Working with Images

FF&EZ's image handling is based on a very logical approach that provides a lot of flexibility, from easily letting you attach a single image to a product spec to allowing a literally unlimited number of images for a single object.

To understand how to control this and get efficient results, it will help to understand the "Key Concepts" listed below. If you want to plunge into the procedure, you can use these quick-links to topics farther down:

Basic Procedure	Attaching Images in a Batch Process
Attaching Single Images - Scans	Single Specification, Multiple Images
Attaching Single Images - Photographs	Including Large Images
Attaching Single Images - Web Images	Editing Images

Key Concepts

Be sure to consider the following issues when planning to include digitized images:

Dragging vs. Selecting - There are two ways to attach images to a specification: 1) You can drag the image file or a source image on a web site to an empty image block on a spec you are currently adding or editing or 2) you can select the image from a "staging" folder where you have gathered many images needed for the project.

The first method is easiest for attaching a few images, however if you have many images to attach on a large project, you will find it easier to be very methodical: If you gather the images first and save them, it leads to some extremely efficient methods, such as attaching images in a batch process—especially if you save them with a name that matches the Spec ID.

Image Names - FF&EZ is designed to use the same image file for a product across multiple projects.

It does this by automatically renaming the images you supply using a "Manufacturer/Vendor ID + Model #" format to produce a unique file name that can be used in any project.

Of course, there are exceptions: For images where a "model #" or something equally unique isn't applicable such as "custom" items, you can use a special key word or key phrase (like "CUSTOM") as the "Catalog #." For these, FF&EZ will generate a unique file name based on "Vendor ID + Project ID + Spec ID" instead (see "Critical Fields" below).

You can also enter a file name of your own choosing, which may make sense if you want to create a generic image of a product type (for instance, a traditional drapery design that is independent of vendor or fabric).

This has the effect of 1) creating a single, system-wide image library that is organized by vendor, while 2) ensuring that the image of a product is consistent across all projects and 3) saving disk space. (Note that if an image changes because the product has changed, there should be a corresponding model number change, too).

The process of attaching an image may involve two file names: 1) the original name of the image when you save it (either from a scan or downloaded from a web site) and 2) the "official" FF&EZ image library file name that can be shared among multiple projects. We do not recommend keeping the original image names because they are often part of a "computer friendly" naming system that means nothing to human beings.

Usable file formats - In order of best efficiency:

GIF (good for graphics and drawings, not as good for photos)

JPEG (recommended for most photos)

PNG (lossless, compressed)

TIF (uncompressed)

BMP (uncompressed)

Note that TIF and BMP images are automatically converted to JPEGs when FF&EZ processes them. The FF&EZ image library is optimized for its own use, so if you want to keep the originals of your images, do not use the "Move" option when attaching images in FF&EZ. If you use the "legacy" reporting system (not recommended), PNG files will also be converted to JPEG format, but only when first attached.

FF&EZ does not use less common image types like HEIC or WEBP. These must be opened with an image editor and saved as one of the other types before FF&EZ will "see" them.

Important: If you save images from a web site, do not attempt to change their format by simply changing the file extension as you save. As of this writing, web browsers do not have this capability. Saving any file with a different extension (such as ".jpg" instead of the original ".png" will create what appears to be a corrupted file when FF&EZ attempts to process it, especially when printing.

Temporary staging folder for acquiring images - Before images are stored in the image library, it is helpful to "gather" them in a single working folder for the project. Current versions of FF&EZ automatically create a folder named for the project ID (less any characters that are illegal for folder names) beneath the "FF&EZ-Import\Temporary images" folder. The latter is found in your personal Documents folder (e.g., what was once called "My Documents") under the subfolder "FF&EZ-Import\Temporary Images." FF&EZ looks here first for images to attach (hint, hint). For single-user systems, it is found on the workstation.

Project image staging folders are normally located under Documents\FF&EZ-Import\Temporary Images.

