Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

I can see how to add borders inside or outside of the image border size but how do you or can you add borders to the page edge or divide a page with borders that are not image related?

Please explain a little better what you are trying to achieve.
Give page size, and print sizes and your aim.

Thanks,
Fred

Fred as I said, apart from the borders that can be put around a image, if you want for example to place three images on a page each with their own border that I can see how to do but if you then want a black [for example] border around the page or create a fine art
layout with a borders can you achieve that or not?
Alistair

Black around the perimeter, and a different border around the print(s) inside the page.
I guess that's what you want.
PS You can even select the page color. Make the whole page (where there is no other print ) a background color as if you printed on colored paper.

Fred

How?

See screen snaps.

If what you see in the screen snap attached is what you want, then the steps below should work fine.

First step is the secret ingredient.

1) Scan a blank sheet of white paper, 8.5 x 11. Save as a JPG
2) Open that in Qimage using a black border (or any color) and set it for FIT TO PAGE.
3) Now you have a white print with your border as the background.  Right click on the preview panel with the white page, and click DESELECT
We do that so our next size selection will not change the FIT TO PAGE size of the background.
4) Click the little red "F" and say OK to tun on Freehand mode.
5) Select your new size and border color for the top prints and *DRAG* your smaller images on  to the white image.

I'll stop here and see how you doing.

Merry Xmas
Fred

Fred, Merry Christmas to you and thank you for trying to help. I a must be blind or stupid or both but I though I knew how to add a border to a image however I can see how to change the size but I can't see any border around the image and where do you change the colour?
if however I use the add crop marks option those I see on the page.
your description is fine but I can't see the border
Alistair

Merry Xmas and Happy new year!!

It sounds like you are making a border but the color (default) is white, and you just can't see it.

Which version of Qimage are you running.?

At this point, let me say the add borders and select the border colors controls are located together with the select the print size; Print Properties box.

Screen snaps attached, show the print properties box from Qimage Ultimate and also for Qimage Studio.


Fred

Fred, I give up I can see now how to change border colour by clicking on the colour box but no matter which colour I pick or what size I enter nothing happens to the image border .
attached screen shot created by following your steps the only outline I get is a blue box to indicate what is selected.
running pro edition unregisterd demo version is that what is causing the problem?
Alistair

image attached that is bigger so you can see the settings

Alistair
You need to think about the dimensions you are using:
a 3x5 image with a 5" border using the 'B' setting!! It's an impossible setting.  :o
Try using 0.5" and you'll see the border.
Terry

ah well I had set the preferences to metric and had not realised it was set back to imperial that explains that
thank you both

Backspacing  a bit to Fred's item re scanning a piece of paper to get a white image. There may be no need to do this. Simply copy an existing image in qi and open it in the image editor. Select the levels tab, make sure it's rgb histogram, then set the highlights to 255, mid to 255, and shadows to 0. The image should then be white (S to 255 for black). If you save it, with the filter, you can also adjust to get a few different background colours like red, green, cyan, by selecting the red/green/blue histograms, and playing with the sliders. If you then set the crop correctly, and select 'fit to page', you can get it to fit any size piece of paper, and apply image borders as required.

If you choose a suitable image, applying the same principles, but with less drastic H/M/S settings, you can generate nicely textured backgrounds, instead of plain colours.

hth.

Best wishes,

Ray

Ray,
Following your instructions, I cannot do anything like blank white in Levels.  The M setting is gamma and only goes to 6.00 anyway.
Maybe you meant curves.?
On the other hand, using curves, all I need do is drag the lower left end of the diagonal from bottom to top, and I have in zero, and out 255.
Now I have a white image.
I just thought that was a little too difficult to try to explain, and a scan of white paper would show a logical step.
If I set  H to 1, then I can get white in Levels.

Fred

Hi Fred,

In qistudio you can type in values as well as using the H/M/S sliders.

Am I showing my grandmother how to suck eggs? ;)

Best wishes,

Ray

The problems I have with scanning are -
1) got to plug in the power lead - which plug is it?
2) got to remember the correct twain driver.
3) got to wait while it warms up
4) got to remove about 9 inch stack of books/papers from the top of the lid.
5) got to find somewhere to dump said books/papers.
6) and so on and so forth.

Now the snow has all but gone, I can't even suggest taking a white snapshot. ;D

Best wishes,

Ray

Its even easier to save a blank white background page in any photo editor then import that in the first step instead of scanning, is it not?
I am still try to justify to my self why I need to buy this software when I have lightroom3.3 and CS5
The borders thing seems to be one of them as I don't think I could do this in the lightroom print module.
I could create ablank with ab order and save the images with borders and add them but its long winded.
Alistair.

If you're looking for the easiest way to make white, just open any image in the editor, set brightness to 100, and then use "File", "Save As" and name the file "white".  :)

Mike

If you have to ask that question, then I know you haven't made a print on paper using Qimage.

