Imagecache Actions

dman - May 28, 2008 - 11:45
Imagecache Effects

Imagecache.module provides the most commonly-used processes needed for basic image manipulation.
This package provides a suite of additional processes that can be added to the imagecache pipeline, including:

  • Watermarking - a much requested addition that enables you to place any image anywhere over a source picture, with alpha transparency
  • Overlays - Add photo-corners etc to the image
  • Text overlay - add a short copyright notice to your image, using available system fonts
  • Color-shifting - Colorize images. Also invert.
  • Brighten/Darken
  • Alpha blending - turn an image into a transparent mask, and back into a flat image against another color
  • Canvas manipulation - add padding, either onto color or transparent backgrounds
  • Background - Place your image onto another source background
  • File Format switcher - If you need tranparency in JPGs : make them PNG. If your PNG thumbnails are 30K each, save them as JPGs
  • Rounded corners (transparent). With input from canaryMason, we can even set different radius for different corners, and round just one corner etc.
  • Aspect Switcher new 2009-08 - lets you perform different actions or use different dimensions based on whether the image is 'landscape' or 'portrait'

These functions, combined with the available scale,crop,rotate functions already provided by imagecache make hundreds of image processing effects available.

The DRUPAL-6 release requires Imagecache.
It integrates slightly with image.module, imagefield.module, filefield.module, upload.module if available - to supply node data that can be used in the text overlay action.

Many imagecache actions just do not work with the ImageMagick Toolkit. To use imagecache_actions, you will either have to just use the built-in GD toolkit or help contribute imageMagick - compatible scripts that do the job. Those scripts have not yet been written by people that actually use ImageMagick. - help wanted

compatability
Significant changes were made to the imageAPI API recently. This means that some versions of imagecache_actions are not compatible with some versions of imageAPI!
[ imageapi 6.x-1.4 (and dev and up) == imagecache_actions 6.x-1.4 (and dev and up) ]
[ imageapi 6.x-1.3 (and down) == imagecache_actions 6.x-1.2 (and down) ]
There is no imagecache_actions 6.x-1.3.

For Drupal 5
The same problem got backported to Drupal5.
If you are using Drupal 5 with imageAPI DRUPAL-5.x-2.3 or below, I think you should be using imagecache_actions DRUPAL-5.x-2.x.
If you are using Drupal 5 with imageAPI DRUPAL-5.x-2.4 or above there is now a DEV release called imagecache_actions DRUPAL-5.x-3-dev you should try.
ImageAPI changed the 'API' in an incompatible way without a clear version number update. Then backported the same change to the 'stable' d5. Sorry, I may not have been able to keep up entirely with all that.

Original effort on the canvas/layers was contributed to imagecache1 by Dimm. This was reworked into doprys rewritten API by dman, and many extra bits (especially better transparency support) was added.
"Independant" rounded corners were enabled with code contributed by CanaryMason

This project is open for contributors to add more effects, as the imagecache API allows any modules to add their own effects to the library. It exists as a project separate from ImageCache proper purely for management purposes.

ImageMagick support is very limited (I don't use or test it) and relies on user contributions to move forward.

Click the below example images to view the settings details
Jump down to releases

Watermark Overlays Overlays Colorshift Brightness Alpha Transparency Canvases Rounded Corners Text derived from the image node Putting it all together
 

Releases

Official releasesDateSizeLinksStatus
6.x-1.62009-Jun-10977.03 KBRecommended for 6.xThis is currently the recommended release for 6.x.
5.x-3.12009-May-10566.81 KBSupported for 5.xThis release is supported but is not currently the recommended release for 5.x.
5.x-2.32008-Oct-28563.48 KBRecommended for 5.xThis is currently the recommended release for 5.x.
Development snapshotsDateSizeLinksStatus
6.x-1.x-dev2009-Oct-311.32 MBDevelopment snapshotDevelopment snapshots are automatically regenerated and their contents can frequently change, so they are not recommended for production use.
5.x-3.x-dev2009-May-11566.81 KBDevelopment snapshotDevelopment snapshots are automatically regenerated and their contents can frequently change, so they are not recommended for production use.


 
 

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