Proportioner: User's Guide

The Proportioner was developed to support your learning and your students’ learning of proportion. It allows you to manipulate images and compare their dimensions to the dimensions of other images.

Using the Proportioner, you can:

The information presented here is designed to familiarize you with all the functionality of the Proportioner.

Table of Contents

Getting to Know the Proportioner Interface

Adding Images to the Work Area

Image Manipulation Buttons

Measure Button

Area Button

Ratio Button

Compare Button

Resize Button

Rename Button

Duplicate Button

Adjusting the View

The Paint Area

Deleting Images

Screen Capture

The About Button

Getting to Know the Proportioner Interface

The Proportioner interface contains two grid areas, the Work Area and the Paint Area, a series of icons across the top called the Image Gallery, and operational buttons on the left and bottom.

Proportioner interface

Illustration of Proportioner Interface

Each of these areas is explained in this guide. To use this guide, it helps to have the Proportioner open. This will make the concepts clearer and allow you to experiment.

Click to launch the Proportioner

When the interactive first opens, you see the Work Area and a Paint Area. The Image Manipulation Buttons will be grayed out until an image is placed into the Work Area.

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Adding Images to the Work Area

To perform any operations within the Proportioner, you must select an image from the Image Gallery and drag it to the Work Area. You can drag an image to the Work Area at any time regardless of which other function is currently selected. You can also drag an image to a new location within the Work Area.

image gallery: clock, dollar, door, ball, earth, CD, box

Image Gallery

All the objects in the Image Gallery work in the same way with the exception of the box image. We will discuss those special properties in the Paint Area section.

Note  You cannot drag an image directly to the Paint Area from the Image Gallery. All images must be dragged to the Work Area first. We will explore this in more detail in the Paint Area section below.

Up to four images can occupy the Work Area at any one time. If you try to add more than four images, the following will appear:

cannot add object dialog

Too many objects in Work Area dialog

Click OK to close the dialog. If you wish to add a new image, you must first delete one or more images from the Work Area. See Deleting and Starting Over, below.

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Image Manipulation Buttons

Once an image is in the Work Area the Image Manipulation Buttons regain full color. They are now available for use. The names of the buttons are shown at the right. Clicking the buttons will affect the image. When there is more than one image in the Work Area, you must first select the image you wish to work with by clicking on it once. The Image Manipulation Buttons only work on images in the Work Area. They do not have any effect on the Paint Area of the Proportioner.

Clear Data Button

The Clear Data Button is used to clear measurement, area, or ratio information from around an image in the Work Area. Click once on the image from which you wish to remove data and then click the Clear Data button. The image will be unchanged, but the on-screen data about that object is cleared from the Work Area.

Image manipulation buttons

Illustration of Image Manipulation Buttons

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Measure Button

The Measure button places small representations of rulers on two sides of a selected image along with numbers that represent the size of the image in “linear units.” The units are the squares in the grid of the Work Area or the Paint Area. If an image is 2.5 linear units high, it is two-and-a-half squares high. Using the units allows you to make “apple to apple” comparisons between images. Click the Clear Data button or re-click the Measure button if you wish to remove the measure data from view.

result of clicking the Measure button

Result of using Measure Button after selecting an image

Note Although some images are round, all measurements, including area, represent the square or rectangular area that encompasses the image.

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Area Button

The Area Button provides a “filling-up” animation that shows how many square units of area an image contains. At the same time, a number below the blue animation shows the current amount of units “filled” at that point. The image itself will also have a vertically rising horizontal bar of color that represents the filling of the space. When the object is filled, the final area in square units is shown. Click the Clear Data button or re-click the Area button if you wish to remove the area data from view.

Result of clicking the Area button

Result of using Area Button after selecting an image

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Ratio Button

The Ratio Button provides a quick view of a number that represents the ratio of height to width of a selected object. The formula of height over width is represented by a fraction of h/w and the number is a mathematical result of solving the fraction for that object. Like the Measure and Area buttons, you must select an object first in order to view this data. Click the Clear Data button or re-click the Ratio Button if you wish to remove the ratio data from view.

Result of clicking Ration button

Result of using Ratio Button after selecting an image

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Compare Button

When you have more than one image in the Work Area, you can compare the proportions of the images. To do so, click the Compare button with an image selected. You will see a dialog similar to the one below, on the left.

