IGNITE USER MANUAL Part # S-1497 Rev: 1.3

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 IGNITE USER MANUAL Part # S-1497 Rev: 1.3 1. Before You Begin - Read Me First... 2 Introduction Helpful Hints Program Elements Try It Out Activity Preview 2. Making Your First Message... 10 The Message Wizard Try It Out Activity #1 Making A Basic Schedule Try It Out Activity #2 Updating Your Sign Try It Out Activity #3 3. Making More Messages... 20 Time and Temperature Messages Try It Out Activity #4 EasyArt Messages Try It Out Activity #5 4. Advanced Topics... 27 Message Editor Try It Out Activity #6 Editing in Message Editor Try It Out Activity #7 Importing Images Try It Out Activity #8 Importing Animation Try It Out Activity #9 Grouping EasyArt Words Try It Out Activity #10 Advanced Scheduling Try It Out Activity #11 5. Now That You re Done, I Can Help... 46 Quick Message Checklists Passwords Basic Terms FAQ s

2 BEFORE YOU BEGIN-READ ME FIRST BEFORE YOU BEGIN - READ ME FIRST Introduction Helpful Hints Program Elements Try It Out Activity Preview

INTRODUCTION 3 INTRODUCTION W elcome to Ignite, the graphics software for your new Watchfire sign. The powerful, smart Ignite software is an easy way for you to quickly create your own attractive, professional looking messages and then display them on your sign. Best of all, computer programming skills are not required. The Ignite software performs three main tasks: 1. Creating and editing messages. 2. Scheduling messages for playback on the sign at any time and date. 3. Communicating the messages and schedules to your Watchfire sign. A large professional EasyArt library is included, which features graphics and animations with shading and depth effects. This outstanding art collection running exclusively on Watchfire signs will bring added attention to your sign, making your business stand out. The Ignite program also contains more advanced messaging capabilities including importing images and animation files for creation of your own custom messages. This tutorial is designed to help you to understand some of the basic features of Ignite and will get you started in becoming a sign programming pro. We have divided this tutorial into five main sections: Before You Begin - Read Me First Making Your First Message Making More Messages Advanced Topics Now That You re Done, I Can Help

4 INTRODUCTION We hope you will take time to explore each of these areas and experiment with the different features of Ignite so that programming your sign will become an enjoyable experience for you and a key tool for your organization.

HELPFUL HINTS 5 HELPFUL HINTS C ongratulations on being chosen to help with the task of putting messages on your Watchfire sign. Before you begin, here are some helpful hints that will assist in speeding you on your way. We hope they will make the time you spend learning how to use your Ignite software more enjoyable and productive. Remember you are not alone. We are here to help if you get stuck e-mail: service@timeomatic.com Or call tech support at: 1-866-637-2645 Don t worry about whether you will be able to operate your Watchfire sign. It is a lot easier than you think! Don t skip this tutorial and the Try it Out Activities. Someone once said, Real men don t read directions. If you follow in their footsteps, you will miss out on so much of what your sign can do. Do the Try it Out Activities for each section in order. We have designed them to build on each other. Experiment with the different tools within Ignite. Hands on experiences are the best way to learn. With a little practice you ll be on your way to creating a great looking sign in no time. Once your messages are on the sign, go look at them from several angles and distances if possible. This will give you a much better idea of what the public sees. Watch how long each message stays on the sign. Your location and the size of your sign will determine how long someone passing by your sign will actually be able to read it. For example, if you have a small sign and are next to an Interstate, a long scrolling message will never be seen long enough for the public to have any idea of what you are trying to communicate. Text, background and graphics will need good contrast to show well. Realize some things just simply will not work. Some graphics and fonts will be too large or small. Only use what looks good on your sign.

6 PROGRAM ELEMENTS The Edit, Schedule and Update buttons are always available to navigate to these three main tasks. The name of the section you are working is also displayed below the Toolbar. PROGRAM ELEMENTS Ignite Edit Messages Screen Home Menu Bar Toolbar Edit Messages Buttons Status Task List Tips Recent Message Thumbnails Menu Bar: Contains available program commands. Toolbar: Displays common commands for quick access. Edit Message Buttons: The six different methods of creating and editing messages. Home: This button will bring you back to this home edit page from anywhere in the program.

PROGRAM ELEMENTS 7 Task List: Quick access buttons that take you to the three main tasks used for displaying messages on your sign. Tips: Displays helpful tips to assist you in using your sign more effectively. Recent Message Thumbnails: Easy access to your last ten messages.

8 TRY IT OUT ACTIVITY PREVIEW When you begin a Try It Out Activity, click on the Edit button in the upper left hand corner of the screen so you begin each activity from the home page. TRY IT OUT PREVIEW T his manual contains a series of Try It Out Activities. These activities are designed to help you understand the basics of your Ignite software. The activities will lead you through the different aspects of Ignite and give you hands on experience in creating messages and sending them to your sign. They are also designed to be done in order with new skills building on ones you have already mastered. Let s try a sample Try it Out Activity on navigating through the program. Navigating in Ignite Try It Out Activity There are three main tasks in the Ignite Software, Editing (and creating) Messages, Scheduling Messages, and Updating your Sign. Navigating through the different sections of your new Ignite software is straightforward and uncomplicated. Each task has a large button in the Task List area. Each task also has a smaller corresponding task button in the upper left hand corner of the Toolbar that is always available at each point in the program. Using the buttons you can seamlessly jump from one part of the program to another. You need only to know where you are, know where you want to go, and click. Let s see how easy it is. 1. Click on the large Edit Messages button in the Task List section at the left of the Edit Messages screen. You will notice this button has a picture of a house. It is the main or home screen in Ignite. It is the screen that comes up whenever you start the program. 2. Click on the Edit button in the upper left hand corner of the Toolbar. You will notice nothing happened. This is because the Edit button on the Toolbar and the Edit Messages button on the Task List take you to the same place; the Edit Messages or home screen. 3. Click on the large Schedule Messages button in the Task List section. Now click the small Schedule button on the Toolbar. You will notice that nothing happens. As was the case with the

TRY IT OUT ACTIVITY PREVIEW 9 two edit buttons, they both take you to the same area the program. 4. Click on the large Update Sign button in the Task List section. Now click on the small Update button on the Toolbar. Once again, they are the same. 5. Click on the Edit Button in the upper left hand corner of the Toolbar. Anytime you are not sure where you are, this button will take you to the Edit Messages or home screen. 6. Click on the large Text Message Wizard button. You will notice the large buttons are now gone. But if you look on the Toolbar in the upper left hand corner, all three task buttons are still available. 7. Look at the name just below the Toolbar buttons. You will see the words Text Message Wizard. This area will always give you the name of the section of the program you are working in. 8. Click the Edit button on the Toolbar. You are now back home to the Edit Messages screen and have experienced what the Try It Out Activities will be like. Note: You will want to be sure to begin and end all of your Try It Out Activities on the home page.

