ImageVice(TM) 1.0 Read Me

BoxTop Software, Inc.
101 N. Lafeyette Street
Starkville, MS 39759
(v) 1-601-324-1800
(f) 1-601-324-7352
http://www.boxtopsoft.com
ftp://ftp.boxtopsoft.com/pub
info@boxtopsoft.com


Hi,

Thanks for downloading the ImageVice(TM)Photoshop plug-in. My name is Travis.
ImageVice(TM) technology is my invention. I will be your tour guide for the next
ten minutes as you discover the most amazing tool ever available for multimedia
image production.

What can ImageVice(TM) do for me? I know that is what you're thinking now. I
would be, too.

ImageVice(TM) will shrink your file sizes. ImageVice(TM) will make your images
look better. ImageVice(TM) is flexible enough to do one or both at the same time
depending on your need.

How much smaller can ImageVice(TM) make my files? I think that will be the
question on your mind now, so I'll answer it next. ImageVice(TM) can make your
GIF, PNG, PICT, and BMP images up to 70% SMALLER than with Photoshop alone.

Can anything else do that? No. Nothing can even begin to approach the compression
levels that are made possible by ImageVice(TM).

How good is the quality? ImageVice(TM) provides full-spectrum control over
compression and quality. At the high end, image quality is much better than all
other color reduction tools. Normal usage settings in ImageVice(TM) will exceed
other tools in both quality and compression.

Using extremely aggressive settings for compression will result in the smallest
possible files, but will begin to degrade image quality in noticeable but not
usually objectionable ways.

How does ImageVice(TM) do all that? I would love to tell you, but then I would
have to kill you. (Just kidding.)

ImageVice(TM) uses a proprietary and procedural methodology for removing
space-variant system imperfections, nueral modeling of the logarithmic response
of the human visual system, and employs a new color mapping technique based on
perceptual criteria for shape-form shading. It does a whole bunch of other stuff,
too.

See, you didn't really want to know all that, now did you? There is a lack of
suitable paradigms for describing ImageVice(TM) technology. It takes a lot of
big, ugly words to try.

The important thing, is with ImageVice(TM) your Web pages can load up to three
times faster and your presentations can have three times as many images without
needing three times the space to store them in.

How much does this cost? Nothing to try it out, then not much at all. The demo
that you've just downloaded is fully functional but only when used on one of the
six included test images, which by the way are not only a highly representative
test suite for all types of images but the digital imaging work of yours truly.
Please don't delete them, you will need them to try out the ImageVice(TM) plug-in
and compare the results to other color reduction methods for quality and file
size.

When you are ready to purchase the ImageVice(TM) plug-in, the cost is only
$49.95. Compared to other over-priced, under-performing tools that you will find
in the software catalogs, the ImageVice(TM) plug-in is a top multimedia
production value.

One that really lives up to the hype I'm spouting at the moment. I'm not one to
call hype by any other name, so I can tell you that. I want you to put
ImageVice(TM) in your plug-in's folder and launch Photoshop for a good look at
this new gadget and then enjoy using it for a long time to come.

To get started, open up one of the provided test images and give it a try. After
you apply the ImageVice(TM) filter, you should convert to indexed mode in
Photoshop using the "Exact" option that will activate in Photoshop's mode change
dialog by default. Just hit the 'OK' button in the mode change dialog, and don't
change any of the settings in it. Then save the file by your normal means.

It is highly suggested even for the old pros, have a look at the ImageVice(TM)
documentation first for tips to help you get the most out of this powerful tool.

For Web graphics, you should use ImageVice(TM) in combination with a specialized
production tool like PhotoGIF(TM)*, which provides the best format specific
capability for making GIF files including more color reduction flexibility when
you need to use an existing palette for a particular image. (* PhotoGIF(TM) for
Windows is in beta release at the time of this writting.)

ImageVice(TM) can only create adaptive palettes, and is a filter, not tied to any
particular file format, which provides the flexibility to use ImageVice(TM) to
prepare GIF, PICT, BMP, and PNG files.

If you have any questions please let us known. The email addresses are:

info@boxtopsoft.com - for general questions
support@boxtopsoft.com - for technical support
sales@boxtopsoft.com - for purchasing questions
travis@boxtopsoft.com - corresponding with me

Otherwise, enjoy the software and please help spread the word.

Thanks.

Travis Anton, Fearless Leader, Idiot Savant Herder, Digital Spokes Model,
Creative Flake, Ex Boy Scout and Writer of Read Me Files.

P.S. Full purchasing information is in the "Purchasing Information" file and also
on-line. Our Web site is located at: http://www.boxtopsoft.com

BoxTop Software, Inc.
101 N. Lafeyette Street
Starkville, MS 39759
(v) 1-601-324-1800
(f) 1-601-324-7352
http://www.boxtopsoft.com
ftp://ftp.boxtopsoft.com/pub
info@boxtopsoft.com

Sales contact:
Cindy Johnson - cindy@boxtopsoft.com

Support Contact:
Susan Brewer - susan@boxtopsoft.com

Company Contact:
Travis Anton - travis@boxtopsoft.com

Development Contact:
Richard Anton - ranton@boxtopsoft.com


ImageVice(TM) 1.0 is Copyright 1997 BoxTop Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ImageVice(TM) and  PhotoGIF(TM) are Trademarks of BoxTop Software, Inc. All other
trademarks are recognized as the properties of their respective holders.

Document published: 11/10/97

Copyright 1997 BoxTop Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 



