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Image  Magician

Click on the topic below for help on that subject

      Version 1.2 Release Notes

      Copyright Notice

      Registration Order Form

      Dr. John's Web Connection

      Questions & Answers

      About Image Magician

      About Images

      Getting Started Tutorial

      Opening a new image file

      Saving an image

      Magnify Tool

      Dropper Tool

      Wand Tool

      Pen Tool

      Professional Tools

      Custom Cursors

      Auto Save

      Mouse Functions

      Keyboard Functions

      User Credits


About Image Magician

     Image Magician was created out of the need for a software package that would allow me to retouch and edit digital images in a reasonable amount of time. No other software package has the speed and capabilities of Image Magician to retouch and edit images.

     Prior to the creation of Image Magician I spent countless hours retouching and editing images for use in media software being designed to present to my patients. I tried every well know software package and they all had one thing in common, they could not be used to perform extensive retouching of images without taking hours to achieve my goals. The problem was that although you could select and copy an area to paste over a image defect you had to continuously perform hundreds of copy and paste operations to get the job done, a very slow and tedious operation indeed.

    The solution, being a software engineer as well as a chiropractor, was to design a new software package with one specific goal in mind, eliminate all the usual copy and paste operations by designing the software to continuously sample and analyze the immediate background while providing a means for the software user to apply that background sampling to the image as they are drawing on it so as to speed the editing process. Image Magician's Wand Tool does just that. Using Image Magician's Wand Tool you remove a spot by simply clicking on it and it's magically gone, perfectly, not even a trace! Have a line through an image, no problem, using the Wand Tool point to the end of the line, hold down the left mouse button and trace along the line to it's opposite end, like magic, the line is gone and your ready to move on.

     Image Magician wasn't designed to replace all of the fine image editing software available, rather it was designed to be an additional software package to add to your collection of image processing software providing you with a sledge hammer to help concur those big tough retouching and editing jobs.


Magnify Tool

     The Magnify Tool can be selected by clicking on the Magnifying Glass Icon on the Toolbar. This tool allows the user to zoom in on a 32 X 32 pixel region of the image for detailed editing.

     To zoom in on an area select the Magnify Tool, position the cursor over the center of the region to zoom in on then click the left mouse button. Allow Image Magician a few moments to open the zoom window then proceed to edit directly on the zoomed image by clicking on those pixels you wish to change to the current color setting.

     To change the current color setting position the cursor over a particular pixel whose color you wish to change to and click the right mouse button. If you own the registered version of Image Magician you may also select the current color from the professional tool's color pallet.

     To transfer changes made in the zoom window to the image and close the zoom window click on the Toolbar's Magnifying Glass Icon again and wait for Image Magician to close the zoom window and make the transfer.


Dropper Tool

      The Dropper Tool allows you to select and copy a small circular area determined by the Brush Size Setting by positioning the cursor over the area to copy then clicking the right mouse button. The copied area or droplet can then be applied to the image by either clicking the left mouse button to apply a single droplet or the droplet can be continuously applied by simply holding down the left mouse button while you draw with the mouse. The Dropper Tool like the Wand Tool is one of Image Magician's Magic Tools which when used properly can cut hours off your image editing time. Don't make the mistake of mistaking this tools function with the Pen Tool, the Pen Tool applies only a single color while the Dropper Tool actually picks up all the colors in the selection region and applies them. The Dropper Tool is in effect a very rapid method of performing numerous copy and paste actions without the time consuming hassle and inaccuracy. This tool is excellent for either re-coloring a large fairly uniformly colored area to remove large defects.

      Note that if the professional tools floating tool box is visible the dropper, wand, and pen tools are inactive, the tool box must be first closed to use any of the toolbar tools. All other toolbar functions remain active when the professional tools floating tool box is visible.

      To change the dropper tool size adjust the brush size setting up on the toolbar. To preserve image detail always use the smallest size tool you are able to accomplish the task at hand with.

      To change the density of the dropper tool adjust the brush density on the toolbar. Adjusting the density can allow you to easily lighten or darken an area, create shadows, or feather sharp lines and edges.

      To change the draw mode click the pallet button on the professional tools floating tool box, select the desired mode then close the professional tools floating tool box. You may now pick up a drop from the image and apply it as you draw using the mouse. See Color Pallet for more information concerning this function.


Wand Tool

      The Wand Tool is truly a Magic Tool allowing you to continuously select from the region immediately outside the cursor as determined by twice the Brush Size Setting then redistributes and applies the pattern of pixels to the image using the current Brush Size Setting as you use the mouse to draw while holding down the left mouse button. There is no need to do anything else when drawing with the Wand Tool, it does it all automatically for you. Using the Wand Tool you can make quick work of removing spots, lines, labels, etc. from your image simply by drawing over them they will magically disappear. For preserving detail most accurately always select the smallest Brush Size which is capable of accomplishing the task at hand. The Wand Tool takes a little practice to get the feel for it but after about half an hour you'll be capable of accomplish your editing tasks at least a hundred times faster and with now perfect results!

      Note that if the professional tools floating tool box is visible the dropper, wand, and pen tools are inactive, the tool box must be first closed to use any of the toolbar tools. All other toolbar functions remain active when the professional tools floating tool box is visible.

      To change the wand tool size adjust the brush size setting up on the toolbar. To preserve image detail always use the smallest size tool you are able to accomplish the task at hand with.

      To change the density of the wand tool adjust the brush density on the toolbar. Adjusting the density can allow you to easily lighten or darken an area, create shadows, or feather sharp lines and edges.

      To change the draw mode click the pallet button on the professional tools floating tool box, select the desired mode then close the professional tools floating tool box. You may now pick up a drop from the image and apply it as you draw using the mouse. See Color Pallet for more information concerning this function.

      To remove spots, select the Wand Tool, adjust the Brush Size accordingly, set the brush density to 1, position the cursor over the offending object on your image and click the left mouse button It's gone, hard to believe but just point at it and click, another perfect job in less than a second!