If you are working on a terminal server (where the software runs on the server, not your own PC), the staging folder is created under your Documents folder on the server. However, you can point any FF&EZ user to a single shared staging folder "tree" on your network (to which you have been given access) with the Setup command. You can also change this to point to a folder on your own PC. However in the latter option, "Documents" and the C: drive always refer to those locations on the server. Your local drive will be indicated by something like "C$" instead of "C:" and you may need to consult your own technical help if you cannot locate it.

Image Names and Automating Image Attachment

When you stage image files to attach to specs, there is a time-saving method you can use. Instead of saving them with the original name (from a web site, a camera or scanner), save or rename them with the Spec ID of the spec to which you plan to attach them (e.g., if you are downloading IMG2342343.JPG from a web site to use with spec CHR-001, save it as "CHR-001.JPG" instead). This is done automatically if you drag an image to the image block.

FF&EZ automatically looks for an image in the staging folder (see above), when it does, it will recognize the Spec ID and make attaching the image very easy. Note that this approach is a prerequisite for using the Auto-Image Utility. In all cases, FF&EZ will properly rename the files using the rules discussed above.

Using the Spec ID is only a temporary name! When you later attach an image file to a spec, FF&EZ will not let you override its automatic name with only the Spec ID as a permanent file name in the image library. This is because Spec IDs can represent completely different things from one project to the next, but image files are shared among projects.

Critical fields - Attaching images works very efficiently if you have already entered the Vendor ID and the catalog number (model number) on the spec. For custom items that have no catalog number, you should still enter a key word such as "CUSTOM" in the "Catalog/Model #" field. There are other special key words and key phrases that can be used when a model number is not available.

When FF&EZ sees a key word, it will create an alternate name that will still meet the file naming rules. As of version 3.2.127, FF&EZ will allow you to manually attach an image when the "Catalog/Model #" field is blank, but still warns you that this is not recommended.

Since FF&EZ uses the model number as part of the final image file name, you should be aware that some symbols are illegal in file names:

\ / : * ? " < > |

If the model number has any of these in it FF&EZ will substitute a generic character (typically an underscore character).

You can also set up standard images for custom items (e.g., a standard drapery style) and simply pick these directly from the image library. You can also set up prototype specs in the FF&EZ Specifications Library with these images already attached—simply import the library spec using Add> or Edit> Import.

Note that while a true "catalog #" or "model #" is ideal (and is usually required to order the item), for furniture this field can also take a "style" + "type" combination as long as it is 1) unique for the manufacturer and 2) fits within the length of the field, which is currently 40 characters. For instance, "Casanova lounge chair."

Note: If you are hesitant to enter a model # due to concerns about clients "shopping" your design, please note that you can control how much vendor information is displayed (if at all) on presentation reports. If there is a report that shows more than you wish and does not have a report option to control that, please contact us to add it to the normal development schedule. Report options can be saved to set up a standard report that shows exactly what you need for your type of client.

Recommended pixel resolution - For most images used in FF&EZ, a "longest" pixel dimension greater than 1000-1200 pixels is not needed (an image printed at 4" x 6" or 10 x 15 cm will look good at that resolution).

Exception: If you have a shop drawing or other image that contains lines and text, the ideal longest dimension should be 1500-2000 pixels (these images should also be marked as a "large" image when attached).

Images that are multiples of these recommendations may create much larger PDF file sizes. Note, however, the FF&EZ automatically resizes extremely large images, unless they are marked as "large images." FF&EZ also creates thumbnail versions of images for use in report formats with smaller image blocks.
Recommended scanning resolutions - Scanned images are notorious hogs of disk-space. Although the ideal image to include in a specification is a 35k to 70k JPEG or GIF file, scanning images in high-resolution may generate extremely large bit-map (TIFF or BMP) images of 10 or 20 Meg each before you produce the final files. Don't use a high-resolution scan if a 100 to 150 dots per inch (DPI) scan will produce satisfactory images. If you do scan in high-res, you don't need to keep original bit-map images after FF&EZ converts them to more efficient formats like JPEG. If you have photo-editing software, these should include an image "resizing" tool or an export command to shrink high-resolution images to a useful size (for our purposes).

