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User Filter
May 26, 2008 - 13:50 — cholfatyarh
This plug-in enables you to use the vast number of existing filters made for Photoshop's Filter Factory as well as create new effects without having to go through the process of learning how to write plug-ins for The Gimp first.
Originally written by Jens Restemeier for Gimp 1.x back in 1997, this plug-in has now been updated for use with Gimp 2.x.
Project homepage is at http://gimpuserfilter.sf.net/
You can find lots of free FF filters that can be imported into User Filter at http://www.photoshop-filters.com/
A programming guide to the original FF for Photoshop can be found at http://mitglied.lycos.de/filterfactory/
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"User Filter" now Windows Binary Available
Francois Collard compiled for Windows xp Vista, and converted 1500 FF filters
I add some note on how install and use on windows and i am mirroring here
http://photocomix-resources.deviantart.com/art/Gimp-Filter-Factory-Conve...
Maybe you will like include the link (or the whole pack ) on the project page on sourceforge
about the renaming i hope you understand my intention:
give a name more related to the plugin function to make search easier, here on the registry, with search engine as Goggle or even in the gimp menu
Is very hard search successfully something strictly related with Filter Factory if is called "user Filter"
And its a pity because is a excellent plugin , even much more flexible and complete of what i may imagine..you did a amazing
Re: "User Filter" now Windows Binary Available
> Is very hard search successfully something strictly related with Filter Factory if is called "user Filter"
You're right with this, but one should not change the name of something every once in a while. Also, if you include the term "Filter Factory" in the plug-in name you might violate some trademarks (FF is TM by Adobe as far as I know - which is the reason for any superseeding plug-in not to use that name, e.g. the current FF for PS is called "Filter Foundry")
>Maybe you will like include the link (or the whole pack ) on the project page on sourceforge
I would very much like to create an installer for the binary of the plug-in and the language files (which unfortunately are not included in this version). I do have a problem coupling all the filters with the plug-in though... they do indeed have a different license - and one should make clear (although one can get most of them from other places) if it is fit to include them in such a collection.
I'd feel a lot better if there were a couple of separate packages that would feature the correct license of the filters (also better to maintain, as the new .guf file format also features localization for filters, so all this can be translated as well).
Nice work by Francois for compiling the plug-in under Windows (I'd have liked some information about porting problems though) and yourself for collecting and converting all those filters.
Re: "User Filter" now Windows Binary Available
i have a similar thought about possible license issues.
1)many "Filter Factory" developers are still active they now use a more modern version of FF language offered by the Filter Meister compiler, and the Filter Meister Mail List is their forum
I was already a member of that group: i reported the new immediately there on the mailing list asking explicitly to report there any objection on the inclusion of their filters in the guf folder
at the moment after a week nobody objected.
2) not all but most of that filters are from Andrew Burkle collection and he give a very explicit permission
3) The politics of old Filter Factory group allow (no commercial ) redistribution with the condition that credits are preserved
the conversion do NOT strip the credit
4)
Anyway in about 24 hours the converted filters will be available also as separate pack.
that will be more handy for who has the linux version and
should solve any other potential problem i may imagine .
PS as far i know were not any porting problems but Francois should know more details
"User Filter" now Windows Binary Available
Francois Collard compiled for Windows xp Vista, and converted 1500 FF filters
I add some note on how install and use on windows and i am mirroring here
http://photocomix-resources.deviantart.com/art/Gimp-Filter-Factory-Conve...
Maybe you will like include the link (or the whole pack ) on the project page on sourceforge
about the renaming i hope you understand my intention:
give a name more related to the plugin function to make search easier, here on the registry, with search engine as Goggle or even in the gimp menu
Is very hard search successfully something strictly related with Filter Factory if is called "user Filter"
And its a pity because is a excellent plugin , even much more flexible and complete of what i may imagine..you did a amazing
User Filter
any plan for windows binary..or suggestion on building for win?
User Filter reply
On ubuntu hardy is needed also flex and ssl -dev to build
but anyway i could not make it works, is visible in the menu now not grayed out but still not active
here console output
##############################
"photocomix@photocomix-desktop:~$ gimp
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/uf2c: invalid option -- g
Usage: uf2c {flags} filter
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-o name | --output=name :
Write C source to specified output file instead of stdout.
-s name | --skeleton=name :
Use specified skeleton file as a plug-in template instead
of the default.
-v | --verbose:
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version:
Display version information.
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/txt2guf: invalid option -- g
Usage: txt2guf [flags] {library.txt}
Convert Plugin Commander source files (.txt) to User Filter (.guf) files.
Flags:
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-v | --verbose:
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version:
Display version information.
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/ffl2guf: invalid option -- g
Usage: ffl2guf [flags] {library.ffl}
Convert Filter Factory Library files (.ffl) to User Filter (.guf) files.
Flags:
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-v | --verbose:
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version:
Display version information.
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/afs2guf: invalid option -- g
Usage: afs2guf [flags] {library.afs}
Convert Filter Factory source files (.afs) to User Filter (.guf) files.
Flags:
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-v | --verbose:
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version:
Display version information.
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/8bf2guf: invalid option -- g
Usage: 8bf2guf [flags] {library.8bf}
Convert Filter Factory binary files (.8bf) to User Filter (.guf) files.
Flags:
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-v | --verbose:
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version:
Display version information.
(gimp:24399): LibGimpBase-WARNING **: gimp: gimp_wire_read(): error
/usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/userfilter: fatal error: Segmentation fault"
###########################################
Any suggestions ?
