Copyright: Copyright © 1994 ATI Technonogies Inc.
Citation: Copyright © 1994 ATI Technonogies Inc., All rights reserved.


mach64 Graphics Accelerator
	mach64 Graphics Accelerator Help

Welcome to the mach64 Graphics Accelerator help system.  If this is the first time you've installed a mach64 product, you may want to take a few minutes to review this system to familiarize yourself with the features and functions of the card.

When you're in a help topic, click on the icon in the title to return to a major section in the help system.


	FlexDesk+ Control Panel

This panel is used to configure your mach64 Graphics Accelerator for Windows.  To learn more about the FlexDesk, click on the window below, or see Introduction.


Menu Bar

This bar displays the commands available on the control panel.  See Menu Bar  for more information.


Slider Controls

These controls let you adjust the appearance of colors, your screen and desktop.  See Slider Controls  for more information.


Sample Monitor

This is a visual representation of the size of your screen and desktop.  It will change as you adjust the slider controls.  See Visual Guides  for more information.


Sample Palette

This is a visual representation of the colors available.  The display will change as you adjust the slider controls.  See Visual Guides  for more information.


Test Button

Use this button to run a test of the changes you've made to the display.  See Test Mode  for more information.


Advanded Button
Advanced Button

This button accesses the Advanced Settings Control Panel.  See Advanced Settings  for more information.


Control Panel Buttons

These buttons let you exit the control panel and implement your changes.  See Control Panel Buttons  for more information.


Status Bar

This bar displays information on your current selection.


FlexDesk + Introduction
	Introduction

The FlexDesk+ Control Panel is used to configure your mach64 Graphics Accelerator for Windows.  It contains slider controls for setting the Color Depth,  Screen Resolution and Desktop Size.

You will be able to select only those Screen Resolutions which have been previously installed using the INSTALL Program.

The changes you make in the FlexDesk+ Control Panel will come into effect immediately and will remain in effect in all subsequent Windows sessions.

Note:  Changes made using Hot Keys defined in the DeskScan Control Panel or in the WinSwitch Control Panel only affect the current Windows session.


FelxDesk+ Menu Bar
	Menu Bar
The FlexDesk+ Control Panel menu bar contains File, Features and Help sub-menus.

File Menu:

Command	Function
Open	Opens an existing Settings file.
Save	Saves the current settings to the active Settings file.
Save As	Saves the current settings to an alternate Settings file which you can rename.
Exit	Exits the FlexDesk+ control panel. To exit without saving, use the Cancel button or Esc.

Feature Menu:

Command	Function
Defaults	Restores all FlexDesk+ settings back to their factory defaults.
Advanced	Accesses the FlexDesk+ Advanced Settings panel.
Test	Switches the display to the mode selected for 10 seconds.
Help Menu:

Command	Function
Contents	Accesses FlexDesk+ Control Panel help.
About	Displays product version information.

See also:

Working with Settings Files


FlexDesk+ Visual Guides
	Visual Guides

The Sample Color Palette and Sample Monitor provide visual feedback as you adjust the Colors, Screen Size and Desktop Size sliders.

Sample Color Palette

The Sample Color Palette approximates the available colors as you adjust the Colors slider.

Sample Monitor

The Sample Monitor allows you to visualize your Screen Size and Desktop Size slider selections using your current Windows desktop as a reference.  For example, when you increase your Screen Size, the sample monitor will grow and display more of your Windows desktop.

When the Desktop Size is larger than the Screen size, the Windows desktop will stretch beyond the sample monitor's frame.  With this setting you would have a Virtual Desktop - a desktop larger than your screen size.

Note:  It's not possible to have a Desktop Size smaller than the Screen Size.  If necessary, the sliders will 'snap' to the nearest setting to avoid this.


FlexDesk+ Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons

These buttons let you exit the panel, and implement your changes.

OK

Accepts any changes to the settings, and exits. When you press OK on the FlexDesk+ Control Panel, the changes are saved to SYSTEM.INI, and to the settings file you were editing (if any) .

Cancel

Exits without saving changes.

Help

Brings up the FlexDesk+ Control Panel help.

Defaults

Selects default settings. This provides a convenient way to return to factory settings.


FlexDesk+ Test Button
	Test Mode

When you click the Test button, your monitor will switch to the selected mode without exiting the panel, for 10 seconds  or until you click the End Test, Ok, or Cancel button.  All other panel buttons and sliders will be inactive during the test.

If you're satisfied with the new settings, click the OK button.  FlexDesk+ will exit with the new mode in effect.  These will be the settings the next time you start Windows.

If you wish to revert to the old mode, click the End Test button and the display will switch back to its original state.  Click the Cancel button to exit FlexDesk+ without changing the display.

