Belgian Amiga Club - ADF Collection/BS1 part 47.7z/BS1 part 47/ImageMaster RT v1.50b (1994)(Black Belt Systems)(Disk 4 of 7)[HD].7z/ImageMaster RT v1.50b (1994)(Black Belt Systems)(Disk 4 of 7)[HD].adf/apa.lzh.parta/imh_intro

Text File | 1994-03-07 | 24KB | 509 lines

\ApAssist
\: "imdoc:imh_intro" - introductory portion of the IM documentation

\font topaz.font 8
\tc 1
\wr
\lj
\ib 10 10

\index "imdoc:imh_index/index"
\toc "imdoc:imh_toc/toc"
\help "imdoc:aa_help/help"

\node "contact"
\title "Contact Information"
\next "legal"
\prev ""
\nw

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Contact Information
\}
\{ \rm 100 \rj
US and Canadian Sales: \{ \tc grey3 [phone] \}
International Sales: \{ \tc grey3 [phone] \}
Technical Support: \{ \tc grey3 [phone] \}
FAX: \{ \tc grey3 [phone] \}
BBS: \{ \tc grey3 [phone] \}
\}

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Shipping and Mailing address
\}
\ce
Black Belt Systems
398 Johnson Road
Glasgow, Montana
59230 - U.S.A.

\lj
\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Operating hours:
\} \wr
Black Belt Systems is generally open on all normal business days. We take
most official U.S. holidays off, with a short vacation during the Christmas
season so we can play with our Amigas.

All times are Mountain Standard Time, which is 2 hours later than Eastern
standard time, or 8 hours from G.M.T.

Our sales lines are open between 9:00 am through 5:00 pm with no downtime
from Monday to Friday.

Our technical support line is open six and one half hours per day, from 9am
until 11:45 am when it closes so the technical support people can get fed (we
don't feed the sales people...), and then re-opens from 1:15 pm to 5:00 pm.
It is important to remember that you must be registered to recieve technical
support.  Before calling technical support we ask that you know your version
number and your system configuration.  You should also prepare a list of
questions before calling.  This will not only aid us in giving you the best
technical support possible, but will also speed up the support process.  If
you have any question as to which version of Imagemaster you have, or your
system type, \{ \ts b \link "Press Here" "imdoc:m_hlp/m_showconfig" \} now.

Our Multi-line, 24-hour Bulletin board system is open to all of our
customers the entire year through. It supports baud rates from 2400 baud to
9,600 baud v32 or to 14,400 baud when using US Robotics HST mode modems. The
modems themselves are Courier HST Dual Standards. It may take one or two days
for the system "sysop" to approve your account; please be patient.

Our fax line is also available 24-hours a day, the year through. If you
experience trouble getting through on our fax line, please contact us by
voice and let us know so that we can fix the problem immediately.

\endnode

\node "legal"
\title "Legal Issues"
\prev "contact"
\next "imdoc:imh_setup/setup"

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Copyright Information
\} \wr

Imagemaster R/t is Copyright 1993 Black Belt Systems, ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED under the Pan-American conventions.  All rights to the code remain
with Black Belt Systems. Use of the binary executable that comprises this
program for any other purpose by any other persons, including disassembly and
reconstruction for any purpose is expressly forbidden, and will be prosecuted
to the full extent of the law. Imagemaster R/t may be installed upon any
local area network which is owned by, or licensed to, the owner of this copy
of Imagemaster R/t.

This documentation is copyright 1993 Black Belt Systems, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
under the Pan-American conventions. Presenting this documentation to any
other person or entity who/which is not a legal owner of the Imagemaster R/t
software is expressly forbidden, and will be prosecuted to the full extent of
the law. Modification of this documentation is also expressly forbidden. If
you feel that the documentation would benefit from one or more changes,
please contact technical support at...

\nw \{ \ce
\ts b [phone]
\}

\wr
...and formally suggest the changes to us. They will be seriously considered
for the next release of the documentation.

