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;This file contains all the help information for CImage. Semicolons are remarks ;and colons denote the topics. The Help commands read a topic until EOF or ;until they reach the next topic. Feel free to add your own notes, and ;fixes as you deem necessary. ; ;If you add a topic, make sure that you ADD the topic to the TOPICS topic. ; :GENERAL ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █ █ █ CImage --- Image Processor by Paul Nettle █ █ Copyright 1993 Paul D. Nettle. All Rights Reserved. █ █ █ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ GENERAL HELP: For detailed help on a specific command, just type HELP <topic>. Most information you will ever need is available on-line in Cimage via the HELP command. For a list of available topics, just type HELP TOPICS. The help filename is "CIMAGE.HLP" and must be located in current dir- ectory. If it's not found there, then CImage will search for it in the directory where CImage was run from. This allows different help files for different projects and tasks. The help file is just plain text, and therefore allows you to add topics to it, or modify it as you see fit. Please be sure to contact the author if you find any errors in the CIMAGE.HLP file. The help file is modified with any DOS text editor (such as DOS's "EDIT.EXE"). Commands may be separated on the same command line with a ';'. For example, "load image.gif 0;show 0" will load the image, then show it. When you type commands, CImage executes them in the following order: Resolves any CImage environment variables (using %var% convension) Resolves any macros Tries to execute as an internal CImage command (HELP, LOAD, etc...) Looks for it as a CImage batch file (EXAMPLE.IPB) Passes the entire command line to DOS (with the CImage environment variables and macros already resolved) Currently, CImage does not support wild cards at all. This does not limit you from using them for DOS commands from within CImage. If you type "DIR *.EXE" from the CImage command prompt, that command is still sent to DOS as-is. You know CImage is running by it's prompt modifier, an underscore. This can be changed by executing the PMOD command. See the PMOD command for more information on the prompt modifier. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :TOPICS System level commands: [EXIT/Q/QUIT] [`] [?/HELP] [REM] [ASK] [PAUSE] [ECHO] [PERCENT] Batch file processing: [IF] [IFNOT] Graphic File Manipulation tools: [LOAD] [SAVE] [MERGE] [TERRain] Buffer Manipulation Tools: [LB] [FREE] [SHOW] [MEM] Local Environment Variables and Macros: [VMODE] [VCOLORS] [CRES] [SET] [MACRO] [GAMV] [BIOSinfo] [VESAinfo] Image Enhancement tools: [NEGate] [ADD] [SUBtract] [MULTiply] [DIVide] [BRIghten] [DARKen] [NOISe] [GREYscale] [NORMalize] [GAMMa] [CONV] [LC] [PIX] [OVERlay] [BIN] Image Manipulation tools: [FLIP] [CPY] Image Generators: [FADE] [PLASMA] [FILL] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER TOPICS: [TOPICS] [GENERAL] SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :` PURPOSE: Send a command directly to DOS bypassing the CImage command processor shell. SYNTAX: `<command> -or- ` <command> DESCRIPTION: This is useful for commands like MEM. Since DOS has a MEM command as well as CImage, you can only run DOS's MEM by using the `left single quote'. NOTES: Another way to perform a similar function is to create a DOS batch file that runs MEM called M.BAT. This is, of course, not very practical. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :: PURPOSE: The `colon' is used in batch files only for designating a label. SYNTAX: :<label> DESCRIPTION: Labels in Batch files allow the batch file control over it's flow. Labels are used in conjunction with the GOTO command to alter batch program flow. NOTES: None. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK IF GOTO REM PAUSE ECHO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :ADD PURPOSE: Add the contents of two image buffers. SYNTAX: ADD <buf1> <buf2> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: ADD will add, pixel by pixel each of the red, blue and green components of <buf1> and <buf2> and place the result into [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <buf1> contains the result. Upon adding the components, if the two components added are greater than 255, then the component value is clipped to 255. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: SUBTRACT MULTIPLY DIVIDE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :ASK PURPOSE: ASK allows users to input single keystrokes for use within CImage batch files. SYNTAX: ASK <keylist> <string> DESCRIPTION: The <keylist> contains all available keys to the user. For example, a Yes/No question will have a keylist of `yn'. The <string> contains the prompt. This is displayed to the user while ASK waits for a Key. When ASK completes, ERRORLEVEL will be set according to the key that was pressed. The ERRORLEVEL starts at 1, for the first entry in the <keylist> and continues until the keylist is complete. In the above example, if the user pressed `y' then the ERRORLEVEL would be 1. If the user would have pressed `n' then the ERRORLEVEL would have been 2. NOTES: If a key not in the <keylist> was pressed, then ERRORLEVEL is 0. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: IF ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :BIN PURPOSE: Binarize a picture with a given threshold. SYNTAX: BIN <inbuf> <threshold> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: BIN will compare each of the red, blue and green components of <inbuf> against <threshold>. If the component value is less than <threshold> then the component value is set to zero. If the component value is greater than or equal to <threshold>, then the component value is set to 255. Valid range for <threshold> is 0-255. