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1993-10-27
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∙ ∙
∙ W O R D S and I M A G E S ∙
∙ ∙
∙ The STEN Graphix Area ∙
∙ ∙
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WORDS and IMAGES is a comparatively new area of STEN that aims to cover
all aspects of graphics and picture creation on the ST. It will review PD,
shareware and commercial art programmes; check-out new clip art discs;
interview computer artists;and bring together anything that might interest
ST artists. The Hewlett Packard Deskjet printer will be prominently feat-
ured, as this is now the mid-range choice for serious graphics use.
GigaPaint IV: A Creation Myth
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Once upon a time there was an art programme that was so svelte and sexy
that everyone wanted to stroke it. "If only I had GigaPaint 4!" you
would hear users cry; "My life would change - I'd use 256 colours at
once, run 500-frame animations, and cut and paste to my heart's delight -
my creativity would run wild!"
Then one fine day, when they had wished and saved enough, the good fairy
would let them buy it. And they played with it happily for ever after.
They never actually *did* anything with it (it was far too complicated
and easily broken for that), but they had their 256 colours on the screen
at once, and they were happy; just owning GigaPaint 4 was somehow
enough.
And the moral of this story is that creativity is a state of mind, and
not a programme. A computer is just as much a tool as a pencil or a
brush; it might make life easier for someone who already knows what
they're doing, but it certainly doesn't make you creative. That still
has to be learnt the hard way.
This issue contains reviews of two psychedelic screen generators, a PD
tutorial to learn the craft of drawing and painting from, an intriguing
snippet about the HP Deskjet, a review of the "Strecnology Graffix User
Manual, and a description of "how to transfer any screen images or
animations to video tape for under £10".
Enjoy!
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'Computer - Video Transfer for Less Than a Fiver' by Evelyn Mills
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Are you a DIY enthusiast ?? Are you interested in making things work in a
simple and efficient manner at minimal cost - i.e. well below retail
cost.Then try out the following method of getting full colour screen
reproduction of any computer program/s which you have created on to
video. The whole affair is hardly time consuming and the results are well
up to professional standards.
The basic requirements are a video recorder, a monitor (or TV) and the
expenditure of around three pounds stg. The recorder should have a pause
facility on it for preference (essentially for viewer use !!).
The next step is to get a length of coaxial cable with which to connect
the normal TV output of the computer to the aerial input of the video
recorder; the monitor, if used, is connected to the normal monitor port.
If a TV is used as a monitor then use a Y connector to the aerial lead.
Any good TV shop will supply you with the requisite connectors for your
own computer type (refer to Manual). All works well with the Commodore 64
and the Atari ST/STE.
When creating your video programs, simply program with a screen hold
using a key press. The TV image from the computer should be held for a
sufficient length of time to enable the recipient of the video to view
and read its contents. Neo, Degas, .Img etc. can all be controlled via
the various 'slide shows' in public domain.
All that is required is a bit of practice - do a short 1O minute
recording initially until the result is to your liking. Should you wish
to load an entirely different set of sequences, simply stop the
recorder and restart once the next set has been loaded. Be logical and
you can hardly fail to be impressed with the results.
If you have any problems then drop me a line:
Evelyn Mills, 43 CHANCEL CLOSE, NAILSEA, BRISTOL, BS19 2NE.
Thanks Evelyn, I'll be trying this out as soon as I've got a fiver to
spare, but do you know that you can improve the picture quality dramati-
cally if you have a SCART socket on your VCR? In that case, you simply
buy an ST to SCART cable (£10) and plug it into the monitor socket of the
ST. (You might be able to run the TV simultaneously from the
'television' socket, but you'd have to check that.)
The SCART lead carries the Red Green and Blue (RGB) signals separately,
as opposed to mixing them into a Composite signal, squelching it down a
coax cable, and then decoding it into RGB signals at the other end.
My own colour set-up is a bog standard Finlandia TV driven via the SCART
socket. This gives a picture that's almost as good as a colour monitor.
(And for the benefit of non-technical readers, 'Bog Standard' is the
lowest rating that can be awarded by the Irish Standards Board. It
conforms to DIN in much the same way as the 'Metric Tad'.)
