Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u

v2014.204    Mar 24, 2014

Priority: High

v2014.204 includes the following:

• New photo mat feature: Create photo mats with uneven borders, nesting, and more: right click on prints and use "Photo Mats"  (video coming soon)!
• Grouping: Improved the print grouping feature so that print rotation can be accomplished in groups.
• Bug fixes: Fixed minor bugs and UI glitches.

Mike

The photo mat works great - thanks Mike

Brian

Mike,

I do not like to spoil the party of users that will like your new feature so one message only from me.

How this could lead to a solution I like for my jobs is unsure to me:

Vista 64 OS.

Should we forget the corner marks as they stay on the image corners and not at the corners of the uneven borders created this way?  I see this happening in both cases, with the template increased beyond the image and with the image shrinking in the template. To avoid other issues sketched below the image shrinking within the template is the nicest choice and one can set the initial size to the frame size that way, crop scissors should be on then to keep the matte/frame aspect ratio correct.
 
An overlap of uneven border templates is only restricted if it goes into the next image area, not when it overlaps the next template. The feedback by the print page preview is limited or one has to go through the cycle Edit Page, template view etc. It becomes better if Freehand choice is selected after the Photo Mat is added, but should the Freehand icon and that preview condition not pop up immediately when one did apply a Photo Mat ?  With colored uneven borders it is all more visible but I seek white uneven borders.

Is template white treated like border white in color management?


Another suggestion that may fit my methods and may not be as intrusive on your design goals as an extra signature space border feature: edge marks set per side and the possibility to let the underside of a print free of marks so I can create that extra signature white at the cutting table. Not as nice as an extra signature white space feature at the border settings but I try to be modest and can manage the things that could go wrong that way :-)

--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

Thanks Mike, the photo mat feature is very nice.

Perfect would be if the dialog box is a function as in Page Editor "add floating text" .


Wolfgang

It is in the Page Editor as a right click menu item. However the is a little glitch with it at present which Mike has been told about.
Terry

Was playing in the new mat selection (Looks good!) and went in to edit, used that eyedropper tool (A total bane of a tool for me!) a few times chanign the border color, and then this popped up:

Qimage-
Access violation at address 004AB71F in module "Qimage.exe."  Read of address 00000074.

Clicking OK just reopens the error box again and again.  Have to shut program down in Task Manager (Windows 8.1 64).


Mack

Hi Mack,
I cannot repeat that, tell us what size image, border sizes and type you were using and maybe we''' be able to re-produce it.
I think this is a major change in the program so I'm not surprised that an odd gremlin turns up.
and
and

I agree and it is so versatile, eg. you can add a QU signature/copyright to, not only an image but to any or all of the mats and you can have as many mats as you like to create large, small, equal and uneven borders .
What I really like about this is how Mike is thinking outside the PhotoShop box again  :o 8).
Once again he has created a feature that adds very little overhead to computer resources - like image filters - so there's no need to save to a new image.
Terry

Terry-

Landscape image size shows 10.88 x 8.07 @ 111 ppi in Qimage right screen pop-up.  Original image shows in the bottom bar as 403,825 bytes, 1200 x 900, IPTC, ICC: sRGB.icm

Trial borders were set 0.5 left, top, right.  1.0 on bottom.

Went back in to Photo Mat > Edit.

Selected Eyedropper to change background colors on the print in the right pane.

Somewhere in the above the error popped up and Task Manager was called for to kill the app.


However, on this second attempt to get the error reported, I had to do the Reset/Normal thing since I had to shut it down in Task Manager (I guess why it asked?). I never really know which to use there so I hit "Reset" and got a battery of questions "Are you sure?" etc.  I don't know about that one or what it is resetting (Like deleting ICMs profiles, printers, or something?).  I really can't stand that annoying screen's query vagueness, but what the heck.

So back in and the same above image again, and now I cannot select "Edit" even I set up the same mat (above dimensions) along with a colored border, just the "Add mat," "Grow," and "Shrink," are selectable even though there is a mat already selected. The "Edit" part is now greyed out even though a mat is shown???

I exited the large pop-up "Photo Mat Properties" box a few times, and now the "Edit" part came back (As did the "Add" one.) and it is active again.  The "Grow" and "Shrink" are now greyed out even though the same image is in the right pane.  Just exiting and re-entering same image a few times seems to have fixed that.

Okay, while typing this (Qimage in another window), the mat Edit has switched again and I no longer see the "Edit" part, just the "Add," "Grow," and "Shrink" are active again.  Now I cannot "Edit" the mat as it is greyed out.  Colored border is now locked on the same image.

Very odd stuff.   ???


Mack

Mack,
You must select the mat, not the image, to edit the mat.
Don't know what else you are doing to cause crashes  ::)
Terry

Ah ha!  Got it.  Two blue borders: One image.  Second (outer) is the mat.  Have to click on the outer (mat) one.  Thanks!


Neither do I.  ;D


Mack

Here's one I made in a few minutes, see attached.
It includes a Signature on the white mat as well as the text, a thin black mat border around the image and the outer orange border picked from the sail - 3 in total.
Terry