develop a cover / tracklist generator + printer

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Mon May 29, 2006 6:59 am

Hello Community!

I am just working on a own cover designer programm.
Its idea is to be fast and easy and create a coverset as a PDF.

All what my app will need is a description file which contains the information that is needed to create a cover. (the picture and the tracklist for example).
You can now choose which kind of artwork you want to create (slimcase / jewel case / DVD set) and the papersize (A4, A3, etc).
Maybe some options for colours, fonts and so on.

It has to be designed as a stand-alone application as far as I see now.

What i need now is somebody who knows MM skripting and can create the description-file and start my app with these options.

So far its all theory (ok, i have several lines in VB for PDF creating and image converting - and i have tested some covers in "dirty mode")

Anyone out there, wanting to help or improve?

thanks,

Commerzpunk

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:12 am

If you tell me what the data file needs to be and how to send it to your application (command line parameter I presume) then I can write a script to call it using the selected tracks.

psyXonova · Post by **psyXonova** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:19 am

I am also in the process of creating a cover designer for MM, one that resembles the functionality of Nero's cover designer.
I will be glad to help in anyway you like

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Tue May 30, 2006 3:25 am

Hello!

Thanks for your reply!

I just started my idea and developing yesterday, because i found a way to create native PDF just with visual basic.

@trixmoto: I love your work, so its the first option to ask you to develop the skripting part. Maybe - later - its possible to fully integrate this work in a skript?!

Ok, here some screenshots from a very early and dirty alpha-version of MMCD which is "MediaMonkeyCoverDesigner":

Its still dirty, but not as much as yesterday.
The software uses the txt-file below to create the pdf-cover you can see.
This is working automaticly so far.

There is no calculation how much space you have left or how many tracks can fit on the back cover and so on.
Right now its only very stupid, quick and dirty "create".

The screens:

The textfile (to be created by a script)

My app MMCD (Needs much more option, buttons...)

PDF as result

Always remember, I am not a professional coder and its only 2 hours of developing till now

Please give some comments, suggestions, what ever helps

Commerzpunk

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Tue May 30, 2006 3:54 am

Looks pretty good. I can definitely write a script which creates that text file.

Is there a limit to the number of images or tracks?

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Tue May 30, 2006 4:27 am

trixmoto wrote:Looks pretty good. I can definitely write a script which creates that text file.

Is there a limit to the number of images or tracks?

Hi,

at the moment, my idea was to limit the pictures as 4 fixed imagetypes:
C1 - Front Cover
C2 - Inlay Cover
C3 - Back Cover
C4 - CD Cover

Its only the first and quickest idea, we can change it or make it completely dynamic. For example its possible to take all images to my app and let the user choose which image should be used as front, back, etc.

The tracks are not limited, its a dynamic array which grows with every "TR" line in the textfile.

The final goal should be to be able to create 3 kinds of Covers:

I always asume that at least the tags are properly set.

1. A complete album as Music CD
The most eays case.

Just take the tags and all images of the album, set AlbumArtist and AlbumTitle, thats all.

If there is no image (no AlbumArt), i just create an empty box with black lines. Alternativ its possible to use a standard image. The monkey or something like that. But its always the user who decides which image is used for what.

2. A mix of tracks as Music CD
More difficult.

There is no AlbumArtist and no AlbumTitle for all the tracks.
Maybe the user can give a name as he wishes, or we can preset the AlbumTitle with the name of the playlist, if it is one.

The same with the images. Its possible that there are 20 tracks from 20 different albums and each album has 4 AlbumArts. Now we have 80 images to create the covers from... We have to find a solution here.

The tracks are easy too, just give me the information from the tracks.
Of course, the format of a "TR" line, which is for a track, has to be fixed by you and me. We should take all the information from a track which is needed. (number, lengt, album artist, album title, artist, bitrate, and so on)

3. A mix or playlist or whatever as MP3 CD/DVD
The most difficultcase.

The same "problems" with images and AlbumArtist and AlbumTitle, but that can easily fixed - we just have to decide for a way to solve it.

And of course, here we have a problem to fit all the information from the tracks to a cover.

---

All in all its the biggest challenge how to place the information on the covers. Its much work of calculating and "try and error".

So far, development will go on in the evening.

HA (Commerzpunk)

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:10 am

So should there always be four images passed through, or is just one ok?

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:49 am

As much or as you can find.

Maybe its a good idea to make the images dynamic - like the tracks.

I dont want you to make senseless work, because I dont feel sure for myself, if the structure of the transfer file will keep its shape.

If you like we can exchange emails to find a good way together. You should have good ideas too, no?

I think it should be possible to combine your script and my app to one complete setup-programm, right? (in some weeks or month :-p)

HA

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:17 am

I have completed the script so far and emailed you the resulting description file.

I think it would be a great idea to include your app in the installer for my script as it means a single step for any user wishing to use MMCD.

Looking forward to getting this working nicely. I know a lot of people have been looking for this kind of plugin.

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:35 am

trixmoto wrote:I have completed the script so far and emailed you the resulting description file.

I think it would be a great idea to include your app in the installer for my script as it means a single step for any user wishing to use MMCD.

Looking forward to getting this working nicely. I know a lot of people have been looking for this kind of plugin.

Hello Trixmoto!

Thanks for your mail.
I just copied your files to my harddisk and changed the storagepath of the pictures.

Of course, the tracklist did not fit the cover (black lined box).
I optimized the code to fit it better, everything else worked perfectly!

Great, I will continue and report the progress here

A link to the PDF that i created with your file automaticly:

http://www.5partner.de/images/cover.pdf

See you,

HA

Commerzpunk · Post by **Commerzpunk** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:33 am

Hello,

I restarted devoloping last week and did some steps in the right direction.

Trixmoto was very friendly and helpfull, he created a script which starts my application. He also stored a little video in his webspace to show how the software works right now.

Its a early stadium and the only think my software does, is to create a cover for one single audio CD from one Artist.

No more PDF creation, its a preview area and a print option for your printer at home.

How it works:

1. Select all tracks from an album
2. Start trixmotos script which collects the information and sends them to my application
3. Artist, Title, Tracks and cover will be automaticly arranged on a standard cover
4. Its possible to move arround the "Artist" right now - its only a test.
5. See the preview and print

The project will keep as simple as possible.

Keep in mind, its a very early stadium, watch the little video below and send your suggestions, how the software might work in the end

http://trixmoto.net/files/MMCD.avi (Screen recorded, resized, Xvid compressed)

HA

teemac · Post by **teemac** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:42 am

Commerzpunk - Downloaded the AVI.

Looks very good - This is the only major tool MediaMonkey is still missing.

Will be very interested in trying it when you are ready to release it.

teemac (Gold User) Australia

powerpill-pacman · Post by **powerpill-pacman** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:18 am

This looks very nice indeed, i'm looking forward to using it.
I've got a question though, could you add an option to choose the font, its size and colour? This would make your prog perfect for me.
Not to forget, thanks in advance.

teemac · Post by **teemac** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:48 am

Just wondering if any progress has happened on this idea.

Would certainly like to give it a try even in the rough version as outlined above.

Does anyone know if it is still active or has it been put in the 'too hard basket'

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:35 am

Last I heard Commerzpunk had done some more work on his application but was having to take time off from it for a while due to other commitments. I'll try and get in touch with him again to see how things are going.