There is a mentem spell for a mind into a bird, so an object into an image is (perhaps) just as plausible.
I drafted a spell a few years ago for objects into images, which was debated on these forums. Then holding those images in a circle/ring duration. It would help explain how redcaps move material around.
I do remember the idea of a living thing being much harder than an object.
Spell was called - Flatten Miscellanea to Art (MuTe20)
The MuTe(Im) spell "Scattering Like Light" transforms metal into iconic species which are carried away with light until they strike a non-relective surface, where thery are absorbed and...do nothing really, effectively they disappear. I suppose if they hit someone in the eyes they can see the transformed object. A longer Duration than Momentary only means the iconic species stay in this form for longer until they revert to the original form.
This is not a case where physical matter is transformed into a nice picture to be easily carried and stored. Now, I can't tell whether an Imaginem spell can actually do something useful this way, and I'm not familiar with the thread about an army in a book. But I do know that I'm not too keen on this solution. The whole things seems wierd to me, and not at all in the theme of medieval magic.
I think Janus will go for the less flimsy method of transforming from one physical form to another.
I'm working on Janus' Year 75-90.
Should anyone still care, but can't remember this project or haven't even heard about it...Well see all the old posts.
Janus' focus in this period is developing effects for sailing the enchanted and augmentet ship across a desert. I quite forget why...mabe simply "because we can?"
Anyway, here are a few effects:
Devices:
I'll have to go back and check our general thread but I think we were sailing into north Africa to cut deals with faeries?
Sailing on Gaia's back looks great. It allows the boat on sandy deserts and rocky terrain but it can't sail seas of metal or gemstone. This won't be an issue in the character's world
For Shield of Sand Wave Breaking an individual target for terram is 10 cubic paces of sand and one cubic pace of stone. Is that big enough for anything he'd expect to see? For a sandstorm I'd think.. well I think I'd target the ship with a ward in which case he wouldn't need six devices, otherwise probably target part with a size modifier or some sort of group/part target?
Do you have a few more levels for an environmental trigger so they go off automatically?
How many seasons to make six devices? It seems an odd choice from the standpoint of lab totals.
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Very nice indeed! But doesn't this leave a wide trail of terrain that has collapsed into flatness?
In the same direction, I would propose:
Horseshoe of Safe Crossing: MuTe 20 (10 (Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Diam, +1 Part), unlimited use (+10)).
Based on Earth that Breaks no More: Turn the ground within 3 m diameter into a solid sandstone of the area touched by the horseshoe. It allows the horse or camel wearing it to safely travel, as well as the caravan following it (duration of 2 minutes). Maybe it was invented a long time ago by sahir living with nomadic tribes and it became the reason why all caravans travel in single line 
. This is the hermetic version.
By the way, it is also a nice way to lose any unwanted follower - who likely will be travelling more than two minutes away - and lure them into hostile soft, crumbling sands.
Probably invented within a season as a minor enchantment.
On top of inventing spells to ease the travel and improve survivability of the crew, Janus would probably also be interested in developping items to capture or store whatever wonder these burning sands hide: cage to hold fiery animal, chest to preserve ever burning ambers, maybe he will be able to shrink a Rock, altough I am not sure what for...
I think that is a feature, not a bug - for sailing sandy seas or across the Hungarian and Russian steppes, it makes no difference. For sailing across hilly or rocky terrain, you can deliberately use it to create a trail for others to follow (although it does leave a path behind you which others can use to track you). Hector will volunteer to test this out by taking some Tremere marines and sailing at a rocky island and attempting amphibious assault up a rocky shore. If it works, he may offer to buy a copy of the lab text for House Tremere.
I'm not updating Hector for Anulus Connectens right now - I was running low on nautical effects which haven't been done before or can't be done better by other covenant members. He will continue merrily increasing Tremere naval assets.
Nice idea!
Tellus and Darkwing: You both make good points.
I think Janus may eventually regret this side effect and actually enchant a new device to restore the terrain in the wake of the ship. Which actually helps me find projects to occupy his time.