Note: You cannot perform a test unless the WinSwitch Control Panel has been enabled.


FlexDesk+ Slider Controls
	Slider Controls

At the bottom of the FlexDesk+ Control Panel, there are three sliders - Colors, Screen Size and Desktop Size. These sliders are used to adjust the display settings you wish to use.

The slider positions indicate the settings that will be in effect the next time you start Windows.  The current settings are indicated by the red tickmark on each slider.  (These will also change if you use the WinSwitch Control Panel or DeskScan Control Panel to dynamically change modes.)

As you move the sliders, you will notice that they will gray out at certain color/resolution settings.  This is because your selection is not possible in combination with the other sliders at their current settings.  If you release a slider while it is grayed out, the other sliders will 'snap' to positions that will allow your selection.  The availability of Screen Resolutions, Desktop Sizes and Color Depth depend on the capabilities of your graphics card.

Note: The Desktop Size must be at least as large as the Screen Size.  So you may find that adjusting the Screen Size will automatically also adjust the Desktop Size.

Using the Colors slider, you can select 256 colors, 32K  colors, 65K colors, or 16.7M colors.  These determine the number of colors that may be simultaneously displayed on your screen.

Color Depth

Resolution	256	32K	65K	16.7M

640x480	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

800x600	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

1024x768	Yes	Yes	Yes

1152x768	Yes

1280x1024	Yes

Yes = supported on both 2MB and 4MB cards

4MB = supported on 4MB cards only


FlexDesk+ Advanced Button
	Advanced Settings

The Advanced button in the FlexDesk+ control panel accesses the FlexDesk+ Advanced Settings panel shown below.  To learn more about this panel, click on the part of the window you want information on:

Note: Some features and options may be unavailable (displayed grayed out), depending on the Screen Size , Desktop Size and color selected in the Main Panel, or the combination of settings selected in the Advanced Panel. (For more information on these restrictions, see information for each attribute.)


FlexDesk+ Advanced - Environment
	Environment Settings

Use the Environment Check boxes to specify your display's Logical Dots Per Inch (LDPI).  These are logical, not physical dots.  The actual physical dots per inch will depend on your monitor's size and the selected resolution.

If you leave the Automatic checkbox checked, then this setting is chosen for you according to Screen Size: Small Font for 640x480 and 800x600, and Large Font for all other sizes.

If you find small fonts difficult to read, use Large Font or DTP settings, even at lower screen sizes.  Or, if you need to see more text on the screen at one time, use Small Font even at higher screen sizes.

Small Font - (96 LDPI, VGA Standard)

Large Font - (120LDPI, 8514 Standard)

DTP - (128 LDPI, Desktop Publishing)


FlexDesk+ Advanced - 256 Color Palette
	256 Color Palette Settings

This option is only available when you select 256 color mode from the main panel. When set to Off, the hardware color palette is fixed. When set to On, the palette can be modified by application programs. Windows runs faster when 256 Color Palette is turned off.

On  -	Allows the application to define the selection of colors used in the

palette.

Off  -	Application to choose colors from a fixed palette.


FlexDesk+ Advanced - Dithering Control
	Dithering Control Settings

This selection controls the process of putting together two colors to produce the illusion of a third color. The 256 Color Palette must be set to ON to use dithering. Two options are available:

On  -	Provides standard VGA meshing of colors and color selection boxes.

Off  -	Provides smooth dithering which results in faster performance than

VGA Standard.

Using 256 color mode with 256 Color Palette set to On results in fast VGA. VGA Standard dithering is slower, but it may produce more attractive colors.


FlexDesk+ Advanced - 24BPP Modes
	24BPP Modes Settings
Selects whether the 16.7 million colors mode is to be implemented using the 24bpp or 32bpp data format. The 32-bit selection provides higher performance but uses more graphics memory.

24-bit	  -	Implements the 24bpp data format.

32-bit	  -	Implements the 32bpp data format.


Working with Settings Files

Settings Files are used to save a particular set of options for quick recall.  For example, if your favorite image editor works best in 16M color mode, but you usually work in 256 color mode, you could save two settings files: NORMAL.FLX, and IMAGE.FLX.  To switch between these settings, you would open the FlexDesk+ Control Panel.  Use File Open to open NORMAL.FLX or IMAGE.FLX, and then click the OK button for the changes to take effect.

Note: 	When you have no specific settings file opened, you are actually editing the settings in your SYSTEM.INI file.


	DPMS Control Panel

Use the DPMS panel to configure the auto-shutdown timing sequence for your DPMS-compliant monitor when using the mach64.  To learn more, click on the window below or see: Introduction.


Setup

Use this section to enter the time parameters for your shutdown sequence.  See Parameters Setup  for more information.


Control Panel Buttons

Use these buttons to exit the control panel and save your shutdown sequence.  See Control Panel Buttons for more information.


