Author: Bob Friesenhahn
Description: Documentation for Magick++'s montage options class.
Keywords: Magick++,montage,ImageMagick

# Magick::Montage Class

A montage is a single image which is composed of thumbnail images composed in a uniform grid. The size of the montage image is determined by the size of the individual thumbnails and the number of rows and columns in the grid.

The following illustration shows a montage consisting of three columns and two rows of thumbnails rendered on a gray background:

Montages may be either "plain" (undecorated thumbnails) or "framed" (decorated thumbnails). In order to more easily understand the options supplied to MontageImages(), montage options are supplied by two different classes: Magick::Montage and Magick::MontageFramed.

### Plain Montages

Magick::Montage is the base class to provide montage options and provides methods to set all options required to render simple (unframed) montages. See Magick::MontageFramedif you would like to create a framed montage.

Unframed thumbnails consist of four components: the thumbnail image, the thumbnail border, an optional thumbnail shadow, and an optional thumbnail label area.

Montage Methods

Method | Return Type | Signature(s) | Description
Montage |  | void | Default constructor
backgroundColor | void | const Color &backgroundColor_ | Specifies the background color that thumbnails are imaged upon.
Color | void
compose | void | CompositeOperator compose_ | Specifies the image composition algorithm for thumbnails. This controls the algorithm by which the thumbnail image is placed on the background. Use of OverCompositeOp is recommended for use with images that have transparency. This option may have negative side-effects for images without transparency.
CompositeOperator | void
fileName | void | std::string fileName_ | Specifies the image filename to be used for the generated montage images. To handle the case were multiple montage images are generated, a printf-style format may be embedded within the filename. For example, a filename specification of image%02d.miff names the montage images as image00.miff, image01.miff, etc.
std::string | void
fill | void | const Color &pen_ | Specifies the fill color to use for the label text.
Color | void
font | void | std::string font_ | Specifies the thumbnail label font.
std::string | void
geometry | void | const Geometry &geometry_ | Specifies the size of the generated thumbnail.
Geometry | void
gravity | void | GravityType gravity_ | Specifies the thumbnail positioning within the specified geometry area. If the thumbnail is smaller in any dimension than the geometry, then it is placed according to this specification.
GravityType | void
label | void | std::string label_ | Specifies the format used for the image label. Special format characters may be embedded in the format string to include information about the image.
std::string | void
penColor | void | const Color &pen_ | Specifies the pen color to use for the label text (same as fill).
Color | void
pointSize | void | unsigned int pointSize_ | Specifies the thumbnail label font size.
unsigned int | void
shadow | void | bool shadow_ | Enable/disable drop-shadow on thumbnails.
bool | void
stroke | void | const Color &pen_ | Specifies the stroke color to use for the label text .
Color | void
texture | void | std::string texture_ | Specifies a texture image to use as montage background. The built-in textures "`granite:`" and "`plasma:`" are available. A texture is the same as a background image.
std::string | void
tile | void | const Geometry &tile_ | Specifies the maximum number of montage columns and rows in the montage. The montage is built by filling out all cells in a row before advancing to the next row. Once the montage has reached the maximum number of columns and rows, a new montage image is started.
Geometry | void
transparentColor | void | const Color &transparentColor_ | Specifies a montage color to set transparent. This option can be set the same as the background color in order for the thumbnails to appear without a background when rendered on an HTML page. For best effect, ensure that the transparent color selected does not occur in the rendered thumbnail colors.
Color | void

### Framed Montages

Magick::MontageFramed provides the means to specify montage options when it is desired to have decorative frames around the image thumbnails. MontageFramed inherits from Montage and therefore provides all the methods of Montage as well as those shown in the table "MontageFramed Methods".

Framed thumbnails consist of four components: the thumbnail image, the thumbnail frame, the thumbnail border, an optional thumbnail shadow, and an optional thumbnail label area.

MontageFramed Methods

Method | Return Type | Signature(s) | Description
MontageFramed |  | void | Default constructor (enable frame via frameGeometry).
borderColor | void | const Color &borderColor_ | Specifies the background color within the thumbnail frame.
Color | void
borderWidth | void | unsigned int borderWidth_ | Specifies the border (in pixels) to place between a thumbnail and its surrounding frame. This option only takes effect if thumbnail frames are enabled (via frameGeometry) and the thumbnail geometry specification doesn't also specify the thumbnail border width.
unsigned int | void
frameGeometry | void | const Geometry &frame_ | Specifies the geometry specification for frame to place around thumbnail. If this parameter is not specified, then the montage is unframed.
Geometry | void
matteColor | void | const Color &matteColor_ | Specifies the thumbnail frame color.
Color | void