Cream of the Crop 22/Cream of the Crop 22.iso/os2/mactr065.zip/mactr.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 1996-11-22 | 35KB | 1,013 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. File Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. Open... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Open item of the File menu will open a file dialog. You can
select any of the supported animation or picture formats. After loading, the
new project will be displayed in The Project List.

The file dialog supports multiple selections, that means that several files can
be marked for loading.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Save As... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Save item of the File menu will open the save window. The All
Frames item of The Save Window will be checked.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Remove All ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Remove All item of the File menu will remove all currently loaded
projects from The Project List.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Exit item of the File menu terminates MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Edit Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Select ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the three sub menu items of the Select item in the Edit menu
allows you to select all, or some of the frames in The Frame List.

Select All
     Selects all frames available in the frame list.

Select Range ...
     Allows you to select a range of frames, for example frame 10 to 50.

Select Compression ...
     Allows you to select all frames with a specific compression. For example,
     if you loaded a FLI animation, you can select all frames which have a
     ClrBlack compression method.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Deselect ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the three sub menu items of the Deselect item in the Edit menu
will allow you to deselect all, or some of the frames in The Frame List.

Deselect All
     Deselects all frames available in the frame list.

Deselect Range ...
     Allows you to deselect a range of frames, for example frame 10 to 50.

Deselect Compression ...
     Allows you to deselect all frames with a specific compression. For
     example, if you loaded a FLI animation, you can deselect all frames which
     have a Dummy compression method.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Invert ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Invert item of the Edit menu will invert the selection status of
all frames in The Frame List.

All selected frames will be deselected and all deselected frames will be
selected.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Project Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Project Info... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Project Info ... item of the Project menu will open a dialog
window which displays information about the currently selected Project.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Global Timecode... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Global Timecode item of the Project menu will open a window which
allows you to change the global timecode of the currently selected Project.

Some animation formats (for example FLI/FLC) only support one timecode for all
of the frames of an animation, that means that all frames will stop playback
for the same amount of time. These animations often have dummy frames inserted
into the animation to allow for better timing.

If your project does not have a global timecode or does support a timecode for
each frame, this menu item will be disabled. If it does support a timecode for
each frame, you can select the frames you want to change the timecode of and
select the Local Timecodes menu item of the Frames menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Cache Data ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Cache Data item of the Project menu caches all the data of the
currently selected Project in ram, which results in better access and playback
times for the project.

If the menu item is checked the data is cached in memory, if not the data will
be loaded directly from disk (which is the default).

Note, not all loader modules support caching, if a loader module does not
support caching, the menu item is disabled. This is the case for most of the
picture loader modules.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Play Project ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Play Project item of the Project menu plays the currently select project.

MainActor uses The Display Window for playback.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Remove Project ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Remove Project item of the Project menu will remove the currently
selected Project from The Project List and frees all memory dedicated to the
project.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Frames Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Save Frames ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Save Frames item of the Frames menu will open the save window.
The Selected Frames item of The Save Window will be checked.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Local Timecodes... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Local Timecodes... item of the Frames menu will open a window
which allows you to change the local timecodes of the currently selected
frames.

This option is only enabled if the animation format of your current Project
supports a timecode per frame or if the project is a picture (list).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Show Frames ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Show Frames item of the Frames menu will show the currently
selected frame.

MainActor uses The Display Window to show the frames of a Project.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Show Palette ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Show Palette item of the Frames menu will show the palette of the
current frame in The Palette Editor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Sort Frames ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Sort Frames item in the Frames menu
sorts all frames in The Frame List according to the selected sort method. This
menu is only available when the currently selected Project is a picture list.

Animations are mostly delta encoded and cannot be sorted, even when they are
nonlinear, it would be too difficult to keep track of the different color
palettes etc.

Sort Frames by Name
     The frames are sorted, case insensitive, by their names.

Sort Frames by Size
     The frames are sorted by their size. The pictures with the smallest size
     are at the top of the frame list, the pictures with the biggest size at
     the bottom.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Remove Frames ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Remove Frames item of the Frames menu will remove the currently
selected frames in The Frames List.

This menu item is only active when the current project is a picture list. You
cannot remove frames from an animation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Settings Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Timecode Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the three sub menu items of the Show Timecodes as item in the
Settings menu allows you to change the time system in which the timecodes in
The Frame List are displayed.

/1000      Sec
           This timecode setting displays the timecode for every frame in milliseconds.

           HH:MM:SS:MS
           The timecodes will be displayed as time offsets of the frames
           relative to the beginning of the project in hours, minutes, seconds
           and milliseconds. The head of the timecode column will display the
           time of the whole project.