Fred

thats the problem, yes I have, several  A3 size on gloss and satin/pearl finish. both from  2mb camera small low res images and size 1600w x 1200h @ 72 pixel per inch] and from Pentax 10 mb images 3008 x 2000 @  300 pixels per inch
I cannot, when viewing from 1 foot away or close up see any difference between printing the10mb images with Lr3.3 or Qimage and in fact neither can a couple of people who I asked to look at the images in a "blind test"
I accept that the old low res images were upsized to a higher standard but again from a 1 foot viewing distance ,[ not unreasonable for a A3 print], there was no discernible difference.
regards
Alistair

Hi Alistair,

It depends on what sort of printing you do, how much up-sizing, how often you run repeat jobs, if you want to print a number of images on one large sheet, etc. If you are familiar with cs5, you will find, most likely, that the qi interface is very 'different'. However, the qi tutorials and inbuilt help are quite good, and generally if you can't find what you want, provided you can describe the problem adequately, you will normally get a prompt reply from Fred, Terry, or Mike or others on here. Plus, if you go for ultimate, and you have a sensible request, the chances are that Mike will try and incorporate that idea in a future upgrade.

There is no other software that I know off, certainly at this sort of price, that will produce consistent high quality large format prints. Adobe products are very weak when it comes to printing, but if your printing is nothing larger than postcard size, say, and you are printing one per sheet, then I guess the Adobe products will handle that OK, anything larger, than there is a difference, even if _you_ can't see it.

However, when it comes to editing, if you want to work on the image details, layers masks, that sort of thing, then  I expect you will prefer to use the more feature rich adobe cs5, but if you have good images straight from camera, then staying in qi will produce far quicker prints.

So, if you are wanting to print images, then you need qi, to get the best possible results at an acceptable price.

Now, you referred to viewing distances, etc. with the older, lower res. cameras,  qi up-sizing was far better than the adobe offering. This still applies. You can severely crop an existing high res image, and still get an acceptable A3 print. You can get a decent print from a camera/phone, you can up-size a 10MB image to way beyond A3, and then you can save the job, the layout, whatever, and recall it when required.

It's horses for courses.... ;)


Best wishes,

Ray

ps - info more eloquently supplied here - http://ddisoftware.com/tech/articles/march-2010-smart-photo-printing/

One other way to make a plain image of any colour is to use the Print to File function in Qimage. I have a small collection of such images.
Ray
The 6x4 and 5x7 images I print with Qimage are excellent; Qimage makes a better job of small prints too.  ;)
Terry

This matches my experience when printing severe crops.  Even in a 4x6, you can see the effects of Qimage interpolation in the fine detail.

But I've also printed high-res images full-frame, fit-to-page on 8½x11 with & without interpolation, and I agree that it's difficult if not impossible to see the difference.  Mike notes in one of his articles that with today's high-res cameras, there's less need for interpolation.

However, interpolation is only one of many reasons to use Qimage.  Another recent thread has reminded me that cropping and/or re-sizing can be quite complicated and error-prone in other programs.  In Qimage, it's something I don't even think about.  I just do it, and print.

Owen,
There are some test images somewhere, in addition to those on the  Qimage web site, that clearly demonstrate the loss of definition when the native resolution of the printer is not used.
I did these tests at someones request on this forum but I've lost the details now.
My point is, if you do not interpolate to the native resolution of the printer 720ppi or 600ppi depending on the printer, you will loose quality. You may not see it on every image but why risk it when Qimage does it so easily. Us "old" users take it for granted now.  ::)
Terry

Good point.  Another "set it & forget it" advantage of Qimage.

Some of those test images are here, I think: http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/quality/

I can remember running onto this page very early on (fortunately) in my adventures with Qimage.  I didn't have a high-end camera or printer, but the downloadable test images at the above link made it crystal-clear that you can indeed see the difference between 300 ppi and 600 ppi in the final print...and if memory serves, my printer at the time was a Deskjet 9650.

Back then, I had no idea what I was doing, but I shot photos with my Canon G2, printed from Qimage, and got great results.  What a bargain.

Great tip, Fred.  It occurs to me that this method would allow the printing of images with more than the two borders allowed in Qimage.  Specify two borders as desired on your image and two more on a slightly-larger white image.  Repeat ad infinitum.  I'd swear I remember someone in an earlier thread complaining about the two-border limitation.

You can use the same trick of using  a plain image for making uneven borders too.
Terry

Thanks for the tip, I tried that.

1) 2) 3) 4) ok
5) whatever I do, the images go to page 2 and 3 and ...

How do you exactly do 5) ?, select your new size...?

/fox

ps. it seems that it is easier for me to add the necessary borders and exact size in Photoshop, that's a pity because otherwise Qimage wins PS 6-0, in this case only 7-6 (after tiebreak)

You forgot to go to FREEHAND MODE, or, you are not dragging the image on to the same page.
When using freehand mode, double clicking to get them into the queue doesn't work. They must be dragged.

I know, I do that double click all the time...

