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Text File | 1991-10-23 | 33KB | 611 lines

++------------------------------------------------++ || || || 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor || || || || A Pod Bay Enterprises Product || || || || Programmer: David A. Johndrow || || || || Registration Fee: $7.50 (Registration Only) || || $10 (Reg. & 256 PLUS) || || || || Register with: David A. Johndrow || || 3115 Deerchase Wynd || || Durham, NC 27712 || || || || IMPORTANT: Make checks payable to || || David A. Johndrow || || || ++------------------------------------------------++ 256 DRAW - The "256 DRAW GRAPHICS EDITOR" is designed for use by anyone who has a desire to draw or edit images in 256 color VGA mode. The images created with 256 Draw are simple bitmap images with no compression schemes involved. This product encompasses many diverse drawing and graphics- related routines. Since this is a shareware product it may be freely distributed, copied or shared. After reviewing 256 DRAW, please register the product by sending the $7.50 registration fee directly to David Johndrow. If you wish to have Pod Bay Enterprises send you the corollary program, 256 PLUS, please include an extra $2.50 for expenses for a total of $10. Note: 256 PLUS is intended to augment the 256 DRAW program, it is not required. In addition to 256 Plus, the author will send you any newer versions of 256 Draw, at least 1.1 which will allow you to load full screen images instead of the 200x150 restriction in the current version. Version 1.1 will be completed in November, 1991. 256 PLUS - The "256 PLUS TOOLBOX PROGRAM" was devised to complement the 256 DRAW program for the power-users. All sorts of powerful tools such as .PCX Conversion, Palette Approximations, and Code Examples are included with this program. You get 256 PLUS by registering 256 DRAW for $10. For most users, we recommend registration to include this product. Please specify which type of drive you have (5¼ or 3½) and we will mail you a low-density disk with the "256 PLUS TOOLBOX" as well as any recent versions of 256 DRAW. Once you have purchased 256 PLUS, it is invoked directly through 256 DRAW. You never have to leave the program! For more detail on the 256 PLUS program, please refer to the section at the end of this document entitled "256 PLUS, What to expect." +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 2 +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Table of Contents Page | | | +------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Where to Start........................................2 | | | | General Information...................................3 | | | | Screen Layout.........................................4 | | | | Files and Palettes....................................5 | | | | 256 DRAW Menu Items Descriptions......................6 | | | | 256 PLUS, What to Expect..............................13 | | | +------------------------------------------------------------+ WHERE TO START - The 256 Draw graphics program is designed to operate stand-alone. This means that you can install it somewhere on the path and then call it up by simple typing 256Draw at any time. If you are new to DOS, or if you have no hard drive, you may want to run 256 Draw from a floppy disks. The DOS manuals might prove useful for determining what the path is as well as how to change it, but 256 Draw is not required to be placed in the path. Once you have copied the 256DRAW.EXE program to the desired location, you are ready to run it. Even though 256 Draw, as well as 256 Plus, does not need to be in the current directory, be aware that all files (palette and image) are saved in the current directory. Before running the 256 Draw program, you may wish to print this document. Either load it as a file in your word processor and print it or type the following command in DOS: "TYPE 256DRAW.DOC >PRN" Refer to the General Information section for more information about files included with the 256 Draw program. BEGINNERS will enjoy the easy-to-use interface. After selecting to load an image or start a new one, you can begin drawing freehand by holding down the left button in the draw window or start adding shapes of all kinds to your picture...even polygons with up to 100 sides! A Help button is just one click away from helping you figure out what's going on! INTERMEDIATE users will appreciate the additional features that simplify the graphics-editing process. Many full-scale commercial packages do not give you the opportunity to do simple operations such as color replacement. You will be surprised how easy it is to get up and running in this program. EXPERTS and non-experts alike will want to fully maximize this program by using the advanced drawing procedures such as Interpolate, Sunburst, Phase and Anti-Aliasing. Change, load and save palettes with your graphics files as well as stand-alone. Use the programming examples to load and present the images in your programs as well as employ the very useful routines found in the "256 PLUS" package. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 3 +--------------------------------------------+ GENERAL INFORMATION - This is a shareware product. If you use 256 DRAW, you are expected to register with the author, David Johndrow. Registration may be obtained by sending a check, money order or cash (not recommended) to the above stated address. Please make checks payable to David Johndrow. Any other desired correspondence may be sent directly to the author, or POD BAY ENTERPRISES, at the same address. This document explains how to use the 256 DRAW program. After a few summary pages, an account of all of the available options are detailed. For instructions on how to use the 256 PLUS program, please refer to the document 256 PLUS that is located on the disk I will send to you if you register. For a detailed listing of all the files on the 256 Draw disk, as well as any updtaes in later versions, refer to the file "README.DOC". POD BAY ENTERPRISES is a software-development team dedicated to bringing quality software to the shareware and commercial markets. 