Publisher Platinum/Publisher Platinum.iso/clipart/utils/gifhex11/gifhex.doc

Text File | 1993-04-30 | 17.1 KB | 358 lines

          GIFHEX (c) Copr. 1990-91 Lawrence Gozum & Marvin Gozum
          ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

                                User Manual


     DISCLAIMER

     This product is distributed AS IS.  The authors specifically disclaim
     all warranties ,expressed or implied, including ,but not limited to,
     implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular
     purpose with respect to defects in the diskette and documentation, and
     program license granted herein, in particular, and without limiting
     operation of the program license with respect to any particular
     application use or purpose.  In no event shall the authors be liable for
     any loss of profit or any other commercial damage including but not
     limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.


     LICENSING AGREEMENT

     You may use this program for a 10 DAY TRIAL PERIOD.  Should you find
     this program useful, you MUST register it; you will then be provided
     with the latest releases of the VGACAD system see last section of this
     manual). Freely distribute unmodified GIFHEX copies provided you charge
     $10 max. for distribution, in lieu of recognized Users Group guidelines
     (e.g., ASP or NYACC).


     WHAT IS GIFHEX ?

     GIFHEX is VGA2EGA reincarnated.  It is a utility to convert GIF or PCX
     or BLD/PLT images, with 256-colors, to variable, error-distributed,
     dithered, 16-color pictures (up to 1024x768x16).  It supports FOUR
     different algorithms to maximize your 16-color modes.

     One of the algorithms - POSTER - is a modified version of IDTVGA
     dithering, modified for EGA/SVGA/SVGA; this dithering scheme lets you
     'see' up to 216 distinct colors in VGA/SVGA or ALL 64 colors in EGA.

     Why be concerned with 16-color modes ? Isn't EGA a thing of the past ?
     Well, not quite; there are still MANY EGA users who have invested in
     costly RGB monitors; with GIFHEX, EGA users will not be missing much.

     In addition, SVGA 1024x768x256 images tend to show more detail in
     dithered 1024x768x16 modes than in interpolated (ie., sub-sampled)
     640x480x256 modes.  Moreover, the greatest common denominator, with
     the greatest standard resolution is the 640x480x16 mode (although we
     think the non-standard 360x480x256 video mode is better, it is still
     non-standard).  Thus, many 'GENLOCK' add-on boards have optimized the
     sync of their 640x480x16 modes for 'keying' - ie., for computer
     graphics overlays over real-time video images.  The 640x480x16 mode
     is quite adequate for when viewed as a special effect
     (ie., 'posterization) which is quite nifty for making video MultiMedia
     presentations with 'GENLOCK' add-on cards.

     Last but not the least, Intel's DVI (Digital Video Interactive)
     technology uses VGA 640x480x16 as its video overlay mode.  DVI will
     probably be THE 'de facto' standard for FULL MOTION VIDEO on your
     generic PC in the next year or so.  Intel has plans for making DVI
     VERY AFFORDABLE for home users.


     REQUIREMENTS

     EGA 128KB (640x350x16).  About 512KB of memory is required, although it
     uses about 2/3 of that.  With VGA or SVGA, palettes and colors will be
     modified to take advantage of VGA/SVGA's capability to show 16 out of
     256KB colors instead of EGA's 64 color palette.


     LOADING PICTURES INTO GIFHEX

     Three formats are accepted by GIFHEX: GIF, PCX and BLD/PLT files; at
     the start of the program, select from [G]IF, [P]CX or [B]LD/PLT files.
     TEMP file are created when GIF or PCX images are decoded; you can reload
     and rerocess previously decoded GIF and PCX images when prompted to load
     TEMP files.


     THE MAIN MENU

     After successful loading of your picture you can choose to create
     16-color, dithered images in [E]GA 640x350x16, [V]GA 640x480x16, or
     [U]ser modes up to 1024x768x16.

     [M]ethod toggles between 4 algorithms: POSTER, COLORIZE, 8 COLOR and
     16 COLOR dithering schemes.

     [L]ab facilitates interactive adjustments of color and contrast.