Moved from the "MR from swords" thread, due to a rapidly accelerating case of off-topicalitis:
I guess Janus'll just take another apprentice then...that's 25% of his time. Plus he might dedicate another 25% to being the grand old man of his family dynasty for interpersonal acticities rather than lab.
A few more enchantments, to help with supplies for extended travel:
I'm also working on a similar device to transform food into rocks. There is not a guideline for “transform an item made of animal products into inanimate matter”. To do this with a live animal is Base 15. The closest for animal products is Base 4 for “change something made of animal matter in a minor, unnatural way”. Changing food into rock is unnatural allright, but I don’t think it is minor. Base 4 also covers major changes to live animals, but still natural changes. Base 5 is minor, unnatural changes for live animals. So, for live animals minor, unnatural is Base 5 and transforming into inanimate matter is Base 15, or in relative terms +2 magnitudes. And if Base 4 can enact minor, unnatural changes to animal matter then +2 magnitudes or Base 10 is what I’m looking for.
"Change something made of animal products in a major unnatural way." is base 5.
What I would enjoy reading is if he were to open up a different interest or plan for his efforts. What else does Janus want?
*Work to acquire/ create a herd of magical horses for the mercere,
*Develop items to turn traveling redcaps into automatic cartographers. (items for measurement and drawing, ways for the users to send these items other places to take measurements and then get them back)
*Considering that the covenant is cutting a deal with a faerie, craft a collection of devices to allow redcaps to be moderately less in danger in Arcadia
*A set of devices that help redcaps find new vis sources (devices to extract rumors for towns they pass though, devices to give dogs magically altered senses of smell, devices to speak to roads and rivers)
You are totally correct, it's right there in the core book. That entry seems to be missing from my text-only collated guidelines.
tsktsk
I blame whomever it was I pilfered if from, all those years ago. Can't remember who, but as I was writing it myself someone on the forum posted one. So why bother?
Interesting subjects...
The breeding of magical horses is actually a project we've started up a bit in my current Rhine saga. The magi in that will have to use lower level effects, but Janus can very well invent something ridiculously powerful. IIRC he already developed a spell to bring animals to maturity in a jiffy, and could perhaps develop some spells for health and healing. Where things get tricky is concerning effects to find the best breeding matches, because of his In deficiency.
As for finding vis sources, Janus' Intellego is yet again a challenge. But maybe devices with Mentem effects cause the villagers to better remember odd things and readily tell about them. That should help Redcaps gather rumours and stories, to narrow down their search.
Regarding mapping...maps of the era aren't really the same as they are now, not as precise. So precise mapping is anachronistic, but maybe Janus is ahead of his time? Although, mapping seems to be yet another set of Intellego effects 
I think I need to admit this is not going anywhere. I have a design document lying around, and littel has been added to it since the main project originally faltered.
These are the devices and such I have as yet. Little else is likely to follow.
Device:
Sailing on Gaia’s Back
ReTe(Aq)35
R:Touch, D: Conc, T: Part
Pen 0, 1 use/day, Device keeps concentration
Transform an area of sand and stone around ship to unnaturally have the properties of water, so a ship can effectively sail across land. When moving the water-like earth does not evaporate or seep into adjacent earth in significant amounts. However if stationary this can eventually become a problem. Due to Janus’ sigil of change the water-like earth changes appearance: sometimes it looks like water, sometimes earth behaving like a fluid, sometimes solid like normal earth with the ship looking completely out of place partially buried in it. When the ship contacts boulders or small hills earth and stone sprays as waves would, when in contact with a ship’s hull.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +1 Part, +2 Size, +1 stone; Mod: +5 keep conc)
1st season: Invent original
Shield of Sand Wave Breaking
Miniature bronze shield with a piece of magnet insert in lead
Deflect the Oncoming Sand Wave
ReTe25
R: Per, D: Conc, T: Ind
Pen 0, 24 uses/day, device maintains concentration
Effect as per the spell 'Deflect the Oncoming Wave' in the core rules. Waves of sand and stone as well as sand storms can't come closer than 10 paces to the device. As the original spell does not affect the water a ship floats on, this effect does not ward against earth in its natural place. By placing several of these strategically Janus is able to cover the entire ship. He has created 6 copies of the device, enough to cover the ship with redundancy plus the flexibility to equip Grogs moving about with one or more shields.