256 DRAW originated from a need for a qualitative, simple, yet powerful graphics program without the usual exorbitant price-tag. Although 256 DRAW is being distributed under the POD BAY ENTERPRISES name, it is solely owned by the author, David Johndrow. Registering this product will fulfill his goal of providing you with a powerful graphics tool. The author wishes to thank Brian Cox, Sharon Watson, Dwight Sharpe, Harold Burdick and Bob Roberds for their valuable contributions to the development and evolution of 256 DRAW. Their needs and demands clearly defined the direction of this endeavor. Both 256 Draw and 256 Plus were developed under Turbo Pascal version 6.0, the Example.C file was tested using Turbo C++. The author is currently a Research Analyst at Duke University Medical Center. If you must reach him by phone, he is listed in the Durham, N.C. Directory. MACROS - The following is a list of macros supported by 256 DRAW. [Alt][1] - Pixel size 1x1 [Alt][2] - Pixel size 2x2 [Alt][3] - Pixel size 3x3 [Alt][4] - Pixel size 4x4 [Alt][5] - Pixel size 5x5, customized pattern, also [Alt][P] [Alt][S] - Abort program quickly. Image saved as "256Dump.VGA" [Alt][X] - Abort program quickly. No image save. [ESC] - Abort program with prompt. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 4 +--------------------------------------------+ Screen Layout: +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | +------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | Draw Window - This is where all of the | This area is not used by | | | | | | | real action occurs. | you. 256 DRAW puts the | | | | | | | [Left Button] - will either place a | real-size image here. | | | | | | | pixel or choose a point. | See note 1 below. | | | | | | | [Right Button] - will select the draw | +-----------------------+ | | | | | | | | | color to be whatever is currently | | Menu Window - Choose | | | | | | | | | | located at that location. | | options here. | | | | | | | | | +------------------------------------------+ | [LB] - Chooses item. | | | +------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | [RB] - Help on topic.| | | | Palette Window - Choose colors here. | | | | | | | | | | | +------------------------------------------+ +-----------------------+ | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ NOTE 1: The draw window often uses pixels larger than an actual screen pixel. This makes editing pixels much easier, especially while in zoom mode. If the image being edited is smaller or equal to 100x75 pixels in size, the real-size image is displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen. NOTE 2: Keep in mind that Help is available most of the time. Only when you are in the middle of a process is help unavailable. If you have begun a process and you are not sure what you have done, you can usually abandon it by hitting the Right mouse button. Probably the most relieving command available is the UNDO command. Exploring should be encouraged by the fact that you can always undo the last action. Saving periodically can also take some of the danger of unwanted changes becoming permanent. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 5 +--------------------------------------------+ FILES AND PALETTES - This section is included to explain a subject that can be confusing for many users. In this document, the term file refers to the disk file that can hold just the image or the image along with its own palette. In the 256 DRAW program these files have a .VGA file extension. The term palette refers to the settings of the 256 colors that are visible. These files have a .PAL file extension. Remember, only 256 colors can be displayed at one time but they can be selected from 262,144 colors! When saving an image to disk, you must decide whether or not to bundle the palette with that file. The best rule of thumb to follow when deciding which route to go is to first assess your needs. If you are working with different PCX files or you will be using the images in a situation where only one is visible at a time, you may want to save the palette along with the image. If you are going to use a generic or constant palette, avoid saving the palette with the images and you will save 768 bytes per file. 256 DRAW uses the .VGA extension on both kinds of files so it relies on file size alone to determine if you have saved the palette along with the image. 256 DRAW will know to load the palette with the image if there is one saved with a file. You need to make sure that your program knows to do the same if you use unique palettes. Of course, we have provided a means for you to save just the palette in its own file for the purpose of loading it within 256 DRAW as well as your own programs. Saving the current palette by itself, into a .PAL file as mentioned above, may be done in 256 DRAW by clicking on PAL and then choosing SAVE from the next sub-menu. Included in the package you have already received is some sample code in C and Pascal that will show you how to load and use image files. Be sure to review the files EXAMPLE.C and EXAMPLE.PAS. