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1. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 25, 2009 3:33 PM (in response to G_Soucy)Sounds like you're looking at transparency or alpha channels instead of the layer masks.
You'll need to ask for the additional masks in the parameters, or use channel ports (and still specifically look for the masks).
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2. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 25, 2009 3:52 PM (in response to Chris Cox)Yes, right now I am looking for the alpha channel.
I am not familiar with the 2 solutions you are proposing. How can I "ask for the additional masks in the parameters" ? Which parameters are you referring to?
Thanks!
Gilbert
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3. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 25, 2009 10:17 PM (in response to G_Soucy)The FormatRecord - where you put almost all the parameters/arguments for the format plugin API.
And read the SDK documentation about channel ports.
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4. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 26, 2009 8:00 AM (in response to Chris Cox)Hi Chris,
Thank you. I am now able to get a pointer to the channel port interface suite with:
PSChannelPortsSuite1 *sPSChannelPorts;
// Acquiring version 3.
int error = sSPBasic->AcquireSuite((const char *)kPSChannelPortsSuite,
kPSChannelPortsSuiteVersion3,
(
const void**)&sPSChannelPorts);
My only problem is that each of these routines require a PIChannelPort. How do I get a PIChannelPort for my image?
Gilbert
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5. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 26, 2009 11:57 AM (in response to G_Soucy)You have that as part of the FormatRecord.
You probably should spend a bit more time reading the documentation.
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6. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 26, 2009 1:22 PM (in response to Chris Cox)Hi Chris,
I have the SDK for CS4 and in the doc for FormatRecord ( <root>\documentation\html\struct_format_record.html ) I dont see a PIChannelPort element (I see a channelPortProcs which is an old deprecated interface). Looking at the source file PIFormat.h does not show any trace of PIChannelPort either. So, it may be in FormatRecord but it must be obtained via a function call and I would appreciate very much if you could tell me how to do that.
For the record, I did spend a lot of time reading the documentation but, IMHO, it is incomplete. Nobody can write a plugin from scratch with only the doc and no example. It would be useful if an example for layers, masks and metadata was included in the SDK. It would save people like you a lot of time.
Now, if it is in the doc, I sincerely apologize for being blind (I'll ship you a beer with my excuses :-) but could you kindly indicate to me on which page I can find how to get a PIChannelPort for my image given a FormatRecord?
Thank you!
Gilbert
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7. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 26, 2009 3:20 PM (in response to G_Soucy)In the formatRecord, right below the channelport procs is ReadImageDocumentDesc *documentInfo;
Look at that structure.
And many people have written plugins from the documentation without using the example plugins.
Though most do modify (and remove the cruft from) examples to get themselves started.
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8. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 27, 2009 9:11 AM (in response to Chris Cox)Hi Chris!
Thanks to your help I have been able to access the layer mask while writing an image.
Now, I would like to know if it is possible to add a layer mask while loading an image. The documentInfo pointer is NULL when for all the read events in my plugin (so I cannot get access to the PIChannelPort). I suppose that I missed something in the initialization of the image during the ReadStart event. Could you tell me how I can create a layer mask while loading an image from a Format plugin?
Thank you!
Gilbert
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9. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 27, 2009 12:41 PM (in response to G_Soucy)That part I'm not sure about.
Tom Ruark added a very different interface for reading in layers.
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10. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 27, 2009 12:54 PM (in response to Chris Cox)I see. And this interface would not be described in the current doc we have in the SDK? Or I am not looking at the right place in the doc (i.e. we dont interface via the FormatRecord anymore) ?
Please let me know what you recommand.
Thanks again!
Gilbert
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11. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Nov 30, 2009 12:39 PM (in response to G_Soucy)It's all via the FormatRecord (one way or another), and is documented in the CS4 SDK.
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12. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Nov 30, 2009 1:15 PM (in response to Chris Cox)Hi Chris,
In a previous posting you had suggested to use
ReadImageDocumentDesc *documentInfo;
to access the layer mask data while saving a file. That worked fine. Thank you. However, this structure is set to NULL by Photoshop when reading an image. So, could you kindly indicate me how you recommand creating a layer mask when reading an image since, apparently, I cannot use the documentInfo structure.
In your previous email, you mentioned :
"Tom Ruark added a very different interface for reading in layers."
is is related to that interface?
When I look at the doc for FormatRecord (which I did read but I am probably blind, sorry), I cannot figure the how to create a layer mask when loading an image. Just a little hint, as you did last time, will take only 10 sec of your time and make my day. As I said last time, the documentation is well done but I think that it is incomplete in the sense that the big-picture is missing (a few high-level howtos : how to access/create metadata, howto create/read multilayer image, howto create/read masks, ..) There are not that many such recipes but they are required for new developpers to get something done in a reasonable time. Remember that not everybody can be an expert like you and know by heart all the subtle details of the interface.
Please help me! Thank you in advance!
Gilbert
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13. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
Chris Cox Dec 2, 2009 9:05 AM (in response to G_Soucy)No, the layer reading interface is, unfortunately, quite different.
You probably need to ask Tom on the developer mailing list about it (I don't think he's reading the forums right now).
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14. Re: How to Recover Layer Masks From a Format Plugin
G_Soucy Dec 2, 2009 9:17 AM (in response to Chris Cox)Ok, thank you. I will try to contact Tom.