Compare dialog box on open

Compare dialog box with image chosen

Compare Dialog on Open

Compare Dialog with Image Chosen

At the top of the dialog you will see the name of the object that was selected when you clicked on the Compare button. Below that you will see a drop-down box. Clicking on the arrow next to the drop-down box will present a list of all the other images in the Work Area at that time. By selecting any image, you can see the relative proportions of one object to another. For instance, in the illustration above and to the right, you will see that door1 has been selected to compare to earth21. The numbers tell you that earth21 is 2.023 times as wide and .87 times and high as door1. You can also see that earth21 has an area that is 1.76 times that of door1. Click the Close button to dismiss the compare dialog.

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Resize Button

Click the Resize Button to change the size of an image. You will see the drop-down menu below. Select your preferred method of resizing the image: graphically, to specific values, or by a factor.

Resize image dropdown choices

Resize image dialog selections

Resizing Graphically

If you choose to resize graphically, arrows appear on the selected image as shown below, to the left. Roll your cursor over any arrow to highlight it. Click and drag the arrow to resize the image.

Dragging in the direction of the arrow increases measurements, while dragging in the opposite direction decreases them.

image showing resize arrows

45-degree arrow highlighted

diagonal arrow highlighted

Initial state of resize arrows on image

45-degree arrow highlighted

Diagonal arrow highlighted

When you have finished resizing, dismiss the arrows by re-clicking the Resize button.

Note When you use the 45-degree arrow diagonal arrow to resize, an image that is not a square may seem to become a square. As units are added to each side in matching amounts, the original difference in measurements becomes a smaller and smaller influence on the proportion of the sides. For instance, a starting proportion of one vertical and two horizontal units (½) is a large .50 ratio, but once you add 10 units to each side, the difference becomes a 11/12, much closer to a square, at .92. However the shape will never fully attain 1.0 proportions (a square).

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Resizing to Specific Value

If you choose to resize to specific values you see the dialog below.

Resize to specific values dialog box

Resize to specific values dialog

The dialog shows the name of the image you selected prior to clicking the Resize button, and the current height and width in linear units. To change the height or width, type new values in New Width or New Height (or both).

Click OK to complete the changes and close the dialog. Click Apply to see the image change size but still be able to type additional size changes without closing and reopening the dialog.

Note While you can also dismiss the dialog by clicking Cancel, any changes that were already committed by clicking the Apply button will be retained. This is true for all dialogs that have a Cancel button and an Apply button.

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Resizing by a Factor

If you choose to resize by a factor you will see the dialog below, to the left.

Resize by factor dialog

Resize by factor dialog with drop-down

Resize by factor dialog

Resize by factor dialog with drop-down

The dialog shows the name of the image you selected prior to clicking the Resize button, and the current height and width in linear units. To change the height or width, you can either:

The checkboxes Apply to Width and Apply to Height let you choose whether to resize only the height, the width, or both.

Click OK to complete the changes and close the dialog. Click Apply to see the image change size but still be able to enter additional size changes without closing and reopening the dialog.

Note An image cannot be larger than the Work Area. If you choose factors that would make the image too large, you see a warning message. Click OK to dismiss it and return to the Resize dialog box.

Sometimes you can resize an object that doesn’t fit by zooming the Work Area. See Adjusting the View below.

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Rename Button

While the Proportioner will automatically name images as they are dragged to the Work Area, you may wish to give them a name of your own choosing. To do so, click the Rename Button. You will be presented with the dialog below.

Rename dialog box

The Rename dialog

The dialog shows the type of image, the current name and a text box where a new name can be entered. When you are ready, click OK or Apply. If you click Apply, you will see the image name change at the top of the dialog and on the image. You will be able to rename again without reopening the dialog. If you click OK, the dialog will close and the changes will remain in place.

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Duplicate Button

To create a new image that is an exact reproduction of an existing image (same image and proportions but with a new name), select an image to copy and click the Duplicate button. A copy of the image will appear in the Work Area. If there are already 4 items in the work area the Duplicate button will be grayed out and you will not be able to select it. The new object name will be the same as the original, with a number added to the name.

