Add reflections to the category offset/rotate function

[S Pittaway]

Could you add reflections to the current coverart offset/rotate functionality?
If you add reflections it makes for some nice looking screens (and to be honest is not that difficult to code...).

Also could it be extended to draw other things than just the coverart? (i am sure this would only take minutes for you to change )


Currently you can use the following "category>photo>cover>-5>0.55" which will draw a rotated cover.

I suggest adding an extra param to control the reflectivity "category>photo>cover>-5>0.55>0.33" this would draw the same cover as above but then reflect 1/3 of the image below the main cover.


I am currently using a plugin to modify my coverart and add a reflection. xlobby then picks this up http://www.xlobby.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6292&p=45618#p45618 but the generated files tend to be quite large and slow xlobby down a lot (or just crash it).

Here is an example of the kind of luck you can achieve (this is a working screen btw) -

If you could render other fields than just cover i could add the reflections as a seperate field and reference that when i want reflections...

[Grooby]

...on a side note, i do like your skin from what i have seen of it...

[S Pittaway]

it keeps getting 75% finished then i have a great idea (reflections in this case) and then i start again...

i still havent got to the point where i have finished any of the search screens

i am sort of toying with the idea of a apple tv look but am not sure.

[Grooby]

...search screens...grrrrrr...i know your pain

if perspective could be added to the coverart then you could really go for the apple look...

[S Pittaway]

perspective would be nice, but rotate and reflect are close enuff and a lot easier to code in xlobby i guess.

[samsonlov]

Hi S Pittaway,

Nice reflections! I was trying to get a similar effect on one of my skins. To do a "fade" without a plugin maybe you can "draw" some boxes with an "opacity-fade" and place them "on-top" or "partially-covering" the reflected cover-images so they appear to "fade".
Low-tech, i know, but it may work for your application without having to use the plug-in that's eating your CPU.

blacktozero.png (1.89 KiB) Viewed 4339 times

I hope this helps.
Samson

P.S. Regarding:

Currently you can use the following "category>photo>cover>-5>0.55" which will draw a rotated cover.

How does this work?
(I tried "category>movies>cover>-5>0.55", and all I get is a "slanted" cover.)
[edit] okay, i re-read your post, and I think I get it now: if you could get reflected covers without the plugin, you wouldn't have made the post.
Maybe you or someone else will find the "fade" suggestion helpful elsewhere.[/edit]
Thanks.