10 MAKING YOUR FIRST MESSAGE MAKING YOUR FIRST MESSAGE The Text Message Wizard Making a Basic Schedule Updating Your Sign

THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD 11 THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD T he Text Message Wizard is a new tool that has been provided to simplify the task of creating text messages. It is designed to take you through making a simple text message step by step. The Text Message Wizard contains most of the basic creating and editing tools found in the regular Ignite Message Editor. The Text Message Wizard will be useful for most of your basic text message creating and editing needs. Using The Text Message Wizard Try It Out Activity be creating messages like a pro. Using the Text Message Wizard is as simple as point, choose and click. In this first Try It Out Activity we will make your very first message. Simply follow the easy step-by-step instructions provided in the Text Message Wizard. Before you know it, you will Let s get started making your first message. 1. Click on the Text Message Wizard button on the Edit Messages screen. 2. Decide whether you want to create a new message or edit an existing one. For this exercise, we will be creating a new text message, so click on Create New Text Message. This will automatically open up the text-editing step.

12 THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD Text Screen Avoid mixed case messages and lower case messages. Use upper case letters when possible because they are much easier to read from farther away. You can only delete frames using the delete button on your toolbar. Using the delete key on your computer keyboard will not delete them. Frames List Preview Window 3. Type the word WE RE in the text box. Your word should appear with all capital letters. This is the default setting in Ignite. This is because capital letters are much easier to read from farther away. If WE RE is not in all capitals, go back and change it. Note: If you wanted to insert or make this frame a time, temperature or date frame you could also do that by clicking on the appropriate button instead of typing in text. 4. Now look at the Properties section of this screen. You will find a list of items you can change. Each item has a drop down menu that allows you to modify the text appearance. 5. Click on the Font Name menu and choose 07STDNRO. Notice in both the Preview Window and the Frame List, the text became narrower. The numbers at the beginning of the font name tells you how many rows of lights (or pixels) height wise are used to make each letter. The rest of the name tells you the font style. If there is an NRO at the end of the name, it means that this font is a narrow font. 07STDNRO tells you this is a 7 high narrow font. A narrow font lets you get more letters on a line by squeezing the letters together.

THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD 13 6. Make sure your font weight is set to Bold. The only reason not to use bold is if you are trying to squeeze extra letters in a line. Even then, you are better off trying to use a NRO font first before turning Bold off. 7. If you would like, you can now adjust the color of the text, the color of the shadow (or border) and the color and pattern of the background by clicking on the appropriate drop down menu. You will be able to see the difference between each adjustment in your preview window and the frame window. 8. Click on the Justification drop down menu and choose each option one at a time to observe how justification can be used to position text in different places of the message. 9. Set the Justification to Center for this exercise. 10. Once you are done making adjustments, click Next to move to the Effects step. Be careful when choosing a font. Using a smaller font will not necessarily allow more characters on a line. Try font names that end in NRO to allow for more characters. Also, the BOLD font weight will always make your message easier to read! 11. In the Appear Effect drop down menu, start at the beginning of the list and preview each of the options to see what each one does in the Preview Window. An Appear Effect will animate the frame as it comes on the sign. Note: If you choose Random Effect, you will not be able to set the hold or exit effects. They will become random also. When creating messages for color signs, It is easy to use too much color with shadows. Often, A black or white shadow is best. Remember easy readability should be your most important consideration. 12. Once you have previewed all of the options, go back and select Wipe. This will allow you to observe the other options available in the Effects screen. 13. Go to the Appear Direction drop down menu and again, preview each option. Once you have previewed all the options, go back and select East. Note: Some Appear Effects will not have an Appear Direction.

14 THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD In the Text Message Wizard, each additional new frame will have all of the properties of the previous frame. 14. Again, preview all the options in the Hold Effect menu. When you are done previewing, select Flash. Hold Effects will animate a frame while it is on the sign. 15. Leave the Hold Time set at 1s (one second). Note: Hold effects will not work if the frame Hold Time is set at less than 1 second. 16. Click on the Exit Effect and select Move. Move will give your message a nice transition to the next frame or message. 17. Click Next. This will take you to the Frames step. This screen is where you will decide if you want to add another frame or save your message. You can create your own custom categories like MY CUSTOM ART, to help organize the messages you have created. Just clear the category line on the Save As screen when saving one of your messages and simply type in a new name. Your new category will now appear on the category list any time you go to save a message. 18. Choose Add Frame, and click Next. This will take you to back to the Text step. You will notice that you have also opened up another frame in the Frame List. 19. In the Text Box, type the word OPEN and then click Next. You will notice that the program has set all the effects properties of the new frame to match those you made by hand in the first frame. If you had wanted different properties for this new frame, you would go back and repeat steps 5 16. 20. Click on the frame you would like to show up as the thumbnail image then click Message on the Menu Bar found in the upper left of the screen. Select Set Thumbnail Frame. You can choose to set any frame as the one that will show up when you view the message thumbnails by clicking on that frame and then clicking on Set Thumbnail Frame. If you skip this step the thumbnail will automatically be set to the first frame. 21. Click Next to go back to the Frames step. This time select All Done, Save Message. Note: If you did not like this frame, or if you had opened it by accident, you could go to the delete button on the Toolbar and delete it there.

