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- DIGI-PAINT 3 MANUAL
-
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
-
- INTRODUCTION.........................................................1
- HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL.......................................2
- CHAPTER 1:GETTING STARTED............................................3
- WHAT'S INCLUDED..............................................5
- HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS........................................5
- HARD DISK INSTALLATION.......................................5
- CHAPTER 2:WHAT'S NEW.................................................7
- EFFECTS......................................................9
- DRAWING MODES................................................9
- CHAPTER 3:GUIDED TOUR...............................................11
- DIGITAL PAINTING............................................13
- BASIC TERMINOLOGY...........................................13
- LOADING DIGI-PAINT 3........................................14
- DIGIPAINT 3 STRUCTURE.......................................15
- PAINTING....................................................16
- CLEARING THE CANVAS.........................................17
- THE PALETTE.................................................18
- LOADING A PICTURE...........................................18
- CREATING A CUSTOM BRUSH.....................................19
- TRANSPARENCY................................................19
- USING TEXT..................................................21
- THE TOUR ENDS...............................................21
- CHAPTER 4:TUTORIALS.................................................23
- SPHERE......................................................25
- RANGE PAINTING..............................................28
- SHADOWS.....................................................30
- SIZING......................................................31
- REPEAT......................................................32
- RUB THRU....................................................33
- BACKGROUND..................................................34
- COLORIZING..................................................35
- MONTAGE.....................................................36
- PERSPECTIVE.................................................37
- TITLES......................................................38
-
- iii
-
- CHAPTER 5:USING TRANSPARENCY........................................41
- CONTROLS....................................................43
- HOTSPOT TRANSPARENCY................................43
- HOTSPOT LOCATOR.....................................44
- NO HOTSPOT..........................................44
- POINT HOTSPOT.......................................45
- HORIZONTAL HOTSPOT..................................45
- VERTICAL HOTSPOT....................................46
- EDGE TRANSPARENCY...................................46
- "THE GALLERY"...............................................47
- TRANSPARENCY AND THE MODES..................................47
- EFFECTS.....................................................47
- INTERACTIVE TRANSPARENCY....................................48
- CHAPTER 6:WARPING AND TEXTURE MAPPING...............................49
- WARP ENABLE.................................................51
- CONTROLS....................................................51
- WARP AMOUNT.........................................52
- WARP LOCATOR........................................52
- POINT WARPING.......................................52
- HORIZONTAL WARPING..................................53
- VERTICAL WARPING....................................53
- "THE GALLERY"...............................................54
- THE SHAPE TOOLS.............................................54
- SMOOTHING...................................................54
- TILING......................................................54
- SUGGESTIONS.................................................55
- INTERACTIVE TEXTURE MAPPING.................................55
- CHAPTER 7:TIPS AND HINTS............................................57
- X-SPECS 3D COMPATIBILITY....................................59
- WORKING WITH DIGI-VIEW GOLD.................................59
- RESOLUTION MODES............................................59
- RAW FILES...................................................59
- NORMAL PICTURES TO OVERSCAN.................................60
- CURING FLICKER..............................................60
- ADVANCED PERSPECTIVE........................................60
-
- iv
-
- PERSPECTIVE FILL SCREEN.....................................60
- MAKING NON-INTERLACED PICTURES
- INTERLACED..........................................60
- LARGE TILES.................................................60
- MULTIPLE COLOR RANGES.......................................60
- REVERSE RANGE TEXT..........................................61
- MISCELLANEOUS TIPS..........................................61
- CHAPTER 8:REFERENCE.................................................63
- SPECIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE MOUSE BUTTONS......................65
- TOOLBOX.....................................................65
- THE COLOR STRIP.............................................66
- 16 COLOR PALETTE....................................66
- CURRENT COLOR BAR...................................66
- RANGE COLORS........................................67
- TOOLS.......................................................67
- FREEHAND............................................68
- FREEHAND CONTINUOUS.................................68
- POLYGON/STRAIGHT LINE...............................68
- RECTANGLE...........................................69
- CIRCLE..............................................69
- ELLIPSE.............................................69
- FILL................................................70
- BRUSH SIZE SELECTOR.................................70
- BRUSH SHAPES........................................70
- CLOSE BOX...........................................71
- CONTROLS............................................71
- TEXT RENDERING......................................71
- PALETTE.............................................71
- UNDO................................................71
- REPEAT..............................................72
- MAGNIFY.............................................72
- SCISSORS............................................73
- MODE INDICATOR/COORDINATES..........................73
- FRONT/BACK GADGET...................................73
-
- v
- TEXT RENDERING..............................................74
- FONTS...............................................74
- SMOOTHING ON/OFF....................................75
- STYLE SELECTORS.....................................75
- TEXT ENTRY WINDOW...................................75
- TOOLS...............................................76
- PALETTE.....................................................76
- TONE SELECTOR.......................................76
- RGB SLIDERS.........................................76
- PICK COLOR..........................................77
- COLOR SELECTORS.....................................77
- CONTROLS....................................................78
- DITHERING...........................................78
- SMOOTHING ON/OFF....................................78
- TILE CONTROLS.......................................79
- WARPING CONTROLS....................................79
- TRANSPARENCY CONTROLS...............................80
- MENUS.......................................................81
- FILE REQUESTER..............................................81
- PICTURE.....................................................82
- LOAD................................................82
- SAVE................................................84
- PRINT...............................................84
- QUIT................................................84
- VIEW................................................84
- SIZE................................................85
- CLEAR...............................................85
- SWAP................................................85
- BRUSH.......................................................86
- LOAD................................................86
- SAVE................................................86
- NOBACKGROUND........................................87
- SWAP................................................87
- PALETTE.....................................................87
- COPY COLOR..........................................88
- REMAP...............................................88
-
- vi
-
- UNDO................................................88
- EFFECTS.....................................................88
