man paul (Commandes) - yet another image viewer

NAME

paul - yet another image viewer

SYNOPSIS

paul [options] [image files]

DESCRIPTION

paul = _P_rogram zur _A_uswertung und _U_mwandlung von _L_aserbildern

(for non German speakers: Program to evaluate and convert laser images). The background is that I take some pictures of crystals using a high-speed film-camera which works with laser light.

PAUL IS ALPHA SOFTWARE! You should expect errors.

Short description

Yet another image viewer.

Longer description

Special designed for sequences of monochrome images.

Works best with gray-scaled images, but can handle any 24-Bit images, off course.

Remark: Gray scaled images are displayed green! It has technical reasons to use the other colors internally. Don't be afraid that your output will be green. It's normal monochrome image.

GTK user interface

The user interface work in progress, some features of paul are only available via command line (See section OPTIONS).

All loaded image files are presented in an file list window.

Pressing the left mouse button on a file name selects this file and displays it in a showing window.

Toggle marking flag by pressing the right mouse button.

To mark all loaded files press the middle mouse button.

There is a new concept called "operating image". An image can be selected as operating image, by holding the <Ctrl>-key while pressing the middle or right button on a filename. The filename is displayed in the "operating image" region of the file-list and the image is displayed in a separate window. Pressing the left mouse button on the operating image brings it back to the file list. This enables resorting of files and is subject of further development.

If there are more than one images selected, the Animate button is enabled. If these images are different in size, you have to adjust the Animation time parameter in the parameter menu to a value greater than 0.4s.

Things which may be of special interest

Moving images
If there are more than one image loaded they can be moved to match each other. The display method can be adjusted in the parameter menu.

Keys in the display window while moving Arrow-Keys, accelerated by <Shift>, <Ctrl> and <Caps-Lock>

0 goes back to the unmoved images

To end the moving press the Accept all moved images in the file selection window. The images will be cut to have the same size.
Cutting images
This can be found in the This image section of the menu. Try the behavior of all mouse buttons and the controls. May be you like precise cutting.
Deleting borders
Try this in any operating section of the menu.

OPTIONS

-a<[*c][+b]>
enh_A_nce contrast (*c) and brightness (+b)
-b[file]
write _B_rightnesses of all images into text-file.
-c<wxh+x+y>
_C_ut image of width w and height h at pixel (x,y) or
-c<a,b_c,d>
_C_ut area in-between (a,b) and (c,d)
-d[e]
_D_ifference image (suppress "noise" up to e).

If e>0 then all equal pixels are marked white which is useful for printing.
-e[ai]<a*b>
search for _E_xtrema of brightness of size a*b

-ea = only m_A_xima; -ei = only m_I_nima
-f[hvmM][i]
median _F_ilter of order i (default: horizontal order 3)
-g<a>[e]
make color images _G_ray
-h
store _H_istogram in text-file
-i[a]
print _I_nformation about images (if a is given print Gamma curve too)
-j[H]<a+b_file>[:URL]
insert file at (a,b). If H is given create a HTML file or append to HTML file if it exists to display a map with click-able icons. The link to insert will point to the optional argument URL or a default link obtained from the name of file

This might be an interesting feature for HTML editors and has nothing to do with the general functionality of paul. I just needed this feature and hope that some others will use it successfully.

Note that there is an easy to use possibility in the GTK+ menu system under "File/Insert" which inserts the operating image (previously selected via <Ctrl>-<middle or right Mouse-button>) in the active image!
-m[cdf]
_M_ove images according to the first in image list.

There are three types: _Color, _D_ifference and _F_lash. paul tries to find good matching images automatically at first.
-n
_N_egativ of image
-o[PNG/TIFF]
_O_utput of processed images in PNG or TIFF format (default PNG)
-p[hv]
mirror _h_orizontal or _v_ertikal
-q
_Q_uiet: no graphic display (useful for batch jobs)
-r[n][+s][-e]
Delete (black) bo_R_der / selection of real image information; n means delete only left and right but not top and bottom border
default: threshold for "black" [s] = 20

allowed error for one pixel [e] = 50
-s
delete (white) _S_canner border
-t<d>
ro_T_ate d degrees clockwise (d = 90, 180, 270)
-w[s]
animate images with s seconds delay (default s=0).
-z[i]
shrink i levels (1 level means = half the width and half the height)
-F
calculate fast Fourier transform of image
-H
print _H_elp screen

CAVEATS

To say it once more: paul is alpha software. Do not expect any marvels. Be happy if it is useful.

BUGS

Please report any bugs, comments or enhancements to <tille@debian.org>.

RESTRICTIONS

Can not handle transparent images correctly and will possibly never do because it isn not intended to do that kind of stuff.

AUTHOR

Andreas Tille <tille@debian.org>

http://www.fam-tille.de

Address at home:
Gartenstraße 8

D-38855 Wernigerode

GERMANY
Address at work:
Robert Koch-Institut

Burgstraße 37

D-38855 Wernigerode

GERMANY

HISTORY

Paul was developed at first to work at the command line. That is the reason why some options are not available in the menus. If this work is done the versioning scheme changes to 0.x.