Imported Images as permanent part of filter

this has a medium to low priority for me, but i thought i'd mention it. every once in a while i've had the need or desire to import an image into FF, other than the main image used through the 'image' component. in other words, a second image import. the difference is that i'd like to keep this second image as part of the filter.

i know there may be drawbacks to this and limitations, especially when you start working in larger resolutions and perhaps in the seamless tiling too. there may also be copyright issues if folks started to upload filters for approval that had images incorporated into them that didnt belong to them. so, i know this may not make it into FF.

nonetheless, it could have some big benefits. and maybe there are some work-arounds that might be ok. for instance, maybe the second image doesnt have to be permanent, but only semi-permanent or even optional. it really wouldnt have to be included in the permanent filter. maybe a folder could be made for 'images to be used with filter X' and the filter would look into that folder to find the image it wanted and that was attached to the filter.

and, in actual fact, if done this way, you could have unlimited fixed images associated with a given filter. let's say i make 'Filter A'. and let's say i add a component called 'fixed image'. when i add that component i import an image and attach/associate a given image to it. that image then gets stored in a folder in FF (or wherever the user wanted). that image would then be loaded every time the filter was loaded.

this would make things like making textures and patterns fairly easy, at least simple textures and patterns. and if the 'fixed image' component had switches and functions associated with it, perhaps even complex things could be done without much trouble. the big benefit here is that the current 'patterns' takes a bit of programming to get a new pattern component. with a 'fixed image' component, the user could make his own.

and that's just the tip of the iceberg here. by being able to use multiple image sources and blend and manipulate them, you can do some really interesting blends, morphs, and other type functions.

and even if you cant or dont want to do a 'fixed image' component, it would be a very good thing to just have the ability to open more than one image at a time in FF. you could almost do all the things mentioned just with that.

craig

me 2