- FLIP HORIZONTAL.....................................89
- FLIP VERTICAL.......................................89
- ROTATE 90 DEGREES...................................89
- MODE........................................................89
- NORMAL..............................................89
- RANGE...............................................89
- LIGHTEN.............................................90
- DARKEN..............................................90
- COLORIZE............................................90
- RUB THRU............................................90
- BLUR................................................91
- TxMAP...............................................91
- AND.................................................91
- OR..................................................91
- XOR.................................................92
- PREFS.......................................................92
- CLOSE WORKBENCH.....................................92
- OPEN WORKBENCH......................................92
- COORDINATES.........................................93
- GENLOCK.............................................93
- CHAPTER 9:TRANSFER 24...............................................95
- INTRODUCTION................................................97
- GETTING STARTED.............................................97
- PROJECT MENU................................................98
- NEW.................................................98
- LOAD................................................98
- SAVE................................................99
- LOAD PALETTE.......................................100
- PRINT..............................................101
- HISTOGRAM..........................................101
- ABOUT..............................................101
- QUIT...............................................101
- CONTROLS MENU..............................................102
- COLOR......................................................102
-
- vii
-
- BRIGHTNESS.........................................103
- CONTRAST...........................................103
- SATURATION.........................................103
- RED................................................103
- GREEN..............................................103
- BLUE...............................................103
- SHARPNESS..........................................103
- DEFAULT............................................104
- OK.................................................104
- PALETTE............................................104
- DISPLAY............................................104
- PALETTE....................................................104
- MAKE PALETTE/FREEZE PALETTE........................105
- COLOR 0 ON/OFF.....................................105
- DISPLAY....................................................105
- APPENDIX A:KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS......................................109
- TOOLS......................................................109
- MENU COMMANDS..............................................109
- DAWING MODES...............................................110
- CONTROLS...................................................110
- PALETTE....................................................111
- TEXT.......................................................111
- MISCELLANEOUS..............................................111
- APPENDIX B:HAM MODE AND DIGI-PAINT.................................113
- APPENDIX C:DIGI-PAINT 3 AND AREXX..................................115
- APPENDIX D:TECHNICAL SUPPORT.......................................125
-
- viii
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
- Digi-Paint 3 is a software program for electronic painting and image manipula-
- tion that allows you to use the maximum graphics power of your Amiga. With
- Digi-Paint 3,you can create,manipulate,and display images using the Amiga's
- remarkable display mode called Hold And Modify(HAM for short). This special
- mode lets you use all of the Amiga's 4096 colors on screen at once,unlike most
- paint programs which allow only 32 or perhaps 64 colors on screen. Digi-Paint 3
- breaks this "32 color barrier" and gives you access to all 4096 colors,thus
- allowing much more realistic images and a variety of special effects like
- transparency that are only possible when you have a large number of colors
- available.
-
- Digi-Paint 3 provides tools to manipulate images by drawing lines,dots,circles,
- and squares. Unlike other paint programs,Digi-Paint 3 also has special features
- such as user-controllable 3D texture mapping and transparency controls,and
- eleven different drawing modes that help you get the best use out of the
- thousands of colors now available.
-
- Digi-Paint 3 displays images in either Amiga's low resolution or low resolution
- interlace;in those resolutions,you can have a Canvas(screen area on which to
- paint)of up to 1024 pixels in either the horizontal or vertical direction.(This
- is limited by available CHIP RAM;with the newly-available 1 megabyte CHIP RAM,
- the maximum screen size is 960 x 960 pixels.)You can use overscan or severe
- overscan display as well,for compatibility with video. Digi-Paint 3 reads
- standard IFF picture files,so any picture you've created with another graphics
- program or with Digi-View Gold can be read into Digi-Paint 3. You can use any
- part of any painting as a brush and apply it to the screen in any one of 11
- different drawing modes for different visual effects. Digi-Paint 3's spare
- screen allows you to work with two pictures at once to combine or merge them
- using different special effects.
-
- The Transfer 24 software contains powerful image manipulation controls and
- allows you to convert images to other Amiga display resolutions,including
- hi-res overscan of up to 768 x 480 pixels.
-
- Digi-Paint 3 follows standard Amiga conventions regarding use of the mouse:
- point by moving the mouse,activate things with the left button,click and drag
- to draw,access menus with the right button. If you're familiar with other Amiga
- programs,Digi-Paint 3 is easy to use. The new interface has been rendered by
- noted Amiga artist Jim Sachs and is designed to provide easy access to Digi-
- Paint 3's many features. Keyboard options are also provided to make Digi-Paint
- 3 even more flexible.
-
- Although this manual covers all of the basics of using Digi-Paint 3,there are
- so many possible combinations of features that it would take many volumes to
- cover them all. So this manual will serve to introduce you to the power of Digi
- Paint 3,but you will find many more capabilities as you continue to use and
- experiment with the program. Please write to us and let us know about the things
- you've discovered,so that we can pass that information along to other users.
-
- 1
-
- HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
-
- If you are totally unfamiliar with the Amiga,we recommend that you read the
- Introduction to the Commodore Amiga manual included with your computer before
- using Digi-Paint 3. Generally,this manual assumes some familiarity with
- computers(the Amiga in particular);if you're familiar with the Amiga,you'll
- find Digi-Paint 3 quite easy to use.
-
- The manual is organized so you can get started right away. Most people like to
- ignore the manual as much as possible,because after all you really want to use
- the software instead of read the manual. If you're that type of person,no
- problem. Start the software by double-clicking the Digi-Paint 3 icon(like you
- would start most other Amiga software)and start experimenting. You won't hurt
- anything. When you have questions,refer to the Reference section of this manual
- for concise explanations of each feature.
-
- For those of you who want something a little more structured(and can avoid the
- temptation to throw down the manual and rush to use the software),the
- Digi-Paint 3 manual contains a Guided Tour to briefly display some of the major
- features,some Tutorials to illustrate the use of Digi-Paint 3,an Applications
- section that discusses various uses of Digi-Paint 3,and the aforementioned
- Reference section where all the features of Digi-Paint 3 are listed and
- explained.
-
- Everyone should read the Guided Tour section for a quick introduction to Digi-
- Paint 3's structure and some of the basic features(like loading files). After
- that,a complete approach would be to read and perform the Tutorials,then read
- the Applications and browse through the Reference section. After the Reference
- section,Transfer 24(the image processing software included with Digi-Paint 3)is
- described in detail. The Apprendices provide some useful information,
- particularly Appendix A,which summarizes the keyboard commands for Digi-Paint
- 3.
