JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/mvp_soft/mvpp24.zip/MVPPAINT.DOC

Text File | 1996-01-20 | 37KB | 779 lines

           MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop
                      by David Johndrow
            Copyright 1993-1996 Pod Bay Enterprises
                  An MVP Software Production

MVP Paint is shareware.  You may freely try it for no more than 30
days.  If you like it or find it useful, then you must register with
MVP Software.  To "register" a shareware program means to purchase
it directly from the developer.  (Shareware programs are evaluation
versions only, which means you have the right to try them, but after
trying them you must either register them with the author or delete
them from your system.  It is unlikely that anyone will check up on
you, so shareware works because of the honesty of users.)  When you
register you will receive MVP Paint Professional, which includes
many additional features not found in the shareware version.  The
registered version is described below.

                    MVP Paint Professional

If you wish to continue to use MVP Paint, you must register by
purchasing MVP Paint Professional.  MVP Paint Professional is not a
shareware product.  It is the "big brother" registered version of
MVP Paint, and is commercial only.  MVP Paint Professional includes
a printed manual, free technical support for one year, the MVP
Toolkit, and the Pod Bay Graphics Library.  The toolkit can modify
palettes, convert color images to greyscale images (2 to 64 shades),
display images, downscale images using a sophisticated anti-aliasing
technique, and even turn your image into compilable BASIC, Pascal,
or C code!  This code can then be compiled, or imported into an
existing program.

In addition to the toolkit, MVP Paint Professional includes the Pod
Bay Graphics Library.  This library consists of 30 linkable graphics
routines for Pascal and C programmers that provide a quick and easy
way to write graphics programs in VGA mode 19 (320x200x256).  These
routines are fast and provide quick bypass to the .BGI files that
you might otherwise have to load.  The image routines found in these
libraries use images that are created by MVP Paint and have a .VGA
file extension.

Here is a list of the routines included in the Pod Bay Graphics
Library: file detection; set display to VGA mode; set display to
text mode; description of returned error code; draw a pixel at
location x,y in the desired color; return the value of the color
located at x,y; draw a line from point a to b in the desired color;
draw a rectangle; draw a circle; draw an ellipse; clear the screen
while in 320x200 VGA mode; load a palette from disk; set the VGA
card to the desired palette; read VGA card to get current status;
save a palette to disk; set the VGA card to an empty palette so that
screen drawing can occur invisibly (necessary for screen fade in);
fade in screen; fade out screen; set new RGB parameters; determine
bitmap variable size of an image; load an image from disk; load
specially condensed graphics files; put image on screen; put partial
image on screen for animation; grab image and place it in a pointer
variable; put an image to the screen without writing color 0 (for
animation over backgrounds); put a compressed image to the screen
for animation; create a dynamic variable that holds a bitmap.

For advanced users, the actual source code used for the graphics
libraries is also available.  For a $100 one-time license fee (in
addition to the purchase price for MVP Paint Professional), you will
receive both the Pascal and C source code found in the graphics
libraries.  Payment of the licensing fee not only gets you the
source code, it also gives you a license to use this code in any
application or software package you create.  You may not, however,
sell or distribute the source code files themselves, or source files
modified from the Pod Bay source files.

For the low purchase price of $49.95 plus $4.00 shipping (in the
US), you will receive the latest version of MVP Paint Professional
with printed manual and 1 year free technical support, the MVP
Toolkit, and the Pod Bay Graphics Library.

To order, call 800-968-9684 toll-free 24 hours a day.  Please have
your Master Card or Visa ready when you call.  Or fill out the order
form in this manual and fax it to: 616-245-3204.  Make sure your
credit card number and expiration date are legible.  Or if you
prefer mail the order form and your check to: MVP Software, 1035
Dallas SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407.

For overseas orders or technical support call 616-245-8376.

             How to Register Online and Receive
             MVP Paint Professional Immediately!

MVP is pleased that all MVP shareware products can now be registered
online, with immediate download of the registered version.  This
service is available to anyone in the world who has a Master Card or
Visa and can call from a modem.  To register MVP Paint Professional
and download it immediately, or any MVP shareware game, call
InterComm at 1-310-858-6200.  Once you are connected, go to the MVP
section.  There you may download any MVP shareware program free of
charge, or you may order and immediately download any MVP
non-shareware title or registered title.  It's easy and it's fun, so
call today.