Please note that "breaking" this rule and using a very large file is not a major problem, unless you do it all the time, which will slow down processing, consume unnecessary disk space and produce very large project archive files that cannot be emailed.

Regarding "ideal" scan resolutions, remember that good-quality laser text is 300 DPI (dots per inch), while a photographic image will still look quite good printed at 150 or even 100 DPI. The standard "main" image on the FF&EZ "Illustration Sheet" is roughly 5" in its longest dimension. If your original's longest side is close to that dimension, try scanning at 150-200 DPI. If one of the dimensions is twice the printing size, scan at 75-100 DPI. Adjust your resolution appropriately for other variations. Exception: if the scan includes text that needs to look crisp and readable, you may want to double the recommended resolution—see the previous section.

Web image resolution - On the other hand, if you use the context menu (right-click menu) on a web site to save images, be sure to download the primary image, not the small "thumbnails" that may serve as links to higher quality images. Thumbnails are usually created at too low a resolution to look good at "normal" sizes—you will want images of at least 1200-1500 pixels in width and/or height, but not more than 2,000. However, for the same reasons mentioned above, you normally do not need "high-resolution" images.

Some web sites, especially those displaying search results or selectable product images may not download a usable image without your using right-click + "View image" or the equivalent. This is especially true with sites that use non-standard "WEBP" image formats. These may need to be opened with a photo editor and saved as a standard format.

Printing speed - If you plan to print in color be very careful to know the actual (not advertised) average print speed of your printer (and computer). If you are facing a meeting or express mail deadline two hours away, don't get caught attempting to print illustration sheets that take four hours to produce. Don't give away your craft knives and spray glue just yet.

Since objects themselves do not have images, only specifications, where does the image for the "Illustration Sheet" reports come from? The answer is found in the assumption that, for any object, component #1 is the specification that most "defines" the object. So the basic illustration sheet report always uses the image from that specification. For instance, a chair object should always have the chair frame specification as component #1, so you will want to link the picture of the chair to that specification.

If you have images for more than one component, the basic "Illustration Sheet" format allows images for all components but uses a more efficient layout and smaller image sizes for secondary images. If you need more than one image for a single specification, you can set up additional "image only" specs and add them as components to the object. These are simple specs that print on the illustration sheet, but do not appear in any ordering reports or processes (see "Attaching Multiple Images for a Single Product Specification").

Procedures

There are a number of different image types, intended uses and sources. These variations are covered below. However the basic procedure is this:

Highly recommended: On the Specifications screen, select the manufacturer vendor and enter the catalog / model number for the specific product, or enter one of the special key words and key phrases that can be used for products that do not any type of identifying number or code. Skipping this step will make your image library less organized and harder to use.
If you are planning to process a large number of specifications, gather the images into the temporary images staging folder for the current project, naming each image with the Spec ID to which it will be attached (i.e., "CHR-123.jpg"). Best practice: Avoid using symbols in your Spec ID system that are illegal characters for file names.
Select a specification and edit it (this can also be done when adding a spec)
Use the Select... button under the image block to select the image. Alternatively, if you are only attaching a few images, you can drag the image onto the image block once you are in any editing mode. Either method produces the image processing pop-up.
If you followed step 1, you can accept the suggested name for the image, which organizes the library by vendor. If the image is intended to be a generic one used for different products (such as a standard window treatment elevation drawing), you may wish to change the file name to something more appropriate.
If the image is a shop drawing or similar that needs to be printed as large as possible, select the "Large image option"
Confirm the image details and then save the specification itself.