JFW
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S T R E C N O L O G Y G R A F F I X U S E R M A N U A L
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by Various Artists, Thames & Hudson, £9.95.
"The title is a condensation of Street Technology, and the book covers
'spray cans, magic markers, correction fluid, instant lettering,
photocopiers, fax machines, computers - today's streetwise graffix (sic)
use the materials and technology of the 1990's.' Apart from the use of
computer jargon, the contents bear a striking resemblance to the ideas
and practices of the 1960's, only worse. At least they seem cruder and
less interesting when viewed without the assistance of large quantities
of recreational pharmaceuticals. Whoever put a k in Amerika should have
quit before getting around to graffik"
Jack Schofield, Computer Guardian, 23/09/93
Jack, I know you're very serious and Power User oriented these days, but
anyone who can remember the 60's just wasn't there, and the the people
who put a k into Amerika were the Yippies (the Youth International
Party). It marked what they saw as the nazification of America. From
Yippies to Yuppies in just one generation.... God help us.
JFW
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RIPPLES v0.3 by Martin Russ : PD : Released March 1991 : Low res only
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Ripples is a small and easy-to-use programme that can generate a wide
range of seriously psychedelic screens in a very short time. The
programming behind it is loosely based on fractals, but the style of the
images produced owes more to interference patterns and moire effects.
Ripples is one of the best, and most inspiring, graphics programmes I
have used in the last two years.
The Readme file states that, "Instead of using iteration directly,
Ripples uses differentiation and modulo arithmetic to produce patterns
which have many of the features of the more conventional chaotic
structures, but which can be displayed much faster." And that creaking in
the background is someone's leg being pulled.... But the text is
irrelevant. What's important is that this programme can produce the most
unexpected, and almost organic, images in a very short time. This gives
you time to experiment with different settings and get the creative
juices flowing.
> NOW GO TO 'LOAD SCREEN' IN THE DROP-DOWN MENU <
> AND SELECT RIPPLES.PI1 AND RIPPLES2.PI1 FROM THE 'SCREENS' FOLDER <
> THIS IS FOR COLOUR USERS ONLY... <
Ripples is supplied as a 40K programme, with eight example screens and a
copy of the DSlide slideshow utility. After booting the main programme
you are presented with a screen that sets out the basic controls, and
then prompts you to type in a set of values that will define the screen.
Once the screen has been created, the palette and colour-cycling can be
altered by pressing the spacebar. The prompts are for:
Function? (1 - 25)
Zoom? (1 - 1000)
X Position? (0 - 200)
Y Position? (0 - 200)
and Complexity? (0.1 - 100)
Typing in the same values will always produce the same screen, but
changing the complexity, zoom or X/Y positions can alter it dramatically.
The Function setting determines the type of pattern that will be produced
and, by experimenting with all the settings, you can create marvellously
psychedelic screens, tiled patterns and strange pulsing whorls within a
couple of minutes.
Once created, screens can be saved in Degas PI1 format for additional
work or recolouring in your favourite art programme. This is a superb
utility that deserves far wider recognition.
JFW
Ripples was supplied by the ST Club (disc GRA.144), and will cost you the
princely sum of £1.45.
The ST Club, 2, Broadway, Nottingham, NG1 1PS.
Telephone: 0602 410241
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The KOZMIK 4 Psychedelic Screen Generator : Dave Henniker
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1 Meg RAM : Colour Only : Shareware : Released 10/09/93
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If I've whetted your appetite with Ripples, then perhaps I can satisfy it
with Kozmik. Kozmik 4 is the very latest version of one of the most
original programmes ever to appear on the ST. The best way to describe
Kozmik is as a fully-developed psychedelic screen generator, with an
almost unlimited range of options and possibilities.
But what can you use a 'psychedelic screen generator' for? The best way
to answer this is to quote from the Readme file that comes with the disc:
"The purpose of the program is to create psychedelic patterns
which can then be saved to disk. No drawing skills are needed
but experimentation is required to increase the range of
effects. Some possible uses for the program are:
* To be artistic without having to be an artist.
* To load pictures into a paint program and edit them.
* To use the screens as intro screens in your own programs
(just add text).
* To run psychedelic slideshows at raves, parties etc."
