Images are the main elements of ImageWarp's interface. Images can be acquired from a video or TWAIN device, or loaded from the image files. They are also created as a result of image processing. Images are placed into image frames within the workspace. Each image frame in ImageWarp LE receives its unique ID number by which the processing functions access the corresponding image. When an image is captured from a video device or loaded from a file, a new image frame is usually created and assigned the smallest ID number available (i.e. not taken by the other images in the workspace). However, you can create a new image in any frame by selecting a specific frame number including those already assigned. In this case, the previous image will be moved to the Undo/Redo stack of the image frame and replaced with a new one.
Frames numbers in the range of 1-99 correspond to the visible images, while numbers from 100 to 127 define the hidden ones. The hidden images are placed in the memory, but they are not displayed on the screen allowing for speed increase in time critical applications. You can also use them in your scripts as auxiliary images not intended for observation.
Each image also has a title which is derived from the name of the file the image was loaded from or is assigned by default during the capture. If Auto-naming is selected in Preferences, image processing functions will modify the title of an image by adding a suffix corresponding to the script abbreviation of a function. For instance, if you open an image named "Sample jpg," apply the lowpass filter to it, and then threshold the result, the resulting images will receive the following titles in the order of appearance: "Sample," "Sample_lowpass," "Sample_threshold." You can change the title of the active image by using the Image Information command.
Like any window, an image frame can be moved and resized. To move an image window, drag its title bar. To resize an image window, drag its borders. You can enlarge an image frame to its maximum possible size in the workspace by clicking Maximize button on the right side of the image title bar. If the viewable image size exceeds the size of the image frame, you can use the scroll bars or arrow keys to pan the image within its frame. You can also use the Move Tool for panning the image. If you make the size of an image frame bigger than the viewable image dimensions, the image will be positioned in the center of the frame with gray borders surrounding the image. To fit the image frame to the viewable image size, use the Fit to image command from the View menu, or simply press the Home key. The Close button on the title bar offers a quick way to close an image. If the image in the frame has been modified, ImageWarp LE will offer you to save it first. To disable this feature, clear the Prompt before closing check box in the Preferences.
Images can be displayed at different zoom ratios that can be changed in the Zoom Box on the View Toolbar or by using Zoom In and Zoom Out commands. You can also use the "+" and "-" keys on the keyboard to increase or decrease the zoom factor of the active image. ImageWarp features a context zoom which allows you to magnify a desired area of an image by pointing to it with the mouse cursor and pressing the "+" key. The Local Zoom tool allows for viewing a magnified area of interest of an image in a separate window. Note that you can zoom, move, resize, and close images by using corresponding script commands. See ImageWarp LE Language Reference for more details. In addition, a popup menu with the most frequently used commands may be obtained by placing the mouse cursor over an image and clicking the right button.
ImageWarp LE supports a variety of image types which differ by the bit depth and the number of components (planes). Images of high bit depth (more than 8-bit per channel) have Display Range boxes at the bottom of their frames. By adjusting the minimum and maximum levels of the display range, you can map a specific intensity range of an image to the standard 8-bit luminance scale of the display. If the active image is of the palettized type, its palette will be displayed in the Palette Bar, and it can be edited with the Palette Editor.
Brief information about an image is provided in the title bar of its frame. The title bar displays the number of the image frame, the title of the image, the horizontal and vertical dimensions, and the pixel depth. For more detailed information on the active image use the Image Information command from the Edit menu. You can analyze the digital content of the active image by moving the mouse cursor over it and watching the reported pixel values on the status bar, or you can open the Digital Editor which will give you an access to all the pixels in numerical format.
Adding the Rulers to an image frame will help you determine the size and position of the image elements in calibrated geometrical units. It will also allow you to easily move the origin of the coordinate system of the image by dragging the crosshair in the upper-left corner of the frame. Double-clicking the Rulers will activate the Spatial Calibration of the image.
Images can be modified interactively by the drawing tools or processing commands available through the functional dialogs. When you apply a drawing tool to an image, the image will be replaced with the modified image and moved to the Undo/Redo stack of the frame. Most of ImageWarp's functional dialogs will create an output image in a new frame with the first available number. You can change this default behavior in the Preferences by selecting the Output to the same frame check box. With this option selected, ImageWarp will perform image processing the same way the drawing tools do, i.e. replacing the input images with the processed ones and moving them into the Undo stack.
You can isolate a certain area of an image by using Selections. When a selection is active on an image, the processing functions will operate only upon the pixels within the selection area.