(Design: Base 5, +1 Conc, +1 Stone. Mod: +5 uses, +5 keep conc)
1st season: Invent original, 2 copies
2nd season: Invent from lab text, 4 copies
Glove of the Water Supply
Leather glove with a bronze disc in the shape of a drop of water, adorned with a piece of beryl
Water of Solid Rock
MuAq(Te)37
R: Touch, D:Sun, T:Part
Pen 0, 12 uses/day, Environmental trigger: Sunrise/-set
Transforms a part of a body of water up to a maximum of about 35.000 liters (Base Individual: Pool 5 paces diameter 2 paces deep) specifically into one pebble per 1.000 liters. As a side effect of Janus’ sigil all pebbles ever made by this device are unique but with no discernible system to their appearance. The pebbles are stored in a box clearly marked “water” alongside the device when it is not being used. The transformation persists until dispelled due to the “constant effect” modification. Typically a pebble is dropped into a designated water barrel with a volume of just over 1.000 litres before the effect is dispelled.
(Base 5 +1 Touch +2 Sun +1 Part, +1 Stone; Mod: +4 (12 uses/day), +3 Environmental Trigger: Sunrise/-set)
Glove of the Food Supply
Leather glove with two plaques; The first in the shape of a chicken drumstick, made from bronze insert with magnetite. The second in the shape of a loaf of bread, made from cedar wood.
Food of Solid Rock
MuAn(Te, He)42
R: Touch, D:Sun, T:Circle
Pen 0, 12 uses/day, Environmental trigger: Sunrise/-set
Transforms food (animal and vegetable matter) inside a circle traced upon activation into specifically one pebble per activation. Janus finds it pragmatic to transform each day’s worth of rations at a time. As a side effect of Janus’ sigil all pebbles ever made by this device are unique but with no discernible system to their appearance. The pebbles are stored in a box clearly marked “food” alongside the device when it is not being used. The transformation persists until dispelled due to the “constant effect” modification. Typically a pebble is dropped onto a table or into a crate of sufficient size to hold the food as it transforms.
(Base 10 +1 Touch +2 Sun, +1 Stone, +1 He req; Mod: +4 (12 uses/day), +3 Environmental trigger: Sunrise/-set)
Familar Bonds:
Ward Against Blistering Desert Heat
ReIg48
R:Touch D:Sun T:Ind
Pen 0, 6 uses/day
Essentially a beefed up Ward against Heat and Flames, protecting against fires up to +35 dam. Even though lower power may have sufficed for desert travel Janus keeps up his habit of exaggerating and by this also safeguarding against moderate to powerful Fire Jinns.
(Base 4 +1 Touch +2 Sun +6 for up to +35 fire damage. Mod: +3 (6 uses/day))
Last week as I was finishing Hector (I did most of a write up of Hector's familiar but then I came back and found that my draft was not saved. It took a bit out of me, but once I retype that post I am done!) I wrote down 15 ideas for spells and devices to help redcaps keeping in mind that Janus avoided intellego and had enduring magic and mutantem magic. I was in the process of (ever so slowly) reviewing this thread to see which of them were redundant with work that you had already done.
I'd really like to see this thing finished. When my ideas are ready, should I pm them to you? should I post them here? Are you so tired of this you'd prefer that I figure out how many seasons Janus has left then use my ideas to finish him off myself with little input from you? Are you so tired of this that you'd like me to calculate how long takes for him to finish the devices in your last post then say "the remaining seasons are devoted to an apprentice" and write up a final character sheet?
I'n not as much tired as just uninspired and unimaginative. Please sene me ideas, and I'll see how things pan out. Worst case I'll just throw in the towel and give you free reins to finish.