You will need to have access to some outline fonts and they must have been
seen before running this demo version of Titler. Sequencer does not need the
fonts.
To load double click on the application icon in the filer window.
Some demo files for Titler are included in the Demos directory inside
!Titler. To access this click on the Tfiles icon on the icon bar.
Sequencer loads a fixed demo file and you must not try to alter this as it
will stop the program running.
Both programs have had their save code removed and Sequencer has had its
load code removed as well.
The following short manual only details those areas of Titler which may not
be apparent.
A Short manual
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Titler
======
The Script
Click on the large grey rectangle at the bottom of the Titler window. The
screen will clear, leaving only a pencil-shaped pointer and a caret. This is
the work screen, which is referred to as a Script.
Creating a Block of Text
Type a few letters. The pointer disappears as soon as you start typing.
There is a slight delay while the default outline font is cached. Now move
the mouse. The pointer re-appears and the text moves with it. The pointer is
fixed to the left end of the baseline of the text.
Entering text is similar to using a word-processor. Titler differs from a
word-processor in that word-wrap is not incorporated because there is no
right margin. Press Return to start a new line and type two more lines of
text.
Fixing a Block
Now move the mouse again. The entire block of text moves with the pointer.
Click Select to fix the block in place. Move the pointer to a blank area and
create another block of text containing two or three lines. Once again use
the mouse to position the block to your liking and click Select to fix it in
place.
In order to edit a fixed block it must first be unfixed. Press Ctrl-T and
observe the flashing area enclosing the first line of each fixed block. This
shows the unfixing area which Titler has assigned to each block. To unfix a
block, position the pointer within its flashing area and click Adjust. The
block will move with the pointer and may now be edited. Notice that the
pointer angle changes while editing an unfixed block. YOU CAN ONLY EDIT AN
UNFIXED BLOCK.
The Directory Icon
Click on the Tfiles icon to open a directory viewer containing some sample
files.
Interactive Help
Titler provides a degree of interactive help which may be accessed by
loading the !Help application
The Font Options
If Titler can't find your current font in a font directory then a suitable
default is chosen from those present.
The Font cache and Fontmax settings should be set to the minimum settings
below.
FontSize = 128k
FontMax2 = 200
FontMax3 = 200
The Format options
Left justified text (and only left justified text) can have bullets. Choose
the item 'On' to toggle bullet points on or off. If On is ticked then bullet
points are displayed in the script. If it is not ticked the rest of the
items are greyed out.
Font
Choose which font you wish to use for bullets. If you have one called
Bullets then that's probably the best one to use.
Char
This leads to a window displaying all of the characters in the currently
selected bullet font and the current bullet string. Use the Delete key to
remove the old bullet string.
Enter your new bullet string by choosing a character with the mouse.
Offset
This item allows you to alter the amount the bullet string will be offset to
the left of the text.
Colour
The bullet string will normally be displayed in the same colour as the text
but you can choose a different colour with this option.
If you wish to have more than one vertical line space between each bulleted
item place a single space character on each line you want to be blank.
Centre Local
The Local option centres a block horizontally, relative to the
longest line in the block.
The Effects Options
Drop Shadow
Click on Drop shadow to toggle it on or off.
Function Keys
In 256-colour modes, pressing Shift plus any function key provides a short
cut method for changing the drop shadow colour of the current block.
Drop shadow colours
Shift-F1 Red
Shift-F2 Green
Shift-F3 Yellow
Shift-F4 Blue
Shift-F5 Magenta
Shift-F6 Cyan
Shift-F7 White
Shift-F8 Grey
Shift-F9 Black
Shift-F10 User 1
Shift-F11 User 2
* Shift-F12 User 3
*Shift-F12 will not set the drop shadow colour to User3 while in the Desktop.
Rubout
Click on Rubout to toggle it on or off.
Rubout box is a term used to describe a coloured rectangular area which
provides a background for a block of text.
Background
Sets the background colour.
Slowprint
Click on Slowprint to toggle it on or off. Slowprint allows a block of text
(Left justified only) to be displayed one character at a time. It can be
used to simulate text being typed from the keyboard.
The Slowprint does not take effect until the block is fixed. To view the
effect on a fixed block press Shift-Ctrl-F1 while in the script.
Char delay - This sets the delay before each character is displayed.
Line delay - This sets the delay before each line in the block is displayed.
Flash - Click on Flash to toggle it on or off.Text may be 'flashed' onto the
screen in a different colour before it is displayed in the chosen font
colour. The flash period is the same as the Char delay period (i.e. with
Flash switched on, the Char delay is effectively doubled).
Interesting effects may be achieved by -
Setting the Flash colour to the same as the font colour, but at 50%
intensity, making the text appear to fade in, or
Making the Flash colour and font colour the same but with the font colour at
50% intensity and the Flash colour at 100% intensity.
Key start - When on, the program waits for a keypress before the script
redraws. This helps when overlaying slowprinted text onto a video signal.
In the Script
Press Ctrl-Shift-F1 to re-start the slowprint (i.e. force a script redraw).
Note: In common with all other text attributes the above changes only take effect on an unfixed block of text but they cannot be viewed until the block has been fixed again.
Note: If Slowprint does not appear to work check that your text is left justified as Slowprint does not work with other justifications.
The Colour Options
Click on the Colour icon to open the Font colour menu.
Alias to
The first item in the menu allows you to choose the background colour
towards which the font is anti-aliased - usually the background colour.
Intensity
Both the font colour and the 'Alias to' colour may be displayed at
16 levels of intensity.
The Colours (F1 to F12)
The Font colour menu offers a choice of nine standard colours and three user-definable. In 256-colour modes, all 12 may be used at once.