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: BRIGHTEN DARKEN NORMALIZE GREYSCALE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :BIOSINFO PURPOSE: BIOSINFO will set the BIOS graphics settings for CImage. SYNTAX: BIOSINFO <mode> [xres] [yres] DESCRIPTION: BIOSINFO will set the current BIOS configuration to be used for displaying image buffers using the SHOW command. By setting the BIOS settings in CImage, CImage can access virtually any video card that has BIOS support. Consult your video card's user's manual for information on the BIOS mode and associated resolutions. [xres] and [yres] may be omitted for quickly switching between two different modes of the same resolution. Default BIOS resolution is 640x480. The default number of colors is 256 (see note below). The BIOS is incapable of plotting pixels with more than 256 colors, so if the video mode that you are trying to access has more than 256 colors, you MUST use the VESA capabilities. Consult your video card's user's manual for more information on VESA capabilities that it supports. Users must also perform a "VMODE BIOS" to enable the BIOS mode for displaying image buffers. See the VMODE command for more information on setting the mode. TSRs are available to allow ALL video cards VESA support in software. See the VESAINFO command for more information on VESA support in CImage. NOTES: <mode> must be in HEX. VESA is the preferred graphics configuration to run. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. SHORTCUT: BIOS SEE ALSO: VESAINFO VMODE VCOLORS CRES ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :BRIGHTEN PURPOSE: Brightens an image buffer. SYNTAX: BRIGHTEN <amount> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: BRIGHTEN will increase the brightness of <inbuf> by <amount>. <amount> is a component value, so the range is 1-255. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: BRI SEE ALSO: DARKEN ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :CONV PURPOSE: Performs a 3x3, 5x5, or 7x7 convolution filter. SYNTAX: CONV <filter> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: Performs a Convolution filter (defined as <filter> in the filter file (defined by the FILTERFILE command; default filename is FILTERS.FLT). file) on <inbuf> and places the result into [outbuf]. CONV perform "convolution" filters. Convolution filters are a common way of changing an image's appearance. Some common filters will blur or sharpen an image, others may highlight edges, or remove all of the image completely leaving only the edges. The filters are contained in the filter file. The Available filters can be obtained with the command LC (for List Convolutions). See HELP LC for more information on the LC command. The filter description format for a 3x3 filter is as follows: FILTER <filtername> <size> <upper-left> <upper-center> <upper-right> <center-left> <center-center> <center-right> <lower-left> <lower-center> <lower-right> <operator> <operand> <bias> Any text following semicolons are comments Where <filtername> is the name of the filter. This is where CONV looks for the command line option <filter>. <size> is the size of the filter (3, 5 or 7 only, others are ignored). For 5x5 and 7x7 filters, the above example is incomplete, since from <upper-left> to <lower-right> would be a 5x5 or 7x7 "grid". Convolutions are quite simple. For each pixel in an image, the filter grid is overlaid onto that pixel and it's neighbors with the <center-center> element of the filter grid aligned onto the current pixel in the image, and the outer elements in the filter grid overlaying the current pixel's neighbors. The next step is to multiply each element in the filter grid with it's corresponding overlaid pixel value. Once all these values have been calculated, add them together and perform the operation (/ 8 for an <operator> of '/' and an <operand> of '8'.) Lastly, add the <bias> value. If the addition of <bias> (or subtraction of <bias> if it is negative) takes the result above 255 or below 0, then the value is clipped to 0 or 255, respectively. A good trick for trying your own is to take a current filter, copy it, change the new copy's name, and modify it. If you have problems getting usable resulting images, try adding all of the values in the filter's grid and placing that value in <operand> with an <operator> of '/' NOTES: The valid range for <bias> is 0-255. Valid <operator> values are: +.......Add <operand> -.......Subtract <operand> *.......Multiply by <operand> /.......Divide by <operand> M.......Sort all multiplied grid elements, and use the median. Ignore <operand> -- Operand MUST still be present <.......Sort all multiplied grid elements, and use the lowest. Ignore <operand> -- Operand MUST still be present >.......Sort all multiplied grid elements, and use the highest. Ignore <operand> -- Operand MUST still be present If [outbuf] is not given, then CONV will create the first available buffer. CImage will search for the filter file in the following order: 1. The current directory 2. The default CImage directory (where CIMAGE.EXE is stored) CAUTION: The median ('M'), dilate ('>') and erode ('<') functions take a LONG TIME in 5x5 or 7x7 filters. Try to stick with using 3x3 filters for these operators. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: LC FILTERFILE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :CPY PURPOSE: Copy an image buffer to another. SYNTAX: CPY <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: CPY will copy <inbuf> into [outbuf], creating [outbuf] in the process. [outbuf] must not exist. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then CPY will create the first available buffer. CPY was not named "COPY" because of obvious interference with the DOS COPY command. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :CRES PURPOSE: Sets the color bit resolution for 256 color VGA graphics. SYNTAX: CRES [value] DESCRIPTION: When CImage needs to display a 24-bit image onto a 256 color display, CImage needs to reduce the number of colors that the image uses. This is by sorting colors by popularity, choosing the most popular, and mapping the rest of the colors to it's closest counterpart in the list of the top 256. When CImage needs to display an image, it needs to know how many shades of red, green, and blue the video card allows. Most cards allow for 6 bits of resolution (0- 63, or 64) for each element. To calculate how many displayable colors, multiply red * green * blue, or 64*64*64 = 262,144. This is the number of colors possible, however only 256 colors are allowed simultaneously. CRES tells CImage how many shades the video card allows for each element so that CImage can reduce the number of shades as well as the number of colors. NOTES: If [value] is not given, then CRES will display the current value. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. When CImage loads or creates an image buffer, it is stored internally as a 24-bit image. Even if CImage loads a 256-color GIF file, it is still converted to 24-bits as it is loaded. This is because modifications to an image buffer may increase the number of colors that it uses. This also allows for CImage to perform functions on image buffers with the least amount of accuracy loss. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: VESAINFO BIOSINFO VMODE VCOLORS CRES SHOW ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :DARKEN PURPOSE: Darkens an image buffer. SYNTAX: DARKEN <amount> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: DARKEN will decrease the brightness of <inbuf> by <amount>. <amount> is a component value, so the range is 1-255. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: DARK SEE ALSO: BRIGHTEN ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :DIVIDE PURPOSE: Divide the contents of two image buffers. SYNTAX: DIVIDE <buf1> <buf2> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: DIVIDE will divide, pixel by pixel each of the red, blue and green components of <buf1> and <buf2> and place the result into [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <buf1> contains the result. Upon dividing the components, if a component if <buf2> is zero, then the result is automatically zero, since a divide by zero is impossible. SHORTCUT: DIV SEE ALSO: ADD SUBTRACT MULTIPLY DIVIDE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :ECHO PURPOSE: ECHO is used to display text during the execution of an CImage batch file. SYNTAX: ECHO ON -or- ECHO OFF -or- ECHO <string> DESCRIPTION: Normally as a batch file is running, the commands are "echoed" to the screen as they are executed. This can be turned off by adding the command ECHO OFF to the batch file. Once it has been turned off, the ECHO ON can turn it back on. The ECHO setting is reset to ON when all batch files have completed processing. If ECHO is followed by <string>, then the string is ECHOed to the screen. NOTES: An "@" character placed in front of a command line in a batch file prevents that line from echoing. An ECHO. will echo a blank line to the screen. Currently, ECHO will echo all text as upper-case only. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK IF GOTO : REM PAUSE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :EXIT PURPOSE: EXIT will exit from the CImage command processor shell to the previous level if one exists, otherwise, you are exited to the DOS command prompt. SYNTAX: Exit DESCRIPTION: Once running CImage, you can run different levels of the CImage command pro cessor. This is done by simply running CImage from within itself. Once running the second level, you can exit to the previous level by typing EXIT. NOTES: None. SHORTCUT: Q -or- QUIT SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :FADE PURPOSE: Creates a test image that fades from light to dark. SYNTAX: FADE <xres> <yres> <red> <green> <blue> [outbuf] [dir] DESCRIPTION: FADE will create a 256-color image that fades from light to dark the elements of <red>, <green> and <blue> in the direction of [dir], and place it into [outbuf] at a resolution of <xres> by <yres>. Each of the <red>, <green> and <blue> component values are entered as a '0' or a non-zero value. Any '1' must be placed in this value to cause FADE to add that color to the fade. A fade of 1 0 0 will create a fade of only shades of red. Use [dir] to denote which direction to create the fade image. Valid values are U, D, L, R, for Up, Down, Left, Right respectively. [dir] points to the dark side of the image (Up would start at the top as dark and work down to light). NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then FADE will create the first available buffer. If [dir] is not given, then FADE will use 'D' (down). FADE was originally a test image for the developer, but was left in for users. One use might be to create a fade, and subtract that from another image for a simple