DPMS Introduction
	Introduction

VESA DPMS-compliant monitors conserve electrical energy by powering down during periods of inactivity when the DPMS feature is enabled.

Auto-shutdown occurs after a defined period of keyboard and mouse inactivity. There are three stages for reduced power consumption: Standby, Suspend and Off. The amount of power that is saved at each stage is determined by the manufacturer of the monitor.

Warning

Monitors that do not support VESA DPMS can be damaged by activation of the DPMS feature.


DPMS Setup
	Parameters Setup
Enter time values into the Standby, Suspend, and Off boxes (or use the Defaults button to reset to standard defaults).  These time values represent the duration of inactivity before each stage is entered.  For example, assume the following settings:

Standby	15

Suspend	30

Off	60

The monitor will be placed into Standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity; into Suspend mode after 30 minutes of inactivity; and into Off mode after 60 minutes of inactivity.

If you omit a time from any of the boxes, that mode will never be entered.  Leaving all boxes blank will leave DPMS disabled.

When you confirm the DPMS Panel with the OK button, the new settings will take effect right away (even before closing the ATI DeskTop).

Notes:

Your Windows DPMS settings will not be in effect while you are in a full-screen DOS box.

Certain DPMS configurations may not allow arbitrary time values for the DPMS settings.  In these cases, your entered values will be rounded up to the nearest acceptable value.

Do not use a screen saver when DPMS is enabled. The screen saver will intercept keyboard/mouse activity and not pass on to the DPMS for proper operation.


DPMS Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons
The control buttons, located at the bottom of the control panel, perform the following functions:

OK

Accepts any changes to the settings, and exits. When you press OK on the DPMS Control Panel, the changes are saved to SYSTEM.INI, and also to the settings file (if any) that you were editing.

Cancel

Exits without saving changes.

Help

Brings up the DPMS Control Panel help.

Defaults

Selects default settings. This provides a convenient way to return to factory settings.


	DeskScan Control Panel
DeskScan lets you control your Virtual Desktop by using the keyboard keys. To learn more about the DeskScan Control Panel, click on the window below or see: Introduction.


Zoom Functions

The Zoom functions allow you to display a larger view of the desktop when running multiple applications, or to enlarge the display of text/images for easier reading. See Zooming Functions and Key Sequences for more information.


Pan Functions

The Pan functions allow you to view the non-displayed portion of the image on the screen. See Panning Functions and Key Sequences for more information.


Control Panel Buttons

Use these buttons to exit the control panel and save your sequence. See Control Panel Buttons for more information.


DeskScan Introduction
	Introduction
The display image on the screen is a "window" showing only a portion of the entire virtual desktop.  When you have selected a Desktop Size in the FlexDesk+ Control Panel that is larger than your Screen Size, the Virtual Desktop feature is enabled.

You can use the DeskScan panel to assign the six hot keys to the Panning and Zooming functions. Alphanumeric keys may be assigned in any combination with <Alt>, <Ctrl> and <Shift>. See Key Sequences for more information.

To see portions of the Virtual Desktop not visible on the screen, pan the screen side-to-side or up-and-down by moving the mouse cursor to any edge of the window.

The DeskScan panel also includes a zoom feature that is not accessible with the mouse.  Zoom In will display a larger image but less of the desktop, whereas Zoom Out has the opposite effect.  The area you can zoom is dependent on the relative settings of the Screen Size and Desktop Size in the FlexDesk+.

Note:  The panning and zooming functions are active only when Windows applications are active. While in a windowed DOS Box, the keystrokes are passed to the DOS application instead, for compatibility.


DeskScan Key Sequences
	Key Sequences
A key sequence is the combination of keystrokes and key names you assign to a DeskScan function.

 To create a key sequence:

Hit the keys you wish to assign to the Panning and Zooming functions.  For example, to assign ZoomIn to Ctrl+Shift+Home, hit the Ctrl, Shift and Home keys in the Zoom In box .

The allowable keys are:

Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow keys

Home, End

F1 through F24

A through Z

0 through 9

Space, Del

You must use at least one of Ctrl or Alt in your key sequences and you should try to use key combinations that are not used in the applications you are using.

Note:  The order of entry of Ctrl, Alt, Shift and the key name is unimportant and plus signs are automatically added.


DeskScan Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons
The control buttons, located at the bottom of the control panel, perform the following functions:

Defaults	Assigns default keys to DeskScan.

Help	Displays Help information on DeskScan.

OK	Accepts key assignments as shown and exits.

Cancel	Discards all changes and exits.


DeskScan Panning Functions
	Panning Functions

When using a Virtual Desktop, these functions will allow you to move to areas of the desktop not displayed on the screen.  The new key sequence assignments take effect right away (before closing the ATI DeskTop). You can also click the Defaults button to reset all assignments to standard defaults.

