What was New in WinImages R7?

These changes are relative to the R6 release

New Features & Enhancements in WinImages F/x

• Image Manager
  • View multiple images at once
  • Single selection method (left-click or right-click context menu methods)
  • Multiple selection individual (control-click method)
  • Multiple selection range (shift-click method)
  • Selection of files by pattern string
    •      * - any number of any character
    •      ? - one of any character
    •  [a-z] - one of a character in the range a through z
    • [~A-C] - not a character that is A, B or C.
  • Load selected image directly into FX (left double click or right-click and use context menu)
  • Load image sets into FX (multiple selection and context menu method)
  • Very large file sets are manageable, based on available memory
  • Copy single IMAGE to clipboard
  • Cut single IMAGE to clipboard
  • Copy "name.ext" to clipboard
  • Copy "path/name.ext" to clipboard
  • Alphabetical sorting - (ascending and descending), sticky
  • Date/time sorting - (ascending and descending), sticky
  • Size sorting - (ascending and descending), sticky
  • Filter visible files using pattern string - show only what you want to work with
    •      * - any number of any character
    •      ? - one of any character
    •  [a-z] - one of a character in the range a through z
    • [~A-C] - not a character that is A, B or C.
  • Delete image(s)
  • DESTROY image(s)
    (This is a delete, but it writes over data in-place in the filesystem with random numbers, then deletes the file, which makes file absolutely unrecoverable by any means. This takes much longer than a standard Delete, but for sensitive information, this is worth the time it takes.)
  • Find files + next, previous & reverse using pattern string
    •      * - any number of any character
    •      ? - one of any character
    •  [a-z] - one of a character in the range a through z
    • [~A-C] - not a character that is A, B or C.
  • Move file(s)
  • Copy file(s)
  • Rename single file
  • Print single file
  • "Thumb" a directory (image files without thumbnails are thumbnailed)
  • Re-thumb selected image file(s) in currently selected thumbnail resolution
  • Auto row/column size calculation when resizing window
  • Select all
  • Invert Selection
  • Deselect all
  • Use to specify timeline sequences larger than Windows can do in an explorer dialog
  • Preferences - items you can configure to make the Image Manager act "your way".
    • Backdrop color
    • Thumbnail "off" color
    • Selected border color
    • Text labels or not
    • Thumbnail Save size
      • Low (64xy)
      • Medium (128xy)
      • High (192xy)
      • Ultra (256xy)
    • Thumbnail Display size
      • Low (64xy)
      • Medium (128xy)
      • High (192xy)
      • Ultra (256xy)
    • Thumbnail compression (25 to 100% quality)
  • Image Properties - all these characteristics are presented:
    • Name
    • Date
    • Disk space taken
    • Memory required
    • Compression ratio
    • Color count
    • Color space utilization percentage
    • Bit depth
    • Format
    • Layers
    • Alpha information
    • Pixel dimensions
    • DPI
    • Size in inches
    • Size in MM
    • Read-only
    • Archived
    • Hidden
    • Author
    • Copyright
    • Description

• Easy-Plug technology plug-in effects system
  
  • Easy-Plug makes it truly easy for developers to add special effects to WinImages F/x. This is important to you, the user, because previously developers had a very big job facing them if they wanted to develop plug-ins for other image manipulation programs. Long development cycles, very complex program interfacing requirements, and other major development challenges meant that plug-ins were not an accessable technology for many very competent programmers. Easy-Plug changes everything; developers now have a plug-in system that was designed specifically to make development easy for them, instead of a system that happened "by accident."

  • All plug-in effects are compatible with the WinImages F/x Timeline

  • All plug-in effects work on flat images and image layers (they can even work with warp layers!)

  • All plug-in effects have automatically saved parameters

  • You can use any number of plug-ins and WinImages F/x keeps track of all settings

  • Plug-in technology is open to anyone to use in supporting WinImages F/x - no royalties, no permissions, no screwing around!

  • Developers are offered special incentives to add effects to WinImages F/x
    (developers, please contact support@blackbeltsystems.com for details on incentives!) Tell us what you'd like to do, we'd love to hear about it. You'll find details about the plug-in technology here.

  • Easy-Plug also provides for transparent support of any number of file formats via the Import plug-in. Importers add file format capability to WinImages F/x in such a way that you can open files from the timeline or any file open dialog and if the file format has been added by plug-in or is native to WinImages F/x, it will load automatically. Also, Importers have a higher priority than do WinImages F/x's native loaders, so if someone comes out with a more sophisticated loader for a format we already partially support, they can override the built in loader.

• Scripting Language added for complex custom operator creation by end-users
  • Every operator within WinImages F/x that affects image pixels may be run via a script (that even includes plug-ins!)

  • You can control all system palettes via scripts

  • You can control all system profiles via scripts

  • You can directly affect images via scripts

  • Scripting language is a true "mini-BASIC"; easy to learn, easy to use, powerful.