THE TEXT MESSAGE WIZARD 15 22. Click Next. This will take you to the Save step. 23. Give your new message the name WE RE OPEN. 24. Type a short description of the message and choose the category which best describes it by clicking on the arrow to the right of the category. This will help you find and use it in the future. If there is not a category you like or if you would like to put your custom messages in one separate category you can clear the category line on the Save step and type in the name of your new category. Do not try and use symbols such as " : < > / \? *. in your message file name. They can cause the message to either not work or work improperly. 25. Click Finish. This will save the WE RE OPEN message so we can use it in one of the future exercises. You did it! You just created your first message. It s just that quick and easy to create basic text messages for your Watchfire sign using the Text Message Wizard. Now that you have created your first message, it s time to see what it looks like on your sign. The Text Message Wizard automatically checks your spelling when you click Next to go to the Effects step.

16 MAKING A BASIC SCHEDULE Setting the start and stop times to the same time will cause the message to play 24 hours a day. MAKING A BASIC SCHEDULE S o, you are ready to try out your new message Try It Out on your sign? Great! Let s make a quick schedule and get that new message up on your Activity sign. In future activities we will go through many of the ways you can schedule messages to run on your sign. For now however, we will make a simple schedule and get your message playing. 1. Click the Schedule Messages button on the main Edit Messages screen. This will open the scheduling section of Ignite. 2. Click the Add button. When Start Time/Stop Time Thumbnails View 3. Decide when you want to run your schedule. For this exercise, select Every Day.

MAKING A BASIC SCHEDULE 17 4. Choose the time you want your sign to turn on and off. For this exercise, set the start and stop time to 12:00 am to have the message play continually. 5. Click on the thumbnail of the WE RE OPEN message you created in the last activity. 6. Click OK. You will notice that your new message has been added to the list with a red line showing the times selected for it to run. 7. Click on the right arrow between the date and the calendar icon at the top of the screen. You will notice that your message has also been added to the next day s date. In fact, it will be on everyday until you remove it or until you override it by scheduling a weekly or dated message, which will be discussed later in the Advanced Scheduling Activity on page 42. It is a good idea to have a Time or a Time & Temp message in every schedule. They will help the public get used to looking at your sign whenever they pass it. Schedule Buttons Schedule Window Schedule Calendar 8. Click on Add EasyArt. We will now add a couple of EasyArt messages to complete a nice schedule. 9. Select Every Day for when, and set the time to the same time you choose for your WE RE OPEN message. By choosing the same time, the EasyArt message will play right after the WE RE OPEN message. 10. Click on CLOUDS in the EasyArt message list and then click OK.

18 MAKING A BASIC SCHEDULE You will find that your sign can become a great Public Relations tool by using it to run occasional public service and community interest messages. 11. Click on Add EasyArt again. Repeat step 9 and this time choose SEAT BELTS. When you are done click OK. You have now successfully created your first schedule. Now all you need to do is send your new schedule to your sign.

UPDATING YOUR SIGN 19 Try It Out Activity ready to go. UPDATING YOUR SIGN N ow that you have created a schedule, you are ready to connect to the sign. Your schedule will tell it what messages to run and when. If you do not have a schedule ready to put on your sign, go back to (Page 16) and get a schedule 1. Begin by clicking on the Update Sign button found on the main Edit Messages screen. 2. If your sign has a password, you will need to enter it in the password box. If you would like to set up a password, check out the password section (Page 51). 3. Click on the Update All Messages button. This will open the communications window which will show you the progress of updating your sign. 4. If the update is successful, you will see this message. If an error occurs, the communications window will stay open. Way to go! You have put your schedule of messages on your Watchfire sign. If possible, go check your sign to be sure your new schedule is running the way you want it to. No matter how simple or how difficult your schedule, you will always use this same simple method to update your sign.

20 MAKING MORE MESSAGES MAKING MORE MESSAGES Time and Temperature Messages EasyArt Messages

TIME & TEMPERATURE MESSAGES 21 Try It Out Activity TIME & TEMPERATURE MESSAGES T ime and temperature are quite possibly the most popular messages used on message center signs. In this activity, we will make a basic Time & Temperature message. BE CAREFUL: Only use Time and Temp buttons to set the time and temperature. Typing them in by hand will only show the numbers you have typed and not the current time and temperature! 1. Click on the Text Message Wizard button on the Edit Messages screen. 2. Click on Create New Message. 3. Click on the Time button, select the time format you like best from the options and then click OK. If you click OK before choosing from the options, it will automatically choose 12-hour time. This is the most commonly used style. 4. Choose a font from the Font Name drop down menu. Remember, the larger the font the easier it is to read. Time, Date, Temp Buttons Text Box Fonts Text Color

22 TIME & TEMPERATURE MESSAGES When making Time and Temp messages, always leave space on the sides of your message. This will allow for triple digits temperatures and four digit times. 5. Choose a Text Color and Shadow Color from the drop down menus. 6. Make sure your Font Weight is set to Bold. 7. Choose a background color and pattern. 8. When you are done making changes to the text properties, click the Next button. This will take you to the Effects step. 9. Choose the different Effects properties for the frame from the menus. You can experiment with each setting, observing what it does in the Preview Window. If you cannot decide on an Appear Effect you can always choose Random. This will give you a different effect each time it plays. 10. Once you are done choosing the Effects properties, click on the Next button. This will take you to the Frames step where you can decide whether to Add Another Frame or Save Your Message. 11. Select Add Frame and click Next. This will take you back to the Text step. You will notice another frame has been added in the Frame List. 12. If your sign has a temperature sensor, click on the Temp button. Select how you want the temperature to appear from the menu and click OK. Note: Not all message centers come with a temp sensor. Before adding a temperature frame you need to be sure your sign has that ability. Otherwise, you will end up with a blank frame in your message. 13. If your sign does not have a temperature sensor, click on Date and add the day of the week. The Date button is just like the Time and Temp buttons in that it will create a message that changes as the date changes. Be sure the font you choose allows you to view the entire message allowing for the longest possible date that might be scheduled to appear. 14. Choose your settings for the text and click Next. 15. Choose the desired effects and click Next. 16. Click on the frame in the Frame List you would like to appear as a thumbnail in your Message List.