Pan Up	Moves the "window" upward with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt > + < ↑ >

Pan Left	Moves the "window" to the left with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt > + < ← >

Pan Right	Moves the "window" to the right with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt > + < → >

Pan Down	Moves the "window" downward with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt> + < ↓ >

Note:  Do not assign the same key sequence to more than one function. You should also avoid using the same key sequence for a DeskScan function as for a WinSwitch function. If you do, the DeskScan function will take precedence.


DeskScan Zooming Functions
	Zooming Functions

These functions let you enlarge an area for easier reading, or shrink the display to view more of the desktop.  The new key sequence assignments take effect right away (before closing the ATI DeskTop). You can also click the Defaults button to reset all assignments to standard defaults.

Zoom In	Makes the screen image larger with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt > + < Home>.

Zoom Out	Displays more of the virtual desktop with a user defined key sequence, e.g. < Alt > + < End >.

Note:  Do not assign the same key sequence to more than one function. You should also avoid using the same key sequence for a DeskScan function as for a WinSwitch function. If you do, the DeskScan function will take precedence.


	WinSwitch Control Panel

WinSwitch allows you to define up to four 'hot keys', Key 1 to Key 4, for dynamically switching from the current Windows session to different settings.  To learn more about the panel, click on the part of the window you want information on, or see: Introduction.


Setup

Lets you define the keys that will be used to switch modes.  See Setup  for more information.


Slider Controls

Lets you adjust the combinations of screen attributes associated with a key.  See Slider Controls  for more information.


Control Panel Buttons

Lets you exit the panel and save your changes.  See Control Panel Buttons  for more information.


WinSwitch - Introduction
	Introduction

WinSwitch allows you to define up to four 'hot keys', Key 1 to Key 4, for dynamically switching from the current Windows session to different settings of Colors, Screen Size and Desktop Size, without  restarting Windows.

When enabled, WinSwitch is actually operating in 24bpp mode (i.e., all other color depths and resolutions are emulations). As such, graphics performance across various color depths will be practically identical to that of 24bpp (16.7 million colors). Therefore, WinSwitch should be used only when color depth changes are desired. For maximum performance in 256 or 65,000 color modes, you should disable WinSwitch. FlexDesk+ or DeskScan can provide the same dynamic screen size or desktop size switching functions.

See also:

WinSwitch Setup


WinSwitch Setup
	Setup

At the top of the WinSwitch control panel is a checkbox labeled WinSwitch Enabled. This switch must be turned on (checked) to enable dynamic changes to the Colors setting. (Dynamic changes in Screen Size and DeskTop Size are always possible, for more information see: WinSwitch Enabled CheckBox.)

Below the checkbox, there is a set of four radio buttons. Clicking one of the radio buttons labeled Key 1, Key 2, Key 3 and Key 4, will display the screen attributes (i.e. slider positions) currently associated with that key.

To setup the WinSwitch:

1.	Select a radio button to define a WinSwitch setting.

2.	Do the following in any order:

Adjust any or all of the sliders. Slider functions are identical to the ones in the FlexDesk+ panel. (See Slider Controls for more information.)

Define the keyboard interface in the field under the selected radio button. Pressing these keys will activate the WinSwitch setting. The key combination must include either <Ctrl> or <Alt>. (see Key Combinations for more information.)

3.	Select the WinSwitch Enabled box.

4.	Click OK.

The new key settings will take effect immediately.  However, if a Windows restart is required to change to a color-switchable driver (see WinSwitch Enabled), then any hot keys requiring a color switch will not be in effect until after a Windows restart (for which you will be prompted when exiting the ATI Desktop).


WinSwitch - Key Sequences
	Key Combinations

Keyboard key combinations used to activate the WinSwitch are specified in the four key combination fields, associated with Keys 1 to 4.  Key combinations can consist of Ctrl and/or Alt, the keys and optionally Shift.

The allowable keys are:

Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Left Arrow, Right Arrow keys

Home. End

F1 through F24

A through Z, 0 through 9

Space, Del

You must use at least one of Ctrl or Alt in your combination.  Try to use key combinations not already used in any of the applications you're currently using.

Note:

 Ctrl, Alt, and Shift can be entered in any order.

 Plus signs are automatically entered between keys.


WinSwitch - WinSwitch Enabled / Disabled Status
	WinSwitch Enabled / Disabled Status

With the ATI mach64 driver, it is always possible to dynamically switch to a different Screen Size or Desktop Size.  However, for dynamic color switching, the driver must be started in 'color-switchable' mode.  This is controlled by the WinSwitch Enabled checkbox in the WinSwitch Control Panel.

