Digitally paint your house
Updated: September 13, 2005
Changing the color of your house is a big decision, and painting it the wrong color is a mistake that’s not easily fixed. Thanks to digital photo-editing programs like Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006, you can change the color of your house on your computer before you ever touch a brush to your house. This technique will help you in the color selection process, but it can also be fun just to see what your house might look like in a different color.
First things first
Begin with a good picture. For best results, use a bright picture with plenty of sunlight illuminating your house. Also capture a side of your house that doesn’t have many windows or doors; this will give you maximum color coverage so you can see what your house really looks like in a new color.
Tip: Always work on a backup copy of your photo, not the original.
Let the digital paint job begin
1. | Open the picture of your house in Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006, and click the Edge Finder tool on the toolbar to open the Edge Finder dialog box (if the dialog box doesn't appear, click the Selection button on the toolbar). Make sure that the Anti-aliased check box is selected (anti-aliasing allows for smoother selections), and set the Pixels width in the Edge Finder dialog box to 10 pixels. 
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2. | With the Edge Finder tool selected, the pointer will turn into a crosshair when you move it over the photo of your house. Click a starting point at the edge of the area where you want to change the color, and begin tracing along the edges of the entire area. If at any point you need to change the direction of your line, just click, and then continue tracing in a new direction. 
Once you have traced all the way around to where you began, click the starting point (indicated by a white box) to complete the selection.
Tip: If you make a mistake in your selection, press the ESC key to start over.
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3. | If your selection includes areas that you don't want filled with color, such as windows or doors, you can easily trace around them after your selection is complete. While holding down the ALT key on your keyboard, click a starting point at the edge of a window that is located inside your selected area. Proceed to outline the entire window, clicking your starting point to complete this new selection. Outline all objects that you do not want filled with color before proceeding with the next step. 
Close the Edge Finder dialog box, and let the color change begin. 
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4. | On the Touchup menu, click Color and Saturation to begin the coloring process. 
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5. | In the Color and Saturation dialog box, drag the Color Balance sliders (C, M, and Y) to the left or right to change the color inside the selected area of your house. When you are happy with the way your house is "painted," click Done. If you know the C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) color values of the paints you're considering, you should be able to get a close on-screen match to the actual paint color. Ask your local paint store if they can provide this information. To apply the C, M, and Y color values, type the corresponding number into the number value box to the right of each Color Balance slider. 
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6. | Click the Object Tool on the toolbar, and then click anywhere outside of the image area so that the photo is no longer selected. 
Save your newly painted house, print a copy, and head off to the paint store. 
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 | Kleber Stephenson is Director of Seminars/Director of Windows Technologies for KW Media Group, Inc. He is the author of Windows XP Killer Tips (Pearson Education), Microsoft Office 2003 Killer Tips (New Riders Press), and Learn Windows XP for 5 Bucks (Peachpit Press), and is the co-author of The iTunes for Windows Book (Peachpit Press).
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