           HH:MM:SS.FF
           In contrast to the first two settings, this setting is based on a
           frames per second basis. The timecodes are, again, treated as
           offsets. First, MainActor will determine the global frames per
           second rate of the project. Then it will display the timecodes,
           based on this fps rate, in hours, minutes, seconds and the frame
           offset. The frame offset is between 0 (the first frame of the
           second) and the frames per second rate minus one (the last frame of
           the second). The head of the timecode column will display the time
           of the whole project.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Playback Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Playback item in the Settings menu
allows you to change the global playback settings of The Display Window. The
settings will always be used when the display window is invoked by MainActor.
MainView will use them if no command line options are defined. If you need more
detailed information of the settings, please use the online help of the display window.

           Autostart
           If this item is enabled, the project will directly start to play.
           Otherwise it will wait for a play command from the toolbar or the menu.

Control    Toolbar
           Specifies the position of the control toolbar relative to the
           display window.

           Titlebar
           Specifies the text to be displayed in the title bar. Either the
           project title, the current frame number or the current frames per second.

           Repeats
           Specifies how many times projects without sound shall be repeated
           while playing. Projects with sound will always only be repeated once.

           Volume
           Specifies the volume of the sound contained in projects.

The next items are ony available in the Windows version of MainActor and define
the full screen mode characteristics of DirectX.

Full       Screen
           This item enables the full screen playback mode.

Scale To   Screen
           This item is only available in full screen mode. If this item is
           enabled, the DirectX system will always scale the image to fit the
           entire size of the screen.

Use Best   Mode
           This item is only available in full screen mode. If this  item is
           enabled, MainActor tries to find the best possible screen mode for
           the project which is available on your system. Otherwise, full
           screen playback will always use the screen mode of the Windows user interface.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Custom File Requester ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Custom File Requester item of the Settings menu will use The
Custom File Requester for loading of files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Help Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Help Index ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Help Index item of the Help menu displays the index of the online
help document for MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. General Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the General Help item of the Help menu displays a general
introduction to the user interface of MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Using Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Using Help item of the Help menu displays an introduction on how
to use the online help facility.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. MainActor Documentation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the MainActor Documentation item of the Help menu will show the
documentation of MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.5. Loader Modules... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Loader Modules item of the Help menu will open a dialog window
which displays the supplied loader modules of this version of MainActor, as
well as the supported codecs of these modules.

The version numbers, copyrights and authors of the modules are displayed as
well.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.6. Saver Modules... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Saver Modules item of the Help menu will open a dialog window
which displays the supplied saver modules of this version of MainActor, as well
as the supported codecs of these modules.

The version numbers, copyrights and authors of the modules are displayed as
well.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.7. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Registration item of the Help menu will show an informational
text about how to register MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.8. Serial Number... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Serial Number item of the Help menu will allow you to register
your copy of MainActor once you received your personal serial number from us.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.9. Release Notes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Release Notes item of the Help menu will show the latest
information about this version of MainActor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.10. Product Info... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Product Info ... item of the Help menu will open a dialog window
which displays the version number of MainActor and the registration status of
your copy.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. The Display Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Display window is used for graphically displaying a project and its frames.

The window contains the Options and Control menus and The Control Toolbar.

Please use the online help for the menu items for information on the various functions.

The Windows version of MainActor also supports key commands when in full-screen mode.

     Escape
     Ends the playback session.

     F1-F10
     Select the speed of playback. F1 is the fastest and F10 is the slowest
     speed. Only possible to adjust while playing projects without sound.

     Return
     Activate the default frame (speed) rate of the project. This is always the default.

     S
     Stops playback.

     P
     Starts playback.

Left Cursor Key
     When playback is stopped, jump to the previous frame.

Right Cursor Key
     When playback is stopped, jump to the next frame.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. The Control Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This toolbar controls The Display Window.  For a description of the buttons of
this toolbar, enable the Hover help subitem of the Control Toolbar item in the
Control menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Goto Frame Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter the frame number of the frame which shall be displayed in the The Display
Window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Speed Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter the frame rate which shall be applied to The Display Window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Options Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4.1. Snap ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Snap item in the Display Windows
Options menu snaps The Display Window to a specific size, relative to the
project dimensions.

Snap 1/1
     Snaps the window size to the size required to contain the original project
     dimensions.

Snap 2/2
     Snaps the window size to the size required to contain twice the project
     dimensions.

Snap 3/3
     Snaps the window size to the size required to contain thrice the project
     dimensions.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4.2. Speed ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Speed item in the Display Windows
Options menu adjusts the frame rate with which the frames in the The Display
Window are displayed.

