Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM/CAM_CD_1.iso/files/159.lha/Diamond_Demo.doc

Text File | 1988-04-27 | 18KB | 374 lines

The Diamond Demo from Impulse - August 1, 1988

The Diamond Demo program contained in this archive has been provided by
Impulse, Inc., and is freely distributable via electronic media, providing
this documentation and all included picture files are included in the archive.

This DEMO version of diamond is identical to the release version of the
program with the following exceptions:

1).  This demo will load ONLY RGBN format files.  RGBN format files are not
     directly compatible with IFF files.  They are a special format created
     by Silver, Turbo Silver, Diamond and PrismPlus. 2 of RGBN picture files
     are included in this archive.

2).  This demo will NOT save pictures at all. and the DIGITIZE function is
     completely disabled.

3).  This demo will operate ONLY in 320X200 HAMPLUS mode, regardless of which
     mode is selected from the main control menu..

With the exception of the above 3 modifications, this demo is EXACTLY the same
as the release version of Diamond.

The following documentation is designed only as a simple guide to the operation
of the Diamond Demo, and should not be mis-interpreted as the actual Diamond
Manual.


PROJECT MENU
------------
NEW -   Clears the screen to the background color (color 0)
        If the region lock is on, the region is preserved, and the rest of
        the screen clears.

LOAD -  Activates the file requester and loads a picture.

MERGE - Available ONLY in HAM mode.  Merge works just like the "LOAD"
        function, but it takes a weighted average of the original picture and
        the new one.  The weights are controlled the the RGB values in the
        palette you are currently working with.  There are three weights;
        one each for the red, green and blue components of the pictures.
        An R,G, or B value of 0 means keep the original (R,G, or B component)
        while a value of 15 means use the new picture.Values between 1 and 14
        mean average both pictures accordingly.

SAVE AS Saves the picture in RGB4, RGBN, or ILBM (IFF) format.
        RGB4 is available only in HAM or HAMPLUS mode.
        THE SAVE FEATURE IS DISABLED IN THIS DEMO VERSION

BATCH - Allows automatic operations on SILVER RGBN Still like adding
        foregrounds, backgrounds text, etc.  Will also "Gang" convert
        as series of pictures from one resolution and size to another.

PRINT - Prints the picture using the currently selected printer driver.
        PRINT SCREEN prints just what is viewable on the screen. (including
        the title bar and gadgets if present) PRINT FULL IMAGE prints the
        entire image regardless of size, title bar etc.

DIGITIZE -  DISABLED FOR THIS DEMO VERSION

OPTIONS - Scaling controls whether Diamond converts HIRES & LORES and
          Interlace or non-Interlace in the LOAD operations or just chops off
          the excess or loads top (or left) part of screen only, when the
          loaded picture is in a different format from the current format you
          are working in.

          Dither controls whether Diamond dithers when Digitizing, or when
          loading RGBN files into Non-HAM modes.

          Load in Place and Save in Place allow you to load or save both
          Pictures in the exact screen locations they were "clipped" from.

          Preserve IFF save all the various and unrecognized IFF chunks and
          writes them back out when the file is saved.  This is necessary for
          Files created by some current and those yet unknown paint programs
          which use certain chunks for their own use only. (i.e Photon Paint
          SuperView created with Author Chunks etc.)

          Write Icons tells Diamond to create workbench icons for the
          picture files it creates.

          Reset closes the painting screen and opens the Diamond Controls
          window.  Except in VERY LOW RAM situations, the picture is
          preserved to the controls window can be cancelled.

          Quit quits the program, after the users click "yes" on the
          requester.

REGION MENU
-----------

CONTROL -
  NEW  clears the region mask, & does not do a restore first.
  RESTORE copies the original region to front.
  KEEP saves the front region to back.
  SWAP swaps the front and back region.
  FLOOD fills the front region in the selected drawing mode.  If the
  current drawing mode is: TinterA, TinterS, Smoother, or Blender it uses
  the "back" (original) version as the starting point.