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 6 +--------------------------------------------+ NEW - This option allows you to start a fresh picture. If you were currently working on a picture, you will be prompted for a chance to save. Use the mouse to select the size of the picture you will be working on. If you wish to change these dimensions later, you may do so with the size command. LOAD - This option allows you to load a saved picture from disk. All of the information regarding size and palette, if applicable, will be loaded as well. For more information regarding the handling of files and palettes, see the special section entitled "Files and Palettes." PIXEL - When a menu option is not selected, you are in draw mode by default. This means that when you are in the active draw area, a click on the left button will place a pixel under the cursor. Holding down the button and moving the mouse will amount to freehand drawing. The Pixel option allows you to select different pixel sizes. The choices are 1x1 (default), 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and custom. The custom pixel map allows you to select on/off attributes within a 5x5 grid. The pixels sizes can also be changed quickly by using [Alt][1] thru [Alt][5]. Or, if you prefer in place of [Alt][5] use [Alt][P] for pattern. SAVE - This option allows you to save the current picture to a disk file. If you had previously loaded the picture from disk, the save option will ask if you want to save the picture under the same name, if not, or if it is a new picture, you will be prompted for the picture name. In addition to saving the picture data, you may also save the palette with the picture. You must tell 256 Draw whether you wish to do so or not. This is discussed in more detail in the section "Files and Palettes." The data file is saved to a .VGA file on the disk. Using the files in your programs are discussed in "Files and Palettes" as well as "256 Plus, What to expect." Important: For the file name, only use up to eight characters for the name. In addition, no file extensions should be included. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 7 +--------------------------------------------+ SIZE - This option will allow you to resize the current picture. Move the mouse to select a frame size. If the picture is smaller than the new size, your picture will be upper-left justified with the new frame. You can either scale the old picture to the new size or crop the old picture extra portion of the old picture. Scaling will fit the picture into the frame using an approximation of the old picture. The degree of continuity between the old and new picture is a function of how radical the change in size. FILL - This feature allows you to fill an area with the current color. You will need to specify an area to fill. The fill command keeps filling until all adjacent areas of the disappearing color are gone. GRID - This feature allows you to display a rectangular grid that makes it easy to see pixel boundaries in enlarged pictures. Naturally, this feature is disbled when the work area pixel size is too small. For large pictures, use Zoom to enable the grid feature. You can toggle grid on and off. COLOR - Since only 64 of the 256 available colors are visible in the paint palette at once, this feature swaps through the 4 tables of colors. All 256 colors are available for use in the picture, but to enable easy selection of colors, only 64 are displayed in the palette at once. Because of the redundancy of selecting colors from the palette, there is another color selection alternative. While working in the work area, the right mouse button will set the current color to be whatever the color under the mouse cursor. This allows you to quickly jump among colors that have already been put down on the canvas. This feature is also described in the main screen definition area. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 8 +--------------------------------------------+ The following 5 routines are shape processes. For the following procedures it is assumed the user knows that all painting will be done in whatever is selected as the current color. In addition, the right button will usually allow the user to abort the process. For all but the Line Procedure, you will have the option of making the shape solid. LINE - This will allow you to paint a line. You must specify the endpoints. RECTANGLE - This will allow you to paint a rectangle. You must specify two opposing corners. CIRCLE - This will allow you to paint a circle. You will be asked to first specify the center, and then a point along the circumference. ELLIPSE - This process lets you create odd shaped ellipses. After supplying the center of the circle, you will then give the x and y radius' respectively. Unlike the circle routine, where the circumference point can be anywhere, the program isolates mouse movement so only appropriate points are selected for x and y radius. POLYGON - The most powerful of the shape processes. This feature allows the user to paint a shape that has up to 100 sides. This will give a tremendous amount of freedom to create shapes that are widely diverse. Since it is a nuisance to stop and figure out how many points the shape will have, the program allows you to just keep entering points until you decide it is time to either draw the shape or abort the process. To use this process, just start selecting points in the work area. Once you are done, the right mouse button interupts the process. It is at this time that you inform the program whether you are done selecting points or changed your mind and want to abort. REPLACE - This routine allows you to replace all instances of one color with the currently selected color. After selecting this option you will first be asked to define the rectangular region over which the replace will be performed, then you will be asked to select a color in that region to be the color replaced. The program will then replace that color with the current color. RANDOM - This process is similar to the replace option with one main exception: Instead of replacing all instances of the target color, it will replace a percentage of the pixels at random locations. To enter the percentage of pixels to replace, use the mouse in a vertical manner and click when the desired percentage is shown. Say you want to replace 50% of the pixels of color 1 with color 2. The program will randomly select pixels of color 1 to replace with color 2 until 50% of the pixels of color 1 are replaced. Like the replace feature, the activity occurs over a rectangular region you specify. