Main Index
PhotoMorph DEMO Help Version 2.01

Copyright (C) 1993,1994 North Coast Software, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

The PhotoMorph 2 DEMO

Where to buy PhotoMorph?

New Features in Version 2!

Quick Directions

Filter Types

The Different Special Effects

PhotoMorph Menus

The Basic PhotoMorph Tools

System Requirements

Common Questions

PhotoMorph on CD-ROM!


What is PhotoMorph
What's in the PhotoMorph DEMO?

This is the demo version of PhotoMorph 2. It is an award-winning special effects package for Windows. PhotoMorph allows you to combine and apply sophisticated special effects to video clips and bitmap images. PhotoMorph is used by professionals in the fields of desktop video, graphic design, multimedia production, and presentation graphics. PhotoMorph combines image editing, special effects, and digital video in one unbeatable product!

This demo version has been altered to remove some features found in the full version.  This version cannot save any files, it has no clipboard functions, it has no screen capture functions.


Where Can You Buy PhotoMorph?

You can purchase PhotoMorph directly from North Coast Software, or from any of our US and International distributors.

North Coast Software, Inc.	Purchase PhotoMorph from North Coast Software

PO Box 459	and receive either the Morphology 101 CD-ROM

Barrington, NH  03825	morphing library or the Mondo Morph disk FREE!

(603) 664-6000 - phone	That's a $40. value FREE when you purchase

(603) 664-7872 - fax	PhotoMorph for $149.95. FREE shipping in USA.

Click here for an Order Form...

US Resellers:	Software Chain Stores:

PC Connection (800) 243-8088	Software ETC	Computer City

Egghead Software (800) 344-4323	Egghead Software	Fry's

Programmer's Connection (800) 336-1166	WaldenSoft	Microcenter

Tiger Direct (800) 888-4437	Computer Attic

Power Up! (800) 851-2917	Electronic Boutique

CompuClassics

International Distributors:

ARGENTINA	AUSTRALIA

Softrade	PPS Technology

TEL: 541-393-1620	TEL:  +612-956-7290

FAX:  541-325-6767	FAX:  +612-956-7293

BELGIUM & LUXEMBOURG	CANADA

Micro Solution SA	Uppercase Technology, Inc.

TEL:  32-10-41-9051	TEL:  905-470-6111

FAX:  32-10-41-9012	FAX:  905-470-6110

CHINA	CZECH REPUBLIC

XLSoft (Japan)	Zebra Systems

TEL:   3-5440-7875	TEL:  42-69-691-0393

FAX:   3-5440-7876	FAX:  42-69-691-7343

DENMARK	FRANCE

ALS Trading	Video Editions Multimedia

TEL:  +45-3149-2251	TEL:  +331-64-97-9664

FAX:  +45-3149-9923	FAX:  +331-69-91-1925

GERMANY	HUNGARY

Softline GmbH	3Soft Ltd.

TEL:  +49-7802-9240	TEL & FAX:  361-156-5419

FAX:  +49-7802-924-240

ISRAEL	JAPAN

Arigent Ltd.	XLSoft

TEL:  973-3-561-6529	TEL:  3-5440-7875

FAX:  972-3-561-7137	FAX:  3-5440-7876

KOREA	NETHERLANDS

MediaLand Corp.	Personal Software Design

TEL:  822-501-9696	TEL:  31-20-616-2456

FAX:  822-501-4065	FAX:  31-20-801-6565

NEW ZEALAND	NORWAY

STS	Com-X

TEL:  644-801-6111	TEL:  47-69-889-091

FAX:  664-801-6565	FAX:  47-69-886-659

SLOVAK REPUBLIC	SOUTH AFRICA

Zebra Systems	Softsel Pty. Ltd

TEL:  42-69-691-7343	TEL:  27-11-803-1964

FAX:  42-69-691-0396	FAX:  27-11-803-9053

SWEDEN	SWITZERLAND

SilverDalen Soft AB	SYSTRADE

TEL:  468-623-6750	TEL:  41-61-751-5111

FAX:  468-623-6767	FAX:  41-61-751-5157

UK	URUGUAY

LTS. Ltd,	Analisis de Sistemas

TEL:  44-386-792-617	TEL:  +598-248-6384

FAX:  44-386-793-147	FAX:  +598-241-8310


PhotoMorph 2 Order Form

North Coast Software, Inc.

