Basic Tutorial on Images and Directories in Quartz Composer

[AllocInit]

@TechReviews161 I actually find it's a little bit of the other way around, but by and large you can get around with the keyboard in OSX; it's just aggravating when you stumble upon the few instances where you can't.

I really don't like it when that happens, but the upshot is that the OS is structured to keep the mouse responsive in almost all situations. (And they're always included, so the issue's a bit moot.)

Of course, that aside, there's scripting, but let's not get into that. ; )

[Spainintherain]

Great explanations, loved how you explained what things did, not just telling us how to do things.

Is there any thing different that you need to do for .gif files to display correctly on a billboard? I've tried a few things, and it doesn't seem to be working very well.

[AllocInit]

@Spainintherain I'm going to assume you mean animated GIFs; prior to looking into this, I would've said no, but as it turns out: Yes, you can animate animated GIFs!

Here's how I do it: Drag a GIF into Quartz Composer, right-click it and bring up the Patch Inspector -> Settings -> Extract All Images. The image will then be divided into a Structure which you can then iterate through with Structure Index Member! (Interpolation'd be a good start.)

Hope that helps!

[doloresiafolla]

hello!this tutorial is very useful, if you add more specific comments about how and why we should connect things this way it would be great. thx.

[DeejayMnM]

It isn't working when I try to use a folder containing folders of images. I want to use the images from my 'backgrounds' folder which is split into folders within it (nature, abstract, dorky, etc). I'm guessing that because I'm linking the directory scanner to a folder of folders is why it isn't working, what do I do?

[AllocInit]

@DeejayMnM The answer to that could cover episode all its own involving (but not limited to!) the Iterator patch, publishing sockets, and an illustration of a particular bug in the Image Importer patch. (Short version: don't use one in a Iterator loop!)

On than note: Play around with the Iterator patch and check out Published inputs/outputs, though you'll mostly be using outputs. Sorry to be so vague about this, but the answer is more complex than 500 characters.

[Marshallbirnbaum]

thanks for this.

[samsimillia18]

I didn't quite get what the the Structure Index Member does.

Why do we need two of them?

[AllocInit]

@samsimillia18 Because, in this case, the data we get from the first is still a structure.

Here's an example of a (not very useful) structure: ( ( (1)(a)(b)(c) ), ( (2)(d)(e)(f) ), ( (3)(d)(e)(g) ) )

Okay, so the first Structure Index Member gets us data like this ((1)(a)(b)(c)) , but it's still a Structure, and we want a different value, so we use another one to select the 1, a, b, or c.

... that help any?

[aveffects]

how do you get That library up?

[AllocInit]

@aveffects Command+Return(Enter) should do it!

[dav047]

really good format for delivering a tutorial (ie working through like a beginner would saying "hey that looks interesting, lets see if that works" ect.) very good for absolute quartz beginners like me

[basalduat]

AllocInit,

You must do more Quart Composer tutorials. Your methods are excellent. Simplify the lesson just a bit. Remember, we are beginners.

Hope you will provide more tutorials.

You are talented. Excellent voice.

[basalduat]

You are very good at showing what YOU can do. I hope you will do more "Newbie" tutorials. For example I can't see what you are doing with your cursor. Perhaps if you highlight the cursor. Also, instead of doing one long tutorial do two or three short tutorials on just using the "panels" and their properties. I new to object programming.

Nevertheless I want to thank you for he two tutorials you have shared with us.

[AllocInit]

@basalduat Fair enough!

I'd like to reiterate that I did these on the fly, thinking that something was better than nothing, but since then I've been held back a bit by thinking about all that would be necessary in producing a series of tutorials --- it's not quite so easy as recording, doing, reviewing, and saying 'good enough'; that why I haven't had any other tutorials to date.

But definitely thanks for those points! I'd certainly implement them going forward... should I ever do that. : \

[vjrains]

Slow down some... This is a tutorial isnt it?

