Print Studio PRO/Print Studio PRO.iso/PictureCat/Docs/PicCat_E.readme

Text File | 1996-07-17 | 20KB | 544 lines

  Picture Cat - A Quick Tour
  --------------------------


  1. Introduction
  ---------------
  PictureCat is a sophisticated program for the storage and
  adminstration of picture collections, therefore being a perfect
  add-on to Printer24. Flexible sorting and management functions will
  help you to keep control even over large collections with hundreds of
  files. Apart from the Amiga Standard 'IFF'-Format, PictureCat also
  supports various PC-formats (OS3.0 or higher required) as well as all
  formats supported by Amiga DataTypes. Using the built-in interface to
  its companion program 'Printer24', you can generate even the largest
  picture catalogs in no time.

  1.1 Hardware Requirements
  -------------------------

  Picture Cat will run on any Amiga equipped with 2 megabytes of RAM and Amiga OS
  2.04 or higher. Although a hard disk is not required to run the program, it is
  strongly recommended for speed reasons. To use the PC graphics formats, OS 3.0 or
  higher is required.

  1.2. Installing on a Hard Disk
  ------------------------------

  Insert the program disk in a disk drive. After the 'PictureCat'- disk icon
  has appeared, open its main window by double clicking on it with the left mouse
  button. Now open the desired directory on your hard disk, and drag the
  'PictureCat'-drawer into the hard disk window. This will cause
  the program to be copied onto the hard disk. Now start the tool
  'Install Datatypes' by double-clicking on its icon to copy the
  DataTypes for the PC-graphics formats onto the hard drive.


  2. How to use PictureCat
  ------------------------

  2.1. General Instructions
  -------------------------

  Fig. 1 shows an open file as displayed on your computer monitor. It
  is possible to open several files at the same time, the number of
  which is only limited by your computer's memory. The most important
  pieces of information are displayed in the window's title bar,
  beginning with the file name, followed by the number of entries, the
  number of currently selected pictures and their size. This information
  is especially useful files are going to be copied to a different volume
  to check the free space required.

  You can select a picture simply by clicking on its thumbnail image
  with the left mouse button. To select several pictures, just do the
  following: Move the mouse pointer over the border area between two
  thumbnails, and drag a rectangle over all pictures to be selected
  while holding the left mouse button pressed. Alternatively, you may
  also hold the SHIFT-button pressed while clicking on the thumbnail
  images to be selected.

  Double-clicking on an object may have two different results:

  1) Double-clicking on the image part of the picture will automatically load
  the picture into a pre-defined picture viewer and display it
  on your screen. Please refer to 'Viewer Preferences' for more information.

  2) Double-clicking on the title bar of the picture opens a requester
  containing specific information related to the current picture.

  All other functions are controlled via menus.



  3. The Menus
  ------------

  3.1 The Project Menu
  --------------------

  The Project menu contains all functions related to catalog files.

  Open File
  Brings up an ASL file requester to select the desired catalog file.

  Open Backup
  Opens a copy of a catalog file. All modifications are only made to
  the copy, not the original. To keep the copy, select 'Yes' in the
  requester which is opened after closing the copy. The original file
  will not be modified.

  Close File
  The current file and all windows related to it are closed. Note:
  Alle modifications, including window size and position, are
  automatically saved.

  Delete File
  Deletes the current file. As there is no chance of recovery, it
  recommended that you use this function with great care.

  Create Selection File
  Creates a new catalog file based on all selected pictures in the
  current file. When closing this file, the user can chose whether to
  save it using a new file name, or to delete it.

  Import Pictures
  Allows the user to insert new pictures into the current catalog
  file.

  Scan Directory
  Searches for picture files in the specified directory (without
  subdirectories). In the 'Select Pictures'-requester you can select
  which pictures to include in the catalog by clicking on the picture
  name with the mouse. Drag the mouse pointer over several picture
  entries with the left mouse button pressed, to select them.

  Scan Directory recursively
  See above, except that subdirectories are scanned as well.

  Copy Pictures
  All currently selected pictures (not their thumbnails) are copied
  to a different volume (e.g. floppy disk). The total size is displayed
  in the title bar, allowing the user to check whether there is enough
  storage space left on the destination volume.