effect. The "Loaded as file name" is set to FADE.TGA SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :FILL PURPOSE: Fills a buffer of a given color. SYNTAX: FILL <xres> <yres> <red> <green> <blue> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: FILL will create an image of resolution <xres> by <yres> filled with the color specified by <red>, <green> and <blue> and place it into [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then FILL will create the first available buffer. The "Loaded as file name" is set to FILLED.TGA SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :FILTERFILE PURPOSE: Sets the filename used for the convolution filters. SYNTAX: FILTERFILE [filename] DESCRIPTION: FILTERFILE sets the filename that is used by the CONV and LC commands for locating and performing user- defined convolution filters. See the CONV command for more information on performing convolution filters. The default name is FILTERS.FLT, and must be located in, first, the current directory. If the filter file is not found there, then CImage will search for the file in the directory from which it was originally run. NOTES: If [filename] is not given, then the FILTERFILE will display the current filename. SHORTCUT: FFILE SEE ALSO: CONV LC ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :FLIP PURPOSE: Flip an image buffer top to bottom or left to right. SYNTAX: FLIP <dir> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: FLIP will flip the buffer <inbuf> in the direction specified by <dir> and place the result into [outbuf]. Valid values for <dir> are U, D, L, R for Up, Down, Left, Right, respectively. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then the result is placed into <inbuf>. There is no difference between Up and Down. There is also no difference between Left and Right. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :FREE PURPOSE: Release a buffer, freeing up the memory that it uses. SYNTAX: FREE <buf> -or- FREE ALL DESCRIPTION: FREE will free the memory used by <buf>. If <buf> is "ALL", then all buffers will be freed. NOTES: FREE will not ask to verify, even if you use "FREE ALL" SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :GAMMA PURPOSE: Perform gamma correction. SYNTAX: GAMMA <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: GAMMA will correct the gamma of <inbuf> and place the result into [outbuf]. It is usually safe to assume that black is 0 and white is 255. How ever, it is not necessarily true that 128 appears exactly as a medium grey (which would mean that color intensity output is linear). On most computers, color intensity output is not linear, and must be adjusted accordingly. The GAMMA command will correct this on images and make it appear that the image is being displayed with linear color intensity output. The GAMMA function uses the value set by the GAMV command to set the amount of gamma correction. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then the result is placed into <inbuf> SHORTCUT: GAMM SEE ALSO: GAMV ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :GAMV PURPOSE: Set the gamma correction level. SYNTAX: GAMV [value] DESCRIPTION: GAMV will set the gamma correction level for the GAMMA command. See the GAMMA command for more detailed information on gamma correction. NOTES: If [value] is not given, then the current value will be displayed. The default value for GAMV is 0.6. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: GAMMA ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :GOTO PURPOSE: Alter the program flow within an CImage batch file. SYNTAX: GOTO <label> DESCRIPTION: The GOTO command will cause the batch file to stop processing, locate <label> within the batch file, and continue processing there. Labels are designated by a ':'. See the ':' for more detailed information on labels. NOTES: The GOTO command is meant to be used within batch files only. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK IF : REM PAUSE ECHO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :GREYSCALE PURPOSE: Convert the current image into a greyscale image. SYNTAX: GREYSCALE <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: GREYSCALE will convert <inbuf> to greyscale and place the results into [outbuf]. Converting an image to grayscale is very simple. Each pixel's red, green and blue components are compared against each other to find the largest (brightest) value, then all three components are set to this value. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then the result is placed into <inbuf> There is no command to convert from greyscale to color, since a greyscale image does not contain enough information to perform such a task. SHORTCUT: GREY SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :IF PURPOSE: The IF and IFNOT commands allow conditional execution of commands based on the results of a logical condition. When the condition is true, then CImage executes the <command>; otherwise, CImage will ignore the command. SYNTAX: IF ERRORLEVEL <number> <command> -or- IFNOT ERRORLEVEL <number> <command> -or- IF <string1> == <string2> <command> -or- IFNOT <string1> == <string2> <command> -or- IF EXIST <filename> <command> -or- IFNOT EXIST <filename> <command> DESCRIPTION: The conditions are described as follows: ERRORLEVEL True if, and only if, the previous command executed had an exit code equal to <number>. <string1> == <string2> True if, and only if, <string1> is equal to <string2>. The strings must not contain spaces. EXIST True if, and only if, the <filename> exists in the current directory. NOTES: Currently, the only CImage command that returns an exit code is the ASK command. DOS command exit codes are currently not supported. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK GOTO : REM PAUSE ECHO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :LB PURPOSE: List the currently allocated image buffers. SYNTAX: LB DESCRIPTION: LB will list the current information about all currently allocated buffers: Buffer number Loaded file name Loaded file type Last saved name Last saved file type Resolution NOTES: None. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: LOAD SAVE MERGE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :LC PURPOSE: List all convolution filters contained in the filter file (defined by the FILTERFILE command; default filename is FILTERS.FLT). SYNTAX: LC DESCRIPTION: LC Will list all the convolution filters in the filter file sorted by grid size (3, 5 or 7). NOTES: CImage will search for the filter file in the following order: 1. The current directory 2. The default CImage directory (where CIMAGE.EXE is stored) SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: CONV FILTERFILE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :LOAD PURPOSE: LOAD will load images into memory. SYNTAX: LOAD <filename> [buffer] DESCRIPTION: LOAD will load <filename> into [buffer]. NOTES: If [buffer] is not given, then LOAD will create the first available buffer. Currently, LOAD does not interrogate the file contents to decide what type of image file to load. The file's extension is used to decide the file's type. Once the file type is obtained from the extension, LOAD will verify the file is indeed the proper file type. Current supported file types are: IMG - VIVID/BOB format GIF - GIF87a (and GIF89a files that are compatible) TGA - Only type 2, uncompressed BMP - All versions (Windows, and OS/2) IPI - CImage's internal format SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: SAVE MERGE LB ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :MACRO PURPOSE: Creates a macro. SYNTAX: MACRO [macro] [cmd-line] DESCRIPTION: MACRO will define [macro] to be [command-line] Macros are shortcuts. You can define almost any command-line to a macro. Say you define "P" to be "PLASMA 640 480 3.3". Then, every time you type a "P" (followed by [RETURN]) on the command line, CImage will interpret it as: "PLASMA 640 480 3.3" (which will create a plasma image the size of 640x480 with the grain factor of 3.3, and place it into the first available buffer). Macros can also be inserted into a command-line. For example, you could use "plasma 640 480 PVAL" where PVAL has been defined as "3.3". Macros may also reference themselves. "P" may be defined as "PLASMA 640 480 PVAL" and if PVAL has been defined as "3.3", then that line is interpreted as "PLASMA 640 480 3.3". NOTES: Macros may reference environment variables, but environment variables may not reference macros. If [cmd-line] is not given, then the [macro] will be removed from the macro list. If [macro] and [cmd-line] are not given, then MACRO will list all currently defined macros. [cmd-line] may contain spaces. Since a semicolon on the CImage command line is used to separate multiple commands, you need to use the carrot (^) character where semicolons are to be placed. These semicolons will not, however, become separate command lines within a single macro, they will be interpreted as one command line. Macros must be separated from other words on the command line they are to be used in by a space. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: SET ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :MEM PURPOSE: Display the current status of memory. SYNTAX: MEM DESCRIPTION: MEM will display the following information: 1. Largest available block of memory 2. Size of paging/file partition The "Largest available block of memory" is quite self- explanatory. This includes all virtual memory. The "Size of paging/file partition" is the size of the virtual memory portion of available memory. NOTES: None. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :MERGE PURPOSE: Merges three color separated images into one full color image. SYNTAX: MERGE <redfile> <bluefile> <greenfile> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: MERGE performs three LOADs; one LOAD for each of the different files in <redfile>, <bluefile> and <greenfile> with the exception that MERGE gets the red element of the image from <redfile>, the blue element from <bluefile> and the green element from <greenfile>. These are then merged into a single image and placed into [outbuf]. This is useful for people who have monochrome hand scanners. It is possible to actually digitize a color image with a monochrome hand scanner. Scan an image three times using a red filter the first time, a green filter the second time, and a blue filter the last time. Use your hand scanner's software to align the three images, and import them into CImage using the MERGE command. What you will get is a full-color image in [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then MERGE will create the first available buffer. The three files in MERGE may be different file types, however, they must all have the same resolution. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: LOAD SAVE LB OVERLAY ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :MULTIPLY PURPOSE: Multiply the contents of two image buffers. SYNTAX: MULTIPLY <buf1> <buf2> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: MULTIPLY will multiply, pixel by pixel each of the red, blue and green components of <buf1> and <buf2> and place the result into [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <buf1> contains the result. Upon multiplying the components, if the two components multiplied are greater than 255, then the component value is clipped to 255. SHORTCUT: MULT SEE ALSO: ADD SUBTRACT DIVIDE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :NEGATE PURPOSE: Create a photo negative of an image. SYNTAX: NEGATE <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: Negate reads the value of each color element for each pixel, and subtracts it from 255. Placing the resulting image into [outbuf]. The effect is an intensity reversal (or "photo negative"), in which black becomes white, and white becomes black. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: NEG SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :NOISE PURPOSE: Add random noise to an image. SYNTAX: NOISE <amount> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: Computer generated images often look to "perfect" and therefore, unrealistic. NOISE can be used to help this matter. NOISE will randomly add n <amount> to each individual pixel in <inbuf>, and place the result into [outbuf]. A useful value for <amount> would be 5-15. NOTES: Valid range for <amount> is 1-255. If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. If the addition or subtraction of <amount> takes the result above 255 or below 0, then the value is clipped to 0 or 255, respectively. SHORTCUT: NOIS SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :NORMALIZE PURPOSE: Perform a histogram normalization on an image. SYNTAX: NORMALIZE <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: NORMALIZE performs a histogram normalization (or contrast enhancement) on <inbuf>. A histogram normalization is quite a simple task. A normalization finds the darkest color, and maps it to zero, then it finds the brightest color and maps it to white. This is useful for adding contrast to images, like very hazy images. Normalization can actually turn a "foggy" picture into a "sunny day" picture. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: NORM SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :OVERLAY PURPOSE: Performs a color selectable overlay of one image onto another image. SYNTAX: OVERLAY <buf1> <buf2> <low> <high> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: OVERLAY will overlay each pixel from <buf1> that is greater than or equal to <low> and less than or equal to <high> onto it's corresponding pixel in <buf2>. The resulting image is then placed into [outbuf]. The comparison of <low> and <high> against pixels in <buf1> are done on after monochrome conversion. CImage first converts <buf1> to mono to compare against <low> and <high> and if the monochrome value is inside the range, then the COLOR value is placed into [outbuf]. OVERLAY is useful for overlaying an image of an airplane (with a black background) onto a mountain scene. NOTES: The valid range for <low> and <high> is 0-255. If [outbuf] is not given, then OVERLAY will create the first available buffer. The "Loaded as file name" is set to OVERLAY.TGA SHORTCUT: OVER SEE ALSO: MERGE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :PAUSE PURPOSE: PAUSE suspends the operation of a CImage Batch file. SYNTAX: PAUSE <string> -or- PAUSE DESCRIPTION: If <string> exists, then <string> is printed, otherwise, PAUSE will display "Press any key to continue...". PAUSE will then wait for a key-press to continue. NOTES: PAUSE is often used to break out of batch files by allowing the user to press the break key [CTRL-C] or [CTRL-BREAK]. If the break key sequence is pressed during a PAUSE command, CImage will not ask to break out of the batch file until a key is pressed. This is the only point in batch file processing when CImage will wait for a key to ask to stop processing the batch file. Currently, PAUSE echoes all text as upper-case only. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK IF GOTO : REM PAUSE ECHO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :PERCENT PURPOSE: PERCENT is used to enable/disable the percentages that are printed as CImage processes different commands that may take some time. SYNTAX: PERCENT ON -or- PERCENT OFF DESCRIPTION: PERCENT ON will enable the percentages, and PERCENT OFF will turn them off. The default is ON. Turning the percents off will speed up the time it takes to execute commands. This is because screen displays are rather slow. NOTES: The ONLY command that takes some time to process that does not display percents is the PLASMA command. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :PIX PURPOSE: Pixellize an image. SYNTAX: PIX <xres> <yres> <inbuf> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: PIX will group pixels of <xres> by <yres>, average all the pixel values in the group, and replace those pixels with the averaged color. The result of which is an image that appears as though the resolution has been lowered and the pixels stretched to keep the same image size. PIX does NOT alter the image resolution. An image of 100x100 being pixelized with the values of 5 (for <xres>) and 5 (for <yres>) will generate an image that appears to have a resolution of 20x20, however, the resolution is actually 100x100. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <inbuf> contains the result. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :PLASMA PURPOSE: Creates a "plasma" type fractal image. SYNTAX: PLASMA <xres> <yres> <grain> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: PLASMA will create a "plasma" fractal image of <xres> by <yres> using <grain> and place the result into [outbuf]. Plasma fractals look like clouds. The larger <grain> is, the denser the clouds. A typical value for plasma is 3. NOTES: Valid range for <grain> is 0.001 - 100.0. If [outbuf] is not given, then PLASMA will create the first available buffer. PLASMA is the only command that does not display percentages as it executes. The "Loaded as file name" is set to PLASMA.TGA SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :PMOD PURPOSE: Sets the prompt modifier. SYNTAX: PMOD [modifier] DESCRIPTION: The prompt modifier is displayed to the left of the prompt so that the user can tell when CImage is running. PMOD will allow the user to change the prompt modifier. NOTES: If [modifier] is not given, then PMOD will display the current prompt modifier. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :REM PURPOSE: During the execution of an CImage batch file, REM displays the remarks that are on the same line as the REM command in that batch file. SYNTAX: REM [comment] DESCRIPTION: The [comment] is not executed, rather it is used for making notes inside batch files to it readers from it's author. It can also be used to display information to the screen as a batch file executes. NOTES: If the ECHO is off, then the REM command line is not displayed. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: ASK IF GOTO : PAUSE ECHO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :SAVE PURPOSE: Save an image buffer. SYNTAX: SAVE <buff> [filename] DESCRIPTION: SAVE will save <buff> to [filename]. NOTES: If [filename] is not given, then SAVE will get the name from the last saved name for that buffer (see the LC command for more information on looking for the last saved name). If there is no last saved name, then SAVE will save the buffer under the name that it was originally loaded (or created). Files are overwritten without verification. The file's extension is used to decide the file's type. Once the file type is obtained from the extension, SAVE will create the file, and save it accordingly. Current supported file types are: IMG - VIVID/BOB format GIF - GIF87a TGA - Only type 2, uncompressed BMP - All versions (Windows) IPI - CImage's internal format Also note that all files written out by CImage are 24- bit, non-compressed images (except .GIF files, which are 8-bit compressed images), and Targa files (.TGA) are written in Top-down format only. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: LOAD MERGE LB ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :SET PURPOSE: Set an CImage internal environment variable. SYNTAX: SET [var] [value] DESCRIPTION: SET will define the CImage internal environment variable [var] to be [value]. Environment variables are similar to macros except that macros must be separated from other words on the command line by a space, and environment variables don't, however, environment variables require a '%' sign on either side of them for them to be resolved properly. Environment variables are usually used as settings (like the path to your images) to be inserted into command line. You can define almost any string to a variable. These environment variable are accessed as %<var>%. If you define "PTH" to be "C:\IMAGES\". Then, every time you type "%PTH%" on the command line, CImage will interpret it as: "C:\IMAGES\" Say you type the line: "LOAD %PTH%PICTURE.GIF". This line will get interpreted as "LOAD C:\IMAGES\PICTURE.GIF". Like macros, environment variables may also reference each other. NOTES: Macros may reference environment variables, but environment variables may not reference macros. If [value] is not given, then the [var] will be removed from the environment variable table. If [var] and [value] are not given, then SET will list all currently defined environment variables. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: MACRO ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :SHOW PURPOSE: Display an image buffer. SYNTAX: SHOW [buf] DESCRIPTION: SHOW will display, in graphics mode, the image in [buf]. If color reduction is needed, then SHOW will perform the color reduction before displaying the image. SHOW will use the information in VMODE to pick what type of display mode to enter to show [buf]. See the VMODE command for more information on the different graphics configurations available from CImage. Once the image is displayed, SHOW will beep, and any key will return the user to the text mode command prompt. NOTES: If [buf] is not given, then SHOW will show the first available buffer (if one exists). The modes 11-13, 15 and 17 may take a few seconds once they enter graphics mode to begin displaying the image to finalize color co ordination. This is not true for modes with 32K colors or more. VESA is the preferred graphics configuration to run. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: VESAINFO BIOSINFO VMODE VCOLORS CRES ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :SUBTRACT PURPOSE: Subtract the contents of two image buffers. SYNTAX: SUBTRACT <buf1> <buf2> [outbuf] DESCRIPTION: SUBTRACT will subtract, pixel by pixel, each of the red, blue and green components of <buf1> and <buf2> and place the result into [outbuf]. NOTES: If [outbuf] is not given, then <buf1> contains the result. Upon subtracting the components, if the two components subtracted are less than 0, then the component value is clipped to 0. SHORTCUT: SUB SEE ALSO: ADD MULTIPLY DIVIDE ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :TERRAIN PURPOSE: Generate a BOB (ray tracer) compatible terrain map. SYNTAX: TERRAIN <buff> <range> <filename> <low> [color] DESCRIPTION: TERRAIN will generate a .B file for the ray tracer BOB that contains a terrain map of triangles for the current image using the intensity of each pixel for the height of the triangle points. TERRAIN scans <buff>, and at each pixel it scales [color] to <range>, then compares the value to <low>, which is the "water level", and if the value is less than <low>, the value gets clipped to <low>. The triangle is then written to <filename>. This command was meant to work primarily with the PLASMA images for terrain generation, however, it can be used with any image. NOTES: <range> must be greater than 0. Valid range for <low> is 0 (flat) to 255 (full height). Valid values for [color] are R, G, B or M. These specify to use the Red element, Blue element, Green element or the pixel converted to Monochrome for the pixel value (triangle height). If [color] is not given, then TERRAIN will use Monochrome conversion. Images of 640x480 can create VERY LARGE output files. SHORTCUT: TERR SEE ALSO: None. ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :VCOLORS PURPOSE: Set the number of colors that the video card can display. SYNTAX: VCOLORS [val] DESCRIPTION: VCOLORS tells CImage how many colors the video card can display simultaneously. CImage needs to know how many colors the video card can display so that it may properly reduce the internal 24-bit images to [val] colors for displaying. This value is set by the VESAINFO, VMODE, and BIOSINFO functions. NOTES: If [val] is not given, then VCOLORS will display the current setting. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. SHORTCUT: None. SEE ALSO: VESAINFO BIOSINFO VMODE CRES SHOW ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :VESAINFO PURPOSE: Set or display the VESA graphics configuration. SYNTAX: VESAINFO [mode] DESCRIPTION: VESAINFO will set the current VESA configuration to be used for displaying image buffers using the SHOW command. Users must also perform a "VMODE VESA" to enable the VESA mode for displaying image buffers. See the VMODE command for more information on setting the mode. VESA is a great standard for super-VGA displays. CImage's developers support VESA and hopes that you will use this configuration above BIOS or any of the built-in modes. NOTES: The VESA drivers are not included with CImage. These drivers can be obtained from you video card manufacturer if they were not included with your card upon purchase. If [mode] is not given, then VESAINFO will display the following information (this is from my system, VESA version 1.2 running a Diamond Speed Star 24X): Available modes are marked with an asterisk (*): 6Ah - 800 x 600 16 colors * 100h - 640 x 400 256 colors * 101h - 640 x 480 256 colors * 102h - 800 x 600 16 colors * 103h - 800 x 600 256 colors * 104h - 1024 x 768 16 colors * 105h - 1024 x 768 256 colors * 106h - 1280 x 1024 16 colors 107h - 1280 x 1024 256 colors 108h - TEXT MODE...unusable * 109h - TEXT MODE...unusable * 10Ah - TEXT MODE...unusable * 10Bh - TEXT MODE...unusable 10Ch - TEXT MODE...unusable * 10Dh - 320 x 200 32K colors 10Eh - 320 x 200 64K colors 10Fh - 320 x 200 16M colors * 110h - 640 x 480 32K colors 111h - 640 x 480 64K colors 112h - 640 x 480 16M colors * 113h - 800 x 600 32K colors 114h - 800 x 600 64K colors 115h - 800 x 600 16M colors 116h - 1024 x 768 32K colors 117h - 1024 x 768 64K colors 118h - 1024 x 768 16M colors 119h - 1280 x 1024 32K colors 11Ah - 1280 x 1024 64K colors 11Bh - 1280 x 1024 16M colors Current Settings: VESA version: 1.2 OEM name: Western Digital Inc V1.2 VESA video mode: 113h (275) Resolution: 800x600 Displayable colors: 32768 (15 Bits per pixel) Mode attributes: [Supported] [No BIOS Output] [Color] [Graphics] Window A attributes: [Supported] [Readable] [Writable] Window B attributes: [Not Supported] Granularity/Win size: 4K/64K Window segments A/B: A000h/A800h Window pos. function: 0623:05EEh Bytes per scanline: 1600 Character size: 0x0 # of memory planes: 1 Number of banks: 1 Memory model type: YUV Bank size: 0K Image pages: 1 Red size/field pos: 5/10 Green size/field pos: 5/5 Blue size/field pos: 5/0 Direct color mode: [Color ramp fixed] [Bits are usable] VESA is the preferred graphics configuration to run. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. SHORTCUT: VESA SEE ALSO: BIOSINFO VMODE VCOLORS CRES SHOW ;------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :VMODE PURPOSE: Sets the video mode to be used for displaying image buffers. SYNTAX: VMODE [mode] DESCRIPTION: VMODE tells CImage what mode to use for displaying image buffers. Currently, the following modes are supported: 320 x 200, 256 color 640 x 400, 256 color 640 x 480, 256 color 800 x 600, 256 color 1024 x 768, 256 color BIOS mode VESA mode If BIOS is selected, then CImage uses the current BIOS information for it's display mode. See the BIOSINFO command for more information on BIOS graphics configuration. If VESA is selected, then CImage uses the current VESA information for it's display mode. See the VESAINFO command for more information on VESA graphics configuration. NOTES: If [mode] is not given, then VMODE will display the current mode's information, and the available modes. Valid values for [val] are: 11.......320 x 200, 256 color 12.......640 x 400, 256 color 13.......640 x 480, 256 color 15.......800 x 600, 256 color 17......1024 x 768, 256 color BIOS....BIOS mode VESA....VESA mode VESA is the preferred graphics configuration to run. CImage does not support modes with less than 256 colors. SHORTCUT: None.