Placing images

Loading and placing PNG and SVG images

Luxor lets you place PNG and SVG images on the drawing. First, load an image:

• for PNG images, use readpng(filename)
• for SVG images, use readsvg(filename) or readsvg(string)

(JPEGs aren't supported.)

Then use placeimage to place the image by its top left corner at point pt, or use the centered=true keyword to place the image's center point there. Access the image's dimensions with .width and .height.

using Luxor # hide
Drawing(600, 350, "../assets/figures/images.png") # hide
origin() # hide
background("grey40") # hide
img = readpng("../assets/figures/julia-logo-mask.png")
w = img.width
h = img.height
rulers()
scale(0.3, 0.3)
rotate(π/4)
placeimage(img, Point(-w/2, -h/2), .5)
sethue("red")
circle(-w/2, -h/2, 15, :fill)
finish() # hide
nothing # hide

PNG images can be placed with varying opacity or transparency.

readsvg also lets you supply raw (or pure) SVG code in a string.

SVG images

To create an SVG image, using the Drawing(... :svg) or specify an SVG filename. To obtain the SVG source of a completed drawing, use svgstring.

For example, draw the Julia logo:

Drawing(500, 500, :svg)
origin()
julialogo()
finish()
s = svgstring()

The SVG source code is now stored in s. You can examine or process it further:

eachmatch(r"rgb\\(.*?\\)", s) |> collect
5-element Vector{RegexMatch}:
 RegexMatch("rgb(0%,0%,0%)")
 RegexMatch("rgb(79.6%,23.5%,20%)")
 RegexMatch("rgb(25.1%,38.8%,84.7%)")
 RegexMatch("rgb(58.4%,34.5%,69.8%)")
 RegexMatch("rgb(22%,59.6%,14.9%)")

To display the image in a Jupyter or Pluto notebook, use the HTML function, or you can use the readsvg and placeimage functions in combination.

Placing an image matrix

You can also use placeimage to put image matrices on a drawing.

using Luxor

mat = @imagematrix begin    
    juliacircles(6)
end 40 40

@draw begin
    for i in 1:500
        pos = rand(BoundingBox())
        @layer begin
            translate(pos)
            rotate(rand() * 2π)
            placeimage(mat, centered = rand(Bool))
        end
    end
end

placeimage can also take in an optional argument alpha to change the opacity of the image matrix.

Clipping images

You can clip images. The following script repeatedly places the image using a circle to define a clipping path:

using Luxor

width, height = 4000, 4000
margin = 500

fname = "test-image.pdf"
Drawing(width, height, fname)
origin()
background("grey25")

setline(5)
sethue("green")

image = readpng(dirname(@__FILE__) * "../assets/figures/julia-logo-mask.png")

w = image.width
h = image.height

pagetiles = Tiler(width, height, 7, 9)
tw = pagetiles.tilewidth/2
for (pos, n) in pagetiles
    circle(pos, tw, :stroke)
    circle(pos, tw, :clip)
    gsave()
    translate(pos)
    scale(.95, .95)
    rotate(rand(0.0:π/8:2π))
    placeimage(image, O, centered=true)
    grestore()
    clipreset()
end

finish()

Transforming images

You can transform images by setting the current matrix, either with scale and rotate and similar, or by modifying it directly. This code scales and rotates an image made in an earlier chapter of this document around in a circle:

using Luxor # hide
Drawing(600, 400, "../assets/figures/transform-images.png") # hide
origin() # hide
img = readpng(dirname(dirname(pathof(Luxor))) * "/docs/src/assets/figures/textoutlines.png")
w = img.width
h = img.height
for θ in 0:π/6:2π-π/6
    gsave()
    scale(.4, .4)
    rotate(θ)
    translate(300, 0)
    placeimage(img, -w/2, -h/2, 0.9)
    grestore()
end
finish() # hide
nothing # hide

Drawing on images

You sometimes want to draw over images, for example to annotate them with text or vector graphics. The things to be aware of are mostly to do with coordinates and transforms.

In these examples, we'll annotate a PNG file.

using Luxor # hide

image = readpng("../assets/figures/julia-logo-mask.png")

w = image.width
h = image.height

# create a drawing surface of the same size

fname = "../assets/figures/drawing_on_images.png"
Drawing(w, h, fname)

# place the image on the Drawing - it's positioned by its top/left corner

placeimage(image, 0, 0)

# now you can annotate the image. The (0/0) is at the top left.

sethue("red")
setline(1)
fontsize(16)
circle(Point(150, 50), 2, :fill)
label("(150/50)", :NE, Point(150, 50), leader=true, offset=25)

arrow(Point(w/2, 90), Point(0, 90))
arrow(Point(w/2, 90), Point(w, 90))
text("width $w", Point(w/2, 70), halign=:center)

# to divide up the image into rectangular areas and number them,
# temporarily position the axes at the center:

@layer begin
  setline(0.5)
  sethue("green")
  fontsize(12)
  translate(w/2, h/2)
  tiles = Tiler(w, h, 8, 8, margin=0)
  for (pos, n) in tiles
      box(pos, tiles.tilewidth, tiles.tileheight, :stroke)
      text(string(n-1), pos, halign=:center)
  end
end
finish() # hide
nothing # hide

Adding text to transformed images

The above approach works well, but suppose you want to locate the working origin at the lower left of the image, i.e. you want all coordinates to be relative to the bottom left corner of the image?

To do this, use translate and transform to modify the drawing space:

using Luxor # hide

image = readpng("../assets/figures/julia-logo-mask.png")
w = image.width
h = image.height
fname = "../assets/figures/drawing_on_images_2.png"
Drawing(w, h, fname)
placeimage(image, 0, 0)

# Move the axes to the bottom:

translate(0, h)

# and reflect in the x-axis

transform([1 0 0 -1 0 0])

# now 0/0 is at the bottom left corner, and 100/100 is up and to the right.

sethue("blue")
arrow(Point(200, 300), Point(160, 300))

# However, don't draw text while flipped, because it will be reversed!

fontsize(20)
sethue("black")
text("Oh no!", Point(30, 250))

# To work around this, define a text function
# that flips the workspace over the x-axis just for the text:

function textoverlay(t, pos; kwargs...)
    @layer begin
        translate(pos)
        transform([1 0 0 -1 0 0])
        text(t, O; kwargs...)
    end
end

textoverlay("a tittle!", Point(200, 300), halign=:left, valign=:middle)
textoverlay("0/0", O)
arrow(Point(130, 400), Point(130, 340))

finish() # hide

finish() # hide
nothing # hide

Image compositing

You should be using Images.jl for most tasks involving image editing. But if you just need to composite images together, you can use the blending modes provided by setmode.

using Luxor # hide
Drawing(600, 400, "../assets/figures/image-compositing.png") # hide
origin() # hide
img = readpng("../assets/figures/textoutlines.png")
w = img.width
h = img.height

placeimage(img, -w/2, -h/2, .5)
setmode("saturate")
translate(50, 0)
placeimage(img, -w/2, -h/2, .5)

finish() # hide
nothing # hide