diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/chalk/introduction.docbook')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/chalk/introduction.docbook | 153 |
1 files changed, 153 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/chalk/introduction.docbook b/doc/chalk/introduction.docbook new file mode 100644 index 00000000..9384bcbc --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/chalk/introduction.docbook @@ -0,0 +1,153 @@ +<chapter id="introduction"> +<title>Introduction</title> + +<sect1 id="introduction-chalk"> +<title>What is &chalk;?</title> +<para> +&chalk;, part of &koffice;, can do everything you want with images — or +it will be able to one day. Everything from photo retouching, image editing, +and last but not least creating original art on your computer as if you were +working with real paint and brushes, pencils, pen and ink. Every day +&chalk; becomes a little better, a little more useful. We are working on it, +anyway. We, that is, Adrian, Bart, Boudewijn, Casper, Cyrille, Michael and Sven. +It could be you, too — whether you would like to help with some artwork +for the user interface, cool ideas for the todo, helpful bug reports, usability +reviews or even actual code, you will not be snubbed by us. +</para> +<para> +&chalk; is as much yours as it is ours. It should be fun, innovative, and +experimental — first and foremost a pleasure to use and to hack on. +</para> +</sect1> + +<sect1 id="introduction-keyfeatures"> +<title>Key features</title> + +<para>The most important features &chalk; currently has to offer, are:</para> +<itemizedlist> + +<listitem><para>Plugins: Chalk is extensible through plugins. There are tools, +colorspaces, paint operations, filters and kpart-based user interface plugins. +</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Scriptable: &chalk; is scriptable in Python and Ruby using +Kross, the cross language scripting engine that originated in Kexi. The +scripting is compatible with PyQt/KDE and Korundum for adding GUI +items, such as dialog boxes.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Color models: &chalk; uses lcms for a dependable color +workflow using icc profiles for importing, exporting, selecting paint colors, +printing, cutting and pasting. 8, 16, and 32 bit colorspaces are available +(RGB, CMYK, L*a*b*, ...) and colors can be selected from a color wheel, rgb or +grayscale sliders or with a palette.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Editing and viewing: Unlimited undo and redo are available. +You can cut, copy and paste between lagers and images, with conversion through +icc profiles if this is necessary. OpenGL is supported for display. The view +can be made fullscreen and can be split. Rulers are available, the +image can be zoomed, and for maximizing the workspace all palette windows can +be hidden in one go. Also a histogram palette is available.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Images and layers: Layers and entire images can be mirrored, +sheared, rotated and scaled, converted between colorspaces, and layers in +different colorspaces can be merged. An image can be separated into colorspace +channels.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Layers: Layers can be added, removed, grouped, locked, made +(in)visible, and re-ordered. Adjustment layers (layers which perform a filter +function) can be added as well. A layer can be saved as a separate image and +its colorspace can be changed.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Tools: Through the innovative paintOp plugin system, all +painting tools (brush, ellipse, line, etc.) can paint aliased, anti-aliased, +erase, airbrush and more.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Filters: &chalk; can multithread the operation of some +filters. Filters can be previewed in the filter gallery. Available filters +include color adjustment, sharpen or blur, emboss, raindrops, and +more.</para></listitem> + +<listitem><para>Brushes: The GIMP brush shapes can be used, both colored and +grayscale brushes and pipe brushes. Custom brushes can be created, even from +entire layers or images. Colored brushes can also be used as +masks.</para></listitem> + +</itemizedlist> + +<sect2 id="introduction-keyfeatures-colormanagement"> +<title>Color management</title> +<para> +One of the most distinguishing features in &chalk; is its color management. +If you put two screens side to side, you will notice that there is often a lot +of difference in the way they display colors. Even white, especially white, is +often not the same thing at all. On one screen it can be a dirty yellow, on +another screen a sickly bluish. Very seldom is it a creamy milk-white. The same +holds, unfortunately, for scanners, printers and digital cameras. So, if you +want to see the right colors on screen and on paper, being the colors that you +saw when taking your snapshot, you will have to compensate. +</para><para> +&chalk; can do this for you: in &chalk;, a color is (almost) never just a set of +numbers, one for each color channel; it is a set of numbers with information +attached. And that extra information is contained in a profile: your image has a +profile, your scanner has a profile, your camera should have a profile and your +screen has a profile. When passing information from your image to your screen, +the profiles are checked and the correct color is computed. This may cause a +little slowness, now and then, but the result is that you can work with colors, +instead of almost meaningless RGB triplets. +</para><para> +Available colorspaces are: 8 bit/channel RGB, CMYK, grayscale and wet +watercolors, 16 bit/channel RGB, CMYK, grayscale and L*a*b*, <quote>half</quote> +RGB, and 32 bit float RGB (HDR) and LMS. +</para> +</sect2> + +<sect2 id="introduction-keyfeatures-imageformats"> +<title>Image formats</title> +<para> +&chalk; currently supports the following image formats, both for importing and +exporting, apart from its own: PNG, TIFF, JPEG, Dicom, XCF, PSD, GIF, BMP, +XPM, Targa, RGB, and OpenEXR. Additionally, &chalk; can import +ICO files. PSD (the Photoshop file format) is only supported up to version 6, +from version 7 on, the Photoshop file format is closed. +</para><para> +Embedded icc profiles and exif information are preserved on export to +supporting file formats. &chalk;'s native file format stores icc and exif +information. +</para> +</sect2> + +</sect1> + +<sect1 id="introduction-manual"> +<title>About this manual</title> +<para> +We are assuming you have got a good working knowledge of &kde; and of your +operating system. The first chapter will give you a quick tour of &chalk;'s +cool features; the other chapters will expand on that information. +</para> +<note><para> +This manual is not complete. The invitation to join us and help out extends to +the manual, too! +</para></note> +<para> +Should you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact the +documentation maintainer at <email>sanderkoning@kde.nl</email>. +</para> +</sect1> + +<sect1 id="introduction-maintainer"> +<title>About the application maintainer</title> +<para> +Hi! I'm Boudewijn Rempt — the current maintainer of &chalk;. I was +educated as a linguist, retrained as a database developer, work as a Java +hacker, study theology and I have always liked to paint and sketch a little. +Conspiciously absent in my life have been two important things for a developer +of an image app: mathematics and experience with graphic design. That means that +I am probably not the best person to explain the niceties of using an image +editor or a paint application to you. If you catch me in an error, please don't +hesitate to mail me: <email>boud@valdyas.org</email>. +</para> +</sect1> + +</chapter> + |