-
- 2
-
- DIGI-PAINT 3 MANUAL ADDENDUM
-
- DIGI-PAINT 3 DEMO
- Included on the Digi-Paint 3 disk are two icons labeled DigiPaint3_Demo and
- QuitDemo. These icons control the demo included with Digi-Paint 3,which shows
- off some of the features of the program running from an ARexx script. You must
- have at least 1 MED of RAM in order to view the demo,then:Double-click the
- DigiPaint3_Demo icon to start the demo which will loop continuously. To exit
- the demo,press the left Amiga key and the n key simultaneously,which will
- return you to the Workbench screen. From the Workbench screen,double click the
- QuitDemo icon in the PaintBench window.
-
- Digi-Paint 3 Slide Show
- Included on the Transfer 24 disk is a slide show of Digi-Paint 3 artwork. To
- run the slide show,simply double click the DigiPaint3_SlideShow icon. To exit
- the slide show,click in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
-
- HIGHWATER
- On the Digi-Paint 3 PaintBench Workbench disk we have included a program called
- HighWater. It is a system patch similar to the Commodore-supplied setpatch
- program. This program runs in your startup-sequence and helps to eliminate
- memory fragmentation problems. This fix is applicable to all pre-1.4 Commodore
- system software revisions.
-
- If you have a 512K Amiga,and boot from any disk other than the PaintBench disk,
- you should double-click the HighWater icon before running Digi-Paint 3.
- HighWater should be run only once,since it will use(and not return)a small
- amount of memory each time it is run.
-
- ATTENTION 512K USERS
- Digi-Paint 3 was designed to work on a 1 megabyte Amiga with all features
- available. Due to its extremely efficient use of memory,most features are
- available on a 512K machine,with the following limitations:
- -The magnify screen may be shortened or unavailable.
-
- -At times,the HAM palette may disappear.(This will happen during menu display,
- while carrying a custom brush,while magnifying,etc.)
-
- -Very large "cutout" brushes will not be available. In addition,if the screen
- flashes when scissors is selected,then you will not have an undo available when
- pasting the cutout brush.
-
- -Due to dynamic memory allocations,resizing the screen larger or smaller may
- lead to the loss of the picture.
-
- Removing any external disk drives(with the power off,of course)will allow your
- Amiga(and Digi-Paint 3)to use more money. Another way to save about 10K of
- memory is to drag the Digi-Paint 3 icon outside the PaintBench window and close
- it before clicking the icon. These steps will eliminate some of the above
- limitations,and make the others less of a problem.
-
- NEW TECH SUPPORT HOURS
- NewTek is happy to welcome Jae Emerson as head of the Technical Support Staff.
- Tech Support hours are between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. central time Monday thru
- Friday at (913)354-9332,or on the new toll-free tech line:(800)736-7617.
-
- CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED
-
- Your Digi-Paint 3 package should include the following items:
-
- Digi-Paint 3 disk
- Transfer 24/Art disk
- Manual
- Registration card
-
- First,before you start using the software,you should make a backup copy of both
- disks. This software is not copy-protected;use the standard AmigaDOS copy
- procedures(see your Amiga manual for details)to copy both disks onto new disks.
- Put the originals away in a safe place and only use the copies. If something
- happens to the copy and it no longer works,then make a new copy from the
- original disk.
-
- Please fill out the registration card and send it in immediately. This serves
- two important purposes:it lets us know more about you so that we can create
- better products,and it puts your name on file so that we can notify you of
- product upgrades.
-
- HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
- Digi-Paint 3 requires an Amiga with at least 512K of memory and one disk drive
- running KickStart 1.2 or higher. Digi-Paint 3 is compatible with the Amiga 500,
- 1000,2000,and 2500. Digi-Paint 3 is optimized for the 68020,so it will take
- advantage of any accelerator card(or the A2500's built-in 68020)to improve
- performance.
-
- The recommended configuration is two disk drives and 1 megabyte of memory. Some
- features are not available unless you have at least 1 megabyte of memory. When
- low memory is a problem,you may not be able to cut out large brushes or use
- other features. The screen flashes to indicate that Digi-Paint 3 was unable to
- perform an action due to low memory.
-
- HARD DISK INSTALLATION
- 1. Create a Digi-Paint 3 drawer on your hard drive.
-
- Click the Empty Drawer icon to select it.
-
- Choose Duplicate from the Workbench menu to create a new drawer named copy of
- Empty.
-
- Rename copy of Empty by clicking it and choosing Rename from the Workbench
- menu. Erase the name copy of Empty and type in Digi-Paint3 and press Return to
- give you your new drawer.
-
- 2. Move the icons from the Digi-Paint 3 disk to the Digi-Paint3 drawer(you
- must copy the DigiPaint,DigiPaint.KEYS and DigiPaint.GADS icons for the program
- to boot properly from the hard drive).
-
- 5
-
- Put the Digi-Paint 3 disk in any drive and double-click the disk icon to
- display the contents of the disk.
-
- Click the Digi-Paint 3 icon and then while holding down the Shift key click on
- all of the other icons so that the entire contents of the disk are selected.
-
- While still holding down the Shift key,drag the icons so that your pointer is
- over the Digi-Paint3 drawer icon you just created on your hard drive. Release
- the mouse button and the contents of your disk are copied to the Digi-Paint3
- drawer.
-
- 3. Repeat step 2 for the Transfer 24 disk.
-
- 6
-
- CHAPTER 2: WHAT'S NEW
-
- This section describes how some of the features found in Digi-Paint have been
- changed in Digi-Paint 3. Those of you that have used Digi-Paint will find Digi-
- Paint 3 to be a completely new program. This section gives you some idea of
- what's new,but the best way to get familiar with Digi-Paint 3 is to go through
- the Guided Tour and at least browse through the Reference to learn the program.
-
- The interface has been redesigned to add new features and make features more
- accessible. A number of drawing tools have been added,as well as variable brush
- sizes. Complete text rendering controls are contained in one section easier.