MODIFY -
  ADD COLOR adds anything in the current pen color to the region.
  ADD CRANGE like "Add Color" but lets the user pick a range of colors near
  the current pen color.  When activated, ADD CRANGE appears on the menu
  bar, and anything in the current pen color is complemented.  The numeric
  keypad keys control the "range" of colors to be added. (9 & 1 are more/less
  green, and 3 & 1 are more/less blue)  The region that will be added is
  complemented so the user can see it.  When everything looks right, press
  the space bar.  The "Add Crange" message disappears, and it's done.
  NOT REGION reverses the region mask.  So whatever is not in the region
  becomes the new region.
  ADD FILL - FILL ONLY both add fill to the region mask.  ADD FILL keeps the
  entire result as a new region. FILL ONLY keeps only the fill.  When either
  is activated the text message "region" appears on menu bar, and "fill"
  appears below the cursor.  Click on the screen to "flood fill" the region
  mask, like using the paint bucket tool.  After each click, the entire
  region is shown complemented.  When you are done, either hit the space bar
  or select "FILL OFF"
  FILL OFF turns off ADD FILL and FILL ONLY.
  LOCK protects the current region mask or whole picture from permanent
  alteration.  Changes and alterations can be made to the current picture
  using any of Diamonds tools, and then restored to original form using the
  restore command.
  COPY copies the current region to another place on the screen, as in
  making a brush.  Depending on whether LOCK is on or off, the region will be
  new copies of the brush if the lock is off, or the original brush if lock
  is on.  When copy is activated the text "pick" appears below the cursor.
  you can then pick the region you want to be your brush.  A new picture can
  be loaded, but the format must match the format of the current brush.
  GRAB works like copy, except in reverse.  A grabbed region creates a hole
  where new picture information can be added.
  FLAGS are use during the COPY and GRAB operations.  BORDER shows the
  border of the region only.  This is useful when in HAM mode, where
  operations can slow down.  INVERSE inverts the picture under the target
  area and is useful for accurate placement of brushed or grabs.
  HORIZ FLIP and VERT FLIP flip the brushes while in COPY mode.

BRUSH MENU -
----------

  BRUSH selects the type of Brush to paint with. Eraser, Tinter, Inverter
  etc. Paint paint in a solid color of the currently selected pen mode.
  Eraser erases any and all strokes up to the last mouse click, or the
  current region if the LOCK is on.
  INVERTER operates just like the ERASE brush but colors in the complement
  colors.
  TINTERA is an "additive" painter than can be used to paint in transparent
  colors using the currently selected pen color, in the same percentage they
  are selected in the palette. (A palette of 8,3,8 would add a whiteish pink
  to the picture.)
  TINTERS works like TinterA, but is subtractive. To get the same light pink
  tint without lightening up the area, use TinterS with a setting of 15,10,15.
  BLENDER as it's name implies, blends all of the colors is draws over, by
  averaging the colors.
  SMOOTHER is very useful for color transitions, as it can blend the edges
  without altering the basic colors in the area where it is used.
  LOAD loads in a brush from disk to use on the existing screen.  You can
  place it anywhere on the screen.  Diamond brushes are compatible with
  standard IFF brushes.
  MERGE works like the Merge function in the Project menu, but uses the
  brush mask so non-rectangular images can be merged into the present screen
  In normal non-HAM modes, there is no RGB color blending so the brush is
  just loaded normally.  The brush will load into the upper left corner or
  "in place", depending on whether the "load in place" flag in the Project
  menu is selected, and if the "save in place" option was used when the
  brush was originally saved.
  SAVE AS saves the current region or brush as brush file.  The RGB4 mode
  is disabled in non-HAM modes.  In HAM mode, ILBM is NOT recommended.  The
  ILBM standard does not allow a way to specify more than one color for the
  left edges of the image, so the brush usually loads incorrectly.  In this
  Mode RGBN or RGB4 is recommended.
  UNDO  Undoes the last operation.
  SET COLOR activated the Diamond Palette
  PICK COLOR lets the user click the mouse anywhere on the screen to select
  the pen color.
  SIZE BRUSH allows the user to re-size round or rectangular brushed. (This
  does not apply to "air brush" brushes or IFF brushes)  To re-size a brush
  move the mouse to the center of the screen and press the left mouse button.
  moving the mouse with the left mouse button depressed, will resize the
  brush.  Picking a new brush will eliminate the BIG one.
  SET FONT activates the Diamond font requester