     DITHERING SCHEMES

     POSTER utilizes a dithering scheme called IDTVGA; for lack of a better
     term, IDTVGA stands for "Improved Definition Televion for VGA".  This
     dithering scheme was originally designed to 'show' over 100,000 colors
     in SVGA 256-color modes.  Here it has been adapted to 'show' 216 colors
     in VGA/SVGA modes and 64 colors in EGA mode.  Of all the four methods,
     POSTER is the fastest and provides the closest rendering of the
     original 256-color image with NO artifacting (ie., extraneous pixels
     or noise).  On the downside, the IDTVGA dithering scheme tends to mute
     the colors of the dithered images if compared to the original 256-color
     image; this however, is more than compensated by the 'clean' rendition.

     8-COLOR dithering uses the classic 3-plane (red-green-blue), however
     this Floyd-Steinberg dithering uses Stuki-like values.  This algorithm
     is the most consistent and renders ALL images with smoother tones.
     Flesh tones and gradients are good.  Artifacting is predictable and
     can be minimized with contrast adjustments.  Grey shades, however,
     tend to be distorted.

     16-COLOR dithering uses 4-plane (red-green-blue-white) dithering,
     similar to 8-COLOR dithering, but with an additional plane for greater
     tone.  The white plane enhances the grey content.

     COLORIZE, for lack of a better term, is similar to 8-COLOR or 16-COLOR
     dithering in its rendering BUT utilizes a radical approach; it uses a
     color look-up table for HSV values (Hue, Saturation and Value).  This
     dithering method renders BRILLANT colors (and a lot of them).  For
     many images, the results are superior to ALL four methods.  The
     downside is its inconsistency and artifacting (ie., extraneous pixels
     or noise).  Some images do not render very well with this method, while
     others have outstanding results (eg., CARINA.GIF, PARROT.GIF, PAM1.GIF).

     Experiment with each of these methods, with different LAB settings
     as described in next section.  To summarize:

     METHOD     ADVANTAGES              DISADVANTAGES

     POSTER     GREATEST FIDELITY       MUTED COLORS
     8-COLOR    GOOD TONES              MINIMAL ARTIFACTING, POOR GREYS
     16-COLOR   BETTER TONES/GREYS      MINIMAL ARTIFACTING
     COLORIZE   BRILLANT COLORS         SOME ARTIFACTING


     LABORATORY

     The LABoratory allows interactive rendering of images using the
     16-COLOR dithering method.  All values are used in 8-COLOR, 16-COLOR
     and COLORIZE methods; only the POSTER method is independent.

     Selecting (L)aboratory will put you in EGA 640x350x16 mode and will
     show 70% of your picture; while in the Lab, you can alter the red,
     green, blue, and white color and contrast levels.

     To select a plane for modification press A,R,G,B,W; each letter refers
     to ALL, Red, Green, Blue,and White respectively.  Below the displayed
     image are bargraphs showing the corresponding RGBI color and contrast
     levels.

     Once a plane has been selected, pressing the [+] or [-] key will
     increase or decrease, the color or contrast level of selected
     plane(s).  The  <spacebar> toggles between contrast and color level
     modification modes.

     A MODE indicator will tell you what your current plane selection is
     and what modification mode is active.  "A Color" will mean that ALL
     color levels of all 4 planes will be affected.  "R Contrast" will mean
     that only the RED color level will be affected.  The [U]ndo function
     resets all color and contrast values; so, feel free to experiment!

     With (F)ine Tuning, you can adjust the global amounts of Red, Green,
     Blue and White(grey) in your picture.  At default it is 100%; this can
     be increased up to 200%; increasing the contrast will increase the
     amount of "black" in the picture by making a sharp cutoff (i.e., no
     color will be plotted).

     TIP: To avoid noise generated by dark shades surrounding a bordered
          image, increase the contrast level for ALL planes interactively.


     RESIZING & SAVING OPTIONS

     Whenever you select a video mode you will see these options (fields
     below are filled with examples).

               Video Mode/Aspect Ratio: EGA 640x350
               Image Width  (pixels)  : 640
               Image Height (pixels)  : 350

               Resizing Factor (1-100): 100%
               Pathname               : C:\GIF
               Dither Density (0 -255): 128

     Image Width and Height are set by the video mode you have chosen and
     cannot be changed.  In this example, the Image Width and Height matches
     the full screen since Resizing Factor is 100%; if it were 50% then each
     number will be cut in half.  The Pathname specifies where NYBLSCRN
     files (final output) will be saved.