- The Shading mode has become Transparency Controls that work in any drawing
- mode. Texture mapping controls and smoothing controls have also been added.
-
- A number of the drawing modes have changed;their functions have been put into
- other drawing modes. New drawing modes such as Range painting and Texture
- Mapping have been added. And the Size interface lets you choose screen sizes up
- to 1024 pixels high or wide(limited by available CHIP RAM)without quitting the
- program.
-
- EFFECTS
- Double and Halve from the Effects menu can now be done using TxMap mode (see
- the Resizing tutorial). A "Mirror Flip" is accomplished by selecting a custom
- brush and using the Flip commands from the Effects menu. Soften can be done
- with more precision using the Blur drawing mode;it then applies to whatever
- part of the screen that you draw on. "Switch Halves" can be performed by
- cutting out half the screen as a custom brush,select Copy This Brush,then cut
- out the other half of the screen. Paste the new half down on the other side,
- then Exchange Brushes,then paste down the brush on the other side.
-
- DRAWING MODES
- Blend,Tint,and Light Tint can all be cuplicated by using the Transparency Con-
- trols. Turn Dithering off,then adjust the Transparency with the Hotspot set to
- the entire area. Digi-Paint 3 gives you a much finer level of control over
- Tinting by using this method. Minimum mode has been replaced by Darken mode,and
- Maximum has been replaced by Lighten mode. The functions of Add and Subtract
- have been replaced by Colorize,which gives you a much more intuitive way of
- adding colors to the screen. Finally,Shading mode has been replaced by the
- Transparency Controls and by Range mode,giving you much greater control over
- shaded drawings.
-
- 9
-
- CHAPTER 3 GUIDED TOUR
-
- This section is designed to quickly familiarize you with Digi-Paint 3's basic
- features. Keep your manual handy next to the computer;you'll be following the
- explanations in the Guided Tour while using Digi-Paint 3.
-
- DIGITAL PAINTING
- Using a computer to create artwork has only recently become commonplace. The
- advent of the Amiga with its low cost and high resolution 4096 color graphics
- makes it possible for an even wider audience to create high-quality computer
- images.
-
- Computer generated artwork can be thought of as digital painting(as opposed to
- traditional,"analog" painting methods). This is a medium of expression just as
- oil painting is a different medium than watercolor. Like learning to paint in
- any new medium,digital painting requires a new perspective on how you create
- artwork. While any paint program lets you change each pixel individually,trying
- to create an image in that fashion would take a very long time. Fortunately,
- Digi-Paint 3 offers a number of powerful features that make it possible to
- create complicated effects in a few moments.
-
- One of the most important features of digital painting with Digi-Paint 3 is the
- ability to Undo and Repeat an action. If you didn't like the last splotch of
- paint,Undo it and it disappears. Then you can change color,paint mode or
- transparency level and Repeat,and the action is re-done with the changes you
- have made. This gives you the freedom to experiment without fear of ruining
- your artwork.
-
- It may seem odd at first to paint by using a "mouse" instead of a brush or a
- pencil,but you'll quickly adjust. The medium of digital painting has its
- limitations,but the advantages make it a powerful and expressive medium.
-
- STARTING UP DIGI-PAINT 3
-
- Before we proceed,let's clarify a few terms that are used repeatedly in this
- manual.
-
- BASIC TERMINOLOGY
- These terms are already familiar to you if you're an experienced Amiga user.
-
- CLICK:The operation of moving the pointer over something on the screen and then
- pressing the left mouse button.
-
- DRAG:Hold down the left mouse button as you move the pointer.
-
- DOUBLE-CLICK:The operation of moving the pointer over something on the screen
- and then pressing the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.
-
- PULL DOWN:Hold down the right mouse button to display the Menu Bar;move the
- pointer ove the designated menu,then move the pointer downward until the
- desired command is highlighted,then release the mouse button.
-
- 13
-
- SELECT:Click on a gadget(one of the icons or little pictures in the Toolbox);
- when selected,it is highlighted.
-
- LOADING DIGI-PAINT 3
-
- Turn on your Amiga.
-
- At the Workbench prompt,put the Digi-Paint 3 disk into the internal(df0:) disk
- drive.
-
- The Workbench included with Digi-Paint 3 loads in.
-
- Double-click on the Digi-Paint 3 disk icon to "open" the icon.
-
- You'll see the Digi-Paint 3 icon(see Figure 3.01);double-click on the icon to
- start up Digi-Paint 3.
-
- After a brief pause a black screen appears with the "Toolbox" at the bottom(see
- Figure 3.02). The black area is called the Canvas in Digi-Paint 3;this is where
- you can paint with the tools of Digi-Paint 3,bring in images,and manipulate
- images. The Canvas can be larger than the screen;in that case,the screen acts
- like a window over the part of the Canvas that it can display. The Toolbox is
- where you'll find the various features available in Digi-Paint 3,and(when you
- hold down the right mouse button)the menus are where other commands are
- available.
-
- 14
-
- DIGI-PAINT 3 STRUCTURE
- The various features of Digi-Paint 3 are found in the toolbox. The toolbox is
- the area at the bottom of the screen that consists of the Color Strip and one
- of four different Sections below the Color Strip(as shown in Figure 3.03). When
- the right mouse button is held down,the Color Strip is replaced by the Menu
- Bar, where a number of features are accessed by pulling down one of the six
- Menus. The four Sections of the Toolbox are the Tools(which appears when you
- first start up Digi-Paint 3),Controls,Text Rendering,and Palette.
-
- 15
-
- These Sections are displayed by clicking the appropriate icon in the lower left
- corner. The Tools section contains the basic drawing tools and brushes for
- putting paint on the Canvas. The Controls section contains the Warping and
- Transparency controls,as well as the Dithering and Smoothing controls. The text
- rendering section contains a number of font rendering controls for creating
- text. Finally,the Palette section contains color selection controls where you
- can select the desired color for painting. Each Section is described in greater
- detail in the Reference Section.
-
- The pointer changes as you move into the Toolbox. While over the Color Strip,it
- becomes a left-facing arrow(the Color Picker);while over the Toolbox Section,it
- becomes the standard pointer;while over the Canvas or the Brush Size or Brush
- Shape area,the pointer becomes the current brush selected.
