AcidImage™

Red Mercury® Presents AcidImage

Copyright © 2003 Red Mercury, LLC

Read license.txt before using this software.

Quick Start
Installation
Registration
Copy Images to Memory Card / Memory Stick
Where To Copy Images
Getting Started
List View
Thumbnail View
Tap-and-Hold Menu Options
Sorting
Viewing Images
Creating and Viewing Slideshows
Slideshow Settings
Options Menu
Preferences
File Types
Jog Prefs
Silk Prefs
Image Formats
Memory Requirements
Have Fun
Contacting Red Mercury

Quick Start

With AcidImage, you can view JPEG, GIF, or BMP image files directly from your external Memory Card or Memory Stick. You don't need any special software on your desktop computer in order to use AcidImage. You can even pop your Memory Card or Memory Stick right out of a digital camera and view the full image right on your Palm OS handheld.

You can also use AcidImage to view any PictureGear Pocket, SplashPhoto or MGI™ PhotoSuite® images that you may have on your Palm or Memory Card.

Installation

To install AcidImage, just double-click on the file "AcidImage.prc". The Palm Install Tool will start, with AcidImage.prc listed in the window.

Click "Done". The next time you HotSync, AcidImage will be installed.

If double-clicking does not work, you can start Palm Desktop and click the "Install" icon to start the Palm Install Tool. You can then click "Add..." and select the AcidImage.prc file.

If you have trouble installing AcidImage, you can find help in the documentation that came with your Palm OS device. You can also send email to support@red-mercury.com with questions.

Registration

AcidImage will remind you from time to time that it is free to try for a short time. It will tell you how many days you have left to try for free. If you would like to purchase the fully registered version, simply visit Red Mercury to find instructions on how to purchase on-line. Once you have purchased the full version, you will receive an UnlockCode that will allow you unlimited AcidImage use on one Palm OS device.

Copy Images to Memory Card / Memory Stick

AcidImage allows you to view images directly off a Memory Card or Memory Stick, without any special software on your desktop computer. Any Windows BMP, GIF, or JPEG image can be viewed with AcidImage once it has been copied to your memory card. No Conduits or Image Converters are needed.

You can use the Palm Install Tool to copy images directly to your Memory Card.

  1. Start the Palm Install Tool on your desktop computer.
  2. Drag your BMP, GIF or JPEG image files to the Install Tool.
  3. The files will be copied to your Memory Card the next time you HotSync.

(Note: If the Palm Install Tool won't let you install image files, try HotSyncing your Palm with a Memory Card inserted to let the Install Tool know that you have a Memory Card. Also, if the Install Tool won't let you install BMP files, try installing AcidImage first. This will let the Install Tool know where to put BMP files).

If you have a Sony CLIE, and if you have MS Import installed on your CLIE and computer, you can mount your memory stick as a hard drive on your computer. This allows you to drag and drop images directly to your Memory Stick.

Where To Copy Images

Your images can be copied anywhere you like on your Memory Card. If you use the Palm Install Tool, your images will most likely end up in a directory called "/DCIM". If you use MS Import with a Sony Memory Stick, you can make your own directories and copy your images where you like. You can use subdirectories to organize your images.

You can also view PictureGear Pocket, SplashPhoto and MGI PhotoSuite images with AcidImage.

  • PictureGear Pocket images must be in a directory called "/Palm/Programs/PictureGear".
  • MGI PhotoSuite images must be in a directory called "/Palm/Launcher".
  • SplashPhoto images must be in a directory called "/Palm/Programs/SplashPhoto"

These are the directories that PictureGear, PhotoSuite and SplashPhoto put their images in by default, so if you already have images in these formats, they will probably already be in the right place.

PictureGear, SplashPhoto and PhotoSuite images can also be stored in RAM on your Palm. Images stored in RAM will have a Palm icon in the file list, instead of a Memory Card icon.

JPEG, BMP, and GIF images must be stored on a memory card.

Getting Started

Once you have some images on your memory card, you are ready to view them with AcidImage. Start AcidImage by tapping its icon in the Palm Application Launcher.

AcidImage will find all of the image files on your Memory Stick and in RAM and display them in the Image Groups View.

In the Image Group View, you can select which groups you would like to view.

Tap the image group name to open a list or thumbnail view of the group.

List View

The list view shows the names of the images in a group. The far left column will show a Palm icon if the image is in RAM, or a memory card icon if the image is stored on a memory card.

You can view any image by tapping the image name.

Tap the "Thumb" button at the bottom of the List View to enter a thumbnail view.

Thumbnail View

The Thumbnail view will show you a small thumbnail of each image in a group. AcidImage will create thumbnails for every image. The first time you open a thumbnail view for a particular group, it may take a few seconds to generate the thumbnails for each image. AcidImage will save the thumbnails in a file, and the next time you open that group, the thumbnails will appear instantly.

If you prefer that AcidImage not save thumbnails, you can turn this feature off in the Preferences dialog box by changing the "Save Thumbs" option to "Never."