TIME & TEMPERATURE MESSAGES 23 17. Click Message in the Menu Bar and click on Set Thumbnail Frame. The thumbnail will always default to the first frame unless you set it differently. If the first frame is the one you want to appear, you can skip this step in the future. 18. Click Next until you are at the Frames step. Select All Done, Save Message. Click the Next button. This will take you to the Save step. Set ting the text frame hold time to 1 second per line of text is a good rule of thumb. 19. Give your new message a name and description that will help you find it easily in the future. You can also select Time/Temp in the category section so the message will be easier to find in the future. When you are done, click Finish. Congratulations! You have finished your first Time & Temperature message and saved it for future use. If you would like to see your new message on your sign, just add it to your schedule and Update your sign (pg 19).

24 EASYART MESSAGES Don t Worry! You cannot overwrite the original art in the library. If you make a change to an EasyArt message it will only save under a new name in your message folder. EASYART MESSAGES Y our Ignite software contains a library of pre-made messages called EasyArt. EasyArt messages are a great way to add interest to your sign. You will find that many of these messages will fit right into your schedule just as they are. But in cases where they don t quite fit, many of the EasyArt messages are designed for you to adapt to fit your specific needs with simple editing. Editing an EasyArt message is a lot like editing any other message except there are some limits to the changes you can make. There are three types of messages found in EasyArt Library. Added messages where the text is not part of the graphic. These messages allow you to change the displayed text. Text Ready messages that allow you to add your own text. These include messages designed as backgrounds for adding text and messages with no text. Graphic text messages where the text is in the graphic layer and is not changeable. You can only change what is not a permanent part of the artwork. Because of this, it is important to know the type of message you are starting with. So before you begin to edit an EasyArt message, be sure you know what type of message you have. Try It Out Activity Let s try editing an EasyArt message. As you change the message, don t worry about messing up the original art. Your edited message can only be saved as a new message. The original message will always stay the same. 1. Click on the Open EasyArt Message button. This will open the Open EasyArt window. In this window you will see a thumbnail of each EasyArt message. 2. Click on the View drop down menu on the Open EasyArt window and select Details. This will allow you to see the message descriptions.

EASYART MESSAGES 25 Sort Indicator Search Descriptions View Before you begin to edit an EasyArt message, find out whether it is a message that can be edited. ADDED, Text ready or messages with no text can be edited. Messages with text that does not say ADDED in their descriptions cannot be edited. Preview 3. Notice that many of the messages have the word Added at the end of their description. Any message that has Added in its description is a message where the text overlays the animation. You can make changes or completely delete the text if you would like. Notice others that have the words Text Ready at the end of their descriptions. These have been designed as backgrounds for you to add your own text. 4. Click on the Sort Indicator arrow next to File Name. You will notice that your list in now sorted in reverse alphabetically. 5. Click on the Sort Indicator again and it will go back to alphabetical order. 6. Click on Date Modified. You will notice the files are now sorted by their creation date instead of alphabetically. Clicking again will reverse the order just as it did with the File Name list. You can sort the EasyArt files by using any of the columns in either normal or reverse order by clicking on that column.

26 EASYART MESSAGES Anytime your EasyArt sort list seems to be out of order, you can change it back to the normal alphabetical list by clicking on the File Name section on the Open EasyArt screen. 7. Click on the File Name column. This will reset the sorting to the default alphabetical list. 8. Click in the Search box and type CLOUDS. 9. Click Search. In the future you may also want to select a Category to narrow your search if you are looking for a specific type of message. 10. Click on the CLOUDS thumbnail. 11. Preview the message by clicking on the Preview button in the lower left corner. This will show you what the message will appear like on your sign. Click anywhere to close the message. 12. Click on the Open button. The message can now be edited just like the message you edited in the last activity. 13. Change the text to a new color. Do not change the text! Note: If you have a monochrome sign, skip step 13 and 14. 14. Click on the Utilities button and select Make Multiple Frames The Same Text Color. Choose Make All Frames The Same and then click OK. 15. Click on File at the top of your screen and then click Save. Give it a new name. Do not worry about accidentally changing the original EasyArt file. The original file can still be accessed by going to Open EasyArt Message. 16. This message is now stored in your message folder and can be accessed by clicking on Open Existing Message. 17. You can now click on the Edit Messages button which will take you back to the home page. Way to Go! You have now finished all of the basic Ignite, Try It Out Activities. You are well on your way to becoming an Ignite graphics software pro. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, you can go on to the more advanced topics found in the next section. Remember, the best way to learn is to keep making messages and trying things out.

ADVANCED TOPICS 27 ADVANCED TOPICS Message Editor Editing In Message Editor Importing Images Importing Animation Grouping EasyArt Words Advanced Scheduling

28 MESSAGE EDITOR MESSAGE EDITOR U nderstanding how to make basic text messages is probably the most important ability you will learn to perform in Ignite. This section will take you through the Message Editor, which will give you even more tools to use in creating great messages. This section will also help you to better understand how Ignite works. The task of creating a basic text message involves the following steps just like in the wizard: Click Create New Message. Choose the desired font, font color, shadow, shadow color and spacing. Type your text. Choose a background color. Choose the desired appear, hold and exit effects. Save your new message. You will be introduced to several new tools in this section. They are: Add Frame Spell Checker Frames List Frame Image Tabs Left Center Right Justify Utilities Button Spacing Color Shadow

MESSAGE EDITOR 29 Try It Out Activity Let s make your first text message in the Message Editor together. When finished, this message will display the words RISE AND SHINE, and show the current time. Each word will be placed in a separate frame. Adding Text 1. Click on the Create New Message button on the Ignite Edit Messages screen. It will open a blank message with the cursor in the text box. 2. Type the word RISE. 3. Choose a font from the Font drop down menu that is about half the height of your sign. Note: We are making a single line text message in this exercise. In the future, if you make multiple line messages remember the smaller the text the harder it is to see. Text Tab Text Box L-C-R Justify Buttons Spacing 4. Find the Left-Center-Right justify buttons. 5. Click on each button and observe how the text moves in the Frame Image area. 6. Click back on the Center button. You will use this setting most of the time. 7. Click on the Text Color drop down menu and select a bright color for this exercise. If you have a monochrome sign, choose the brightest setting available (either #4 or #16 depending on your sign). 8. Click on Spacing and change the spacing to 2. You will notice that your text spreads out in the Frame Image area. This tool will be very useful if you have a large sign or want to fill space in a message.

