Compare view
Compare cycles to ensure that important changes have been made. There are five compare modes that you can use to compare cycles, including four overlay modes and one side by side mode.
Summary of compare modes
Difference Overlay |
Changes are highlighted in bright green. |
Difference Only |
Changes are highlighted in bright green and common areas are white. |
Relative Difference Only |
Changes are highlighted in shades of green: the greater the difference, the brighter the green. Common areas are white. |
Toggle |
Shows both files in an alternating pattern. Use the Play/Pause button to start and stop the toggle. |
Side By Side |
See both cycles next to each other. Unlock the views so you can zoom, pan and rotate the active file on its own. Or when the views are locked together, zoom, pan and rotate both files at the same time. |
Cycle Drop Down
Select the cycles you wish to compare on the drop down.
Active File Toggle
The active file toggle determines which annotations and approvals you see. Select a cycle to make it active and view its annotations and approvals. In the following example, Cycle 1 is active so you can see its annotations and approvals.
Transparency Slider
The position of the transparency slider determines which cycle’s page image you are viewing. Move the slider to change the page image from one cycle to the next.
View Differences in Green
When the slider is in the middle green section, cycles are overlaid on top of each other and differences are highlighted in bright green.
View Cycles Superimposed
When the slider is just outside the green section, see both cycles at the same time. Files are superimposed on top of each other, with transparency applied.
View Previous Cycle Markup on Current Cycle
View previous cycle markup on top of the current cycle page image to verify that requested changes have been made.
To do this, do the following:
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- Select the previous cycle’s radio button to make it active and see its annotations.
- Move the slider towards the latest cycle.
In the following example, the Cycle 1 annotations are on the Cycle 2 page image, which allows you to verify that the changes requested in Cycle 1 have been made in Cycle 2.
Zoom and Pan
While in Compare View, zooming and panning is applied to both cycles. You can zoom in to compare images while the pages are overlaid on top of each other, or when they are in side by side mode. Side by side mode also allows you to unlock the views and zoom, pan and rotate the pages independently of each other.
Preserve Zoom and Pan Across Compare Modes
Compare View preserves the zoom and pan area when switching compare modes so you can focus on a particular area and view it in different modes.
For example, here is Difference Overlay mode:
Then view the file in Side by Side mode. The zoom and pan area is preserved.
Difference Overlay
View cycles overlaid on top of each other. Differences are shown in bright green when the transparency slider is in the green section. Adjust the transparency slider or change the active file.
Difference Only
View cycles overlaid on top of each other. Only the differences are shown in bright green when the transparency slider is in the green section. Common areas are white. Adjust the transparency slider or change the active file.
Relative Difference Only
View cycles overlaid on top of each other. The intensity of green highlight varies depending on how big of a difference there is. Greater differences are represented with a brighter green, whereas subtle differences are shown in light green. Adjust the transparency slider or change the active file.
Toggle
View cycles overlaid on top of each other in an alternating toggle pattern. Stop the toggle using the Pause button.
When paused, adjust the transparency slider or change the active file. Start the toggle again using the Play button.
Side By Side
See both cycles next to each other in side by side view. Use the active file toggle to view annotations and approvals for that cycle. When the files are locked, zoom, pan and rotate both pages at the same time for easy side by side compare to visually inspect cycles next to each other. Or unlock the files to zoom, pan and rotate each page separately.
Side by Side: Lock and Unlock Mode
By default, pages that are the same size are locked together in compare side by side mode; similarly, pages that are different sizes are unlocked. However, you can click on the lock/unlock icon (bottom right) to lock or unlock the views. When the files are locked, zoom, pan and rotate both files at the same time. When the files are unlocked, zoom, pan and rotate only the active file whose radio button is selected. Re-locking the files sets them back to their initial rotation.
In the following example, the active file on the right has independent zoom, pan and rotation applied so that the text on the artwork can be compared with the copy deck on the right.
For more information on comparison-related topics, visit these links…
To learn about comparing files across sub-processes, see Cross Sub-Process Compare.
To learn more about online proofing, see the BLUE Proofing Guide.
To learn more about the licensed text compare module, see the BLUE Text Compare Guide.