Here are more detailed steps with notes:

Attaching Single Images - Scans ( and General Procedure)

Step		Notes
1.	If you wish to scan directly to a file optimized for use with FF&EZ, use this formula for all originals in which there is no text or text readability is not important: 5" / LS * 150dpi = Scan resolution where LS = the longest side of your original in inches. To scan an 8x10 image, then, the setting would be 5 / 10 * 150 = 75dpi If your scanner has specific scan resolutions to choose and your result doesn't match one of them, pick the next higher one.	The scanning resolution and printing resolution are two different things, and the scanning resolution only needs to be high enough to print well at the intended printing size (see discussion under "Key Concepts" above). Other factors to note: The largest dimension of an image printed by FF&EZ is approximately 5" (Illustration Sheet format), unless you mark the images as a "large image" when attaching it. If you are scanning something with text that needs to be legible, change the 150 in the formula to 300. If you are scanning a "large" image that will print on a single page, use 10" instead of 5" in the formula.
2.	Save the file in the JPEG or PNG format into the temporary image folder created for your project by FF&EZ (found under My Documents\FF&EZ-Import). Hint: Use the associated Spec ID as the temporary file name to make it easier to find the file later. E.g., "CHR002.JPG" (If you do, be sure to also read "Attaching Images in a Batch Process" below for a time-saving technique). Repeat steps 1 and 2 as needed to gather all the images you need.	The folder is "temporary" because FF&EZ maintains its own permanent image library folder with the rest of its data; once you have attached the images, your temporary folder will become an unnecessary duplicate.
3.	If you have not entered catalog or model numbers into the spec screen's "Catalog/Model #" field, do so for each spec that needs an image. Enter "CUSTOM" or other special key word or key phrase for custom products that would not normally have a model #.	The system will warn you each time you try to attach an image to a specification with no entry in this field. This will get tiresome if you ignore this step.
4.	To attach an image to a spec, edit the spec (if not already doing so).	You can also double-click on the Attach button beneath the image area to start editing mode.
5.	Click on the Attach button. This displays the Windows "Open File" dialog box, which includes a "thumbnail" option. If needed, locate the folder containing your image. When it first opens, the dialog will be automatically positioned to look in the project folder under "FF&EZ-Import\temporary images" unless you have changed this on the Setup Form. Alternative: If you instead want to pick a different, existing image from the FF&EZ image library, click Cancel in the dialog shown below and use Select from the Image Library instead.	Note that if the vendor / product file name combination already exists in the image library, FF&EZ will offer to use the existing image automatically, but allow you to select a different image if needed. Also note: If you have saved the source image with the same name as the Spec ID, FF&EZ will automatically pick that file and skip this dialog box.
	The Attach button first looks in a folder for the current project (in the image above, for project "DEMO-PM") automatically created beneath FF&EZ-Import\Temporary Images.
6.	When you find the picture you want, click the Select button on the dialog. You will then see the FF&EZ program's "Image Selection" dialog:	You can also re-select an image at this point if you chose the wrong one, or select an existing image directly from the FF&EZ Image Library.

7.	Confirm or enter the desired file name to use for the image within FF&EZ. Please note: We strongly recommend that you accept the file name that FF&EZ suggests for the image file (Vendor ID + Catalog Number). This filename is the easiest to understand and re-use in other projects.	If a custom product has no model # and you entered "CUSTOM" in the "Catalog / Model #" field, FF&EZ will create a unique file name using the Vendor ID + the Project ID + Spec ID to avoid overwriting custom item images in other projects. If a spec's Catalog # field is blank, you will need to specify a file name that does not accidentally overwrite any other image in the image library.
8.	If you want FF&EZ to move the original image, so that the original does not take up extra space on your disk, select the "Move image" option.	You can also simply delete the originals from the temporary folder after attaching all of them.
9.	If you want to use this image as a "large" image that is printed as large as possible on an "Illustration Sheet" report, mark the "Mark this for use as a large image" box. High-resolution images will normally be resized for use in FF&EZ, but you can preserve the original size with the "Resolution option.	The "use as a large image" option automatically preserves the original resolution. However, don't use this unless you want the image to fill the page when printed (such as a shop drawing).
10.	If you accidentally enter the name of an existing image file in the FF&EZ image library, the image will appear in the bottom half of the window for comparison (where it shows "(New file") in the figure above). You can replace the original image with the new one by putting a check in the option to the right	Normally this should not happen if you allow FF&EZ to name the files for you. If you see this happening often, you may be creating duplicate file names manually. If you create a duplicate file name and overwrite the existing file, it may cause the wrong image to appear in projects where this file name was first used.
11.	To attach the image, click on the Save button. The image file will be copied to the IMAGES folder and will appear on the form.
12.	Like any other edit to a specification, you must save the spec itself to make the attachment permanent.