      To remove Lines, select the Wand Tool, adjust the Brush Size accordingly, set the brush density to 1, position the cursor over the end of that ugly line and while holding down the left mouse button carefully trace the line to it's opposite end. Yes, I know that could have easily taken a half hour or more to accomplish the same thing using another Image editing application and you would have never gotten perfect results!


Pen Tool

      The Pen Tool allows you to draw on the image using the currently selected color and brush width. You select the pen color by positioning the cursor over an area of the image while watching the lower color indicator box up on the toolbar, once over the appropriate color click the right mouse button. Notice that after you click the upper color box will change indicating the current color the pen is assigned. The pen's size can be adjusted by changing the setting of the brush size located up on the toolbar. Once you have selected the pen's color and size you may apply the color to the image by holding down the left mouse button while you draw using the mouse.

      Note that if the professional tools floating tool box is visible the dropper, wand, and pen tools are inactive, the tool box must be first closed to use any of the toolbar tools. All other toolbar functions remain active when the professional tools floating tool box is visible.

      To change the pen tool size adjust the brush size setting up on the toolbar. To preserve image detail always use the smallest size tool you are able to accomplish the task at hand with.

      To change the density of the pen tool adjust the brush density on the toolbar. Adjusting the density can allow you to easily lighten or darken an area, create shadows, or feather sharp lines and edges.

      To change the draw mode click the pallet button on the professional tools floating tool box, select the desired mode then close the professional tools floating tool box. See Color Pallet for more information concerning this function.


Auto Save

     Auto Save has been provided as a means for you to periodically backup the changes you have made to an image automatically according to the setting in the box immediately to the right of the Life Preserver Icon on the toolbar. When Auto Save is activated changes made are saved to the Window's Clipboard when the number of times you release the left mouse button equals the number appearing in the settings box. Whether Auto Save is turned on or off, a manual save can be performed at anytime by holding down the [Ctrl] key then pressing the letter [C]. Undoing any changes in the image that have occurred since the last Auto Save or manual save function has occurred can be performed by holding down the [Ctrl] key then pressing the letter [V]. Since the image is always saved to the Window's Clipboard you are able to copy and paste images directly between Image Magician and other Window's applications by using these key combinations.

     To turn on Auto Save click the Life Preserver Icon on the toolbar and set the scroll box immediately to the right of the Life Preserver Icon to the number or left mouse button releases you wish to occur before your image is automatically saved to the clipboard.

     To turn off Auto Save click the Life Preserver Icon on the toolbar.

     To manually save the currently displayed image and changes you've made to the clipboard hold down the [Ctrl] key then press the letter [C].

     To undo any changes you've made since the last save to the clipboard hold down the [Ctrl] key then press the letter [V].

     To either copy or paste an image between Image Magician and another open Window's application, start by selecting the application you wish to copy an image from and from it's menu select copy or hold down the [Ctrl] key then press the letter [C] then switch to the other application and from it's menu select paste or hold down the [Ctrl] key then press the letter [V]. In most other Window's application's such as PaintBrush you must first using that applications selection tool draw a rubberband around a region of the image to select it and then copy to the clipboard.


Professional Tools

      Copy & Paste Tool

      Circle

      Filled Circle

      Square

      Filled Square

      Line Tool

      Icon Pallet

      Fonts

      Color Pallet


Copy & Paste

      The Copy & Paste Tools allow you to select a small rectangular or elliptical area of the image using the left mouse button then copy the selection to another location by simply moving the selection then clicking the right mouse button to paste. Image Magician's copy & paste functions are not designed to rapidly copy and paste large areas, rather they are designed to maintain maximum control over the data which we plan to exploit in future versions of the software. You are allowed to copy, process and paste up to 32,000 pixels per operation.

      To Copy and Paste an area first select either the rectangular or elliptical copy and paste tool by clicking on the appropriate button in the professional tools floating pallet. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the region to copy then press and hold the left mouse button dragging the rubber band towards the lower right corner until the selection is of the desired size. Move the selection to the location to paste to and click the right mouse button, move to the next location and click the right mouse button again if you wish to perform multiple paste operations.

      To change the density of the image being pasted adjust the density setting up on the toolbar. By adjusting the density you can achieve some very interesting effects.

      To change the draw mode click on the pallet button in the professional tools floating pallet, see Color Pallet for additional information on this function.


Color Pallet

      The Color Pallet allows you to select brush color, fill color, fill pattern, and drawing mode. Clicking on the professional tools pallet icon will present the drawing styles and modes window from which you may change these settings. Since these settings all affect one another a convienient scrollable preview window is provided so you are able to actually see what changes to these settings will produce prior to applying the effects to the image itself.

      To change the brush color click on the foreground button then select from the pallet provided the color you wish to assign to the drawing brush. Note that you may also select the foreground color by positioning the cursor over the preview window then clicking the left mouse button.

      To change the fill color click on the background button then select from the pallet provided the color you wish to assign to the drawing brush. The fill color is applied to the interior of the filled circle and square. Note that you may also select the fill color by positioning the cursor over the preview window then clicking the right mouse button.

      To change the fill pattern click on one of the selection buttons in the fill style group. The fill pattern selected will be applied to the interior of the filled circle and square.

      To change the draw mode click on one of the selection buttons in the draw mode group. Changing the draw mode will affect all editing done to your image including drawing freehand lines, painting, shapes, 3D text, and all copy and paste operations. The overall effects can be extremely complex and will no doubt require a great deal of experimentation.


Fonts

      Fonts lets you select from all the available fonts you have installed under Window's as well as their color, size, whether they're bold, italicized, underlined, and apply special effects to text such as 3D text. To apply text to the image you must first make visible the professional tools floating tool box then click on the fonts button to bring up the fonts window, adjust the settings and enter the text on the line provided then close the fonts window and apply the text to the image by positioning the rubber band then clicking the right mouse button to draw the text to the image.

      To select a font from the fonts window click on the select font button, this will open the fonts dialog window allowing you to select the type face as well as it's size, color, and effects.

