Program Revision History

When you Auto-Update your ColorWorks, the details as to any changes made to the program will be given here.

3.008

Program Additions and Enhancements

Flare FX Animator

•	Added the Effects | Flare FX Animator command to the GIF Animator. The Flare FX Animator renders and animates a Flare scene (lens flares, stars and space effects, explosions, lighting and electricity, smoke and gas clouds, glows, and more) over-top of GIF animation frame images. This enables you to integrate Flare effects with an existing GIF movie, or render a Flare animation against a common background color or image.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

Flare FX Renderer

•	Added the Image | Flare FX Renderer command. The Flare FX Renderer renders a Flare scene (lens flares, stars and space effects, explosions, lighting and electricity, smoke and gas clouds, glows, and more) over-top of canvas images.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

GIF Animator

•	Added the Effects | Flare FX Animator command to the GIF Animator.

3D Text Renderer, 3D Web Object Renderer

•	Changed the behavior of the Web Tools | 3D Text Renderer command and the Web Tools | 3D Web Object Renderer command to keep their dialog boxes open after their Render button is selected. This allows you to continue rendering to the same canvas image without having to choose the command again. To close these dialog boxes select their File | Exit command or click the Close box in the dialog’s Title Bar.

File | Open Command

•	Enhanced the selection list box within the Load Image dialog box to handle multiple file selections. Multiple files are selected to open in a similar fashion as using the ColorWorks Image Browser or the Windows Explorer. To select a range of images, click Button 1 on the image to be the start of the range, hold the [Shift] key, and click Button 1 on the image to be the last image in the range. Hold the [Ctrl] key while clicking Button 1 on images to add them to your selection. Hold the [Ctrl] key while clicking Button 1 on a selected image to remove it from your selection.

File | Preferences Command

•	Added the Ctrl-Z = Undo Only box to the File | Preferences command. ColorWorks now offers two different types of multiple Undo, the program’s standard multiple Undo/Redo and a new multiple Undo Only option. If the Ctrl-Z = Undo Only box is selected, the Undo/Redo button on a canvas’ Task Bar still opens the Undo/Redo dialog box, however use of the Ctrl-Z shortcut key combination will immediately undo the canvas’ last painting operation without opening the Undo/Redo dialog box. Use the faster Undo Only method of undo when you are sure that you do not need the Redo capability offered by the Undo/Redo dialog box.

Web Saver, Tile Viewer, GIF Player

•	Added View menu items to the Web Saver, Tile Viewer, and GIF Player that replicate the commands available in their pop-up menus.

Fixes

•	Fixed a situation in the Image Browser where the program would fail if attempting to load an image with a huge height to width ratio.

•	Fixed a situation in the Undo/Redo dialog box where clicking on the slider bar shaft rather than moving the slider thumb to operate the control would not undo the canvas correctly.

•	Fixed a situation under WindowsNT where a canvas image may stop repainting.

•	Fixed a situation using the Cropping Tool where it would not include the last row or column of the selected cropping area.

•	Fixed a situation under WindowsNT where painting with the Text tool would not properly anti-alias.

•	Fixed a situation where use of the Fire technique in the Web Background Renderer would cause the program to fail.

•	Compensated for an issue in OpenGL than reduced image colors by 1 value for each use of a program feature that used OpenGL (3D Text Renderer, 3D Text Animator, 3D Web Object Renderer, 3D Web Object Animator).

•	Replaced the multi-media start-up splash screen (AVI movie with sound) with a static image. Prior to this change, if a user’s Windows multi-media subsystem was mis-configured or damaged, Windows would fail on displaying the splash screen and the program could not start.

Other

•	The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

•	The following new How To sections were added to the MEGA-Manual: Using the Flare FX Renderer, Using the Flare FX Animator.

3.007

Program Additions and Enhancements

3D Web Object Animator

•	Added the Effects | 3D Web Object Animator command to the GIF Animator. The 3D Web Object Animator is used to create 3D buttons, bullets, separator bars, and object web animations. The 3D Web Object Animator renders 3D Object animations directly over-top of the existing frame images within a GIF Animator. This enables you to integrate 3D Objects with an existing GIF movie, or render a 3D Object animation against a common background color or image.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

3D Web Object Renderer

•	Added the Web Tools | 3D Web Object Renderer command. The 3D Web Object Renderer is used to render 3D buttons, bullets, separator bars, and objects for use on your web-site. In addition, the 3D Web Object Renderer is excellent for adding 3D objects to existing images.

•	The 3D Web Object Renderer button was added to the program Task Bar.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

3D Text Renderer, 3D Text Animator

•	Added a Synchronize Sizes button to the Web Tools | 3D Text Renderer command and to the Effects | 3D Text Animator command of the GIF Animator. This button sets the X and Y Size buttons to be linked and share the same value when either one is adjusted. This box does not link the Model’s X and Y Sizes when changed using the mouse.

•	Further enhanced the anti-aliasing used in both the 3D Text Renderer and 3D Text Animator.