P.O. Box 459

265 Scruton Pond Road

Barrington,NH 03825

Tel (603)664-6000  *  Fax (603) 664-7872

Name:_____________________________________Todays Date:________

Title:_________________________________________________________

Company:_____________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________

City:__________________________State:______________Zip:__________

Phone (day):____________________(eve):___________________________

Fax:__________________________________________________________

Email:________________________________________________________

Photomorph Program Disks:

# of copies	@ 149.95 ea.=	$________________

Free Shipping**

TOTAL:	$________________

..........................................................................................................................................

Card #_________________________________________________________________

Visa[ ] MasterCard  [  ]  Expiration Date:______________________________________

Signature:______________________________________________________________

Mail or fax this order form with method of payment (credit card information, check, or money order) to:

North Coast Software, Inc., P.O. Box 459, Barrington, NH 03825-0459

...or phone us at (603)664-6000 with your credit card orders.


New Features in PhotoMorph 2!

Background Rendering

This new feature lets you run interactive applications like word processing and image editing while PhotoMorph renders images in the background. Its automatic! Simply iconize PhotoMorph or use Program Manager to switch to another application. PhotoMorph will notify you when it has finished.

Multiple Filters Per Clip

Each Storyboard clip can now have up to three effects. This means that you can mix or special effects in any combination. You can accumulate three transition effects or you can do a triple morph.

Motion Morphing

Motion Morphing means that you can morph using AVI clips. Your subjects can be moving as they are morphing.

Motion Warping

Motion Warping means that you can warp any AVI clip. You can bring an AVI clip into the Warp Editor and stretch any moving video.

Chroma Keying

Blue Screening

Luminance Keying

These are very powerful professional effects that let you combine different images and lay in false backgrounds.

Alpha Channel

The Alpha Channel effect is used to create very interesting see-through and semitransparent image effects. PhotoMorph has extensive support for Alpha channel effects with many different tools.

Alpha Transitions

The Alpha Channel is a very powerful mechanism for doing scene changes, transitions, and wipes.  Alpha Transitions are a way of combining the alpha channel effect with the Transition Editor.

Dynamic Video Effects

Twelve new video effects allow you to apply image filters directly to AVI files. These filters will colorize your movies using very exotic methods.

Text Overlay

The Text Overlay feature allows you to place TrueType and PostScript fonts directly onto AVI files. Its great for Titling.

Color Correction

The Image menu now supports color correction of bitmaps. You can adjust hue, saturation, contrast and brightness of any image.


Multiple Filters Per Clip

Perhaps the trickiest feature in PhotoMorph 2 is the ability to use multiple filter effects in a single storyboard clip. This feature is very powerful for combining effects and creating new effects.  Using the new multiple filter interface you have can up to three filter effects and up four AVI clips or bitmaps. You can use filters in any combination. For instance, you can combine a transition with a colorize and a text overlay or you can combine three morphs!

It is important to remember that the output of Filter 1 becomes the input of Filter 2, and the output of Filter 2 becomes the input of Filter 3.  Once you have placed Start and End images in the Projects Editor and selected the Filter Type for Filter 1, simply click on the [123] button. This will move you to the options for Filter 2. You then select the images you want for the Start and End and the filter type for Filter 2. To combine Filter 2 with Filter 1 you simply choose the selection [Filter 1] from the image list in either Start or End or both.  Repeat this process to add a third filter. Refer to you PhotoMorph manual for an example of the process.

If you wish to view the options in a different filter, simply click on the [123] button. This will advance by one filter and will display the selected options.


Motion Morphing

What is Motion Morphing?

Motion Morphing is simply the morphing process applied to two different video clips. The difference between Motion Morphing and regular morphing between two still images is that there are now multiple starting images and multiple ending images.

How do you use the Morph/Warp Editor for morphing?

The Morph/Warp Editor has not changed much to add Motion Morphing.  Load two AVI files into the Start and End of the Project Editor, select Morph as the Filter Type and click on Edit.  The morphing process involves placing points on the Start image and adjusting them on the End image. Use the slider control to advance the frames.  Once you place a point on the starting image PhotoMorph will create Smart Points on all subsequent frames.  All you need to do is adjust these points to match the features of your two images.  When you move points, PhotoMorph will apply a linear interpolation to help you adjust them. Refer to your PhotoMorph manual for a full discussion of Smart Point and linear interpolation.