      To add a highlight to your font check the box to the left of highlight then adjust the offset as desired. To change the color of the highlight click on the color button in the highlight frame then make your selection from the color pallet dialog window.

      To add a shadow to your font check the box to the left of shadow then adjust the offset as desired. To change the color of the shadow click on the color button in the shadow frame then make your selection from the color pallet dialog window.

      To change the draw mode click on the pallet button located in the professional tools floating tool box. See Color Pallet for more information on this function.


Icon Pallet

      The Icon Pallet allows you to import user created icons for you to insert into your image using drag and drop methods. Open the floating icon pallet by clicking on the professional tools button up on the tool bar then click on the icon pallet button on the floating tool pallet. Position the cursor over the icon you want to paste on the image, hold down the left mouse button and drag it to the desired location. Paste the icon to the image by either double clicking on it or by holding down the [Ctrl] key and clicking once on it. Using the separate programs Pallet Shop and Icon Works which come with the registered version of Image Magician you can design or import your own icons to build your own custom pallets which can then be readily selected from within Image Magician. Being able to create your own icon pallets allows you to drag and drop icons of arrows and pointers to your technical illustrations and icons of buildings, cars, and traffic signs to your maps. Create as many custom pallets as you like, there are no limits, save libraries of pallets to disc to use with specific catagories of images such as photos, technical illustrations and maps. You can create a custom icon pallet in a few minutes using Pallet Maker or if you would prefer a more freehand approach try using PaintBrush for Windows by following the instructions below:

      To begin, Image Magician's custom icon pallet is simply a Windows bitmap image measuring 66 pixels in width and 198 pixels in height. The bitmap is divided into a grid 2 columns wide by 6 rows high with each of the 12 resulting 33 by 33 pixel regions defining an individual icon. The bottom row and the right column of pixels in each 33 by 33 icon are used to define the icon border and only serve to define the boundry between icons. The color of the pixel located in the 1st row and 1st column lets Image Magician know that this is the color that is selected to be transparent for that icon and that when applying the icon to an image not to apply any pixels in the icon if their color matches that of the one located in the 1st row and 1st column of the icon. The remainder of the 32 by 32 pixel region is free to draw your custom icon.

      To create a custom icon pallet start two copies of Windows PaintBrush, adjusting their sizes so that you have one running at the top of your screen and one at the bottom without overlapping one over the other so that you won't have to spend your time waiting for Windows to redraw your screen each time you move from one window to the other. In the PaintBrush window at the top load the picture "new_pal.bmp" which can be found in the directory you installed Image Magician in. Rename "new_pal.bmp" to "my_icons.icp" or some other name of your choice by choosing "save as" from PaintBrush's file menu. Move down to the lower PaintBrush window and using it for a scratch pad design your icons. A real simple source of tiny pictures are the Wing Dings which can be typed right onto the screen by selecting the Wing Dings font. If you want to use Wing Dings you may want to start Windows Key Map program so that you can simply look at all the Wing Dings at once then copy and paste them into PaintBrush. Once you have created a dozen icons, one at a time, copy them from the lower PaintBrush window arranging and pasting them into the pallet you are creating in the upper PaintBrush window on your screen. When you are finished designing your icon pallet save it to disk and be sure that you have given it an ".icp" file extension or you will not be able to open and load it from Image Magician. You may save your pallets in either 16 or 256 colors though you will experience fewer problems with pallet shift if you stick to 16 colors. Also images that have been saved from other programs should be saved with the include Windows colors option turned on to prevent pallet shift when planning to edit them in Image Magician. If you don't include Windows colors in your image you will experience some pallet shift causing reds to become brown etc.Create as many custom icon pallets as you like, there are no limitations.


Line
Line Tool

      The Line Tool draws a line on the image using the currently selected color brush width and draw mode. To draw a line position the cursor on the image over an endpoint of where the line is to be drawn, hold down the left mouse button then drag away from this point until the line is the length you want, release the left mouse button to draw the line.

      To change the line size used to draw the line set the brush size on the toolbar.

      To change the line color or draw mode used to draw the line click on the pallet button located on the professional tools floating pallet and the drawing styles and modes settings window will appear, see Color Pallet for additional information.


Filled Square
Filled Square Tool

      The Filled Square Tool draws a filled square on the image using the currently selected color, fill color, fill pattern, draw mode, and brush size. To draw a filled square position the cursor on the image over the upper left corner of where the filled square is to be drawn, hold down the left mouse button then drag away from this point until the filled square is the size you want then release the left mouse button. Image Magician will display a rectangular rubber band allowing you to precisely position the filled square prior to drawing to the image. Adjust the final position of the filled square by moving the mouse then click the right mouse button to draw the filled square on the image. If you wish to draw the same filled square again simply reposition using the mouse and click the right mouse button once again. Clicking the left mouse button on the image will collapse the rubber band.

      To change the line size used to draw the filled square set the brush size on the toolbar.

      To change the line color,  fill color,  fill pattern, or draw mode used to draw the filled square click on the pallet button located on the professional tools floating pallet and the drawing styles and modes settings window will appear, see Color Pallet for additional information.


Filled Circle
Filled Circle Tool

      The Filled Circle Tool draws a filled circle on the image using the currently selected color, fill color, fill pattern, draw mode, and brush size. To draw a filled circle position the cursor on the image over the upper left corner of where the filled circle is to be drawn, hold down the left mouse button then drag away from this point until the filled circle is the size you want then release the left mouse button. Image Magician will display a circular rubber band allowing you to precisely position the filled circle prior to drawing to the image. Adjust the final position of the filled circle by moving the mouse then click the right mouse button to draw the filled circle on the image. If you wish to draw the same filled circle again simply reposition using the mouse and click the right mouse button once again. Clicking the left mouse button on the image will collapse the rubber band.

      To change the line size used to draw the filled circle set the brush size on the toolbar.

      To change the line color,  fill color,  fill pattern, or draw mode used to draw the filled circle click on the pallet button located on the professional tools floating pallet and the drawing styles and modes settings window will appear, see Color Pallet for additional information.


