordinate value of the cursor position.
(units) This label shows the type of units in which the coordinates are measured.
Left-click on this icon to display the inquire cursor information for the next linked Viewer
at the same location.
Projection: Shows the map projection system and the spheroid to which the data are
rectified.
37
Image Information
(CellArray) This CellArray shows information for each layer in the file. If the lock icon is
set, this information will automatically update as the Inquire Cursor is moved. Otherwise, the
information is updated when the Inquire Cursor is stopped (not moving).
Right-hold in the Row column for the Row Selection popup. Right-hold on any column
heading for the Column Options popup.
The information which is displayed for continuous and thematic data will be slightly different:
Continuous Data
Band - this column shows which layers are assigned the red, green, and blue color
guns (the layers that are displayed in the Viewer)
FILE PIXEL - the actual pixel value from the file
LUT VALUE - lookup table value for the pixel
HISTOGRAM - number of pixels (histogram) in the image that have this pixel value
Thematic Data
Pixel Value - the actual pixel value from the file
CLASS NAMES - shows the name of the pixel classification
RED, GREEN, and BLUE - shows the actual LUT values for the pixel
Left-click to move the inquire cursor up by the specified number of units.
Left-click to move the inquire cursor down by the specified number of units.
Left-click to move the inquire cursor to the center of the Viewer.
Left-click to move the cursor to the left by the number of units entered in the meter
number to the right.
Left-click to move the cursor to the right by the number of units entered in the meter
number to the right.
38
Image Information
When this icon is displayed, the CellArray information is updated continuously as you
drag the inquire cursor in the Viewer. Left-click this icon to toggle the previous icon.
When this icon is displayed, the CellArray information is updated when you release the
mouse button after moving the inquire cursor. Left-click this icon to toggle the following icon.
(increment meter number) This meter number controls the number of units that the
arrow buttons will move the cursor.
(increment units popup list) Left-hold this popup list to select the units by which the
arrow buttons will move the cursor.
i If the coordinate system in which the cursor’s increments have been set is switched, the
increment size will revert to the default.
Map Increment Units

File Increment Units
Close Left-click to close this dialog and dismiss the inquire cursor.
Help Left-click to see this On-Line Help document.

Moving an Inquire Cursor
To move an inquire cursor (cross-hairs), do any of the following:
♦ Left-hold the intersection of the cross-hairs and drag it to the desired location
♦ Enter the desired coordinates in the X: and Y: fields
♦ Use the four arrow icons to move the cursor by map or file units in any direction
Inquire Cursor Attributes
The color and shape of the Inquire Cursor can be changed for easier viewing.
Color
The color can be changed by left-holding Utility | Inquire Color... from the Viewer menu bar.
The Inquire Color dialog is opened.
39
Image Information
Shape
The shape of the inquire cursor can also be changed by selecting Utility | Inquire Shape... from
the Viewer menu bar. The Inquire Shape dialog is opened.
Interface manual.
➲ See the ERDAS IMAGINE Tour Guides for step-by-step instructions on using the Inquire
Cursor.
40
Inquire Box Coordinates

Use this dialog to see the coordinates of the corners of an inquire Box, or to edit them by
entering specific coordinates. To use the Inquire Box successfully, the image must be oriented
to its map system, and no rotation should be applied to the Viewer.
i The Inquire Box does not necessarily represent a rectangular area orthogonal to the map sys-
tem or file coordinates if the data beneath it is rotated or otherwise not oriented to the map
system or file coordinates.
You can access the Inquire Box two different ways:
♦ Select the Inquire Box... option of the Quick View right-button menu
♦ Left-click Utility | Inquire Box from the Viewer menu bar
The Viewer number from which you started the Inquire Box and the name of the top layer in that
Viewer are reported in the title bar of this dialog.
ULX: Shows the X coordinate of the upper left corner of the box.
ULY: Shows the Y coordinate of the upper left corner of the box.
You can edit these values, and the box will move accordingly. If you move or resize the box in
the Viewer, these values are dynamically updated.
LRX: Shows the X coordinate of the lower right corner of the box.
LRY: Shows the Y coordinate of the lower right corner of the box.
You can edit these values, and the box will move accordingly. If you move or resize the box in
the Viewer, these values are dynamically updated.
Fit to AOI Left-click to fit the Inquire Box to the selected AOI.
Type: Left-hold this popup list to select the type of coordinates for the box corners.
Map Show the map coordinates if the data are rectified.
File Show the file coordinates, which are pixels, starting with 0,0 in the upper left corner
of the layer.
Lat/Lon Show Latitude/Longitude coordinates if the data are georeferenced.
Paper Show the units this area would be on paper if the data were printed. The origin
(0,0) of the paper coordinate system is in the lower left corner of the layer.
41
Units: The units for the selected coordinate type are shown.
Apply Left-click to apply the selected box coordinates to the displayed image. If this is a
linked image, you can left-click this button to change the display area in the other Viewer to
the area inside the box.
Close Left-click to close this dialog.

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Inquire Color
Inquire Color
This dialog enables you to change the color of the inquire cursor or the inquire box. It is opened
when you select Utility | Inquire Color... from the Viewer menu bar.
Inquire Color Click and hold this color patch to select a color for the cursor or box.
Selecting Other... brings up the colorwheel.
OK Click to use the selected color for the cursor or box and close this dialog.

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Inquire Shape
Inquire Shape
This dialog enables you to change the shape of the Inquire Cursor. It appears when you left-
click Utility | Inquire Shape... from the Viewer menu bar
Inquire Icon: This file name part lists the available icons for the inquire cursor shape
(.cursor file extension). Left-click on the cursor shape you would like to use.
Use Icon Left-click to use the icon entered in the file name part above as the inquire cursor
shape.
Use Cursor Left-click to revert to using the default inquire cursor shape (cross hairs).
Apply Left-click to apply the selected icon or cross hairs to the inquire cursor shape.
Close Left-click to close this dialog with or without the cursor shape being changed.

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Measurement Tool
Measurement Tool
This dialog gives you tools for measuring areas in a Viewer. The measurements are written as
text to a file which is opened in the Measurement Tool. This text can be saved, edited, and
printed just like any other text file.
The Viewer which is being measured is opened in the title bar of the Measurement Tool (e.g.,
Measurement Tool for Viewer #1).
Select Utility | Measure... from the Viewer menu bar or click the icon in the Viewer tool bar
to open this tool.
File Click to save and print measurements and to close the Measurement Tool. The
keyboard shortcut is Meta-f.
Save Click to save the measurements to a file. The keyboard shortcut is Ctl-s.
Save As... Click to save the measurements to a new file. The Save As dialog is opened.
Print... Click to print the measurements. The Print dialog is opened. The keyboard
shortcut is Ctl-p.
Close Click to close the measurement tool. The keyboard shortcut is Ctl-d.
Edit Click to edit the text in the Measurement Tool. The keyboard shortcut is Meta-e.
Copy Click to copy the selected text. The keyboard shortcut is Ctl-c.
Use the keyboard Paste key to paste the text in the desired location of the Measurement
Tool.
Use the keyboard Delete key to cut text.
Clear Last Measure Click to clear the last measurement from Viewer. This does not
clear it from the text in the Measurement Tool. Use the Delete key to clear the text from
the Measurement Tool.
Set Units... Click to change the units used for display. The Set Units dialog is opened.
Set Map Type... Click to specify the map type to use for displaying point measurements.
The Measure Map Type dialog is opened.
Tablet... Click to use a digitizing tablet for measurements. The Tablet Setup dialog is
opened
Help Click to open this On-Line Help document. The keyboard shortcut is Meta-h.
45
Measurement Tool
Help for Measure Displays Help for the Measurement Tool
Click to save the measurements to a file. The Save As dialog opens.
Click to print the measurements. The Print dialog opens.
Click to copy highlighted measurements. Use the keyboard Paste key to paste the text
in the desired position.
Click to disable the current Measurement Tool.
Click to measure points in the displayed image. Click the icon and then click in the
Viewer to designate the point.
Click to measure lengths and angles in the displayed image. Click the icon and then
click in the Viewer to add each vertex. Double-click or middle-click (depending upon how your
preferences are set) to end the polyline.
Click to measure perimeters and areas in the displayed image. Click the icon and then
click in the Viewer to add each vertex. Double-click or middle-click (depending upon how your
preferences are set) to close the polygon.
Click measure rectangular areas in the displayed image. Click the icon, and then left-
hold in the Viewer from the upper left to the lower right corner of the desired rectangle. Press
the shift key while drawing to create a perfect square.
Click to measure ellipse-shaped areas in the displayed image. To draw the ellipse, click
the icon, and then left-hold in the Viewer from the center to the lower right “corner” of the
desired ellipse. Press the shift key while drawing to create a perfect circle.
i A box will display in the Viewer rather than an ellipse. However, the measurements are taken
correctly from the ellipse area.
46
Measurement Tool
When this icon is opened, the selected Measurement Tool will remain selected until
you either select another tool or click this icon again, toggling this feature off.
This allows you to take multiple measurements with the same tool.
When this icon is opened, the selected Measurement Tool will revert to the pointer tool
after one measurement. If you click this icon, it will toggle to the previous icon.
measuretext: Measurement information is displayed in this edittext field before they are
printed or saved to a file.
Interface manual.
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Save As
Save As
This dialog allows you to save a copy of the text in the Measurement Tool under a new name.
This dialog opens when you select File | Save As... from the Measurement Tool menu bar.
Save file as: Use this filename part to enter the name of the file to be saved. The .mes
extension will be added automatically.
OK Click to save the file and close this dialog.