  Print List
  Outputs a picture list of the complete catalog. Please refer to the
  'Print List' requester for more information.

  Leave out Bitmaps
  Because certain types of pictures (especially those with millions of
  colours) may require more RAM than available in your system, PSP
  allows you to temporarily store them on the hard disk, loading them
  automatically when it comes to printing. This function has three
  different options:

      a) Always leave out bitmaps
      b) Never leave out bitmaps
      c) Leave out bitmaps by size.
         This option allows you to enter a certain limit. Bitmaps with a
         size exceeding this limit will automatically left out.

  Save on Quitting
  If this option is active, all preferences (e.g. window size and
  position) related to the current file are saved as soon as the file is
  closed. Important: If this is not active, all modifications made to
  the preferences will be lost! You should therefore always have this
  switch activated, unless your file is stored on a medium which cannot
  be written to (such as a CD-ROM) or you explicitely do not want to
  change anything.


  3.3 The Thumbnails Menu
  -----------------------

  This menu contains all functions which are only related to certain
  pictures. In most cases the functions will only modify the currently
  selected images.

  Delete
  Deletes all currently selected Thumbnails. This does not immediately
  destroy the original picture data. These are marked as "free" and
  are overwritten the next time the file data are updated.

  Restore
  Performs an UNDO on the last Delete-action.

  Sort
  Pictures are sorted on the basis of several criteria defined in the
  appropriate sub-menu.

  Sort Direction
  Select here whether to sort in ascending or descending order.

  Selection Mode
  Chose the required selction mode with this function:

    ON          -> Selects a picture.
    OFF         -> Deselects a picture.
    SWAP        -> Clicking on a picture swaps its selection status.
    EXCLUSIVE   -> Clicking on a picture de-selects all others.

  Select all
  Selects all pictures.

  Select Category
  All pictures in a file can be assigned to up to 20 different
  categories (e.g. landscapes, vehicles, persons, etc.), which may be
  separately defined for every catalog file. When this function is
  activated, PictureCat will search for the first selected picture and
  then select all other pictures belonging to the same category. The
  user can then easily create a category-based overview using the
  'Create Selection File' function.

  De-select all
  Assigns the status 'not selected' to all pictures.

  Title Display
  Allows the user to display a certain text under the thumbnail. There
  are three sub-menus to chose from.

  Copy
  All currently selected pictures are saved to a file in the RAM-Disk.
  Note: Only path names and file names are saved, not the picture data.

  Cut
  All currently selected pictures are copied, then deleted.

  Paste
  Reads a file which has been cut or copied, and inserts the
  corresponding pictures into the current file. These three functions
  allow for quick exchange of pictures between different catalogs.

  Font
  Select the font for the picture sub-title with this ASL font
  requester.

  Picture Info
  Displays important information related to the current picture.

  Category
  Currently selected pictures can be assigned to certain categories.
  Refer to the 'Assign Category' requester for more information.

  Motive
  You can enter a description of up to 100 characters for every
  picture. For more information, refer to the 'Add Comment' requester.

  Search for Pic
  After entering the search string, alle motive texts are searched for
  this string. If it is found, the corresponding picture is
  automatically selected.

  3.4 The Picture Viewer Menu
  ---------------------------

  This menu contains a number of functions related to displaying pictures.
  It is even possible to create a simple slide show.
  Screen Mode
  Here you select the screen mode the viewer should use.

  Preferences
  Please refer to the section on the 'Viewer Preferences' requester.

  One Pic only
  Displays only a single picture.

  All Pics
  All pictures currently selected are displayed one after another.
  Clicking the left mouse button will terminate the current picture and
  bring up the next. Press ESC to switch back to the main window.

  Help System
  The "DOCS" directory contains two text files for the online help system
  of PictureCat. One is in AmigaGuide-format (displayable with
  programs like 'AmigaGuide' or 'MultiView'), the other one in
  ASCII-format. You can use any ASCII-compatible tool, like 'More' or
  'WatchIt', to view it.

  Get Help
  Will open the online help text as specified under 'Select'.

  Select
  Here you can select the tool to be used for displaying the help
  text. Simply enter its file name into the text gadget, and insert the
  variable \F at the required position for the file name.

  Click one of the 'File Type' radio buttons, to chose either the
  AmigaGuide file (in AmigaGuide format) or the ReadMe file (in
  ASCII-format).


