Opens an image from your computer’s hard drive. Camera RAW, TIFF, JPEG as well as Kodak® Cineon and DPX file formats used in motion picture and television production can all be used in Optics.

Closes the image.

The last five recently opened or saved files can be selected and opened here.

Saves the image in JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file formats.

When saving to the TIFF file format, you can optionally save the Optics setup (filter, layer and mask information) along with the final file. If you then open up the saved TIFF file, you are able modify the filter, layer and mask information.

Saves the image as a new file.

When using Save or Save As, once the file format and name are entered, the Save Options window opens that contains settings for the file format. The controls within this window will vary depending upon the file type.

The Embed ICC Profile option is enabled by default and embeds the current profile.

Activates resizing.

Sets the size of the image in terms of percent or pixels.

Sets the width of the image.

Sets the height of the image.

Uses percent as the unit of measure for the image dimensions.

Uses pixels as the unit of measure for the image dimensions.

If your image is ultimately targeted for print, it is useful to specify image size in terms of the printed dimensions and image resolution. Referred to as the document size, these two measurements determine the total pixel count and therefore the file size of the image.

Sets the width of the image.

Sets the height of the image.

Sets the resolution of the document.

Uses pixels/inch as the unit of measure for the resolution.

Uses pixels/centimeters as the unit of measure for the resolution.

Uses inches as the unit of measure.

Uses centimeters as the unit of measure.

Uses millimeters as the unit of measure.

Uses points as the unit of measure.

Uses picas as the unit of measure.

Constrain Proportions maintains the aspect ratio of the image. This parameter automatically changes the height as you change the width, and vice versa.

A Setup saves the filters and masks applied to your image in the Layers window. Setups can be saved and loaded and are independent of the image they were originally applied to. In addition, a Setup can be used to batch process a series of files in the Standalone.

Opens a previously saved Setup.

Takes a snapshot of all filters and masks applied to your image in the Layers window and saves it as a Setup file. This Setup file can later be loaded to the same or a different image.

The last five recently opened or saved Setups can be selected and opened here.

A Look is similar to a Setup which saves the filters and masks in the Layers window. However, once created, the look will appear in the Looks tab of the Filters window allowing quick access to a set of multi-layer filter/mask presets. Using File > Import/Export, the entire set of Looks can be loaded from and saved to a file.

Go to the Looks tutorial to see how it works

Deletes the selected look.

Deletes all looks.

Renames the selected look.

Imports favorite presets, custom presets or looks.

Exports custom presets to a file.

Exports favorite presets to a file.

Exports looks to a file.

Batch processes multiple files using the current setup or a previously saved Setup.

See Batch for more information.

Prints the current image and filter Setup.

Preferences allow you to customize default settings and are categorized by function: I/O, Performance, Plug-ins, User Interface, and Viewer. See Preferences for more information.

Undo or redo operations.

Undo/Redo has a history, so you can jump to any item in the history by picking it from the menu.

Deletes the selected filter.

Displays a comprehensive hierarchical list view of the filter groups and filters with the ability to search (Ctr/Cmd+F).

The Optics user interface is broken up into individual windows which can be opened or closed by selecting or deselecting them from the View menu. The following windows can be opened or closed:

Open or closes the Color Correct Wheels window.

Displays diagnostic information.

Copies the contents of the Console to the Clipboard.

Displays the OpenGL version information.

Displays rendering times.

Opens or closes the Exif window. See Exif for more information.

Opens or closes the Filters window. See Filters for more information.

Opens or closes the Histogram window. See Histogram for more information.

Opens or closes the Layers window. See Layers for more information.

Opens or closes the Metadata window which contains preset related information. See Metadata for more information.

Opens or closes the Parameters window. See Parameters for more information.

Opens or closes the Presets window. See Presets for more information.

Opens or closes the Variations window. See Variations for more information.

Opens or closes the Viewer. See the Viewer for more information.

Resets the window layout the next time Optics is started. This is useful if you have tweaked your windows beyond recognition.

There are 4 preset workspaces that automatically arrange the interface windows into different configurations. Optics workspaces can be selected, saved or deleted. The current workspace displays a checkbox next to it in the menu.

The interface is set to the default Optics workspace where the majority of windows are visible. Layers and Presets are on the left, Viewer and Filters in the center, and Parameters are on the right.

The Advanced workspace optimizes the Viewer area by removing the Filters window and requiring filter selection using either the Filters menu or pressing Ctr/Cmd+F to open a Search window. Presets are on the left, Viewer in the center, Parameters and Layers are on the right.

The Edit workspace displays the Viewer, Presets and Parameters windows.

The View workspace displays only the Viewer.

Creates a new workspace.

Deletes the current workspace.

Resets all workspaces to the defaults.

Exports the current workspaces.

Imports saved workspaces.

Displays the image in full screen mode. Press Esc to exit.

Opens the Optics User Guide.

Shows the Optics version.

Opens the Deactivation Options window which has two choices: Internet Deactivate (Recommended) and Advanced Options.