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Set Units
Set Units
This dialog enables you to select the units for the measurements taken with the Measurement
Tools. This dialog opens when you select Edit | Set Units... from the Measurement Tool menu
bar.
Length: Click on the popup list button to select the type of units for the measurement in
lengths.
Inches Measurements will be in inches.
Feet Measurements will be in feet.
Yards Measurements will be in yards.
Miles Measurements will be in miles.
Centimeters Measurements will be in centimeters.
Meters Measurements will be in meters.
Kilometers Measurements will be in kilometers.
Area: Click on the popup list button to select the type of units for the area measurement.
Sq Miles Area will be measured in square miles.
Acres Area will be measured in acres.
Hectares Area will be measured in hectares.
OK Click to reset and display measurements with new units and close this dialog.
Cancel Click to close this dialog without making any changes.

Interface manual.
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Measure Map Type
Measure Map Type

This dialog enables you to specify the map type to use for displaying point measurements. It is
opened when you select Edit | Set Map Type... from the Measurement Tool menu bar.
Map Type: Click on the popup list button to select the map type to use for measuring point
positions.
These options are valid only if the layer is georeferenced. If it is not, file coordinates will be
used regardless of what is selected here.
Map Use map coordinates.
Lat/Lon Use Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
OK Click to use the selected option and close this dialog.

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50
Viewer Blend/Fade
Viewer Blend/Fade
This dialog enables you to blend or fade two images or layers together. The two layers must both
be opened in the same Viewer and must be registered to the same projection system. When this
option is selected, the bottom layer is brought to the top.
☞ Before selecting this option, you should have the desired image area displayed in the Viewer.
Once this dialog is opened, you can resize the Viewer, but the blend will affect only the
originally opened area.
This dialog is opened when you select Utility | Blend... in the Viewer menu bar.
Blend/Fade Percentage: Use the number field or the slider bar to determine how much
of the top layer shows through the bottom layer. 0% means that the top layer is invisible. 50%
means that the top layer is half visible and the bottom layer is half visible. 100% means that
the bottom layer is invisible.
Automatic Blend/Fade: You can select the Auto Mode if you want the blend/fade to run
from 0 to 100 and back again continuously until you stop it.
Auto Mode Click to initiate auto mode. Click again to stop auto mode.
Speed: Time in milliseconds between frames. Lower numbers indicate shorter time and
a faster swipe rate. The minimum value is 50.
Ok Click to close this dialog.

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Viewer Swipe
Viewer Swipe
This dialog enables you to view portions of the top and bottom images (layers) in a Viewer at the
same time using a vertical or horizontal swipe line. The two layers must both be displayed in the
same Viewer and must be registered to the same projection system. When this option is
selected, the Viewer shows the top layer in the left half and the bottom layer in the right half.
Once this dialog is opened, you can resize the Viewer, but the swipe will affect only the
This dialog is opened when you select Utility | Swipe... from the Viewer menu bar.
Swipe Position: Use the number field or slider bar to control the percentage of each
image that is visible. 0% means that the top layer is invisible and 100% means that the bottom
layer is invisible.
Direction: Indicate whether the swipe line will be vertical or horizontal.

Vertical Click for a vertical swipe line. Top image slides left-to-right.
Horizontal Click for a horizontal swipe line. Top image slides top-to-bottom.
Automatic Swipe: You can select the Auto Mode if you want the swipe to run from 0 to
100 and back again continuously until you stop it.
thus faster swipe rate. The minimum value is 50.
Cancel Click to close this dialog.

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Viewer Flicker
Viewer Flicker
This dialog enables you to quickly switch between the top and bottom images (layers) in a
Viewer. The two layers must both be opened in the same Viewer and must be registered to the
same projection system.
Once this dialog is opened, you can resize the Viewer, but the flicker will affect only the
This dialog is opened when you select Utility | Flicker... in the Viewer menu bar.
Automatic Flicker: You can select the Auto Mode if you want the top and bottom layers
to flicker back and forth until you stop it.
thus faster swipe rate. The minimum value is 50.
Manual Flicker Click to bring the bottom layer to the top.
Cancel Click to close this dialog.

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Arrange Layers
Arrange Layers
This dialog is an interactive “stacker” tool for arranging multiple layers that are opened in a
viewer, or map frames and map annotation in a map composition.
Each opened layer is represented by a bar in a scrolling list. You can rearrange these bars using
the options described below. The top of the stack represents the top, or most visible layer in the
Viewer. Lower layers will be obscured by any opaque regions in higher layers.
This dialog is opened when you select View | Arrange Layers from the Viewer menu bar or Map
Composer menu bar.
(stacker) Left-hold on any bar in the stack, and drag it to a new location in the stack. The
following options are used with any layer in the stacker.
Apply Click to change the arrangement of layers in the Viewer or Map Composer
according to your changes in this dialog.
This button is disabled until you have edited the stack.
Reset Click to reset the layers to their original positions.

This button is disabled until you have edited the stack.
Up This button is not enabled until you right-hold Frame Options/Descend Into in a map
frame layer. It allows you to move up out of the map frame level and into the default state of
the Arrange Layers dialog.
Close Click to close this dialog without arranging layers.
54
Arrange Layers
Layer Options (right button menu) For each layer type, there is a menu of options
accessed through the right mouse button.
♦ Annotation Options
♦ AOI Options
♦ Frame Options
♦ Layer Options
♦ PseudoColor Options
♦ Relief Options
♦ TrueColor Options
♦ GrayScale Options
♦ Vector Options
Annotation Options The following options appear when you right-hold on an annotation
layer.
Raise To Top Move this layer to the top of the stack.
Lower To Bottom Move this layer to the bottom of the stack.
Delete Layer Remove this layer from the Viewer or Map Composer.
Until you click Apply, the bar will be shaded, and the layer will remain in the Viewer or Map
Composer. When you click Apply, the layer is removed.
This option does NOT delete the layer from the hard disk, only from the Viewer.
Save Layer Right-hold to save the layer.
Save Layer As... Right-hold to save the layer as a new file. The Save Layer As dialog
is opened.
Layer Visibility Right-hold to toggle the visibility of the layer.
Set Current Layer Right-hold to specify this layer as the current layer for using the
annotation editing commands such as Paste in which you do not have to have objects
selected to perform the operation.
55
Arrange Layers
This is often used when you are creating a new layer by copying features from another
layer in the Viewer.
Show Attributes Right-hold to show the attributes of this annotation layer. The
Annotation Attributes dialog is opened.
AOI Options The following options appear when you right-hold on an AOI layer.
Frame Options The following option is opened when you right-hold on a map frame
layer.
Descend Into Right-hold to change the order of the layers inside the map frame.
To return to the initial format of the Arrange Layers dialog, Click the Up button at the
bottom of the dialog.
56
Arrange Layers
GrayScale Options The following options appear when you right-hold on a gray scale
layer.
is opened.
Brightness/Contrast... Right-hold to adjust the brightness and contrast of the current

layer. The Brightness/Contrast Tool dialog is opened.
Piecewise Contrast... Right-hold to adjust the brightness and contrast of a specified

range of the layer. The Piecewise Contrast Tool dialog is opened.
Breakpoints... Right-hold to view, edit, and rescale the histograms and lookup table
graphs.The Breakpoint Editor (Gray) dialog is opened.
Band Combinations... Right-hold to change the displayed band of a multi-band image

without reloading the file. The Set Layer Combinations (single-band display) dialog is
opened.
Layer Options The following options appear when you right-hold on a functional layer.
57
Arrange Layers
PseudoColor Options The following options appear when you right-hold on a thematic
or pseudo color layer.
is opened.
Attribute Editor... Right-hold to bring up the Raster Attribute Editor for this layer.
Relief Options The following options appear when you right-hold on a relief layer.
is opened.
58
Arrange Layers
Relief Tool... Right-hold to use the Relief Tool to set sun azimuth and elevation and
ambient light parameters.
TrueColor Options The following options appear when you right-hold on a true color
layer.
is opened.
Brightness/Contrast... Right-hold to adjust the brightness and contrast of the current

layer. The Brightness/Contrast Tool dialog is opened.
Piecewise Contrast... Right-hold to adjust the brightness and contrast of a specified

