FAQ - Image Morphing Software for Creation of Morphing Pictures and Animations

Click on the following links to access questions:

1. Which edition of FantaMorph is right for me?

2. Can I morph more than two images?

3. Why the speed is not as fast as "real-time"?

4. What image formats can I import into FantaMorph?

5. Which format is the best for export?

6. Can I add dots to both images individually or just to one image at a time?

7. Why are my dots all the same color?

8. What do I do with my completed morphs?

9. Why does my morph not look quite right?

10. Where to get perfect stuff for background, mask, foreground?

1. Which edition of FantaMorph is right for me?

There are two editions for choice. One is standard edition "FantaMorph", the other is professional edition "FantaMorph PRO". FantaMorph PRO offers some professional features below:

• Supports 32bit Format - When using 32bit source image file with alpha (BMP, PNG, TIFF, TGA), 32bit morph result with alpha will be get, which can be imported into other advanced video editing software to make amazing effects.

• Import Skin Files - You can import FantaMorph skin files anytime. You can even create your own interface.

• Add Background, Mask, Foreground for Export - Morph with perfect effects such as background, mask and foreground can be exported. It is very easy to use, but the result is attractive.

• Image Sequence Pack Tool - It's a very useful tool for making long morph movie with more than two source images, see below.

So, if you want to create some professional effects or expect to make a long movie such as baby's growing process, the PRO edition is the best choice.

2. Can I morph more than two images?

This question have been asked by a number of users. You can not make projects with more than two source images by now, but we are working hard to create this great function in a future version of FantaMorph.
It is currently possible, and easy also, to create a long morph movie by using more than two images though the following steps. Note, this feature is only supported in FantaMorph PRO.

For instance, there are five images called A, B, C, D, E are prepared for making a flash movie, and every morph between two images includes 15 frames.
Step 1: Make project "Morph1" by importing A as "Image 1" and B as "Image 2", then export image sequence for instance by JPG format, and now you have 15 morphing pictures named Morph101.jpg, Morph102.jpg, ..., Morph115.jpg.
Step 2: Swap source images from Edit menu; now B is "Image1" and A is "Image 2", then import C as "Image 2" and save project as "Morph2". Adjust key dots' position on C; add some new key dots or delete useless key dots if need, then export image sequence to get 15 morphing pictures named Morph201.jpg to Morph215.jpg.
Step 3: Repeating step 2, save project as "Morph3" when source images are C and D; save project as "Morph4" when source images are D and E. Now, you have got all result morphing pictures from Morph101.jpg to Morph115.jpg, Morph201.jpg to Morph215.jpg, Morph301.jpg to Morph315.jpg and Morph401.jpg to Morph415.jpg, total 60 files.
Step 4: Run "Image Sequence Packer" from Tools menu, adding all these 60 result morphing pictures, choosing "Flash Movie" option, then press "Start Pack" button. That is all!

To get more info, see "How to Morph More than Two Images".

3. Why the speed is not as fast as "real-time"?

FantaMorph 2.0 use new rendering engine support OpenGL hardware acceleration. OpenGL is a industrial graphics standard and supported in most video card today. If your video card supports this feature, the morph speed can be very fast reaching to hundreds frames per second even. But if your video card is old, the morph speed may be under 15 frames per second. In this case, updating your video card is recommended.

4. What image formats can I import into FantaMorph?

FantaMorph supports BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, TGA, PCX, GIF or WMF, EMF (Windows Metafile) format image for import.
In the PRO edition, you can use 32bit image with alpha format of BMP, TIFF, PNG and TGA to create professional effects. To get more info, see "How to Use 32bit with Alpha Images".

5. Which format is the best for export?

Image Sequences: Each frame of morph will be saved as an individual file by formats of BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, TGA, PCX, GIF. In most cases, JPEG is the best choice. In PRO edition, when you use 32bit source images and hope the morph result can be overlaid smoothly on video in the other video editing software, you should choose BMP, TIFF, PNG or TGA format.
AVI Movie: Familiar video format on Windows platform with perfect quality. Good for importing into movie editing software such as Adobe Premiere. To avoid too large file size, you can use video Codec installed (such as MPEG-4 codec from www.divx.com) to compress your movies into smaller files.
Animated GIF: Good for web pages, every browser can view them. The Quality is lower because the images have only 256 colors.
Flash Movie: Best for web pages, very small and high quality. Best choice for share with friends by e-mail.
Web Page: Can play flash movie by original size in Internet Explorer.
Screen Saver: Create standard Windows screen savers to show morphing effects. It's a interesting way to enjoy your morphs and share with your friends.

6. Can I add dots to both images individually or just to one image at a time?

Every dot you add to one image will automatically get a corresponding partner dot on the opposite image. Dots only come in pairs, because the purpose of a dot is to match up key features in each image to tell FantaMorph how the first image will morph into the second image. But we plan to offer some advanced edit features like to add dots separately in a future version of FantaMorph.

7. Why are my dots all the same color?

As default, all dots are the same color. But you can turn on the "Color Cycle" switch in option box, then it will cycle 8 basic colors across the dots. Note that the 9th dot you add will therefore be the same color as the 1st, the 10th the same as the 2nd, and so on. To tell the dots apart and correctly locate their partner dot, simply move cursor over on them to highlight.

8. What do I do with my completed morphs?

Use your morphing pictures or morphing movies to grab people's attention or to have a good time - create web graphics and enhance your web site, email morphs to friends and family to make them laugh, burn on morphs to VCD for enjoying on TV, create a unique online greeting, post your morphs on the Internet, add more life to your presentations. If you are a professional user, use your morphs in music video, advertisement, teleplay, movie, education courseware, and countless other great ways!
If your morph is unique and exciting, and you want to share it with other FantaMorph users, you might consider submitting it to us for display.

9. Why does my morph not look quite right?

There are many theory about morph, and we use the key dots method. It is effective, fast, and easy to use, but it also has some limitations. Dots pairs must be in the same logical position, otherwise, the result may be strange. In this case, you need to adjust dots position carefully.

10. Where to get perfect stuff for background, mask, foreground?

You can use any images that you like for movie background. But the mask should be 256 scales gray bitmap, and the foreground should be 32bit with alpha image to overlay on the movie to make photo frame, text caption or other add-on effect. To get more info about it, see "How to Use Add-on Effects with Background, Mask, Foreground".
There are a lot of stuff on web, and if you are a registered user, we will send some picked stuffs to you by e-mail frequently. It's free!