Pict-2-Icons is an application I wrote for a friend. I decided to make it public, cause there were some people asking for it, and I also thought it could be nice for everyone, so here it is. It's main purpose is to make a series of icons out of a PICT file. I could describe it like the things Apple always did on there MacAdvocate series of CDs, and many software houses still do it too (Microsoft and Virex for example). When you insert the CD, you get a window
with a large picture in it, way larger than the 32 at 32 pixels the Mac OS icons are limited to (at the moment writing). This is done by cutting a PICT file in small squares of 32 times 32 pixels. And exactly that is what this application will do...
Starting with version 2, I also build in a little image editor. This feature is what I am working on most right now, but if you are really serious about image editing, please look somewhere else. I mean, there are really good image editors around, freeware or shareware as well as commercial... The main problem with mine is that it really 'flickers', cause I don't know how to get around redrawing the screen every time again. Another problem, introduced with version 2.1, comes with the filters. These are really slow.
Who could use it ?
Think the main users will be people who make CD compilations, or programmers who distribute their own software. The image editor can be used by anyone, but as said before, there are better alternatives if you really want to do 'the big stuff'.
What does it cost ?
Hehe, always the tricky question ! Well, I wanted to keep this package free as long as possible. I'm a student medecine, so I don't have to program for my money, it's just cause I like doing it. Starting with version 3.0, I build in a little timer. On launch it counts from 10 to 0, before you can start working. When you ask 'about' from the Apple menu, it will count from 5 to 0, a 5 seconds delay.
If you use Pict-2-Icons for commercial purposes, I would appreciate it if you send me 10 US$, after which you will get a license code to avoid the delays. Personal users, I would like to ask 5 US$. With commercial use I mean everything that is not personal, so all work that is to be distributed or shown publicly. Freeware authors, just contact me, maybe we can make a deal.
Look in the accompanying manual for more information.
What about distribution ?
Distribute it for free. Just authors of compilation CDs of any kind (magazines and/or user groups) please warn me with an email. It is nice to have an idea where your soft goes, you see ? I am also looking for what other people think, and I think it would be nice if I could put some reviews of Pict-2-Icons on its website.
OK, so far for the basic questions, now a small quick-start guide.
(image editor not covered, cause that's a "secundary" feature !)
1. Fire up the application by double-clicking Pict-2-Icons.
2. Select file->open and choose a picture.
3. If a dialog window appears now (which will 9 times out of 10) then select your choice.
4. Now you can check out some of the icons that will be generated with the Try It and Save buttons.
5. Click Iconify (yeah, that's a new word I guess) or select Iconify from the File menu to turn the whole picture into icons.
6. Select a folder in which the icons should be made.
7. A little bit of patience is appreciated now...
8. Finished !
What are the limitations ?
* Well, I made no good Error handling, cause I had no time. So, when you run out of memory, you will get a dialog box with 'NilObjectExeption error' in it. Will probably change that in a next version, but hey, I have to study too. For now, just try to give the application more RAM, using the 'Get Info' window in the Finder.
* The maximum number of icons is 1024, cause I thought that would be enough. Don't know what happens if you pass that number. Think they will just be overwritten though...
* Currently only the icl8, ics8 resources, and not the icl4 and ics4 resources are really finished, so I guess the icons will look strange on 4bit monitors (16 colours). But I think that can't be a too hard problem. The new icons from MacOS 8.5, with 32 bits, are also not handled...
* The filters in the image editor are slow, and there are not enough filters yet. More and better in every version !
* I am NOT responsible for anything you do with Pict-2-Icons or for whatever happens due to the usage of the program. It's delivered 'AS IS', so just take care of what you do.
Homes of Pict-2-Icons :
http://studwww.rug.ac.be/~tdgroote/p2i/index.htm
http://thomas.cyberdream.net
hotline://hotline.cyberdream.net
Think that's all !
Hope you enjoy the program, and if you have any comments, send them in !
If you have made a good sample picture, we can maybe put it on the web-site ! It can be commercial, just no porn, warez,...
Bye,
Thomas De Groote
Thomas.degroote@rug.ac.be
Version history : (for future versions, please have a look online !)
v. 3.0
Last version at the time of writing.
At last the icons are automatically sorted. A puzzler was build in for when the icons should get messed up for some reason.
You can now open all file formats that QuickTime supports. These include JPEG, GIF, PSD and others.
Some internal changes in the editor, as well as fixing some bugs in there. Most obvious bug that was solved was the Select-All feature in the Editor.
A manual, which you have been reading now.
v. 2.5
First version under the 'Tegosaurus Software' name ;-)
New tools in Editor : Rounded rectangle. Use settings menu under the editor menu to set the angle of the corners.
New filters : There now are about 20 filters. I have ideas for almost 50 more at the moment. Note : The streamer filter is left out at the last moment, hence the 'gray' menu.
Nothing new in the Iconifier. Version 3 will bring new things !
v. 2.1
There were some strange errors in version 2, which prohibited the users from using the selection marquee and the colour picker. These have been removed in this version.
Filters in beta. They go very slow.
v. 2.0
This version adds a lot of things ! There is a picture editor, basic but quite working. Some glitches though... It can now work in background, and when in foreground it lets background things go on. A stop button has also been added. Filters and effects in the editor ! New help window !
v. 1
First 'official' release. Current version. Way more beautifull and nicer to work with. It makes the icons too now, in the previous version, you had to make the icons using ResEdit...
v. 0.5
Private version, was only send to David, from CyberDream Network. He asked if I knew a program to convert PICT files in icons, and since I didn't know about one, I decided to make my own.