range of the layer. The Piecewise Contrast Tool dialog is opened.
Breakpoints... Right-hold to view, edit, and rescale the histograms and lookup table
graphs for the red, green, and blue color guns. The Breakpoint Editor dialog is opened.
Band Combinations... Right-hold to change the layers (bands) that are displayed in
Red, Green, and Blue on the monitor. The Set Layer Combinations (multi-band
display) dialog is opened.
Vector Options The following options are displayed when you right-hold on a vector
layer.
59
Arrange Layers
is opened.
Enable Editing Right-hold to edit this vector layer.
Set Current Layer Right-hold to specify this layer as the current layer for vector editing
commands such as Paste in which you do not have to have objects selected to perform
the operation.
This is often used when you are creating a new layer by copying features from another
layer in the Viewer.
Show Attributes Right-hold to bring up the Vector Attribute Table for the current
vector layer.
Show Properties Right-hold to bring up the Properties dialog for the current layer.
Show Symbology Right-hold to bring up the Symbology dialog for the current layer.
Show Options Right-hold to bring up the Options dialog for the current layer.
Interface manual.
60
Window Information
Window Information
The Window Information dialog shows the type of image displayed in the Viewer window.
.Mode: Displays the type of image, such as truecolor, pseudocolor, or directcolor, used in
the Viewer window.
Depth: Displays the color depth of the image in the Viewer window. For example, 24 bit or
8 bit.
Screen: Displays the monitor screen number of the image used in the Viewer window.
Close Click to close this dialog.
Help Click to show the On-line Help for this dialog.
61
Split Viewer
Split Viewer
This dialog gives you options for splitting a Viewer window into two or more Viewers. In effect,
new Viewers are started and arranged on the screen. The new Viewers will be created over the
area occupied by the original Viewer and are sized accordingly.
The new Viewers that are created do not contain any data, but the original Viewer retains any data
that were displayed in it.
This dialog is opened when you select View | Split | Split from the Viewer menu bar.
Split Direction: Select from the following options for the direction of the split.
vertical Click to divide the current Viewer vertically. The resulting Viewers will all be side
by side.
horizontal Click to divide the current Viewer horizontally. The resulting Viewers will all
be stacked.
bidirectional Click to divide the current Viewer vertically and horizontally, resulting in
Viewers arranged in a “windowpane” fashion.
Number of Windows: Enter the total number of Viewer windows that you want to result
from the split.
OK Click to start the process and close this dialog.

Interface manual.
62
Set Zoom Ratio
Set Zoom Ratio

This dialog provides an interactive way to magnify (or reduce) the data in the Viewer by setting
the zoom ratio.
This dialog is opened when you select View | Zoom | In By X from the Viewer menu bar.
Zoom Ratio: Enter the zoom ratio.
Resampling Method: Select the Resampling method to apply to the top raster layer in
the Viewer. All other layers zoomed in the Viewer retain the resample method with which they
were opened.
i To change only the resampling method, the zoom ratio must be set to 1.00.
Click on the popup list button to select the resampling method to use. The options are
described below:
Nearest Neighbor Use the value of the closest pixel to assign to the output pixel value.
Bilinear Interpolation Use the data file values of four pixels in a 2 x 2 window to
calculate an output value with a bilinear function.
Cubic Convolution Use the data file values of 16 pixels in a 4 x 4 window to calculate
an output value with a cubic function.
➲ Resampling is discussed in detail in the “Rectification” chapter of the ERDAS Field Guide.
OK Click to zoom the image and close this dialog.

Interface manual.
63
Viewer - Linear Adjustment

This dialog lets you make quick, linear (1st-order) geometric corrections to an image that is
opened in the Viewer.
The parameters of the linear adjustments can be entered into the Affine Model Properties
dialog to be used for rectification.
This dialog is opened when you select Rotate/Flip/Stretch from the View menu of the Viewer
menu bar.
File to Screen Transformation Options: This group lets you specify the linear
adjustment in terms of scale, offset, rotation, and reflection. Transformation takes place
when the Apply button is clicked.
In the Viewer, scale is the same as zoom, except that here you have the option to set X and
Y scale independently. If you use the Zoom options in the Viewer, you will undo any changes
to the scale that you do here and vice-versa.
Scale: Use the scale parameters to affect the size of the image in the X and Y directions.
X 1: Set X scaling.
Y 1: Set Y scaling.
Both 1: This field lets you set the X and Y scale to the same value.
➲ Values greater than 1 (one) enlarge the image size. Values less than 1 (one) reduce the
image size. Negative values rotate the image 180 degrees while enlarging or reducing.
Offset: Use the offset parameters to move the image by a number of pixels in the X and/
or Y directions.
X: Set X offset.
Y: Set Y offset.
➲ When applying an offset of 100.00 to the Viewer, it moves the current imagery to an offset
defined in the Offset X and Offset Y directions from the upper left corner of the Viewer
window. The area above and to the left of the imagery is filled in with background color, which
appears as black space.
Rotate Angle: Enter the number of degrees by which you want to rotate the image. See
also the Positive Rotation Direction controls, below.
➲ Rotation always occurs around the center pixel of the image.
64
Initialize Left-click to reset all of the Transformation Options to their initial values, which
specifies a scale of 1 (one), no offset, and no rotation.
Positive Rotation Direction: Select which direction a positive (over zero) rotation
angle will rotate the image.
Counter-Clockwise If this radio button is on, then a positive rotation angle will rotate
the image counterclockwise, and a negative angle will rotate it clockwise.
Clockwise If this radio button is on, then a positive rotation angle will rotate the image
clockwise, and a negative angle will rotate it counterclockwise.
Reflect Options: Use these icons to select the direction(s) in which to reflect the image.
Reflection takes place when the Apply button is clicked.
Click to turn off reflection.
Click for left-to-right reflection. NOTE: Text objects cannot be reflected.Text

objects are rotated 180 degrees.
Click for top-to-bottom reflection. NOTE: Text objects cannot be reflected.Text

objects are not rotated.
Click for top-to-bottom and left-to-right reflection. (This has the same effect on
the data as a 180 degree rotation.)
Apply Click to apply the specified adjustments to the image in the Viewer, and keep this
dialog.

Interface manual.
65
Rotate Image
Rotate Image
This dialog lets you rotate the data in the Viewer. It is opened when you select View | Rotate...
from the Viewer menu bar.
Rotation Angle (deg.): Enter the number of degrees to rotate the image. The default
positive rotation direction when this dialog is opened is controlled by the Positive Rotation
Direction preference in the User Interface and Session category of the Preference Editor
dialog. However, you can set the positive direction of rotation using the Positive Direction
controls.
Rotation always occurs around the center pixel of the image.
Positive Direction: Select which direction a positive (over zero) rotation angle will rotate
the image.
Counterclockwise If this radio button is on, then a positive rotation angle will rotate the
image counterclockwise, and a negative angle will rotate it clockwise.
Clockwise If this radio button is on, then a positive rotation angle will rotate the image
clockwise, and a negative angle will rotate it counterclockwise.
Apply Click to apply the specified rotation to the image in the Viewer and keep this dialog.
Close Click to cancel this process and close this dialog.

Interface manual.
66
Background Color
Background Color
This dialog enables you to change the background color of the Viewer. This option is helpful for
displaying annotation. For example, you may want to view an annotation layer in which the
elements are black. These elements would not be visible in a black Viewer unless you changed
the styles of the elements. Using this option, you can change the background to white and these
elements will be visible.
This dialog is opened when you select View | Background Color in a Viewer menu bar or when
you select Background Color from the Quick View menu (right-hold with your cursor in the
Viewer).
Background Color: Click and hold this color patch to select the background color.
Selecting Other will bring up the colorwheel.
OK Click to use the selected color for the Viewer background and close this dialog. Empty
Viewers will not change to this color, but the background of annotation layers displayed after
this option is set will show the selected color.

Interface manual.
67
Frame Scale
Frame Scale
This dialog allows you to change the scale of the displayed image. It is opened when you select
View | Scale | Scale Tool... in the Viewer menu bar.
Scale 1: Enter the scale at which to redisplay the image. The current scale of the image
is shown as the default.
Apply Click to redisplay the image at the specified scale.

Interface manual.
68
View Extent
View Extent
This dialog allows you to define the area of the image to view by typing in upper left and lower
right corner coordinates of the portion of the image you want to view.
This dialog is opened when you select View | Scale | Extent from the Viewer menu bar.
ULX: Enter the upper left X coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
ULY: Enter the upper left Y coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
LRX: Enter the lower right X coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
LRY: Enter the lower right Y coordinate of the portion of the image you want to view.
File Coords Click to specify the coordinates in file coordinates.
Map Coords Click to specify the coordinates in map coordinates.
OK Click to use these coordinates and close this dialog.

