Professional Image Editor

A sophisticated, production-ready image editing application built with PyQt5 and OpenCV. Designed for professionals and enthusiasts who demand precision, performance and an elegant user experience.

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Overview

Professional Image Editor is a comprehensive desktop application that brings professional-grade image manipulation capabilities to your fingertips. With an intuitive dark-themed interface inspired by modern design systems, powerful color correction tools and advanced filtering capabilities, it's the ideal companion for photographers, designers and visual content creators.

Built on battle-tested libraries (PyQt5, OpenCV, Pillow), the application prioritizes stability, performance and user experience while maintaining an elegant codebase.

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Core Capabilities

Image Adjustment & Correction

Real-time Adjustments

• Brightness control with precise value display
• Contrast enhancement for tonal range optimization
• Saturation adjustment for color intensity control
• Sharpness enhancement for detail accentuation
• Hue rotation for creative color grading
• Levels tool for advanced tone mapping

Color Grading

• Professional-grade color temperature control
• Warm/Cool tone presets for quick stylization
• HSV color space manipulation
• Black/white point adjustment
• RGB channel analysis via histogram

Filtering Engine

Standard Filters

• Gaussian blur with variable radius (1-50)
• Additive noise generation for texture
• Grayscale conversion
• Sepia tone application
• Canny edge detection

Advanced Effects

• Vignette effect with intensity control
• Posterization with adjustable color levels
• Custom preset filters

Image Transformation

Geometric Operations

• Precise crop tool with interactive selection
• Arbitrary resize with dimension control
• 360-degree rotation
• Horizontal and vertical flip

Interactive Tools

• Visual crop rectangle with handles
• Real-time preview during transformations
• Zoom functionality (10-300% magnification)

Professional Analysis

Histogram & Statistics

• Real-time histogram calculation
• Per-channel RGB visualization
• Image statistics (dimensions, mean values, standard deviation)
• Statistical guidance for exposure correction

Image Information

• File metadata display
• Pixel dimensions
• File size reporting

Workflow Management

History & Undo System

• Comprehensive undo/redo stack (20-state memory)
• Non-destructive editing (original preserved)
• Before/after comparison toggle
• State visualization in status bar

File Operations

• Multi-format support (PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF)
• Drag-and-drop image loading
• Recent files tracking (10-file memory)
• Save and Save As functionality
• Format selection on export

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Installation & Setup

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Minimum 2GB RAM recommended
• 50MB disk space

Quick Start

1. Clone or download the repository

2. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Launch the application

   python main.py

Dependency Details

Package	Version	Purpose
PyQt5	5.15.9+	GUI framework
OpenCV	4.9.0+	Image processing
Pillow	11.0.0+	Image enhancement
NumPy	1.24.0+	Numerical operations

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Usage Guide

Basic Workflow

Load Image → Analyze → Adjust → Preview → Save

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Loading Images

• Use File → Open Image or press Ctrl+O
• Alternatively, drag and drop image file onto canvas
• Recent files accessible via File → Recent Files

2. Image Analysis

• Switch to Analysis tab for histogram visualization
• Review image statistics for exposure guidance
• Use histogram to inform adjustment decisions

3. Applying Adjustments

• Navigate to Adjustments tab
• Use sliders for real-time preview
• Stack multiple adjustments for custom looks
• Click "Confirm Adjustments" to save to history

4. Color Grading

• Colors tab provides professional color tools
• Adjust levels for precise tone mapping
• Apply color presets as starting points
• Fine-tune with hue/saturation controls

5. Applying Filters

• Select desired filter from Filters tab
• Adjust intensity with sliders
• Preview updates in real-time
• Confirm to add to undo history

6. Transformations

• Transform tab contains resize, rotate, crop
• Crop tool: activate, click-drag to select, release to confirm
• Rotation: slider adjusts angle in real-time
• Resize: set dimensions and apply

7. Exporting

• File → Save or press Ctrl+S
• Select format (PNG recommended for quality)
• Choose destination directory
• Confirm export

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function
Ctrl+O	Open Image
Ctrl+S	Save
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save As
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+R	Reset to Original
C	Activate Crop Tool
Ctrl+Q	Exit Application
Ctrl+0	Fit to Window

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Advanced Features

Professional Color Correction Workflow

1. Exposure & Levels

   • Open Colors tab
   • Use Levels tool to set black/white points
   • Target histogram: no clipping in shadows/highlights

2. Color Cast Removal

   • Adjust Color Temperature slider
   • Fine-tune with Hue Rotation

3. Tonal Enhancement

   • Apply Brightness/Contrast adjustments
   • Use Saturation for color intensity
   • Verify with histogram