         Download All the Latest MVP Shareware Games FREE

If your favorite BBS doesn't have an MVP file section, then you may
be missing some great shareware.  To get all the latest and greatest
MVP shareware releases, call one of the leading boards listed below,
and check out the FREE MVP file area.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan -- Ryan's Bar [phone]
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- Exec-PC [phone]
In New York, New York -- The Invention Factory [phone]
In Boston, Massachusetts -- Channel 1 [phone]
In Kansas City, Missouri -- Sound Advice [phone]
In Palo Alto, California -- Space BBS [phone]
In Reston, Virginia -- World Data Network [phone]

Or call Intercomm Online at [phone], the new source for
all of MVP's shareware and registered software.

Even better, tell your favorite sysop about the MVP Distribution
Network and how he can be assured of getting all of the latest MVP
shareware hits as soon as they are released.  See the SYSOP.DOC file
for details.

                      MVP is Now on CompuServe!

You can get all of the latest MVP shareware releases, and discuss
MVP titles directly with the authors on MVP's new section on the
world's largest online information network, CompuServe.  Just type
GO MVPSOFT to get to our section!  If you are not a CompuServe
member you are eligible to receive a FREE trial membership,
including software and online time worth almost $55!  That's right,
you get the CompuServe Information Manager software for DOS or
Windows, which normally costs $29.95.  Plus you get a free first
month of online access, worth $9.95.  And to top it off, you get a
usage credit of $15 of additional online time.

To take advantage of this free trial membership to the largest
online service in the world, call 800-848-8199.  Ask for rep 671.
And then GO MVPSOFT and talk to the MVP team on CompuServe.

       MVP is Now on the Internet and the World Wide Web!

You can get all of the latest MVP shareware releases, find out news
of future activities, and give feedback to MVP on the Internet.  To
visit our new home page, just set your WWW browser to this URL:

                  http://www.mvpsoft.com

While there, you can see descriptions of all our releases, download
the shareware versions with a click of your mouse button, and check
out full color screen shots for all of our games.  Be sure to leave
feedback telling us how you like our page!

If you prefer using direct ftp to get our files, you can find them
at the following sites:

                 ftp.mvpsoft.com/pub/mvpsoft
                 ftp.he.net/pub/mvpsoft
                 ftp.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/games/mvp
                 archive.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/games/mvp

Users accessing either of the last two sites on this list must
include a dash in front of their email addresses for the password.
Without that dash the software won't give you access.

These sites also have many mirrors, so just look for a game site
with an MVP directory, and you'll be assured of getting the best
games around!

                         IMPORTANT

IF YOU NEED TECHNICAL SUPPORT INSTALLING OR USING THIS PRODUCT, DO
NOT CALL OUR 800 TOLL-FREE ORDER NUMBER.  THIS NUMBER IS FOR ORDERS
ONLY.  THE PEOPLE WHO ANSWER THIS ORDER LINE HAVE NO TECHNICAL
INFORMATION AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.  THEY
WILL SIMPLY REFER YOU TO THIS NUMBER:

                         616-245-8376

SO PLEASE CALL THIS NUMBER THE FIRST TIME AND SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME
AND TROUBLE OF MAKING TWO PHONE CALLS.  THANKS.

MVP Paint is a full-featured graphics workshop.  With MVP Paint you
can easily create or modify graphics or animation files.  It
supports a variety of advanced features, and has been used to
develop two MVP Software games, Sand Storm and Corncob 3D.
Originally created as an in-house game development tool, it has been
tested extensively in real-world applications.  Game designers and
others demanding performance will like its combination of features
and ease of use.

IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED MVP PAINT IN A STORE OR FOUND IT ON A CD-ROM
------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have purchased MVP Paint in a store or other retail setting,
or if you have found it on a CD-ROM, please contact MVP Software at
[phone].  Please have the address and phone number of the
CD-ROM publisher, or of the company that has sold it in the retail
store.  If we determine that the company or publisher is
distributing MVP Paint without written authorization from MVP
Software, we will send you a free computer game as a thank-you for
helping us eliminate unauthorized distribution of this software.

VENDORS, DISTRIBUTORS, BBS SYSOPS, & CD-ROM PUBLISHERS
------------------------------------------------------
The shareware version of MVP Paint may be distributed by catalog
shareware vendors and BBS sysops as long as the distribution terms
outlined in LICENSE.DOC are adhered to.  These terms are very
simple, and we encourage BBS and catalog distribution.  UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES MAY MVP PAINT BE DISTRIBUTED IN A RETAIL STORE OR
ENVIRONMENT, OR ON A CD-ROM, WITHOUT WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM MVP
SOFTWARE.  Please see LICENSE.DOC for details.