If you wish to change an image, you can do this in two ways: 1) If the new image is just an updated version of the existing one (where you wouldn't need to change the file name), you can simply save the new version directly into the IMAGES folder, replacing the original file (using exactly the same name). 2) If you want to substitute a different image file, first use the Clear button (it appears beneath the image once it is attached) to remove the existing link. This will display the Select... button again. Use it to create a new link to the desired image file.

Remember that if you replace an existing image file with one using the same file name, it will affect all specs that refer to that image file. This is normally preferred, because the image file should be named with the vendor ID + catalog # and that would apply across all projects. However, if this is not what you want, you can manually name the new image to avoid a conflict.

When you use the Clear button to remove an image, the image is not deleted from your disk, since it may be used in another spec in this project or another. Special functions under the Utilities options (Startup Form) can be used to clean up unused images later.

Attaching Single Images - Photographs

Another typical way to acquire images is by using a digital camera. The attachment process is essentially the same as using a scanner — except that most digital photographs are saved at a much higher resolution than needed for this application. Unless the photos were taken at a 1 or 2 megapixel setting, they are probably too big and will use excess space within FF&EZ's library and potentially slow down the processing of large illustrated reports. If so, be sure to use the "Optimize for FF&EZ" setting.

Step		Notes
1.	Organize your photographs in a working folder with a photo manager or editing program. Option: Rename the files to make them easier to associate with a spec. As in the instructions for scanned images, you can use the associated Spec ID as the temporary file name to make it easier to find the file later. E.g., name a chair image afer the Spec ID as "CHR002.JPG" instead. of leaving it as "IMG002343.JPG"	There are a number of free image managers on the market. One feature that you will want to be sure your choice includes is either 1) the ability to export photographs at a desired image quality or 2) a "resizing" command, especially one that can operate in a batch mode. Another choice is a format converter that can convert various graphics formats to other ones. Software995's Omniformat is one.
2.	Convert, export or resize the photo files to a more efficient resolution and format, typically in the resolution of 320 to 480 pixels and "normal" quality (if the software has a "web image" export setting, this will probably be quite acceptable for this purpose). For the file format, stick with the JPEG format. Save the results into the temporary image folder created for your project by FF&EZ (found under My Documents\FF&EZ-Import).	"Batch" processing is available in some software, which typically allows you to specify a folder (or a photo "album") and process all images in it a particular way, such as resizing them to a maximum pixel size. The folder is "temporary" because FF&EZ maintains its own permanent image library folder with the rest of its data; so once you have attached the images, your temporary folder will become an unnecessary duplicate. Note: images taken in a camera's "raw" format must be converted to another format to be used in FF&EZ.
3.	At this point, the steps are identical to those starting with Step 3 in the previous section for scanned images.

Attaching Single Images - Web Images

A third and very common way to acquire images is to save them from a web site. If your browser does not have the menu options discussed below, use a different browser for this purpose.

With few exceptions, images found on the web are already sized appropriately to be used by FF&EZ with little waste of disk space. One important exception: Thumbnail images should not be used, since they are often of too low a resolution. Instead, use the image to which a thumbnail (hopefully) links.