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69
Reduction
Reduction
This dialog provides an interactive way to reduce (zoom out) the data in the Viewer.
This dialog prompts you for a reduction factor, which is the reciprocal of the zoom ratio. For
example, a zoom ratio of 0.5 is a reduction factor of 2, which reduces the image to half its original
scale.
To open this dialog, select View | Zoom | Out By X from the Viewer menu bar.
Reduction: Enter the reduction factor (not the zoom ratio).
Resampling Method: Select the Resampling method to apply to the top raster layer
in the Viewer. All other layers zoomed in the Viewer will retain the resample method with
which they were opened.
i To change only the resampling method, the reduction factor must be set to 1.00.
Click on the popup list button to select the resampling method to use. The options are
described below:
Nearest Neighbor Use the value of the closest pixel to assign to the output pixel value.
Bilinear Interpolation Use the data file values of four pixels in a 2 x 2 window to
calculate an output value with a bilinear function.
Cubic Convolution Use the data file values of 16 pixels in a 4 x 4 window to calculate
an output value with a cubic function.
➲ Resampling is discussed in detail in the “Rectification” chapter of the ERDAS Field Guide.
OK Click to start the process and close this dialog.


Interface manual.
70
Box Editor
Box Editor
This dialog enables you to enter specific coordinates to position an Inquire Box or an annotation
box that you are creating. Under UNIX this dialog is opened when you press the Space bar while
the inquire box is opened or while you are drawing an annotation box. (Press the Space bar
before or while dragging the mouse.)
Under UINIX this dialog is also opened when you select Utility | Selector Properties... from the
Viewer menu bar when there is an active inquire box or annotation box.
As in all ERDAS IMAGINE dialogs, pressing the Tab key will move the cursor from field to field.
ULX: Edit the upper left X coordinate to position the selected element.
ULY: Enter the upper left Y coordinate to position the selected element.
LRX: Edit the lower right X coordinate to position the selected element.
LRY: Edit the lower right Y coordinate to position the selected element.
Selector Color: Right-hold on the popup list to select the Selector color.
OK Click to use these coordinates and close this dialog. The box will be redrawn using the
new coordinates. If this option was selected for a box that you are drawing, the new box will
be selected.
Cancel Click to cancel this process and close this dialog. If this option was selected for a
box that you are drawing, control will return to the mouse and you can continue to draw.

Interface manual.
71
Ellipse Editor
Ellipse Editor
This dialog enables you to modify the position and shape of an elliptical arc that is already
created. This dialog is opened when you select an arc, click the icon in the Annotation
Tools and Commands palette, and then press the Space bar.
In this dialog, you can define the base, start, and end angles. Refer to the illustration below for
an explanation of these angles.
90
Arc that is opened
end angle
start angle
0
base angle
The base angle defines from where the start and end angles will be measured. In the illustration
above, the thick red lines show a base angle of 0, and then what it would look like if the base
angle were 90 (thin red lines). The start and end angles on the second drawing assume a base
angle of 0.
X: Enter the X coordinate of the center of the ellipse that forms the arc.
Y: Enter the Y coordinate of the center of the ellipse that forms the arc.
W: Enter the width of the ellipse that forms the arc.
H: Enter the height of the ellipse that forms the arc.
Base Angle: Enter the base angle of the arc.
Start Angle: Enter the start angle of the arc.
End Angle: Enter the end angle of the arc.
OK Click to use these parameters and close this dialog.
72
Ellipse Editor
Cancel Click to cancel this process and close this dialog. Control will return to the mouse
and you can continue to edit the arc manually.

Interface manual.
73
Oval Editor
Oval Editor
This dialog enables you to enter specific coordinates to position and size an oval that you are
creating. This dialog is opened when you press the Space bar before or while you are drawing.
(Select the oval tool and move your cursor into the Viewer and press the Space bar, or press the
space bar while you are dragging to create the oval.)
Center X: Enter the center X coordinate of the oval.
Center Y: Enter the center Y coordinate of the oval.
Width: Enter the width of the oval.
Height: Enter the height of the oval.
OK Click to use these parameters to position the oval and close this dialog. The oval will
be drawn in the Viewer.
and you can continue to manually draw the oval.

Interface manual.
74
Point Edit
Point Edit
This dialog enables you to enter specific coordinates to position an inquire cursor or an
annotation point. Under UNIX this dialog is opened when you select the Point tool and move your
cursor into the Viewer, then press the Space bar.
Under UNIX this dialog is also opened when you select Utility | Selector Properties... from the
Viewer menu bar when there is an active inquire cursor or annotation point.
X: Enter the X position of the point.
Y: Enter the Y position of the point.
Selector Color: Right-hold to select the Selector color.
OK Click to use this coordinate and close this dialog. The Point displays in the Viewer.
and you can click to place the Point at the desired location.

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75
Poly Edit
Poly Edit
This dialog enables you to enter specific coordinates to position and size a polygon or polyline
that you are creating. This dialog is opened when you press the Space bar before or while you
are drawing. (Select the polygon or polyline tool and move your cursor into the Viewer and press
the Space bar, or press the Space bar while you are creating the polygon/polyline.) You may also
select Pick Properties... from the Viewer Utility menu.
(CellArray) Any currently selected vertices of the polygon or polyline are displayed in a
CellArray. Edit these or enter new vertices to create the polygon/polyline.
Right-hold in the Row column for the Row Selection popup. Right-hold on any column
heading for the Column Options popup.
OK Click to use these vertices to create the polygon/polyline.
and you can continue to select vertices by clicking the desired points.

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76
RotBox Editor
RotBox Editor
This dialog enables you to specify the position, size, and rotation of the rotation boxes that open
around selected annotation elements or open in raster images. This dialog is opened when you
select an annotation element or open a rotation box in a raster image and (UNIX only) press the
space bar with the cursor anywhere inside the Viewer. This dialog is also opened when you then
(Windows only) select Utility | Selector Properties... from the Viewer menu bar.
X: Enter the X coordinate of the center of the rotation box.
Y: Enter the Y coordinate of the center of the rotation box.
W: Enter the width of the box.
H: Enter the height of the box.
Angle: Enter the angle the box is to be rotated. Positive and negative rotations can be
done. The positive rotation is controlled by the current setting of the Positive Rotation
Direction preference in the User Interface and Session category of the Preference Editor
dialog.
Selector Color: Click and hold the color patch to select a color for the box. Selecting
Other brings up the colorwheel.
OK Click to apply these parameters to the rotation box and close this dialog.
and you can continue to edit the rotation box manually.

Interface manual.
77
Simple Arc Edit
Simple Arc Edit

This dialog enables you to specify the position and size of an elliptical arc that you are creating.
This dialog is opened when you press the Space bar before or while you are drawing an arc.
For more arc editing options, draw the arc, then select it. Click icon in the Annotation Tools
and Commands palette, then press the Space bar to bring up the Ellipse Editor dialog.
Center X: Enter the center X coordinate of the ellipse that forms the arc.
Center Y: Enter the center Y coordinate of the ellipse that forms the arc.
Axis 1: Enter the size of the horizontal axis.
Axis 2: Enter the size of the vertical axis.
OK Click to apply these parameters to the arc and close this dialog.
and you can continue to edit the arc manually.

Interface manual.
78
Choose Symbology
Choose Symbology
This dialog allows you to select the symbology file to use when displaying vector data. It is
opened when you click the Set button in the File Selector dialog.
☞ The Set button is enabled only if the Use Symbology check box is on.
Vector Layer: Use this file name part to select the symbology file to use. The default file
extension is .evs.
OK Click to use the selected file and close this dialog.

Interface manual.
➲ For more information about using vector data in ERDAS IMAGINE, see the ERDAS IMAGINE
Tour Guides manual.
79
Symbol Editor
Symbol Editor
The Symbol Editor enables you to modify an existing symbol. It opens when you click the View...
button on the Custom tab of the Symbol Chooser dialog.
File
Close Select this option to close the Symbol Editor.
Utility
Inquire Cursor... Select this option to open the Inquire Cursor dialog and place a cross-
hair cursor over the image in the Viewer.
Inquire Box... Select this option to open the Inquire Box Coordinates dialog and place
a query box over the image in the Viewer.
Inquire Color... Select this option to select the inquire cursor color. The Inquire Color
dialog is opened.
Inquire Shape... Select this option to change the shape of the cursor. The Inquire
Shape dialog is opened.
Inquire Home Select this option to move the cursor to the center of the displayed portion
of the image.
View
Zoom Select this option to reduce, magnify, and zoom in on a particular area. The zoom
is based on the center of the displayed portion of the image.
To zoom based on a user-selected portion of the image, use the Rotate and Magnify Area
option, the right mouse button menu, or the zoom icons on the tool bar.
In By 2 Select this option to quickly magnify the displayed data. Multiplies the current
zoom ratio by 2.
Out By 2 Select this option to quickly reduce the displayed data. Divides the current
zoom ratio by 2.
In By X... Select this option to specify a custom zoom. The Set Zoom Ratio dialog
is opened.
Out By X... Select this option to specify a custom reduction factor. The Reduction
dialog is opened.
80
Symbol Editor
Default In the Viewer, left-hold to reset the zoom ratio to 1. Any annotation or vector
data is reset to register with the raster layers. If annotation or vector is displayed with
no raster layers, then the zoom ratio is reset to its original value when the data were
displayed.
Scale
Image To Window Select this option to resize the image to the viewer size.
Window To Image Select this option to resize the viewer to the image size.
Background Color... Select this option to change the background color of the Viewer.
The Background Color dialog is opened.
bottom of the Viewer window. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
bars increases your display area. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this
option.
increases your display area. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
Tool Bar Turn on this check box to enable the row of Viewer icon tools which displays
at the top of the Viewer window. Use the Preference Editor to set the default for this
option.
Borders This checkbox enables the Window Manager border.
Annotation
Tools... Select this option to open the Annotation tools palette.
Undo Select this option to undo the last edit. Select multiple times to undo a series of
edits (back to the last saved version of this annotation layer).
Cut Select this option to delete the selected element(s). A copy is kept in the copy/paste
buffer.
Copy Select this option to make a copy of the selected element(s) in the copy/paste
buffer.
Paste Select this option to paste the contents of the copy/paste buffer to the same
location. Select the copied element and move it to the desired location.
Group Select this option to combine the selected elements into a group element.
81
Symbol Editor
Ungroup Select this option to break a group element into single elements.
Reshape Select this option to reshape a selected polygon, polyline, arc, or AOI. This
option also lets you create or reshape the invisible polyline that text may follow:
♦ left-hold to move a vertex of the polygon, polyline or text polyline;

