Introduction ============ This software can be used to generate PhotoMosaics - that is, images which are themselves composed of hundreds or thousands of tiny images. It is still in early developmental stages but is perfectly usable. This version of PhotoMosaic is for GIMP v2. I do not know if it is compatible with GIMP v1.x. If necessary you can get a version that works with GIMP v1 from my CPAN directory (CPAN ID = SDRABBLE). Installation ============ Untar the package file to your GIMP directory: $ cd ~/.gimp-2.0/ $ gunzip -c /path/to/.tar.gz | tar xf - (replace in the above command with the full version number from the filename) The software will be extracted to the 'plug-ins' directory. Before using the photomosaic software please run at least the pmosaic.t and photomean.t tests to verify correct installation and functionality. These can be found in the t/ directory from wherever you untarred the package. $ cd plug-ins/t $ perl ./photomean.t $ perl ./pmosaic.t Note you can also use the 'runtests' script in the t/ directory. These tests may take a while to run depending on the speed and other configuration of your system. If everything passes you are all set! If not, I'll be glad to work with you to get it running. Using the Software ================== Start GIMP. You should see two new options on the Xtns/Perl-Fu menu of the main toolbox. photomean and pmosaic Although these are provided in the GIMP's menu system it is recommended for performance reasons that they be run from the command-line or in batch. See the in-line documentation for full details. Creating Mosaics ================ For best results, the more photos in your library the better. I recommend around 4000 at an absolute minimum. 7-8000 should be adequate. If you create any really nice photomosaics with this software email the author and I'll consider adding them to the pmosaic home page at http://thebigmachine.org/gimp/pmosaic/ Happy Mosaicking!