Step		Notes
1.	Locate the image you need on the web, either using a search tool or by going to a manufacturer's web site.	Be sure to locate a "primary" image, not a thumbnail image. A thumbnail will typically be quite small and used as a hyperlink to locate the primary image, which will be larger and have a better resolution. Thumbnails will not print acceptably if enlarged (they will look "pixelated").
2.	Dragging and dropping an image: If you are viewing the image on its original source site, you should be able to drag the image onto the specification screen's image block. You must be editing the specification to do this and the image block must be empty. Some image sources do not work for dragging: Images displayed in search results (such as Google Images) are often part of the search utility's internal mechanism and don't have a usable address for this process. You may not be able to drag images that are part of a selectable multi-image display (such as those you might see used for multiple views of a piece of clothing or other product). "Problematic" images will generate an error message or a blank image as the procedure continues. If FF&EZ cannot interpret the data for the image, you can manually save the image file instead: Right-click directly on the selected image and choose the "Save image as..." option that you will see on most web browsers. You can also choose "View image" or "Open image in new tab" first to view it separately from its surrounding web page. Save the results into the temporary image folder created for your project by FF&EZ (found under My Documents\FF&EZ-Import). As in the instructions for other image types, you can use the associated Spec ID as the temporary file name to make it easier to find the file later. E.g., "CHR002.JPG" Important: Do not attempt to save the images with a file extension (e.g., ".png" or ".jpg") that is different from the original. This will produce a "corrupted" file.	If you do not see the "Save image as..." option when you right-click, your browser may not have it. If so, you will need to install a different browser to use for this purpose or use a clipping tool Hint: If you use a screen "clipping" tool instead, be sure the image is displayed at a reasonably large size on your screen. You can use Ctrl plus the "+" key or Ctrl plus the mouse wheel to magnify web page contents. The temporary image folder is "temporary" because FF&EZ maintains its own permanent image library folder with the rest of its data; once you have attached the images, your temporary folder will become an unnecessary duplicate.
3.	At this point, the steps are identical to those starting with Step 3 in the full instructions for scanned images above.

Including Large Images

You can include a large image as an object's primary image in the "Illustration Sheet" report format. Lanscape images will expand to the left and right margins of the page, with the height adjusted in proportion. Portrait (vertical) images will expand to the bottom margin, with the width adjusted instead.

This feature is available in image layout option 1 (gathered at the top) and option 2 (single large image plus all other images printed in line with the specification detail). If layout 1 is used, up to four supplemental images will print below the main image (or on the next page if the image is in portrait orientation) instead of seven. Any others will print in the layout 2 format.

To use this option, do the following:

If the image is in landscape orientation, decide if the image will be sufficiently large when printed that way (7 inches or 17.8 cm). If not, use an image editor to rotate the image prior to attaching it.
When you attach the image, enable the "Large image" checkbox and don't "optimize" the image, which reduces high-resolution images to more efficient resolutions.
Attach the image to the primary object component. This "slot" is the only one that is allocated for use with a large image.
When you print an "Illustration Sheet" format, be sure to only use layout 1 or 2 for images.
Large images will tend to split detail sections, so we recommend that you use the "single column" option for specification detail for better readability.

Note: If you are printing object locations on any of the "...by Tag" versions of the Illustration Sheet and choose to place this section in the "header" area instead of near the end of each object's sheet, there is only room for three rows of locations (six locations, typically) before a large "portrait" image will be pushed to the second page. If an object needing a large images appears in many locations, you may want to edit the image to add white space on the left and right, forcing the image size ratio to be closer to a square.

See "Using the Illustration Sheet Formats" for more information about the options for these reports.

Attaching Images in a Batch Process

Once you understand the basic procedure for attaching images (and why the procedure is recommended), you can attach all of your images to the specs that need them in one operation using the Auto-Image Utility on the Specifications List menu. The key to doing this is to create (or save) your original source images with the Spec ID of the product spec as a temporary file name. Use the Auto-Image section link above to see the complete procedure. Be sure to note the warning about Spec IDs with certain symbols in them.

Single Specification, Multiple Images

If an object you have created only requires a single specification (i.e., a single purchase order) but you need to display more than one image for it in your project book ("Illustration Sheet"), you can do so with "image only" specifications. See the next page, "Attaching Multiple Images for a Single Product Specification" for the details.