Copyright: Copyright (C) 1997 Tek Design


INDEX

Introduction

What's Tek Gradator?

Requirements

Licensing Agreement

Tek Design Notes

Using Tek Gradator

Installing/Un-installing Tek Gradator

Starting/Exiting Tek Gradator

Creating Gradated Images

Superimposing Texts

Adding Borders to Image

Copying Created Image to Clipboard

Saving Created Image and Settings

Opening Saved Settings of  Image

How to Use TGR Files Created with Earlier Version


What's Tek Gradator?

Tek Gradator creates unlimited, fantastic, colorful gradated graphics without using any other applications. It is easy to use with its GUI and you can freely add texts and borders to the created image, which can be copied to the clipboard and saved as BMP format as well. You can also save all the setting parameters of the image made by Tek Gradator, based on which other works can be created. Here is a sample:

Tek Gradator is a tiny but powerful assistant to create cool material such as wallpaper tiles, titles, separation bars and more!

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Requirements

Operating System

For Windows 95 only.

CPU

Pentium (R) 100MHz or greater is recommended.

Display

65,000-color or greater and 800 by 600 resolution or greater are requisite.

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Licensing Agreement

Licensing Agreement

Tek Gradator is a freeware. However, the Software remains the property of the Author. You may distribute or reproduce the Software freely provided you contact the Author by E-mail to get the Author's consent, preferably prior to, or even after, the distribution or the reproduction. All of the components of the Software should be distributed or reproduced in the original archive form and should not be modified in any way.

Copyright

Copyright © 1997 Tek Design. All Rights reserved.

Liability

The Author is not liable for any damages or losses of any kind caused by the use of this Software. Further, the Author is not forced to alter the Software nor fix any bugs in any case except of the Author's own accord.

E-mail Address

E-mail to Tada at BYS02411@niftyserve.or.jp for comments, bug reports or requests on this Software.

Home Page

About my other works visit http://village.infoweb.ne.jp/~tek/index.htm.

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Tek Design Notes

Tek Gradator was originally coded for the purpose of creating cool wallpapers for my home page. I could utilize some sophisticated applications but I was not content with them. So I devoted myself for a while to finish this program, and I rather enjoyed it than writing in HTML!

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Installing/Un-installing Tek Gradator

Installation

Tek Gradator is distributed as a form of self-extracting Zip archive package or a simple Zip archive package depending on where you obtain it. If you got it as a self-extracting Zip archive package, then start Explorer and double-click on the icon of the distributed file named Tgrad???.exe, where ??? is a version number. For the latter unzip the distributed file named Tgrad???.zip. Then copy all of the generated files to an arbitrary folder and add a shortcut to Tgradate.exe in the Windows' Start Menu or place the shortcut on the Desktop.

The following additional DLL and OCX files, which constitutes a part of Microsoft ® Visual Basic ® 4.0 Runtime Library and Custom Controls, are required to run the program:

MSVCRT40.DLL (Microsoft ® Visual C++ ® Runtime Library)

OLEPRO32.DLL (Microsoft ® Visual C++ ® OLE Property Support DLL)

VB40032 .DLL (Microsoft ® Visual Basic ® 4.0 Runtime Library)

COMDLG32.OCX (Microsoft ® CMDIALOG OLE Control DLL)

COMCTL32.OCX (Microsoft ® Chicago Control Pack OLE Control DLL)

Place these files in the System folder of Windows. Note that the above DLL and OCX files

must not be placed in the same folder where Tgradate.exe exists.

Un-installation

Delete the Shortcut to Tgradate.exe and the folder which contains Tgradate.exe together with all the files related to Tek Gradator. No modification is made to the Windows' Registry, thus Tek Gradator will be perfectly un-installed by this process. I recommend to keep these DLL and OCX files in the Windows System folder for future use.

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Starting/Exiting Tek Gradator

Like ordinary Windows applications, you can start Tek Gradator by double-clicking on its icon on the Desktop, or clicking on the menu item by opening the Start Menu drop-down lists.

 Click on the Exit button in the Toolbar to exit Tek Gradator.

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Creating Gradated Images

Selecting Gradation Pattern

On the right side of the Console click on one of the gradation pattern names. Six pattern names are shown in the front panel, and the remaining six pattern names are hidden behind. To see the hidden pattern names click on the right-arrow or slide the front panel right by dragging it where the mouse pointer changes to [image]. Click on the left-arrow or gently drag the front panel left to close it.

Preview

Click on the Preview Screen to quickly preview the image.

Viewing the Image on the Main Screen

 To display the image on the resizeale Main Screen, click on the "Show on main screen" button in the Toolbar. The size of the image in pixel is displayed in the left, upper part of the Main Screen: It can be erased by double-clicking on the Main Screen. You can close the Main Screen by clicking on it with mouse right button

Changing Screen Size

Drag any rim of the Main Screen to change its size. It is recommended to switch to Background in the pattern selection when you adjust the screen size, so that the changing size is quickly displayed, decreasing a delay due to processing time. Note that the minimum size is limited to 12 pixels in width and height per unit image, i.e.; when you choose Repeating Patterns, the minimum screen size in pixels will be 12 multiplied by number of repeat. Note that too large screen or too many repetition will take time for processing graphics.

Changing Colors

Click on one of the three color boxes in the lower part of the Console. Then the Color Mixer comes up (if not shown) to allow you to mix RGB to make up favorite color by adjusting the sliders. The color boxes, from left to right, represent left/center, mid and right/brim colors of the selected pattern. Click on the Color Mixer with mouse right button to close it.

