Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

Hi,

I want to take my full size image files and put floating text on them and then scale them down to JPG files with the floating text in tact. This is to supply the customer with facebook or email samples but to show my copyright and contact info for my own marketing purposes. How do I do this?  I don't want to use print to file because then there is a white border around the image and I want to be able to specify size in terms of pixels. The same is done very easily in Lightroom using the mogrify plugin.  In mogrify I can even put a background behind the text and even change the transparency of the text and it's background.  How do I do all this in QImage Studio?  I suppose you're going to tell me I need to make a copyright/signature image first for the transparency issue. That is fine. But even with using the copyright/signature function I don't think the "Create e-mail/web size copies" function will preserve the copyright/signature stamp.  Please help.  I bought Studio with this specific purpose in mind but am frustrated because a tool that I already have does a better job than QI Studio or I'm just too stupid to get it to work in QImage.  Please shed some light.  This is supposed to be a simple operation not a complicated procedure.

Thanks

Hi Andre,
You will have to use Print to File because floating text is a printing function, not an image function. But see below on haw to use Web/E-mail copies.
First to correct an misconception -
You don't have to have a white border ad you can easily sort out a pixel size with PTF, it just requires a little arithmetic.
In PTF, enter a page size of the proportions (aspect ratio) of the final image required. Calculate the the PPI  for that page size to give the image pixel size and when you pace the image in the queue, use Fit to Page with the Crop scissors on.
Once you have done this you have the option of saving either the Print set-up, Job or as Layout (without a real image, use the Template) for use as a Template later. A Template can hold text and Signatures and you will need a saved print set-up to go with it.
So, once you got the detail sorted and saved in the appropriate manner, Template etc., future jobs a re easy.
Yes, that is the case for printing.

However ...
To use web/e-mail copies with text and or a Copyright logo, you can use the image editor (Filter) with a Cutout. There is a sample supplied with Qimage and again check the Help on how to achieve transparency. You will have to create a Cutout image in an external editor, but once done can be used over & over again.
I think this latter method will be better for you.
Terry

Thanks Terry.

By saying "To use web/e-mail copies with text and or a Copyright logo, you can use the image editor (Filter) with a Cutout..." 

The word text in the above sentence, do you mean floating text can be used or do you mean that the external image has to contain the text saved in the image file?

Andre

Hi Andre,
The text would have to be incorporated in the Cutout.
That is ok if it's a constant or limited in the number of variables (1 cutout for each) but if the text is completely variable then the Print to File Route is the way to go.
I have a few PTF Print Set-ups saved for 1024x768 images, no text or signature but are easily added after the queue is set up.
You may think some of the setting up is time consuming, but once done, the various save options available make future repeats very easy.
Terry