WinSwitch Disabled  (i.e. the checkbox is empty)

When WinSwitch is disabled, you can use the WinSwitch and DeskScan hot keys, as well as the FlexDesk+ Control Panel, to dynamically change the Screen Size and DeskTop Size. However, changes to the Colors setting using FlexDesk+ will require a restart of Windows. (You will be prompted for this.)

This checkbox must be checked if you specify any WinSwitch hotkeys with different Colors settings other than the current Colors setting.  (You will be prompted to do this, if necessary.)

WinSwitch Enabled  (i.e. the checkbox is marked)

When enabled, dynamic changes to the Colors setting are also possible using both the WinSwitch hot keys and the FlexDesk+ Control Panel. This is possible because Windows will actually be operating in 24bpp mode (i.e. all other color depths are emulations). Therefore, in this mode, graphics performance across various color depths will be practically identical to that of 24bpp. For maximum performance in 256 or 65,000 color modes, you should disable WinSwitch. Use FlexDesk+ or DeskScan to dynamically change screen preferences.

You should also note that a change in the WinSwitch Enabled checkbox (from off to on, or vice versa) will require a Windows restart.  (You will be prompted for this.)


WinSwitch - Slider Controls
	Slider Controls

At the bottom of the WinSwitch Control Panel, there are three sliders - Colors, Screen Size and Desktop Size. These sliders are used to adjust the display settings you wish to use.

The slider positions indicate the settings that will be in effect the next time you start Windows.  The current settings are indicated by the red tickmark on each slider.

As you move the sliders, you will notice that they will gray out at certain color/resolution settings.  This is because your selection is not possible in combination with the other sliders at their current settings.  If you release a slider while it is grayed out, the other sliders will 'snap' to positions that will allow your selection.  The availability of Screen Resolutions, Desktop Sizes and Color Depth depend on the capabilities of your graphics card.


WinSwitch Slider Controls - Colors
Colors

This slider control adjusts the available colors on your system.  Using the Colors slider, you can select 256 colors, 32K  colors, 65K colors, or 16.7M colors.  These determine the number of colors that may be simultaneously displayed on your screen.


WinSwitch Slider Controls - Screen Size
Screen Size

Using this slider control, you can select a standard screen resolution of 640X480, 800X600, 1024X768 or 1280X1024.


WinSwitch Slider Controls - DeskTop Size
Desktop Size

Using this slider, you can select desktop sizes of 640X480, 800X600, 1024X768, 1152X864, 1280X1024 and 1600X1200.

Note: The Desktop Size must be at least as large as the Screen Size.  So you may find that adjusting the Screen Size will automatically adjust the Desktop Size.


WinSwitch Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons
The control buttons, located at the bottom of the control panel, perform the following functions:

OK

Accepts any changes to the settings, and exits. When you press OK on the WinSwitch Control Panel, the changes are saved to SYSTEM.INI, or the settings file you were editing (if any) .

Cancel

Exits without saving changes.

Help

Brings up the WinSwitch Control Panel help.

Defaults

Selects default settings. This provides a convenient way to return to factory settings.


	Color Correction Control Panel

This panel lets you correct color tone discrepancies.  For more information, click on the part of the panel you want information on or see: Introduction


Menu Bar

This bar displays the commands available for the control panel.  For more information, see Menu Bar .


Color Editor
Color Editing Window

This area displays a graphical representation of the current RGB value you're editing.  For more information, see Color Editor  .


Color Mini Views

These areas show graphical representation of each of the RGB values.  For more information, see Color Editor .


Control Panel Buttons

These buttons let you exit the control panel and save your work.  For more information, see Control Panel Buttons .


Status Bar
Information Bar

This area displays brief instructions on how to use the color editor.


Color Correction Introduction
	Introduction
Screen Color Calibration allows you to correct tone discrepancies between the real color value and the way your monitor displays it.  Color discrepancies can be caused by a variety of sources, including lighting conditions in the work environment and monitor color shifts.  This Color Correction feature is extremely handy when running 24bpp applications that require a true color representation.

You'll need the following to calibrate your screen's color:

A graphics application that incorporates a professional Color Matching Palette.

A photographic print of which you also have a 24bpp scanned image file.

Use the photographic print or the Color Matching Palette to refer to its on-screen equivalent. Use bright colors as reference points.  Color Calibration is performed by adjusting the color curves of Red, Green and Blue, better known as RGB.  See Color Editor for more information.

A true color is a tint selected from a palette of 16.7 million colors, composed of 1 out of 256 intensities of red, 1 out of 256 intensities of green and 1 out of 256 intensities of blue. The color of each pixel on your monitor is determined by such red, green and blue values.


