        PCDIP   -  a Photo CD Index Print plugin for Photoshop
                         version 1.0
               Frog Enterprises  author: Glenn Davis
                 http://www.best.com/~gdavis/pcdip

On every Photo CD is a file - /PHOTO_CD/OVERVIEW.PCD - that contains the
thumbnail images for all the images on the the CD.  Photo CD viewers
(such as Magic Lantern  from incatsystems) use this file to display
the thumbnails.  PCDIP is an acquire plugin for Photoshop that combines
the thumbnails into a single image that can then be printed (or saved)
from Photoshop as an index print.  The thumbnail size is 192x128 pixels,
and all the pixels are present in the final image.

The standard index print that comes with a Photo CD has a fixed size of
42 thumbnails per print, arranged as a 6x7 array.  The left and right
sides of the thumbnail are cropped for an aspect ratio of 6:5.

PCDIP makes an array of any size, preserves the original aspect ratio of 3:2,
and overlays index numbers in any font (or no index numbers at all).
The purposes are at least 2-fold:
    1)  When copying a Photo CD with a CD writer, a new index print can
        be made at the same time.
    2)  A large index print, e.g. 8.5 x 11 inches, can be made that shows
        any number  of the images, not just 42.

The thumbnail array is arranged on a card  and an array of cards is
arranged on a page.  After printing, the cards can be cut out with any
paper cutter.  The cards can be any size, and two standard card sizes are
provided, for the front and back of a CD jewel box.  The card background
can be any shade of gray.  When printing both front and back, the
index numbers can be shifted so there is no overlap between the two cards.

Requirements:
Photoshop 3.0.4 (or later) for Windows, and knowledge of the plugins directory.
This directory is visible on one of the File->Preferences dialogs.
The directory name is usually similar to C:\PHOTOSHP\PLUGINS.

Installation:
Close Photoshop.  Unzip PCDIP10.ZIP and copy the 2 files -
PCDIP10.8BA and PCDIP10.HLP - to the plugins directory.

Usage:
When Photoshop is restarted, PCDIP should appear on the File->Acquire
menu item (File->Import in Photoshop 4.0). Use the context help button
for help on individual controls.

Registration:
The unregistered copy has 2 limitations.  Only 4 images can be acquired
for each Photoshop session, and the settings are not saved.