Timed
     Selects the default frame rate of the project. This is the default.

Maximum
     Selects the maximum frame rate possible. The project will be played back
     at maximum speed.

60 fps
     Tries to adjust the frame rate to 60 frames per second, if possible.

50 fps
     Tries to adjust the frame rate to 50 frames per second, if possible.

30 fps
     Tries to adjust the frame rate to 30 frames per second, if possible.

25 fps
     Tries to adjust the frame rate to 25 frames per second, if possible.

10 fps
     Tries to adjust the frame rate to 10 frames per second, if possible.

Custom...
     Requests a custom frame rate. Valid frame rates range from 1 to 1000.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4.3. Titlebar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Titlebar item in the Display Windows
Options menu sets the contents of the titlebar of The Display Window.

Project Name
     Displays the name of the current project in the titlebar. This is the
     default for animations.

Frame Counter
     Show the current frame number in the titlebar. This is the default for
     pictures.

Frames per Second
     Shows the frames which are displayed per second in the titlebar.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4.4. Repeats ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The sub menu items of the Repeats item in the Display Windows Options menu show
and change the number of times the project is repeated while played in The
Display Window.

The first sub menu item, the Repeats: item, indicates the current number of repeats.

The repeat value can be changed with the Change sub menu item.

Note that projects with sound will always be played only once and you cannot
change the repeat value.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4.5. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Exit item in the Display Windows Options menu closes The Display
Window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5. Control Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5.1. Control Elements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The items of the Control menu control the playback of the project. Most
functions are also integrated in The Control Toolbar.

Scan backward
     Scans back to the first frame.

Step backward
     Steps back one frame.

Stop
     Stops the playback.

Play
     Starts the playback.

Step forward
     Steps forward one frame.

Scan forward
     Scans forward to the last frame.

Goto Frame...
     Requests you to enter a frame inside the project. If you enter a valid
     frame number, The Display Window jumps to the frame.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5.2. Control Toolbar Layout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting one of the sub menu items of the Control Toolbar item in the Display
Windows Control menu sets the style of The Control Toolbar

Hover help
     Enables or disables the hover help support for the control toolbar. If
     hover help is enabled, help messages are displayed once the mousepointer
     is above one of the control elements of the toolbar.

Top
     Displays the toolbar above the project.

Bottom
     Displays the toolbar below the project.

Left
     Displays the toolbar to the left of the project.

Right
     Displays the toolbar to the right of the project.

Floating
     Lets the toolbar float freely on the desktop.

Hidden
     Hides the toolbar.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Misc. Windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Module Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This window displays all loader or saver modules which are included in
MainActor v0.65.

Each module supports various codecs, the codecs of the currently selected
module are listed in the Codecs list.

The author, copyright and version of the currently selected module are listed
in the lower left of the window, along with the type field which identifies the
format of the module, for example Animation or Picture.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Select Range ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Select Range window lets you select a specific range of frames in The Frame
List.

Enter the first frame you want to have selected in the From field and enter the
last frame in the to field.

After that, you can select Accept to select the frames or Cancel to cancel the
operation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Select Compression ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Select Compression window lets you select the frames in The Frame List
which have a specific compression method.

Select the compression format and select Accept to select the frames with the
specified compression method or select Cancel to cancel the operation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Deselect Range ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Deselect Range window lets you deselect a specific range of frames in The
Frame List.

Enter the first frame you want to have deselected in the From field and enter
the last frame in the to field.

After that, you can select Accept to deselect the frames or Cancel to cancel
the operation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Deselect Compression ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Deselect Compression window lets you deselect the frames in The Frame List
which have a specific compression method.

Select the compression method and select Accept to deselect the frames with the
specified compression method or select Cancel to cancel the operation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. Project Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Project Info dialog window displays some of the more technical information
of the current project.

Name
     The name of the current project.

Format
     The format of the loader module.

Width
     The width of the project in pixels.

Height
     The height of the project in pixels.

Frames
     The number of frames of the project.

Loop Frames
     The number of loop frames of the project.

Average Image Size
     The average size, in bytes, of the image data.

Average Sound Size
     The average size, in bytes, of the sound data (if any).

Bits Per Sample
     The amount of bits per sample, typically 8 or 16 bits. The sound quality
     improves with the number of bits. This field is empty when no sound is
     associated with the project.

Samples Per Second
     The samples which are played per second. More samples are equivalent with
     better sound quality. This field is empty when no sound is associated with
     the project.