              MVP Paint Professional Order Form

YES!  I would like the benefits and increased productivity of MVP
Paint Professional, including the ability to view Super VGA images
in Super VGA mode, the MVP Toolkit, and the Pod Bay Graphics
Library.  Please rush me the entire package by first class mail.

Name ______________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________

City _______________________________ State ______ ZIP _____________

Country (if outside USA) __________________________________________

Price of MVP Paint Professional                              $49.95
Shipping and Handling (US)                                     4.00
Shipping and Handling (Canada)                                 5.00
Shipping and Handling (all other countries)                    6.00
Michigan residents add sales tax                               3.24
                                                              -----
Make check payable to "MVP Software"        Total enclosed:  $
Master Card/Visa information (credit card orders only)

Card number __________________________________________

Expiration date ______________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTARY QUESTIONS:  Please help us determine what features you
====================  would like in future products.

Circle what type of equipment you have:  386  486SX  486DX  Pentium
Circle the speed of your computer(Mhz):  25  33  40  50  66  90  ___
Circle any that apply:   Joystick   Mouse   Modem_______   SVGA card
                                                 (speed)

Sound Capability:   Adlib   Sound Blaster   SB Pro   SB AWE32
    PC speaker only  Other ____________________________________

Where did you get MVP Paint?
Friend   CompuServe   AOL   Prodigy   Channel 1   Invention Factory
World Data Network   Ryan's Bar   Exec-PC   Space BBS   Sound Advice

BBS (name): _______________________  phone # _______________________
    address ________________________________________________________

Shareware Distributor (name): ______________________________________

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Send this order form and your check to:

MVP Software, 1035 Dallas S.E., Grand Rapids, MI  49507-1407
Checks must be in US funds and drawn on a US or Canadian bank.

US or Canada 24-hour order line: 800-968-9684.  Fax: [phone].
Tech support, information, or overseas order line: 616-245-8376.

                       Ordering Information

MVP Paint Professional ver 2.4 is available from the following
authorized distributors:

In the United States:
--------------------
MVP Software
1035 Dallas SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407
phone: [phone]-hour order line only
       [phone] information, technical support, or orders.
fax: [phone]
order price: $49.95 plus $4.00 shipping in the US, $5.00 shipping to
Canada, $6.00 shipping everywhere else.  Michigan residents please
add appropriate sales tax.

In Australia:
------------
Budgetware
9 Albermarle St
Newtown NSW 2042
phone: [phone]          Fax: [phone]
order price: $A69.00 (includes shipping)

In the United Kingdom:
---------------------
Atlantic Coast Plc.
Station Rd.
Colyton, Devon, EX13 6HA
phone: [phone]            Fax: [phone]
order price: L44 (includes shipping and taxes)
Dealers please enquire.

In Denmark and all of Scandanavia:
---------------------------------
Pro-Soft
Benloese Skel 4 G
DK 4100 Ringsted
phone: [phone]             Fax: [phone]
order price: 354,00 kr. + VAT 25% + s/h 25,00

In Japan:
--------
P. & A. Company Ltd
302 Bellwins, 1367-23
Nakagami, Akishima
Tokyo 196
phone: [phone]               Fax: [phone]
BBS: 425-46-9143
order price: 7560 yen includes shipping and taxes

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
---------------------------------
Topware PD-Service GmbH
Quadrat 0 3, 2
68161 Mannheim
phone: [phone]       Fax: [phone]
order price: 79 DM (includes taxes) plus 6 DM shipping

The Netherlands and Belgium
---------------------------
CSD -- Computer Solutions Dorth
Postbus 59
NL-7213 ZH Gorssel
THE NETHERLANDS
phone: [phone]       Fax: [phone]
order price: fl. 112,00 (includes VAT and shipping)

Italy
-----
Systems Comunicazioni srl
via Olanda
6 - 20083 Gaggiano
phone: [phone]            Fax: [phone]
BBS: [phone]
order price: Lire 105.000 IVA inclusa

Spain
-----
Friendware S.L.
C/ Miguel Angel, 6 2-5
28010 Madrid
phone: [phone]            Fax: [phone]
CIS: 100413,1667
order price: 6.800 Pts

