Pasting graphics with invisible areas

[HazMatt]

Hey, we all (should) know that Macs rule graphics, and here may be another case...

I create my image in Photoshop. I can select any active pixels on a layer, allowing me to copy much more than just a rectangular image to the clipboard. I paste the image either on a layout directly or in a container field; it shows up just fine... on the Mac. When I move to the PC, I get a stinkin' ugly white box where the invisible pixels were. What's the deal? See the attached GIF for a Mac vs. PC comparison of the graphic in question.

[cjaeger]

just made a little tutorial in "Sample Files"

http://www.fmforums.com/threads/download.php?Number=69266

[HazMatt]

Hey Christian, that was a nice tutorial, but I'm already making transparent images. I did try your method of rotating an image to get a transparent image I can work with, but I get the same results as I do know with a Photoshop copy.

The fact that FileMaker changes the 100% white to transparent on a rotate is abnormal, and I'd rather see the feature (bug?) disappear. If I want to rotate an image, I don't want the colors changing.

I did discover that a straight-forward paste seems to not entirely work on both systems, although it is not as obvious on the Mac. Look at the Mac 0

[cjaeger]

If it's a bug, it has been there since version 3.0.

The only other way I know to get transparent pictures on a PC is to use ClarisWorks/Appleworks Drawing Module or draw the graphic with FileMaker rectangle, line and circle tools.

You may try to use transparent WMF files on the PC, but when they are converted into PICT format (i.e. when used on Mac platform), you will experience the same problem in reverse.

None of the techniques work if you import pictures as a reference only, unless you use PICT vector graphics.

[Leb i Sol]

Hi there!

". I can select any active pixels on a layer"

why are u using selection tool at all...?

why not just create a transparent gif whith the transparent background (if u need help send file to lebisol2@_NO_SPAM_hotmail.com)

"I paste directly in a container field; "

- you should save images as a refernce only-->therefor pasting is not the way to go

"the image either on a layout "

- this is OK and transparent .gif will work

try the attached imge

All the best!

[Lee Smith]

Hi Leb i Sol

I must be doing something wrong. No matter how I approach it, the your Flag file shows the white background. (i.e. I draged into a picture box, and I downloaded it and referred to by referrenced.

Lee

[Leb i Sol]

Hi Lee!

Nevermind my post...I made a mistake I was wroking on a white background so it seemd as if it worked

it is very stange...FM does support .gif files?!

...also I noticed if the file on the forum is not saved "right-click-save as" from the link "attachement" (vs. open in a new browser window) it changes from .gif to .bmp

Just a though:

how about setting an associtation of a ".gif" file extentions to be handeled by a PC system itself- IE Explorer vs. Adobe or Irfanview?!

hm...I will look into this over the weekend...now it is starting to bother me ass well!

All the best!

[HazMatt]

One disappointment I have with fmforums.com is that the attachments, without exception, all download with the .php file extension. Of course it's a GIF, but I'd only know that because of the message. I have to manually replace .php with .gif.

Anyway, I was able to open the GIF with Photoshop (Lee, it is normal for simple viewing programs to make the background white). See the attached GIF screenshot I took of Leb i Sol's GIF. Aside from the undesirable color fuzzies, it is the same image I'd be able to come up with.

Anyway (part 2), could somebody explain to me how to "reference" a graphic? The last thing I want is an Images folder with a bunch of graphics I have to link to. Is this what you're talking about? Or is it storing the images in a container field and referencing it through a relationship ('cause I already do that.)

I'm willing to accept cjaeger's assertion that this is a FileMaker bug.

[Lee Smith]

It didn't download (.php), it opened in IE. The only choices available then, were to copy and paste, drag and drop, or copy image to hard disk.

Lee

[Leb i Sol]

Hi MDLarson!