GIF Animator

•	Added the Effects | 3D Web Object Animator command to the GIF Animator.

Effect | Drawing Merge Control Command

•	Added a Tint merge technique option to the Effects | Drawing Merge Control command. This technique merges only the hue and saturation component of the painting operation and the image. Painting with colors using the Tint merge technique is great for colorizing a rendered Web Object or image. The Tint merge only changes the images colors while preserving its original lightness (the highlights and shadows of the 3D model).

Mask | Float Merge Control Command

•	Added a Tint merge technique option to the Mask | Float Merge Control command. This technique merges only the hue and saturation component of the floated image and the underlying canvas image. Merging a floated image with a canvas using the Tint merge technique is great for decaling the float onto a rendered Web Object or image. The Tint merge only changes the canvas image’s hue and saturation component to that of the floated image, and preserves the canvas’ original lightness (the highlights and shadows of the 3D model).

Fixes

•	Fixed the Looping control in the Animation Properties dialog box of the GIF Animator so a setting of 1 means to only play the animation 1 time or no repeats.

Other

•	The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

•	The following new How To sections were added to the MEGA-Manual: Using the 3D Web Object Renderer, Using the 3D Web Object Animator.

3.006

Program Additions and Enhancements

3D Text Animator

•	Added the Effects | 3D Text Animator command to the GIF Animator. The 3D Text Animator renders 3D Text animations directly over-top of the existing frame images within a GIF Animator. This enables you to integrate 3D Text with an existing GIF movie, or render a 3D Text animation against a common background color or image.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

3D Text Renderer

•	Added the Web Tools | 3D Text Renderer command. The 3D Renderer is used to render 3D Text over-top of canvas images.

•	The 3D Text Renderer button was added to the program Task Bar.

•	Use of this feature requires Window’s OpenGL system components to be resident on your computer. All Windows95 OSR2 and WindowsNT users already have these files installed. If you try to access this feature and are running a version of Windows95 that is missing these system files, ColorWorks will provide instructions on how to get the needed files directly from SPG.

GIF Animator

•	Added the Effects | 3D Text Animator command to the GIF Animator.

•	Added the Edit | Replicate Current Frame command to the GIF Animator.

Fixes

•	Fixed a situation where the Mask Menu could get corrupted with Brushes Menu commands.

•	Fixed a situation under WindowsNT that caused the canvas windows of large images to not open properly displayed centered on the ColorWorks Desktop.

•	Fixed a situation under WindowsNT that would not allow the Set Transparent Color dialog box of the GIF Animator to display.

Other

•	The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

•	The following new How To sections were added to the MEGA-Manual: Using the 3D Text Renderer, Using the 3D Text Animator.

3.005

Program Additions and Enhancements

GIF Animator

•	Added the ability to open AVI movie files to the GIF Animator.

•	Added a Maintain AVI Play Rate box to the Edit | Animation Properties command of the GIF Animator. This box sets to match the overall duration of frames generated by the opening an AVI file with the duration of the original AVI movie.

•	Added an Edit | Drop Frames command to the GIF Animator. This command is used to drop or delete a percentage of frames in regular intervals along the animation, and is very useful in reducing the number of frames of opened AVI files. AVI files or streams are time-based and not frame-based like a GIF animation. AVI movies tend to have many very similar frames (sometimes identical) than can be dropped out of the animation for file size savings, without adversely affecting the overall “look” of the animation when played. An optional Maintain Animation Duration control can be used to maintain the overall animation duration or play-rate after the frame drop.

•	Added an Effects | Wipes command to the GIF Animator. This command generates transitional wipes between two frames within the animation, using 28 different wipe techniques. The intermediate animation frames (tweens) are automatically generated using your choice of wipe technique and frame rate.

Animated GIF Player

•	Added an Edit | Duration command to the Animated GIF Player. This command acts as a “master” duration control used for dynamically changing the delay settings of an animation using the visual feedback of the player. This new control eliminates having to change all of an animation's frame delay settings by hand and preview the animation, over-and-over again, just to get its play-rate correct.

Fixes

•	Fixed a situation under WindowsNT that caused the Text tool not to paint with the Anti-Alias control of the Effects | Drawing Merge Control command if there was a space within the text string.

•	Made the programs interface look under WindowsNT exactly as it does under Windows95. Prior to these changes some of the programs’ dialog boxes were slightly different under WindowsNT.

•	Some additional minor fixes were made.

Other

•	The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on Revision Update 3.003 to 3.005.

•	The following new How To sections were added to the MEGA-Manual: To Visually Set an Animation's Duration, To Convert an AVI Movie to an Animated GIF.

3.004

Program Additions and Enhancements

Photoshop™-Compatible (Standard) Import Plug-in Support

•	Added a File | Import menu category. All loaded Standard Import Plug-ins will appear under this menu category.

WindowsNT 4.0 Support

•	Added support for the program running on WindowsNT 4.0. Initial installation of ColorWorks:WEB 3 on WindowsNT will require manual patching of the program to Revision 3.004 or later before it will run. Manual patch files used to bring ColorWorks:WEB 3 to the latest Revision Number are always available on the SPG web-site. After the initial manual patching procedure, the program can be updated to subsequent Revisions as normal using the Help | Auto-Update command.

