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Aurigma Inc. (former COMobjects.NET) is happy to announce that beta version of new imaging component, called Aurigma Graphics Mill, is already available. Aurigma Graphics Mill is intended to substitute our previous imaging component, Graphics Processor. Taking into account all the shortcomings of Graphics Processor, Graphics Mill is much more powerful, convenient, flexible, fast and memory-friendly. Here is a brief list of benefits of Graphics Mill in comparison with Graphics Processor: - Graphics Mill is not dependent from GDI+ any more. You still can use power of GDI+ to draw high-quality graphics, however if you don't need it, you can work without GDI+ (and able to draw via alternative graphics engine).
- New capabilities of working with files: CMYK for JPEG, PNG and TIFF (both load and save), more extended support of TIFF format, some new formats are added, and so on.
- Can load thumbnails from files directly during reading file. It allows reducing memory consumption dramatically. Speed is greatly increased too.
- Graphics Mill does not converts pixels to 32 bits implicitly (unlike Graphics Processor). No more unnecessary memory and CPU overheads (especially if you work with 1 bit documents).
- Graphics Mill provides color managed based on ICC profiles. It allows original colors on any device whether you load, display or save files.
- All the effects and transforms were fully rewritten, new ones were added. For most effects performance was noticeable increased. Transforms produces images with much higher quality.
- Algorithms of color reduction were fully remade. Both performance and quality are improved. New dithering types are implemented. More predefined palette types are available (including Web Safe and Mac).
- Able to interrupt all the operation by timeout. It is especially important in ASP to prevent excess load of server (and thus reduce probability of denies of service).
- Now you can obtain low-level access to pixels. It allows you to operate with image directly in the fastest way.
- Improved capabilities of text output. Now you can use not only True Type fonts, installed on your computer. Besides of it, you can draw outlined text.
- Graphics Mill objects now provide events. For example, events allow you to display progress bars and abort operations by user request.
- For VB developers we implemented new visual control - scrollable view port (supporting such features as panning, zooming, rubber band and so on) and set of dialogs (Open/Save file with previews, color selector).
Full list of Graphics Mill improvements would make this message too long, but if you are interested, please visit What's New page. Currently Graphics Mill is on beta testing stage and we would greatly appreciate if you would take part in beta testing. For everyone, who takes part in beta testing, we provide noticeable discounts for upgrade and, more over, for each found bug we increase the discount up to 100%. Besides, it is great change to let us know what the product is lacking for, and ask us to add some feature until release. More information about Graphics Mill you can get on Aurigma web site. If you are interested in participation in Graphics Mill Beta Test Program, please visit beta testing section on our site. Note, you should register on Aurigma site first to sign up for beta testing.
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