[SOLVED] merging multiple images with imagecopy.. not quite working

[Dragen]

Hi,

I've been working on some code for a bit and just can't figure out my problem. My code runs through a series of variables and creates a seperate image for each, then merges them together.

Here's my code:

<?php
	for($i = 0; $i < count($this->value); $i++){
		if(function_exists('imagecreatetruecolor')){
			$this->image = imagecreatetruecolor($this->width,$this->height);
		}elseif(function_exists('imagecreate')){
			$this->image = imagecreate($this->width,$this->height);
		}else{
			die('Error: Failed to create image');
		}

		// Fill it
		$this->grad_fill($this->image,$this->direction,$this->startcolor,$this->endcolor); //this just creates the background colours
		$this->border('#000000', '#000000', '#000000', '#000000'); //this does a border
		$this->text_enter($this->value[$i]); // enters the text on the image
		$this->merge($this->fimage, $this->image, $i); //here I merge the small image onto a larger image with a width 6 times larger than the small $this->image
		imagedestroy($this->image);
	}
?>

Here's the code for $this->merge:

<?php
function merge($d_img, $s_img, $k){
	imagecopy($d_img, $s_img, 0, 0, $this->dest['x'][$k], $this->dest['y'], $this->fwidth, $this->height);
}
?>

It should create an image with six sections to it (one section for each run through the 'for' statement), which the position of the smaller image on the larger image changing each time to create something like:

The problem is, when I output the image it is only displaying the last section. The rest are blank, instead of containing the correct image, like this:

 

can anyone see where I'm going wrong here?

Thanks

[Dragen]

does anyone have any ideas?

If my explanation isn't clear enough please say!

[Dragen]

can anyone help?

I'm just trying to copy several images together on another image (all created in php and not stored on the server).

I thought if I create the first image (the one I want to place the others on), then create the other images and add them on one by one with a 'for' statement it should work..

Instead I'm only getting the last image added onto the first.

 

Can anyone see a problem with what I'm doing?

Thanks

[Jessica]

It's probably putting them on top of each other, instead of spacing them out. You need to tell it where to place each small image on the large one.

[Dragen]

I'm doing that. I've got the x and y positions set up in an array. It then skips through the array.

on my image copy I've got this:

imagecopy($d_img, $s_img, 0, 0, $this->dest['x'][$k], $this->dest['y'], $this->fwidth, $this->height);

$this->dest['x'][$k]

$k is incremented by one each time, so it access the next value from the array.

My array looks like this:

$this->dest = array('x' => array('0', '-16', '-31', '-46', '-61', '-76'), 'y' => '0');

And all of the x positions are accurate, because I've tested them seperatly...

The images should all be put into their own places, but it seems that each time I copy a new image to the original it ignores the last one.

 

Do I need to 'save' the image after I've used imagecopy, before I can place another image on it?

[Jessica]

Why aren't the x and y values positive?

is $d_img the large image? You need to put each of the little ones onto the same large destination image.

[Dragen]

To be honest I've got no idea why they're negative. For some reason if I have them as positive it goes the wrong way.. the way I'd expected it to have gone if it was negative. Bit weird, but they do place the image in the right positions...

 

yes, $d_img is the large image. The smaller ones are all being placed onto it when I use imagecopy.

imagecopy($d_img, $s_img, 0, 0, $this->dest['x'][$k], $this->dest['y'], $this->fwidth, $this->height);

$d_img is always set as $this->fimage, when I call my merge function here:

$this->merge($this->fimage, $this->image, $i);

 

I'm quite sure that I'm doing that part right... It's the first time I've properly tried using imagecopy.

[Jessica]

You're putting them all at 0, 0 on the destination.

http://php.net/imagecopy

 

[Dragen]

haha!

Thanks... I feel silly now also explains why my x positioning was all in negative.

 

Thanks ever so much!!

[Jessica]

no problem.