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 9 +--------------------------------------------+ PALETTE - A broad and powerful option, the Palette option activates a sub- menu with three component parts which manipulate the current palette: LOAD, SAVE and MODIFY. LOAD - Load allows you to load a palette from disk. You will choose from a list in the same manner that you load a picture file. The Load Palette feature seeks files using the .PAL extension. SAVE - Save allows you to save the palette to disk. Just as the Load Palette feature is analogous to the Load File feature, so is the Save Palette feature analogous to the Save File feature. Therefore, overwrites are confirmed. Always remember that this feature saves only the palette into a file with a .PAL extension. MODIFY - The most powerful palette feature, Modify brings up an entirely new screen which allows the user to change the existing palette in some way. The two main operations include a direct single-color manipulation as well as a multi-color trend operation. Easiest to grasp is the single-color manipulation. Simply point to the color you want to change and click. You wil notice the selection rectangle now borders that color. Notice how the Red- Green-Blue histograms change to show the current RGB settings for that color. To change one of the components, such as red, point to the box under the histogram and click. You will then use the mouse up and down to change that setting, changes are incurred immediately. When you have it set to the color level (In this example: red) that you desire, click the left button. The right button will exist the edit and restore the stat (red) to it's former state. More difficult to understand but much more powerful, is the Trend Operation. In a nutshell, the trend operation will allow you to select color x and y, then make every color between x and y a gradual blend in between. Naturally, the farther apart in the palette x and y are, the more slight the increments. As an example, let's say you want a black to white trend of 32 colors starting at color 16. Select color 16 and change all of it's RGB components to zero. Then push the button titled "Start Trend." Next, go to color 47 and set all of it's RGB components to 63. Now push the "End Trend" button. Now all you have to do is push the "Do Trend" button and watch it go! Toy with this feature and you will get used to it's usefulness. After finishing with the modify palette screen, hit "Quit" to return to the program where you left off. You must first tell the program whether or not to keep any palette changes made. Selecting a no will return you with the same palette as when you entered modify palette. Choosing a yes will make the changes active! Important: Changes made in the palette are not saved unless you either (1) choose the palette menu and save the palette in a .PAL file or (2) save the palette with the current picture! +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 10 +--------------------------------------------+ The following processes are operations that are generally bounded by a rectangular region. It is assumed that all target colors, where applicable, are done in the current color. It is also assumed that the instructions given below follow your specification of the rectangular bounds. ZOOM - This allows you to zoom into a portion of the picture (or zoom back out again) for a better look. If you are working on a large picture, the pixels in the work area may be really small. You can zoom in on a smaller sub-picture and work on that picture as if it were it's own entity. All of the menu options are still available in zoom mode, except for size. Selecting Zoom again, while already in the zoom mode, instructs the program that you want to zoom back out to main picture. You will have to decide whether or not to keep any changes incurred. COPY - This will copy, verbatim, the rectangular region you specified, to a new location. All pixels, background included, will appear in the new location. Move - Like the copy routine, this process will leave a hole of color 0 where the picture was originally. This routine is most useful when desiring to pick up and move an object, and that object is bounded by space (color 0). OVERLAY - Same as the copy routine with one exception: Any background color (color 0) in the moving picture will allow colors under it to appear. That is, no color 0 will be put over any other color. ERASE - This simply erases the area specified by the rectangular bounds. By erase, this means that color 0 will be used. MERGE - In order to simplify the process of editing pictures separately with one final picture in mind, this process was created. This will allow you to load in any picture from the disk and place it over the current picture. This uses the overlay routine so that only non-background colors are actually placed over the picture. The picture loaded must be less than or equal to the size of the picture already being worked on. The bounds for merging are limited to the largest area that