Below is a complete list of changes and enhancements introduced for Collage version 2.0. The text document you have received with the demo version is based off the Collage 1.0 User's Manual, so you will not find the features below listed in the manual.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the nature of the demo, in that it does not Save project files, the program currently uses whatever your Start-Up disk is as a Scratch Virtual Memory Disk for the project and the proxies. If you are receiving a "DISK IS FULL" error messages, it is because the demo of Collage is trying to save a temporary version of the proxies to your start-up disk, which may have no room. Clearing extra space of the start-up disk alleviates this problem if it occurs. In the shipping version of Collage, you are prompted to save the proxies wherever you wish, so the issue is moot.
We hope you find Collage 2.0 to be an important part of your graphics toolset, and encourage you to send all feedback to us so we may continue to improve and enhance Collage.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to hearing from you.
Specular International
479 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Phone:413-253-3100
Fax: 413-253-0540
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• Power Macintosh Native
Collage 2.0 is now Power Macintosh native, and runs approximately 200% to 300% faster than its 680x0 counterpart. Collage 2.0 ships as a fat binary application so users with either type of machine will benefit from the new changes, and users of Power Macintoshes will see a dramatic speed increase.
• Speed Optimizations
Aside from speed optimizations gained from Power Macintosh support, Collage also has enhanced compositing routines that speed the program up overall. A new blurring function, used for soft shadows, feathering, gaussian blur and unsharp mask, is now anywhere from three to eight times faster than Collage 1.0, which dramatically reduces rendering times for Collage 2.0 users. Another optimzation made for users with large amounts of RAM installed on their machine allows Collage to do all the transformation work to the elements and hold them in RAM, so that Collage does not have to redo unnecessary work. This means most changes can be done within a matter of seconds. These optimizations and others, coupled with Power Macintosh speed increases, make for a more productive compositing tool in Collage.
• CMYK Support
Collage 2.0 now supports both RGB and CMYK color models, allowing users to work with CMYK scans directly.
• CMYK Display Tables
With CMYK support, Collage also allows users to create their own CMYK Display tables from settings in Adobe Photoshop using the Collage CMYK Table filter found on the master diskettes. This allows Collage users to make their screen display in Collage match their colors displayed in Photoshop.
• New Color Picker
There is now a new color picker in Collage, which is more intuitive and easier to use than Apple’s standard HSB Color Picker. This new color picker also allows the user to work in CMYK color with complete precision.
• Handles Images up to 53” x 53” at 300dpi
Collage 1.0 was designed to handle images no larger than 14” x 14” at 300dpi. Collage 2.0 can now handle images much larger, increasing the size to 53” x 53” at 300dpi. (Approximately 16,000 pixels by 16,000 pixels.)
• Effects Floater
Both the Shadow and Feather effects have been consolidated into a single Effects Floater. This new palette makes accessing and using these effects more intuitive and dynamic. As always, all effects in Collage are object based.
• Pan Tool
Collage 2.0 now incorporates a Pan tool accessible by holding down the spacebar. This new feature allows the user to move the images around on screen without having to use the scrollbars.
• Outline Dragging
If the user holds down on the mouse button for a second, Collage will create an outline of the image’s mask to be used for dragging around on screen. This makes fine-tuning and subtle layout adjustments easier and faster to produce.
• Interruptability
Users can now use Command-Period to completely interrupt Collage’s offscreen compositing process, giving them control over the computer if they need to make more changes. When users have interrupted the screen redraw, they can simply use the new Composite Now feature to allow Collage to resume its compositing process.
• Import Previews
With QuickTime installed, Collage can now show previews of images in the Import dialog.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a bug in QuickTime 2.0 which was discovered too late by Apple for release, Collage cannot show image previews when using QuickTime 2.0. Apple has promised Specular this bug will be fixed and included in the QuickTime 2.0.1 release. Image previews work fine with earlier versions of QuickTime.
• New Image Block Format
Collage 2.0 now incorporates an overhauled imaging scheme that reduces large images into blocks for more efficient handling by the computer. This new block scheme allows Collage to work with larger images that need to be cached to disk in smaller blocks, making the overhead for the computer easier to handle.
• Progressive Screen Redraw
Collage now redraws images to the screen based on its new image block format, which makes redraws of very large composites update progressively on the screen. This allows users to see results sooner.
• Choose from Multiple Masks
If images saved as Photoshop 2.5 files contain more than one alpha channel, Collage 2.0 will allow the user to choose which alpha channel to use as a mask in Collage.
• Switch Mask
If the user is working with an image that has more than one alpha channel, and on import chooses the first extra channel to use as a mask in Collage, but then later changes his mind, he can now use the Switch Mask command to change the alpha channel they wish to use as a mask from the original file.
• Document Set-up
Users can now change the document size in Collage 2.0 after having set up the project.
• Filter Edit List
Collage 2.0 allows for users to selectively remove filters applied to images within Collage.
• Export as Photoshop 2.5
Collage now supports Photoshop 2.5 as a file to export when rendering a high-resolution image.
• Remove from Project
Now if users hit the DELETE key, Collage simply removes the element from the canvas, but not from the project, which would force the user to re-import the image. There is a new Remove From Project command to perform this function now.
