Please visit www.zoomify.com for the latest information on Zoomify's products and services.
This Readme file contains compatibility notes, late-breaking news, and tips on working with the Zoomifyer Authoring Program. Please refer to the User's Guide for detailed instructions on how to use the Zoomifyer Authoring Program. More information can be found online at www.zoomify.com/support/.
The User's Guide is provided in both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download Acrobat Reader from Adobe's Web site for free - www.adobe.com.
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NEW TO VERSION 1.60
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1. DROPLET VERSION 1.0 RELEASE
The Droplet beta included with version 1.5 has now been replaced with our official release. The conversion time has been greatly improved.
2. TIFF SUPPORT
The Zoomifyer now supports TIFF images natively. This should result in much faster and more reliable TIFF conversion.
3. ENHANCED TILE INDEX MANAGEMENT
Enhanced tile index management eliminates all image size constraints and ensures consistent display performance.
4. OPTIMIZED INITIAL VIEW
Optimized file organization provides for rapid initial view across all media types and file sizes.
5. PARAMETERS ADDED TO VERSION 1.60
"MaxZoomOut" will allow you to specify how far your image will zoom out. Expressed in percentages. If you specify "100" the image will lock to the display size and not become smaller than the display window. If you specify "50" the image can be zoomed out to fill 50% of the display window.
For a full list of parameters you can use to modify how your Zoomify content is displayed, please visit www.zoomify.com/support/
6. MODIFICATIONS / BUG FIXES
Please see list below for an overview of all bug fixes, additional parameters, and feature adds.
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NOTES ON USING THE ZOOMIFYER AUTHORING PROGRAM
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1.0 WHICH SHOULD I USE, THE PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN OR THE DROPLET?
Whichever one suits your workflow style / works best for you. If you convert very large files, the Droplet may be a better choice as it is optimized for quick conversion times. The Droplet, unlike the Photoshop Plug-in, does not require that you load an image into memory before converting it to the Zoomify format. The droplet also supports batch conversion (for panoramas and images - provided the images/panoramas will all be using the same settings. Objects are not batchable at this time). Also, if you are on Mac OS X, you'll need to use the Droplet as Photoshop 7 is not yet released (as of 2002-03-13).
The Photoshop Plug-in is perfect for converting images after you've prepped them in Photoshop. It's also used for creating hotspots (you'll need ImageReady 3+ for this which ships with Photoshop 6+).
1.1 GETTING STARTED WITH THE DROPLET
The Droplet does not require installation. Once it has been unzipped/unstuffed, just place the Droplet folder where it's most convenient. The Droplet must be in the same folder as the "Support Files" folder for it to function properly. For ease of use, make a shortcut of the Droplet and place it on your desktop.
The Zoomifyer Droplet dialog works in the same way as the Photoshop Plug-in. Just select a file or files and drag them onto the Droplet icon, or double-click the Droplet icon and select files from a standard dialog box.
1.2 GETTING STARTED WITH THE PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN
If you have installed a previous version of the plug-in on your computer, please delete the "Zoomify" folder from your Photoshop plug-ins directory. Then, simply run the .exe (PC) or the installer (Mac) to install the latest version of the Zoomifyer.
The Zoomifyer will be available from the FILE | AUTOMATE menu choice. To export an image (i.e., convert it to the PFF format) select "Zoomify Export". To import an image for 3D object creation, select "Zoomify Import Object Frames".
1.3 ERROR INSTALLING PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN
If you were unable to complete installation of the Photoshop Plug-in by running the installer, you may instead copy the folder titled "Zoomify" from within the "Zoomifyer Photoshop Plugin" folder into your Adobe Photoshop Plug-ins folder. You may also use this method to install the Photoshop Plug-in into Photoshop Elements folder.