Segmentation fault / Win32 binary
(a) This was caused by the plug-in assuming to have an existing "userfilter-path" entry in gimprc, which was not the case.
Has been fixed in v0.9.5
Also, "make install" should now work as intended.
(b) I would be happy if someone could come up with a Windows binary. I did try to compile on Windows, but since I'm working on Linux boxes most of the time, I was missing too many things - and the Compile-Gimp-on-Windows documentation I found on the WWW was way out of date to do a quick job on that...
Someone with a working Gimp-on-Windows development setup should have no big troubles though in getting it to work.
(c) As of v0.9.5 you also do not require ssl-dev anymore if you have Glib >= 2.16 installed.
User Filter
i installed but i can't see how use it.
It shows a nice template but i can't see how to import and convert filters and none is included
I read that are included utilities for the task but ...where?
How to use User Filter
The plug-in is installed in the usual plug-in directory of The Gimp.
The external tools are installed in the normal binary directories (probably either /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin).
A nice, short guide to programming filters with Filter Factory can be found at http://www.thepluginsite.com/knowhow/ffpg/ffpg.htm (remember, User Filter is backwards compatible to Filter Factory, so what is said there is essentially true for User Filter, too).
You can also find some filter samples in the CVS of User Filter: http://gimpuserfilter.cvs.sourceforge.net/gimpuserfilter/userfilter/src/...
Unconverted filters can be found at several places on the WWW - one such place would be http://www.photoshop-filters.com/html/filter_factory.htm
To automatically use these, you need to convert them first into the native file format of the User Filter plug-in and save them in a User Filter data directory. Filters with the extension ".afs" (original FF save files), ".txt" (save files of Plugin Commander for Windows) or ".8bf" (these are Windows binaries, only those that have been created with FF or Plugin Commander will work) can also be loaded directly from the editor panel of the plug-in.
User Filter
Sorry there is a misunderstanding, i know about filter factory and related links
What i will like to know is how to call and use the "external tools", include in the User filter to convert FFL and 8bf in "into the native file format of the User Filter plug-in and save them in a User Filter data directory."
i have very few practice in working from command line ..well should be no too difficult find the man pages of that tools,
But will be easier and more friendly 3 buttons to call that tools from the plugin GUI.
Maybe is not a problem for most using linux, but for a Windows version will be almost needed, you can't expect Windows users able to type something in a terminal
without detailed and step by step instructions
External tools for User Filter
You're right that a GUI interface would be much more convenient for importing filters for users who are not quite accustomed to a command line environment. However, since *.ffl is a library format containing multiple filters, this would require some kind of VFS module for the load/save routine (just like accessing files inside a *.zip archive). I feel that doing such a thing goes way beyond the purpose of the plug-in itself, so if I'm going to do it, it'll be quite at the end of the list of things that are to be done.
Plus, how often are you converting filters from old and obsolete formats to the native filter format ? Not quite often, I would think... Once you have converted a set of filters, you won't possibly be doing it again (for the same set, that is).
It would therefore be much more beneficial to add a repository of filters to the User Filter plug-in - either filters that have been written from scratch or filters that have been converted from FF style filters.
I think that should also be to the likes of Windows or Mac users who are not used to using a command line interface...
External tools for User Filter
i think a example may help is a well know command line utility "Enblend"
How you can see here http://enblend.sourceforge.net/ under USAGE and OPTION is explained , in few lines but quite well how to use it and the possible options, in a way that even who never open a terminal may successfully use it.
At the moment to call the utility i will have first to find their name, somewhere inside the source code , hopefully the utilities names should be reported in 1 of the readme files,
but often name is not sufficient so maybe i should trace the utility path and give the path too
then for the parameters to use i should search the man page of each utility to for find the options...not so hard i will try tonight but i would have loved have instead clear instruction as for emblend
About a repository of filter i will try soon to convert my huge collection of FF if successful i may share it.
i don't think make much sense create new Filter Factoryl from scratch,seems more rewarding edit them
(as example there are a maybe a dozen of cool "Glow" FF filters, 1 create a red glow, another a golden glow then a blue glow
Obviously a similar filter but with additional controls for hue and saturation and radius of the glow color may replace all of them with more flexibility that the first thing i want try.
External tools for User Filter
If you had a look at the file called README in the main directory of the source package (and did what the name told you to do) you should also have read these lines:
[...]
You can still import the old filters (in the editor panel) or convert
them with one of the command line utilities (8bf2guf(1), afs2guf(1),
ffl2guf(1), and txt2guf(1)).
[...]
If you installed the debian binary, well, then these docs will be found in the standard documentation directories, i.e. /usr/share/doc/.
So, from my humble point of view it should not be too difficult to find these programs that way, or is it ?
Now, executing any of these without any proper options should give you something like this:
Usage: ffl2guf [option] ...
Convert Filter Factory Library files (.ffl) to User Filter (.guf) files.
Options:
-h | --help :
Display this help.
-k | --keep-going :
If an error occurs, try to continue.
-o {name} | --output-directory {name} :
Write exported filters to the specified directory.
The directory will be created if it does not exist.
-s {version} | --set-version {version} :
Set the version information on the filter(s).
-v | --verbose :
Increase verbosity level.
-V | --version :
Display version information.
The man-pages are even more explanatory than that.
User Filter
Thank you
When installing from source the README file is there at hand
..is less at hand in already installed deb packages
I may have a obsession for usability but was not my intention criticize your work on the contrary i'm happy that you resurrect and renew this plugin, and grateful for your effort...and for the info in your last reply
thank again