Square
Square Tool

      The Square Tool draws a square on the image using the currently selected color, fill color, fill pattern, draw mode, and brush size. To draw a square position the cursor on the image over the upper left corner of where the square is to be drawn, hold down the left mouse button then drag away from this point until the square is the size you want then release the left mouse button. Image Magician will display a rectangular rubber band allowing you to precisely position the square prior to drawing to the image. Adjust the final position of the square by moving the mouse then click the right mouse button to draw the square on the image. If you wish to draw the same square again simply reposition using the mouse and click the right mouse button once again. Clicking the left mouse button on the image will collapse the rubber band.

      To change the line size used to draw the square set the brush size on the toolbar.

      To change the line color or draw mode used to draw the square click on the pallet button located on the professional tools floating pallet and the drawing styles and modes settings window will appear, see Color Pallet for additional information.


Circle
Circle Tool

      The Circle Tool draws a circle on the image using the currently selected color, fill color, fill pattern, draw mode, and brush size. To draw a circle position the cursor on the image over the upper left corner of where the circle is to be drawn, hold down the left mouse button then drag away from this point until the circle is the size you want then release the left mouse button. Image Magician will display a circular rubber band allowing you to precisely position the circle prior to drawing to the image. Adjust the final position of the circle by moving the mouse then click the right mouse button to draw the circle on the image. If you wish to draw the same circle again simply reposition using the mouse and click the right mouse button once again. Clicking the left mouse button on the image will collapse the rubber band.

      To change the line size used to draw the circle set the brush size on the toolbar.

      To change the line color or draw mode used to draw the circle click on the pallet button located on the professional tools floating pallet and the drawing styles and modes settings window will appear, see Color Pallet for additional information.


File Open
Open an Image

      To open an image file click on the Open File Icon up on the Toolbar. Once the Open File Dialog Box appears select the type of file (.bmp, .gif, .jpg, etc.) and on which drive and what directory the file is located then from the file list box choose the file to open by either double clicking on it or clicking on it to select it then clicking on the Open Button. If for some reason a message box appears telling you the file can not be opened either you had failed to select the image prior to clicking the Open Button or the image file is not of a format Image Magician can read. Be it the later case try opening the image in another image editing application and saving it again, this should correct the problem.  Image Magician only supports opening image files using the your current systems display pallet, see help contents topic About Images for more information on this subject. Although Image Magician was created to edit an existing image you may create a new image measuring 640 pixels in width by 480 pixels in height using Windows color pallet by clicking the new button.

Image Magician v1.2 File Support:

Reads:	ART, BMP, CUT, DIB. GEM, GIF, HRZ, ICO, IFF, JPG, LBM, MAC, MSP, PCX, PIC, RLE, TGA, TIF, WMF, and WPG file formats.

Writes:	BMP (RGB encoded)

ART	PFS First Publisher

BMP	Microsoft Windows and OS2 bitmaps

- RGB encoded

- RLE encoded

CUT	Dr. Halo

DIB	Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmaps

- RGB encoded

- RLE encoded

GEM	GEM Raster files (Digital Research)

GIF	Compuserve Graphics Interchange Format

- 87a interlaced

- 87a noninterlaced

- 89a interlaced

- 89a noninterlaced

HRZ	Slow Scan Television

ICO	Icon File Format

IFF	Interchange File Format (Amiga Electronic Arts Deluxe Paint)

- Compressed

- Unompressed

JPG	Joint Photographics Experts Group

LBM	Interchange File Format (Amiga Electronic Arts Deluxe Paint)

- Compressed

- Unompressed

MAC	Macintosh Paint

- No Header

- With Header

MSP	Microsoft Paint

PCX	ZSoft PC Paintbrush

- Version 0

- Version 2

- Version 5

PIC	Pictor PC Paint

RLE	Run-length Encoded BMP files

- Compuserve

- Windows

TGA	Targa TrueVision Files

- 8 Bit Compressed

- 8 Bit Unompressed

- 16 Bit Compressed

- 16 Bit Unompressed

- 24 Bit Compressed

- 24 Bit Unompressed

TIF	Tagged Image File Format (PC or Mac)

- Packed

- Uncompressed

WMF	Windows Meta-files

WPG	Word Perfect Graphics

- Version 5.0

- Version 5.1

- Version 6.0


File Save
Save an Image

      To save an image file click on the Save File Icon up on the Toolbar. Once the Save File Dialog Box appears select on which drive and what directory the file is to be saved then either type in a new file name for the image in the file name box using up to eight characters or from the file list box choose the file to save to by either double clicking on it or clicking on it to select it then clicking on the Save Button. If for some reason a message box appears telling you the file can not be saved either you had failed to name the image prior to clicking the Save Button or an image file with that name already exists. Be it the later case either rename the image or if you wish to copy over the old file of the same name simply verify that this is what you wish to do. Image Magician will only save a file to a bitmap format using your systems display pallet, see help contents topic About Images for more information on this subject.

      To save your image in a format other than a BMP such as JPG, GIF, PCX or PNG you will require one of the other Windows image editing applications I have previously mentioned such as Microsoft's PaintBrush or JASC's PaintShop Pro. To save an image currently displayed in Image Magician to one of these other formats simply press the [Ctrl] + [C] key combination from within Image Magician to copy the image to the clipboard then start the other application and use the [Ctrl] + [V] key combination to paste the image into its editing window. From the other application's file menu select 'Save As', choose the format then enter a file name and save the file. Don't forget, this works both ways, you may copy and paste from Image Magician to the other application or from the other application to Image Magician. If you do not already have one of these other applications which support the file type you wish to save to, visit my web site for a link directly to the authors of some the really great shareware image applications to review and download their application.


Register
Image Magician v1.2

     To place your order for the latest registered version of Image Magician together with a printed manual, your first issue of the free one year on-disk newsletter subscription which includes Tips & Tricks, and the Pallet Shop & Icon Works software, maximize this window then click on the Print Command Button. Send me the completed form along with your check or money order payable to MAGNELL. You may send cash if you must, however be aware that if the mail doesn't get through you may loose it.

