When you start iMaginator, you'll get a document window with an image (it starts with the default leopard; you can always change the default image in Preferences). To load an image, just drag it on from Finder or iPhoto or Create!
On the left side of the window, there's a list of effects. iMaginator comes with 125 Filter, Transition and Special Effects, or "Effects" for short.
Click on an effect. For example, click on an effect under Favorites: Glass Lozenge. Immediately, the image changes to show a glass lozenge shaped object drawn over the image. Notice that a tile representing the effect has appeared below the effect list, and an effect controller has appeared below that.
Use the effect controller to change the glass lozenge. You can change its radius and its refraction index just by dragging on the sliders.
Move your mouse over the image. Now you can see there are two location point controllers associated with the lozenge. Click and drag them around to move and resize the lozenge.
Now, click on another effect: for example, under Distortion Effects, Twirl Distortion. The image immediately changes, another effect tile appears, and another effect controller appears after the Glass Lozenge controller. Notice how the twirl is distorting the lozenge.
Reorder the effects: Drag the Twirl Distortion's effect tile and place it before the Glass Lozenge effect tile. Now the glass lozenge distorts the twirl.
Change to a different image: Drag one of your images into the image area from the Finder or from iPhoto. Now the same effects are applied to your new image.
Get rid of an effect: Click the red “X” button in the effect controller: No more effect.
Is that too drastic? Choose Undo from the Edit menu (you can always undo just about anything you try) to get your effect back. Now click on the checkbox in the effect controller. This lets you see how the image will look without that effect...but the effect is still there if you want to apply it.
Wonder what that tiny checkbox is for? It tells iMaginator to immediately draw the effects up to that point. There's a transparent area caused by the image distortion; notice how the twirl distortion fills up some of the transparent area when it's rendered before the glass lozenge distortion.
So that's about it. Of course, there's more; we didn't touch on adding text, adding other graphics, saving your effects and images, but you can figure that out (and there's searchable online help if you can't). You have 106 effects to play with...and there will be more in the future. Some do distortions, some do color changes, some composite other images. It's easy, it's fun...just try it!
Oh, and one more thing...try clicking the Quicktime button in the Toolbar!