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Adjusting the View

Once you have placed an image in the Work Area you may choose to reposition it or change the scale of the Work Area.

To reposition an image, just click and drag to a new position.

To change the scale of the Work Area (for instance, to accommodate a larger resized image), click on the Zoom Out button as shown below. To return to the original scale, click the Zoom In button. There is only one level of zoom in and out available. The Zoom buttons affect the scale of the Paint Area as well.

zoom buttons

Zoom buttons


You may also choose to move the grid from side-to-side or up-and-down. You can do so by clicking anywhere in the Work Area (except on an image) and dragging when the hand icon appears.

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The Paint Area

The Paint Area allows you to make comparisons of the area and proportions of two different images. To place an image in the Paint Area select an image from the Work Area and drag it to the Paint Area and release. The Paint Area holds a maximum of two images at a time. If you try to drag a third object into the Paint Area, you will see the following dialog.

"Cannot add the object" dialog

Cannot add the object dialog

Note An original copy of the image that you drag to the Paint Area remains in the Work Area. If you make changes to the original, such as resizing, those changes are instantly reflected in the Paint Area copy of the image.

If you click on an image in the Paint Area, you will see the unit grid change to accommodate the image by surrounding the image with a single box that becomes the scale for the area. In other words, that image contains one unit of measure and becomes a base measure. If you decide the other image in the Paint Area should determine scale, click the Unpaint button at the bottom of the Paint Area.

unpaint button

Unpaint Button


The Unpaint button resets the Paint Area and allows you to perform new comparisons of proportions on images. If you then click on an image in the Paint Area, its dimensions will become the single unit of measure. A paint can will also appear under that image. The number 1 under the paint can indicates that the image contains one unit of “paint.”

First selected image in paint area

First selected image in Paint Area

When you add a second image, such as a box, that image will be grayed out and have a picture frame icon below it. The numeral 0 below the frame indicates that the image is “empty.”

window after second image is added to Paint Area

Second image added to Paint Area


By dragging the paint can icon over to the second image and dropping the can on the image, you can visually add one unit of “color” to the second object. A new number below the picture frame reflects how many units have been added while the level of paint in the image shows a visual representation of the proportion of one unit to that image.

Second image added to paint area and containing one unit of paint

Second image now containing one unit of “paint”

Electing to drop a second can of paint onto the second image will result in numbers that reflect an overfilled object while the first image will show a deficit of color (and a corresponding number of less than one next to the paint can) that reflect the amount of paint overfill.

Second image added to paint area, with image filled and overflow shown

Second image now filled and overfill shown

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Deleting Images

The Work Area and the Paint Area each have a set of Delete and Delete All buttons.

Delete and Delete All buttons

The Delete and Delete All Buttons

To Delete an image, select it and click Delete. To Delete all images at once, click Delete All.

The buttons below the Work Area delete the images in Paint Area as well (because images in the Paint Area are linked to their original in the Work area). This is true even if an image’s name has been changed.

The buttons below the Paint Area delete only images in the Paint Area. They have no effect on images in the Work Area.

When you click the Delete All button you see a warning dialog. There is no undo function for deletion, so you should be certain you want to delete before you click Yes. There is no warning dialog when deleting a single image.

Delete All warning dialog

Delete All Warning Dialog

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Screen Capture

You may wish to capture an image of your Proportioner work at any point to preserve a record of your work or to post to a Discussion. The Screen Capture tool allows you to capture an image of your Proportioner screen at any time. To access the tool, click on the Screen Shot Tool Button, which is a picture of a camera in the lower right corner of the interface.

screenshot icon

Illustration of the Screen Shot Button

This will open a dialog box that looks like the following.

Screenshot dialog

Illustration of the Screen Shot Dialog

Just fill in the fields (which may already include your name and group) and click “OK.” When you have finished, click on the “OK” button and another dialog appears where you will be given a URL or web address where you can view your graphic. Simply cut and paste this address into your web browser to view. Click “OK” when you are done to close the dialog.

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The About Button

about button

The About Button

Click the About button to see what version number of the Proportioner you are running, as well as find Credits, Acknowledgements, and License information. The version number can be very helpful if you need to ask for technical support or run into unexpected operational issues.