♦ middle-click to add a vertex to the polygon, polyline or text polyline;
♦ shift-middle-click to add or remove a vertex from the polygon, polyline or
text polyline;
♦ left-hold on any side of a polygon or segment of a polyline or text polyline

to move it without rotating.
To enter precise size and positioning coordinates when reshaping an arc, press the space
bar after clicking Reshape to bring up the Ellipse Editor dialog.
Raise
To the Front Click to move the selected element(s) in front of all others in the drawing
order.
Forward by One Click to move the selected element(s) forward by one rank in the
drawing order.
Lower
To the Back Click to move the selected element(s) behind all others in the drawing
order.
Backward by One Click to move the selected element(s) back by one rank in the
drawing order.
Distribute
Vertically Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements vertically

between the top element and the bottom element.
Horizontally Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements horizontally

between the right element and the left element.
Flip
Vertically Click to flip selected annotation vertically.
82
Symbol Editor
Horizontally Click to flip selected annotation horizontally.
Align Object North Select this option to align selected annotation toward north.
Alignment... Select this option to align selected annotation objects. The Align dialog is
opened.
Element Properties... Click to open the Properties dialog for the selected element:
♦ Text
♦ Ellipse
♦ Arc
♦ Rectangle
♦ Symbol
♦ Map frame
♦ Group
Styles... Select this option to open the Annotation Styles dialog.
Attributes... Select this option to open the Annotation Attributes dialog.
Help Click to choose the following option:

Help for Symbol Editor Click to view the On-Line Help for the Symbol Editor.
Click to print the contents of the Viewer.
Click to reset the image to a zoom factor of 1.0.
Click to start/update the inquire cursor. The Inquire Cursor dialog is opened if it is not
already open.
Click to display the tool palette for top layer.
83
Symbol Editor
Click to reset the window tools.
Click to zoom out by 2. You must click in the Viewer to indicate the center of the reduced
area.
Click to zoom out by 2. You must click in the Viewer to indicate the center of the reduced
area.
Click to roam the image. Click and drag the hand-shaped cursor over the image to pan
up, down, left, and right.
84
Select Colors
Select Colors
This dialog enables you to create/select lookup tables, or palettes, to use for the color scheme
in the project file. This dialog opens when you select TerraModel | Palette... from the IMAGINE
Viewer menu bar.
Palette Names: List of available palettes.
Apply Click to apply the current palette to the color scheme in the project file.
Save Click to save the current palette to the project file.
Add... Click to add a palette. The Add Palette dialog opens.
Create... Click to open a new palette. The New Palette dialog opens.
85
New Palette
New Palette
This dialog enables you to create a new palette with a specified number of entries. When creating
new palette files for displaying terramodel layers, create the files in the directory where IMAGINE
was started or in the $IMAGINE_HOME/etc directory for the new palettes to be available the next
time IMAGINE is started. Otherwise, use the Add option in the Palette editor to select palettes
from other directories.
This dialog opens when you click Create... in the Select Colors dialog.
Palette Name: Enter the palette name in the text entry field or select the palette name
from the file list.
Count: Adjust the number of colors in the palette.
OK Click to open the new palette.
Cancel Click to cancel process of opening a new palette and close this dialog.
86
Add Palette
Add Palette
This dialog enables you to add a new palette. This dialog is opened when you click Add... in the
Select Colors dialog.
Palette Name: Enter the palette name you wish to add in the text field or select the palette
name from the file list.
OK Click to open the added palette.
Cancel Click to not add the palette and close this dialog.
87
Select Layers
Select Layers
This dialog enables you to select which data layers from the project file to display in the Viewer.
This dialog opens when you select TerraModel | Select Layer... from the IMAGINE Viewer
menu bar.
Layers selected for display are marked with an X in the “X” column. By default, all layers are
initially displayed. To undisplay a data layer, click again in the “X” column.
Apply Click to open the selected data layers in the Viewer.
All Select to display all data layers.
None Select to undisplay all data layers.
88
About the IMAGINE Viewer
About the IMAGINE Viewer

The ERDAS IMAGINE Viewer is the “main window” for displaying raster, vector, and/or
annotation data. You can open as many Viewer windows as your window manager supports.
Many of the functions in ERDAS IMAGINE are available via the Viewer menu bar, across the top
of the window, and the Quick View menu, which is displayed when you right-hold in a Viewer
window.
This documentation explains:
Starting a Viewer
Moving and Resizing the Window
Scrolling (roaming)
Zooming (magnification and reduction)

Inquire Cursor
Linking Viewer Windows
Viewing Multiple Layers
Another related topic is:
Viewer vs. 7.X Display
89
Starting a Viewer
Starting a Viewer
A Viewer window will automatically open when you start ERDAS IMAGINE. To start another
Viewer window, click this button on the IMAGINE icon panel:
You can also use any of the Split operations under the View menu of the Viewer window to start
another Viewer.
You can pre-set many options that affect how a new Viewer comes up by setting Viewer
Preferences.
The Viewer Window

The parts of the Viewer window are explained in the following illustration.
90
Starting a Viewer
The title bar shows the Right click inside the viewer
number of the Viewer, to pop up a Quick View menu
which is referred to in of frequently used functions.
other operations.
Left-hold on Viewer
menu bar item for list of
operations to perform on
the displayed data.
The tool bar consists of

icons to provide rapid
access to frequently
used operations.
Information about the

button under the cursor
is displayed in this
Status Bar. Children of
the process report here
also.
Left-hold and drag any

one of these corners to
resize the Viewer.
Use the scroll bars to
scroll the data. The size
of the bar in the panel
shows how much of the
data area you are
viewing now.
91
Starting a Viewer
Opening Data Layers

To is opened a layer of data in a Viewer, you “open” that layer file. Under the File menu on the
Viewer menu bar, select Open and then click on the kind of layer that you want to view. A File
Changing the Viewer Window

The Viewer window can be moved or resized like any other window under your window manager.
Although window managers vary, these methods will generally work:
To move a Viewer... Left-hold on the border or title

of the Viewer and drag to the
new location.
To resize a Viewer... Left-hold, and then drag any
corner or side. The displayed
image will refresh in the
resized window.
Resampling
Resampling is used to calculate pixel values when one raster grid must be fitted to another.
When a raster image is opened, the raster grid defined by the file must be fit to the grid of screen
pixels in the Viewer.
All Viewer operations are file-based. So, any time you resample in the Viewer, the Viewer uses
the file as its source. If you zoom the raster layer, the Viewer resamples the file grid to the new
screen grid.
The resampling methods available are:
♦ Nearest Neighbor - uses the value of the closest pixel to assign to the output pixel value.
♦ Bilinear Interpolation - uses the data file values of four pixels in a 2 x 2 window to calculate
an output value with a bilinear function.
♦ Cubic Convolution - uses the data file values of 16 pixels in a 4 x 4 window to calculate an
output value with a cubic function.
➲ These are discussed in detail in the ERDAS Field Guide.

