Diffing images

P4Merge lets you diff the following image file types:

  • BMP
  • GIF
  • JPG, JPEG
  • PNG
  • PBM
  • PGM
  • PPM
  • TIFF
  • XBM
  • XPM

You can compare two different image files or two revisions of the same image.

For information on diffing images from within P4V, see Diffing images in the Helix Core Visual Client (P4V) Guide.

To diff two different image files:

  1. Go to File > New Merge or Diff.
  2. In the Choose Files dialog, on the Diff tab, specify the two files to compare and click OK.

    The two files open side by side.

View image differences

P4Merge can display image differences side by side (Side by side icon) or as an overlay (Overlay icon).

To enlarge or reduce the displayed images:

  • Use the zoom slider below the images in the left pane (indicated in the following figure) or choose the desired display option from the View menu.

To highlight differences:

  1. Select the Highlight Differences check box.
  2. Use the adjacent slider (indicated in the following figure) to increase or decrease sensitivity.

    P4Merge highlights identical areas in gray and differences in yellow, in both images.

To blend or separate overlaid image:

  1. Click the overlay icon Overlay icon.
  2. Drag the vertical slider (indicated in the following figure) up or down, as needed.

    To blend images equally, center the slider. To increase the amount of an image used in the composite, move the slider up or down toward the respective image.

    Following is an overlay example. The skull in the groin area is available in the bottom image but not in the top.

Tip

You can also view image revisions sequentially in Time-lapse View. For more information, see Viewing Image File History with Time-lapse View in the Helix Core Visual Client (P4V) Guide.