Saving just the dot positions and not the images

[loosecannon]

Maybe you can do it and I just haven't figured out how but I'd like to be able to save just the dot positions without the images. Sort of like saving a mask to a separate file. I think I had a morph program a number of years ago that had this option but I don't recall the name.

Why would I want to do this....well, I'll explain.

Recently, I have noticed a lot, and I mean a LOT of programs are using some kind of morph between many of their scenes instead of simple dissolves or fades. I usually see them on the History Channel, Discovery and others like that. The scenes are totally different from each other. It's not like they're morphing between 2 faces or 2 cars. It could be as varied as a building to a painting of a buffalo or the Eiffel Tower to the Hoover Dam.

They're very fast, usually under .75 seconds and they look really good. What I'd like to be able to do is have a number of pre-made morph sequences already made where I could add the 2 images real quick, load a sequence and generate an AVI that I could put into my project.

That's it. TIA for reading my post.

Joe

[fantam]

I'm not sure I understand your post.
Do you mean you want to replace a pre-made morph with 2 images to create a new morph?

[heckydog]

In essence that would be the final result. If you're able to store the dot layout as a separate file then you could load any 2 images and then load the dot file and have an instant morph.

I created two different files, each one using the same dot positions. After I created tthe first morph I saved it and created the file test1.swf . Then I re-named two different pictures with the same names from the first file and re-saved it as the second file and created test2.swf . Below are links to the files. In this way I used the exact same dot layout to create each file. They're a bit rough but should be good enough for you to get the idea of what I'm referring to.

I don't know how else to send these to you and keep them associated to this thread. I will leave them up for about a week.

https://home.comcast.net/~kf_daddy/test1.swf

https://home.comcast.net/~kf_daddy/test2.swf

Regards,

Joe

P.S. BTW, I had forgotten that I had registered under heckydog back in February. That's why I used the loosecannon guest name on my first post.

[fantam]

Thank you for your samples. Now I'm sure I undertand your idea.
In fact, there is a trick to accomplish your purpose, I think it's easy and fast enough.
For instance, you want to create Morph 1 from Image A, B; Morph 2 from Image C, D; both morphs use the same dot positions.
After you created Morph 1, just import Image C to replace Image A (by choosing File/Import Image 1 menu or click the Import Image 1 button, etc.), import Image D to replace Image B, save the project as Morph 2. That's all!
Anyway, your idea is good, we'll consider it for future versions of FantaMorph. Thank you!

[heckydog]

Looks like there was a solution there after all.

I didn't even think about being able to import another image while in the middle of doing a project.

I have created several templates to make the task a little easier. It's simply a single sheet of white paper 640 x 480 that I created in my graphics editor. I use black dots to indicate the start positions in image 1 and red dots to show the morphed position in image 2.

I import the template into both images then add dots directly over the black spots on image 1 and then drag the dots in image 2 to the corresponding red spots. That gets saved with a unique name to identify it as a template. Once that's done I can import the actual pictures to be morphed into image 1 and image 2 and save those results with a different name. The next time I want use that particular morph sequence all I have to do is open the template first.

Works for me right now. Maybe there's a better way to do it that someone else can come up with.