The default resampling method is Nearest Neighbor.
92
Scrolling
Scrolling
All formats of data (raster, vector, annotation) will scroll in the Viewer. The Viewer window
represents a window into whatever data set is displayed. Since most data sets exceed the
displayable area of a window, the Viewer provides the ability to scroll the window to different
parts of the data set. You can also scroll with linked Viewers.
You can scroll with the scroll bars that appear at the right side and at the bottom of the Viewer
window. As with other Motif-style windows, the scroll bars represent the amount of the file that
opens in the window as a proportion of the length of the scroll bar panel.
To go directly to another part Left-hold a scroll bar and drag
of the image... it to another location on the
panel. The image will refresh
when you let go.
To scroll by a block of 64 Click in the scroll bar. The
screen pixels... data will scroll towards your
click.
To scroll all the way in any Control-click the appropriate
direction... arrow in the scroll bar panel.
To scroll slowly in any Click on an arrow at either
direction... end of the scroll bars.
To scroll by 1 screen pixel... Click on an arrow at either
end of the scroll bars.
You can also scroll to other parts of the image using the roam (hand) tool on the Viewer tool bar.
93
Zooming
Zooming
Zooming is the magnification or reduction of an image in the Viewer. Zooming has no effect on
how the image is stored in a file.
To provide maximum convenience and accuracy, there are several methods of zooming. The
quickest and simplest are the zoom-by-2 options. These are accessible from the Viewer toolbar.
The quick zoom buttons, and , enlarge and reduce the image without changing the
center of the viewable area. These options are repeated in the View menu. The re-centering
zoom tools, and , enlarge and reduce the image and also shift the image so that the
clicked spot is in the center of the Viewer.
There are also options on the View | Zoom submenu ( In By X ... and Out By X ... ) that allow
you to specify the exact zoom ratio (1.37 for example) and to specify or change the resample
method.
Animated Zoom
When Animated Zoom is enabled and you use a zoom tool or button, the content of the Viewer
is zoomed in or out in a series of steps that simulate animation. The displayed image then
resampled. This is the default zoom behavior.
Animated zoom may be suspended by unsetting the Enable Animated Zoom preference in the
Viewer category of the Preference Editor.
Box Zoom
When Box Zoom is enabled and either of the Zoom Re-center tools ( or ) is selected,
you can drag a box in the Viewer to specify the zoomed area. For example, when the tool
is selected, you can drag a box around an area within the Viewer and when the mouse button is
released, that area will be magnified so that the surounded area fits entirely within the Viewer.
When the tool is selected and a box is dragged, the entire Viewer area is reduced so that it
will fit completely within the bounding box. The Viewer is then populated with surrounding
imagery if any.
Box zoom may be disabled by unsetting the Enable Box Zoom preference in the Viewer
category of the Preference Editor
94
Zooming
Real-Time Zoom
When either of the Zoom Re-center tools ( or ) is selected, you can hold the middle
mouse button (or Control key and left mouse button) and move the mouse forward and backward
to zoom in and out in real time. There is no preference for this feature.
Zoom Ratio
The zoom ratio describes the size of the image on the screen in terms of the number of file pixels
used to store the image. It is the ratio of the number of screen pixels in the X or Y dimension to
the number that are used to display the corresponding file pixels.
A zoom ratio greater than 1 is a magnification, which makes the image larger in the Viewer. A
zoom ratio less than 1 is a reduction, which makes the image smaller in the Viewer.
A zoom ratio of 1 means... each file pixel is displayed
with 1 screen pixel in the
Viewer.
A zoom ratio of 2 means... each file pixel is displayed
with a block of 2 × 2 screen
pixels. Effectively, the image
is displayed at 200%.
A zoom ratio of 0.5 means... each block of 2 × 2 file pixels
is displayed with 1 screen
pixel. Effectively, the image is
displayed at 50%.
ERDAS IMAGINE allows floating point zoom ratios, so that images can be zoomed at virtually
any scale.
Resampling is necessary whenever an image is displayed with a new pixel grid. The resampling
method used when an image is zoomed is the same one used when the image is displayed, as
specified in the File Selector dialog. The default resampling method is Nearest Neighbor. The
resample method is changed by using the Set Zoom Ratio dialog.
Whenever you change the zoom ratio, the scroll bars and pointers automatically reset to reflect
the new display. The center of the new view depends upon which zoom method is used.
95

You can view as many layers of all types (raster, vector, annotation) as you like at one time in a
single Viewer. (Be sure to turn off the Clear Display check box when you open subsequent
layers.)
Multiple layers in one Viewer must all be referenced to the same map coordinate system. The
layers are positioned geographically within the window, and resampled to the same scale as
previously displayed layers. Therefore, raster layers in one Viewer can have different cell sizes.
When you magnify or reduce multiple layers, raster layers are resampled from the file to fit to the
new scale.
Overlapping Layers
When layers overlap, the order in which you open the layers is very important. The last layer that
you open will always appear to be “on top” of the previously opened layers.
In a raster layer or layerset, values of zero are transparent in the Viewer, meaning that they have
no opacity. So, if you open a raster layer with zeros over other layers, the areas with zero values
will allow the underlying layers to show through.
Use the Arrange Layers dialog to re-stack layers in a Viewer so that they overlap in different
order, if needed.
Use the Color Chooser dialog to change the opacity of raster data.
Non-Overlapping Layers
Multiple layers that are opened in the same Viewer do not have to overlap. You can open layers
in the same Viewer that cover distinct geographic areas. The layers will be positioned in the
Viewer window according to their map coordinates, and will be positioned relative to one another
geographically.
96
Quick View Menu
Quick View Menu

The Quick View menu appears whenever you right-hold in the display area of a Viewer or Map
Composer window.
Functions include geographical linking, zooming (magnification and reduction), using pointers for
pixel inquiry, and Viewer/Map Composer window sizing. For more information, read the On-Line
Help about the IMAGINE Viewer.
Inquire Cursor... This option starts an Inquire Cursor. The Inquire Cursor dialog is
opened.
Inquire Box... This option starts an Inquire Box. The Inquire Box Coordinates dialog is
opened.
Zoom Right-hold for options that control the zoom ratio of the data that are currently
displayed in the Viewer.
Zoom In By 2 Quickly magnify the displayed data. The current zoom ratio is multiplied
by 2.
Zoom Out By 2 Quickly reduce the displayed data. The current zoom ratio is divided
by 2.
Default Zoom In the Viewer, reset the zoom ratio to 1. Any annotation data are reset to
register with the raster layers. If annotation is displayed with no raster layers, then the
zoom ratio is reset to its original value when the data were displayed.
In the Map Composer, zoom ratio is set to “actual size,” as it would appear when printed.
Rotate and Magnify Area A rotation box (RotBox) is opened in the Viewer. The box’s
position is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the Viewer dialog.
-- to move and position the box, left-hold the mouse in the box and drag the box to the
desired location.
-- to resize the box, left-hold and drag the filled-circle handles on the corners and sides
of the box.
-- to rotate the box, middle-hold inside the box and drag in the direction you want to rotate
and magnify.
You can also modify the position and rotation angle of the box by using the RotBox Editor
dialog. This dialog is opened by pressing the space bar with the cursor anywhere inside
the Viewer.
97
Quick View Menu
When you have the box positioned the way you want it, double-left-click inside the box and
the area will be magnified.
Create Magnifier Start a new Viewer with the same data displayed at a zoom ratio of 4
× the zoom ratio in the Viewer. The magnifying ratio can be increased or decreased by
decreasing or increasing the size of the magnifying box in the Viewer.
This option is not available in a Map Composer Viewer window.
The magnifier Viewer is closed by right-holding in the Viewer title bar and selecting from
the Window list.
Toggle Window This option lets you change a resized Viewer back to the previous size.
Fit Image To Window

Fit Map To Window Set the zoom ratio so that the displayed data fit as closely as
possible into the current Viewer.
The aspect ratio of the data is always maintained, such that the longest dimension of the data
is refitted to the corresponding Viewer window dimension.
Fit Window To Image

Fit Window To Map Resize the Viewer window to fit the image (unless the data are
larger than the monitor screen).
Geo. Link/Unlink...
Link/Unlink... Use this option to geographically link or unlink Viewer windows. The
Link/Unlink Instructions appear. A geographic link will not reflect changes in the arrangement
of layers, band combinations, or changes by other tools in the Viewer.
From the Viewer menu bar, select View | Link/Unlink Viewers | Spectral to perform spectral
linking. This option is not available from a Map Composer viewer.
Background Color... Right-hold to set the background color of the Viewer. The
Background Color dialog is opened.
Close Window Right-hold to close the Viewer.
bottom of the Viewer. Turning off the status bar increases your display area. Use the Viewer
category of the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
98
Quick View Menu
bars increases your display area. Use the Viewer category of the Preference Editor to set
the default for this option.
increases your display area. Use the Viewer category of the Preference Editor to set the
default for this option.
Tool Bar Turn on this check box to enable the row of Viewer icon tools which displays at
the top of the Viewer. Use the Viewer category of the Preference Editor to set the default for
this option.
Borders This check box turns the Viewer borders on or off. Use the Viewer category of
the Preference Editor to set the default for this option.
Interface manual.
99
Inquiry Functions
Inquiry Functions
ERDAS IMAGINE shows you information about opened data through the Inquiry functions.
Inquiry functions can be accessed any of these ways:
♦ through the Quick View right-button menu

♦ from the Utility menu on the Viewer menu bar
♦ by left-clicking the icon on the Viewer tool bar
Pointers are the tools that you use to examine the data pixel by pixel, and to define areas of an
image in a Viewer. Pointers are positioned according to the pixels in the data. If you change the
zoom ratio, scroll the data, or warp it in the Viewer, the pointers will stay on the same pixels and
in the same geographic location on the data.
When you use a pointer, a dialog is opened showing you the coordinates of the pointer. You can
use the dialog to move the pointer, or you can left-hold the pointer and move it to the desired
location.
You can use these types of pointers:
♦ the inquire cursor (cross hair), which brings up the Inquire Cursor dialog, or
♦ the inquire box, which brings up the Inquire Box Coordinates dialog.
It is often useful to use pointers in linked Viewers.
100
Inquiry Functions
Active Pointers
One pointer at a time can be active in a Viewer. An active pointer has solid lines. An inactive
pointer has dashed lines.
A pointer becomes active when you left-click on it (cross hairs) or inside it (box). If boxes overlap,
you can left-click multiple times until the desired box is active.
Moving an Inquire Cursor