would still include all of the picture (Upper-left justified). Note: Any picture pulled into the current picture will ignore the palette of the picture being loaded. For a problem-solving approach to getting around this, see the section entitled "256 Plus - Where to Go From Here." +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 11 +--------------------------------------------+ The following processes are considered miscellaneous options. They add to the power of the graphics package but fall under no special grouping. Since several of them can be considered advanced features, they are also used and mentioned in the file 256Demo.Doc. This is the file that will escort you through the creation of images visible in the graphics files 256Demo1 and 256Demo2. HORIZONTAL - This will simply flip the picture left-right. This means the picture will be flipped along a central vertical axis. Note that the entire picture will be flipped. To flip only a portion, zoom-in, perform the flip and then zoom-out. VERTICAL - This routine will flip the picture top-bottom. Pictures will be turned "upside down". This means that the picture will be flipped along a central horizontal axis. Keep in mind the same usefulness of the zoom option mentioned above. PHASE - A powerful graphics routine, this procedure will allow you to create transitional phases of colors. You will specify the rectangular coordinates for the phase to take effect. You will need to then decide between a horizontal or vertical phase, and an ascending or descending phase. You will also need to specify how many colors are in the phase, from 2 to 64. The phase takes effect only on all instances of the current color within the rectangular region. SUNBURST - Similar to the phase routine, this function differs only in that the colors spread out in a radial manner. ANTI-ALIASING - The anti-aliasing process is tricky to use but allows the computer to make "best-fit" approximations to midway colors based on mathematical reasoning. This routine will sweep through a specified rectangular region and find all instances of the current color. When it does, it sees if the pixels on either side of the pixel are different than the current color. If so, it will select a best-fit approximation to the color that has the averages of each of the RGB components. This procedure is palette independent - that is, it will make a best-fit approximation no matter what palette you are using. There are two methods to choose from. One method takes whichever color has the smallest sum of the differences in RGB values, the other takes the color with the least magnitude in range of the 3 values. Experiment with either and decide which one you like best. For the current color, you should pick an outside color that looks out of place. This allows you to carefully delineate exactly where the actions occur without running the risk of accidental smoothing. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 12 +--------------------------------------------+ INTERPOLATION - Another one of the more advanced features, Interpolation is discussed and demonstrated in more detail in the "256Demo.Doc" file. Basically, interpolation provides a sweeping transition form one polygon to another, incrementing or decrementing colors as it goes. Two separate polygons are entered in the same manner they are under the polygon option. The points are paired and a series of polygons are plotted in-between the two, with the colors incrementing for each. The number of polygons in the series are selected by the user. In addition, the user chooses whether they should be solid or hollow. HELP - Hitting this key will give a quick run-down of what is available on the screen and what parts of the screen perform what functions. It also describes how each menu option has it's own brief description. UNDO - This routine basically allows you to undo almost all actions you can perform as long as they were the last action! If you don't like the results of the last change...undo it. EXIT - Just what you'd expect, this will exit the program. If you have edited a file, you will be asked if you want to save the file. If you need to get out really fast...there are two options. [Alt][X] will immediately exit and return to DOS. [Alt][S] will save the file under the name "256DUMP.VGA" without any associated palette. +--------------------------------------------+ | 256 DRAW - 256 Color VGA Graphics Editor | 13 +--------------------------------------------+ 256 PLUS, WHAT TO EXPECT - Here is a list of some of the features that will be available in the 256 PLUS program. This is in no way a complete list. It is, however, a list of items you can almost be sure will be included. If you have any suggestions or other needs, write to the author at the address shown on the cover page. He will almost certainly graciously respond if you have registered the product. - (.PCX) file importation/exportation. - (.GIF) file importation/exportation (If enough interest is there) - Palette conversion and "best-fit" matching. This will allow the user to match an image to a specific palette. - Hard-Code conversion. This will allow the user to save a .VGA file in a source-code, structured data file. Turbo Pascal and C are currently planned but other languages can be accomodated. Please write if you have a specific need! All you have to do is include the resulting code in the source and it will now be a part of the .EXE file you create. No need to search the disk for a file! - 256 Color ==> 64 Greyscale conversions. Convert your image to a 64, 32, 16, 8, 4 or 2 color greyscale image. - More advanced code examples. Examples like those found on the 256 Draw program disk, only more advanced, more thorough.