GENERAL HELPFUL INFORMATION
---------------------------
The MVP Paint 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 simply typing MVPPaint at any time.  If you are new to
DOS, or if you have no hard drive, you may want to run MVP Paint
from a floppy disk.  The DOS manuals might prove useful for
determining what the path is as well as how to change it, but it is
not necessary to place MVP Paint in the path.  Once the installation
program has copied the MVPPAINT.EXE file and all of the auxillary
files to the desired location, you are ready to run it.  Even though
MVP Paint does not need to be in the current directory, be aware
that all files (palette and image) are loaded and saved in the
current directory.

Before running MVP Paint, run CONFIGUR and answer a few questions
about your system.  This will allow MVP Paint to operate in as
efficient manner as possible.

To begin the program, type MVPPAINT, and press the ENTER key.

MVP Paint may not recognize some really old mouse drivers.  If you
experience an invisible mouse, try getting hold of a newer mouse
driver to correct this problem.

FEATURES
--------
All of the feaures included with this program -- line draw,
interpolation, animation, etc., are described and in some cases
illustrated in the online help section.  Before working on your
first image, we recommend that you go through all of the items in
this section to get a good idea about what this program can do.
Note: The animation section is somewhat complicated so in addition
to moving the help for animation into the help section, a
demonstration animation is included with this package.  To see this
demonstration, go to the animation section and choose LOAD and then
choose MVPPAINT.  Then choose VIEW.

Experienced users will definitely want to print the list of
available macros.  These macros will greatly speed up the painting
process if used effectively.

You can also load files by passing the name as a parameter using
these methods:

MVPPAINT V=PARROT - will load the VGA file called PARROT.VGA
MVPPAINT G=PARROT - will load the GIF file called PARROT.GIF
MVPPAINT P=PARROT - will load the PCX file called PARROT.PCX
MVPPAINT C=BW - will load the palette file called BW.PAL
MVPPAINT ? - will remind you of the parameter options available.

FILE FORMATS
------------
File formats be confusing to many users.  In this document, the term
"file format" refers to the disk file that can hold an image, a
palette, or some other entity.  You can discern the nature of a file
by its extensions.  MVP Paint recognizes the following extensions:

.GIF - Compuserve format - image file
.PCX - ZSoft format - image file
.VGA - MVP Paint format - image file (compatible w/Borland .BGI drivers)
.PAL - MVP Paint format - palette file
.AF  - MVP Paint format - animation file
.VGR - MVP Paint format - image file (rotated)
.BMP - Windows(r) format - image file

THE MENUING SYSTEM
------------------
MVP Paint's menuing system is icon-based.  This means that general
categories of features are represented by icons, or pictures.  For
example, all file operations are found under the disk icon, all
palette operations under the palette icon, etc.  To choose an
option, just click the left mouse button on an icon.  In some cases
a sub-menu will appear from which you can make a further choice.

THE PALETTE SYSTEM
------------------
The color palette allows you to choose the color in which you want
to perform drawing activities.  Simply point to the color you want
and click the mouse button.  Since only 64 of the 256 colors are
visible at a time, use the arrows on the right side of the palette
to page through the colors.  Also note that in the paint window,
hitting the right button will set the current color to be what was
under the mouse.  If MVP Paint is operating in hidden palette mode,
hitting the right button will return you to normal editing and make
the palette go away.

IMPORTANT NOTE
--------------
MVP Paint allows you to work on fullscreen images.  If the image is
too large to allow the menu on-screen, you can bring the menu up by
either hitting the middle button on a three-button mouse, holding
down the right button and then pressing the left, or hitting the
space bar.  Now for the tricky part.  If both the menu and the color
palette are hidden, this action will invoke either depending on the
current location of the mouse.  In the left-half of the screen, it
will call up the color palette, in the right-half it will invoke the
menuing system.  If you are working on an odd-shaped image where one
of those two is already active, say 160x200, then the hidden palette
is invoked regardless of your location at the time of calling.  This
is difficult to describe with words, so give it a whirl and you will
get the hang of it.