To move an inquire cursor (cross hairs), do any of the following:
♦ left-hold the intersection of the cross hairs and drag it to the desired location,
♦ enter the desired coordinates in the Inquire Cursor dialog, or
♦ use the 4 arrow icons in the Inquire Cursor dialog to move the cursor by map or file units in
any direction.
When you left-click the Close button in the Inquire Cursor dialog, the cursor is also dismissed.
Zooming or Warping the Data
If you change the zoom ratio or linear adjustment (scale, offset, rotation, reflection) of the data,
the Viewer will redisplay so that the inquire cursor is in the center of the Viewer (or as close as
possible). This occurs even if the inquire cursor is not active when the Viewer redisplays.
Moving and Resizing an Inquire Box

To move an inquire, you can left-hold on the inside of the and drag it to the desired location.
To move and/or resize the, do any of the following:
♦ left-hold the corner of the and drag that corner to the desired location,
♦ left-hold the side of the and drag that side to the desired location, or
♦ enter the desired coordinates of the upper left and/or lower right corners in the Inquire Box
Coordinates dialog and left-click Apply.
When you left-click the Close button in the Inquire Box Coordinates dialog, the box is also
dismissed.
Zooming or Warping the Data
If you change the zoom ratio or linear adjustment (scale, offset, rotation, reflection) of the data,
the upper left and lower right corners of the inquire box will stay in the same geographic location.
101
Inquiry Functions
If the data are rotated, this will cause the aspect ratio of the and the geographic locations of the
other corners to change.
Linking Viewers
Linking is appropriate when two Viewers cover the same geographic area (at least partially) and
are referenced to the same map units. When two Viewers are linked:
♦ either the same geographic point is opened in the centers of both Viewers, or a link box
shows where one view fits inside the other
♦ scrolling one Viewer affects the other

♦ you can manipulate the zoom ratio of one Viewer from another
♦ any inquire cursors in one Viewer appear in the other, for multi-Viewer pixel inquiry
It is often helpful to open a wide view of a scene in one Viewer, and then a close-up of a particular
area in another Viewer. When two such Viewers are linked, a link box appears in the wide view
window to show where the close-up view lies.
When the data in two linked Viewers are at the same scale, scrolling in one
window causes scrolling in the other, so that they both display the same area.
102
Inquiry Functions
If one view fits inside the other in linked Viewers, a

link box shows the extent of the larger-scale view.
Making a Link
You can link a series of Viewers in a chain, or link several Viewers to a common Viewer. However
you do it, Viewers are always linked two at a time. If several Viewers are linked to a common
Viewer, there will be multiple boxes in that Viewer.
103
Image Display
Image Display
This document explains the task of displaying raster data in the Viewer, and defines some
important terms that are relevant to displaying raster data.
➲ See the “Image Display” chapter in the ERDAS Field Guide for more information on
displaying raster data.
Screen Pixels
Just as a pixel in a file represents the smallest element of data in the file, a pixel on a color
monitor is the smallest unit of display. To differentiate between the two, we call them file pixels
and screen pixels.
When you open a raster layer to display raster data in a Viewer, by default, each pixel in the
layer will display in the Viewer as one screen pixel. But in many cases, you will want to zoom
your image in the Viewer, so that the image is larger or smaller on the screen. When you magnify
or reduce, one file pixel no longer corresponds to one screen pixel. For example, if an image is
displayed with a magnification of 2, then one file pixel will take up 4 (2 x 2) screen pixels on the
display screen.
To is opened an image, the value or values that make up a file pixel must be transformed into a
screen pixel, which has properties that can be seen and visually interpreted. Each screen pixel
is given a color that is meaningful and relevant to the values of the file pixel(s) that it represents.
The result is an image that can be interpreted with the human eye.
Primary Colors
Human perception of color comes from the relative amounts of red, green, and blue light that are
measured by the sensors in the eye. These three colors combined produce a wide variety of
colors—more than can be formed from the combinations of any other three colors. Red, green,
and blue are therefore referred to as the primary colors.
A nearly infinite number of shades can be produced when red, green, and blue light are
combined. On a computer screen, different combinations of red, green, and blue light allow you
to perceive changes across an image as variations in color. Color display devices that are
available today yield 224, or 16,777,216 combinations of red, green, and blue.
Color Guns
On a color monitor, color guns direct electron beams that fall on red, green, and blue phosphors.
The phosphors glow at certain frequencies, resulting in different intensities of each primary color.
Color monitors are often called RGB monitors, referring to the primary colors.
104
Image Display
Each screen pixel is represented by an equal number of red, green, and blue phosphors. The
phosphors on the picture tube appear as tiny colored dots on the screen. The human eye
integrates these dots together, and colors are perceived.
Brightness Values
Brightness values (or screen values) are the quantities of each primary color to be output to
each screen pixel. When an image is displayed, brightness values are calculated for all three
color guns, for every pixel.
All of the colors that can be output to the Viewer can be expressed with three brightness values—
one for each color gun. Brightness values are in the range of 0 to 255, with 0 being no color, and
255 being the brightest color.
Bits for Display

A bit is a binary digit, meaning a number that can have two possible values—0 and 1, or “off”
and “on.” A set of bits, however, can have many more values, depending upon the number of bits
used. The number of values that can be expressed by a set of bits is 2 to the power of the number
of bits used. For example, the number of values that can be expressed by 3 bits is 8 (23 = 8).
Displays are referred to in terms of a number of bits, such as 8-bit or 24-bit. These bits are used
to determine the number of possible brightness values. For example, in a 24-bit display, 24 bits
per pixel breaks down to eight bits for each of the three color guns per pixel. The number of
possible values that can be expressed by eight bits is 28, or 256. Therefore, on a 24-bit display,
each color gun of a pixel can have any one of 256 possible brightness values, expressed by the
range of values 0 to 255.
The combinations of the three color guns, each with 256 possible brightness values, yields 2563 ,
(or 224 , for the 24-bit image display), or 16,777,216 possible colors for each pixel on a 24-bit
display.
Colormaps and Lookup Tables

A color on the screen is created by a combination of red, green, and blue, where each of these
components is represented as an 8-bit value. Therefore, 24 bits are needed to represent a color.
Since many systems have only an 8-bit display, a colormap is used to translate the 8-bit value
into a color. A colormap is an ordered set of colorcells, which is used to perform a function on a
set of input values. To display or print an image, the colormap translates data file values in
memory into brightness values for each color gun. Colormaps are not limited to 8-bit displays.
105
Image Display
Colormap vs. Lookup Table
The colormap is a function of the is opened hardware, whereas a lookup table is a function of
ERDAS IMAGINE. When you perform a contrast adjustment on an image in IMAGINE, you are
using lookup tables. However, if you are using the auto-update function to view the adjustments
in near real-time, then the colormap is being used to map the image through the lookup table.
This process allows the colors on the screen to be updated in near real-time.
ERDAS IMAGINE and Lookup Tables
It is rare that the file values that are stored in a raster layer can be used as brightness values.
♦ In image files of interval or ratio data such as remotely-sensed data, the file values are often
low and too close together to create an image with discernible contrast.
♦ In image files of nominal or ordinal data, the file values do not relate to brightness or color,
but to a class number.
The transformation of file values into brightness values in IMAGINE takes place with the use
of lookup tables. A lookup table is an ordered set of numbers, which is used to perform a
function on a set of input values. To display or print an image, lookup tables translate file values
into brightness values.
For example, the following lookup table translates numbers from the range 30 to 40 to the range
0 to 255:
30 >> 0
31 >> 25
32 >> 51
33 >> 76
34 >> 102
35 >> 127
36 >> 153
37 >> 178
38 >> 204
39 >> 229
40 >> 255
Three lookup tables are used in IMAGINE — one for each color gun. The source and function
of the lookup tables depend upon the type of image that is being displayed.
106
Image Display
♦ In true color and gray scale images, lookup tables are viewed and edited using contrast
adjustment.
♦ In pseudo color images, lookup tables are stored as a color scheme.
107
IMAGINE Viewer vs. ERDAS Ver. 7.X Display

If you are an ERDAS Ver. 7.X user and are familiar with the way that raster data are displayed
with Ver. 7.X, then it is important to understand the differences between the ERDAS Ver. 7.X
display and the ERDAS IMAGINE Viewer.
The greatest difference between the two is that:
♦ ERDAS Ver. 7.X is display based — it stores data values and lookup tables in the display
hardware and changes the function memory to manipulate the display.
♦ IMAGINE’s Viewer is file based — it continually manages lookup tables for all data that are
being displayed and directly maps the file values through these tables to the screen.
Other differences are outlined in the table below.
Feature ERDAS IMAGINE ERDAS Ver. 7.X