          John R. Magnell, D.C.

          P.O. Box 2632

          Oak Harbor, WA  98277- 6632

          Please print or type information clearly

          Name:_____________________________________________________

          Address:___________________________________________________

          City:________________________ State:_______ Zip:_______________

          [  ] Check this box if you require 3 1/2" high density disks (1.44mb).

          [  ] Check this box if you require 5 1/4" high density disks (1.2mb).

          Please send me _____ copies of Image Magician.

          $20.00 per copy for the complete software package Which Includes

                      Image Magician, Pallet Shop, Icon Works, Printed manual & one year

                      quarterly subscription to on-disk newsletter, upgrades and tips & tricks.

          $5.00   per copy for Image Magician, Pallet Shop & Icon Works only. Printed

                      manual, on-disk newsletter, upgrades and tips & tricks Not Included.

          * All shipping, handling, and tax is included in the above prices.

          * Canadian orders add $5.00 per copy if sent in Canadian funds.

          Total amount:______________  Make check payable to:  MAGNELL

     The purchaser of Image Magician is licensed to use the software on one system by one user at a time. Corporate buyers or others who require multisite licensing exceeding ten system installations or ten simultaneous software users should contact me by regular mail or E-Mail: DrMagnell@aol.com for special pricing.

     Thank you for your order, please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery. If for some reason your order fails to arrive within 2 weeks please contact me right away as our good old U.S. Post Office does on occasion loose things. If not completely satisfied with Image Magician simply return everything within 30 days after receiving it for a complete refund, no questions asked!

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About Images

    The images, or pictures as you may wish to call them, are simply files stored on your disk similar to the probably more familiar word processing though in the case of the image file the information stored represents the picture's height and width, the number of colors which make up the picture, and exactly where in the picture each one of the colored dots, called a pixel is located.

     The colors represented in a picture make up the picture's pallet. The software being used to display the picture on the computer monitor uses the pallet to generate the proper colors for the screen. You may have at one time noticed as you switch to another application from one displaying an image of 256 colors or greater that the picture you had been viewing will take on some rather strange colors, this occurs because Windows will switch from the picture's pallet to either Window's own pallet or to that of the application window you have just brought to the front. The greater the number of colors which make up the picture and it's pallet the greater the amount of computer memory is required to open and display the image. Also you will find that the image file will consume a greater amount of disk space as the number of colors in an image increase. Generally most people using Image Magician will be working with images having either 256 color or 16.8 million color pallets. Image Magician automatically saves any edited images back on disk using the current pallet at the same ability your monitor has in displaying that pallet, in other words if your monitor is currently being driven at 256 colors and you open and then save a 16 color image your image will be saved at 256 colors. At present Image Magician does not support any other option when saving your image back to disk. If you find it necessary to convert images back and forth between other pallet sizes other than what your monitor is using use one of the many other image editing software products.

     The image displayed on the monitor is composed of numerous very tiny colored dots called pixels which when viewed from a distance blur into an apparent solid image. This method of constructing an image composed of a finite number of colors is common to television, newspapers, magazines, etc.

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Mouse Functions

     Left Mouse Button Click selects a ToolBar function or command outside the editing window. Within the editing window selects the screen location for the current tool function to occur.

     Left Mouse Button Press & Hold selects the screen location for the current tool function to occur repeatedly as the cursor is moved across the image.

     Right Mouse Button Click selects the color over which the mouse cursor is currently located making it the current brush color. On the Toolbar are located three small colored boxes next to the brush size indicator and selector, the lower box indicates the color you are currently over, the left upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the brush, the right upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the filled shapes.

     [Ctrl] + Right Mouse Button Click selects the color over which the mouse cursor is currently located making it the current shape fill color. On the Toolbar are located three small colored boxes next to the brush size indicator and selector, the lower box indicates the color you are currently over, the left upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the brush, the right upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the filled shapes.

     [Shift] + Left Mouse Button Click When the professional tools floating pallet is hidden moves the upper left "Quick Text" output position to the cursors location allowing you to simply type text to the image using the currently selected font and color. For more advanced text output see the topic on Fonts.

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Keyboard Functions

     [Ctrl] + [C] Copies the image including any changes made to it to the Window's Clipboard. Used together with the [Ctrl] + [V] key combination you may copy and paste between Image Magician and another currently running Windows application. These keys perform the same action as AutoSave.

     [Ctrl] + [V] Pastes the image present on the Window's Clipboard into Image Magician's editing window. Used together with the [Ctrl] + [C] key combination you may copy and paste between Image Magician and another currently running Windows application. If AutoSave is activated these keys will undo any changes you have made to the image since the last AutoSave action has occured.

     [Direction Keys] When using the dropper, wand, or pen tools both moves and draws to the image processing pixels according to the tool selected. When using any of the professional tools moves the rubber band in that direction.

     [Enter] or [Return] When using any of the professional tools simulates a left mouse click either drawing the shape on the image or pasting a copy region depending on the tool selected.

      [Ctrl] + Right Mouse Button Click selects the color over which the mouse cursor is currently located making it the current shape fill color. On the Toolbar are located three small colored boxes next to the brush size indicator and selector, the lower box indicates the color you are currently over, the left upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the brush, the right upper box indicates the color presently assigned to the filled shapes.

     [Shift] + Left Mouse Button Click When the professional tools floating pallet is hidden moves the upper left "Quick Text" output position to the cursors location allowing you to simply type text to the image using the currently selected font and color. For more advanced text output see the topic on Fonts.

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Copyright

     Image Magician is protected under United States copyright law and international trade agreements. Registered users of Image Magician have the right to install  the software on a single personal computer for use by a single individual at any one time. You may only copy the distribution disks for purposes of maintaining a backup and under no circumstances are you allowed to distribute any of the files contained on the distribution disks unless you find in the accompanying documentation specific license to do so. Shareware users may feel free to use, copy, and distribute the shareware version as they wish providing that all files which come with Image Magician are included without modification and that they do not charge a distribution fee in excess of their costs incurred for copying and distributing the software with this fee not to exceed $5.00.