  4. The Input Windows
  --------------------


  4.1 Assign Category
  -------------------

  Purpose:   Assign a picture to a user-definable catergory.
  Menu:      "Thumbnail/Category"

  This requester contains up to 20 user-definable categories, which
  any picture can be assigned to. Each catalog file can have its own
  group of categories. Simply click on one of the buttons in the upper
  half of the window to assign the category number to the current
  picture. To change a category name, just click into the "Current"
  gadget, and type in the new name. If you click on an empty category
  button, this function will automatically be activated. The "Next
  Picture"-button can be used to switch to the next picture in the
  current catalog. If you activate the 'automatic' option in the
  'Picture Switching' section, the next picture will automatically be
  activated after the preceeding one has been assigned to a certain
  category. Clicking on 'Show Picture' will load a user-defined picture
  viewer and open a full-sized display of the current picture.


  4.2 Add Comment
  ---------------

  Purpose:    Add a comment to a picture
  Menu:       "Thumbnail/Comment".

  The user may add an individual comment to every picture in catalog,
  which is especially important when using the search function. With a
  comment you may assign a special description to your pictures. The
  functions related to picture switching and display work as described
  unter section 3.1.


  4.3 Print List
  --------------
  Purpose:    Outputs a list of pictures to your printer.
  Menu:       "Project/Print List".

  Use this function to print a list of all currently selected picture
  files, taking into consideration the current sort mode. The two
  sliders on the left side allow you define the number of lines on the
  page; if you are using continuous paper, you may also select the
  number of lines not to be printed to skip the perforated line. When
  using single sheets of paper, select a value of '0' here. If you are
  going to redirect the print output to a file (e.g. because you want to
  print the file on somebody elses printer), click on the drawer icon
  next to the text gadget, and enter the path and filename for the
  output file.

  The right section of the window contains a number of gadgets which allow
  for the selection of various print parameters. Since a printed line
  usually is about 72 characters wide, a value of 10 CPI should be used.

    This line contains the
    following information:

      1) Picture file name
      2) Width, Height and Depth (Number of Bitplanes).
      3) File Format (IFF,PCX....)
      4) Category
      5) File Size


  4.4 Viewer Preferences
  ----------------------

  Purpose:   Display Pictures
  Menu:      "Viewer/Preferences"

  Use this requester to select a number of flags related to the
  picture viewer. It is even possible to program a small slideshow.


    4.4.1 The Display Options
    -------------------------

    Full Screen
    Converts the picture so that it will fill the whole screen.

    Loop
    After all pictures have been displayed, the program restarts with
    picture one.

    Buffer
    Stores the picture in an internal buffer before displaying it. This
    required for several transition effects to work.

    Don't adjust size
    The picture is not modified to fit the output window.

    Custom Screen
    Opens a custom screen to display the window. If this is not active,
    the picture is shown on the main screen.

    Floyd-Steinberg
    Uses a FS-algorithm to display the picture. Otherwise, no dithering
    is used.


    4.4.2 External Viewer
    ---------------------

    Use External
    Use the screen mode coded into the picture file, or an external
    viewer, allowing pictures to be displayed on third-party graphics
    boards in up to 24 bit. Since a new screen has to be opened for every
    picture, transition effects are not supported in this mode.

      +DoubleNTSC
      +DoublePAL

    Many Amiga users use the newer 'MultiSync'-Type monitors which do not
    support 15KHz Screen Modes. With this option, the program generates a
    'Double-Scan'-mode. To make this work, the 'Internal' option in the
    'External Viewer'-requester has to be active.


    The slider in the lower left part of the window can be used to
    determine the display duration in seconds. Note: Since the loading
    process takes some time (especially, if a conversion process is
    required), displaying a picture may in some cases require more time
    than selected here.

    The window on the right contains a number of transition effects, which
    will be processed one after another. Please note, that only the active
    effects are displayed.


  4.5 Dither Mode Preferences
  ---------------------------

  Purpose:      Selection of a Dither Mode.
  Menu:         Automatically when opening a new file

  This requester automatically opens when a new file is opened and
  enables you to select the desired thumbnail size and the required
  dither mode. It is important to remember that these values cannot be
  modified at a later point of time; if this is required, it is
  recommended that you use the 'copy' and 'paste' functions to copy the
  required pictures into a new catalog.

