Imagecopy Beta Version 4.2b1
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* IMAGECOPY 4.2b1 *
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* This is a beta version of Imagecopy 4.2, which is available to *
* registered users of Imagecopy 4.1 CD. *
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* Bug reports *
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* Please report any bugs which you find. When you do this, it is *
* helpful if you can send me an INF file containing your current *
* configuration settings (select `save INF file' from the Global *
* submenu). Some problems may only occur with a particular *
* configuration. Please also include information on your system *
* (the memory and other information in Imagecopy's window menu is *
* useful), and a description of how to recreate the problem - it *
* is very difficult for me to fix problems which I cannot recreate. *
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* This version of Imagecopy contains debugging code which checks *
* to see if anything unexpected has happened. If a bug is *
* detected, Imagecopy displays a warning message which says *
* "Assertion failed: [program source file], [line number]". If *
* you see this message, please make a note of the source file and *
* line number, and write down what you were doing at the time *
* (and previously). Then try to recreate the problem after *
* quitting Imagecopy and restarting it. Debug messages normally *
* indicate serious errors which may cause Imagecopy to crash if *
* you continue. *
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Imagecopy PhotoCD has been renamed as 'Imagecopy Plus', and contains additional options (beside the ability to read PhotoCD images) which will not be available in the standard version. The file name has changed from IMGC4CD.PRG to IC4PLUS.PRG.
This is the first public beta version of Imagecopy 4.2. There will be a number of future beta versions, with additional new features, before Imagecopy 4.2 is released. Public beta versions are freely available to any registered user of Imagecopy 4.1 CD.
Imagecopy uses separate modules for JPEG and PhotoCD images. This reduces the size of the main program by nearly 100k, and the modules can be loaded and unloaded as they are needed. If you prefer to keep the modules permanently in memory, there is an option for doing this (Options:Preferences:Modules) - in this case the modules will be loaded at startup and kept in memory. However, unless you are running Imagecopy from a floppy disk and have plenty of memory, it is better to have the modules loaded and unloaded as needed. Modules which are loaded as needed are cached in memory until Imagecopy needs to free their memory for other purposes. You can also force them to be unloaded (to free up memory for other applications) by using the 'Free Caches' option (Options:Misc:Free Caches). If you use Imagecopy as an accessory, modules and other caches are automatically freed when the accessory is closed.Modules should be placed in the same directory as Imagecopy or in a program directory which is selected from the Paths dialog (Options: Preferences:Paths). Having the modules in the program directory ensures that Imagecopy will be able to find them wherever it is started from. The program directory is where Imagecopy looks for program resources (fonts, palettes, modules, INF files etc.) - it doesn't have to contain the actual program file (although it may do so).
Imagecopy can read Photoshop images (apart from CMYK images and images with unflattened layers) [Imagecopy Plus].
Imagecopy can read STAD images [Imagecopy Plus].
Imagecopy can read and write progressive JPEGs. Progressive JPEGs can be identified in the image information dialog, where they are listed as 'JPEG (progressive)'. You can convert images to progressive JPEGs by selecting the progressive checkbox in the Convert dialog. You can also save an image as a progressive JPEG by displaying it on screen and selecting 'JPEG' and 'progressive' in the Edit/Change Format option of the image menu before resaving the image.
[Imagecopy may create temporary files when reading or writing progressive JPEGs if there is limited memory. These are normally created in the current directory.]
The Convert dialog also has an interlaced checkbox for GIFs. This duplicates the 'Interlace GIF images' checkbox in the Image Preferences dialog.
The Image Preferences dialog has a pop-up menu which allows you to select 'Best quality, 'Fast', or 'DSP' for JPEG decoding. This replaces the 'External JFIF loader' option which used to be in the System Preferences dialog.
When the full area of the top window on screen is selected for copying (see 10.2 in the manual supplement), Imagecopy includes the window's drop shadow.
Images can be dragged from catalogue windows (under MagiC etc.) when Imagecopy is not the top application.