Total Project Size
     The total size, in bytes, of the project.

Color Space Spec
     The color space format of the project.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. Local Timecode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Local Timecode window allows you to change the local timecodes of the
currently selected frames.

The Local Timecode changes the timecodes of all currently selected frames in
The Frame List to the new timecode. Note that only a few animation formats
support a timecode per frame (for example all IFF-Anim formats). You can always
change the local timecodes for pictures, but they will not be saved.

The timecode has to be entered in milliseconds.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.8. The Save Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The save window is the interface to the save modules which are shipped with
MainActor v0.65.

You can select the format in which you want to save the frames in the Modules
list. Most modules support more than one codec, select the one you want in the
Codecs list.

If you are going to save pictures or an animation, you can select their new
width and height in the Width and Height entry fields.

You can now choose if you want to save all the frames of the project, or just
those which are selected in the The Frame List. If you want to save all frames,
enable the All Frames button, otherwise select the Selected Frames button.

You can edit the color palette which will be used for 8bit codecs by selecting
the Palette ... button. The palette will be created and The Palette Editor will
be opened to edit the palette. The editor is nice when you want to optimize the
palette or want to set a specific color to the 0 index (for example to set it
to transparent with the GIF saver). Although you can  always edit the palette,
it will only be used by codecs which use a color palette (8bit codecs).

If the currently selected save module accepts options, the Options ... button
is enabled. Pressing the button will open the Module GUI Interface. This
interface allows you to set the options the saver module supports, like setting
the background / transparent colors for GIF pictures or animations.

You can start the save process by clicking on the Save... button. Choose the
name of the new project in the file dialog requester. Note that the save
modules will append their suffix to the file name automatically, like ".fli".
Also, if you save a series of pictures, the picture index will also be
appended, like "0002.bmp".

While saving you can stop the action by clicking on Cancel. Cancel will also
close the window if no save progress is currently running.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9. Personalisation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter your personal serial number into the entry field and select Accept. If
you do not yet own a serial number (you do not have registered MainActor yet),
select Cancel.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10. Global Timecode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Global Timecode window allows you to change the global timecode of your
current Project.

The Global Timecode changes the timecodes of all frames to the new timecode
entered in the window. This option is important for those animation formats who
only support one timecode per animation (FLI/FLC). These animation formats
often use Dummy frames for timing.

The timecode has to be entered in milliseconds.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.11. Repeats Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter the number of times projects without sound shall be repeated while playing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.12. Module GUI Interface ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This window is the user interface to the modules. There is no online help
available for the options of the different modules.

If you don't know what a specific option does, it is best to simply ignore it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.13. The Palette Editor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The editor enables you to view and edit the current palette.

The 256 palette entries are visible at the top of the window, the currently
selected palette entry is shown right of the Selected Color: text. The red,
green and blue values of the current color are displayed in the labeled entry
fields. You can edit these values by entering a new value or by using the spin buttons.

Swapping colors is possible by entering the color index at the entry field
right of the Swap Color Index: text. If you now select the Swap push button,
the colors of the current index and the swap index are swapped.

You can accept the changes by pressing Accept, Cancel will discard the changes
to the color palette.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. The Custom File Requester ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This requester offers some enhanced functionality over the system file requester.

You can select the drives in The Drive List and files and directories in The
File And Directory List.

Pressing the Load button will load the currently selected files, pressing
Cancel will close the requester without loading a file.

If the file requester is in single selection mode, the Select and Deselect
submenu items of the Files menu will be disabled.

Please use the online menu help for descriptions of the menu functions.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. The Drive List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The drive list contains the drives (disks) which are currently available on
your system.

Selecting a drive will display the current directory of this drive in The File
And Directory List. Double clicking a drive will display the root directory.

Note that the Drives menu is available as a popup menu inside of the drive list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. The File And Directory List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The file and directory list contains the files and directories of the currently
selected drive of the The Drive List. The directories are located at the top of
the list, the files at the bottom.

You can enter a directory by double clicking on its name. You cannot select
directories, only files. Double clicking on a file will load it.

Note that the Files menu is available as a popup menu inside of the file and
directory list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. The Drives Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Drives menu contains the following items:

     Refresh
     This item will refresh The Drive List.

     Exit
     Closes the file requester without loading a file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. The Files Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.1. Select ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The submenu items of the Select item select all files or a part of the files in
The File And Directory List.

Select All
     Selects all files.

Select To
     Selects all files up to the current file.

Select From
     Select all files starting from the current file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.2. Deselect ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The submenu items of the Deselect item deselect all files or a part of the
files in The File And Directory List.

