Easy to Use Graphical Software - where?

Thanks Gnarlodious I do have Graphic Converter but I simply don't have a year of time to devote to learning something so difficult. It may be a 'snap' to you but to the laymen it is extremely complicated.

What I'm after is the ability to press a "text" icon, select a font, size, color, write my text, "apply" it to my graphic, position it where I want and paste it in permanently.

GraphicConverter, as far as I know, will not open a folder of graphics and display them as thumbnails so I can preview. It won't let me tag fifty of those thumbnails and change their size, creating date, convert from gif to jpg and brighten all by 10% in one quick swoop.

To be frank there isn't a lot of 'easy' with GraphicConverter. Everyday I try to spend some time with it but walk away as frustrated as I was the day before.

How about this - a simple QuickTime movie of individual features available in GraphicConverter. Sort of a "how to add text to a graphic step by step" two-minute video. Are there such things? If so, where can I find them?

I bought GraphicConverter ($30) because I needed to overlay a text logo on a quicktime movie. I was able to accomplish that (even tho' it took all afternoon to figure it out) but I had to turn to a Windows machine to make the text graphic because I couldn't figure out how to easily make an anti-aliased bit of text with GraphicConverter. Thus, I sent the text logo to myself, called it up in GraphicConverter and spent considerable time learning how to make the background transparent. In normal graphical circles it is called "transparent" but with GraphicsConverter it is called something else and I was totally lost for hours

All said and done I then had to re-render the QuickTime movie to add the logo on every frame. iMovie won't let me place a text logo in the lower right hand corner while the video is being edited and rendered and the method above was advised as the best way to do what I needed. Arghhhh!

I finally bought Final Cut Pro (Universal) for some $1200 bucks and wow - there is a learning curve! 🙂 And Final Cut allows you to insert a logo anywhere but you still have to make the graphical logo first! Again, arghhhh!

I bought AppleWorks because it has a Paint program which turns out to be quite limited. That was a $60 chunk of change. Appleworks doesn't come with the new Intel machines and now I find I don't really need it. Arghhhh!

I thank you for your assistance and response. It is very much appreciated.

John

20" Intel iMac fully loaded (2Gig Ram, 500Gig Hard drive, 256Mg video) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Actually I'm not coming from Windows but from OS/2 which is very much akin to OSX. The PMView and Embellish programs I reference are OS/2 native applications which have been ported over to Windows. I have two laptops, one with OS/2 and the other with Windows, and the applications work almost identically in either OS so I use whatever is handy.

It's true that many former Windows and other operating system users are moving to the Mac and they are used to doing things the MS or IBM or Linux way. In each of these operating systems the 'delete' key works just as that, a delete key. There is no need to hold down a "command" key to delete a tagged desktop icon and unless we know that a combination of keys is now required, we're left a bit frustrated and may come off as nimcompoops. I hope you will bear with us.

I took a look at Seashore and I am very impressed. It does look like a program I can use and utilize and a beta universal version is available for download. I will try it. The look and ease of it, including the vertical toolbar, appears more familiar than GraphicConverter.

Thank you Matthew for recommending it. I had not heard of it prior to my posting here.

I haven't quite got the jest of "Finder" yet and it appears to me as a 'file or folder manager' for OSX. Windows, of course, needs a file manager because it is a poor OS, whereas OS/2 does not as the entire OS is on big object oriented file manager. Give me another six months with OSX and I'll find these other OS functions I'm familiar with to be 'old hat'. 🙂

Thanks!

John

20" Intel iMac fully loaded (2Gig Ram, 500Gig Hard drive, 256Mg video) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

What I'm after is the ability to press a "text"

icon, select a font, size, color,

write my text, "apply" it to my graphic, position

it where I want and paste

it in permanently.

That is exactly what you can do with GC. I assume you
can see the Toolbox. If you do not see the Toolbox
click the menubar "Windows" item, then "Show
Toolbox".

Select the "A" toolbox item, which enables you to
write text to an image. If you doubleclick the icon
you can set font, size, styling, alignment, box width
and antialiasing for the text. Save that window and
it will stay that way until you change it.

Make sure your foreground color is set using the
boxes at the bottom of the toolbox bar. Click the
color box to select a color. Click your picture and a
box appears. Type your text, while in the typing box
you have no ability to use arrows to move the cursor,
only backspace. I usually type the text in a document
app and paste it, since it is easier that way. Use
arrows to position your text box, or drag it. When
you are finished, commit the text (rasterize it) by
selecting the Selection tool. If you are satisfied,
save the image. If not, undo the text using the cmd-z
keystroke.

Most excellent information Gnarlodious! I have printed it out for easy reference. Nice of you to take the time to provide the instruct as many would simply dismiss my frustration.

GraphicConverter, as far as I know, will not open a

folder of

graphics and display them as thumbnails

There are 3 ways to do this:
1) Contextual menu. Select the folder in Finder,
right-click and go down to "Graphic Converter", then
select "Show in Browser".

Ohhhh good good...

2) Drag and drop the folder onto the GC icon in the
dock.
3) With GC in front, click the "File" menu and scroll
down to "Browse Recent Folder", then select a
recently opeed folder. This is convenient after you
have filled the "Recent Items" list.

Excellent! Printed and archived for future reference!

For processing images in batch mode, editing EXIF
tags and everything else you mentioned, I am too busy
to explain it here. I strongly recommend you
subscribe to the GC discussion group I mentioned
earlier. I am there every day and will help you if
nobody else does.

Thanks Gnarl, I am subscribed (since the day of purchase) and will look for you there. I *do want* to learn the intricacies and power of GC and appreciate the assist.

I have been using OSX since late April and am coming from the OS/2 operating system (now defunct) although I have used Windows when necessary or forced to do so. I am determined to make OSX work for me and with folks like you in the OSX community that is sure to happen!

John

P.S. I think I've posted three questions today and got them all answered! AND, I've learned some new tricks and tips. Most excellent!