IrfanPaint Support Thread

[MItaly]

The problem is that actually the other tools are raster tools, and do not create paths. Maybe someday I'll switch everything to vectorial, but it's not very simple.

[Sam_Zen]

Definitely not simple.
I guess the basic option for this is to be able to create a custom point-to-point selection area.

[Sam_Zen]

Cropping

Someone came up in the support with the question to remove white borders from an image.
IV can't do that, it has to be done manually.
But I think Paint is capable to do it. With the Fill Flood tool it has the capability of tracing an area
having the same, connected, color-pixels, and replacing the area by another color :

This replacing is done immediately, but I suppose, there is a step in the process of the routine, where
the area is selected, but the color-replacement hasn't been executed yet.
This stage can be called 'the selection of an area', in this case the border. (Like the 'magic wand' in PSP)
It has a number of coordinates as values, so they could be called from another routine at that moment.

In case of a simple border with a single color (often just white or black), to be removed, this selection
would be enough data to give a 'delete area' command and crop the picture.
It could be a sub-funtion of the Selection Tool, by using the Ctrl or Shift key with the mouse.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

In some cases it would be better to leave the border and replace the picture.

[Sam_Zen]

LOL
As a matter of fact, that could be the next step, if that selection is there.
Choice for inside or outside. Reverse selection. Deleting inside just as with 'cut'.

[MItaly]

IrfanPaint b0.4.8.53 released

The new IrfanPaint beta release includes the following changes:

• added the text tool;
• replaced some nasty C code with new object-oriented C++ code (e.g. replaced many C strings and _snprintfs with std::strings and std:strstreams;
• new toolbar auto-resize code (but this change is almost invisible for the user);
• fixed some bugs;
• other improvements that I don't remember at the moment.

Note: the full packet of this version (and probably of the future versions) contains an IV executable that fixes the scrollbars bug; if you experience the problems described in the linked topic or drawing problems with IrfanPaint (e.g. you draw and nothing appears) download the full packet and replace your IV exe with the one shipped with IP.

Prospected improvements before the next release of IV (that is coming near):

• better text preview function (the actual one is very inaccurate);
• replace color tool (suggestion by Irfan);
• tolerance for the floodfill (I hope that I'll have time for it).

I decided not to add the move/rotate/stretch text function as objective for the next version of IV because it isn't really important and its realization is not trivial (and I have no time).

BTW, if someone has suggestions to make the exhaustive tooltip of the text tool more understandable please let me know.

[matera]

woo hoo, it's beta time

[Sam_Zen]

Beta time it is.
About the Insert text-dialog :
The pane for the inserted text has a default white background. Disregarding the setting of Properties/Viewing/Main Window color.
So if the foregroundcolor happens to be set to white in the F12 part, nothing is seen if typing anything.

And I would like more explanation about : Render as 'Empty path' - 'Filled path'.
'Text' or 'Antialiased text' I understand.
And what's 'Hold to preview' meaning ?

[matera]

'Hold to preview' -- hold that button to preview the text in place on the image -- shove the dialog over if it's in the way

Works pretty nice. The white-out problem can be temporarily helped by selecting the text. I use an off-white for the default Windoze background, so I can see it anyway, if it's big enough.

I had some odd moments with undo, it was a little erratic. Can't say much until I have tortured it some more.

The filled text is cool Probably need a few tooltips there for some folks. I just dive in and whang at everything like a maniac until the bugs crawl out.

[Sam_Zen]

Odd moments with yes or no Undo indeed. I couldn't grasp the circumstances for this so far too.

EDIT : And I noticed a non-wanted '[]' character when using a linefeed in the text.

[MItaly]

Beta time it is.
About the Insert text-dialog :
The pane for the inserted text has a default white background. Disregarding the setting of Properties/Viewing/Main Window color.

This is standard. The guidelines for the BG color of the text box says that it must be of the system window BG color.

So if the foregroundcolor happens to be set to white in the F12 part, nothing is seen if typing anything.

I may change it so that it changes color if the text color is white.

And I would like more explanation about : Render as 'Empty path' - 'Filled path'.
'Text' or 'Antialiased text' I understand.

Text and antialiased text, as you may have seen, render the text as normal text of the color chosen in the textbox (w/ or w/o antialiasing); the other two rendering modes use the text as a path that is stroked using the current pen and is eventually filled with the current brush (so they take into account the advanced pen and brush settings and the pen width). Anyway if you try them with big fonts you'll understand better.

I had some odd moments with undo, it was a little erratic. Can't say much until I have tortured it some more.

Yes, I forgot to add a "set new undo" call before inserting text.

The filled text is cool Probably need a few tooltips there for some folks.

Yep, you're right.

EDIT : And I noticed a non-wanted '[]' character when using a linefeed in the text.

Linefeed = Shift + Enter?

[matera]

Ah, good, I'm not imagining the undo spook I can wait.

The line-feed square appears whenever Enter is used, with or without Shift. It would depend on one's system settings and maybe the font used, so some might not see it? This is a baddie.

The attached image is a hodge-podge of my experiments, some parts may partially explain themselves. Note the filled large fonts, and the rainbow letters - that is very kewl, being able to select different colors for each letter. The pasted format was an accidental discovery.

A tip for other users, you have to use the keyboard to cut/copy and paste but it comes in handy if you need to re-position, since the color and formatting are remembered but not the text.

Tip 2 - the outlined text depends on your brush size setting for the outside, same as other shapes

One thing I have had a problem dealing with is precise positioning, I can't get the coordinates, and the dialog pops up so fast that if I click one pixel too soon I need to start over. I have a brilliant suggestion (I hope) - some way to read the coords in the text window, and possibly a manual adjustment, enter number or click up/downs. Along with the preview, that would give such control as to be utterly godlike. I'd settle for being Empress of the world, however.

[Sam_Zen]

So the undo thing will be ok.
I fully agree wit matera about the repositiong of the coordinates in a one-step or fixed-step way.
But this is a broader item than just text, It's valid for any drawn or set selection.
How to move the complete selection just 2 pixels to the left ?
And, in the case of added text, move that content with the coordination of the selection as well.
I still don't understand the procedure with 'Hold to preview', I'm afraid.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I still don't understand the procedure with 'Hold to preview', I'm afraid.

Move the dialogue out of the way first — it obscures the text cursor.

Preview the text in the IV window before dismissing the dialogue and accepting the changes. Allows you to modify the font, size, alignment, etc.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

BTW, if someone has suggestions to make the exhaustive tooltip of the text tool more understandable please let me know.

This is what I would suggest:

The Text Tool adds Rch Format Text to the image.
The text cursor's cross-hair will be the baseline for inserted text.
The text will be left, right, or center aligned on the insertion point.