What a great program this is. The only problem is that it is almost impossible to use, it's even harder than trying to set the VCR to record 2 programs whilst you're on holiday !! (unless you've read this)
I was lucky enough to be given a demo on how to use the package recently an found that once you get into it there really isn't a problem as long as you keep it simple to start with. So this is it, my first time users guide to Aim2.
NOTE I am like the one eyed man in the valley of the blind. What I say could be wrong .. I'm no expert (perhaps it helps)
Another NOTE you will need a version of ChangeFSI or sonething to get your sprites into Aim format. You'll also need !Edit eventually.
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Intro
First I think it is important to understand that the program comprises a very wide range of image processing facilities which give the user huge scope for analysing images. Very useful for the scientific user but more of him (or Her) later, for now I would like to concentrate on the everyday user. I would guess that most people would like to simply clean up images, perhaps taken with some sort of digitiser or scanner so we will start there.
Loading and clicking on the Aim icon will show 5 windows, 4 of the windows are image windows (A,B,C & D) and the 5th is the macros windows. If the thought of macros worries you then read on 'cus it isn't that hard once you get going. For the moment we won't worry about macros though.
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Guided Tour
!) Get an image loaded into Aim by clicking Menu in any of the 5 windows and selecting Image dir, drag Trui (Not Trui+) into window A. Note that the image is in Aim format. Trui+ is an extra bit of data to go with the Trui image file.
If you have an ordinary sprite file you must convert it to Aim format with ChangeFSI. My version of ChangeFSI (05/02/89) won't do it but an upgrade was promissed soon. If you don't have this then you are snookered, if you do then please send me a copy ! (I believe that Aim format is available from the command line but I've not looked into it).
2) As I like to keep Image A as the original the first thing that I'm going to do is to copy it into Image B. This is an arithmetical operation (believe it or not) and can be found in the Grey Operations menu (Grey Ops). Select Gery Ops, Arit Ops, copy. You should find that the Query window opens, this contains info about the copy command. The default command is copy A B which is what you want so you only need to click OK. If you want to copy from A to C simply alter the B to a C. You should notice that the command is typed into the Macros window.
3) Now to start doing something. Applying a filter to the image will make a significant difference. The best filter to use is the Laplace filter. Select Grey Ops, Lin Filters, laplace (Note not nlaplace). The default is to filter a and put the result into b but change it to filter from b into c (change a to b and b to c). The image in c should be an improvement.
4) Most of the image is still fairly grey, the whites arn't white and the Blacks arn't black. This is because not all of the grey scale is used. This can be seen by showing the grey scale histogram. Use Utils, Misc, Hist and alter the Value to be image B or C rather than A. You should see that the histogram doesn't extent to the full width od the image (although there is already an improvement of C over B). To make this better you need to use the equalise operation. Select Grey Ops, Point Ops, equal. Set Input image to C and Output to D.
You should now have a fairly good image. You may like to show the histogram of D now to see the improvement.
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Introduction to Macros
So far so good (I hope). This is all well and good but we've only used 3 functions from the 1000s available, what about all the others ?
Well it's really a matter of trial and error and seeing what other people have done.
A nice way to process images is to write a program to do it for you. This program is called a macro. The nice thing about this is that you can alter one part of it fairly easily without having to go through the whole routine again. This may not strike you as worth bothering with at the moment but it can really make a huge difference even in the very early stages of using Aim and more detailed work is almost impossible without Macros. Trial and error is easy this way !
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Writing Macros
You'll need Edit (or something similar).
1) Open an ordinary text window and type in copy a b. Save it. Drag the text file into the macros window and the command should be carried out.
2) Edit the text file and add a new line : hist b. save this and drag into the macros window, you get the idea ?
3) Now add : equal b c
hist c
laplace c d
This shows the result if you equalised before filtering.
4). This image may be a little rough for you, Load the macro (Text file) into edit and add the softer image in A to the image in D with the line add a d.
You may want to experiment with some other filters etc. If you save this macro as "Sharp" you'll have the first macro in your library. This could be used with almost image.
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Look at some of the other macros and see what they do, _Sharpen is very similar to what we have done.
Other examples show how it is possible to strip an image down to the important bits.
The Macro acrosbm is a bench mark test to remove the rubbish and expose the important part of a cross. Something similar could be written to improve sprties prior to tracing.
Demo1 shows how an image of the moon can be improved to reveal craters etc.
Demo 3 shows hoe Aim can be used to reveal the way the cells are lying in a magnified image
There is plenty to play with !
If you write any interesting macros, or if you have any comments or if you have a version of ChangeFSI (a PD version !!) that will output to Aim then I'd love to hear from you.
I hope that the above helps
Bob Harding
40 Bremhill
Nr Calne
Wiltshire
SN11 9LD
0249 813209
PS
From what I understand Aim was written by students at Delft University. They are developing itas best they can with their limited resources.
They need cash.
If you are using Aim then you really ought to make a donation to the cause. Linginuity are the people who will supply you with the latest version of Aim2 and a manual for £24.00 (I think). If you want to help but not £24.00s worth then send something (money I mean) to Woulter Kauffman (I think that is the way to spell it) at Linginuity, Halesworth, Suffolk IP1 ODX. I am sure that he will do the honorable deed.