SCREEN MENU -
-----------

  DRAG BAR Toggles the Drag or Title bar at the top of the screen on or off
  GADGETS Toggles the Gadgets menu on or off.
  PALETTE - Load loads a palette from an IFF picture.
  CREATEH - Calculates a NEW HAM palette and cleans up the picture
  this can be done at any time.
  CREATEN creates a color palette for use when converting from HAM to normal
  2,4,8,16, or 32 color modes.
  CREATEH creates a palette for use when converting from HAM to HalfBrite.
  FREEZE saves the current palette in memory and does not re-calculate when
  a new picture is loaded.
  COLOR 0 in HAM mode, do or don't change color zero when a new picture is
  loaded.
  GENLOCK in HAM mode if selected, color zero is used for exact color
  matches for genlocking backgrounds or objects.
  DISPLAY will display or print ALL or just the RED, BLUE or GREEN component
  of each picture.  When used for printing, it will print the separation
  colors of CYAN, MAGENTA & YELLOW.
  SHOW PAGE is for pictures larger than the screen display.  a 1/2X1/2
  reduction is made as many times as necessary until the entire picture
  is able to fit in the current screen display.  Space BAR exits the Show
  Page mode.


                          * DIAMOND TOOLS *
                         ** And GADGET BAR **


FREEHAND CONNECTED DRAWING TOOL

     (graphic goes here) - Keyboard = "d" or "D"

The Connected Freehand drawing tool will draw a continuous line, without any
breaks, while holding the left mouse button down regardless of how fast you
draw. The size of the line will be the same size as the currently selected
brush.

FREEHAND DOTTED DRAWING TOOL

     (graphic goes here ) - Keyboard = "s"

The Dotted Freehand drawing tool will draw a continuous line composed of dots,
 while holding the left mouse button down regardless of how fast you draw.
The size of the dots will be the same size as the currently selected  brush.
The spacing of the dots from each other is dependent on the speed at which you
 draw your line.  The faster you draw your line, the farther apart the dots
will be spaced.

CONTINUOUS LINE TOOL

     ** - Keyboard = "v" or "V"

The Continuous Line tool will draw a continuous straight line with no breaks.
Move the mouse to the point you want the line to start.  Hold down the left
right mouse button, and move the mouse to the position you want the line to
end.  Releasing the mouse button will draw the straight line.

CURVED LINE (ARC) TOOL

     ** - Keyboard = "q" or "Q"

The Curved Line tool will draw a calculated arc between any two desired points
on the screen.  Move the mouse to the point you want the arc to start, hold
down the left mouse button and move the mouse to the position on the screen
you want for your end point, and release the mouse button.  A straight line
from point to point will first be drawn like using the Continuous line tool.
After releasing the mouse button, any movement of the mouse will bend the
previously drawn line into an arc connecting your two points. Move the mouse
around the screen until you achieve the desired curve line, and depress the
left mouse button.

CONNECTED LINE TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "l" or "L"

The Connected Line Tool will draw a number of straight lines all connected to
each other, with the end point of one line becoming the start point of the
next line in the series.  This tool allows you to make polygons and other
shapes which can be formed from connected line very easily.  Move the mouse to
the start point of the first line and click the left mouse button.  As with the
Straight Line tool, move the mouse to the point you want the first line to end,
and click the left mouse button again.  The first line will end, and the second
line will begin at the end point of the first.  You can again move the mouse
to create another line, ending each line and starting another by clicking the
left mouse button until all of the desired lines are created.  "Double"
clicking the left mouse button on an end point of your last line, will end the
line creations.

