Php Image handling

[Accurax]

In oreder to manipulate images with php..... am i right in thinking that i need to install the GD library?

All i want to do is create thumbnails on the fly and also maybe add a watermark.

[Ryan Fait]

Yep. It's quite often installed on servers already, though.

[Accurax]

ok, id better get it installed on my local machine for testing then ......... hope its not too long winded.

[Accurax]

Just so everybody knows... apparently, the GD library comes as standard with php 4.0 +

Which is kinda neat

[masonbarge]

You can actually create a "thumbnail" without the gd library by using the browser's resize capability. It wouldn't be as nice probably but it's awfully easy and they really don't look that bad, depending on the amount of the reduction. Expanding a graphic with the browser is terrible, but shrinking isn't bad at all in many cases.

You could even create the appearance of a watermark, but for a real watermark my guess is that you'd have to use gd.

[Ryan Fait]

Yeah, but using full size images as thumbnails is really bad because, depending on the image size, it can take forever to load a page. Even on high speed connections.

[Accurax]

thats precisly why im going to use the gd libray ryan m8..... besides i spent most of today teaching myself how to sue all the different functions..

hopefully ill ahve something working tomorrow moring

[Ryan Fait]

Don't sue the functions!

[masonbarge]

D'oh, didn't even stop to think that the browser would have to download the entire file. No wonder Hot Farmgirls of Uzbekistan takes so long to load

[karinne]

I use ImageMagick. I heard it was more powerful than GD but who knows. I never tried GD.

Here's the script I use to create my thumbnails tho - Dynamic Thumbnailing with Imagemagick in PHP

And here's a site with ALOT of neat little things you can do with IM - http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/

[Accurax]

i'll look into that in the morning kari, thanks

howeevr i have a script that works uising gd atm .... its a simple resize this uploaded image to X size script.... need to figure a few more things out tioll im happy though