-
- PAINTING
- Now that Digi-Paint 3 is active,we're ready to begin a tour of its features.
- When you move the pointer into the Canvas area of the screen,a round white dot
- appears where the pointer was;this is the current brush in the current selected
- color(this is a medium sized circle brush with white paint). Painting is easy:
-
- With the pointer located anywhere within the Canvas(where it becomes a brush),
- press and hold the left mouse button and move the pointer. A white trail
- appears wherever you move the pointer. When you release the button,the paint
- stops appearing.
-
- If you approach the Toolbox when you paint,the Toolbox disappears to allow you
- to paint "behind" it.
-
- Click the right mouse button to bring back the Toolbox.
-
- You can paint with any color from the Amiga's 4096 color palette. At the top
- left of the Toolbox is a row of 16 colors in small rectangles(called the 16
- Color Palette).
-
- Click on any one of the 16 Color Palette rectangles to select that color.
-
- The current brush changes color to match the newly selected color;at the same
- time,the long rectangle(called the Current Color Bar)next to the 16 Color
- Palette also changes to the selected color. Now paint some more with the new
- color. Try selecting other colors among the 16 and then painting.
-
- The Toolbox contains differrent Brush Shapes,located at the upper right of the
- Toolbox below the colors on the top bar. The circle brush is highlighted
- currently,because that is the brush in use.
-
- Click on the icon next to the circle to select the square brush.
-
- Draw a few lines on the screen with that brush,and try out a few of the other
- brush shapes. You can also use any of these brush shapes(with the exception of
- the one-pixel brush at the far left)in any one of 7 sizes.
-
- 16
-
- Click on one of the seven Brush Size icons to select that size brush or hold
- down the left mouse button over the Brush Size area and move the brush to the
- left to enlarge it,or to the right to shrink it. Try painting with different
- sizes of the barious brush shapes.
-
- The Toolbox also contains Drawing Tools for creating standard shapes. Currently
- the Freehand Tool is highlighted,showing that it is the tool in use.
-
- Click the Rectangle icon to select that tool.
-
- Now click in the canvas,and while still holding down the left mouse button,drag
- out the resulting rectangle to about two inches square and release the mouse
- button.
-
- A rectangle is quickly drawn on the screen using the current color and brush
- shape. You can also draw a filled rectangle.
-
- Click the Fill icon to select it,and draw a filled rectangle.
-
- You can choose any of the other drawing tools and use them in a similar fashion
- except for the Polygon/Straight Line tool. To use that tool:
-
- Click the left mouse button on the Canvas,drag out a line,click the left button
- again to set a new end point,and continue until you have shape you want.
-
- Then click the right mouse button to complete the polygon.
-
- CLEARING THE CANVAS
- By this time the Canvas is probably getting quite crowded with doodling. Let's
- clear the area to try some more features of Digi-Paint 3.
-
- Select the black color in the 16 Color Palette(click on the color to the far
- left of the 16 Color Palette).
-
- Press the right mouse button and hold it down. The Toolbox disappears and the
- Menu Bar appears.
-
- While still holding down the right mouse button,move the pointer to the word
- Picture. The Picture menu drops down.
-
- Move the pointer to the word Clear;when it is highlighted,release the mouse
- button. The Canvas is cleared to the black you selected.(Or press Shift-k on
- the keyboard to clear the screen to the leftmost color in the palette.)
-
- If you ever change your mind after clearing the screen,click the Undo button to
- "unclear" the Canvas;click Undo again to bring back the cleared Canvas. The
- Undo button is a very powerful command that "takes back" the last action you
- performed.
-
- 17
-
- THE PALETTE
- You can choose any one of the Amiga's 4096 colors as your painting color.
-
- Click the Palette icon at the bottom of the Toolbox(fourth icon from the left);
- the Toolbox displays the Palette section(see Figure 3.04).
-
- Move the pointer over the three Color Selectorr squares(at the right of the
- Palette section)as you hold down the left mouse button. The colors change as
- you move the pointer;the Current Color Bar at the top of the Toolbox shows the
- color you've selected.
-
- Choose any color by releasing the mouse button.
-
- Now paint with that color,and try several others as well.
-
- You'll notice that as you draw and lay colors over one another,some "fringe"
- colors may appear;when you release the mouse button,the "Zz" sign will replace
- the pointer and those fringes will be erased. Sometimes,however,a trace of an-
- other color remains at the edge of what you drew. This happens because Digi
- Paint 3 uses the HAM display mode of the Amiga,and this display mode places
- certain constraints on the colors that appear on the screen(see Appendix B for
- a discussion of HAM mode and Digi-Paint 3).
-
- LOADING A PICTURE
- Now let's load a picture into Digi-Paint e.
-
- Press and hold the right mouse button,and move once again to the Picture menu.
-
- While holding down the mouse button,move the pointer down until Load is
- highlighted,then release the mouse button. The File Requester then appears.
-
- Click on the disk drive gadget(in the upper left corner of the File Requester
- window)where your Digi-Paint 3 disk is located(usually in df1: or df0:;the dh0:
- refers to a hard disk drive,if you have one).
-
- The drive whirs for a moment and the files and drawers available on the disk
- appear. Drawers and volumes appear in white letters;files appear in gray
- letters. Each volume(usually a disk)present appears at the top of the
- requester;ou can open a volume by clicking it. This is the same as clicking the
- drive name buttons(like df0:),but not all volumes are present as buttons(the
- RAM disk,for instance,only appears as a volume name).
-
- 18
-
- Open up the drawer labeled Images by clicking it with the left mouse button.
- The disk drive whirs and you see a list of the pictures included with Digi-
- Paint 3.
-
- Select the picture named Fashion by clicking on it with the left mouse button
- (the name appears in the box at the top of the File Requester).
-
- Click on the Open File button in the upper right corner of the File Requester.
-
- A requester appears at the bottom of the screen asking you if you want to use
- the color palette from the file or the Palette on display.
-
- Load Palette from File is highlighted,so click OK. The picture loads in from
- disk and is displayed on the screen.