Order Form

     Under no circumstance will the author of Image Magician be held liable for any problems which arise through the use of the software. Although Image Magician has been tested on a variety of systems and configurations prior to it's release without any serious problems arising during use, as with any software it is possible for things to go wrong. The software user is responsible for making sure he has backed up the system Image Magician is to be installed on prior to installation and afterwards should maintain copies of images to be edited with Image Magician in case a software or hardware problem results in loss of an image being edited.

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Custom Cursors

    Custom cursors provides you with a visual representation of the currently selected tool. The Custom Cursors simply provide a visual aid to the user so that they are at all times aware of which tool is currently selected without needing to glance up from their work at the toolbar.

     To turn on Custom Cursors click the Thumbs Down Icon on the Toolbar changing it to a Thumbs Up Icon then wait until the standard cursor changes to a custom cursor.

     To turn off Custom Cursors click the Thumbs Up Icon on the Toolbar changing it to a Thumbs Down Icon then wait until the Custom Cursor changes back into the standard cursor.

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User Credits

  I would like to thank the following individuals for their suggestions and assistance in beta testing Image Magician:

   Toni Valentine,

   Shirley Corbin,

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Note
New for Version 1.2!

Image Magician 1.2 is now more powerful and easier to use with the shareware version less restricted supporting all functions that come with the registered version of Image Magician. The image processing algorithms have been completely rewritten since version 1.0 and many of the tools and effects have now been combined and can be set by simply clicking on options from the pop-up dialog windows. Best of all is that you may now directly import ART, BMP, CUT, DIB. GEM, GIF, HRZ, ICO, IFF, JPG, LBM, MAC, MSP, PCX, PIC, RLE, TGA, TIF, WMF, and WPG file formats. Image Magician 1.2 will still only save an image in RGB encoded BMP format, however JPG write support should be included sometime this winter. See the help topic Saving An Image for information on how to save to other formats such as JPG, GIF, PCX, PNG, etc. The same is true of printing an image, either saving to format other than BMP or printing will require a another application which supports this. See help topic Dr. John's Web Connection for further information on obtaining support in this area.

The registered version now includes two new applications. Dr. John's Image Viewer which allows you to quickly load and view your images featuring an exclusive 'Trash It' command button to rapidly delete all those multiple copies of images you produce during the editing process. Dr. John's Puzzle Shop is included to provide a relaxing moment or two after a hard day editing images and best of all Puzzle shop is freeware meaning that you are free to distribute it along with any images you produce with Image Magician to your family friends or customers. Did I say customers? That's right, if so inclined you may even start your own business distributing creating Windows puzzle applications, see help topic Questions & Answers for more details.

Also new with this version is a limited purchase option for the complete software only package which includes a registered copy of Image Magician and Pallet Shop for only $5.00, the printed manual, additional software utilities, on-disk newsletter, and tips and tricks however still only come with the $20.00 registered version. Either way, if not 100% satisfied, simply return everything in good condition for a complete refund.

Order Today!

Enjoy Using Image Magician

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Dr. John's Web Connection

    If you have access to the internet be sure to check out "Dr. John's Web Connection". Here you will find the very latest news on Image Magician and other software available as well as links to the very best health related resources.

Catch Me On The Web

http://users.aol.com/drmagnell/

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Getting Started

Installing <> Main Screen <> Tutorial

Installing Image Magician

      Image Magician v1.2 for Windows was designed to operate under Windows 3.1 or later which includes Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95. The software must be installed on the systems hard disk and requires approximately 1.5 megabytes. Follow the standard Windows installation instructions which are also printed on the disk label to install.

      1) Insert the disk in your floppy disk drive (A or B).

      2) Choose [Run] from the menu of Windows Program Manager.

      3) Type, A:\SETUP or (B:\SETUP) then click on [OK].

      Setup will prompt you for the directory name it needs to create to install Image Magician. You may either select the default name 'IMGMAGIC' or you may use another name if you wish by entering it in the space provided. Once you click [Continue] Setup will copy all system files to your Windows System Directory and all the program files to the 'IMGMAGIC' directory. Setup will then create a new Windows Program Manager Group Window.

      The first time you start Image Magician a new subdirectory named 'PICTURES' will be created while the first time you start PalletShop two new subdirectories one named 'ICONS' and one named 'PALLETS' will be created. After these directories have been created you may wish to copy the following files from the 'IMGMAGIC' directory to these directories:

      1) Files ending with .BMP to the 'PICTURES' directory.

      2) Files ending with .ICO to the 'ICONS' directory.

      3) Files ending with .ICP to the 'PALLETS' directory.

The main screen

      To start Image Magician click on its icon in Windows Program Manager. The first thing which will appear on your screen is Image Magician's 'Splash Screen' which displays the software version and copyright notification. After waiting a few moments for the program to finish loading, click the [Continue] button to bring up the 'Main Screen'. The user sizable main screen, or window, is divided into three major regions.

      The first region is the 'Toolbar' which appears horizontally across the top of the window. It contains icons representing Image Magician's tools and functions.

      The second region is the 'Canvas' or editing window which is the large dark grey area immediately below the toolbar. This is where your image will be loaded and edited.

      The third region is that occupied by the vertical and horizontal scroll bars which allow you to pan across an image which is larger than your monitor's screen. You will notice a small [X] button in the lower right hand corner, this button provides you with a way to bring an image quickly back to home position within the editing window.

      Image Magician's help system is context sensitive which means that if you need help at any time simply press the [F1] key and help will be provided on whatever screen object you last clicked on.