Adjusting Slant

For Plain Gradation the sliders placed just above and beneath the Preview Screen allow you to adjust slant of the pattern. This function is available only for Plain Gradation pattern.

Adjusting Mid Color Position

The mid color position can be adjusted by using the slider in the left, upper part of the Console.

Making Repeating Patterns

The sliders in the left, lower portion of the Console enables you to split the Main Screen into up to ten (10) blocks horizontally and up to six (6) blocks vertically to repeat the image. In some cases the image may have a gap at the right or bottom end of the screen. You slightly adjust the screen size to delete the gap.

Rotating Image

 Click on the "Rotate by 90 degrees" button in the Toolbar to rotate the image by 90 degrees. This function is not available for Filled Square, Crossing Pleats, Vague Sphere, Sphere and Background.

Using Rainbow Colors

Click on the Use Rainbow Colors check box when you make up a gradation image with the rainbow colors. After changing the check box checked, click on it with mouse right button to display the Rainbow Color dialog box. You can choose one of the two color palettes; Natural and Vivid, and also invert the color order. If you eager enough to change the mid color when the rainbow colors are chosen, click the Use Rainbow Colors check box unchecked, adjust colors, and then click the Use Rainbow Colors check box checked once again. Click on any of the color bars or the margin with mouse right button to close the Rainbow Color dialog box.

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Superimposing Texts

Opening Text Input Dialog Box

 Click on the "Input texts" button in the Toolbar of the Console to display the Text Input dialog box. This dialog box stays visible until the Close button is clicked.

Inputting Texts

Input favorite texts into the four text boxes. Multiple lines are allowed. Note that the texts in the first and the third text boxes, from top to bottom, will come upper to the ones in the second and the fourth text boxes. Therefore, the second and the fourth texts can be shadows or highlights for the first and the third texts respectively.

Setting Font, Color and Style of Texts

Click on the Font button on the right side of each text box. Then the Font Setting dialog box

comes up. Click on one of the True Type fonts and a font size in the drop-down lists, select a font style, and then adjust a text color by the Color Mixer. Click on the OK button to reflect the settings on the Main Screen. You may select a fixed width font, but I do not guarantee the selected font size is correctly represented.

Arranging Text Position

You can drag and drop the texts to any position you like within the Main Screen. If you want to have shadow or highlight effect on the first or the third texts, (1) first of all input texts in the first or the third text box, (2) set font and color for them, (3) adjust a gap by the slider, (4) click on the Shadow or the Highlight button, and then (5) lastly click on the OK button. The minimum division of the slider scale is one pixel.

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Adding Borders to Image

Opening Border Setting Dialog Box

 Click on the "Add borders" button in the Toolbar of the Console to display the Border Setting dialog box. This dialog box stays visible until the Close button is clicked.

Setting Borders

Input the size (width) of each border line into the four boxes. If you do not want to add a border to particular sides of the image, then place zero (0). To set color of the border click on Color button. Adjust the color of the corresponding border by the sliders of the Color Mixer. It is recommended to add wider borders earlier than thinner ones to prevent the latter from being covered by the former.

Reflecting Settings to Image

Click on the OK button to reflect the settings to the image on the Main Screen. Note that the borders cannot be erased once they are added, so if you want to cancel the previous addition of borders, then click on "Show on main screen" button to redraw the same image.

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Copying Created Image to Clipboard

 Click on the "Copy to clipboard" button in the Toolbar of the Console to copy the image displayed on the Main Screen to the Windows' clipboard. The image size indication is excluded in the copied image. After having done this, click on the "Show on main screen" button to refresh the image if you want to change the text positions again.

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Saving Settings of Created Image

Saving Created Image and Settings

 Click on the Save button in the Toolbar of the Console to save the created image as BMP format together with its settings, i.e.; all the setting parameters on the Console and the dialog boxes you made. Then the Save dialog box comes up, where you specify a drive, directories and a TGR file name, and click on the OK button.

If you want to save the image as BMP format together with its settings, click on the option button captioned by "Save image as BMP format together with settings by the same name" which is turned off by default. The created BMP file is named the same name as the TGR file except its file extension.

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Opening Saved Settings of Image

 Click on the Open button in the Toolbar of the Console to open the saved settings of image. Then the Open dialog box comes up, where you select a TGR file, and click on the OK button to represent the image on the Main and Preview Screen.

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Toolbar


Color Mixer


How to Use TGR Files Created with Earlier Version

On Tek Gradator later than v2.01 the arrangement of the pattern selection buttons was changed:

v1.04 and earlier       	v2.01and later

(1) Plain Gradation    	Plain Gradation

(2) Hump/Dimple     	Vague Ellipse

(3) Floating Sphere  	Ellipse

(4) Sandglass          	Filled Square

(5) Filled Square      	Crossing Pleats

(6) Crossing Pleats  	Background

(7) Background       	Vague Sphere

(8) None                 	Sphere

(9) None                 	Sandglass

(10) None               	Wave

(11) None               	Vague Diamond

(12) None               	Diamond

When you open a TGR file created with the earlier version of Tek Gradator, you will have a different graphic image displayed on the Main Screen from what you originally made. You choose a corresponding pattern by referring the above table and set the "Mid Color Position" slider double. Then click on the "Show on main screen" button to redraw graphics to get the original image.

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TGR File

A file which contains all setting parameters of graphics (gradation pattern, slider positions, settings of texts and borders, etc.) made by Tek Gradator. Its file extension is TGR by default, but may be freely renamed by user's preference.