•	To Install ColorWorks:WEB 3 on a WindowsNT system use the following procedure: 1. Install the program from its CD-ROM (note: it will not run on WindowsNT at this point). 2. Download the latest manual patch file for the program from the SPG web-site and apply it. 3. The program will now run on WindowsNT.

Web Background Renderer

•	Enhanced the Web Background Renderer to work with Canvas Protection Masks.

•	Enhanced the Web Background Renderer to work with the Effects | 8-Bit Mask command.

Fixes

•	Fixed a situation that may cause the program to fail if the Scan button on the Task Bar was selected and there was no installed and selected TWAIN scanner.

•	Fixed a situation that may cause the program to fail if the Plug-in Filters button on the Effects Bar was selected and there was no Standard Plug-in Filters found in the path specified by the Plug-in Directory field of the File | Preferences command.

•	Fixed a situation where images within the Tile Viewer would not look correctly when viewed at less than a 100% view.

•	Some additional minor fixes were made.

Other

The MEGA-Manual was not updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

3.003

Program Additions and Enhancements

Flat Style Task Bar Option

•	Added a Flat Style Taskbar box to the File | Preferences command. This box sets the display of buttons on the program Task Bar to a flat style. ColorWorks needs to be restarted for a change in this setting to take effect.

Fixes

•	Fixed a situation where the Curve tool was not painting correctly when a canvas image was not at a 100% view.

•	Fixed a situation where canvas images would not look correctly when viewed at less than a 100% view.

•	Some additional minor fixes were made.

Other

The MEGA-Manual was not updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

3.002

Program Additions and Enhancements

Photoshop™-Compatible (Standard) Plug-in Filter Support

•	Added a Plug-in Directory and Browse controls to the File | Preferences command. The plugins directory is where ColorWorks will load all Standard plug-ins from.

•	Added the Image | Standard Plug-in Filters menu category. All loaded Standard Filter Plug-ins will appear under this menu category for direct application to entire images.

•	Added the Image | Standard Plug-in Filters | Plug-in Filter Navigator command.

•	Added the Effects | Plug-in Filter Selector command. All loaded Standard Filter Plug-ins will appear in the Plug-in Filter Selector. The Plug-in Filter Selector selects filters to paint with using any ColorWorks’ painting tool (except Free Draw).

•	Added a Plug-in Selector button to the Effects Bar.

•	Renamed the Image | Plug-in Effects command to Image | ColorWorks Plug-in Effects command. All ColorWorks plug-in Effects will appear in this menu category. ColorWorks Plug-in Effects are always loaded from the \plugins directory under your main ColorWorks directory, regardless of where you load Standard plug-ins from.

Photoshop™-Compatible (Standard) Export Plug-in Support

•	Added a File | Export menu category. All loaded Standard Export Plug-ins will appear under this menu category.

Image | Transforms Arbitrary Rotate Command

•	Added an Anti-Alias Image Border box to the Image | Transforms | Arbitrary Rotate command which is used to smooth edges of rotated images.

•	Enhanced the Image | Transforms | Arbitrary Rotate command by filling any additional canvas area generated with the Current Painting Color, and anti-aliasing the image’s edges to the Current Painting Color if the Anti-Alias Image Border box is selected.

Image | Resize Canvas Command

•	Enhanced the Image | Resize Canvas command by filling any additional canvas area generated with the Current Painting Color.

GIF Animator

•	Added 9 commands to the Edit menu of the GIF Animator used to replicate a single Frame control setting to all other frames in the animation. The commands added are Edit | Replicate Current Frame Settings | Interlaced, Save Transparency, Removal, Delay, X Offset, Y Offset, Dither, Transparent Color, Palette. Note that the Replicate Current Frame Settings button on the GIF Animator Task Bar replicates all current Frame controls to every frame in the animation.

All Preview Windows in the Program

•	The way in which preview images are rendered has been changed. Canvas images that are smaller than the preview window will now stay at a 100% view, and will no longer be enlarged to fit the preview window. Canvas images that are larger than the preview window will continue to be reduced to fit into the preview window.

Fixes

None of note.

Other

The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.

3.001

Program Additions and Enhancements

Image | Transforms | Resize Command

•	Enhanced the interpolation used by the Image | Transforms | Resize command to provide better-looking results when resizing images smaller.

File | Resize Command of the Image Browser

•	Added a Use Interpolation box to File | Resize command of the Image Browser.

Image Browser, Web Saver, GIF Animator, Image Mapper

•	Added a Help menu item to the Image Browser, Web Saver, GIF Animator, and Image Mapper.

Fixes

Fixed a situation that may cause the GIF Animator to fail when loading images on certain systems.

Other

•	Made available 2 additional Plug-in Effects (Ripples and Swirl) for download on the SPG web-site.

•	The MEGA-Manual was updated to reflect the changes made to the program on this Revision Update.