Found a new free photo editing software to use...

richardshipp

If you've paid any attention to when I post pics of my coins I always just cropped them in a square and you could see part of the slab etc. It seemed everyone else was cropping with nice round circles.... Today I finally found and downloaded a photo editing program that I'm just starting to play with but it seems pretty cool and easy to use. The program is called "Photoscape" and I downloaded it free off a Cnet link. I have no affiliation with either. Here's a couple of samples where I could not only easily crop with circles but then combine the pics into a single picture.
This is probably old news to all you but it's new to me, so thought I'd share

kimber45ACP

Thanks.

Looking for a circle cropper myself.

ambro51

Yes its a good program and nice for creating black backgrounds also.

nice to see that some FREE things are actually FREE and work great!~ (and you dont have to sign up for Triple Advantage either )

dbemike

More examples using "Photoscape"....Ambro51 showed me this awhile back

messydesk

Gimp is another package you can download free. Seems to work quite well from what I've tried thus far.

mbogoman

Thanks tons!!! I've been looking for something for combining/stitching photos together ever since Photoshop Elements removed the manual merge option in V6. Photoshop's auto merging just has too much difficulty when trying to stitch two photos together (it tries to merge them and doesn't allow manual manipulation of the photos). It was driving me nuts!!

lordmarcovan

Thanks. I will look into it. My old program (which was originally for Win95!) is becoming less and less stable these days. It would do "elliptical" cropping but was hard to make a true circle with it.

MorganChicken

Thanks for the recommendation! I've also been having problems cropping coins in a perfect circle, and Photoscape should help me with that.

LanLord

Looks like a nice free app, but I hate that it wants to default to installing the google toolbar on the browser.

pendragon1998

<< <i>Thanks. I will look into it. My old program (which was originally for Win95!) is becoming less and less stable these days. It would do "elliptical" cropping but was hard to make a true circle with it. >>



Rob,

Try cropping your image to a square the same dimensions as the coin image (i.e., have all four edges frame the coin exactly), then you'll have an easier time making a true circle - the top, bottom and sides of the circle will be the midpoints of the four sides of the square.

richardshipp

<< <i>Yes its a good program and nice for creating black backgrounds also.

nice to see that some FREE things are actually FREE and work great!~ (and you dont have to sign up for Triple Advantage either ) >>



I haven't figured out how to get the black background as yet

LanLord

<< <i>

<< <i>Yes its a good program and nice for creating black backgrounds also.

nice to see that some FREE things are actually FREE and work great!~ (and you dont have to sign up for Triple Advantage either ) >>



I haven't figured out how to get the black background as yet >>

Good thing this isn't the OFR or this post would go downhill post haste!

dbemike

Under the CROP tab, when you check CROP ROUND IMAGE, a color palette appears below the checked area.

richardshipp

Thanks

EagleEye

If you want to make crop circles in Photoshop just hold down the shift button while sizing with the marque tool using your mouse.

If you want to make crop circles in a wheatfield, that's something else.

mumu

<< <i>

<< <i>Thanks. I will look into it. My old program (which was originally for Win95!) is becoming less and less stable these days. It would do "elliptical" cropping but was hard to make a true circle with it. >>



Rob,

Try cropping your image to a square the same dimensions as the coin image (i.e., have all four edges frame the coin exactly), then you'll have an easier time making a true circle - the top, bottom and sides of the circle will be the midpoints of the four sides of the square. >>



This will only work well if the picture taken creates a perfect circle with the coin. Gimp is a full photoshop clone. Even does some things better than pshop. There are tools/tricks in both to work with non-perfect circles.

Edscoin

I have been using Photoscape for a long time. Great program and easy to use too!
You can also make green backgrounds!

SUMORADA

I just downloaded it........very .....thanks.

KISHU1

Very cool I need to adjust my lighting but this is great
Frank

EagleEye

Just downloaded it. WOW! very intuitive. Cool program. Thanks for pointing it out.

Constantine

Photoshop Elements 8.0 is on sale at Costco for $49.99. Can't beat that for some respectable editing power without the hundreds of dollars price tag.

dbemike

ambro51

...now if there was only an easy way to 'unprong' a coin image, that would be sweet!

Eagleguy

I've been using it for a while and it is really easy and intuitive, as Rick said. I haven't tried to do anything fancier than this.