Tap-and-Hold Menu Options

Tap and hold navigation works on image group names, file names and thumbnail images. The tap-and-hold indicator (a green circle) lets you know where tap-and-hold menus are located and how long you need to ‘hold’ your stylus to view the menu. The tap-and-hold indicator will fill in while you hold your stylus down. When the indicator fills in completely, the menu will appear. If you release the stylus early, the group or image will open.

Open - Opens selected image group

View - Views selected image

Slideshow All - Start a slideshow of all images in a group

Slideshow Checked - Start a slideshow of all checked images or image groups

View All - View all images in a group one at a time

View Checked - View checked images one at a time

Info - Displays detailed information about the image (name, type, file size, dimensions, location, created date, modified date)

Rename - Rename file by entering a new file name

Select All - Put a checkmark by all image groups or files in the current view

Deselect All - Remove checkmark from all image groups or files in the current view

Group Checked - Adds checked images to a new or existing image group

Delete Checked - Deletes checked image groups or image files. Images deleted from the image file view will be permanently removed from the memory card or RAM. Image Groups you have created can be deleted but the actual image files will not be deleted - only the group information will be deleted.

Sorting

The File View has four Sort buttons, marked "L", "T", "Name" and "Date". The "L" stands for "Location" - some images might be on your Memory Card, while others (PictureGear, PhotoSuite or SplashPhoto format) might be in RAM. The "T" stands for "Type" - JPEG, BMP, GIF, PictureGear, PhotoSuite, etc.

Tap on any Sort button to sort by that column. Tap the same Sort button again to sort in the reverse order.

Sorting by Date is useful if you have a digital camera that saves the date and time when you take a picture. If you sort by Date, the most recent picture taken will appear at the top of the list.

Viewing Images

When viewing images individually (by tapping the image name or the "View" button), you will see Corner Tools. These are the tools in the four corners of the screen.

The tools can be hidden and shown by tapping the Hide/Show tool in the upper-left hand corner. The tools remain active even when they are hidden - just tap in the corners. Tap the Hide/Show tool again to show the tools.

The "X" in the upper-right corner allows you to exit back to the File View screen.

The Rotate tool in the lower-right corner allows you to rotate the image 90 degrees at a time.

The Zoom tool in the lower-left corner opens up a tool bar that allows you to zoom from less than 1% up to 1600%. This is helpful if, for example, you have a map and you would like to zoom in to some details, or zoom out to get an overall view. AcidImage always zooms in to the center of the screen. If you want to zoom into a particular spot in an image, position that spot in the center of the screen and use the Zoom Tool to zoom in.

The Zoom Toolbar also has a Fit To Screen button and a 100% button. The Fit To Screen button scales the image so that the entire image fits on the screen. The 100% button scales the image so that one pixel in the image equals one pixel on your screen.

You can see different parts of the image by dragging the image around on the screen. Just place the pen anywhere on the image (not on a tool), and move the pen. The image will move. You can use the Fit To Screen button on the Zoom Toolbar to re-center the image.

You can use the Page Up / Page Down buttons on your Palm to go to the next or previous image, if you have multiple images selected. You can also use the Jog Dial on Sony CLIEs to go to the next or previous image. In Preferences, you can set the Jog Dial to change images, or to change the zoom level of the image.

Creating and Viewing Slideshows

The Slideshow feature allows you to conveniently view multiple images in sequence or random order. To create a slideshow either select the images you want to view by tapping the checkbox next to the image name or create an image group.

To start the slideshow, tap the "Slideshow" button on the bottom of the screen or tap and hold on a selected image. From the pop-up menu, select either "Slideshow All" or "Slideshow Checked".

Slideshow Settings

Delay - Select an interval between images.

Loop - When checked, the slideshow will start over at the beginning once it has reached the last image selected. If "Loop" is not checked, the slide show will stay on the last image until you exit the slideshow by tapping on the screen.

Random Order- When checked, the images will be shown in a random order. Each image will be shown once in a random sequence until all images have been viewed and then the slideshow will repeat, continuing in a random order.

Tiny Progress Meter - When checked, a small meter on the top line of the screen will show the progress of image decompression. Some images take longer than others to open and decompress, so leaving this on is an easy, unobtrusive way to know what is going on during your slide show. The progress meter during the slideshow is very small - it is just one pixel high, at the very top of the screen. If you uncheck "Tiny Progress Meter", no meter will be shown during slideshows.

To exit a slideshow, tap on the screen. You may have to tap more than once if your Palm is busy decompressing an image.

Options Menu

Preferences

To open the Preferences screen, tap the AcidImage title bar (in the upper-left corner of the screen). Select "Preferences" from the menu that drops down.