Basic Image Editing Tutorial

      Just to get a feel for using the main tools and features you will find on Image Magician's toolbar let's load, edit and save an image. A word of advice first, always maintain a backup of the Image to be edited, if you do not you will chance loosing it. Also, it's fine to store images on floppy disks however you will find that making a copy to work with on your hard disk will greatly speed the process of loading and saving images. You will find it helpful when working with images requiring extensive retouching to periodically save the image to disk representing the stage of editing, for example, the first working copy save as 'FACE_01.BMP', the second edited copy save as 'FACE_02.BMP' and so on so that if need be you may return to an earlier copy rather than starting right from scratch.

      Let's begin by loading the sample image 'MISTY_01.BMP' which you will find in the directory you installed Image Magician. Insert the program disk into your floppy drive then click on Image Magician's first toolbar icon 'Open Image'. The Open Image Dialog Window will appear. Select the floppy drive the image may be found on then in the file list box select 'misty_01.bmp', click [Open]. Bobbie's Dalmatian Misty and myself will disappear and an image of a Misty will appear. Thanks Bobbie for allowing us to experiment with Misty. No animal was injured or abused in any of our image editing experiments by the way.

      Before we begin editing let's make a backup copy of the image. Click on the second toolbar icon 'Save Image' to bring up the Save Image Dialog Window. Change the drive to your hard disk, usually 'C', from the directory list box select the subdirectory under your 'imgmagic' directory called 'pictures', then type 'misty_02.bmp' in the long text box at the top of the save dialog window, click [Save]. Be sure you have removed the program disk from the floppy drive and stored it in a safe place. You will now be able to work with the copy of the misty image on your hard disk without taking the chance of loosing the original file.

      One more thing before we begin, let's check and adjust some of Image Magician's function beginning with the 'Brush Size' setting on the toolbar located just to the right of the hammer icon. Unless you have changed this setting it should still be set for the 'Magic Number 4', remember this setting for you will find that for most tasks this will provide you with the greatest efficiency while retaining maximum detail, when using the dropper or wand tools generally start with '4' then increase or decrease the brush size as necessary. Next check to make sure the 'Density' setting, located just to the right of the brush size setting is set for '1' which is the maximum density at which pixels will be processed and draw to the image. Just to the right of the density setting there are three small color indicator boxes, moving the cursor over them will provide 'Bubble Help' explaining their function. Watching the lower color indicator, position the cursor over the black background of the image and click the right mouse button to select that color, note that the upper left color indicator will turn black representing the currently selected brush color and that the color reference number which is just to the right of the toolbar color indicators now reads '0' which represents the color black. Immediately below the color reference number is the cursor position indicator which simply provides you with the precise position your cursor is over the image. The next item to the right on the toolbar is the thumbs down icon which allows you to toggle 'Custom Cursors' on and off. Lets click on custom cursors which changes the icon to a thumbs up, now we will know what tool we have selected at all times simply by the shape of the cursor. Generally I don't turn on 'AutoSave', rather I use the [Ctrl] + C key combination to perform a manual save to Windows Clipboard and a [Ctrl] + V key combination to perform a manual undo or paste from the clipboard. Setting AutoSave to on can interfere with some of the drawing functions because Image Magician can't draw while Windows moves data to or from the clipboard. AutoSave is probably more useful to beginners while being just more of an annoying irritant to experienced users. Since you're a beginner lets turn on AutoSave and set it to a very irritating '2', if it irritates you too just turn it back off.

      The last three icons on the toolbar a fairly self explanatory. The blue 'Splash' icon brings up the copyright notice, the '?' icon opens Image Magician's context sensitive help while the 'Open Door' icon quits Image Magician.

      Let's get started by editing by removing all the spots in the lower left corner of Misty's picture. Starting with the colored spots which appear right on Misty, select the wand tool by clicking on it's icon on the toolbar. Make sure the brush size is still set to '4' and the density is set to '1'. Positioning the tip of the wand one by one carefully over the center of each one of the 16 spots on Misty click the left mouse button, man what a lot of work that was. If you happen to slip and make a mistake use the [Ctrl] + V key combination to undo the edit. Now we have 31 colored spots in the background left to remove. There is not as much detail contained in the background so lets make life a little easier by increasing the brush size up on the toolbar to '8'. With a larger brush size we are now able to very quickly move from spot to spot merrily clicking away to remove them. At this point the lower part of the image should look pretty good so lets move on.

      The top of the image contains two text labels with lines crossing onto the subject, a little tougher challenge than spots, but we're up to it I think. Let's tackle the background first since we already have our brush set to '8'. Now to begin with you may think that since the background appears uniformly black we could simply select a black brush color and using the pen remove the labels, wrong. This is a 256 color image, a lot of the pixels are in fact black however many are actually a number of other very dark colors which only appear black. If you did use a black pen the image may look ok on your monitor, however it may not on someone else's screen. Instead select the dropper tool then positioning the tip of the dropper about as close to the label as this 'O' is wide click the right mouse button to pick up some of the dark background pixels. Holding down the left mouse button paint over the labels and lines right up to Misty being careful not to get to close. You did great!

      Last but not least and certainly the most difficult task will be to remove the lines which cross over the subject due to the detail and in particular the edges where subject meets background. This could get pretty tricky from here on so we had better save our image to a new file named 'misty_03.bmp', in fact as you edit it would be wise to save periodically to 'misty_04.bmp', 'misty_05.bmp' etc. just in case you make a mistake and need to go back. I've intentionally tried to provide you with an image that is not so terribly detailed that you will give up right off the bat, the image of Misty is fairly easy to edit as images go though you will find that it will take a little practise and probably a combination of the wand and dropper tools to get things perfect .

      To start, let's select the wand tool and set the brush size back to '4' which is appropriate for detail work. Start by positioning the tip of the wand over the endpoint of the line most towards the center of the subject. Holding down the left mouse button very slowly and carefully trace along the line with the wand being careful to stop exactly when the tip of the wand reaches the edge of the subject without crossing into the background. That's great, now it just couldn't get any easier could it? Don't forget to save your perfectly completed work of art.

