Stone Design Forums

I haven't received my copy of Tiger yet, and I may have to wait to install it until all the apps I need catch up, so I won't be able to play with iMaginator until then.

Does iMaginator work on just the whole photo, or can it work on selections? For example, take the sample photo of the tiger. What I'd like to be able to do with it is to put effects on everything except the tiger, and leave the tiger as is. Maybe I want to put the tiger on a black background, or on a button, or in front of a brick wall, or maybe blur the background in the original photo or make it darker, all without affecting the tiger itself. Can iMaginator do this? If so, how?

iMaginator effects work on the whole image. There aren't any brush tools or anything of that ilk. There's just a pointer tool and a crop tool. Many effects have controls within the image, so you can do things like move the center or basepoint of an effect, but that's not quite the same as the selections you're talking about.

However, it might be possible to use masking effects or mask images to get what you want. For example, you might drop the tiger image into Create, trace the outline of the Tiger, and export that outline as a .tiff, .png or .jpeg. That image file can then act as a mask when you drop it into iMaginator's composite effects.

Hmmm, masks, eh? That sounds like it has potential. It'd be nice to have in iMaginator directly, but a good workaround until that feature gets added.

I should add that you'll want to fill that outline as black, white or some shades of gray to get the mask working properly. You can also either invert the mask image in iMaginator, or make a reverse mask in Create by

1. draw a rectangle with a fill that's the size of the image you want to overlay,
2. select the tiger outline and choose "Odd Even Winding" from the context menu, then
3. create a mask group of the two pieces.

The tiger outline should look like a cutout from the rectangle.

I am planning on posting a tip in the Create Tips and Tricks forum about this kind of subtractive and masking ability in Create, complete with visual examples (namely, the iMaginator icon).

So, if I have an image that I need to blur two specific sections in it, I can't just select a bounding box and then do "blur" (and repeat for the second section)? I have to create a separate file that is a mask, then apply the mask, then apply the filter to the masked section, etc. etc.?

Seriously? Sorry, but I think that's absurd.

I should be able to make a selection and apply an effect to that selection.

it's $49 not $695 dollars. I hope you are a getting a full 14 times as many features when you buy the perhaps less absurd but very expensive alternative.

It's still easy:
0. Make another document with base image
1. apply blur to first doc
2. select crop
3. drag image from well into 'other doc with option key

It may seem absurd until you throw away your Photoshop brainwashing, just play for a while I think you will be astounded by what you produce.

It is easy to alter separate parts of an image. Just think each time you add an altered part image over the existing as adding a layer.

For people who are married to PhotoShop until death or the upgrade costs do them part, iMaginator won't do things the way they've been conditioned to do them. If you approach Core Image and iMaginator with a fresh outlook, you'd be surprised at what you can do, how fast you can do it and even things you could never have done in any other app until now!

For example, Blond has provided us with a sample iMaginator document made up with separately tweaked sections, layered together

Andrew

One of the most rewarding experiences I had with helping to bring iMaginator out the door in those earliest days (earliest for me, maybe not Andrew). We were essentially debating about the very idea of what iMaginator should be, what it could be and, maybe most importantly, what it should not be or pretend to be. I think what we have as a result is a very different comcept than Photoshop, a different approach than Photoshop Elements, and has a more complementary relationship with not only Create but also with iPhoto and even Graphic Converter.

When Apple first bought NeXT and I was rather ignorant about whatfolks like Andrew would bring to the table, I found this site called Stepwise, and this article named "Service Call" which is actually about the now rather neglected Services in the OS. But one quote opened my eyes to a different idea of what an application was supposed to be:



OpenStep is now called Mac OS X. You can easily substitute Adobe for Microsoft in that paragraph, and the difference in approaches becomes very clear. iMaginator is one ship in a fleet of applications. Photoshop, if not quite all by itself having Illustrator and GoLi-- er, I mean Dreamweaver along for the ride, is more an aircraft carrier.

iMaginator is not an island, and trying to live on it alone will drive you to talk to volleyballs. Uh, what I meant to say is that iMaginator's is a part of a whole, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Now, this doesn't quite explain why iMaginator doesn't have more selection tools. I think iMaginator could and may well one day get more elaborate partial selection options (it already has some really, that's what a lot of the composite operations are good at) albeit following its concept rather than playing me-too with productivity software. And either iMaginator or Create could someday gain some forms of masking (I actually think Create might be better for this) built in rather than the multi-step process we're talking about.

But for now, consider that iMaginator is at version 1.0 and it's meant to grow from here of course. It's primary role isn't to build compound and complicated artwork by itself but rather helps build the components for complex compositions. It's meant to be more fun, encourage play and have a low barrier to entry. Finally, it's meant to be part of something bigger. If Adobe is the Acropolis of software, Stone is part of the Agora.

Okay... um.. how do i use iMaginator, Create and Linkback?

In iMaginator, "Copy"

In Create, "Paste"

Later when you want to re-edit image, double-click it or choose Edit in iMaginator in Create, this will open the data in a NEW window in iMaginator, make changes, save, watch a real-time update in Create....

(be sure you have a recent copy of Create though!)

BTW - iMaginator 1.1 just shipped!
http://homepage.mac.com/stone_design/.c ... binhex.hqx

I've given some time to playing with iMaginator and performing some of the tasks I currently do in other applications... mostly in Photoshop Elements. As other people have written, it is obvious that iMaginator works in a completely different way to other programmes. It is not really a pixel editor... I can't see an easy way to fix flaws or paint people out of a picture etc. However, as a picture editor it is phenomenal. I found myself creating very cool effects in seconds with this application... things that would take me much longer in other programs, assuming I could figure them out. I could see myself using iMaginator to create very cool web images and backgrounds and stuff like that. There are a few things I'd like to see added to the program to make it easier:

1. I'd like a much more powerful cropping tool. Specifically, I'd like something like iPhoto or Photoshop where I can set the exact size or aspect ratio of what will be cropped. This is important for creating images for websites which have to be certain sizes.

2. Along the same lines, it would be good if we could output the image at whatever size/resolution we wanted. Obviously we can resize in other apps (even Create) but I think there's a case for being able to do it in iMaginator. Following that, I don't see any way within iMaginator to find out basic file information such as the size, resolution etc.

3. Earlier in this thread the ability to apply filters to specific areas was suggested. I realize that's a big request but need it be that complicated? For example, if someone selected an area of the picture and applied a filter, couldn't the programe duplicate the picture, crop it to what was selected, lock it in place and apply the filter? (Andrew mentioned that Blond had a sample document of multiple sections layered together but the file seems to be corrupt; I can't open it. Sorry if I've missed something obvious.)

I already own the rest of the Studio and iMaginator is just too cool not to get... especially knowing it's sure to receive the same regular upgrades as the other applications.

Cheers!

Thanks for the feedback. It's not a paint program as you say.

RE: crop - you can set the rulers to any scale (points, inches, etc), click/drag on guides, and set the crop to that. Do you mean "why not include a way to set the numerical size of the crop?"

A good feature no doubt. Stuff is saved in 72 dpi web standard in any case.