THE PALETTE EDITOR
------------------
The palette editor, an extremely useful feature not found in many
paint programs, allows the user to modify the 256 color palette to
contain the 256 colors they want out of a possible 262,144 colors!
In addition to choosing RGB values, other options are available.
Below is a list of the three main operations to perform in the
palette editor:

1. RGB Modification: Click on the desired color you want to modify.
   Then click on the box of the component (red, green or blue) that
   you want to modify.  Then move the cursor up and down until the
   component is set where you want it.  Finally, click the left

   button to accept the change, or the right to restore the
   component to its original value.

2. Quick Set: In the color spectrum area (where all 256 colors
   are shown), you choose a color by clicking the left button.  The
   currently chosen color is always outlined by a box.  If you click
   on a color with the right button, and that color is not the
   outlined color, the outlined color will be set to have the RGB
   components of the color you on which you clicked.  This feature
   gives you the means to move colors around or blank them out.

3. Trending: Trending allows you to choose two colors and have all
   of the colors in between them become gradual transitions from the
   first color to the last.  You perform a trend by choosing the
   first color you want and then clicking on "Start Trend." Next,
   choose the last color in the trend and click on "End Trend." Now
   you are ready to click on the "Do Trend" button and watch MVP
   Paint go to work.  Naturally, the farther apart in the palette x
   and y are, the more slight the increments.  You can trend between
   3 colors or all 256!

After finishing with the modify palette screen, click on "Quit" to
return to the program where you left off.  You must first tell the
program whether to keep any palette changes made.  Selecting "no"
will return with the same palette as when you entered modify
palette.  Choosing "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 image.

ANIMATION
---------
The animation section can be useful to both programmers who want to
test images before devoting time for coding and people who just want
to toy around and have fun.  The basic approach to this animation
section can be likened to film animation.  With a movie, the scenes
are just a long series of still pictures called "frames." Because
image files can get quite large and slow, you wouldn't want to save
the whole screen over and over just to move a space shuttle across a
space scene.  For this reason, you choose a background scene and
then work with all of the elements that will appear within that
scene.  So, in addition to the background, you can choose up to 5
different images to appear over the background within any one frame.
Any one slot within the frame will be referred to as a cell.  Once
all of the cells within a given frame are displayed, the animation
routine will delay an amount of time you specify, and then move on
to the next frame.

Just as you load and save image files, you can do the same with
animation files.  This does not save image information but rather
image names, locations, delay times, etc.  An extensive help section
has been implemented in the animation section of MVP Paint.  For
this reason, any further comment here would be redundant.

However, one other topic does warrant mention in this document.  In
Frame 1, and only in Frame 1, you can choose for a cell to have
continuancy and thus avoid entering an image that is going to have a
linear path multiple number of times.  Just choose an image as you

would normally, choose its location, and then you will return to the
regular animation screen.  Now click the right button on the cell
you want to make continuous.  You will return to the location select
screen once again.  This time, however, you are not entering the
location of the cell but rather the x and y offsets to be used in
each successive frame.  Although this may sound confusing it is
really rather simple.  For an example load the MVPPAINT.AF animation
file.  The shuttle has the continuancy feature associated with it.
To remove this feature from a cell, click the right button a second
time.  Also, remember that it continues only as long as other
animation or delay times continue.

PROGRAMMERS' NOTES
------------------
Here is an example illustrating the VGA file format.  This example
considers an image that is x pixels wide and y pixels high.  Assume
that each of the pixels are identified by the name given to them in
Table 1. Therefore, the pixel located at x=2, y=3 is called 23.  Now
look at Table 2 and you can see how each pixels maps to a
predictable location in the .VGA file!

  Table 1:          | 1   2   3  . . .  X
                  --+---------------------
                  1 | 11  21  31 . . .  X1
                  2 | 12  22  32 . . .  X2
                  . |
                  . |
                  . |
                  Y | 1Y  2Y  3Y . . .  XY

  Table 2:
  +----------------------------- Offset  0                 (x dimension) - 1
  |       +--------------------- Offset  2                 (y dimension) - 1
  |       |   +----------------- Offset  4                 Pixel 11
  |       |   |  +-------------- Offset  5                 Pixel 21
  |       |   |  |         +---- Offset  3+x               Pixel X1
  |       |   |  |         |     Offset  3+((y-1)*x)+(x-1) Pixel XY
  |       |   |  |         |                                |
  |       |   |  |         |                                |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   +--+--+--+--+     +--+--+--+     +--+   +--+--+-->
|(x-1)|(y-1)|11|21|31|...|X1|12|22|32|.....|1Y|2Y|3Y|.....|XY|...|Palette->
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   +--+--+--+--+     +--+--+--+     +--+   +--+--+-->
                                                                   |
                                                                   |
Image Size = ((((x - 1) Div 8) + 1) * 8) * (y-1) + 6  -------------+

