Reported IrfanView stops working at 'Add overlay/watermark image'

[Tim Russell]

I have used Irfanview for some years and have just updated to version 4.44 32-bit. I run Windows 10. Irfanview appears to run just as it always did until I try to add an overlay. I get the menu window which lets me select the overlay file and its position. But when I have selected all the details and click on 'preview' or 'OK' I get a small window (looks like a 'Windows' pop-up window) which says 'Irfanview 32-bit has stopped working - A problem casued the progran to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available' The program then locks up until I click on the 'Close program' button. Windows does not notify me of any available solution, but it tells me that a problem with an app has caused it to reset the defaults - I normally have IrfanView set as the default viewer for all images. I have tried uninstalling and re-installing Irfanview, but that does not solve the problem.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I was unable to reproduce the problem here. I used the option on the Edit menu. Are you running a batch process?

Tell us more about the images and the overlay image.

[Tim Russell]

I am using the option on the Edit menu, for just one image, not a batch. Base image is a .jpg file of 156 KB. Overlay image is another .jpg file of 123 KB.

[Tim Russell]

One further piece of information. It looks as if, when I uninstall and then re-install IrfanView, I can use the overlay facility once when it works correctly, and then it fails when I try to use it again.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I have tried with different source images and different overlay images, all JPG, and with transparency, in all five possible positions, and never any sign of a problem.

Please fill in your forum profile.

[Mij]

It is more common to use a file type that has internal support for transparency, such as .png, as an overlay but there is no reason why you should not use a .jpg if you want to and set an overall transparency for the overlay from the dialog. What transparency setting have you chosen?
If you click on the image to set the position for the overlay you should see it immediately without needing to press the Preview button. Does that work OK or do you get the error message for that too?

[Tim Russell]

Transparency set at 50%. But after a lot more fiddling, it seems that the problem arises when the X and Y co-ordinates are set to far away from centre. As a bit of backgrpund, I am using the overlay to demonstrate how well, or not, two profiles match - a profile picture of a yacht and a drawing that may or may not be the original design of the boat. This needs some fiddling around to get the images the same size and the identical orientation (using 'fine rotation') and then moving the overlay so that it sits as closely as possible on the base image. If I start with the overlay centred, and then move it around carefully, then the system behaves as I want. But is I try to be too clever and specify co-ordinates, and then get them too far out, the application locks up.

Thanks for your help.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

If you're centering the image, any xy parameters are ignored. If you set the offset too big for the picture, you should see an error message warning you to check them.

[Tim Russell]

I found it was easiest to centre the image, and then shift it around as required. But with the offsets too big, there was no error message, but just the programme freezing as described at the start of this thread.

[Mij]

Yes, I understand now what you are doing. I suppose it could be called a bug because you have found a fault condition that Irfan forgot to trap. It happens when you enter an X or Y value that is greater than the width or height of the image you are trying to put the overlay onto. That does trigger the Windows fatal error message "Irfanview 32-bit has stopped working".

I have not been able to find any other condition that is not trapped. When specifying X,Y parameters relative to a selection it is quite easy to inadvertently request an overlay none of which is over the original image, but then you get an internal error message saying that the operation could not be done. It does not trigger a Windows fatal error though.