Deselect All
     Deselects all files.

Deselect To
     Deselects all files up to the current file.

Deselect From
     Deselect all files starting from the current file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.3. Load Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Load Files item will load all currently selected files in The File And
Directory List.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Info Links ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. The Frame List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The frame list displays all frames of the currently selected Project.

Each frame is represented by an icon and several columns of information.

If the frame is part of an animation, information about the number of the
frame, its timecode, compression and its size are displayed. Also, if the frame
has sound information associated, the frame icon will have a small note symbol
and the size of the sound data is displayed.

If the frame (or rather picture) is part of a picture list, its name, timecode,
compression method and size is displayed.

You can change the way the timecodes are displayed by using the Timecode Settings.

Every frame has its own popup menu. Double-clicking a frame will display it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. The Project List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The project list displays all currently loaded projects and occupies the left
third of the main window. The frames of the currently selected Project are
displayed in The Frame List.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. Project ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

All projects are displayed as icons in The Project List.

A project is either an animation of a certain animation format or one or more
pictures or sounds of the same format. All pictures of the same format will
always be grouped together in one project, this project is named after the
picture format. The same for the sounds.

The frames of the currently selected project are displayed in The Frame List.

Each project has its own popup menu, double-clicking on a project will play it
back.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4. General Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The main window of MainActor is divided into two parts.

On the left of the window is The Project List, the rest of the window is
occupied by The Frame List.

You can change the relative size of the project and frame lists by dragging the
vertical slider to the left or right. The slider is located between the lists.

You can load a new Project with the Open item of the File menu, or by dragging
the file into the project list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.5. Beta Notes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Please read this page for information about this beta version of MainActor.

This beta release will probably contain bugs and is missing features and
modules of the final release. If you encounter any bugs or need a special
feature please contact us, this is what this beta is for.

Known Problems with this Beta

o   None.

Features of this version

o   Complete AVI and QT support with sound. The AVI saver now also supports sound.

o   Other modules include loading of BMP, DL, FLI, FLC, GIF, GIF-Anim, IFF,
    IFF-Anim3/5/7/8/J, PCX, JPEG and saving of BMP, FLI, FLC, GIF, GIF-Anim,
    JPEG, WAV.

o   An interface to the system codecs (MMPM/2 under OS/2 and ICM under Windows)
    which allows the support of the installed codecs in the Windows / OS/2
    multimedia subsystem.

o   Motion JPEG support for AVI (loading/saving) and QT (loading).

o   Saving of GIF and GIF-Anim supports all possible options like Transparency
    and Netscape loop extensions.

o   A color palette editor for optimizing the palette or for setting the color
    indices for GIF transparency.

o   Lots of smaller improvements. For a detailed lists of changes see the
    history section of the MainActor documentation.

Features of v1.0

o   Many loader and saver modules, including SGI Movies, MPEG, .MOD and more.

o   QuickTime saver.

o   Many animation processing and editing functions.

o   Graphical profiles.

In the long run, MainActor will become a timeline based animation sequencer,
including

o   An unlimited amount of video and audio tracks.

o   Fades, wipes and effects for both audio and video.

o   Developer kits for writing them, as will be the case with the loader/saver
    modules.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.6. Load Error ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Either an error has been encountered while loading the project or you did
cancel the loading process.

You can see the cause of the failure in the window, as well as the project at
which the failure occurred.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.7. Error ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

An error has been encountered. The window displays the error message and the
possible cause for the error.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.8. MainView/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

MainView is the external player of MainActor. It should be used if you just
want to play an animation or to view a picture.

During the loading process, the name of the project, its format and the width
and height are displayed. The progress indicator displays how much of the
project has already been examined. If the project has been loaded the frames
field is updated with the number of frames of the project.

MainView will display warning messages of the loader modules in red at the
bottom line of the window.

After loading, the project will be shown.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you decide to register MainActor, we will send you a personal serial number
which will be able to unlock all future versions of this software on all
available platforms. Currently MainActor is running on OS/2 and Windows 95 / NT
4.0.

The fee for MainActor is $60 (99,- DM) or any equivalent sum in your local
currency. Please no foreign checks (except EuroChecks). We do take
Master/EuroCard and VISA.

You can contact us at :

MainConcept, GbR Moenig/Zabel
Hermann-Heusch-Platz 3
D-52062 Aachen
Germany

Tel:  [phone]
FAX:  [phone]
BBS:  [phone]

Email: [e-mail]
http://www.ac-copy.com/maincpt.html

You can also order at BMT Micro. Please have a look at the file bmtmicro.txt
included in this