Motion Warping

What is Motion Warping?

Motion Warping is simply the PhotoMorph warping process applied to a single AVI video clip.

How do you use the Morph/Warp Editor for warping?

To use motion warping simply load an AVI clip into the Start image of the Project Editor and select Warp as the Filter Type.  In the Warp Editor simply place points on the features that you wish to distort. Place points on the features in the Start image and stretch those points in the End image.

PhotoMorph will place points on all frames following the frame where you placed points. These points are called Smart Points. You can move and delete these points as if you had created them yourself.

Smart Points and Real Points, the points that you placed yourself, are all color coded for easy identification.  You can use the Point Color Tool in the Morph/Warp Editor to easily change the colors of the different point types.

Please refer to your manual for discussion and examples of Motion Warping and Smart Points.


 Color Keying

What is color keying?

Blue Screening

Chroma Keying

Luminance Keying


Alpha Channel

What are Alpha Channel images?

Alpha Channel images are regular color pictures with a mask that allows them to be combined with other images.

How can you see an Alpha Channel image?

PhotoMorph allows you to create, import, preview, and combine Alpha Channel images in ways that create amazing special effects. PhotoMorph has an Alpha Channel Editor that lets you create the overlay mask. It also has the Alpha Overlay Filter which combines Alpha Channel images with standard images and other effects.

How do you work with Alpha Channel images?

All Image menu operations, all Filter menu operations, and all Colorize operations work with Alpha Channel images to perform image editing, text overlay, colorizing effects.

It is important to know that the Alpha Overlay Filter is enabled only when a 32-bit Alpha Channel image is in the Start or End image in the Project Editor.


 Colorizing and Dynamic Video Effects

What is Colorizing?

The Colorizing effects in PhotoMorph allow you to apply image effects directly to AVI video clips. You can turn a color animation into an old fashioned black and white movie. You can adjust the contrast just like you would a television set. There are 12 different effects to choose from.

Variable and Constant Controls

PhotoMorph gives you control of how you apply these effects. You can gradually fade these effects in over time. You apply the effect at 30% of full and hold it constant across the clip, or you can apply the full effect for just a portion of the clip.  These parameters are found in the Options box in the Project editor.

Video Editing Options

You can use the Video Editing Options tool to set where an effects begins or ends in a given clip. This tool is next to the Options box in the Project Editor. This tool is below and to the right of the Start and End image. It is only enabled when an AVI file is loaded to the specific window.

Colorize effects for Contrast, Noise, Trace Edges have additional controls that allow fine tuning.  The slider bar allows you to change frames and preview the effect across the entire clip.  It is very similar to using the Preview tool.

Colorize effects are great when combined with other Filter effects like Alpha Channel, Blue Screening, and Distortions.

See also: Filters Menu


The Transition Editor

What are Transitions?

A transition is the changing from one video clip or image to another.  A transition is the method or effect that you use to perform a scene change.  Because a transition can convey a wide range of expressions it is important to have a wide variety of transition methods.  This is why the PhotoMorph Transition Editor provides more than 256,000 transition combinations.

How do you use the Transition Editor

The Transition Editor is arranged with simple WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) features. There are three sections that are important: Direction Arrows, Faders, and Background Color.

Direction Arrows control the transition direction and motion for Start and End clips.  The Start clip always fades out and the End clip fades in. Each arrow is a button which points in the direction that a portion of the clip will follow.

Faders are important effects that you can add to transitions. Alpha, Fade, Melt, Random, and Solid each add a unique color effect. For instance, Fade adds a color dissolve effect, Melt adds a luminance key effects, Random adds color speckles, Alpha performs a transition based on the internal Alpha Channel provided by the Start image.  Solid is the same as not using a fader.

The Background Color option allows you to choose background colors for transitions. The color you choose will become the background color of the transition and can also modulate a particular fader control.  For instance, if you choose green as the background color and Random as the fader, the color speckles will appear green instead on random colors.

