Image Composer - Why Microsoft should release ImageComposer for Public Domain

Author

Why Microsoft should release ImageComposer for Public Domain

cleo

2004-09-22, 7:16 pm

Chris,
I agree with you 500%. I love this program and would buy
it in a heartbeat. I especially love the Impressionist
plug-in. It does things that in PS would be too
cumbersome. However, I am still running this from an
older compaq where I had installed FP98 originally. Well
I don't have the disc and now I'm trying to get an old
copy of the FP98 to install on my newer HP machine. Not
even sure if FP98 will run on win2000?

Any suggestions on finding or buying an old copy??

Thanks and I'll support any efforts to push MS to make it
available. (wishful thinking maybe)

Cleo

>-----Original Message-----
>MS needs to just release IC to the public domain since
it's not going to pursue
>future versions. I know there were some licensing issues
with the original
>author of IC, but it's such a damn fantastic program
it's a CRIME not to
>release it to the public.
>
>I've moved on producing materials for Flash and such,
but I still always come
>back to IC because it's quick and easy and transparency
and taking out the
>background on images is so much easier! Photoshop
certainly has it's merits,
>but its overbloated and has far too many features for
what most people need.
>
>I discovered IC back in '98 when I got FP98, and have
always made it one of the
>first programs I install on a new machine!
>
>We all know it'll never happen (IC be in the public
domain), but it's just a
>wish (and something to take our minds off Arnold's
suicide and Osama's hanging
>corpse).
>
>Lets discuss what you enjoy about IC. I wonder if
somebody put IC up for
>download somewhere if MS would really care.... (oh, what
am I thinking.. Of
>course they would, and they'd spend thousands on lawyers
upholding their
>copyright).
>
>- Chris
>
>.
>

Walter Donavan

2004-09-23, 12:15 pm

Some input for you:

1. You don't need Image Composer to run the Impressionist plug-in. It's a
standard PS plug-in and can be run in PS, IC, PhotoDraw, Paint Shop Pro, and
many more. Its files are located in the Plugins folder under wherever you
installed Image Composer, for example c:\Program Files\Microsoft Image
Composer 1.5\Plugins.

The three files are (only the first is essential):

Impressionist.8bf
IMPRSNST.CNT
IMPRSNST.HLP

I moved mine to Photoshop\Plug-ins and have all my plug-in programs
(including IC) look for their plug-ins there.

1a. Similarly, you don't need Image Composer to use its cool clipart. IC
installs it into a separate folder (C:\Multimedia Files\Photos) and you can
move that folder anywhere and tell your various programs where it is.

There was a time when I didn't have IC (my CD was bad) but I did have the
plugin and the clips. I used both with no problems.

2. FrontPage 98 (and 2000) will run on Windows 2000. I run Windows 2000 and
have no problems.

HTH.