Batch Compressor Help Index

How To use the Batch Compressor

This Batch Compressor program will compress Audio Video Interleave (AVI) Files.  The AVI files must initially be in an uncompressed format.  This program provides a selection of various compression techniques which provide different compression ratios and  video quality.  The video compression techniques are provided with the Windows 95 Operating System and includes the following:

•	Cinepak Codec by Radius

•	Intel Indeo

•	Microsoft Video 1

•	Microsoft RLE

The procedure for compressing AVI file(s) is as follows:

1.	A target directory must be created in advance to place the compressed files.  Once the target directory is created, it must be identified by using the Options | Target Directory command.

2.	Open one, or more AVI files with the Options | Add Files or by dragging and dropping the files into the main window using Windows 95 Explorer.

3.	The video compression option must be initialized using the Options | Video Compression command.

4.	The audio compression option must be initialized using the Options | Audio Compression command

5.	Once these parameters are set up, then the compression can begin by selecting the Options | Compress! or the Options | Compress All commands.

While its compressing, you should see a percentage counter incrementing, and when its complete, you should see a <COMPRESSED> message.

This Batch Compressor utility program is packaged with the Iterations fractal generation software and is intended to be a program for compressing AVI files that are created with the Iterations program, however it should also work with any compatible AVI files.

Batch Compressor Main Menu Commands

File

Options

View menu

Window menu

Help menu


Options menu commands

The options menu offers the following commands:

Video Compression  Initializes the video compression technique.

Audio Compression  Initializes the audio compression technique.

Interleaving  Initializes the interleaving (applies only if the AVI file contains audio).

Target Directory  Initializes the target directory.

Add Files  Use this command to add files, or drag & drop into the active window.

Delete Files  Removes files from the selected list.  (Note: this will not delete files from the disk).

Compress!  Starts compressing the selected files.

Compress All  Starts compressing all files.
Stop Compressing Aborts the compressing once it has started.


View menu commands

The View menu offers the following commands:

Status Bar	Shows or hides the status bar.


Window menu commands

The Window menu offers the following commands, which enable you to arrange multiple views of multiple documents in the application window:

Cascade	Arranges windows in an overlapped fashion.
Tile	Arranges windows in non-overlapped tiles.
Arrange Icons	Arranges icons of closed windows.


Help menu commands

The Help menu offers the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Help	Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.
About	Displays the version number of this application.


File Commands

Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your Batch Compressor session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  Batch Compressor prompts you to save documents with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button, and keyboard latch state. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.

See Status Bar for help on using the status bar.


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Batch Compressor window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  This area similarly shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing them.  If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the pointer is off the toolbar button.

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

Indicator	Description

CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.

NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.

SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


Cascade command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in an overlapped fashion.


Tile command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in a non-overlapped fashion.


Tile Horizontal command (Window menu)

Use this command to vertically arrange multiple opened windows in a non-overlapped fashion.


Tile Vertical command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows side by side.


Window Arrange Icons Command

Use this command to arrange the icons for minimized windows at the bottom of the main window.  If there is an open document window at the bottom of the main window, then some or all of the icons may not be visible because they will be underneath this document window.


1, 2, ... command (Window menu)

Batch Compressor displays a list of currently open document windows at the bottom of the Window menu.  A check mark appears in front of the document name of the active window.  Choose a document from this list to make its window active.


Help (help Menu) Provides help


About command (Help menu)

Batch Compressor Version 1.01 by Perception Graphics.

Send questions or comments to:

Email: itriazon@gte.net

WWW: http://home1.gte.net/itriazon/


Title Bar

Batch Compressor

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Document Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the document

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.