The above copyright claims are made upon items that are unique creations of
Black Belt Systems. These products have been created for customers of Black
Belt Systems; the use of this product is contingent upon purchase of
Imagemaster R/t. Individuals who have not purchased Imagemaster R/t have no
right to use it.  Individuals who violate the terms specified here are in
violation of multiple laws, and \ts i will \ts n be prosecuted to the fullest
extent possible to protect our paying customers and the company.  Such action
is theft.

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Disclaimer
\} \wr

This software is provided "as is". Black Belt Systems takes no responsibility
for data manipulated with this software; or for the interpretation of such
data. The Imagemaster R/t product is not intended to be used as a medical
tool, or as a tool in any situation where lives or property of any nature are
at stake in any manner.

The user is entirely responsible for the interpretation and use of image data
manipulated with the Imagemaster R/t software. The user is also responsible
for observing the copyright restrictions on materials manipulated within
Imagemaster R/t. Black Belt Systems will make solid efforts to maintain
Imagemaster R/t in a reliable, bug-free form, but cannot be held responsible
if problems with the software incur losses of any type upon the user.

The user is responsible for reporting problems with the software to Black
Belt Systems technical support.  If these terms and conditions are not
acceptable to the user, then Black Belt Systems declines to issue permission
to the user to use Imagemaster R/t in any manner, for any purpose whatsoever.

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Special Notice
\} \wr

These programs are not "PD" or "Shareware".  They have not been placed in the
public domain, and may not be treated as software in the public domain.
These programs may not be placed upon any PD disks, program or software
collection disks or disk libraries for resale or any other type of
distribution. \{ \ts b Claims that the Imagemaster R/t software is PD or
shareware are in error and are not to be accepted from any source. \}

Software from the Imagemaster R/t release diskettes may not be posted upon any
non-local electronic network or telecomm network for any reason. There are no
exceptions to this rule. A non-local network is one that allows access to
users off-site through the public telephone system, or any method using
unsecure (unsecure is hereby defined as non-encrypted or using a compromised
encryption method) modulation such as radio or optical fiber, or any method
whatsoever to any person or entity who is not entitled by the terms of this
section to this software and documentation.

This software may not be rented, leased or borrowed under any circumstances.

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Piracy
\} \wr

Remember that your copy of this software represents money that you have
invested in Black Belt Systems' ability to create and support a product
specifically for you --- if your copy falls into the wrong hands, Black Belt
Systems' income may be seriously affected.  That, in turn, will directly
limit the support we can provide you. Keep your copy of this software secure!

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Trademarks
\}

\ts b AGA \ts n is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
\ts b Amiga \ts n is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
\ts b AmigaDOS \ts n is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, inc.
\ts b AmigaGuide \ts n is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, inc.
\ts b ApAssist \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b Board Master \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b DCTV \ts n is a trademark of Digital Creations, Inc.
\ts b Firecracker 24 \ts n is a trademark of Impulse, inc.
\ts b GIF \ts n is a trademark of CompuServe Information Systems, Inc.
\ts b HAM8 \ts n is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, inc.
\ts b HAM-E \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b ImageFX \ts n is a trademark of Great Valley Products, Inc.
\ts b Imagemaster R/t \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b IV24 \ts n is a trademark of Great Valley Products, Inc.
\ts b NoteBook \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b MetaScan \ts n is a trademark of Metadigm, Inc.
\ts b MFLM \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b Opalvision \ts n is a trademark of Centaur Software, Inc.
\ts b PMBC \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b RGB8 \ts n is a trademark of Impulse, inc.
\ts b RGBN \ts n is a trademark of Impulse, inc.
\ts b RGBT \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b SOPN \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b TRIM \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b UPB8 \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b Video Toaster \ts n is a trademark of NewTek, Inc.
\ts b WinImages \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems
\ts b WinImages: morph \ts n is a trademark of Black Belt Systems

\wr
Other marks are the property of their respective holders. If any mark is
mentioned in this documentation without correct acknowledgement, we
apologize; to have the error corrected, please contact Black Belt Systems
immediately at...