VGA File Size = Image Size (if palette is not saved)
VGA File Size = Image Size + 768 (if palette is saved)

IMPORTANT: MVP Paint does NOT use the Borland VGA256.BGI driver.
This driver has difficulty displaying full-screen images.  We
recommend the SVGA256.BGI driver for better results.  If you wish to
use the VGA256 driver and use Borland putimage routines, you must
first add 1 to each of the dimensions (x and y).  The best
alternative is to avoid the .BGI drivers altogether and use the Pod
Bay Graphics Routines available with the Professional version of
this program.  These routines are lightning fast and will keep your
code size to a minimum.

To license source code for the Pod Bay Grapics Library, send $100 to
MVP Software and request the Pod Bay Graphics Library source code
and license.  You will receive the source code in C and Pascal, plus
a license permitting you to use the code in any program -- personal,
shareware, or retail -- that you develop.  However, the license does
NOT give you the right to sell or otherwise distribute the source
files themselves, either in original or modified form.

The Pod Bay Graphics Library source code license is available only
to purchasers of MVP Paint Professional.

New Features in Version 2.4
---------------------------
The following is a list of features added for version 2.4 of MVP
Paint.

New Features:
    -Directory traversing when loading files
    -Fastgraph (c) fonts now loadable
    -Text/Font Loading now merged, colors changeable within
    -Merge/Blend option to overlay images with translucency
    -Brighten/Darken routines
    -Image Smoothing
    -Image Contrasting (Sharpen or Blur)
    -Windows bitmap file support (.BMP)
    -3D developers file format support (.VGR) (rotated .VGA image)
    -New menu with more logical function groupings
    -Parameter passing refined; easier to use
    -Color fill & replace can use saved images as patterns
    -Palette matching for merge, fill and replace routines (if
     applicable)
    -Tile viewing

Bug Fixes, Routine Changes:
    -Random pixel replacement fixed
    -Anti-aliasing lockup fixed
    -Text color 0 (or too dark) now usable
    -Outlining in zoomed mode doesn't leave stray boundaries
    -Phase/Sunburst features always allow up to 99 colors

New Feature Descriptions
------------------------

Directory traversing when loading files
---------------------------------------
Directory names and ".." for changing directories while working in
MVP Paint.  This feature is available in the file load screens for
all file types except animation.  For image files, this feature will
leave you in the directory from which you loaded the file.  This
will ensure that a future save will be placed in the same directory.
When loading a PAL file or merging a VGA file into an existing one,
you can load from other directories, but the current directory
remains the same.  When loading a CHR file (this is a font file),
the routine is the same as with palette files except that instead of
starting in the current directory, MVP Paint first looks in the MVP
Paint directory.  This encourages you to load font files in the MVP
directory and not have to copy them anywhere else!  For loading

animation files, you must change to the directory containing the AF
file and run MVP Paint.

Merge/Blend option to overlay images with translucency
------------------------------------------------------
Similar to "Merge File" in that you can use this to merge an image
into the current work image.  Pixels equal to color 0 in the merged
image will not be written.  The big difference is that instead of
using a flat overwrite of pixels from the source to target image, an
approximation pixel is overwritten instead.  The approximation pixel
is calculated by the percentage of the background image you chose to
keep.  The higher the percentage, the more transparent the resulting
image.  The approximation resorts to the target images' palette.  If
the source image has no palette, it is assumed that its palette is
the same as the target.  This feature can be used to create some
really nice special effects!  Note: as with the Merge feature, this
feature only allows importation of 320x200 or less .VGA files.

Brighten/Darken routines
------------------------
You can brighten or darken the entire image, a rectangular region,
or a line within the image.  If you select to modify the whole
image, then the palette is simply modified by the amount you chose.
For example, if you chose to brighten by 8, all RGB components of
the palette are incremented by 8. If you choose a rectangular region
or line, all of the selected pixels are brightened or darkened by
seeking the closest approximation to the current pixel increased or
decreased by the appropriate amount.  For example, color 0, which
usually has RGB components of 0,0,0 will be mapped to the color that
is the closest fit to RGB components of 8,8,8 (If you chose to
brighten by 8).