The Transition List on the leftmost side of the Transition Editor lists the names of the most commonly used transitions. To use a particular transition that is listed simply choose two clips and select a transition from the list.


Text Overlay or Dynamic Titling

What is Text Overlay?

The Text Overlay feature in PhotoMorph allows titling of both video clips and bitmaps with TrueType and PostScript fonts. Fonts can be any of 16 million colors.

The Style option allows you to choose from any installed font styles and sizes.

The Alignment option allows you to position your text and to choose between left-justified, right-justified, and centered alignments

The Color option allows you to choose a font color from 16 million colors.

The Text box is where you type in the text that you wish to appear. The text overlay will update the image with each keystroke. text is limited to one line of text.

Note: lossy video compression methods like Indeo can make text look very jagged after it is output to an AVI file.  You can minimize this problem be either choosing black or white as the text color or by simply choosing Cinepak as the compression type.


Quick Directions

PhotoMorph comes with many sample projects that you can morph in just seconds!

Open the Project Editor from the Tools menu.  Use the Load Project icon (the leftmost icon in the tool bar) to load a PhotoMorph project (any file with the extension PMP).  Click on Create Animation to render the movie, then choose AVI Player from the Tools menu.  Load the movie and click Play.


System Requirements

Minimum System Configuration

o Windows 3.1

o 386SX CPU

o 4 MB of RAM

o 4 MB of disk space

o A mouse or equivalent pointing device

Minimum Professional System

o 486/25

o 8 MB of RAM

o 30 MB of Disk Space

o Local Bus Video Card


Load Project

The Load Project dialog box imports PhotoMorph Project files with the PMP extension.


Save Project

The Save Project dialog box saves an existing PhotoMorph project to a user-specified project file. A project file, or PMP file contains only the name and location of animage file and does not contain the image itself.


Start Image

The Start Image dialog loads an image into the Start window of the Project Editor.  This image will be used as the starting image of a filter effect such as morphing or chroma keying.


End Image

The End Image dialog loads an image into the End window of the Project Editor.  This image will be used as the end image of a filter effect such as morphing or blue screening.


Project Editor Tool
The Project Editor

The Project Editor is the main control window for PhotoMorph.  In the Project Editor, the user can load Start and End images for animations; choose different types of filter effects; open the Filter Editor; chain videos together with the Storyboard; set animation parameters; open the Preview Window; and open the AVI Player.

Clip Options

The Basic Tools

The Video Editing Options Tool

Multiple Filters Per Clip


Preview Window Tool
The Preview Tool

The Preview Window previews the current filter effects in the currently selected Storyboard clip.  It is very useful for previewing part of an animation before creating a final animation.  The preview tool can be used to save individual frames to files or to copy them to new image windows.


AVI Player Tool
The AVI Player Tool

The AVI player allows you to play your AVI animations from within PhotoMorph.  VCR-like controls are provided for play, rewind, fast forward, and single-stepping back or forward.

The Load AVI icon in the AVI Player loads a Video For Windows movie in the AVI format. The AutoPlay icon will load a sequence of AVI video clips, and can be directed to play a group of AVI clips any number of times in any sequence. This is a very powerful tool for presentations. The Close icon will close and release a currently loaded AVI clip. This is useful if you are running the DOS Share utility or if you wish to free memory.


Colors Menu

Use the Colors Menu to convert the color configuration of bitmapped images (i.e., monochrome, 8-bit color, grayscale, 24-bit color, etc.).  Advanced image processing techniques such as dithering and optimized cut color reduction are available. The dithering options are specified in the File/Settings menu.


Help

The Help icon displays this Windows Help file.  Context-sensitive help may be displayed within each PhotoMorph window by pointing at the feature in question.


PhotoMorph Menus

File Menu

Edit Menu

Capture Menu

Colors Menu

Image Menu

Filters Menu

Tools Menu

Window Menu

Help Menu


File Menu

The PhotoMorph File menu has two main sections: Image and Project.

Use the File/Image menu for standard operations on image files, such as loading, closing, saving, and renaming.  You can use the Image/Save As... option to perform color reduction and compression.

Use the File/Project menu for operations on PhotoMorph projects, such as loading a new project, loading an existing project, saving a project, and renaming a project.


