//-- original image 
    list($width,$height,$type,$attr) = getimagesize($curLgFile);

    //-- thumbnail sizes
    $mdW = '285'; // medium width
    $mdH = '244'; // medium height

            // figure out aspect
            if($width > $height) // landscape
            {
               $width = $width * ($mdH / $height);
               $height = $mdW;
            }
            else
            {
                $height = $height * ($mdW / $width);
                $width = $mdW;
            }

            // convert the LARGE image into smaller in the MEDIUM directory
            $bcmd = $imagemagick_path.'convert -resize '.ceil($width).'x'.ceil($height).' '
                   .$curLgFile.' '.$newMdFile;
             system($bcmd,$output);

            // then crop the medium to what we want
            $bcmd = $imagemagick_path.'convert -crop '.$mdW.'x'.$mdH.'+0+0 '
                   .$newMdFile.' '.$newMdFile;
            system($bcmd,$output);