-
- Click the Close icon in the bottom left corner of the Toolbox to close the
- Toolbox so you can see the entire image.(Or press Esc on the keyboard to hide
- or retrieve the Toolbox.)
-
- Click the right mouse button to bring back the Toolbox.
-
- Creating a Custom Brush
- Let's experiment with some of the special Tools.
-
- Click the Tools icon to display that section of the Toolbox.
-
- Select the Rectangle tool and click the Scissors icon. The cursor changes to a
- pair of scissors. You can now cut out any part of the image and use it as a
- custom brush. Any Drawing Tool could be used in this manner by selecting it and
- then selecting Scissors.
-
- Draw a rectangle around one of the eyes of the woman in the image. When you
- release the mouse button to complete the rectangle,a copy of the area
- underneath the rectangle has been made into a custom brush.
-
- Move the pointer somewhere else on the Canvas(the middle of her forehead,for
- instance)and click. The eye is painted down on the image where you clicked.
-
- Click Undo to remove it.
-
- Transparency
- Now let's try making the eye blend in with the background better. For this,we
- need to use the Transparency controls.
-
- Click the Controls icon.
-
- The toolbox changes to show the Controls section. At the far right of the Tool-
- box are the Transparency controls(see Figure 3.05). There is a vertical slider
- on the left(the Hotspot Transparency slider),a large white square with four
-
- 19
-
- buttons on top(the Hotspot Locator and the Hotspot Selectors on top),and a
- vertical slider on the right(the Edge Transparency slider).
-
- Click the Point Hotspot button(second button from the left on top of the white
- square).
-
- The Hotspot Locator now displays a small white square on a shaded background.
- This white square is the "hotspot" for the Transparency Control,determining
- where the center of the transparency will be in any shape you draw.
-
- Drag the Edge Transparency slider down to the bottom to make the edge of the
- brush entirely transparent.
-
- Now move the pointer to the middle of the woman's forehead and stamp down the
- "eye" brush by clicking.
-
- In a moment,you'll see the third eye blended in with the background(see Figure
- 3.06)
-
- You can try out different transparency settings by adjusting the Transparency
- sliders or the Hotspot Locator,then clicking Undo and then Repeat. The Repeat
- function duplicates the last drawing action with the current Control settings,
- and is therefore an easy way to try out variation in settings.
-
- 20
-
- Using Text
- Finally,let's add a title to our picture.
-
- Reset the Transparency Controls by clicking the first button on the left in the
- Hotspot Selectors;this turns off Transparency(and brings back the solid white
- square to show this).
-
- Click the Text icon(third from the left at the bottom of the Toolbox)to display
- the Text Rendering section of the Toolbox(see Figure 3.07).
-
- Click on the white color in the 16 Color Palette to select that as the current
- color.
-
- Click in the Text Entry Window(the long black rectangle on the right side of
- the Toolbox).
-
- Now type Alien Lady and press the Return key.
-
- The words appear as a custom brush;stamp it down on the image by clicking,and
- you have a title.
-
- This title used one of the Amiga's standard fonts;other fonts are accessible by
- clicking the Fonts button,finding the desired font on disk and loading it in.
-
- The Tour Ends
- This short tour has only touched a few of Digi-Paint 3's many features. Now
- that you're familiar with the general layout of the program,you can continue to
- experiment on your own to find out more about Digi-Paint 3. However,we suggest
- you work through the Tutorials,then read the Applications section for some
- ideas on how to use Digi-Paint 3 more effectively. Before you go on,we strongly
- recommend that you MAKE A WORKING COPY OF YOUR DIGI-PAINT DISK and store your
- original in a safe place. After this point,you should never use your original
- Digi-Paint disk again except to make another working copy in case your first
- copy is somehow damaged.
-
- 21
-
- CHAPTER 4 TUTORIALS
-
- Learning to use a program like Digi-Paint 3 is much easier when you actually
- try to do something useful with it. The purpose of these tutorials is two fold:
- to teach you how the software works,and to show you some useful combinations of
- features. By using some of Digi-Paint 3's tools in combination,many different
- effects are possible. As you explore the program yourself,you'll happen upon
- many that aren't even hinted at here.
-
- The tutorials are designed to be completed in a few minutes. This means that
- images you produce may not be great artwork,but the intent is to demonstrate
- how the program works. However,you will find that Digi-Paint 3 can produce very
- nice results without a lot of effort. You may want to experiment with some of
- the settings described in the tutorials;this is a great way to learn more about
- features.
-
- While the tutorials progress more or less in order,you can take them in any
- order you please. If you're interested in a particular feature,go straight to
- that tutorial and try it out. Just make sure that all of the controls and
- drawings modes are set back to Digi-Paint 3's default settings(do this by
- pressing the TAB key on the keyboard),so that you don't get confused by the
- tutorial's instructions.
-
- NOTE:Some of the Tutorials that use the Swap Screen require 1 megabyte of ram.
-
- When you've completed the tutorials,look to the Reference section for more de-
- tailed explanations of the features. Also,don't hesitate to try your own
- variations on the tutorials. Adjust the controls a different way;choose
- different colors. There's always the Undo button handy to whisk away your
- mistakes. The Repeat key is also a handy way to try out variations on a
- theme:draw something,change the controls,Drawing Mode,or colors,then click the
- Repeat button and Digi-Paint 3 draws the same thing you drew before with the
- new controls settings.
-
- Refer to Appendix A for a complete listing of all the Toolbox icons.
-
- Without further ado,let's learn how to use some of the features of Digi-Paint
- 3.
-
- TUTORIAL 1:SPHERE
-
- This first tutorial shows you how to create a sphere. First,start up your Amiga
- and load Digi-Paint 3.
-
- Select the one-pixel brush.
-
- Select the Circle tool.
-
- Select the Fill gadget.
-
- Draw a circle about two inches across.
-
- So far,this is just a plain circle. Now we'll use one of Digi-Paint 3's Drawing
- Modes to create the illusion of three dimensions.
-
- 25
-
- Click the right mouse button to bring back the Toolbox.
-
- Click Undo to remove the circle you just drew.
-
- Pull down Range from the Mode menu.