Edit Menu

The Edit menu provides standard file editing operations such as cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting.  Use Undo to reverse an Image or Colors operation.  Note that the Edit menu operates only on image files, not on PhotoMorph projects or AVI video clips.


Capture Menu

The Capture menu allows the user to create screen captured images.  Choose a region from the list:  Active Window, Active Application, Entire Screen, User-Defined Rectangle, or Window Under Mouse.  Use Set Options to direct the screen capture to a file, new window, or the Clipboard, to specify the window area to capture, and to set the hot key (default = F11).

To use Screen Capture, Open PhotoMorph and set the Capture options, minimize PhotoMorph, load the program whose screen you wish to capture, and press the hot key to initiate the capture.


Image Menu

The Image menu provides image manipulation, editing operations, and color correction.

Invert Image - Inverts the colors producing a negative image.

Flip and Mirror - Changes the orientation of an image.

Crop and Scale - Changes the size of an image.

Rotate - Rotates an image by 1 degree intervals.

Frame/Caption - Adds a color border and/or color text.

Tile - Creates a matrix pattern of an image, 1x3, 2x2, etc

Mask - Overlays a pre-defined shape over image

Contrast/Brightness,

Hue/Saturation - Adjusts the color components of an image.


Tools Menu

The Tools menu provides access to the Project Editor, Preview Window, and AVI Player.  Selection of any item in the menu will toggle the display of the desired window.

Project Editor

Preview Window

AVI Player


Window Menu

The Window menu provides options for managing PhotoMorph windows.  Tile arranges all open image windows such that all windows are visible and none are overlapping.  Cascade stacks the open image windows one on top of another, so that each title bar is visible above the next one in the stack.  Close All closes all open windows.  Arrange Icons lines up any iconized windows at the bottom of the screen.  There is a list of all open windows at the bottom of the menu; click on one to bring it to the front.


Help Menu

The Help menu gives you access to online help and other information.  Index gives a list of PhotoMorph topics available through online Help.  Using Help gives you information on using the hyperlink Help system.  System Info displays complete information about the current state of your system.  Use this for diagnosis of any problems and have this information available if you call North Coast Software technical support.  About PhotoMorph presents a message about the program and North Coast Software.


Filter Editor

The Filter Editors give are the tools that work with a specific special effect within a PhotoMorph clip.

Morph and Warp Editor

Transition Editor

Colorize Editor

Distortions Editor

Overlay Editor (contains Color Key Effects, Alpha Overlay, and text Overlay)

Alpha Channel Editor

Text Overlay Editor


The Morph and Warp Editor

The Filter Editor for morph and warp clips is accessed by clicking the Edit... button or the right arrow in the Project Editor.  It allows the user to place control points on the Start and End images to specify the action which should occur during the animation.  Points can be placed, moved, or deleted with the tool bars.

See Also: Motion Morphing, Motion Warping


Clips

A clip is an animation or a section of an animation.  Clips can be chained together via the Storyboard. A clip must contain at least one image.


Animation Parameters

Set animation parameters in the Project Editor.  Click on the Animation Parameters icon to toggle the display.  Use the edit boxes to set Speed, Compression type, Output File type and settings, and animation Quality.

 Refer to your PhotoMorph manual for a discussion of each of these parameters.


Filter Types

A Filter Type is basic category of special effect within PhotoMorph. These filter types are found in the Project Editor and are used to apply an effect within a Storyboard clip. A filter will work with both video clips and bitmap images. Some filters work with two images while others work with only one.

To choose a filter, select from the Filter Type list box in the Project Editor. Select one or two images for the Start and End image, depending on the filter, and click on Edit.

Available Filter Types:

Morph

Warp

Transition

Colorize

Distort

Overlay (contains Color Keying, Alpha Channel, and Text Overlay)


Filters

Image Filters may be applied to color bitmap images to add more flavor and personality.  Some filters are subtle in the actions, others will substantially change an image's appearance. If more of an effect is desired, the filter may be applied repeatedly to an image.

The following list of filters is available: Contrast, Sharpen, Sharpen Edges, Despeckle, Emboss, Blur, Median, Trace, Noise, Maximum, Minimum, Old Movie.

These same affects may be applied to AVI video clips by using the Colorize filter.