  The following section contains the pros and cons of the available
  options.

    Fixed Colours
    Pros :   low processing power requirements
    Cons :   high memory requirements, slow screen update.
    Purpose: Uses a fixed palette to convert pictures for screen display.

    HAM
    Pros :   low processing power requirements, fast screen update, low
             memory requirements.
    Cons :   pictures lack clarity, HAM-screen required.
    Purpose: Requires Amiga with AA-chipset, because older chipsets do
             not support HAM in all resolutions.

    Matrix 2Bit
    Pros :   low processing power requirements, fast screen update, low
             memory requirements.
    Cons :   black/white only.


    Matrix 4Bit
    Pros :   low processing power requirements, fast screen update, low
             memory requirements.
    Cons :   low quality colour display
    Purpose: This is mode of choice for Amigas which can only open
             screens with up to 16 colours (A500, A2000, A3000).

    Matrix 6 Bit
    Pros :   higher quality colour display.
    Cons :   higher memory requirements, slower screen updates
    Purpose: This mode is the best compromise between display quality
             and speed. 128-colour screen required.

    Matrix 8 Bit
    Pros :   best colour display.
    Cons :   high memory requirements, slow screen update.
    Purpose: Use this mode for the best colour display. Requires a
             screen with 256 colours and an Amiga with at least an
             68030-processor.

    Floyd 2 Bit
    Pros : see Matrix 2Bit
    Cons: see Matrix 4Bit
    Purpose: By using error distribution, the FS-dithering usually
     produces a better colour display compared to the corresponding
     'Matrix' method.

    Floyd 4 Bit
    Pros : see Matrix 4 Bit
    Cons: see Matrix 4 Bit


    Floyd 6 Bit
    Pros : see Matrix 6 Bit
    Cons: see Matrix 6 Bit


    Floyd 8 Bit
    Pros : see Matrix 8 Bit
    Cons: see Matrix 8 Bit


    Grey Scale n
    Pros :   fast screen update, low memory requirements.
    Cons :   no colour display.
    Purpose: In this mode all colours are converted into grey scales.

  For on-screen display, only the two 'Bayer'-matrixes are suitable
  for matrix dithering.

  The section in the lower part of the window contains three buttons to
  determine the buffer type for the bitmap graphics:

  No Buffer
  The bitmaps are recalculated every time the screen is updated.
  Although this requires additional time, precious CHIP-Ram is saved.

  Buffer HD
  Bitmaps are temporarily stored on your hard disk and can be loaded
  on demand, resulting in faster screen updates.

  Buffer RAM
  Bitmaps are temporarily stored in memory, allowing for fast access.
  This is the choice for users with lots of memory, but no hard disk.

  Click on 'Test' to check the result of your selections, or click on
  the gadget to the left to open a file requester where you can select
  a picture of your choice.

  4.6 Select Screen Mode
  -----------------------

  Purpose:    Screen Mode selection
  Menu:       "Project/Preferences/Display".

  Use this requester to select the screen mode you want to use for
  your work with PictureCat. The available modes strongly depend on
  your hardware. 'The DoubleScan'-Modes are especially recommended, but
  unfortunately these require the AA-graphics chip set currently only
  available in Amiga 1200s and 4000s. Please note that these modes also
  require a special 'MultiSync'-type monitor.

  Third-party graphics cards which support Amiga-compatible screen
  structures (such as the Picasso or the CyberVision 64) are also
  supported.

  Since PictureCat uses special dithering techniques to display
  pictures, a screen mode supporting at least 16 colours is required to
  run the program. Although a 256-colour display will generate the best
  results, 128 colours will normally be preferred as the best compromise
  between display quality and speed.

  Note that the Amiga's 'HAM' mode might be superiour to a 16 colour
  display in many cases. Furthermore, it may also be much quicker than
  the normal 128 colour screen, because it only requires 6 bit (=64
  colours). Unfortunately, this speed increase leads to a loss of
  display clarity, as only every third pixel can be assigned the correct
  colour in HAM mode.

  The 'Y-Aspect' function opens a test window which helps you to
  maintain the correct aspect on-screen, avoiding the distorted display of
  circles, etc.