  • Show Startup Title Screen - Uncheck this option to turn off the AcidImage title screen. Memory Card scanning that normally happens during the Title Screen will be delayed until you get to the File View. AcidImage will usually start up faster when the Title Screen is turned off.
  • Show Corner Tools - Uncheck this to have the Corner Tools hidden when you View individual images. You can tap the Hide/Show Corner Tool to show the tools again. Check this option to have the Corner Tools show when you enter View mode.
  • Load JPEGs Full Size - When this is checked, JPEGs will be loaded at their full resolution all the time. This takes longer, but if you have a map, or an image that you want to zoom in on, you will want to load it full size. When this preference is unchecked, AcidImage will load the JPEG at the smallest size that will fill the entire screen. If you are viewing pictures and don't need to zoom in on them, leave this option unchecked.
  • Lock Edges When Panning - When this option is checked, AcidImage will stop panning when the edge of the image hits the edge of the screen. Uncheck this option if you want to pan the image all the way to the center of the screen.
  • Save Thumbs - This option has three settings - "Always", "If None In Image", and "Never". The Thumbnail view will normally save thumbnails to the memory card so that they can be loaded instantaneously the next time. If this option is set to "Never", AcidImage won’t save thumbnails to the memory card. If this option is set to "If None In Image", thumbnails will be saved if there isn’t one embedded in the image file (for example, JPEG images sometimes have a thumbnail embedded in the file). The thumbnails are saved in two files called "AIThumbI.thm" and "AIThumbD.thm". These files will be saved in the same directory as the images. You can delete these files at any time if you don’t want them, though AcidImage will recreate them unless the Save Thumbs option is set to "Never".

File Types

From the drop-down menu, you can also select "File Types...". This dialog box will allow you to filter out certain types of images in the file view. For example, if you don't want to see any GIF images in the File View, uncheck GIF in the File Types dialog box.

Jog Prefs

Available only on Sony CLIE handhelds.

Set the view mode for the Jog Dial.

Zoom - When viewing an image, use the Jog Dial to zoom in and out.

Change Image - When viewing an image, use the Jog Dial to view the next or previous image.

 

Silk Prefs

Available only on Sony CLIE handhelds with 320x480 screens.

Status Bar in View Mode - When checked, the status bar will remain visible on the bottom of the screen. If this option is not checked, the Status Bar will not appear on the screen when viewing an image.

Status Bar in Slideshow - When checked, the status bar will remain visible on the bottom of the screen during slideshows. If this option is not checked, the Status Bar will not appear on the screen.

Keep Tools Off Status Bar Area - If you are using a utility that makes use of the Status Bar area of the screen, even when the status bar is hidden, you can check this option to position the Zoom and Rotate tools up above the status bar area.

AutoRotate - When set, this option will rotate non-square images so that the widest dimension is aligned with the widest screen dimension. Turn AutoRotate off (No AutoRotate) or set the default direction (Counter Clockwise or Clockwise).

Image Formats

The image types supported by AcidImage each have their benefits and drawbacks.

On some handhelds, JPEGs load the fastest. For example, the Sony NR-series, the Sony T665C, and Palm OS 5-based handhelds will load JPEG images very quickly. For any of these devices, JPEG is the best format to use.

BMP images load quickly, but they aren't compressed very much, so they take up a lot of space.

GIF images load a bit slower than BMPs. They are compressed much more than BMP images. However, GIFs only have 256 colors. Note that due to patent restrictions, you can't view GIFs unless you have purchased AcidImage.

JPEG images load the slowest (unless you have one of the handhelds mentioned above), but they are very compressed and take up very little space on your memory stick. If you save your JPEGs at the same resolution as your screen (for example, 160x160 pixels for a Palm m505, or 320x320 pixels for a Sony CLIE), they will open faster than JPEGs that are much larger than the screen.

Even though JPEGs take a bit longer to load, they still load pretty quickly. A screen-sized image on most Palms will load in a few seconds, and display in full 16-bit color.

Also note that most digital cameras save images in JPEG format. You can take your Memory Card or Memory Stick directly out of your digital camera, stick it in your Palm, and view pictures you just took with your camera.

Memory Requirements

AcidImage needs free memory to load and display pictures. For most image types, if you are low on memory, AcidImage will let you know that there is not enough memory available to view an image. For JPEG images, AcidImage will try to load the image at a smaller size if memory is low.

The only limit to the size of image you can view with AcidImage is your available memory. For a rough estimate of the RAM required to view an image, multiply the width by the height, and then multiply that by two (in other words, estimate two bytes per pixel).

Have Fun

While you play around with AcidImage, it will periodically display an AcidImage Tip on the screen. These tips will teach you how to use AcidImage in no time. Each Tip has a checkbox at the bottom that says "Don't Show Again". Check that checkbox if you don't want to see that particular tip again.

Contacting Red Mercury

If you have questions or comments about AcidImage or Red Mercury, LLC, please visit our web site (http://www.red-mercury.com) for more information. If you have technical questions, you can always email us (support@red-mercury.com).


Red Mercury and AcidImage are registered trademarks or trademarks of Red Mercury, LLC. MGI is a trademark, and PhotoSuite is a registered trademark of MGI Software Corp. Sony and Memory Stick and PictureGear are registered trademards and CLIE and Jog Dial are trademarks of Sony. Palm OS is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.