JT Smith

Sometimes you want to do something fancy with images in a completely automated way.  So for example, maybe you want to turn the image on the left into the image on the right:

It turns out this is a pretty simple process using Imager.

Step 1 - Create a blank image.

use Imager;
my $tile = Imager->new(xsize => 450, ysize => 450, channels => 4);


Step 2 - Create a mask. This is just a PNG file that is black where you want transparency, and white or transparent where you want things to show through. In my case I created this mask.

Step 3 - Use combine your mask with the image you want to mask.

my $mask = Imager->new(file => 'mask.png');
my $craftsman = Imager->new(file => ‘craftsman.png’);
$tile->compose(src => $craftsman, mask => $mask);

Step 4 - For extra flare, add a bevel. 

my $bevel = Imager->new(file => ‘bevel.png’);
$tile->compose(src => $bevel, opacity => 0.8);

Note: Technically, the bevel is being created in some extra software like Photoshop or Gimp, and we’re just applying it here.

Step 5 - Save the file.

$tile->write(file => ‘tile.png’);

As you can see, it’s pretty easy to do some pretty cool effects in Imager. Enjoy.

[From my blog.]