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Working with Background Images in FSX Planner
FSX Planner allows you to work with up to four background images simultaneously. The purpose of
background images in FSX Planner is to help with accurate placement of airport objects by
displaying an image from a source such as Google Earth within FSX Planner. This image can be
displayed either above or below the airport diagram, allowing you to choose the option that
works best for your purposes. Note that the background image is not imported into flight
simulator. It is used only within FSX Planner.
Creating Background Images
The first step in using a background image within FSX Planner is to create the actual image.
The imaged used should be a jpg image which is smaller than 3MB. In addition, you will need to
know the latitude and longitude coordinates of the top left and bottom right corners of the image
in order to properly place it within FSX Planner.
There are many ways in which you can create a background image. Here we will describe the one
that is built into FSX Planner.
After you have your airport open, select Edit -> Manage Background Images. This will display the
Background Images dialog. To start with there will not be any images associated with your airport.
So to create an image, click the Create Image button. This will open Internet Explorer and take
you to a web page that features a Google Map centered over your airport. The positioning of this
image is based on the airport reference point location.
You can pan around the image within Internet Explorer by left clicking and dragging the map. You can
zoom in or out on the image by using the plus and minus icons at the top left corner of the map. We
suggest playing around with the map until you find an image that works for your purposes. This may
be a full picture of the entire airport, or it may be a close up of a small section of the airport.
Once you have the image that you want to use then next step is to convert that image to a jpg.
This can be done using the Print Screen key, and then pasting the image into a graphics editing
application, such as Photoshop and then cropping the screen shot down to the appropriate size.
However, we recommend using a screen capture tool such as Snag It, available here:
www.snagit.com.
Using the New Window button with Snag It.
Using a screen capture tool, such as Snag It,
allows for a much easier and much more precise method of converting the screen image into a jpg.
In addition, Snag It can capture images that are larger than the viewable screen. This allows you
to take advantage of the New Window button.
There are three different resolutions that you can choose from before clicking the New Window
button. These resolutions are available under the Map Size drop down on the left of the web page.
After selecting a resolution, you click the New Window button, and the current map is displayed
by itself in a new window using the specified resolution.
You can then use Snag It to quickly save that current map from the window onto your desktop,
or other appropriate location. Please see the instructions with Snag It for details on how to
capture images.
Importing Background Images
Once you have your jpg image the next step is to import that image into FSX Planner. This is
done through the Background Images dialog. With the dialog open, click the Select Image button.
You will then be able to browse to your image and select it. A small thumbnail preview will be
displayed allowing you to confirm that you have selected the correct image.
The next step is to specify the coordinates of the image. There are two ways to do this. If you
created the image using the method described above then there is a text field on the web page
labeled Combined Lat/Lon. Click in this text field, type Ctrl-A, then Ctrl-C to copy the text.
Then in FSX Planner, select By combined lat/lon from the Place By drop down. This will display
a single text field labeled Combined Lat/Lon. Click in that field, and type Ctrl-A, then Ctrl-C
to paste the location information into the text field.
If you created your image through another method, then you may have to use the By lat/lon coordinates
option and enter the four coordinates individually.
The Add to Airport button should now be enabled. Click this button to add the image to the airport.
Image Visibility
Each of the four background images can be visible or not visible within FSX Planner. This allows you
to have multiple images associated with an airport, but only have certain ones displayed at once.
This would is useful in a situation where you want to have a general image covering the entire
airport, and then other more detailed ones covering smaller areas. The larger image could be turned
on or off based on when you wanted to see it.
To change the visbility of an image visible, select Edit -> Manage Background Images to display the
Background Images dialog. Select the image whose visibility you'd like to change, by clicking on its
thumbnail image under Existing Images. Once the image is displayed in the larger Image Preview area,
check or uncheck the Image is visible checkbox as appropriate.
Adjusting How Background Images Are Displayed
Background images can be displayed either above or below the airport diagram. In addition, the opacity
of the background image can be adjusted from 0 to 100 percent opaque. These combinations allow you to
select the one that best suits your needs.
To adjust the display options select File -> Preferences and then click on the Display tab of the
Preferences Dialog. Near the bottom of the dialog is a drop down labeled Display background images.
This has two options, Above Airport and Below Airport. The text field below this drop down allows
you to enter the desired opacity for the background image. Once done, click the OK button to accept
your changes.
Adjusting Where Background Images Are Saved
The data for each background image is stored in two locations. The default location is an xml file
within your user application data folder. You may also choose to save the background image data into
the airport xml file as commented data. This option can be turned on or off through the preferences
dialog. Select File -> Preferences and then click the App Options tab. The Read/Write Background
Images from/to airport XML files option allows you to specify whether or not this option is used.
The jpg files are not saved with the airport. They are left wherever you first created them. FSX
Planner looks first in the location specified in the background image xml code. (This code is found
either commented in the airport xml file or in the your user application data folder.) If the jpg file
is not found in the location specified in the xml data, FSX Planner next looks in the FSX Planner
application directory for a jpg file with the same name. If the file is not found there then the
background image is considered not found and will not be displayed.
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We hope that this tutorial has explained how background images are used within FSX Planner. FSX Planner
contains many more features, and we hope that you are able to explore and benefit from them.
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