Creating image-sized PDFs for custom boot panels

Jul 23, '02 08:39:54AM

Contributed by: redplague

A free way to create BootPanels (and other image-sized PDFs).

Part One - Install Two Apps

First off, I had fink install ImageMagick, a command line program for converting a whole bunch of different picture formats, including Portable Document Format and Encapsulated PostScript Interchange. Unfortunately, converting to PDF doesn't work right, but converting to EPSI does.

Next, I downloaded Stone Studios' PStill application, which has a limited functionality Demo Mode. The limitation (a splash page is appended to multi-page documents) does not affect image-sized PDFs. The version I use is 1.8.4, and I haven't tested any newer versions than that.

Read the rest of the article for Step Two...

Part Two - Converting and Opening

Having ImageMagick installed, I type this in a Terminal window:

 % convert -size 480x360
I then drag and drop the image to be converted onto the Terminal window, twice, and change the second file ending to epsi, like this:
 % convert -size 480x360 /PATH_TO/BootPanel.tiff /PATH_TO/BootPanel.epsi
Next, I Get Info on BootPanel.epsi and designate PStill as the helper application (not strictly necessary but time-saving). I then type this in the Terminal:
 % open /PATH_TO/BootPanel.epsi
PStill will now convert the EPSI file into a PDF.

Is it ethical to use PStill like this? Personally, I think it is. The suspicion that this may be a bug or an oversight is balanced by the reasonable assumption that the people at Stone Studios (who do make a lot of other programs, all of which are great value for money) understand the following:

Nobody's going to get rich making BootPanels and users should not have to pay for functionality this basic. That's what I reckon, anyway.

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