I don't know which Qimage you are using, but you need the print properties box to change sizes.
You must deselect the previous prints so they do not change sizes when you change sizes for the subsequent prints.

Tell me exactly what is happening when you try to follow the steps 1-5.
It even says to DRAG the images in the steps.
Should be easy to track your moves.

Fred

No I did not. And I am dragging them.

I am using Qimage Pro, v2010-209

Steps 1 to 4 are ok and I do exactly as you suggested (well, for step 1 I created a A4 page in Photoshop, but it comes fine in Qimages view pane).

For step 5 I tried several combinations. Here are two versions:

5.a.1 - I changed print size to 102 x 127
5.a.2 - I dragged the images one by one

5.b.1. - I clicked the image thumb
5.b.2. - I changed print size to 102 x 127
5.b.3 - I dragged the images one by one

It seems that this time they are all in one page, but they are behind each other. If I change the size of background image in full screen mode, you can see this. For some reason the background image is number four in the queue of five. I would expect it to be first.

Ok that is a different problem, easily resolved.  You are able to get the images on one page.
So let's add a step.
Starting from the point where you dragged your first smaller image on top of the background image, and you dont see it, go to the Full Page Editor screen.
See screen snaps.
See the small image outlined beneath,
See small image now on top,
You should see the selected small image's outline beneath the main image.
Right click on it, and select MOVE to FRONT.
Click DONE.

Fred

Fred, I seems to have started what is looking like a record thread, with the number of pages and viewers.
Thank you for your help as well as to Rayw and Terrym for your input.
I have it working mostly ok  I get the odd funney result but the repeated application of the little red f seems to fix it.
Alistair

That made it, thanks. (It seems that you can do the same in the queue, right click and move up/down).

There seem to be an odd logic how Qimage add the images to the queue.

I made extra borders in Photoshop (red in the attachment image). They are 3 mm and the green and blue are 7 mm (Qimage) giving a total 10 mm border (3 mm margin in the Epson driver). Now you can cut the sheet three times giving 4 photos with even borders in each.

I find this quite tedious. Nearly the same you can do in Adobe Brigde (output to pdf, tweaking the 6 borders/margins there).

Hopefully we can see separate margins in Qimage someday!

/fox

Actually, the multi postings demonstrate interest in the topic, and others who wanted to do similar things too.
So certainly not a burden for anyone.
I also know that RayW, and Terry enjoy helping when they can.
Another bonus is the way three people can solve the same puzzle in three different ways. That's why I suggested a scan of a white paper.
That was a  different way to make a white image.

Fred

Actually, the "record" Qimage thread is also about borders: http://ddisoftware.com/tech/qimage/border-setup/

I remember reading it, but completely overlooked the "white image" solution, perhaps because I wasn't all that interested in multiple borders.  But this method would be just as handy for laying an image on a decorative background.

Great thread.

No wonder. Borders is one of the main reasons for me to use Qimage.

/fox

I haven't been following all the latest but just looking at your screen shot I think I see what you are trying to do.  Starting from that screen shot, I see you have the small image in the lower left selected right now.  To select the big (background) image, click in the very middle of the page or another area of that big image that doesn't have another image over/under it.  You should see the blue selection on the big/white image at that point.  Then just right click and select the "Fit to Page" new size.  That white image will then cover the entire (printable area of the) page.  Then right click again and select "Send to Back".  That will put that big image behind the other four.  Then you can select the other four and move them wherever you want.  Just be aware that when you click to select: Qimage will toggle selecting the image on top/bottom if you click on an area where two prints are on top of one another.

Mike

Actually there are two separate issues in this thread. First I thought that the original issue and the solution to that would solve my problem with unequal borders, but the solution is too tedious.

Here is my problem from another thread: http://ddisoftware.com/tech/qimage/unequal-borders-again/ (http://ddisoftware.com/tech/qimage/unequal-borders-again/)

/fox

Looks pretty simple to me.  In that diagram, you didn't specify any colors but it looks like you have two potential border colors going on: the one that would be showing where the 3's are and another border where the 7's and 10's are.  What I'd do in this case is create an image with the color you want for the outer border (where the 3's show) and a second image for the inner border (where the 7's and 10's show).  Take the outer border and size it to the dimensions shown in your diagram.  Then take the inner border and size it 6mm smaller in both dimensions and place it on top of the outer border, centered.  Now you have your two borders.  Now just drag two templates that are the size you want and place the top template 10mm from the top and the bottom 10mm from the bottom.  Then save that as a layout and you can open that layout and use it any time you like and fill those two templates with whatever images you like.

I created this layout in a few minutes (see attached).  Only hitch I had was that it was difficult to select the templates in the full page editor because there were three images on top of one another.  To make it simpler, you could do the same thing by just specifying a page background color for your outer border and then just use one additional image for the other color.  That leaves only two images on top of each other and makes the toggle-to-select feature in the full page editor work better.

Long story short: I created the attached, saved it as a layout, and now I can load this layout any time I like using "Custom" size and then layout... and I can just add images and they fill the templates.

Mike