Screens produced with Kozmik have been sighted in a music video shown on
MTV, on CD sleeves, and on many late-night and mellow monitors...
> COLOUR USERS SHOULD NOW SELECT 'LOAD SCREEN' FROM THE DROP-DOWN MENU <
> AND LOAD KOZMIK.PI1 AND KOZMIK2.PI1 FROM THE 'SCREENS' FOLDER <
> THEY SHOW WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH THIS PROGRAMME. THANK YOU <
And at this point I'd better declare an interest in Kozmik... About two
years ago I saw it listed in Floppyshop's 'Top 20 PD discs' and decided
to check it out. I was literally amazed. There were digitised pictures
and sound effects, a neat Degas Elite-type option screen, and comments
and jokes throughout the programme: and this was just the user interface,
the graphics produced with it were stunningly original.
I had no idea who Dave Henniker was, but he was certainly enjoying
himself and I just had to contact him. To cut a long story short, we
turned out to be very much on the same wavelength and I ended up beta-
testing the later versions of Kozmik. The programme is now up to version
4, has had (dare I say it...) rave reviews in all of the computer mags,
and has appeared in a cut-down version on an ST Floormat cover disc. Dave
received enough registrations from this to buy himself a hard drive - an
impartial view of just how good the programme is.
Version 4 has a completely new 'push-button' user interface, and many
extra options have been added. The main screen follows the same pattern
as before (a left mouse click selects the option, while a right one
allows you to fine tune it), but it is now completely intuitive to use.
Moving the cursor over any option box brings up a brief description of
its function in a central 'information area'. This means that you no
longer need a manual to use the programme, although a help file can be
called up and read at any time from within the programme.
The new features include a selection of small images (faces, boxes,
diamonds, lines and bars, among others) that can be overlaid onto any
screen. This gives a 3-dimensional effect, and looks as if patterned
silk has been folded over the screen. Two previously created screens can
be merged together to create a more complex one, and a far greater range
of predefined and user-selectable palettes are now available. These, and
other options, mean that Kozmik 4 feels more like a new programme than an
improved version.
But if I've made Kozmik sound complex and serious, then I've made a major
mistake. The whole point of the programme is that you can create
stunningly patterned screens by just clicking on a few options and
watching them draw. The screens that are produced can be set to cycle
the colours, and saved out as Degas or NeoChrome pictures at any time, or
manipulated again until you have produced the exact effect that you
are looking for.
Kozmik is simple to use and can produce complex screens within a few
minutes of use. The digitised speech and snatches of music (available in
stereo on 2 Meg and upwards STEs) add to the off-beat nature of the
programme, and the wide range of settings and options mean that an
infinite variety of screens can be produced. (Govt Health Warning: this
programme is Addictive and can result in unintentional Late Night
Inspiration Sessions.)
Kozmik 4 is available in a demo version from any of the better PD
libraries, with the restriction that only one screen can be saved from it
per session. Apart from this, all the options and features can be run
as normal. A £10 registration fee will bring you the latest and
unrestricted version of the programme, a disc of example screens, and
notification of future upgrades.
JFW
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MORE REVIEWS COMING UP....MORE REVIEWS COMING UP....MORE REVIEWS COMING UP
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The ON LINE ART Tutorials : Licenceware : Ron Wood : 1992
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The problem with all art programmes is that although they give you the
tools for the job, they don't show you how to use them; they're the
computer equivalent of being given a set of pencils or oils and left to
get on with it.
The On Line Art tutorials are a way around this problem. Each disc
contains a short Readme file, a copy of DSlide (the Deluxe Slide Viewer),
and 60 low resolution screens in TN1 format. The tutorial is run as a
slideshow which can be speeded up, slowed down, or paused at any screen.
It does not assume the use of a particular art programme, but
concentrates on building up the user's awareness of line, shape, form,
the human figure, perspective, tonal values and design.
Disc One introduces the basic principles of good drawing and design; Disc
Two expands on and refines these principles; Disc Three explores the
possibilities of three dimensional and wire-frame figures; and Disc Four
is concerned with 3D modelling.
To quote from one of the Readme files,
"This program does not presume to deal with the technical aspects of
the computer. Its object is to bring to the notice of artists and
teachers the vast potential that is available in the field of
artistic graphic design.