-
- Just to double check that Range Mode was indeed selected,look at the box in the
- lower right corner of the Toolbox(just to the left of the Front/Back gadget).
- Inside the box is should now say Range. If is says Normal or any other term,go
- back to the Mode menu and select Range again,taking care to release the mouse
- button only when the word Range is highlighted.
-
- Now that Digi-Paint 3 is in Range Mode,the Current Color is no longer used.
- Instead,the Range Colors are used;these are located at the right hand end of
- the Color Strip at the top of the Toolbox.
-
- Now draw a circle about two inches across.
-
- This circle has yellow in the center shading out to red at the edges. While it
- definitely has more texture,it still doesn't resemble a sphere. For that effect
- the Transparency controls are necessary.
-
- Go to the Transparency controls by clicking on the Controls gadget(second icon
- from the left in the lower left corner of the Toolbox).
-
- The Toolbox displays a new set of icons;the Transparency controls are located
- at the far right of the Toolbox(see Figure 4.01).
-
- Click the Point Hotspot button(second button from the left on top of the
- Hotspot Locator).
-
- The Hotspot Locator displays a small white square in the middle. This white
- square is the "hotspot" for the transparency control,controlling where the left
- hand Range Color is located in the object you draw.
-
- Drag the hotspot to the upper left corner,about 1/4 inch from the top and side
- of the box.
-
- This creates the effect of a light source coming from the upper left.
-
- Moving the pointer to the Canvas,drag out a circle about 2 inches across and
- release the mouse button.
-
- As you can see,the circle now looks like a sphere. There's one more thing we
- can do to increase the illusion,which is to add a highlight.
-
- 26
-
- Pull down Normal from the Mode menu to return to normal drawing mode.
-
- Select white from the 16 Color Palette.
-
- Drag the right hand slider of the Transparency controls all the way to the
- bottom.
-
- This will make the edges of the circle you draw transparent,thus blending in
- the highlight.
-
- In the upper left corner of the sphere you drew,where the yellow color is
- centered,drag out a very small circle(about the size of a dime or less).
-
- A white highlight is added,with the edges blending into the sphere. If you
- didn't get the position quite right,click Undo and try again. Figure 4.02 shows
- what the sphere should look like.
-
- You may want to save this picture for use in some of the other tutorials.
-
- Pull down Save from the Picture Menu so that the File Requester appears.
-
- If you don't have a data disk handy,format one now. One of the advantages of
- the Amiga's multi-tasking environment is that you can do that right now without
- leaving Digi-Paint 3. If you need to format a data disk,use the following
- procedure:
-
- Click on the left portion of the Front/Back gadget in the upper right corner of
- the File Requester.
-
- This brings you to the Workbench.
-
- 27
-
- Put a blank disk in one of your disk drives.
-
- The image of the disk appears on the Workbench,like this:df1:BAD(or DF0:BAD,
- depending on which drive you used).
-
- Select the BAD disk.
-
- Pull down Initialize from the Disk menu.
-
- A message appears asking you to insert the disk in the drive. Since it's
- already there:
-
- Click Continue(click Cancel to exit this procedure).
-
- Another message appears,asking if you really want to do this.
-
- Click Continue(click Cancel to exit this procedure).
-
- The Amiga now begins formatting you data disk. While it's busy with that,let's
- go back to Digi-Paint 3 and get ready to save the file.
-
- Click on the right portion of the Front/Back gadget in the upper right corner
- of the Workbench screen.
-
- This brings you back to Digi-Paint 3.
-
- Click on the disk drive where you want to save this picture(df0:,df1:,or dh0).
- If you just formatted a data disk,wait until the disk drive has finished
- whirring,then click on that drive(or the volume name). The new disk is named
- Empty.
-
- Click in the long black window to the left of the Save File Button(this is the
- File Name window).
-
- Type in Sphere(this will be the file name).
-
- Click the Save File button.
-
- The picture is saved and the Toolbox reappears where you left it.
-
- TUTORIAL 2:RANGE PAINTING
-
- This tutorial shows the use of Range drawing mode to create more intricate
- three dimensional objects;this subject is a cube.
-
- If you just complete the Sphere tutorial,we're ready to start;go to the fourth
- step listed below.
-
- If you have just started Digi-Paint 3:
-
- 28
-
- Load the Sphere file you created with the first tutorial.
-
- Click the second icon from the left in the lower left corner of the Toolbox to
- go to the Controls.
-
- Click the Point Hotspot button above the Hotspot Locator. This controls where
- the left hand Range Color is located in the object you draw.
-
- Drage the Hotspot to the upper left corner of the gray area,about 1/4 inch from
- the top and from the left.
-
- Click the Tools icon(second icon from the left)in the lower left corner of the
- Toolbox.
-
- The Tools section of the Toolbox is displayed.
-
- Select the Rectangle tool.
-
- Select the Fill gadget if it's not already highlighted.
-
- Pull down Range from the Mode menu.
-
- Drag out a square about two inches on a side to the left of the sphere in the
- upper portion of the Canvas.
-
- Now we have the front face of the cube. For the other two faces that can be
- seen,we need to use the Polygon/Straight Line tool.
-
- Select the Ploygon/Straight Line tool(second icon from left).
-
- Click the Controls icon to return to that section of the Toolbox.
-
- First we'll add the top face of the cube. The highlight needs to be moved to
- better simulate the top face.
-
- Drag the hotspot in the Hotspot Locator straight downward to the bottom,about
- 1/4 inch from the left edge.
-
- Draw a parallelogram using the Polygon Tool:
-
- Click on the top left corner of the square and drag out a line about half an
- inch long at a thirty degree angle,pointing upward to the right.
-
- Click with the left mouse button to place that endpoint,then drag out a
- straight line to the right about two inches long.
-
- Click the left mouse button to place that endpoint.
-
- 29
-
- Drag out a line from there to the upper right corner of the square,then click
- the right mouse button to create the filled polygon.
-
- Now for the final part of the cube,we need to draw a darker area to simulate
- the shadowy side of the cube.
-
- Click the Hotspot Off button(the first button on the left over Hotspot
- Locator);the Hotspot Locator turns white,indicating that Hotspot and Edge
- colors are the same.