     The value in Dither Density makes the dots more compact or more
     dispersed.  This value modifies contrast levels; if you have an image
     that is supposed to be surrounded by a black border but results in
     'artifacts' (undesired dithering), then increase this number to raise
     the contrast level.

     While viewing the picture in any mode, pressing <RETURN> saves your
     dithered image to NYBLSCRN.RAW and NYBLSCRN.PLT files; these files are
     constantly being overwritten.  Use VGAFIL to encode the NYBLSCRN files
     then immediately rename to keep your GIF or PCX file.


     EXTENDED EGA (EEGA) & SUPERVGA (SVGA) MODES

     You can set your own modes; specify the Screen Width, Screen Height,
     colors (16 or 256), Video Mode, and Chip type (9=BIOS).  Several *.CFG
     files are included; copy a special video mode (e.g., 800x600x16 and
     1024x768x16) to GIFHEX.CFG and it will be invoked with [U]ser option.

               copy ATI1024.cfg GIFHEX.cfg <ret>

     CHECK YOUR CARD'S MANUAL TO DETERMINE IF IT SUPPORTS IT!

     To set a new mode, press "P"arameters.  Once edited, it is saved and
     recalled anytime.  Type the video mode in decimal (e.g. 255) or hex
     (e.g. &HFF); HEX ENTRIES *MUST* BE PRECEDED BY THE "&H" CHARACATERS.
     16-COLOR MODES (UP TO 800x600 EXCEPT EVEREX & VIDEO7 MODES) MUST ALWAYS
     USE "9" (for BIOS) SINCE IT WILL TELL GIFHEX TO USE THE HARDCODED
     STANDARD PROCEDURE.  FOR MODES ABOVE 800x600 (e.g. 1024x768), YOU MUST
     USE CORRECT CHIPSET. (e.g., TSENG, VIDEO7, TRIDENT, etc).  WHEN IN
     DOUBT, USE "9" (for BIOS).  EV-673 users MUST use the "Everex" Chip
     type; EV-678 must specify the "EV678" Chip type.



     USING VGAFIL

     To convert directly from DOS, simply type

                        VGAFIL nyblscrn

     or specify the path where the nyblscrn files have been saved such
     as the following examples.

                        VGAFIL \work\svga\nyblscrn
                        VGAFIL e:\ramdisk\nyblscrn
                        VGAFIL b:nyblscrn

     IMPORTANT: NYBLSCRN FILES HAVE SPECIAL MEANING TO VGAFIL.  WHEN
                VGAFIL DETECTS THIS FILENAME, IT ENCODES THE IMAGE AS A
                TRUE 16-COLOR GIF.  ONLY GIF (87a) FORMAT FOR 16-COLOR
                IMAGES IS SUPPORTED AT THIS TIME.




     THE CHAINED VGACAD ENVIRONMENT

     BRUN41.exe is a runtime module distributed under licence with Microsoft
     in connection with this program.  Place it with GIFHEX or anywhere your
     PATH has access to.  GIFHEX will be part of VGACAD (v2.0 and up).
     ONLY ONE COPY OF BRUN41.EXE IS REQUIRED.



     REGISTRATION

     REGISTRATION OF GIFHEX IS BASED ON 'PERSONAL USAGE'.  CORPORATE OR
     ORGANIZATIONAL USERS *MUST* REGISTER ALL COPIES USED ON AN INDIVIDUAL
     BASIS; A SPECIFIC PERSON (NAME) MUST BE EXPLICITLY ASSIGNED TO EACH
     REGISTRANT WHO WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CORRESPONDING REGISTER.OVL FILE
     TO INDICATE REGISTERED USAGE.  REGISTRATION GRANTS A SPECIFIC PERSON
     (NOT A JURIDICAL PERSON OR CORPORATE ENTITY) THE RIGHT TO 'USE' GIFHEX.

    ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │ ALTHOUGH WE WILL TRY TO RESPOND TO YOUR REGISTRATION IN 2-3 WEEKS,│
    │ PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 4-6 WEEKS DELAY TO PROCESS YOUR REGISTRATION.  │
    └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

     As token of our appreciation (i.e., to registered users), we will send
     you the the latest version of the VGACAD system; many of the programs
     listed below do not require a graphics card.