Computer graphics have an image of either complex technical
drawing, or games programs with castles and dragons. This program
sets out to improve that image.
ON LINE is a program designed to assist art teachers and students to
become aware of how the fine arts can be achieved on the micro
computer. To be able to save a work, and make countless modific-
ations quickly in design and colour, is a valuable asset for any
artist. A student can lay out a work and experiment with colour
changing it many times, and then suddenly everything works, the
picture holds together and is pleasing to the eye. Now should the
student so wish, a conventional painting can be produced with
confidence.
A work of art on the computer screen reflects the artist's person-
ality,it is no more or less a tool than an artist's canvas, it is
the creative energy of the individual that makes a work of art."
I'm very much in two minds about these discs. The information in them is
presented very concisely and competently by someone who's obviously an
experienced artist, but I don't think they offer anything more than the
'teach yourself drawing' books that can be found in any art shop or
library. And, unlike a book, they can't be referred to while you're
actually using an art programme.
Having said that, I'd definitely recommend these discs to anyone who is
interested in using their computer creatively, but is unsure about their
own abilities. The artwork is very different from the usual two
dimensional styles that you see on a computer screen, and would help
anyone who is trying to develop their own style.
On Line Art is only available from Goodmans PDL, and costs £2.50 per
disc, or £7.95 for the 4 disc set.
Goodman Enterprises, 16 Conrad Close, Meir Hay Estate,
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST3 1SW.
24 Hour enquiry and orderline: 0782 335650
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D E S K J E T C O R N E R
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A recent ad in MicroMart offered a "Programme to help unclog HP Deskjet
nozzles". It sounded interesting and I gave the guy a ring. The
utility is for the PC only and costs £5.00. Contact:
Dennis Gill, 17, The Croft, West Ardsley, Wakefield,
West Yorkshire, WF3 1DX. Phone: 0532 530805
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's post (27/10/93) brought details of a deskjet and bubblejet
supplies firm called 'Bear Essentials'. Their letterheading includes the
following:
Bear Essentials / Ink Jet Re-fill Kits / Against designer waste
* As fast, simple and clean as a medical injection.
* More than halve your printing costs.
*Reduces permanent waste by up to 90%.
That sound you can hear in the background is the Green Bandwagon rolling
past. And 'as fast, simple and clean as a medical injection'? Dr Benway
would have a few things to say about that....
Their prices, unfortunately, are just as imaginative as their publicity.
A 40ml refill kit (2.5 standard refills) will cost you £ 9.95, a 100ml
kit (6 refills) is £18.95, and the 500ml model (30 refills) will set you
back £59.95. If that doesn't tempt you, they'll also refill your own
double capacity cartridge for the small sum of £10.50 (+VAT).
Have you got your chequebook ready? Good. 40ml of black ink alone will
cost you £8.95, 100ml £16.96, 500ml £47.95, 1000ml £94.00 and, for any
Power Users out there, 5000ml is currently being given away at £427.00.
Of course you need to clean your cartridge out before refilling it, don't
you? Then you need their 100ml of cleaning solution for the unmissable
price of £6.64.
Let's have a little common sense now. I've used the same deskjet
cartridge for two years now, and simply refill it with Quink fountain pen
ink whenever it runs low. It doesn't have the 'blackness' of the
recommended inks, but it's more than adequate for everyday printing and
proofing. The last time I bought a better grade of ink was from a
classified ad in MicroMart, offering it at £2 per refill. There was
absolutely no diference between it and the inks that Inkmun and Bear
Essentials are offering.
The cleaning solution that these firms supply is straight ethyl alcohol.
It's not easy to get hold of (chemists have a strange reluctance to sell
it over the counter - something to do with encouraging alcoholism) but if
you can find a source for it, it'll cost you a tenth of the price that
Bear Solutions are asking.
For the record, you can contact Bear Solutions (or should that be Bare
Assed Cheek?) at:
Big Bear Systems Ltd, 214 Telsen Centre, Thomas Street,
Aston, Birmingham, B6 4TN. Phone: 021 359 9968
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And that's it. The Graphix Area and STEN are no more. Run fast, live free.
~~~~~eof~~~~~