A Hands-On Guide and Introduction to Quartz 2D

On Mac OS X, Macintosh developers depend on the graphics and imaging frameworks of the Core Graphics system to implement multimedia features in their applications. With Core Graphics Apple has answered the increasing demands of graphics developers with a powerful collection of tools, including Quartz 2D and Core Image. Quartz 2D is a modern drawing API with a powerful imaging model. Beginning with Mac OS X 10.4, Tiger, Quartz 2D replaces the QuickDraw(R) graphics library in legacy applications and provides the functionality developers need to take advantage of the latest hardware.

Quartz 2D Graphics for Mac OS X(R) Developers is a hands-on guide and introduction to Quartz 2D. Differences between the interfaces and features of QuickDraw and Quartz 2D are making the switch challenging for developers. Through in-depth practical coverage, Mac developer and consultant Scott Thompson leads you smoothly through the transition and sets you on the path to developing cutting edge graphics in Core Image.

Through this invaluable guide, you will learn how to

• Forge connections between Quartz 2D and graphics devices using CGContexts
• Simplify the drawing process using transformations
• Draw line art using path-drawing operations on Bezier paths
• Use pixel data to create images
• Import and export images from Quartz 2D with Image I/O and QuickTime
• Generate text and implement special text effects
• Draw in offscreen environments, such as CGLayers and offscreen bitmaps
• Create shadings and patterns
• Create PDFs from Quartz 2D drawings or import PDFs into your drawings

If you depend on QuickDraw for your graphics needs, or are interested in a system that pushes the envelope in computer graphics, now is the time to make the switch to Core Graphics (Quartz 2D, Core Image). This is the book that walks you through that change-step-by-step!

The companion CD-ROM contains projects and source code covered in this book so you can run each sample. The samples demonstrate how to call Quartz 2D from both Carbon and Cocoa applications as well as from Mac OS X's Python scripting interface.

This is a hands-on guide to understanding and utilising Quartz and Core Image, the two major graphic technologies in the Apple Core Graphics Framework. The CD-ROM will have all the projects and source code the developer needs to run each sample.