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User Filter

May 26, 2008 - 15:50 — cholfatyarh
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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/

Tags: 
plugin
RGBA
formula
photoshop
RGB
generic
filter factory
Gray
GrayA
8bf
ffl
afs
guf
Filter Foundry
GIMP Version: 
2.4
Code License: 
GPL / LGPL

Comments

June 25, 2008 - 19:09 — cholfatyarh

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...
June 25, 2008 - 21:02 — PhotoComiX

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.
June 26, 2008 - 16:54 — cholfatyarh

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.
June 26, 2008 - 19:19 — PhotoComiX

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

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