BOX TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "r"- unfilled / "R"- filled

The Box Tool creates square or rectangular shapes either filled shaped or
unfilled frames.  Move the mouse to the point you would like a shape to begin
and hold down the left mouse button.  While holding the left mouse button down,
and moving the mouse, you will see a rectangular shape drawn on the screen in
the current pen color.  Releasing the mouse button will end the creation of the
box shape.  Selecting the filled section of the gadget will create a filled
box or rectangle with the current pen color.

CIRCLE TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "c" - unfilled / "C" - filled

The Circle Tool operates just like the Box Tool, except that it creates
circles.  Move the mouse to the area of the screen where you want the center
of your circle to be.  Moving the mouse with the left mouse button held down,
will draw a circle on the screen using the current pen color.  Selecting the
filled section of the gadget will create a filled circle using the current pen
color.

OVAL TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "e" - unfilled / "E" filled

The Oval Tool operates like the Circle Tool, except that it creates ovals or
elipses.  The main difference in using the Oval Tool from the other tools is
that the Oval Tool will let you determine the axis of the oval or ellipse.
Move the mouse to the area that you want the center of your oval to begin and
depress and hold down the left mouse button.  A cross-hair will be drawn on
the screen.  By moving the mouse around the screen, you can then select the
exact axis on which you want your oval to be drawn.  When the wanted axis is
achieved, release the mouse button.  Depress the left mouse mutton a second
time to begin drawing your oval or ellipse.  This   portion of the operation
is identical to the Circle tool.  Selecting the filled portion of the gadget,
will create a filled oval or ellipse in the current pen color.

SPRAY GUN TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "S"

The Spray Gun tool operates just like a can of spray paint. The Spray Gun tool
will spray a random pattern of dots in the selected pen color continuously as
long as the left mouse button is held down.  The size of the dots is determined
by the chosen brush.  There are also three special spray gun brushed at the
bottom of the brush menu, with degrees of pattern spread.

FLOOD FILL TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "f"

The Fill Tool will fill and enclosed area or region with the currently selected
pen color. Place the cursor inside the area or region you want filled with your
color and click the Mouse button.

ZOOM TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "m" or "z"

The Magnify Tool allows you to zoom in on any area of your picture and do fine
or detailed work. In the zoom mode the screen will split vertically with the
normal view on the left and the Magnified view on the right side of the screen.
While in the zoom mode, you can scroll around the picture using the arrow keys.
You can also increase and decrease the level of magnification up   to 15 times.

TEXT TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "t" and "T"

The Text Tool allows you to add text to any part of the picture you are working
on.  Diamond uses any standard Amiga font, or Extended Color font created by
the Calligrapher. Clicking the Text Tool or using the "t" key from the keyboard
displays an open box the size of the currently selected font.  To enter text to
you picture simply place the box in the area you want your line of text to
begin, and click the mouse.  All other keyboard strokes from this point on will
enter text on the screen.  While in Text entry mode, you can select a different
font or change the style or size of your currently selected font, by hitting
control <CTRL> t.  This will bring up the Diamond font requester.  The unique
Diamond font requester will allow you to have as many as 100 different fonts
in your system.  When the requester is first invoked you should click on the
"LIST FONTS" button to load the fonts into Diamond.  Clicking either of the
violet boxes will scroll through the fonts in your list.  The arrows beside
the "SIZE" gadget allow you to scroll through the various sizes of a particular
font in your fonts directory.  The arrows beside the "ZOOM" gadget will
magnify the size of the currently selected font.  Remember though that
increasing the size of the font using the zoom function only increases pixel
size.

CLEAR TOOL

     ** Keyboard = "K"

The CLEAR tool will clear the screen to the currently selected Background
color. (color 0).

The Retail price of Diamond is $99.00 and will be available at Amiga dealers
all over the universe beginning September 1st 1988.  For more information or
to order direct, call Impulse, Inc. at 1-800-328-0184.