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ITSBITS® Catapult Garage
Image Tool
Purpose of the tool:
While the more casual photographic user can use it, this tool is primarily designed for use by those who are building web pages and other applications that use images on a regular basis. Using this tool, you can acomplish a number of the most common image-related tasks:
- View an image
- Save a resized copy of an image in a specified location
- Rotate a picture
- Save a picture in several diferent formats
- Use 2 images to put a watermark on an image
- Generate on the clipboard the HTML code to access an image file from a web page. HTML code can be automatically changed to include a width specification, a border width, and an "align="right"" clause.
- Place the image's filepath on the clipboard
- Resize as a new image and place the new image's filepath on the clipboard
- If FTP has been configured, the Image tool can be used to send the image file to a remote server using FTP. (See View Menu page for more on FTP configuration.)
As you begin working with the Image Tool, the first thing you'll usually want to do is specify where your image(s) are stored, i.e., define a path to the folder (directory or catalog) where your images are stored. To do this, you'll use the upper-button with an eyeglass icon.
Select the image file you're looking for and notice that the tool will automatically keep a reference to the folder in question, show the file name.ext in the "Image file to be used" textbox, and display the image in question in the large picture-box area at the bottom of the form.
To make a resized, rotated, and/or watermarked copy of the image, you need to use the purple-folder-icon button or type in a new folder path in the textbox labeled
"Copy/Write output image to local folder." Once this is done, you'll notice that the "Resize-pic", "Rotate-Pic", "SaveFormat", and "Watermark" menu functions are enabled.
Drop down the Resize menu and you'll see a number of options as shown at right. Certain of these options will ask for a subsequent entry, while others won't.
For example, the "custom size" will need you to enter the width and height parameters you want to use. Percentage will need to know the new image's percentage in relation to the original image. W-proportional and H-proportional will need either the width or height parameter for the new image. Other options, like "Mini - 150 x 80" will require no further data.

You'll also find that if you drop down the "Rotate-pic" menu, it gives you the ability to rotate the picture 90, 180, or 270 degrees.

You'll find that you have several "SaveFormat" possibilities to choose from.
Watermark
Finally, you'll want to know and understand what happens with the watermark. Drop down the "Watermark" menu option and you'll see that there are 2 options there. The first is for configuration. Click it and you'll see the large picturebox disappear. It is replaced by a textbox where you must specify what file is to be used as your watermark. Note: that the watermark file must be much smaller than the file you are applying it to or it won't work properly. As usual, you can use the browser button (eyeglasses icon) to find your watermark file. Then use the OK button.
Once the watermark has been configured, you need only click on the option to "Add watermark now." Your output file, complete with watermark, will be placed in the specified location.
Clipboard Output
You'll note that you have 3 basic outputs--each of which is placed on your Windows Clipboard so that they can be easily pasted into other applications. The first of these outputs is to place "HTML output on the clipboard." For HTML you can also specify a border with (for the frame around the picure when it is rendered in a browser), HTML picture width, and "align="right"". Border widths of 1-3 are often used, but larger numbers can produce interesting results as well. (border="3" was used on the "SaveFormat" image above.)
With the "HTML output on the clipboard" checked, your HTML output could look something like this:
<IMG SRC="c:\temp\1wed5--mid air refueling of awacs.jpg" width="400" align="right">
As you can see from this example, the HTML thus generated points to the file used for your output.
If you select an option for either the new or old filepath to be on the clipboard, they will be there.
If FTP has been configured, you will see one last option labeled "Remote Server image path on clipboard." Use this option to place your HTML as it needs to be on your website on the clipboard so you can paste it into your HTML code.
FTP
The last feature in the image tool is the FTP upload feature. Assuming that FTP has been configured, the gear-icon button will be enabled. To upload it using standard File Transfer Protocol, all you need do is click the button and wait a few seconds. Notice that if FTP configuration has not been complete, this feature will not be enabled at all.
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ITSBITS® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as the property of IHS, Incorporated. ITSBITS® Catapult Garage, all tools, workshops, related software, and documentation, regardless of medium, is ©2007 by IHS, Incorporated...all rights under all applicable copyright laws reserved by IHS, Incorporated.