30 MESSAGE EDITOR Avoid using lower case letters. They are harder to read and less effective at communicating your message. 9. Change the Spacing back to 1. You will use this setting most of the time. 10. Find the Shadow drop down menu. You will notice your text appears to have a border in the Frame Image. 11. Using the Shadow menu, change your shadow to each of the options. Notice how the shadow changes its appearance each time you select a different option. Once you have finished looking at each option, reset the Shadow to SILHOUETTE-1. This is the shadow you will use most often. 12. Find the Shadow Color drop down menu directly below the Shadow menu. 13. Click the Shadow Color menu and view all of the color options for the shadows around your text. For now, leave the Shadow Color set on the default black setting. Backgrounds 1. Click on the Background Tab. Background Tab Color Pattern 2. Click on the Color drop down menu. 3. Select a color that you feel would make a good background for the text and shadow colors you have picked previously. 4. Click on the Pattern menu and then select each option. Observe how they change the solid background to different levels of a checkerboard pattern. For this exercise and with most of your messages, leave this setting on Solid Fill (which is the default choice). You are now done with the first frame of your message except for setting effects (which we will do at the end). You are now ready to type the rest of your message.

MESSAGE EDITOR 31 1. Click on the Text tab. 2. Click the Add button on the Toolbar. This will add a new frame. 3. Type the word AND. 4. Click the Add button on the Toolbar. 5. Type the word SHINE. Take advantage of the Utilities button. It is used to make changes to multiple frames of your message at a time. Before we finish, let s create one last frame and add the Time to it. Adding a time frame will let you use this message to accomplish both sharing information and showing the current time. 1. Click the Add button on the Toolbar. 2. Click on the Clock button and click OK. Select the desired time format and click OK. The Utilities Button The Utilities button is one of the features not available in the Text Message Wizard. In this section, we will learn what it can do. Utilities There is a Utilities button for each of the tabbed sections. The Utilities Button allows you to make changes multiple frames not just the one you are working in. Each Utilities button gives you the ability to make three types of changes: Specific (one attribute) Global (a group of attributes) Default (global settings that will be in effect in all messages from now on)

32 MESSAGE EDITOR Avoid using Travel Text whenever possible. It is an easy way to create a text message but it makes your message harder to read and does not possess the eye catching appearance that several frames with changing effects will have. If you MUST use Travel Text, set your hold time to No Hold and add several blank spaces at the beginning and end of your message using the space bar. This will give the appearance of the text moving on and off the screen. The different levels will allow you to change as much or as little of the message settings as you want to. 1. Click on the Text Box and then click on Utilities. You will notice that the Utilities button has given you several options. You can make multiple frames the same Text String, the same Text Properties or set the Default Properties. 2. Click on the Text Color Menu and then click on the Utilities. You now have the choice to Make Multiple Frames The Same Text Color, the same Text Properties or set the Default Text Properties. Each of the buttons will work in this same way. 3. Click on the Make Multiple Frames The Same Text Color. Select Make All Frames The Same Text Color. Now when you type in any of the frames, that frame will have the same Text Color as the others. Setting Effects You are now ready to finish your message by setting the effects. Effective use of effects will give your message pizzazz and increase the ability of your message to attract attention. 1. Click on the Effects tab. Effects Appear Hold Exit 2. Choose an Appear effect from the drop down menu. If you are not sure which one you like, test several out (avoid scrolling with Travel Text whenever possible). You can click on each frame and choose a different appear effect for each frame if you like, or you can use the Utilities button to make mutiple frames the same. 3. Click on Appear Layer. You can use this setting to make your effect happen only in one layer of the frame.

MESSAGE EDITOR 33 4. Let's set the Appear Layer to Background. This way you will have a nice effect but still be able to read your text the entire duration of the frame. You can also adjust the speed and direction of the effect using the Direction and Appear Speed settings. 5. Click on the Utilities button and choose Make Multiple Frames The Same Appear Effect. If you wanted to only change some of the frames you could have done so by selecting Make Range of Frames The Same Appear Effect and choosing the beginning and ending frame. 6. Select Make All Frames The Same Appear Effect and click OK. 7. Click on frame #4 and then click on the Hold Time menu. Be sure it is set to 1s for this exercise. 8. Choose Bijou Small (1) from the Hold menu. 9. Click on the Exit menu and choose Move. 10. Click on the Utilities button and choose Make Multiple Frames the Same Exit Effect. Select Make All Frames The Same Exit Effect and click OK. Be sure to choose the frame you want to show up as a thumbnail. This will make it easier for you to find in the future. You can choose to set any frame as the one that will show up when you view the message thumbnails by clicking on that frame and then clicking on Message Menu and then on Set Thumbnail Frame. 11. Click on the frame you would like to show up as a thumbnail picture. 12. Click on the Message Menu on the Menu Bar and click Set Thumbnail Frame. 13. Click on the File menu and click on Save. 14. Name the file RISE AND SHINE. 15. Choose a description and a category. 16. Click Save. Your new message is now saved for use in the future Try It Out Activities.