4. Detail Enhancement

   • Apply Sharpness from Adjustments tab
   • Avoid over-sharpening (halo artifacts)

5. Creative Styling

   • Apply color presets for starting point
   • Layer effects from Effects tab
   • Compare before/after regularly

Batch Processing Tips

While single-image focus, you can:

• Save edits as PNG with alpha channel
• Use recent files for quick sequential editing
• Reset between images with Ctrl+R

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Technical Architecture

Module Structure

main.py
├── ImageEditor (QMainWindow)
│   ├── Menu Bar System
│   ├── Image Display & Zoom
│   ├── Control Panels
│   └── Status Management
│
image_processor.py
├── ImageProcessor
│   ├── Image I/O
│   ├── Color Space Conversions
│   └── Filter Pipeline
│
crop_tool.py
├── CropTool (Custom QLabel)
│   ├── Interactive Selection
│   └── Visual Feedback
│
undo_redo.py
├── UndoRedoManager
│   └── State Stack Management

Performance Characteristics

Operation	Time Estimate	Resolution
Load Image	<500ms	Up to 16MP
Real-time Adjustment	Instant	Up to 8MP
Export PNG	1-3s	Up to 8MP
Histogram Calculation	<100ms	Up to 16MP

Larger images may require proportionally longer processing times.

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Supported File Formats

Input Formats

• PNG (.png)
• JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
• BMP (.bmp)
• GIF (.gif)
• TIFF (.tiff, .tif)

Output Formats

• PNG (.png) - Recommended for lossless quality
• JPEG (.jpg) - Recommended for web
• BMP (.bmp) - Uncompressed bitmap

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Configuration & Preferences

Persistent Settings

• Window geometry and state automatically saved
• Recent files list maintained in recent_files.json
• Application restores previous state on launch

Customization

• Dark theme applied automatically
• Color accent: Professional blue (#4a9eff)
• Zoom range: 10% to 300%

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Project Structure

Image_Editor/
├── main.py                 # Primary application entry point
├── image_processor.py      # Core image processing engine
├── crop_tool.py           # Interactive crop widget
├── undo_redo.py           # History management system
├── requirements.txt       # Dependency specification
├── recent_files.json      # Auto-generated recent files list
└── README.md              # Documentation

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Best Practices

For Image Quality

1. Always review histogram before/after adjustments
2. Avoid extreme adjustments (preserve tonal range)
3. Use PNG format for archival
4. Save original unedited version separately

For Performance

1. Work with appropriately-sized images (avoid >8MP for real-time)
2. Apply filters in logical order
3. Use presets as starting points vs manual adjustments
4. Zoom to 100% for detail-critical work

For Workflows

1. Analyze image before making edits
2. Start with exposure/levels
3. Add color corrections
4. Apply effects last
5. Compare before/after regularly
6. Save incrementally during complex edits

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Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

• Verify Python 3.8+ installation
• Confirm all dependencies installed: pip install -r requirements.txt
• Check that PyQt5 libraries are properly installed

Slow Performance

• Reduce image resolution
• Close other memory-intensive applications
• Work with PNG instead of complex formats
• Limit undo history to critical operations

Export Issues

• Ensure write permissions to destination folder
• Verify sufficient disk space
• Try different format (PNG vs JPEG)
• Check file path for invalid characters

Histogram Not Displaying

• Load image first
• Click "Refresh Analysis" in Analysis tab
• Ensure image has color data (not corrupt)

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System Requirements

Minimum

• CPU: Dual-core 2GHz processor
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 100MB
• Display: 1024x768 resolution

Recommended

• CPU: Quad-core 2.5GHz or higher
• RAM: 8GB+
• Storage: 500MB SSD
• Display: 1920x1080 or higher

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Future Roadmap

Potential enhancements:

• Batch processing capabilities
• Custom preset saving/loading
• Plugin architecture for filters
• GPU acceleration for large images
• Layer-based editing
• Non-destructive filter stacks

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Technical Stack

Component	Technology
GUI Framework	PyQt5
Image Processing	OpenCV (cv2)
Image Enhancement	Pillow (PIL)
Numerical Computing	NumPy
Color Space Handling	OpenCV HSV/BGR conversion

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Contributing

Bug reports and feature suggestions are welcome. Please document:

• Steps to reproduce issues
• Python version and OS
• Expected vs actual behavior

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License

MIT License - Free for personal and commercial use

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About

Crafted with precision for professionals and enthusiasts who value clean code, elegant design and powerful functionality. Built to handle real-world image editing workflows without unnecessary complexity.

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Image Editor v1.0
Precise. Powerful. Professional.