Color Correction - Color Editor
	Color Editor

The color editor features three mini views of the current RGB values and a large window for editing the selected color. For each color curve, the horizontal axis represents the input value (i.e., the tone value of the original). The vertical axis represents the output value (i.e., the tone value of the display). The curve represents all the values of the color component (R, G or B) with the value of 0 representing the darkest tint (in the lower left corner) and the value of 255 representing the lightest tint (in the top right corner).

Each color curve can be easily modified by adding, moving or removing control points. These control points anchor the curve to represent the relationship between input and output intensities. By adding or removing control points, you harshen or smoothen the gradation of that tone respectively.

See Also:

Moving Control Points

Adding & Removing Control Points

Saving Color Settings


Color Correction - Moving Control Points
	Moving Control Points

 To move an existing control point:

1.	Move the mouse cursor over the control point and press the left mouse button.

2.	While holding the button down, drag the control point to its new location.

Notes:

 Points cannot be dragged past another adjacent point of the curve.

 The left most end point cannot be dragged up from the bottom edge.

 The right most end point cannot be dragged down from the top edge.


Color Correction - Adding and Removing Control Points
	Adding & Removing Control Points

 To Add a Control Point:

Hold down the <Shift> key while clicking the mouse cursor at the desired position on the curve.

 To Delete a Control Point:

Hold down the <Ctrl> key while clicking the mouse cursor over the point to be deleted.

By adding, removing or moving control points, you harshen or smoothen the gradation of a tone.


Color Correction - Saving Color Settings
	Saving Color Settings

Each set of RGB curve settings can be saved to a file (called a gamma file or GAM file) using the Save button in the control panel.  Different sets can be saved for use with different monitors or lighting conditions, for example, ambient light at different times of day.

A specific table may be loaded by selecting the Load button and choosing the desired gamma file.


Color Correction Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons

The main color correction editor has a series of buttons that allow you to choose which curve you are editing.  By clicking on the smaller preview curves to the right of the main curve, you select that color.  You may then move to the main window to edit the curve for the selected color component.

Down the right side of the main window are a series of push buttons:

Setup

Invokes the Color Correction Setup dialog box, which lets you set up the start values for color gradations.

Undo

Discards changes made to the current curve and restores the previous settings.

Save

Saves the RGB color settings to the current GAM file.

Save As

Saves the current RGB color settings to a new GAM file.

Load

Loads an existing GAM file to be used.

Help

Displays on-line help on color correction and controls.

OK

Accepts the current values and exits.

Cancel

Discards the current changes and restores the hardware to the values before this dialog was invoked.


Color Correction Buttons - Setup
	Color Correction Setup

This dialog is used to set up color correction for the first time.  Changing the settings in this section will cause the editor to re-create the color curves.  The new curves will replace the current curves, so you may want to save them before entering setup.   Click on the part of the window you want information on:


White and Black Points

The White Point and Black Point sliders control how black is black and how white is white.  By moving the white point down from its maximum value (255), you can cause the entire display to become more saturated (brighter), as more colors for a component are mapped to saturated values.  Similarly, moving  the black point up from its minimum value (0) causes the display to become less saturated.


Target Gamma

Target Gamma is used to calibrate the color brightness and contrast of an image for display on a monitor. This control panel provides six intensity values, 1.0 being flat (unmodified). A higher value represents a screen with higher contrast and brightness. The settings are 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2.


Buttons

Default	Restores slider settings to factory defaults.

Help	Displays Help information on Setup.

OK	Accepts the current setting and exits.

Cancel	Discards all changes and exits.


Color Correction Menu Bar
	Menu Bar
The Color Correction Menu Bar offers the following options:

File Menu:

Command	Function
Open	Opens an existing color settings file.
Save	Saves settings to a .GAM file.
Save As	Saves settings under a different file name or location
Exit	Exits the control panel.

Edit Menu:

Command	Function
Setup	Accesses the Color Correction Setup dialog box.
Undo	Reverses your last action.

Help Menu:

Command	Function
Contents	Accesses help on the control panel.
About	Accesses version information for the application you running.


	Motion Video Acceleration Control Panel

This panel will only appear if MVA drivers are installed.  To learn more, click on the part of the panel you want information on, or see: Introduction.


General Color Control

Use these sliders to adjust the video window display.  For more informaion, see General Color Control.


Video Display Window

As you adjust the display, this window will change to reflect the adjustments.


Interpolation Control

Check these buttons to enhance the display of video images.  For more information see Color Interpolation


Control Panel Buttons

Use these buttons to exit the panel and save your work.  For more information, see Control Panel Buttons .


Motion Video Acceleration Introduction
	Introduction
If Motion Video Acceleration (MVA) drivers are installed for playing video clips, the Motion Video icon will appear in the Desktop.  Using this control panel, you can adjust the general color control parameters.