Image Smoothing
---------------
You can smooth an image using either one of nine available smoothing
methods or a customized version.  You can smooth either the whole
image, the side edges, the top and bottom edges, or all four edges.
You can also select the edge depth and whether or not pixels wrap
around to the other side of the image to compute new values.  This
last feature is of particular use if you are working on tiled
images.  The main feature of this routine consists of a 9x9 grid
with coordinate 5x5 being the center.  This central pixel
corresponds to the pixel to be modified, and the values within the
grid refer to the 'weights' given each relative pixel in the outcome
pixel.  Therefore, if you put a 1 in grid location 5,5, and a 0 in
all other grid locations, there will be no change to your image.
Try loading several smoothing settings and you will see how various
weights effect outcome.

Image Contrasting (Sharpen or Blur)
-----------------------------------
Instead of blending pixels for a smoother image, which can be done
with image smoothing, image contrasting, or sharpening, focuses on
the images palette.  You can choose to make colors within the
palette more divergent or convergent.  The former will result in a
crisper, sharper image while the latter will seemingly blur or
"gray" the image out.  After choosing this option, you must select a
divergence factor.  Values less than one result in image blurring

while values greater than one will sharpen the image.  You can also
choose to sharpen all of the Red, Green or Blue components at once
or separately.  Most often, you will just want to sharpen the image
in general.  But if, for example, you want to bring out the red in
the image and make it a little stronger, you can choose to just
sharpen reds.  Like image smoothing, this feature is most useful
with digitized images.

Windows bitmap file support (.BMP)
----------------------------------
Now all files can be loaded and saved in the Windows 3.0 and 3.1
uncompressed bitmap (with palette) file format.  EGA bitmaps are not
importable.

3D developers file format support (.VGR) (rotated .VGA image)
-------------------------------------------------------------
If you are developing a 3D game ingine, you might want to avoid the
process of having to rotate all of your .VGA images at runtime.
This feature saves and loads images that are the same as .VGA images
with three exceptions.  First, the image is rotated 90 degrees,
therefore the top of the new image is now what had been the right
side.  3D developers, you'll know why this is necessary!  Second,
for useful purposes, the image size is limited to 200x200.  You
shouldn't need a 3D bitmapped image larger than that!  Third, no
palettes are saved with VGR images.

New menu with more logical function groupings
---------------------------------------------
To improve the logic of using the menu, and to make room for new
features, several changes have been made to the menu.  Most
noticeable will be the new Text and Fx icon buttons.  Other features
have been regrouped with other routines that are similar in nature.

Parameter passing refined; easier to use
----------------------------------------
The parameter passing feature of MVP Paint no longer requires that a
prefix be used for filenames.  File extensions can be ignored if
only one parameter is being passed and that is the name of an image.
MVP Paint will look for the file using the following criteria:
          VGA-> PCX -> GIF -> BMP -> VGR
For example, if you type "MVPPAINT ROSE", and there are files called
ROSE.PCX and ROSE.BMP in the current directory, ROSE.PCX will be
loaded.  If you type "MVPPAINT ROSE.BMP" then ROSE.BMP will be
loaded.  To specify palettes, you must use the file extension.  For
example, "MVPPAINT MYPAL.PAL" will load the palette called MYPAL in
the current directory.  If you type "MVPPAINT ROSE MYPAL.PAL", MVP
Paint will load the ROSE.PCX image, and then load the palette next.

Color Fill & Replace can use saved images as patterns
-----------------------------------------------------
The fill and replace routines now allow you to specify a saved image
instead of performing a single color fill.  By choosing "PATTERN"
instead of "COLOR", you will have the opportunity to choose a .VGA
file from the disk drive.  After doing so, the routines will perform
their appropriate functions, but instead of writing a single color,
they will write pixels from the image that you specified.

Palette matching for merge, fill and replace routines (if applicable)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Often, saved images will have different palettes than the image you
are currently working on.  If you attempt to merge an image with its
own palette, MVP Paint will now ask you if you want to try to match
the incorporated image to the current palette.

Tile viewing
------------
When working on wall or floor tiles for game development, you might
find it useful to see if the edges match up, as well as what the
overall layout would look like.  This feature lets you view your
image with tiles of the same image all around it if it is smaller
than 160 x 100.  For SVGA images, you can view the image in a SVGA
mode if this is the Professional version of MVP Paint.  This option
can be called through the menu or invoked using the Alt-V macro.