34 EDITING IN MESSAGE EDITOR If you have large editing tasks that require global changes you should use the message editor instead of the Text Message Wizard. EDITING IN MESSAGE EDITOR W hen Try It Out Activity you have larger editing tasks and want to make global changes, you probably want to edit using the Message Editor. In this lesson, we will use the RISE AND SHINE text message you created when you made your first text message in the previous section. If you didn t save a RISE AND SHINE message, you will need to go back and create one. 1. Click on the Open Existing Message button on the Edit Messages screen. 2. Find the message RISE AND SHINE and double click on it. ADD, INSERT, COPY and DELETE Now let s make a couple of other changes. We will be discussing the Add, Insert, Copy and Delete buttons on the toolbar. These buttons relate to the frames of your message. Add Copy Next Spelling Undo Insert Delete Preview 1. Click the Add button. You will notice a frame was added at the very end of your message. 2. Click on the Temp button. Choose a temperature format and click OK. You have now added a temperature frame. Notice that the frame picked up the same text, hold and background attributes as the Time frame. Note: Some signs do not come with a temp sensor. If your sign does not have a temp sensor you can click on the calendar button and choose a date entry instead.

EDITING IN MESSAGE EDITOR 35 3. Click on the frame that contains the time. 4. Click on the Insert button. Notice this creates a new frame before the Time frame. It too will have all of the attributes of the frame we created it from; in this case, the Time frame. 5. Type the name of your town. If the name is too long for your sign, abbreviate it. 6. Now click on the Copy Next button and click Yes. Notice it copied the name of your town onto the next frame but deleted the time. Copying will do exactly that; copy everything from one frame to the next frame. 7. Since we want to have the current time on our message and do not need to have our town name on the message twice, Click on the Undo button. This will undo what you just did. 8. Click on the frame that contains the name of your town and click the Delete button. Notice the frame with your town name is gone. The delete button removes the frame you are currently on from your message. 9. Click on the Spelling button. This will check your message and tell you if you have any misspelled words. 10. Click on the Preview button. This will show you how your message will look on the sign. 11. Click on the Save button on the Toolbar. This will overwrite your old message and save the changes you made. If you wanted to save your new message as a different one, you would have to choose Save As from your File menu. When creating a new message from an existing message you created, it is wise to save the file to a new name first so you don t accidentally overwrite your original file unless you no longer want to use it. You can open any recent message by clicking on the message name in the recent message section. The message will open in the same way you created it. You can also preview any of these messages by clicking on the message s thumbnail picture.

36 IMPORTING IMAGES It is easier to scale your Images down and do any cropping in a photo editing program before you import them. This will also help the graphic s final appearance on your sign. IMPORTING IMAGES O ne of the great new features of Ignite graphics software is the addition of quick and easy importing wizards. By using the Import Image and the Import Animation wizards, you can easily add pictures, logos and even short animation and video clips to your messages. Try It Out Activity Let s try importing an image and making it into a message you can play on your sign. We will use a picture for this exercise, but it could just as easily be a logo or even still art you have created. 1. Click on the Import Image Wizard button on the Edit Messages screen of Ignite. If you want to import graphics such as a logo, you might want your image to just cover part of the preview window, leaving room for text. 2. Choose a picture to import by clicking the Browse button. The program will go to the last folder you imported from. Highlight the image you want and click Open. 3. Leave the color conversion set on Half Tone. You may want to test both settings to see which imports your picture the best. Note: When scaling images to fit your sign, Half Tone averages pixels and Color on Color deletes pixels. 4. Choose the scaling that appears the best by clicking on your image and drawing a Selected Area Rectangle by dragging your mouse with the left button held down. You can view the result in the Preview Window. 5. You can size and position your image in the Preview Window by using the Image Positioning Marks with your mouse and dragging the image until it is the size and in the position you want. Note: If you import an image to part of a frame, the rest of the frame will always be black. If you would like it to be a color other than black, you will need to change the original file before you import it so you can import it to cover the entire frame. 6. Click Next.

IMPORTING IMAGES 37 7. Decide if you would like to add any text. You could also add Time, Temperature or the Date by using the appropriate buttons. For this exercise, add the Date by clicking on the date button. 8. Once you have adjusted your text properties the way you like, click Next. 9. Choose your desired effects. Even though this is a single frame message, you still want it to enter, hold and exit your sign in a smooth professional way. 10. Click Next when you are done choosing effects. It is a good idea to create a special folder for your graphics, pictures, logos and animations. This way you will not have to hunt when you get ready to import them. 11. Give your new message a name and description that will help you remember it in the future. 12. Click Finish to save your file. It is now saved and ready for you to schedule. Browse Button Frames List Selected Area Preview Window Image Positioning Marks You can also import images in the Message Editor by clicking Insert on the Menu Bar and selecting Import Image. If you use this method of importing it is important that you change the Background color to Black, If you have a Red or Amber LED sign you also need to change the Color Mode to 16 Shades using the Properties command on the Message menu.

38 IMPORTING ANIMATION If you have long animation files or files that need to be cropped, it is a good idea to correct them in a Video editing program before trying to import them. IMPORTING ANIMATION O ne of the best things about your Watchfire sign is its ability to show motion or animation. Your Ignite graphics software program came with many EasyArt animations. You may well discover many messages that will be valuable. You may also find on occasion that you would really like to put an animation on your sign that is not available in EasyArt. This is why we have included the Import Animation Wizard in Ignite. Import Animation Wizard will help you to import AVI files, overlay text and save them to be used as new messages. Note: Import Animation will only import AVI files. If your animation file is not saved as an AVI, you will need to convert it before you try and import. Conversion tools are found in most video editing programs. Try It Out Activity Lets try out the Import Animation Wizard. Be sure you have an AVI file ready to go. If you need an AVI file for this activity one can be found in the following folder: c:\ignite\tutorial graphics. 1. Click on the Import Animation button on the Edit Messages screen. 2. Choose an AVI file to import by using the Browse button. 3. Highlight the AVI you want and click Open. 4. Leave the color conversion set on Half Tone. You may want to test both settings to see which imports your animation the best. 5. Choose the scaling that appears the best by clicking on your image and drawing a Selected Area Rectangle by dragging your mouse with the left button held down. You can view the result in the Preview Window. 6. Crop the image in the preview area if you need to. This image will become the first frame of your new message. 7. Click Next when you are done cropping.

