PWP 7.0.7-32 -- Watercolor - ?'s

[den]

Noticed the following three items regarding Transformation/Special Effects/Watercolor... ...and wonder if these were intended...

Watercolor1_48colorInput_Transform.jpg (46.23 KiB) Viewed 10144 times

Watercolor2_24colorApply-OK_noUntitled_N.jpg (48.47 KiB) Viewed 10149 times

(1) a 48-bit color Input image results in a 24-bit color transformed image upon an Apply or OK

(2) rather than a 'default' 2000 Max Dimension, would not the maxium dimension of the Input image be a better choice? with the understanding for visual element "detail" as provided from the F1 Help...

Step 1 - Resize
Before any other operations are performed, the input image is resized. This is done by specifying the maximum dimension (width for landscape or height for portrait) in pixels of the result image. Generally the image size is reduced in order to reduce the amount of detail in the image, but if the input image is already small, resizing it larger may also produce good results. The larger the output image, the more detail it will capture.

(3) an Apply/OK image version does not have an "Untitled N" format in the frame name prior to saving it to indicate that it is an "unsaved" work space image.

Slightly Off Topic... ...with a little bit more experimentation, I can see where this transform could potentially have un-intended "skin smoothing" and/or luma-chroma noise reduction possibilities.

...den...
Vista 32 Home Premium, SP2, latest version/updates
AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+ processor
3 GB DDR2 dual channel RAM
2 MB ReadyBoost Cache
500GB hard drive with 100GB free space

[jsachs]

1) The algorithm for fast median filtering applies only to 24-bit images so 48-bit are converted to 24-bit.
2) The stroke detail is related to the image size - this would not work well for very small or large images
3) Will check this out.

[den]

Had a chance to look at this again this morning...

(1) the resulting transformed image file size is the same as the 48-bit color Input image when the Max Dimension = the max dimension of the Input image... ...so I would conclude that though a portion of the transform calculations are 24-bit... ...the transformed image is indeed 48-bit and that this is a display issue similiar to item (3).

(2) understand the thinking here... ...just difficult to give up un-necessarily image data!!!

...den...

[jsachs]

The output image is always 24-bit color - this is the way it works - it's not a display issue or a bug.

[den]

Jonathan...

Yes...I can now confirm a 'saved' Watercolor transformed image version is 24-bit color if its Input image is 48-bit and Max Dimension = the maxium Input image dimension because the Image Properties-Size value of the 'saved' image is half that of the Input image...

...what is confusing is that when you request Image Properties of an un-saved Watercolor transformed image that is in the work space, its Image Properties-Size; File; and Folder are the same as the Input image along with all other Input image properties...

...I do see a momentary output image frame [blank] titled "Untitled" during the Watercolor progress dialog but it disappears and is replaced with the title of the Input image and N+1 sequence number [N+1 - <name>]... after the Sharpening, then Edge progress dialogs...

Perhaps the Image Properties-File Information is related to not having an "Untitled N+1" in the un-saved work space transformed image frame/display name...

To see this:
1) open a previously saved 48-bit color image, then open Watercolor, and set Max Dimension = to the Input image maximum dimension...
2) click OK, with all other Watercolor settings at default.
3) right click on the Input image selecting Properties noting enteries, click close.
4) right click on the un-saved work space transformed image selecting Properties. Note these entries are duplicate of 3). Click close.
5) now 'save' the work space transformed image.
6) right click on the resulting 5) image selecting Properties. Note Size is now half that of the Input image Size property and that other File Information items have updated.

I have observed for other transformed un-saved work space images [Untitled N+1 - <name>] that their Image Properties for Modified, Size, File, and Folder are blank until there is a "save" or "save as".

...den...

[jsachs]

Yes, I believe this is related to the problem with the title which has been fixed for the next release.

[davidh]

On a similar topic. (Sorry, den)
Posterizing a 48 bit image also results in 24 bit output image except when only B and W are used. It usually needs to be converted back to 48 bit for further transformations. The reason will be behind its algorithm, too. Am I right?

David

[jsachs]

Posterize maps the colors in the image to a specified list of colors. Since there is no way to specify 48-bit colors, Posterize output is a 24-bit color image. If the palette of colors are all gray, the output image is 8-bit B&W. This is just done to keep the output image small. Once you are down to 24-bit colors there is not much point in going back to 48-bit color again.

[Charles2]

The Watercolor dialog has seven sliders. I hope you can add the usual Save As and Load options. Probably one of the most difficult parts of the job would be deciding what the file suffix should be - perhaps WCFields.

[Charles2]

This comment is about the documentation Note, not a bug.

In beta v. 7.0.8 I let the Watercolor transformation work at downsize dimensions, about 25 percent of original area; upsized the result to the original dimensions; and did a Composite | Blend with the original image at a strength of 25 percent. Happened to be rather nice result.

Does this procedure give a result not easily obtained in the Watercolor transformation by itself, set to work at the original image dimensions? If so, the procedure might be worth a mention in the documentation Note.