2. DISPLAYING YOUR ZOOMIFY CONTENT - WE RECOMMEND "AUTO-DETECT"
FOR BEST RESULTS when displaying Zoomify images on the Web, select the "Auto-detect" check box under the "Support Files Generation" section. This will create a sample HTML file that will detect the user's OS, browser, and whether they have a Zoomify viewer installed and automatically deliver the best viewing alternative for that particular user. This will ensure that everyone from Windows users to Mac OS X users will receive a viewer that best suits their needs and ensures that your Zoomify images can be viewed by as wide an audience as possible.
Auto-detect scenarios:
zPlug-in = Zoomify Plug-in
QT5 = QuickTime 5
zComponent = Zoomify QuickTime 5 Component
ï Win w/ IE ---> deliver and/or view with ActiveX
ï Mac w/ IE 4.5 or earlier ---> deliver and/or view with zPlug-in
ï Netscape (Mac or Windows) OR Mac w/ IE 5
A. zPlug-in installed? Yes --> view with zPlug-in. No --> Step B
B. QT5 installed? Yes --> Step C. No --> Deliver zPlug-in
C. QT5 zComponent installed? Yes --> view with zComponent. No --> deliver zComponent
If you wish to use Java or ZoomifyAnywhere (clientless), there's no need to check "Auto-detect". We HIGHLY recommend that you choose "Auto-detect" for all non-specialty applications, as this will ensure the widest coverage. If you select only "ActiveX/Plug-in" or "QuickTime you will be excluding a significant percentage of your potential audience.
3. MAKING OBJECTS (3D Objects, Animations, and Slideshows) (PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN)
After selecting the "File | Automate | Zoomify Import Object Frames" menu choice, you will be prompted to select a series of images to use in your object, animation, or slideshow. You may use GIFs to create an object, but the first image cannot be a GIF. The import tool will load these images into memory and then form a series of layers out of them. If the first image is a GIF, all of the images imported will be loaded into a pre-flattened layer and no object export will be possible. A work-around for this is to change the first image you load into a JPEG, PSD, BMP, or other non-index color image.
Please see the User's Guide for additional information on creating objects.
3.1 DRAGGING MULTIPLE FILES ONTO THE DROPLET (FOR OBJECTS OR BATCH CONVERSION)
When dragging large numbers of files onto the Zoomify Droplet either to create an object or for batch processing, you may encounter the error: "Access to the specified device, path, of file is denied." This error may result from working with many files with long file names and/or working with files inside a deeply nested folder and/or working with files inside a path including very long folder names. To avoid this problem, simply double-click the Droplet and use the file selection dialog to select your files. Alternately, you may wish to copy the folder containing the files to your root directory and/or reduce the lengths of the names of the files or the folder(s) they are contained within.
4. QUICKTIMEô .mov FILES (PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN AND DROPLET)
QuickTime files (.mov) have a size built into the file itself. When you select the output size for the HTML, the .mov file that is created also inherits that size. We recommend that you use the same size for the .mov file and the HTML parameters (or in the .txt parameters file). Unlike the HTML, however, the QuickTime .mov is not editable once created, and if you decide to change the display size you must create another .mov. This is simple to do - you don't need to use the image(s) you used - any image will do. Under the "Basics" section of the Zoomify Export menu, enter the size in width in height you'd like for the .mov. Then, select the "Generate Support Files Only" option in the "Support Files Generation" section. The .mov in the resulting folder will work for ALL QuickTime content you'd like to be of that size - just rename the .mov to match the .pff you'd like to refer to.
5. SLOW CONVERSION ON MACs (PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN AND DROPLET)
If you are experiencing slow conversion times on the Mac, allocate at least 120 megabytes of memory to Photoshop and turn off virtual memory (at least temporarily). This should greatly speed conversion times.
6. "ZOOMIFY EXPORT" MENU ITEM GRAYED OUT? (PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN)
If you are trying to Zoomify an image or images and the Zoomify Export menu item (Automate -> Zoomify Export) is not active, try the following: Under the Photoshop menu "Image -> Mode ->" ensure that the image is set to "RGB", not Grayscale or Indexed Color. The Zoomifyer cannot convert images set to Grayscale or Indexed Color (note - this will not alter the appearance of your image(s) in any way).