[gunter14]

Okay, how do you get that toolbar on the right? It isn't on mine.

where is says "Macro Patch"

[AllocInit]

@gunter14 That would be 'Show Parameters' under the Window menu; more simply, you can toggle it by Command+T !

[operaeric]

My viewer shows the picture but on the top and bottom I he white and gray tiled rows. what do I do? Please Respond

[AllocInit]

@operaeric One year. Again. So sorry.

I'm trying to picture what the problem is, and I'd guess it involves the Clear Patch, or lack thereof. The tiles aren't bad per-se, they just indicate transparency. Nab a Clear Patch from the Library, and let the number in its upper-right corner to 1; this number represents the order that things are drawn in: 1 stacks on 2, stacks on 3, etc...

Hope that helps!

[Asgrin]

Loved the tutorial!!!! It was quite helpful!!!! Keep making them!!!

[Recoil42]

How did you get QC to display the contents of the structure when you mouseover the output of the patch? Mine doesn't do this. Any help?

[AllocInit]

@Recoil42 This is a little tricky.

The data has to go all the way 'through the pipe', as it were. If the data isn't connected to a rendering (blue) patch, it won't get executed, and you won't see its data, because there's nothing there.

I wish I could help you more with this, but it's a case-by-case basis sort of thing that you have to learn to fight with. Check your data flow to be sure everything's getting to its end-point, because if you're not getting data, it's not getting there.

[DreamSparksLLC]

Great Video. Will you do request videos as well? I have Subscribe.

[AllocInit]

@DreamSparksLLC That's the sort of thing I'd like to say 'yes' to, but I haven't touched these tutorials in years, so...

[youarelackluster]

thanks for posting this, it really cleared up a lot of stuff.. much appreciated:)

[HeestandMovies]

Thanks!

[strictpolicy]

how did you change the colors are you using an old version?

[AllocInit]

@strictpolicy I didn't! Apple did! (And, technically, it's a newer version.)

[doodgeborenkalf]

does this also work for video? i've tried it but it didn't work

thanks for the info

[AllocInit]

@doodgeborenkalf I think I know what your problem is.

Directory Scanner can work for movies, to do this bring up the Inspector on the patch and go to settings (Command+2) and then select 'Movies' from the pulldown-menu. Then, use a Movie Importer patch, and feed the URLs into that, instead of Image Importer.

You can use kind:movie in Spotlight to see if a particular movie file is supported in QC, but as a rule-of-thumb QuickTime files should work.

Hope that helps!

[GravityBeats]

I just started using QC, this really helped me.

[freebird9]

which version do you have? my image iporter patch is different to yours...

[AllocInit]

@freebird9 It's difficult to say which version you're running based on that information alone, but the most recent version is 4.0 and requires OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) to run; this new version's patches are one solid-color and generally dark, whereas all previous patches were generally light with only a colored title-area.

[freebird9]

@AllocInit

Okay thanks. i still have leopard. then it seems like i gotta install the snowleopard upgrade. peace

[tonibianchetti]

Tip: use Sample & Hold patch to syncronize text and image update.

Just put it between the "Struct index member" used to select the name of the image and the Instruction patch. Drive it's sampling input by the Done signal of the "Image importer" patch.

Enjoy!

[benjaminlehmann]

Brilliant. Good job mate. Clear and fun. The tone was not condescending, but helped to make the tutorial accessible.

One point - what happens when the key count reaches higher than 26? Won't the directory run out of pictures?

Will you be doing any more?

[AllocInit]

@benjaminlehmann When the Index Count exceeds the bounds of its scope positively or negatively, in the case -1 or 27, the Structure Index Member patch appears to send null data, or effectively nothing. There are a number of patches you could use to remedy this, such as Conditional, Range, and possibly Logic.

I'd like to, but I want to do a step-by-step to ease people logically from one concept to the next, which I'm unsure of how to do proficiently, and then there's time...

[liesje9876]

thank you so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (my next step : making them move to sing sing sing from benny goodman:-)

[ekino2424]

This was perfect into to QC! Thanks for your time and putting this together!