[magick-users] script or directions to add a rounded border to an image

[Anthony Thyssen]

On Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:09:29 -0600
Bob Meetin <bobm at dottedi.biz> wrote:

| Fred Weinhaus wrote:
| 
| > see http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/thumbnails
| >
| This is a great resource, however some of the options are not working.  
| -alpha transparent is not recognized - same result on my desktop as on 
| the webhost server.
| 
| % convert thumbnail.gif -border 2 -alpha transparent \
| -background none -fill white -stroke none -strokewidth 0 \
| -draw "@rounded_corner.mvg" rounded_corner_mask.png
| convert: UnrecognizedAlphaChannelType `transparent'.
| 
| This is an option to ImageMagick's convert which I copied right off 
| their example page. http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/thumbnails/#rounded
| It is about 3/4 down under the heading "Border with Rounded Corner".
| 
| When I did a google on the error message it says that an upgrade is in 
| order.
| 
| syncsync:~> identify -version
| Version: ImageMagick 6.3.7 06/04/09 Q16 http://www.imagemagick.org
| Copyright: Copyright (C) 1999-2008 ImageMagick Studio LLC
| 
| The web page says the examples were generated with Examples Generated 
| with: IM v6.5.4-6 2009-07-30.  I just used the  package manager 
| (synaptics) to upgrade and it still returns the same version. I'm not a 
| sys admin type. What do I need to do (in user friendly terms) to get 
| alpha transparent working?
| 
The packages in the offical distribution archives are usually way out
of date.

As you are using synaptics I would say you are using Ubuntu.
Unfortunately while we have package builds for fedora and redhat
deritives, no one had provided infomation on how to build a 'deb'
package of ImageMagick.

In any case the -alpha methods are convenience methods, which are
described in  http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/basics/#alpha

-alpha transparent basically takes an existing image and turns it
transparent.  For older versions the equivalent is
    -matte -channel A -evaluate set 0 +channel

Alternatives for making an image also include
    null:  -matte -compose Clear -composite -compose over

    -matte -channel A -threshold -1 +channel

    -matte -fill none  -draw 'matte 0,0 reset'

These are listed on
  http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/canvas/#transparent




  Anthony Thyssen ( System Programmer )    <A.Thyssen at griffith.edu.au>
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