7. LONG WAIT OR HANG DURING / AFTER EXPORT? (PHOTOSHOP PLUG-IN & DROPLET)
If you've selected "Launch Browser When Done" from the "Support Files Generation" section when exporting to the Zoomify format, we launch your preferred browser to show you either a slideshow (if selected) or a preview. For very large images this could cause problems with memory management. Unchecking this box will solve this for some systems.
8. SAVING CUBE FACES FROM SPHERES OR CYLINDERS
Now you can load a cylindrical or spherical panorama into Photoshop and export 6 cube faces (numbered 0-5) for editing. Select either the "Cylinder" or "Sphere" radio button and then the "Save Cube Faces" checkbox. After the 6 cube faces have been exported, the Plug-in will proceed to Zoomify the panorama. To skip this operation, hit your "ESC" key (or Command-period on the Mac).
9. ZOOMIFYING CUBE FACES
To convert cube faces into a finished Zoomify panorama, select "Zoomify Import Images" under the File | Automate menu, and select the 6 cube faces. The six cube faces will be loaded into layers. Select the "Cube Faces" radio button and then hit "OK".
The Zoomifyer Plug-in will also convert cube faces created with other QTVR tools. In order to import these files in the proper order, name them sequentially as follows:
front = 0
right = 1
back = 2
left = 3
top = 4
bottom = 5
Thus, a series of images called "myPano.bmp" should be numbered "myPano0.bmp," "myPano1.bmp," "myPano2.bmp," etc.
10. CREATING HOTSPOTS WITH LARGE IMAGE FILES
You may find it somewhat inconvenient to swap between Photohshop and ImageReady when you're ready to create hotspots. This is especially the case when the image files you're working with are very large and you have limited memory. Fortunately, Zoomify hotspots are not pixel-based - you can down-res an image you'd like to create hotspots for and then switch into ImageReady. The resulting hotspot file will work fine with the large Zoomify image you've created! Just be sure when Zoomifying the smaller file to use the same settings you used to convert the large file.
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BUG FIXES / MODIFICATIONS / NEW STUFF
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Ver. 1.6:
1. Mac: Command-period closes the dialog box
2. Compression dialog box added
3. "MaxZoomOut" parameter field added
4. HTML: JavaScript is local in the Zoomify display page and absolute in the copy field
5. Zoomify .mov track shortened within LiveStage Professional 3+
6. Fixes to wired actions for LiveStage Professional 3+
7. Hotspots: 4-sides hotspots will now stretch to fit
8. Droplet speed greatly enhanced for Mac OS X and Windows
9. Various viewer modifications made (please see viewer readme)
10. Many parameters added! Please see www.zoomify.com/support/ for full list
11. Visit http://www.blueabuse.com/tut/25/ for Zoomify/LiveStage Pro tutorial
Ver. 1.5:
1. QuickTime calls now fixed for "Auto-detect" viewing (formerly "Smart")
2. Zoomify Droplet Beta added as part of Zoomifyer Authoring Program
Ver. 1.1:
1. QuickTime .mov files now generated when only "Smart" is checked under the section "Support Files Generation".
2. You now must have at least 2 image files to create an object, slideshow, or animation.
3. Minor updates to the zoomifyViewer.js file.
4. Slideshow files (HTML + JPG's) will be added to a "Slideshow" folder within your
project folder.
Ver. 1.04:
1. Object loop flag now created in parameter file on export (for objects + panoramas)
2. Plug-in should work properly in certain European language versions of Photoshop
3. On export ActiveX HTML page was created regardless of whether or not the checkbox was active
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LEGAL NOTICES AND OTHER STUFF
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If you have questions about using the Zoomifyer Authoring Program (Plug-in or Droplet) and cannot locate an answer in the User's Guide or online at www.zoomify.com/support/, please send an email to support@zoomify.com. Be sure to include information on your system, including OS and version, available hard disk space, RAM, and the like.
If you are interested in additional features, resale rights, integration with your for-sale products, please contact business@zoomify.com.
By using the Zoomifyer Authoring Program you agree to the license included with the download package.