F1 Red
F2 Green
F3 Yellow
F4 Blue
F5 Magenta
F6 Cyan
F7 White
F8 Grey
F9 Black
F10 User 1
F11 User 2
* F12 User 3
*F12 will not set the colour to User3 while in the Desktop.
User Colours
Any three colours may be chosen from the palette of 4096. To define a
colour, click on the palette icon on the icon bar. Now click on the dark
green colour above Ms1 and the number 13 appears. Use the R, G and B slider
bars to choose your colour. Titler always interprets colour 13 as User
colour 1. The orange square above Ms2 is User colour 2 and the light blue
square above Ms3 is User colour 3.
Individual colours may be defined as explained above and read by Titler
using the 'Read' option within the colour menus. For example, to define User
Colour 1, open the Font colour menu and choose User1 => Read. Titler will
read the current value of colour 13 and store it as user colour 1.
Invert - this option inverts the 'font Colour' and 'Alias to colour' in
256-colour modes.
The Tools menu
Define Map
This leads to a complex window allowing individual control over which colour
registers are mixed with the video signal. Most users should simply choose
the 'Lock all but back' icon and ensure that the Background Effect is set to
Black. This makes the black background to your script 'video transparent'.
Enter Mode
This allows you to change the screen mode in which the current script is
displayed. As well as a standard set of useful modes you can enter a mode
number into the bottom writable item.
Show options
Choosing this item opens Titler's options window.
Show sprites
If there is a sprite file loaded into Titler then choosing this item opens
the Titler sprites window.
Enhancements
PCAT - This makes use of the PCAT graphics enhancer if it is fitted.
Thick drop (CTRL-])
Choose 'Thick drop' to toggle thick drop shadow on or off.
Note that this option only takes effect when the Drop shadow option is
enabled and when the block of text is fixed with Select.
When this is on and a block of text with drop shadow on is being drawn an
alternative method of displaying the drop shadow is used. The action of
Thick drop is global for all of the script. You may find it useful to use
the Drop shadow options Centre X and Centre Y with thick drop on as the
effect is very pleasing.
Shade - If thick drop is on and this item is ticked then the drop shadow
is shaded in steps from the Drop shadow 'Alias to' colour to the Drop shadow
foreground colour.
Multiplier - This sub-menu controls the rate at which the colour is shaded
from the Alias to colour to the Drop shadow foreground colour.
Maps
This sub menu allows you to choose one of several ways in which the colour
is shaded from the Drop shadow 'Alias to' to the Drop shadow foreground.
Choosing an item turns Force Redraw on. Experiment to discover the different
effects available.
Points to remember:
Drop shadow must be enabled before Thick drop will work.
Thick drop is only displayed once a block of text is fixed, it is too slow otherwise.
The Options window
Anti-Aliasing. When off, anti-aliasing is not performed. The advantages of
turning this option off are, it makes the display of text faster and less
memory is required by the font manager.
Other objects
Apart from text blocks, which you have been working with up to this point,
Titler has the ability to display several other types of objects within the
script.
Sprite files
Load a sprite file by dragging its icon onto any Titler window.
Click Select on the names that appear in a little window. This indicates the
sprite is 'on'. A sprite which is on is displayed in the script and may be
then be moved around and changed in size. Clicking on the sprite name again
turns it off.
Editing sprites
Unfix a sprite for editing by moving over it and clicking Adjust just as you
would unfix a block of text.
Re-scaling a sprite
To re-scale a sprite hold down Adjust and drag the pointer. Holding down
Shift as you drag Adjust maintains the current aspect ratio of the sprite.
Draw files
Load a draw file by dragging its icon onto the main window.
Upon entering the script the bottom left of the Draw window is placed at the
bottom left of the screen. All Draw objects appear at their default scale
and size.
If you can't see them it's probably because -
(a) the draw objects are the same colour as Titler's Background colour.
Return to the Desktop and choose White from the Effects => Background menu,
or... (b) they are outside the screen area. Load the file back into Draw and
move the object to the bottom left of the Draw file window.
Titler will not display Text areas contained within a Draw file.
Editing Draw objects
Draw objects may be 'unfixed' and edited in exactly the same way as sprites.
Screen Backdrops
Titler has the ability to load a 'backdrop' to the script. A backdrop is a
screen which is displayed behind all other objects and text. Titler must be
operating in the same screen mode as the one used by the backdrop.
Kerning
Titler has the ability to use 'kerning' within blocks of text.
To add a 'kern' command, move the caret to the left of the letter you wish
to adjust and press Ctrl-O to move the rest of the characters on the line
left, or Ctrl-P to move them right. Hold these keys down to change the
amount rapidly.
Vertical kerning
As well as kerning in the two horizontal directions, you can kern text
vertically. The two commands for vertical kerning are Ctrl-Y to move
following text up and Ctrl-G to move following text down.
The Genlock Controls
Each of the 16 palette registers, numbered 00 to 15 may be locked over the
video or not. A palette register is visible over the video if it is black,
it is video transparent when grey. Click on a palette register number to
toggle it on or off.
The mouse and border registers allow similar control over the mouse pointer
and screen border should this be necessary.
Lock all allows you to eliminate all video from the script.
Lock none eliminates all computer graphics.
Lock all but back locks all but colour register 00 and the border register.
This option should be used in conjunction with a Black Background to your
script. This is because black is one of the colours controlled by colour
register 00.
If you wish to use black text in your script in 256 colour modes then choose
White for your background colour, turn palette register 00 on and palette
register 07 off.
In addition to the standard set of RISC OS screen modes, Titler
automatically loads a relocatable module which supplies six new modes. These
are all overscanned versions of the standard set of screen modes.