\nw \{ \ce
\ts b [phone] \ts n or \ts b [phone]
\}

\wr
...and we will modify the documentation in time for the next release of the
software.

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Acknowledgements
\}

\wr
The Free JPEG Group is thanked for providing example JPEG 'c' source code to
the general community; this example code was used by Black Belt Systems to
provide a working model and "test-bed" for our own JPEG reading and writing
code.

\endnode

\node "welcome"
\title "Welcome to Imagemaster R/t!"
\prev "imdoc:imh_setup/setup"
\next "introduction"

For address or phone numbers, see: \link "Contact Information" "imdoc:imh_intro/contact"

This portion of the documentation is here to let you know a bit about the people who
have created the Imagemaster R/t software for you; to give you a brief
overview of what the software can do - and to try and begin the process of
getting familiar with this powerful tool in such a way as to make you
comfortable.

All of us at Black Belt Systems truly hope that this software enhances any
project you become involved with. One of the finest rewards any of us here
can have is the knowledge that our work enhances \ts i your \ts n work.

We also hope that this documentation will contain the information you need to use
these tools effectively. It is, of course, impossible to cover everything -
even though we would like to - so, if and when you get stuck remember that
you can call our technical support line at...

\nw \{ \ce
\ts b [phone]
\}

\wr
...between the hours of 9:00-11:45 and 1:15-5:00 pm mountain time weekdays
for any information that might be missing here. We'll help you to figure out
the issues that concern you, and then \ts u we'll add that information to the
documentation\ts n \= in time for the next release.

Because Black Belt Systems has designed an advanced HyperText system to
handle the documentation for Imagemaster R/t, any changes that are needed
or suggestions for the documentation you have which would benefit others can
incorporated immediately by our technical support group; the next release of
the documentation then contains the new or updated information. In this way,
you are protected from ever struggling with an obsolete manual because of
changes made to the software.

Finally, we'd like to say: We hope you will find Imagemaster R/t to be
productive software for you - and please - \ts i have fun\ts n !

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
About Black Belt Systems
\}\wr
Black Belt Systems is a company dedicated to technical excellence. We
specialize in creating hardware and software that is both technically
sophisticated, and either unusual or unique in the Amiga marketplace.
We have been involved in many "firsts" for the Amiga market, such as:

\nw \{ \lm 40
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "morphing" software (Imagemaster) (on \ts u any\ts n \= pc!)
    * we also produced the first morphing software for Windows 3.1\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "warping" software (Imagemaster)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first 8-bit HAM hardware (HAM-E)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first CAD system (Board Master/PCLO)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "aspect correct" software (Imagemaster)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first commercial JPEG file support (Imagemaster)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "Onionskin" morphing interface (Imagemaster)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first commercial G3 9600 baud FAX system (ClickFAX)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "PIM" (NoteBook)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first "Images over radio" software (AVT system)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first DCTV aftermarket image loading support (Imagemaster)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 \cap The first public interface for image manipulation (Imagemaster)\}
\}

\wr
Black Belt Systems not only produces "firsts" for the Amiga market, we
continually invent completely new technologies and produce them as Amiga
software and hardware; we do \ts i not \ts n just take already existing ideas
and implement them.  Some examples of this type of activity are:

\nw \{ \lm 40
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Lossless image storage with 2x the efficiency of IFF24\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 8-bit to 18/24-bit HAM encoding\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Organic morph distortion paths\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Synchronous, linear damage-resistant audio image encoding\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Several types of new dithering technology\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Color selection technology (which is the \ts u best\ts n \= in the industry!)\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Forced Dynamic image enhancment\}
\{ \ra \image "Clips/Bullet2.pic" l 10 Point Cellular image sfx\}
\}

\wr
We do a few other unusual things as well. For instance, we produce free
software for handicapped individuals - one such product is the "JakeBoard",
an on-screen keyboard substitute; another is the "TalkBoard", a program which
enhances the ability of the speech-impaired to communicate using the Amiga's
speech synthesis capabilities.