Software Yes — all changes No — LUTs stored
continually to display affect to function memory
manages color Viewer’s lookup and managed by
lookup tables. tables. separate
programs.
Use of additional Yes — the Viewer No — a separate
display hardware manages all display driver is
(e.g., RasterOpts) display hardware. needed for each
is transparent to display.
user.
Virtual scrolling, Yes — scrolling No — managed by
zooming built in. and zooming are programs or by
managed by the display driver.
Viewer.
Multiple is opened Yes — as many Sometimes —
without additional Viewer windows as multiple display
hardware. desired on drivers can be run
multiple screens. on some UNIX
platforms (e.g.,
SunView).
108
Feature ERDAS IMAGINE ERDAS Ver. 7.X

Multiple layers in Yes — non-raster No — limited to
one view possible data (annotation, one RGB image
vectors) are plane and one
displayed same as overlay plane.
raster, with
optional use of
opacity to mix the
layers.
Multiple layers can Yes — multiple No — data in same
be any cell size layers are view must have
and cover different georeferenced in same cell size and
areas the Viewer, even if cover same area.
they have different
cell sizes or do not
overlap.
Opacity supported Yes — zero values Limited — only
are transparent overlay plane zero
(0% opacity). values are
Opacity can be transparent (0%
controlled for each opacity).
file value in a layer.
Handles class Yes — Viewer No — no system in
wrap-around on manages many display driver for
categorical files classes by handling more
compressing classes than
colors, or by wrap- display colors.
around,
depending on how
you set up the
color table.
109
Gray Scale Images
Gray Scale Images

Gray scale images are like true color images in every regard except that there is only one lookup
table instead of three. In gray scale, the file values in the layer are mapped through one lookup
table that is applied equally to all three color guns, which results in shades of gray.
Gray scale mapping is appropriate for continuous data in a single layer. You might use gray scale
to analyze single layers in a layerset.
Gray Scale Lookup Tables

As in true color images, the lookup table for a gray scale image is calculated using the mean and
2 standard deviations of the file values in the layer.
➲ See the ERDAS Field Guide for a complete description of this process.
You can change this lookup table using the Brightness/Contrast Tool or the Gray Lookup
Table dialog. You can also use the Data Stretch option in the File Selector dialog.
Gray Scale Lookup Tables
Raster Gray
Layer LUT
Gray Scale
image in
Viewer
Contrast Stretch and Statistics

The contrast stretch for gray scale mapping and the ways that the statistics of the data are used
are the same as for true color mapping.
110
Pseudo Color Images
Pseudo Color Images

Generally, categorical data have either been classified (meaning that the file pixels have been
put into distinct categories according to their values) or digitized from maps or other data layers.
In either case, each image file value is a class value, which is simply a number for a particular
category.
Since sequential class values are not necessarily related, the simple gradations that are possible
in true color or gray scale images are not usually useful in pseudo color. The class system gives
the pseudo color image a “paint-by-number” look, in which each class can have its own color.
➲ See the “Image Display” chapter in the ERDAS Field Guide for information about
PseudoColor displays.
Lookup Tables
For pseudo color images, the lookup tables are used in IMAGINE to assign colors to the classes.
Each class value is mapped through all three lookup tables to obtain three brightness values,
one for each color gun.
Color Schemes
A color scheme is a pseudo color lookup table. Like a true color lookup table, it converts file
values (in this case, class values) to output brightness values. In pseudo color, though, the color
for each input file value is controlled separately and distinctly. You can explicitly assign colors to
each class value in the layer that is displayed.
Pseudo Color Lookup Tables
Red
LUT
Raster Green
Layer LUT
Pseudo Color
image in
Blue Viewer
LUT
111
Pseudo Color Images
Gray Scale Color Scheme
A gray scale color scheme is a pseudo color lookup table that is composed completely of
shades of gray. When a gray scale color scheme is applied automatically, it generally consists
of a gradation ranging from black to white. This could also be called a gray level slice.
A gray scale color scheme for categorical data should not be confused with gray scale mapping
of continuous data.
112
True Color Images
True Color Images

Since the file values in continuous data are quantitative and related, the brightness values of a
true color image are also quantitative and related. The screen pixels represent the relationships
between the values of the file pixels by their colors. For example, a screen pixel that is bright red
has a high brightness value in the red color gun, and a high file value in the layer assigned to
red, relative to other file values in that layer.
A set of layers that is opened with true color mapping is called a layerset.
➲ See the “Image Display” chapter in the ERDAS Field Guide for information on TrueColor
displays.
True Color Lookup Tables

To is opened the layers independently, there is a separate lookup table for each layer.
♦ The lookup tables can be viewed and edited with the Contrast/Brightness Tool and the
Breakpoint Editor dialog.
♦ If the image is being opened for the first time, a contrast stretch is performed based on 2
standard deviations from the mean of the input file values (± 2σ) .
➲ See the ERDAS Field Guide for information about the ± 2σ contrast stretch.
The file values in each opened layer are mapped through the corresponding lookup tables to
output the brightness values used in the Viewer.
True Color Lookup Tables
Layer
to Red
Red LUT
Layer Green
to LUT
Green
True Color
Layer (RGB)
Blue image in
to LUT
Blue Viewer
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True Color Images
Statistics for Contrast Stretch
If a contrast stretch is used to is opened the data, certain statistics are necessary, such as the
mean and the standard deviation of the file values in each layer.
These statistics are stored along with the raster data in the .img file. Whenever a new file is
generated or imported, statistics are calculated for each layer.
These statistics can be viewed or recalculated using the Image Info dialog.
114
True Color Images
Layer to Color Gun Assignments

Usually, a three-layer set of raster layers is opened in true color (there may be more layers in the
file). These three layers correspond to the three color guns — red, green, and blue.
The most useful color assignments are those that allow you to interpret the opened image easily.
For example:
♦ a natural-color simulated image will approximate the colors that would appear to a human
observer of the scene.
♦ a color-infrared simulated image shows the scene as it would appear on color infrared film,
which is familiar to many analysts.
Layer assignments are expressed in R,G,B order. For example, the assignment 4,2,1 means that
layer 4 is assigned to red, layer 2 to green, and layer 1 to blue. This is the default assignment
used when a 4-layer set is opened with the Viewer.
Below are some widely used layer to color gun assignments.
♦ Landsat MSS - 4,2,1

♦ Landsat TM - natural color: 3,2,1
♦ Landsat TM - color infrared: 4,3,2
♦ SPOT Multispectral - color infrared: 3,2,1
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Viewer

Printed in the United States of America.

ERDAS Proprietary - Delivered under license agreement.

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

New Arc Coverage Layer Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

New SDE Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

New Shapefile Layer Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

View to Image File Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Choose Screen/Color Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Set View Extent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Save Functional Layer As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Inquire Cursor Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Inquire Box Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Measure Map Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Set Zoom Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Viewer - Linear Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Simple Arc Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

About the IMAGINE Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Viewing Multiple Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Quick View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Inquiry Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Image Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Colormaps and Lookup Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

IMAGINE Viewer vs. ERDAS Ver. 7.X Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Gray Scale Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Pseudo Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

True Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

The Viewer can be resized by dragging any corner.

Open This submenu contains options for opening existing files.

☞ NOTE: Image files opened in Relief can not be saved.

This data structure is described in detail in the ERDAS Field Guide.

Image Drape... Start Image Drape with Displayed DEM.

-- to rotate the box, middle-hold (UNIX only), or control-left-hold (Windows only)

Link/Unlink Viewers Select this option to link or unlink Viewer windows.

Group Select to combine the selected elements into a group element.

Ungroup Select to break a group element into single elements.

Reshape Select to reshape a selected polygon or polyline:

♦ hold to move a vertex of the polygon or polyline;

Brightness/Contrast... Select this option open the Contrast/Brightness Tool

Breakpoints... Select this option to open the Breakpoint Editor dialog.

Recode... Select this option to open the Thematic Recode dialog.

Fill... Select this option to open the Area Fill dialog.

Tools... Select this option to bring up the Vector Tools dialog.

Reshape Select this option to change the shape of a single element.

♦ left-hold to move a vertex;

Densify does not change the shape of the lines.

♦ left-hold to move a vertex of the polygon, polyline or text polyline;

♦ left-hold on any side of a polygon or segment of a polyline or text polyline

Vertically Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements vertically

Horizontally Click to evenly distribute the centers of selected elements horizontally

Vertically Click to flip selected annotation vertically.

Horizontally Click to flip selected annotation horizontally.

Attributes... Select this option to open the Annotation Attributes dialog.

Click to open a raster layer. The File Selector dialog is opened.

Click to close the top layer opened in the Viewer.

Click to save the top layer in the Viewer.

Click to print the contents of the Viewer.

Click to clear the Viewer.

Click to reset the image to a zoom factor of 1.0.

Click to display the tool palette for top layer.

Click to reset the window tools.

U1, U2, U4, U8 Y N/A Direct Data Range Data Range

New Arc Coverage Layer Option