Introduction
My name is Simon Cronk and i'm a software programmer. I've written a really simple little piece of software for comparing images of postage stamps.
Originally I wrote this to help me find differences between some of my old Australian Railway Parcel stamps & Beer Duty labels. Then I realized that others might be able to use it too. One particular application might be to speed up the process of finding flaws in Aussie KGV heads and Kangaroo stamps. Some collectors have also been using the software to analyze postmarks / cancels / barred numerals / etc. With some simple image processing the software can easily help you isolate the postmark from a stamp, or the stamp from its postmark, depending on what you are trying to achieve.
What does the software do ?
The main purpose of this software is to make it easy to perfectly align two images and then "toggle" between them, to manually compare and identify any differences. It works by removing the shift, rotation, scale & skew from one image relative to the other. All you have to do is click 4 like points between the two images you want to compare, the rest is done automatically ! Check out the tutorial page for more information.
100% free ! But PayPal donations gratefully accepted :)
I've decided to make this software free for my fellow collectors. If you decide that you like it and it saves you time or helps you identify something really great, you might like to donate a few dollars so I can keep developing and improving this software. I'll also then be able to inform you when new versions are available. Many thanks ! Simon.
Version 1.08 - available now !
This software is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8 & 10.
You can download the software directly from this website. Its a tiny .zip file containing minimal files:
http://www.photogrammetry.com.au/downloads/StampCompare1.08.zip <---- LATEST VERSION !!!
Please note !! If the software doesn't run on your computer download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 from this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17851
If the software still doesn't run, download and install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 from this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=ab99342f-5d1a-413d-8319-81da479ab0d7
What's new in v1.08?
- Drag and drop exemplar & candidate images to save time (thanks GH!)
- Fixed file filters to make it easier to import PNG and JPG images
- Basic postmark extraction (only tested on red stamps so far, sort of works!)
- Alpha-blending slider bar between exemplar & candidate images.
- Ability to import 2 image types other than .jpg (now also supporting .png and .tif).
- Ability to save an .avi movie file of the comparison (exemplar vs. candidate) images. This file can be played in Windows Media Player on repeat.
- Don't overwrite exemplar image when a new candidate image is imported (thanks George)
- Better support for Windows XP (thanks Tommy)
- Basic color information - getting better !
- Sub-pixel marking (on/off available with a checkbox if you don't like it)
- Huge speed increases to image processing, and increased program stability
- Single image mode now available (just import the exemplar image, ignore the candidate image tab, and press "Compare")
- "Toggle" between the comparison images in grayscale, negated images, and run the comparison considering one colour channel only [R, G, B, C, M, Y, K]
- View a static "subtracted" image & also a colour-replaced version
- Bug fix so you program doesn't need to re-opened to run a new process
- Ability to save a .png file of the currently-shown "toggle" image to disk
- Screen resize now resizes images
- Slider bar for "black pullout" in CMYK
Wanted
Always on the lookout for old Australian Railway Parcel stamps & Beer Duty labels to add to my collection. Will happily pay your price ! Would also love to hear from other collectors too. Email me here.