As you can see, Black Belt Systems isn't your average group of people. We've
been around the Amiga market since the day the a1000 was released and we
truly hold a serious affection for the machine, its architecture and its
operating system. But most of all, we appreciate the Amiga for its users,
people who are original thinkers and for one reason or another, took a less
travelled path to excellence.

The software you are working with now, Imagemaster R/t, represents the
highest performance and greatest flexibility available in the field of image
processing for the Amiga. Imagemaster R/t represents Black Belt System's most
ambitious project on the Amiga to date.

Among Black Belt's permanent core staff of four programers, there is an
aggregate of 68 years of programming experience, of which
\ts u 24 years\ts n \= are Amiga-specific. This is as of October, 1993.

Going beyond technical issues, Black Belt Systems' technical and
customer support facilities have repeatedly been hailed in the Amiga
press as top-notch.

\ts b David Johnson\ts n , writing a review, said:

"...[Black Belt's] support to be among the best offered in the Amiga
Community today... software is upgraded regularly...  \ts i significant \ts n
upgrades..."

\ts b Frank McMahon\ts n , writing a comparison article between Black Belt
and two other Amiga developers, said when discussing support:

"...Black Belt wins hands-down... a wealth of customer support...
constant updates... a feeling sort of like `visiting the company'..."

We maintain full-time technical support staff which are available to you
Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00-11:45am and 1:15-5:00pm. We
see to it that our registered users are well taken care of.

\endnode

\node "introduction"
\title "Introduction to Imagemaster R/t"
\prev "welcome"
\next "aboutdocs"

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
General Information
\} \wr

The Black Belt Systems program \ts b Imagemaster R/t \ts n forms an extremely
comprehensive implementation of 24 bit image processing, painting, analysis
and composition tools. Taken together, these tools make up a master scheme
for \ts i image manipulation \ts n which is unparalleled on the Amiga platform.

No other product or series of products from any other developer in the Amiga
marketplace can offer such a powerful, flexible and varied set of 24 bit
image processing and image composition functions; no other product integrates
these so tightly to 24 bit painting capabilities, and no other product makes
those functions so readily accessible. No other such product or group of
products can compete even on the basis of retail price; and finally, no other
developer offers anywhere near the level of support that Black Belt Systems
does for this product. Imagemaster R/t is truly the best of the best on all
of these important levels.

Imagemaster R/t is designed to operate on 24-bit accurate image information;
it has the facilities to load these images in using a large number of
external file formats, and it can also create images "from scratch". When you
decide you are ready, Imagemaster R/t can export its 24-bit images to many
external file formats, ready for use in any number of situations.

Imagemaster R/t is \ts i hot retargetable \ts n which means that while using
it, you can tell it you want to work on a different type of display; for
instance, if you're working using the standard Amiga display modes and there
is a Centaur Software \ts b Opalvision \ts n installed in your computer, you
can switch instantly to working in full 24-bit color using the Opalvision's
display. While Imagemaster R/t can use high-color display hardware, it does
\ts i not \ts n require it. You can perform any image process or other
modification that the software is capable of using nothing but basic Amiga
graphics.

For more details, see: \link " Retargeting " "imdoc:imh_retarget/retarget"

Another major feature of Imagemaster R/t is its ability to maintain any
number of images in memory at once. This allows you to have any number of
brushes to paint with loaded, any number of images to work on or ue as
sources for composition, even spares to use as references. The only
limitation to this is the amount of memory you have in your computer.

