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Issue 60

Using Georeferenced Imagery and Transparency in Surfer 9

Many Surfer users like to import georeferenced images in real world coordinates and overlay a partially transparent contour map on top of the image. The ability to see both the contours and the underlying image at the same time is a powerful way to visualize data and is easily doable in Surfer 9.

To import a georeferenced image as a base map and overlay a partially transparent contour map, please follow these steps:

1. Surfer 9 automatically references georeferenced images in their real world coordinates when imported as base maps. To import a georeferenced image file in real world coordinates, go to Map | New | Base Map.
2. Select the georeferenced image file and click Open. The base map will be referenced in the correct real world coordinates according to the georeferencing. Surfer 9 supports the following georeference formats: embedded format (ie. GeoTIFF), ESRI World files, Golden Software Reference files, and Blue Marble reference files.

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Import a georeferenced image as a base map in real world coordinates.
3. The next step is to add a contour map. Select the base map and go to Map | Add | Contour Layer.

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Use the Map | Add command to add additional map layers to the selected map.
4. Select the grid file to be used for the contours layer and click Open. The contours layer is added to the map frame.

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A contours layer is added on top of the image base map.
5. Double click on the Contours layer in the Object Manager.
6. On the General tab, check the check boxes next to Fill Contours and Color Scale and click OK. The contours are filled, but they are solid so you cannot see the image underneath.
7. Now you have the choice of filling the contour map and either making only the contour fills transparent (leaving the contour lines, hachures and labels solid) or making the entire contour layer transparent. These two options are outlined below.

Option 7a. To only make the color fills transparent (leaving the contour lines, hachures and labels solid):

8. Double click on the Contours layer in the Object Manager.
9. Go to the Levels tab and click on the Fill header button.
10. In the Fill dialog, click on the Foreground Color button.
11. In the Colormap dialog, click on the Presets drop down menu and select a color map that you wish. In this example, ChromaDepth will be selected. Alternatively, you can create your own color map.

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Select a preset color map from the Presets drop down menu, 
or create your own colormap.
12. You can set individual colors in the colormap to be transparent or you can set the transparency for all colors at once. An Opacity value of 100 is opaque, and a value of 0 is completely transparent.

a. To set the opacity for individual color nodes, uncheck the Apply opacity to ALL nodes check box, select a color node and change the opacity value for that specific node via the Opacity slider control. Repeat for all nodes you want to apply opacity to.

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Set the opacity for a specific node in the colormap by unchecking Apply
opacity to ALL nodes, select the desired node (the center nodes in this
example), and changing the Opacity value.

b. To set the opacity for all colors at once, be sure the Apply opacity to ALL nodes is checked and set the Opacityvalue to what you want via the slider control.

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Set the opacity for all nodes at once by checking Apply opacity to ALL
nodes and changing the Opacity value.
13. Click OK, OK and OK.
14. The color fills on the contour map are transparent and the fills in the color scale are automatically adjusted to the appropriate opacity value to match the contour map fills.

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The color fill of the contour map and the color scale are partially
transparent. The contour lines and labels remain solid.

Option 7b. To make the entire contour map layer transparent (including color fills, contour lines and labels):

8. Double click on the Contours layer in the Object Manager.
9. You may wish to change the default colors for the filled contours. To do this, go to the Levels tab and click on theFill header button.
10. In the Fill dialog, click on the Foreground Color button.
11. In the Colormap dialog, click on the Presets drop down menu and select a color map that you wish. In this example, ChromaDepth will be selected. Alternatively, you can create your own color map.
12. Click OK, OK and Apply.
13. Go to the Layers tab.
14. Set the Opacity to be what you want and click Apply to view the changes. If you desire a different level of opacity, change the value again and click Apply. Click OK when you are done.

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Change the opacity value on the Layer tab to adjust the opacity of the
entire Contours layer.
15. Now the contour map is updated with the desired transparency, but fills for the color scale are not. If this is acceptable, then you are done. Otherwise, to adjust the transparency of color scale fills to match the transparency of the contour map, double click on the color scale.
16. In the Color Scale Properties dialog, set the Opacity value to the same value as the contour layer and click OK.

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Adjusting the contours layer and colors scale opacity values creates a
transparent contour map with matching color scale.
 

Trusted by over 10,000 Companies and Schools

February 02, 2012

by leslie


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