JH

richardshipp

Still playing with it. The Lincoln deserved better presentation:

BillyKingsley

Thank you for that! I downloaded it. (That's pretty rare for me...it's only the second program I've downloaded since I got my new computer 14 months ago)

I like it, a lot! The round crop and the merge...that's really nice.

I did this:

(My original scans)


I edited with the round editor into this:


And then merged into this....oh yeah!


I had been working, albeit slowly, on scanning my collection. I am about 3/4ths done. I think I'm going to have to do all the new scans in this style, and go back and convert the old ones into this as well!

Thanks again for posting it!

RWB

Looking for a circle cropper myself.

Crop circles show up in lots of farmers' fields. Some come from storm damage, others are made by cattle who get lost while following the lead cow in a circle. Others are made by human-space alien composite creatures so they can get parts on reality TV shows.

Oh....sorry...wrong topic......

CarsonCityGold

Thanks - Great download. I figured out how to crop round and then put the obverse and reverse together in one image with the black background.
Can anyone tell me how to add text and also do the "reflections" with this program?
Thanks, CCG

Broadstruck

Playing around with Photoscape...

chaze215

<< <i>Still playing with it. The Lincoln deserved better presentation:

>>



How were you able to get the writing between the obverse/reverse?

richardshipp

<< <i>

<< <i>Still playing with it. The Lincoln deserved better presentation:

>>



How were you able to get the writing between the obverse/reverse? >>




Please remember I'm a newb at this so.... what I think I did was combine the two images (obv and reverse) into one picture then "save". Then I opened that save picture in the edit window. Then on one of the tabs at the bottom you can add text and format the text and move it to wherver you want on the picture. To save time there is a little + sign next to your text when you click it once and if you press that it duplicates it. Then I just moved that new box to another area, double clicked it and changed the words without having to format it again.

I've been trying to set up some of my other coins so that eventually they'll all be kind of the same...







This ones in for grading (I hope it grades anyway) right now...

ttxp

I also support the photo software program GIMP. It is as feature laden as Photoshop but the price is far better, its free. I received my copy on a Freeware CD given with a British magazine called PC Utilities found at Borders if one has a store nearby. I would think one could also download it free of the web?

Weird name for an image editing program but it is truly a great program for a serious digital photographer.

messydesk

<< <i>I also support the photo software program GIMP. It is as feature laden as Photoshop but the price is far better, its free. I received my copy on a Freeware CD given with a British magazine called PC Utilities found at Borders if one has a store nearby. I would think one could also download it free of the web? >>


Yes, from here. (Source code is also available.)


<< <i>Weird name for an image editing program but it is truly a great program for a serious digital photographer. >>


Gnu Image Manipulation Program

dbemike

<< <i>Thanks - Great download. I figured out how to crop round and then put the obverse and reverse together in one image with the black background.
Can anyone tell me how to add text and also do the "reflections" with this program?
Thanks, CCG >>



On the "HOME" tab at the bottom, click "FILTER" for the pop-up, 3rd from bottom is "REFLECTION" click that, then adjust the settings(I use 30% for size, 100% level, 0% perspective), then click OK, then click "OBJECT" tab at the bottom, then click T on left for "TEXT", enter your text, then OK, then you'll be able to move text where you want it on the picture with cursor. Remember to "SAVE" from bottom right of page.

CarsonCityGold

Thanks, I'll give it a try when I get home.

CarsonCityGold

OK, What do you think??

pendragon1998

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Thanks. I will look into it. My old program (which was originally for Win95!) is becoming less and less stable these days. It would do "elliptical" cropping but was hard to make a true circle with it. >>



Rob,

Try cropping your image to a square the same dimensions as the coin image (i.e., have all four edges frame the coin exactly), then you'll have an easier time making a true circle - the top, bottom and sides of the circle will be the midpoints of the four sides of the square. >>



This will only work well if the picture taken creates a perfect circle with the coin. Gimp is a full photoshop clone. Even does some things better than pshop. There are tools/tricks in both to work with non-perfect circles. >>



No, it'll work fine with a rectangle too.

123cents

Thanks for the info Richard. I am getting a new computer this coming week and I will download the program.

coinsarefun

Photoscape rocks! I just downloaded it on my iMac and its very easy to use.

Edited to add images.