IMPORTING ANIMATION 39 8. You can overlay text on top of the animation if you desire. You can also enter the Time, Temperature or Date by using the buttons. For this exercise, enter the Time. You will notice that all frames now have the time on them. Overlaid text is automatically copied to all of the frames. 9. Set your desired text properties. 10. Click Next. 11. Give your new message a name and description that will help you remember it in the future. Choose a category for your new message if you want to be able to find it by category. If you have a highresolution animation, it is a good idea to scale it down before importing it. 12. Click Finish to save your file. It is now saved and ready for you to schedule. Browse Selected Area Preview Window

40 GROUPING EASYART WORDS If you set the Category to WORDS, it will show only the word messages. Changing categories will make it easier to find what you are looking for. GROUPING EASYART WORDS Y ou may have noticed that the EasyArt Library not only contains useful animations but also contains a large collection animated words. These animated words can be grouped together to form countless number of attention-grabbing messages. Because each word is actually its own message, you would normally need to schedule each one individually. If you decide to say something by using a series of words, it could become time consuming and prone to errors if you had to do it over and over. This exercise will show you a much easier way to schedule a group of words or even a mixture of words and animations. Try It Out Activity Lets make a new message by combining several EasyArt messages into one long message. The message will say CLASSES AVAILABLE followed by the time and temperature. 1. Click on Create a New Message. 2. Click on the Insert menu at the top of the screen. 3. Click on Import EasyArt. 4. Select the message CLASSES. 5. Click on the Import button in the lower right corner of the Import EasyArt window. You now have the first message imported. 6. Click on the Add button. This will add a new frame at the end of your message. 7. With the newly added frame highlighted, click on the Insert menu again and click on Import EasyArt. 8. Find the message AVAILABLE and click the Import button. You will notice your second message is now combined with the first one. 9. Click on the Add button.

GROUPING EASYART WORDS 41 10. With the newly added frame highlighted, click on the Insert menu again and click on Import EasyArt. 11. Change the category box to Time/Temp. 12. Select CLOUDS and click the Import button. You have now combined all 3 messages into one large message. 13. Click on the Preview button to see what your new message will look like. 14. Click on a frame number that shows the word CLASSES. 15. Click on the Message menu on the Menu Bar and click on Set Thumbnail Frame. 16. Click on the Save button. Name your new message CLASSES AVAILABLE T&T. Give it a description and choose the category it will best fit in. 17. Click Save. The message is now saved for us to use in the next section. 18. Since this new message contains several other messages, you might want to save it under several categories instead of just one. To do this, click on the Message menu at the top of the screen and select Properties. This will allow you to add several categories using the drop down menu on each line. You can also add or change the description of your message on this screen. 19. Click OK when you have finished making changes and click Save to save those changes. Super! You now have a message that contains several different parts. Now when you want to put this series of messages into your schedule, you will only have to enter one file instead of three. By using this technique, you should be able to become more organized and save time in future scheduling.

42 ADVANCED SCHEDULING The message play times display is color coded. Every Day: Red Weekly: Yellow Dated: Orange ADVANCED SCHEDULING T he time will come when you will want your Watchfire sign to do more than just play a set of messages all day and night long. Maybe you will want to set up different schedules for different days of the week. Maybe you want to have a special set of messages for a holiday. You might even want to set up different messages to run for a few hours during the day. This type of scheduling involves a little extra time and planning, but the result can make your sign a dynamic and exciting tool. Try It Out Activity Lets experiment with making schedules that are more advanced. We will schedule several messages at various times, including some of the ones you have already made. 1. Click on the Schedule Messages button. 2. Click Add at the top of the Schedule Messages screen. 3. Select Every Day, set the Start Time and Stop Time to the same time and select CLOUDS. This will make the message play 24 hours a day. 4. Click OK to add this first message to your schedule. 5. Click Add at the top of the screen. 6. Select Weekly and then pick Friday for the day. When you choose a weekly setting, that message will play on that day of the week every week until you remove it. 7. Set Start Time to 11:00am and Stop Time to 2:00pm. 8. Select CLASSES AVAILABLE T&T that you made in the last exercise from your message list. 9. Click OK. You will notice that your scheduling window now shows CLASSES AVAILABLE T&T in yellow rather than in red. It also shows that between 11:00am and 2:00pm it will be the only message playing.

ADVANCED SCHEDULING 43 View Message Play Times Calendar Anytime you add a Weekly message it will override Every Day messages. Any time you add a Dated message, it will override both Everyday and Weekly messages. Messages Playback Time Indicator 10. Click on Add EasyArt. 11. Choose Dated and select the First Date and Last Date you would like the message to run. If you want this message to run only one day, set both dates to that day. You can set a message up for a specific date up to 1 year in advance. For this exercise select today s date. 12. Set the Start Time to 4:00pm and Stop Time to 8:00pm. 13. Choose PIZZA_FLYING from the EasyArt message list and click OK. You will notice you now have an orange bar indicating a dated message. 14. Find the Playback Time Indicator. It is a line with a time above it that extends down through all of the messages, as shown in the picture above. 15. Move your curser over the time at the top of the Playback Time Indicator. Notice that a double arrow appears. 16. Click your left mouse button and hold it down. 17. Move your mouse from side to side stopping it on each section briefly. When you release your mouse button you will notice that the Preview Window at the bottom of the screen shows the messages that will play at the time your Playback Time Indicator is sitting on.