Clip Options

These parameters provide additional control when applying an effect to a clip..

Filter Percentage

Variable - choosing this option causes a filter to affect a clip gradually over time. The effect starts at 0% and increases to 100% at the frame specified with the Video Editing Options tool.

Constant - choosing this option causes a filter's effect to stay at a constant level throughout the clip.

Color Shift

The Color Shift control determines how fast the color shift from the first image to the second image.  The default is linear.

Movement Speed

The Movement Speed control is used to set the speed at which an effect occurs. The default is a linear transition speed. This control can create a fast start and a slow ending or a slow start and fast ending. This is great for creating more natural movements.

Alpha Masks

This list box allows you to select an Alpha Channel mask to apply to a clip.


Distortion Editor

These 22 Video Distortion effects can be applied to bitmaps and AVI clips.  Low, Medium, and High quality can be applied to these effects. Use the Animation Parameters icon in the Project Editor to set the quality.  Low quality is very quick to render, high quality takes longer to render but gives substantially more image resolution.   Effects denoted with (F) require a floating point coprocessor.


Alpha Channel Editor

The Alpha Channel Editor

How to use the Alpha Channel Editor to create 32-bit images.


The Blue Screen Editor

To use the Blue Screen Editor you must have a Starting image that has blue in it.  The editor will let you adjust the range of blue color which wil become transparent to the End image. That is, the End image will show through where the Start image is blue.

The Lightness control lets you brightest shade of blue, or the upper limit of the color range. Darkness is the control for the darkest shade of blue to pass through. Shadow is used to pass through a blue screen shadow to the final image. This control is only pertinent of your blue screen image has a shadow on the blue part of the image.


Chroma Key Editor

The Chroma Key Editor will let you select a range of color in the Start image which becomes transparent to the End image. The range of color is determined by the Chroma, Tolerance, and Darkness controls. You can sample a color from the Start image using the Eyedropper tool or you can select a color using the Chroma tool. The Tolerance and Darkness tools will let you controland decrease the range of colors.


Luminance Key Editor

The Luminance Key Editor will let you select a range of lminance values, or brightness  in the Start image which becomes transparent to the End image. The range of luminance values is determined by the Maximum and Minimum controls. You can sample a color from the Start image using the Eyedropper tool and adjust the range of colors using the Minimum and Maximum tools. Use can use the left mouse key to select the minimum color and the right mouse key to select the maximum color.


The Basic PhotoMorph Tools

Load Project

Save Project

Start Image

End Image

Project Editor Tool

Preview Window Tool

AVI Player Tool


The Video Editing Options

Setting In Points and Out Points on Video Clips. You can use this tool to establish the frames within an AVI clip that an effect starts and ends on. These are respectively called the in point and the out point.  This tool is extremely useful and can be used to perform simple video editing tasks.  These options also let you set the sampling method.  By Time matches the sampling to the amount of time the clip runs for.  By Frames matches the sampling to the number of frames in your clip.  Whole Clip matches the output to match the input as closely as possible.


Common Questions From PhotoMorph Users

Why do the pictures look washed out and have few colors?

Check to make sure that you have the correct driver installed in your video card. Windows defaults to only 16 colors if it does not have a video card driver.  To check your video card driver, choose Windows Setup in the Main group.

How can I speed up the playback of AVI files?

Output to FLC instead of AVI. Use the Media Player found in the Accessories Group to play the FLC file. Also, some compression schemes play back faster than others. Cinepak is faster than Indeo but FLC is fastest.

How can I get full screen playback of animations?

The easiest way to get full screen playback is to use the Media Player to load an AVI or FLC file, use Options to select Full Screen.


PhotoMorph on CD-ROM

For multimedia users with CD-ROM drives, we've got a great offer for you! Upgrade to the CD-ROM version of PhotoMorph. Here's what you get:

70 AVI morph movie clips - more than 300 MB of files!

40 different projects for you to morph

large resolution images for full screen animations

The AutoDesk ANIPLAY utility for super fast playback of FLC animations under DOS

And much more!

Call (800) 274-9674 for more information..


The Warp Editor

See also: Motion Warping

See also: Morph Editor


The Overlay Editor

Blue Screening

Chroma Keying

Luminance Keying

Alpha Channel Overlay

Text Overlay