Save a kaleidoscopic image to disk:
Press the 'Save Kaleidoscope Image' button near the middle right of the Settings dialog to save a .BMP file of the image exactly as it is. Press 'Save Large Image' instead to create an image of any size up to 5000 x 5000, which may be required for high-quality printing etc. [Very large images may take a few seconds to calculate.]
Use my own pictures:
[Not trial version.] Just copy your .BMP images into the 'Pictures' folder in the directory where you installed Magic Mirror. It will already have a lot of .KSP files, which are a custom format used by Magic Mirror. You can add any files you want, and when Magic Mirror works as a screensaver, it will pick randomly from the pictures it finds. [You can also select another folder using 'Select Picture Folder'. Also, note that you can delete or move .KSP if you tire of them.]
Always use the same picture:
Press 'Special' and check the appropriate box at the top. Now when you run Magic Mirror as a screensaver, it will always use the last picture you were viewing in Settings mode.
Load / Save a picture in GIF or JPEG format:
Only BMP and DIB images are supported directly by Magic Mirror. Use MS Paint [which comes free with Windows - you'll find it under Start Menu / Programs / Accessories] or any other painting program to convert them to or from .BMP format. [If you are downloading images from the internet to use with Magic Mirror, note that Internet Explorer and Netscape can save them as .BMPs, whatever the original format.]
Use images I created commercially:
No problem! Think of Magic Mirror as a painting tool that you used to make kaleidoscopic versions of your starting pictures. So long as there are no copyright problems with these, it is just as if you had used an ordinary paint program to create a mirrored or tiled version.
Change the sound effects:
The 'wind-chime' sound effects are stored in the 'Songs' folder in the folder where you installed Magic Mirror. You can add or replace them with any MIDI files, whether music or sound effects. The 'Sound Effects' button opens a dialog allowing you to control when they are played.
Do something not explained in the manual:
Tool-tips are your friend - they give quite a bit of detail on the various knobs and buttons, and you don't have to have the manual open to use them. Also, some of the dialog boxes, such as 'Save Large Image' have got some extra info that will be relevant only when using them.
Do something that doesn't seem currently possible:
Feel free to e-mail software author Gerry Quinn at info@bindweed.com with your questions, or ideas for improvements! Several features of the latest version of Magic Mirror have been added as a result of customer suggestions.