For more details, see: \link " Image Buffer Usage " "imdoc:imh_ubuffers/ubuffers"

Imagemaster R/t has many other fine attributes. It allows you to easily
automate the processing of sequences of images using a simplified form of
ARexx script. It also can keep a record of the changes to an image in the
form of a \ts i filmstrip\ts n , which is an on-screen multiple frame
sequence of images. Imagemaster R/t has a complete VCR-like animation
control area for testing concepts and generating vignette level records of
major animations.

For more details, see: \link " Filmstrip Usage " "imdoc:imh_film/film"

Imagemaster R/t can even generate sophisticated transitions such as wipes,
fades and even more, using its \ts i transition generator \ts n tools.

For more details, see: \link " Transition Generator " "imdoc:imh_wipe/wipe"

Image composition is strongly supported, as is image processing, image
analysis and special effects generation. Imagemaster R/t is easy to learn,
yet it is so powerful that you will \ts i never \ts n be able to use every
feature in the program to anywhere near the range each tool has.

\endnode

\node "aboutdocs"
\title "About the documentation (online manual)"
\next "IMDOC:imh_ubuffers/ubuffers"
\prev "introduction"

Black Belt Systems has taken documentation a socially positive and brave step
forward by creating a powerful Hypertext manager, ApAssist, and then using
this tool to move Imagemaster R/t's documentation completely into the
electronic domain.

We say that ApAssist is powerful because it handles text and images well, and
even compensates for PAL or NTSC system considerations so that the online
documentation may be more comprehensive using ApAssist than it could be if we
had chosen to use one of the other alternatives, such as Commodore's
currently unfinished \ts i AmigaGuide \ts n tool.

It is also empowering for you as a user beyond the level that a printed
manual can be. This is because context sensitive help that appears onscreen
as soon as you need it is considerably more effective than printed manuals,
and can also be maintained 100% up-to-date by us without the extra cost and
considerable delays associated with printed materials - a cost that would be
borne in the end by you, the consumer, when it would have to be applied as
part of the upgrade and maintainance costs for the program.

We say it is a brave step because the existance of documentation in
electronic format is subject to piracy more than any other type, and so puts
us at considerable risk. We say it is socially positive because this approach
inherently conserves and protects resources.

The latter is done by diminishing demand for paper products and the
associated pollution; by making that same resource available for other
products which truly need paper to be viable, and exchanging these issues for
the use of data storage media which is reusable without recycling: the
microfloppy diskette.

At this time we beleive the world's ecologicical state to be fragile;
we have elected to act in a conservative manner which we hope will not
contribute to the current worldwide ecological problem any more than is
absolutely neccesary.

See Also: \link "Help with ApAssist" "imdoc:aa_help/help"

\nw \{ \font topaz.font 11 \tc 15 \ts b
Arrangement of Documentation
\} \wr

The documentation is arranged functionally. The initial portions introduce
you to the software and the documentation. Next, the basic concepts of how to
operate the software are presented, as well as the \ts i arrangement \ts n of
the software - that is, how the control panels are structured and what you
can expect to see as you operate the program. The table of contents is
designed to help you in this; be sure to learn the introductory information
in the order it is presented. Later, in the sections on processing, painting
and composition you will find specific information relating to particular
processes you wish to perform.

Once you've been through the introductory section of the documentation, you
should be able to use the majority of operations in the software. Some areas,
such as the \ts i sequencer \ts n and the \ts i rendering \ts n portions are
generally more complex than processing, painting or composition and will
require more study of the documentation. If your goal is creating Amiga mode
images, you'll probably want to study the section on rendering next; if you
are "into" animation, then the sequencer will be of great interest to you and
you should check into it as soon as you're familiar with the three main areas.

\ra
\image "clips/Darwin_Untouched.iff" l 10
This image of Charles Darwin will be used throughout the entire documentation
to demonstrate various effects. This is what the image looks like when it is
completely "untouched"; hopefully, you'll be better able to evaluate the
effects when you see them knowing what we started with.

\flushimage

\endnode