Have an image input file handy, which preferably should have approximately the same length as height, because otherwise the image would become distorted. If your desired image does not have this format, I recommend to use third-party software to resize/crop your image to a format of 160x160 or 320x320 pixels and take this as input for EL Image Converter. However, this is not obligatory, as EL Image Converter manipulates any input format to fit into 160x160/320x320 pixels and the chosen color format.
Start EL Image Converter and choose the bit depth you are using on your device by checking the corresponding box in the "Input images" area. You can select more than one bit depths to gain higher compatibility or you can also use a lower bit depth than supported by your device. A reason for this could be that your input image is grayscale (then you would not be using 8 bit color for the pdb) or you need to save memory on your device.
Select an input image file for each bit depth you have chosen by entering the file name by hand, choosing a previously used image from the dropdown list or clicking on "Pick...", which will open a "File Select"-dialog. You can also use the same source image for several bit depths, EL Image Comverter will do the color conversions.
Choose whether to use dithering or not. This affects the way EL Image Converter reduces colors if needed. The option "Dithering" is recommended for photos whereas "Raw" looks best on logos, text and other computer-created graphics. The following images illustrate the difference between the two methods.
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| source image | colors reduced using "Raw" | colors reduced using "Dithering" |
Select your desired resolution according to your device's display capabilities. You can choose from 160x160 for devices with normal-resolution display and 320x320 for devices with high-resolution display like Sony's Clié. For graphics in 320x320 you must use EasyLock v3.6 or higher.
Tell the program what should happen with the output Palm Database (*.pdb) file. You can choose one option or both from the following:
Write to file: This will save the Palm Database file wherever you like. This way you can for example create a collection of your favorite images for EasyLock.
Direct Install: This will insert the database file directly into the "Install Tool" which is part of the "Palm Desktop" software. The database then will automatically be installed during your next HotSync. If "Palm Desktop" is not installed on your system, the Direct Install feature is disabled.
Clicking on "START CONVERSION" will start the conversion (well, what else should it do?).