CompuServe Messages

So, ASDG's porting to the Mac, SGI… So? We ported to Windows 3.1, a much more viable environment. <shrug> What's that got to do with Amiga software, I ask you? Perhaps new features from the new platforms? YES! The latest Imagemaster has multiple backports of the new Windows features we've created… so, where's ER for the Amiga? Hmmm? Black Belt Systems has released two new products – whole products, not upgrades – for the Amiga in the past three months, and massively upgraded Imagmaster both in features and interface – _twice_… ASDG's upgraded AdPro's look and feel, added a few features. Whee. :^) On to more important questions… "Why use Imagemaster R/t instead of AdPro or MorphPlus?" Adpro, the short version: Want to increase the sharpness of JUST a facial feature, such as eyelashes? Adpro can't – it can sharpen the entire image, but not areas. IM has _extrordinary_ area selection tools that work with everything, from sharpening to swirling to gaussian blur to motion efects to… you get the idea. :^) Need to undo a change? Adpro's got this little limitation in that area, y'see… we don't. Want to perform any one of a hundred or so operations that AdPro doesn't even _have_, much less have for the entire image, such as complex camer flares or annular rings? Imagemaster's the answer. Want to render to Amiga display modes and get the best possible image? Imagemaster. Tests (not just ours, either) have -repeatedly_ shown that ApRo's palette picking runs a poor second to Imagemasters. Need a lossless, high compression format? many people (such as doctors, scientists) need image data compression but can't take the hit that JPEG puts on the data integrity… Imagemaster comes with TRIM, which has an _average_ efficiency on scanned 24-bit data of over twice that if 24bit IFF (IE, convert 10 megs of 24bit IFF and you get 5 megs of files, and lose _nothing_ from the images. IM has built in sequencing, filmstrips, etc, etc, etc. There's more… lots and lots and lots more. Imagemaster is a more powerful product. But if your needs are simplistic, then AdPro may be entirely sufficient for you. MorphPlus: Imagemaster has a much better user interface than Morphplus. We invented the onion skin interface, use it, and also have dual window interface. We also have organic morphing paths – Morphplus does not. Morphplus has masking that we do not. Depending on just what you're trying to accomplish, one or the other could make the difference. Both products produce similar output, although if you're rendering down to Amiga displays, Imagemaster's IFF creation is far superior so that the morph you made will look better simply because it's rendered better in many cases. Nothing stopping you from morphing with MorphPlus and using IM to render images, of course. :^) Those are some of the reasons why. There are many more. –Ben …via AutoPilot