Adjusting these parameters will change the display characteristics of the video window.  As you change the settings, the Gray Scale and color bars will change dynamically to reflect the new values.

See also:

Optimal Settings

Performance

Playing Video Clips

Moving and Sizing Playback Windows


Motion Video Acceleration - General Color Control
	General Color Control
The General Color Controls adjust the way that movie files are manipulated when being played on your computer monitor.  You can adjust color in much the same way you would a television set.

The slider controls can be adjusted over a range of 0% to 200% of the value.  100% is the normal "factory" setting, 0% is none, and 200% is as much as the hardware can provide.

Color

Moving the slider to the left/right will decrease/increase the color saturation respectively.

Brightness

Moving the slider to the left/right will decrease/increase the brightness respectively.

Contrast

Moving the slider to the left/right will decrease/increase the contrast respectively.

Tint

Moving this slider to the left will increase the red and decrease the green color in the display.  Moving the slider to the right has the opposite effect.


Motion Video Acceleration - Optimal Settings
	Optimal Settings
Accelerated video clip playback is not supported in all display modes. The performance of video playback will vary depending on a variety of factors including resolution, color depth, image size, CPU and bus type.

For best performance, you should set the screen size identical to the desktop and select a 65,000-color mode. You may experience color degradation in the 8bpp playback mode if the 256 Color Palette setting is Off.


Motion Video Acceleration - Performance
	Performance
Video is very data-intensive. For this reason, there are a number of factors which will negatively impact playback performance, including the type of compression used. RLE and Video 1 are manageable with most 386 or higher systems; Indeo supports additional color depth, and is best run on faster 486 (or Pentium) systems.

MVA becomes evident when the video window is stretched, more so at 3x or 4x zoom, with Skip Video Frames if Behind disabled.


Motion Video Acceleration - Playing Video Clips
	Playing Video Clips
Use the Microsoft Windows Media Player to play or insert video clips (i.e., files with the .AVI filename extension) into various documents. For details, refer to the Media Player on-line Help and the Microsoft Windows 3.1 Users Guide.


Motion Video Acceleration - Moving and Sizing Playback Windows
	Moving and Sizing Playback Windows
The video clip window can be sized using <Ctrl> and number keys 1 through 4, providing 1x through 4x zoom respectively. The 4x zoom is not recommended for video clips captured at 320x240 native size.

To move a playback window, select the Move command from the system menu, or select its title bar and drag it to a new location.


MVA - Control Panel Buttons
	Control Panel Buttons
These buttons let you exit the panel, and implement your changes.

OK

Accepts any changes to the settings, and exits. When you press OK on the MVA Control Panel, the changes are saved to SYSTEM.INI, and also to the settings file (if any) you were editing.

Cancel

Exits without saving changes.

Defaults

Selects default settings. This provides a convenient way to return to factory settings.

Help

Brings up the MVA Control Panel help.


	Color Interpolation

Color Interpolation enhances the display of video clips by eliminating color distortions.  When this control is active, adjacent pixels are blended together to make the transition between colors appear smoother.

Note: Color interpolation will not work in 256 color pallete mode (i.e. 256 color pallete set to On in the Flexdesk).

Vertical Interpolation:

When this control is active pixels are blended vertically.  This type of interpolation has the least effect on playback time.

Horizontal Interpolation:

When this control is active, pixels are blended horizontally.

If you're not worried about slowing down playback, activate both Horizontal and Vertical interpolation.  However, if you require a faster playback Vertical interpolation alone should produce satisfactory results.


	Glossary

A

AntiAliasing

C

Color Depth

Command Line

CTRL+Drag

D

Desktop / Virtual Desktop

Display Memory

Dithering

DPMS

G

Graphics Card

H

Hot Keys

I

INSTALL Program

K

K

KB

Key Sequence

L

Logical Dots Per Inch (LDPI)

M

M

MB

Motion Video Acceleration Driver

P

Palette

Pan

Pixel

R

RGB Mode

S

Screen Resolution

Settings Files

Switches

SYSTEM.INI

T

Time Values

V

VESA

W

Windows Restart

Z

Zoom


Anti-Aliasing

A technique of displaying characters in which sharp black-to-white edges are smoothed using shades of gray.  This improves readability of the characters.


Color Depth
Color Depth / bpp

The number of colors that are available, or color depth, is determined by the number of bits associated with each pixel to represent its color. This is specified as the bits per pixel, or 'bpp' setting. Common values are:

8 bpp	gives 256 colors
16 bpp	gives 65K  colors
24 bpp	gives 16.7M  colors.


Command Line

Every program run under Windows has a 'command line'.  This consists of the full pathname of the program to be run, plus any parameters, such as the filename to edit, or any switches that the program understands.