     GIFPUB - converts 256 color GIF/PCX files to B&W images desktop
     publishing (DTP) as .PCX (Ventura, First Publisher, Publisher's
     Paintbrush, WP, Pagemaker).  Variable sizing/contrast/brightness.
     Includes printing on IBM/Epson, HP Laser and compatible printers.
     Variable sizes. 8 pics/page and/or  Single/Double Pass printing on
     dot matrix printers. Preview in CGA/HGC/EGA/VGA/EEGA/SVGA. Histogram-
     equalization.  No graphics card required.

     GIFBIT - converts B&W PCX files (e.g., scanner output to 32KBx32KB !)
     to grey shades for VGACAD image processing, GIFPUB redithering or
     printing, or VGA2EGA conversion - it edits those "scan line jitters".
     Viewing modes in MCGA/VGA/SVGA.  No graphics card required.

     SQZGIF/EGA2VGA - converts LARGE GIF/PCX pics (to 2KBx2KBx256) to
     several sizes and video modes using "color averaging" to blend/smooth
     "jaggies" or fast interpolation.  Variable sizing.  Also, converts
     GIFs (16 colors and below) and creates up to 256 new colors; outputs
     directly to GIFPUB, GIFDOT, VGACAD, MVGAVU, VGA2CGA or VGA2EGA.
     No graphics card required.

     GIFHEX (formerly VGA2EGA) - converts 256-color pictures to 16-color
     EGA or VGA .  Error-distributed dithering.  User support to 1024x768.
     Variable sizing/RGBICMY/contrast.  EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

     MVGAVU - EGA/MCGA/EEGA/VGA/SVGA viewer for GIF and BLD/PLT files.
     Smart slideshows - picks best mode.  320x400x256, 360x480x256 and
     640x400x16 modes on regular VGA.  Unique 16-color rendering.  SVGA
     support to 1024x768x256.  Auto-sizing.  Auto-Centering.  Auto-EMS
     usage.  AutoMode select.  Contrast/Brightness/Monitor Adjustment.
     EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

     VGACAD - extensive paint/image processing program for MCGA/VGA/SVGA
     users (edit GIFs up to 32KBx32KBx256 !!!); airbrushes, color and grey
     image processing functions (smoothing, noise removal, shading, contrast
     stretching, edge detection, ...), splines, Cut&Paste, variable sizing,
     256-color gradient/pattern fills, MORE !  Full screen SuperVGA editing
     and image processing function to 1024x768x256.   360x480x256 support.
     MCGA/VGA required.

     VGA2CGA - converts 256 color GIFs to CGA!  See "405" colors in an
     unsupported 160x100x16 CGA mode.  CGA/EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

     MAC2GIF - converts .MAC ("readmac") pictures to 5-16 grey shades or
     color and saves to .GIF or BLD/PLT file.  EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

     VGACAP - resident utility to capture 256-color MCGA/VGA or SVGA images.
     FAST SVGA 640x480x256 or 800x600x256 screen grabs.

     VGAFIL - GIF, PCX, BMP (Windows 3.0) and TGA (targa 16) encoding
     utility.  Accepts ALL RAW file formats used by our utilites as well as
     BLD/PLT files.  This utility replaces RAW2GIF, RAW2PCX and BLD2GIF.


     WHAT'S NEXT ?

     Aside from enhancing existing releases with greater capabilities (e.g.,
     expanded memory, virtual screen, SVGA functions, other graphics
     formats), we are developing VGACBT (Computer-Based Training program)
     and MANNEQUIN for Advertising/Fashion Design or creating your own
     artistic nudes.  We will try to develop and integrate more image
     processing functions for all our applications; if you have any image
     processing functions you would like to see, please let us know.

     In the short term, we are developing RGBLAB.  This is a color reduction
     utility to 'downsize' 24-bit or 16 Million-color pictures to 256-colors.
     RAW red, green and blue files or TIFF (*.TIF) files will be the main
     input source.  IDTVGA dithering will play a key role in previewing
     or rendering 24-bit images in SVGA 256-color modes.

     Support maverick authors like us and we will continue developing
     products like nothing seen commercially - otherwise they will simply
     "DIE" from lack of support !  Compare the cost/benefit ratio of any of
     our products with commercial products.  You, and you alone, determine
     whether it will be worthwhile to continue developing.  Support the
     User-Supported (Shareware) concept.  Register your Shareware copies.
     To register, send the registration form and check or money order payable
     in USD to:

                               Dr. Marvin Gozum
                  2 Independence Place #1105, 6th & Locust
                            Philadelphia, PA 19106