I had no luck getting the "transparency" to reflect in the FM

part2:_____________________________________________________________

"The last thing I want is an Images folder with a bunch of graphics I have to link to. "

that is exactly what u 'need' to do

it is the same working approach but the difference is:

- inserting image/file into container will be trated as such and your DB will grow along with the size of the object (eg. image.gif)...if you have an image that is 500 K in size it will also increase your DB size for as much.

...so if u have 1000 records with 500K each....well u can guess how many records u will be able to have (not as nearly as much ) and Especially if people insert photoshop file with all the layers... (file.psd) where each image can easily be 5MB!

- the solution to this would inserting images into container field and saving it with "[x] Store only a refrence to the file"

what this does is basically stores only a small text string ...eg. "C:my_docsimagesimage.jpg"

-this helps DB speed over the web as well

Now, u will say :"How in the hel* am I going to remeber all the file name etc....well in this case most developers would associate the image_name.jpg with the record_ID so in case images get moved arround u know which one belong where.

eg.

[RecordID]-----

========================

abc123 ------abc123.jpg

xyz1001 ----xyz1001.jpg

=======================

All the best!

[Leb i Sol]

Hello MDLarson!

& follow up research for those who care:

http://www.ironclad.net.au/lists/fmpexperts/archives/2001/FMPexperts_01_04_28.3.html

hit :Find on this Page (IE Ctrl+F) and type "transparent cross-platform "

u will find another discussion about this issue.

I have just found an interesting thing:

-transparent (on layout) image created on Mac platform { as u said works great}

-now I opened that same file on PC and the image still looked transparent!

- THEN i added some simple effect to that image (emboss...border etc.) and the dam* thing tuned back to the problem ur having. I un-did the the effect and the image remained with the white background vs. transparent...it is almost as if the FM is forceing it!

well, anyhow...so much from my research...if I get anything useful I will let u know!

All the best!

[HazMatt]

The way I handle nearly all of my images is this:

Every one of my databases has a calculation field called "relationship_link". The calc is simply "=1". I also have a "resources.fp5" database with the same calc field. I then have a relationship called "resources" on each and every database in my solution.

Now, I only have one record in resources.fp5, but many container fields. I paste the images in these container fields, label them, and it becomes very easy (and manageable) in my other databases to link to these images with the simple relationship.

I am interested in the direct file linking system - I am going to try to link to PDFs of all the drawings in our engineering folder directly from our parts database. I'll be dinking around with that in the near future...

As far as the silly transparent images... well, hopefully FileMaker will fix that "bug" in a future release. It doesn't appear as if it's working as it should in any case.

Thanks!

[Leb i Sol]

Hi MDLarson!

what ever works for you is fine by me but "I paste the images in these container fields" is what worries me that one day the DB will be FULL.

I just spent a good deal of time removing image from the DB made by someone else...not a fun process. They had ONLY 3000 records and yet the DB was full (2 GB!) since they "pasted" Adobe PSD files in it...not even converted to JPGs or GIF....I still prefer:

recordID < -- > the_same_image_name.jpg and have the images in the folder......but

"it is not about the path we choose; it is about our will to get to the top of the hill" right

All the best!

[HazMatt]

Ahh, now I completely understand why you don't store graphics in FM databases! You are managing more than just data - you're into file management.

My "resources.fp5" database is a whopping 512 K so far. I'm only planning on storing graphical elements that enhance my FM solution.

[Leb i Sol]

hi MD!

"I'm only planning on storing graphical elements that enhance my FM solution"

well, in this case (as a quick solution) design & lock your layouts with tranpsrent images on a Mac and u can hand it to a PC user with the "correct" look.

Hopefully 'FM_Gang' will wake up and start seriosly compeating for as DB sofware and re-designing FileMaker....releasing new 'numbers' v5, v5.5, v6, doesn't do any good if the software has not actually improved and the plugins business was/is/always will be rotten deal...."who needs a car without the engine?" and FM sells the "enigine" in parts ONLY (on the top of it all)

Anyhow....next time stop me from making blobs of posts