EPS fiasco

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richmond62
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EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:30 pm

I have an urge (no, no, not that one :D ) to export images from LiveCode in EPS format . . .

Call me 'kinky', call me 'retro', but, like it or not, I work with several programs, that, for their sins (mainly
not working out that EPS is 'so last century'), can import EPS as the only vector format they will recognise.

Obviously, thus would involve autotracing followed by exporting.

stam
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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by stam » Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:02 pm

Look here:
https://gist.github.com/christopherande ... fc3abb6d6a

This installs a MacOS service (ie a contextual menu item) to convert SVG to EPS.
instead of adding as a service, you use Automator to batch-process a folder for conversion with the same tool -- i'm sure you can search online on how to create batch actions with Automator!

It's not quite what you were asking for but probably next best thing...

HTH
Stam

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:29 pm

That's super.

What I was asking for was too much to expect: something that would perform autotrace inwith LiveCode and then export as EPS.

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:37 am

It would be nifty if the ability to import EPS files could be restored:
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Screen Shot 2022-09-30 at 9.35.25 AM.png
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stam
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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by stam » Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:42 am

Did you submit an enhancement request?

richmond62
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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 8:02 am

Did you submit an enhancement request?
No, because I have no current license and am trotting along relatively happily with LC 9.6.3 "C",
and, at home I can just turn on any of my 3 PPC Macs and fool around with Metacard there,
or, for that matter, just run it on Linux.

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by FourthWorld » Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:06 am

richmond62 wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:37 am
It would be nifty if the ability to import EPS files could be restored
Unlikely, given this caveat from the Dictionary entry for "EPS":
This object type is supported only on Unix systems with Display PostScript installed.
Fun when NeXT machines premiered, but I don't know of other systems that used Display PostScript.

In 2022 EPS is a legacy format. Archivists would do well to batch-convert any EPS assets from the '90s worth carrying forward into a modern open standard format widely supported. SVG is the best candidate at this time.

Any new work in LC to support legacy formats would deliver low ROI which would only get lower every year.

I would imagine most would prefer to see SVG support expanded, which seems to be the trend team's focus in recent versions.
Richard Gaskin
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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:19 am

In 2022 EPS is a legacy format.
I wouldn't question that for a moment, but I wonder exactly why FontLab 8 (which I was seriously considering laying out $500 for)
CAN import EPS files and CANNOT import SVG files.

Actually this is hilarious as FontForge (the Open Source font designer) CAN import SVG files:
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Screen Shot 2022-09-30 at 11.19.40 AM.png
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So, why should I pay $500 for Fontlab?

I see that Fontlab can import PNG files and perform an almost instant autotrace . . .

FontForge, while being able to import PNG files ends up with an uneditable, unscaleable image.

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by stam » Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:35 pm

OK now I’m confused. Are you trying to create EPS? covert EPS to SVG? Create fonts? Import fonts that are in EPS format?

I was under the impression that EPS is a vector format, so it doesn't need auto-tracing (conversion of bitmap to vector image), just conversion, eg to SVG.

I imagine any vector editing app would do this and as long as that app has AppleScript support you can set up batch conversion with AppleScript or Automator on Mac.

$500 seems excessive for a font app. You might as well buy Adobe Illustrator for less.

So what is the task you’re trying to complete?

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:08 am

OK now I’m confused.
Don't worry, so am I. 8)

For reason best known unto themselves most font creation programs will allow you to import vector graphics to use as
glyphs: and as they are vectors rather than bit-mapped images, it is possible to modify them after they have been imported.

Birdfont (free), for instance, allows one to import SVG images . . . BUT ALL the menu items are non-functional in Mac OS 13.

https://birdfont.org/download.php

Fontlab allows one to import EPS images (which, considering EPS images have almost gone the way of the dinosaurs, is amazing).

It, also, allows one to import greyscale PNG images and then you can do nothing further with them.

https://www.fontlab.com/font-editor/fontlab/

FontForge (free and Open Source) allows for both EPS and SVG, but is as clunky as a clunky thing.

------------------------

Now, to LiveCode . . .

1. It would be fantastic if LiveCode could convert imported images into vector graphics inwith LC itself.

2. It would be fantastic if LiveCode could export those vector graphics as, either, EPS and/or SVG images.

-----------------------

My Use-Case is as follows:

The Fifth SDLC of my Devawriter Pro is set to involve implementation of Bengali text digitisation with,
as per Devanagari and Grantha scripts, a full panoply of conjunct consonants ( about 1200)
to be stored in one of the Personal Private Use areas of the Unicode specification.

Now, once upon a time (well, about 12 years ago) I spent nigh-on 4 months hand crafting about 5000 of
these conjunct consonants for Devanagari script . . . and a "right fuff-fuff" is was too.

I did that with my licensed copy of Fontographer, followed by tweaks and twiddles in FontForge.

As Fontographer is a 32-bit app I could mess around carting files back and forth from one of my
older Macintosh computers and my current 'weapon of choice', my 2018 Mac Mini running MacOS 13.

Now, being basically an idle slob, I was wondering if I could expedite matters by leveraging freely available
renderings of Bengali conjunct consonants.

But to do that bitmap images of them have to be converted into either EPS or SVG format . . . and the thought
of having to import each one into Inkscape, Trace it, then export in a vector format (and Inkscape does not lend
itself to batch processing of this type), makes me want to crawl back under the blankets, suck my thumb
and think happy thoughts.

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Re: EPS fiasco

Post by richmond62 » Sat Oct 01, 2022 3:44 pm

And the question is, "If EPS is a passé format, how come quite a few contemporary apps seem to depend on it?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encapsulated_PostScript

"Due to the ability to use embedded scripts, Microsoft removed support for EPS files in Microsoft Office programs in May 2018."

https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/serv ... /eps-file/

"The EPS file format, which enables the embedding and lossless printing of graphics, is now obsolete. However, there are still numerous free and commercial programs that can open or partially convert EPS files."

emphasis is mine.

'obsolete' is a far, far better than the euphemistic term 'legacy.'

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