Windows

This chapter describes the Bliss Saver windows.  Each Bliss Saver window may be viewed by choosing it from the Bliss menu.

Paint Window     ⌘1

The Paint window is where Bliss Saver displays Bliss Paintings.  You can resize the Paint window by dragging the lower right corner of the window.  It can be zoomed to fill the entire screen by clicking the zoom box in the upper right corner of the window.  Also, the Zoom Window menu command will grow or shrink the Paint window. 

If another window covers part or all of the Paint window, it will leave a black area in the painting when the Paint window is uncovered.  The Paint window will not be updated.  This is because the pixels are not saved anywhere.  Saving the pixels for each change in the painting would slow down painting and color animation processes.  The interactive nature of Bliss Saver depends on the response speed. To update a black hole in the painting, simply replay the painting.

To save a painting as a PICT file, press the command (⌘) and shift keys and hit 3.  Command-Shift-3 is a standard Macintosh FKEY (‘function’ key) command that saves the entire screen as a PICT file.  (A PICT file is the standard picture file format on the Macintosh and can be used and edited in many other software packages.) Command-Shift-3 works in Bliss Saver’s application mode and screen saving mode.

Catalog Window     ⌘L

To choose a new painting click its name in the Catalog window.  

The Catalog window displays the list of paintings currently available to Bliss Saver.  If there is a folder named Bliss Paintings in the same folder as Bliss Saver, those paintings will automatically appear in the Catalog window.  If Bliss Saver cannot find the Bliss Paintings folder, it will ask you to find a painting to show it where your paintings folder is located.

• The Stop button stops the current painting.
• The Play button starts painting the selected painting.  Once the painting is playing, the Play button turns into the Pause button.
• The Pause button pauses the current painting if it is playing.  Once the painting is paused, the Pause button turns into the Play button.
• The Loop option makes the selected painting play repeatedly.
• The Step option makes Bliss Saver play the entire catalog in order.
• The Random option makes Bliss Saver randomly choose the next painting.

Keyboard Map     ⌘K

The keyboard map window displays information about the keyboard controls for the color synthesizer.  These keys are used without the Command key (⌘).  Using the keyboard, the color synthesizer can be played like a musical instrument.

Color Synthesizer     ⌘Y

The color synthesizer window is used to control the color synthesizer.  Generally, the keyboard commands are better for controlling the synthesizer, but the color synthesizer window is useful for setting specific speeds and ranges of oscillators.
When using a 256 color or a grayscale monitor, the Color Synthesizer window has three bars representing the oscillators for red, green and blue.

When using a black-and-white monitor, the Color Synthesizer window has only one oscillator.  The bar represents value, from black to white.  There is a small box in the lower left of the window which shows the changing value of gray that is used for painting.

Bliss Now

The Bliss Now window is a simple way to go into screen saving mode.  Just click the Now button and Bliss Saver will go into screen saving mode.  Moving the mouse will leave screen saving mode.  The Hide button will hide the Bliss Saver windows and switch to the Finder.  When Bliss Saver is not the front application, the Hide button becomes the Show button.  The Show button brings Bliss Saver to the front and shows the Catalog and Paint windows.

The Bliss Now window can be positioned anywhere on the screen.  When you click the Hide button, all of Bliss Saver will hide except the Bliss Now button, so you can click on the Now or Show buttons even when in other applications.  Every time you start Bliss Saver, the position of the Bliss Now window is restored to where you last left it.

Manual     ⌘?

The Manual window appears when you choose the Help command. The Manual has several buttons in the upper left tool palette to browse the contents of the manual.  The left and right arrows move to the previous and next pages in the manual.  The Back button moves back to the previous page when you have chosen a hypertext link or a page from the Page menu.  The Page button has a pop-up menu that is a list of all of the pages in the manual.  The Find button can be used to find a particular piece of text in the manual.

Any underlined text in the manual is a hypertext link. Click on the link and the page with the name of the link will appear.  To go back, click the Back button.

The manual contains most of the information from the printed manual, although the on-line manual will contain more information about recent changes and additions to the software.  The Read Me files on the disk will also contain information about recent changes and additions.

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