44 ADVANCED SCHEDULING Use The Playback Time Indicator to preview what your sign will look like at any given time. Messages will always run in order from the top to the bottom of your list. 18. Now let s suppose you want to run the CLOUDS message at the same time as the dated PIZZA_FLYING message. 19. Click on Add. 20. Set the When, Date and Time the same as you did for PIZZA_FLYING. If you have not made any changes since you scheduled PIZZA_FLYING, the settings will still be set the same by default. 21. Select CLOUDS from your message list and click OK. You will notice both messages are set to play between 4pm and 8pm. Schedule Views Your schedule now consists of all three types of messages: Every Day, Weekly and Dated. This can become confusing without a good way to view your upcoming messages. Ignite gives you two great ways to view and manage your future sign play list. First, a working calendar is provided on the Schedule Message screen. You can use the arrows next to the date and preview both past days and future days play lists. You can also click on the Calendar button next to the arrows and select any date during the year to see what would be playing on that date. This is a great tool to aid in setting up messages for holidays, special events, or any messaging that is day or date sensitive. Second, the View Settings in Ignite can provide you with an overall view of an upcoming week or even upcoming month. Let s look at how to use the View Settings. 1. With the Schedule Messages screen still open, click on the View menu on your Menu Bar at the top of the screen. 2. Click One Week. Notice that you now can view an entire week s play list. 3. Click on the View menu again and select Four Weeks. You now can view the play list for the next four weeks. You can still use your Playback Time Indicator to preview any time on the schedule in either the Daily, One Week or Four Weeks view to see what will be playing at that time on that day.

ADVANCED SCHEDULING 45 Congratulations! You have finally made it to the end of the Ignite, Try It Out Activities. You are now well on you way mastering your Ignite graphics software. Keep up the practice and use your imagination. Most of all, have fun! When you are setting up messages to run on or through a specific date, it is helpful to put that date at the beginning of the file name. That way you will know when to take it out of your schedule and when it can be deleted from your message files.

46 NOW THAT YOU'RE DONE, I CAN HELP NOW THAT YOU RE DONE, I CAN HELP Quick Message Checklists Passwords Basic Terms FAQ s

QUICK MESSAGE CHECKLISTS 47 QUICK MESSAGE CHECKLISTS Creating A Message Using The Text Message Wizard 1. Click on the Text Message Wizard button on the Edit Message Screen. 2. Select Create A New Message. 3. Type in your text. 4. Choose the desired Font, Font Color, Shadow, Shadow Color, Background Pattern, Background Color and Justification properties, then click Next. Note: Make sure the font weight is Bold if possible. 5. Choose the desired Appear, Hold and Exit effects for the Frame. 6. Click Next. 7. If you want to add more frames, select Add Frame and click Next. 8. Repeat steps 3-8, until done adding frames. 9. When finished adding frames, select All done, save message and click Next. 10. Give your new messagename and description that will help you remember it in the future. 11. Click Finish to save your message.it is now saved and ready to schedule.

48 QUICK MESSAGE CHECKLISTS Time and Temperature Messages 1. Click on the Text Message Wizard button on the Edit Messages Screen. 2. Select Create A New Message. Click Next. 3. Choose the desired time and temperature settings using the buttons only. DO NOT TYPE THEM IN BY HAND! 4. Choose the desired Font, Font Color, Shadow, Shadow Color, Background Pattern, Background Color and Justification properties then click Next. 5. Choose the desired Appear, Hold and Exit effects and then click Next. 6. Choose whether to add another frame or save your message. If you add another frame click Next and repeat steps 3 5. If you do not, select All done, save message and click Next. 7. Name your message and give it a description and category that will help you find it in the future. 8. Click Finish to save your new message. The Import Image Wizard 1. Click on theimport Image Wizard button on the Edit Message Screen. 2. Choose a picture to import by using the Browse button. 3. Highlight the graphic you want and click Open. 4. Leave the color conversion set on Half Tone. 5. Choosescaling that appears the best in the preview window. 6. You can crop your image in the preview window by selecting a rectangle with your mouse.

QUICK MESSAGE CHECKLISTS 49 7. Click Next. 8. Add additional text toimage. 9. Once you haveadding text, clicknext. 10. Choose your desired effects and click Next. 11. Give your new message a name and description that will help you remember it in the future. 12. Click Finish toyour message.it is now saved and ready to schedule. The Import Animation Wizard 1. Click on theimport Animation button on the Edit Message Screen. 2. Choose an AVI file to import bythe Browse button. 3. Highlight the AVI you want and click Open. 4. Leave the color conversion sethalf Tone. 5. Choose the Scaling that appears best in the preview window. 6. Crop the image in the preview window, if. 7. Click Next when you are done cropping the video. 8. You can add text to the animation if you. 9. Adjust the text properties, if needed. 10. Click Next. 11. Give your new message a name and a description that will help you remember it in the future. 12. Click Finish to save your message.it is now saved and ready to schedule.

50 QUICK MESSAGE CHECKLISTS How To Create A Basic Schedule 1. Click the Schedule Message button on the Task List. 2. Click Add to add a message that you have made or Add Easyart to add an EasyArt message. 3. Select when you would like the message to run (Every Day, Weekly, Dated). 4. Set the start and stop time for the message (set the start and stop time to the same to run 24 hours a day). If you chose weekly, select the start and stop day of the week for the message. If you chose dated, select the start and stop day for the message. 5. Select the message to add to the schedule and click OK. 6. Check the Schedule Preview window to be sure your message scheduling is correct. How To Update Your Sign 1. Click the Update Sign button on the Task List. 2. If you have a password to connect to your sign, type it in the password box. Otherwise, leave the password box blank. 3. Click the Update All Messages button. 4. If the update was successful, the window will close and the screen will say, Your sign was successfully updated. If an error occurs, the window will stay open displaying the error. 5. Check out your messages on your sign.

PASSWORDS 51 PASSWORDS How To Turn On Password Protection If you decide to use a password, be sure to write your password down and store it in a safe place! 1. Click on the Tools menu and select Configuration. 2. Click on Sign Controller Setup. 3. Click Connect to connect to your sign. After you have connected, you will see a box that looks something like this: 4. Where it says Sign Password Protected, click on No and change to Yes. 5. You will then be prompted to enter a password. 6. After a password has been entered, you will get a warning box saying that a password is set. Read the warning and click OK. 7. You must now click Update Settings for the password to be set on the sign. 8. After you disconnect from your sign, you will always have to input this password to connect to your sign. How To Change Your Password 1. Click on the Tools menu and select Configuration. 2. Click on Sign Controller Setup. 3. Type in your password and click Connect to connect to your sign.