CTRL+ Drag

This is a technique in Program Manager in which a program icon can be copied to make a new program icon.  Press the Ctrl key, then drag (click and hold) the icon to the desired new location, then release the mouse button.  The new icon will initially have all the same properties as the original icon.


Desktop / Virtual Desktop

The Windows work area is known as the Desktop.  When the Desktop is larger than the Screen Resolution , it is known as a Virtual Desktop.  With a Virtual Desktop, only a portion of the Desktop is visible on the screen at one time.


Display Memory

The memory on your graphics card.  You may have 2MB  or 4MB of display memory.


Dithering

This is a technique in which colors that cannot be displayed exactly are simulated by patterned mixtures of other colors.


DPMS

Display Power Management Signaling - an industry standard for reduction of energy usage by video monitors.


Dynamic / Dynamically Switching

The process of changing settings, such as Screen Size (i.e. resolution) or Colors, without needing to Restart Windows.


Graphics Card

The card (or 'board') within your computer that controls your monitor.  Different cards have different capabilities.  Graphics accelerators specialize in speeding up graphical environments, such as Windows.


Hot Key

Alphanumeric key used in conjunction with <Alt>, <Ctrl> or <Shift> to perform some user-defined action.

Usually used to provide a quick means of performing a common function that would otherwise require an inconvenient combination of menu/dialog actions.


INSTALL Program

The mach64 INSTALL Program is included on Disk #1 of your mach64 installation disks.  Use INSTALL to perform the following tasks:

Install mach64 Utilities (including the INSTALL Program) onto your hard disk

Set monitor type and hardware parameters for optimized performance

Run diagnostics on your mach64 graphics card

Install enhanced display drivers

For more information on the INSTALL Program, refer to your mach64 User's Guide.


K

K = thousand


KB

KB = kilobyte (1,024 bytes)


Key Sequence

A set of one or more keys that are to be pressed at the same time to activate a function.  The special keys Ctrl, Alt, and Shift may be combined with any of Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Home, End, F1 through F24, A through Z, 0 through 9, Space, or Del to define a key sequence.


Logical Dots Per Inch (LDPI)

Applications use Logical Dots Per Inch to calculate the size of objects that must be an exact physical size on the display.  For example, if an application needs to display a box one inch high, and the Logical Dots Per Inch is 120, then the box is drawn 120 pixel high.


M

M = million


MB

MB = megabyte ( 1,048,576 bytes)


Motion Video Acceleration Driver

A component of the Mach64 Graphics Accelerator that accelerates Microsoft Video for Windows playback.


Palette

In 256 color mode, a 'palette' is required to define the actual color that appears on screen for each of the 256 possible pixel bit combinations.  Some applications require the ability to change the entries in the palette, for example to display realistic images.


Pan

The Pan feature is enabled only when there is a Virtual Desktop .  To view portions of the virtual desktop not visible on the screen, you 'pan' them into view by moving the cursor to the edge of the screen in the direction you wish to view.  Keyboard keys may also be assigned to the functions of panning left, right, up, and down.


Pixel

A pixel is one 'dot' on your display.  Each pixel can be a different color - the number of possible colors is determined by color depth.


RGB Mode

When in 65K color mode, colors are represented by 16 bits per pixel .  RGB Mode refers to the allotment of these 16 bits to each of the three colors: red, green, and blue.  The notation used is a number in the form R/G/B, where R represents the number of bits for red; G the number of bits for green; and B the number of bits of blue.


Screen Resolution

Screen Resolution is the number of pixels displayed on your screen, expressed as a number in the form WxH, where W is the number of pixels displayed horizontally (width) and H is the number of pixels displayed vertically (height).  Typical screen resolutions include 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864 and 1280x1024.


Settings Files

Settings files allow you to save and re-call FlexDesk+ Control Panel settings.  Settings files require a '.FLX' file extension.


Switches

Some programs accept command line parameters known as switches, which usually start with '/' or '-'.


SYSTEM.INI

The Windows system initialization file (usually in \WINDOWS).  The [Macx] section of SYSTEM.INI contains the FlexDesk+ settings.


Time Values

Time values are entered in minutes (e.g. 5 for five minutes) or minutes and seconds (e.g. 2:30 for two and a half minutes).


VESA

Video Electronics Standards Association - developers of the DPMS standard.


Windows Restart

Restarting Windows means that all applications will be closed, Windows will go away and then automatically come back.  If there are unsaved changes in any of the applications that you currently have open, the applications will prompt you as to whether you want to save the changes.  If you cancel any of these prompts, Windows will not be restarted.


Zoom

The Zoom feature allows dynamic changes to screen resolution, so that you can see more or less of the Desktop  on the screen at one time.  When Zoomed Out, you can see more of the Virtual Desktop, so characters appear smaller.  When Zoomed In, you see less of the Virtual Desktop, but the characters appear larger.