Imagesoft
From ReactOS
Imagesoft has yet to be given a name, thus the name imagesoft has been adopted until then. If you have a good idea for a name for imagesoft, please leave your thoughts in the discussion section.
Contents |
Preamble
The usage of graphics manipulation software in a default Windows environment has always been split between two packages. MS Paint is a drawing tool used to create simple or elaborate drawings and MS Photo Editor is image editing tool in which images can be altered and rendered using a predefined set of tools.
Whilst it is true that there are products in the market place which combine these two areas into one package, these packages are not without problems of their own. The two problems which are prominent above the rest are product cost and reliance on non standard frameworks.
This project will endeavour to overcome these issues by releasing the software under the GPL, thus making it freely available to all. Also using the native Win32 API and the C programming language ensures it’s not dependent on any non standard technologies.
About
Imagesoft originally started out as a university project undertaken by Ged Murphy. The project was inspired by Paint.net and aims to create something similar, without the reliance on the .NET framework. Although the package is aimed at and being developed for Windows operating systems, it also aims to be a default paint package within the ReactOS environment. It’s due to this later point that the whole package is being developed in C using the Win32 API and the reason for the project's birth when Paint.net is already freely available.
Initially, imagesoft is going to be developed to support the default Windows bitmap only. However once a working framework has been put down, there are plans to add libraries for reading most popular image formats and a small selection of the most popular writing formats will be supported .
Contributions
Although this is a student project, the focal point of research from the academic side is related to the implementation of algorithms and methodologies of tools like sharpen, blur, smudge and emboss. Although the project as a whole will be demonstrated in a viva, the written dissertation will only be marked with regards to that research. This means everyone is encouraged to develop the project and / or supply patches for feature additions and bug fixes. With the exception of the mentioned algorithms, there are no restrictions to development.