      Got time for another slick trick? Position the cursor over Misty's red collar and when the current color indicator on the toolbar turns red click the right mouse button to select that color to draw with. Next position the cursor right over Misty's forehead, hold down the shift key and click the left mouse button, release the left shift key and type your name from the keyboard. A [Shift] + left mouse button positions the output point for Quick Text using the currently selected font.

      One more ok? Select the dropper tool, set the brush size to '8' and the density to '2'. Center the dropper in the darker region of  Misty's forehead and click the right mouse button. Now enlarge the shadow by holding down the left mouse button and painting.

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Questions & Answers

I installed Image Magician and it was working fine, now all of a sudden I just get error messages, what happened?

Most software written for Windows includes additional libraries of routines such as DLLs and VBXs which are copied to the Windows system directory during installation. Occasionally since many applications come with and share these libraries an older version will accidentally be copied over a more recent version thus disabling one of the applications. The application which shipped with the newest library, probably Image Magician, should be reinstalled so that these files may be restored. Both applications should now work once the latest library version is back where it belongs.

We have two computers at home, one for the kids and one for us. Can we install Image Magician on both computers at home or do we have to purchase another copy?

In the strictest sense of the word it would violate the copyright to do so however the real purpose behind the copyright is to prevent your registered copy from being distributed beyond your immediate family. Just make sure that everyone using the software at home understands that under no circumstance is anyone allowed to make additional copies for friends or other individuals outside your household. Business users must adhere stricktly to the copyright, there are no exceptions. Finally make sure you have read the copyright on the inside front cover of your manual. Keeping it honest will help to provide me with sufficient funds to continue to develop Image Magician and distribute it at the lowest possible cost.

How do I go about creating a Puzzle Shop distribution disk?

It's very easy, just follow the simple steps below or if you prefer, a labeled Puzzle Shop master distribution disk that you may simply just copy is available for $5.00.

 1) Insert a formatted blank floppy disk in your computer.

 2) Look for the following files on your master Image Magician disk and copy them to a temporary directory on your hard disk:

        DDEML.DL_

        MMSYSTEM.DL_

        VBRUN300.DL_

        VER.DL_

        PUZZLE.EX_

        SETUP.EX_

        SETUP.KIT rename the copy on hard disk SETUP.LST

        SETUP1.KIT rename the copy on hard disk SETUP1.EX_

        PICCLIP.VB_

        SCROLLER.VB_

        SPUSH.VB_

 3) Copy the above eleven files to your floppy disk. If you wish to make additional Puzzle Shop master disks simply continue to insert blank formatted floppies copying the same eleven files to each one.

 4) Prepare disks containing images to be used for puzzles.

 5) Label all your disks.

 6) Test install your Puzzle Shop distribution disks.

 7) Distribute your finished product.

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Glossary

.bmp

.dib

.ico

.wmf

B

bitmap

C

chiropractor

D

dialog box

F

format

I

icon

icons

P

PaintBrush

pallet

pixel

pixels

T

toolbar


.bmp

The image file format most commonly found and supported across most Window's applications is the bitmap format identified by it's ".bmp" file extension.


.dib

The device independent bitmap image file format is a special type of bitmap which supports veiwing an image measuring, for example 2 X 2 inches the same on either a low or high resolution monitor and can be identified by it's ".dib" file extension.


.ico

The icon image file format is a special type of bitmap which measures 32 X 32 pixels, commonly used to construct  Window's Command Buttons which provide the software user with a visual description of the button's function and can be identified by it's ".ico" file extension.


.wmf

The Windows MetaFile image file format is common to Window's Applications supporting a vector mapped image. This type of file is read as mathematical descriptions of objects which make up an image and therefore can be resized without distortion. It can be identified by it's ".wmf" file extension.


bitmap

The image file format most commonly found and supported across most Window's applications is the bitmap format identified by it's ".bmp" file extension.


chiropractor

A doctor who specializes in the treatment of disease employing natural methods such as specific spinal adjustments, physical therapeutic techniques, nutritional counseling, exercise planning, etc. Doctor's of Chiropractic attend four years of professional school participating in a curriculum parallel to their counterparts in the medical field with the exception of pharmacology and surgery which chiropractors philosophically believe are only warranted as a last resort for the most part. Diagnosis and treatment place emphasis on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems with an overall view that is holistic in that the whole person be treated rather than a single isolated complaint or problem . The practice of chiropractic varies a great deal from state to state with doctor's of some states choosing to limit their practices to spinal adjusting while the profession in other states even includes obstetrics and is considering adding the prescribing of pharmaceuticals and surgical procedures.


dialog box

A popup window which provides the software user with an important message or provides a means for the user to enter additional information necessary.


format

When refering to graphic images format refers to the type of file the image is stored in. There are dozens of image file formats, the most commonly found and supported across most Window's applications is the bitmap format identified by it's ".bmp" file extension.


icon

A small special format picture measuring 32 X 32 pixels which is generally used to construct Window's Command Buttons providing the software user with a visual description of the button's function.


icons

A goup of small special format pictures measuring 32 X 32 pixels which is generally used to construct Window's Command Buttons on a toolbar which provide the software user with a visual description of the button's function.


PaintBrush

A basic Window's image editing program which comes included with Windows.


pallet

The colors which compose an image that are assigned to the computers display monitor for purposes of accurately reproducing the image on the screen. Pallets come in various sizes, commonly used are 256 and 16.8 million color pallets. The larger the pallet the greater the memory requirements and disk space for storing the image.


pixel

The tiny dots of various colors which together compose the image on a computer monitor. If your monitor has a screen resolution of 640 x 480 it would mean that there were 640 columns and 480 rows of pixels. The entire screen would contain a total of 307,200 pixels.


pixels

The tiny dots of various colors which together compose the image on a computer monitor. If your monitor has a screen resolution of 640 x 480 it would mean that there were 640 columns and 480 rows of pixels. The entire screen would contain a total of 307,200 pixels.


toolbar

A bar containing a goup of icons which function as Window's Command Buttons providing the software user with a visual description of the button's function.