• Render / Bang explosion Operator

• Art / Watercolor Operator

• Render / Texture (Timeline-compatible) Operator

• Filter / Truncate Operator

• Math / Log N Operator

• Standard / Swap RGBA Operator

• Filter / Encrypt Operator

• Standard / Measure Operator

• Collage / Transition Operator

• Video / Scanline Operator

• Video / Stabilize Operator

• Video / Flicker Operator

• Filter / RIC - Remove Isolated Chunk Operator

• Filter / RIS - Remove Isolated Streak Operator

• Video / Jitter Operator

• Filter / Horizonal Removal Operator

• Filter / Vertical Removal Operator

• Collage / Tiler Operator

• Geom / Melt Operator

• Geom / Polar Operator

• Geom / Wonk Operator

• Geom / Circe Operator

• Collage / SPercent Operator

• Collage / Spixel Operator

• Render / Ruler Operator

• Render / Grid Operator

• Online Upgrade Checking

• Editable Color Separation Capability
  • CMY
  • CMYK

• Professional Printer Color Separation Capability

• Feathering added to area selections

• 8-way selection wand option

• Soft selection wand option

• Resample wand option

• New Layer Modes that allow working with color-separated images:
  • Add as Cyan
  • Add as Magenta
  • Add as Yellow
  • Add as Black

• New Layer Mode: Dodge

• New Layer Mode: Burn

• New Layer Mode: Express

• New Layer Mode: Exclude

• New Layer Mode: Divide

• New Layer Mode: Luma

• New Layer Mode: Hue

• New Layer Mode: Behind

• pixel (color) transfer modes added for operators that create new pixel data

• New Layer Modes that provide logical bitwise layer interaction:
  • AND
  • NAND
  • OR
  • NOR
  • XOR
  • XNOR

• Standard / Channel Map Operator

• Filter / RIP Operator

• Filter / Minimum Operator

• Filter / Maximum Operator

• Collage / Depth of Field Operator

• Timelines now handle trending palettes

• Timelines now handle trending profiles

• Timelines now handle trending text strings

• New path entities for more discrete tracking of objects
  • Path for GIF animations
  • Path for AVI animations
  • Path for MNG animations
  • Path for FLC animations
  • Path for DEM loader

• Stroke operator adds Peak Fade mode

• Stroke operator adds Valley Fade mode

• <depthmap> command for Ray Trace operator

• The Roll Operator now has a "Scroll Warp" control

• Timelines can now handle huge numbers of images using R7's new Image Manager. No more selecting in groups of 100 to get around the Windows Explorer dialog limitations - plus there are tons of useful things you can do with the Image Manager!

• Area selection "Fill" tool significantly improved

• The printer output system has been replaced

• WinImages F/x can now connect you directly to our techical support web pages on the Internet.

F/x R7 File Format Support Changes

• AVI saves may now use any resident CODEC

• GIF files and animations had a couple of legacy problems that came from the original Compuserve GIF code. These have been fixed.

• Loads Color Progressive JPEG files

• Loads B & W progressive JPEG images

• Loads 8-bit unsigned FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Loads 16-bit signed FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Loads 16-bit signed FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Loads 32-bit floating point FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Loads 64-bit floating point FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Loads all 8 variants of monochrome TGA files

• Developers may now add additional file format capability via Importer plug-ins. Exporters may be made with Effects plug-ins as well.

New Features & Enhancements in WinImages Morph

• Documentation is now integrated HTML in the main WinImages manual

• Morph uses the new file importer plug-in system. Plug-ins designed for WinImages F/x will automatically function in WinImages Morph. WinImages F/x's Importer Location menu command in the plug-in menu manages the importer location (this means that importers for both programs reside in the same location, and that they can share importers - adding an importer file format to one program automatically adds it to the other program.)

• New file formats for WinImages Morph:
  • Progressive Color JPEG
  • Progressive B&W JPEG
  • Monochrome TGA (all 8 variants)
  • 8-bit unsigned FITS data files (these are NASA image files)
  • 16-bit signed FITS data files (these are NASA image files)
  • 32-bit signed FITS data files (these are NASA image files)
  • 32-bit floating point FITS data files (these are NASA image files)
  • 64-bit floating point FITS data files (these are NASA image files)

• Morph supports Edit/Copy to windows Clipboard

• Morph can now swap images, control objects, or both.

• Morph can print Start, End or Result images

• Morph now uses system CODECS for AVI generation, replacing the previous 8- and 24-bit uncompressed-only mechanisms.

• WinImages Morph can now connect you directly to our techical support web pages on the Internet.

R7 Documentation Changes

• All new functions documented

• WinImages Morph documentation is now integral to this manual.

• Increased indexing and separation into A-Z pages to make the huge index less cumbersome to use.

• Specifications page added

• In Case of Problems page added

• Supplied Importers page added

• Operations index buttons are all now "hot" and clickable, and there is a chapter bar that is clickable as well. The Operations subindex is now also available from the Nav Bar at the top and bottom of each page and the top of the Table of Contents.

• Ray Tracing Tutorials

Bugs Fixed from the R6 version of FX

WinImages F/x Manual Version 7, Revision 5, Level B