-
- Now draw a polygon for the last face of the cube,using a similar procedure to
- the one for the top face.
-
- When you complete this polygon,it appears in red(the rightmost Range Color),
- since the Hotspot is the entire area. The cube might look more real with a
- slightly darker shade of red.
-
- Select the red color from the Range Color palette by clicking on the far right
- edge of the Range Colors(just to the left of the red box at the farthest
- right).
-
- Pull down Normal from the Mode menu. Move the pointer over the Current Color
- Bar at the top of the Toolbox,then press and hold the left mouse button.
-
- The Palette is displayed as long as you hold down the mouse button. Directly
- under the Current Color Bar are the RGB sliders that control the color chosen.
- To the left are darker shades of the 16 Color Palette colors.
-
- While still holding the left mouse button,move the pointer to the red color in
- the 16 Color Palette,then move the pointer downward slowly. The red color in
- the Current Color Bar darkens as you move downward. Select a red a few shades
- darker than the beginning color,then release the mouse button.
-
- Now click on the Repeat button in the Toolbox.
-
- The right face of the cube is redrawn in a darker shade of red,helping create
- the illusion of three dimensions. Save this picture under the file name
- Sphere&Cube for use in the next tutorial.
-
- TUTORIAL 3:SHADOWS
-
- This is a continuation of the Sphere tutorial. Here we will create a greater
- illusion of depth by adding a background and shadows to the sphere and cube
- created before.
-
- Load the Sphere&Cube file you created with the previous tutorial.
-
- Select the Rectangle Tool and the Fill gadget.
-
- 30
-
- Draw a white rectangle on the bottom half of the screen below the sphere and
- the cube.
-
- This serves as a background;perhaps it's a giant desktop. In any case,it's a
- good place for these objects to cast shadows. For that,we'll use one of Digi-
- Paint 3's Drawing Modes.
-
- Pull down Darken from the Mode menu.
-
- Select the Ellipse tool and the Fill gadget.
-
- Draw a flattened ellipse to the right and below the sphere on the white
- surface.
-
- The ellipse appears dark,as a good shadow should. Now for the cube's shadow.
-
- Select the Polygon Tool.
-
- Draw a parallelogram under the cube,slightly to the right,offset the same
- distance as the sphere's shadow.
-
- You now have shadows,and the similar light sources generate a spotlight effect.
- Note that the Darken mode doesn't have to have a white background;you can use
- Darken with similar effects on any background,even ones with multiple colors.
-
- TUTORIAL 4:SIZING
-
- Digi-Paint 3 has the ability to resize any image by using the Warping controls
- and 3D Texture Mapping drawing mode. This tutorial demonstrates resizing of a
- small custom brush;the technique can be used with an entire picture.
-
- Load Digi-Paint 3(if it's not already running).
-
- Load the image named Fashion from the Images drawer on the Digi-Paint 3 disk.
-
- Select the one pixel brush.
-
- Select the Rectangle Tool and the Fill Gadget.
-
- Click the Scissors icon.
-
- Now you can cut out a custom brush in the shape of a rectangle.
-
- Draw a square that encloses one of the woman's eyes.
-
- 31
-
- From the Brush menu,pull down Copy This Brush under the Swap sub-menu.
-
- The Copy This Brush command appears on a sub-menu,so you need to move the
- pointer to the right once you hit Swap in order to display the sub-menu.
-
- This procedure has now enabled the TxMap item on the Mode Menu. This mode
- requires that a custom brush is selected and a copy of that brush is made;so
- TxMap mode is not available until you have done those things.
-
- Select TxMap from the Mode menu.
-
- Select the Rectangle tool and make sure that the Fill gadget is activated.
-
- Draw any size rectangle on the screen and the brush will be reproduced in the
- size and shape of that rectangle.
-
- To keep the proportions the same,draw a square. Try drawing a square about half
- an inch on a side,and then try drawing a square about four inches on a side.
-
- The resizing looks even smoother if you use Smoothing.
-
- Click the Controls icon to go to that section of the Toolbox.
-
- Select the right half of the Smoothing icon(fourth from the left,middle row on
- the left side).
-
- Click Repeat to redraw the last eye with Smoothing.
-
- As the eye is redrawn,you'll see the difference that Smoothing makes.
-
- This resizing technique can be used with all manner of custom brushes. As an
- additional benefit,you can resize the brush with different proportions as
- necessary to fit the brush into your image.
-
- For greater precision in resizing a brush,use the Coordinates. Turn on
- Coordinates by selecting it from the Prefs menu or clicking on the Mode box at
- the bottom right of the Toolbox. When you start to draw,the Toolbox(and the
- Coordinates)disappear;press the Esc key to bring back the Toolbox and the
- Coordinates as you draw. When you start drawing,the Coordinates take the
- starting point of your drawing as 0,0 and add from there. The "Repeat" tutorial
- will show you how you can pick this up as a custom brush.
-
- TUTORIAL 5:REPEAT
-
- This is one of the most powerful commands in Digi-Paint 3. This tutorial
- demonstrates the use of Repeat to automatically cut out custom brushes.
-
- Select the Continuous Freehand tool and the Fill gadget.
-
- 32
-
- Draw a random shape on the Canvas.
-
- Click the Scissors gadget.
-
- Click Repeat.
-
- You have now cut out a custom brush of the shape you've just created. This
- works for any type of drawing tool,as long as it's the last thing you draw.
- This use of the Repeat command makes it very easy to cut out custom,or texture-
- mapped shapes as brushes.
-
- The Repeat button can also be used to try out variations in Control settings,
- colors,or Drawing Modes. As long as you don't draw again in the Canvas,the
- Repeat key will continue to repeat the last drawing action including whatever
- changes you've made. Try selecting a different color,or changing the
- Transparency controls,choosing a new drawing mode,then click the Repeat button.
- Using Undo and Repeat makes the process of trying out alternative settings
- quick and easy.
-
- TUTORIAL 6:RUB THRU
-
- This tutorial demonstrates the use of Rub Thru drawing mode. This mode can be
- used to integrate two separate images in a selective fashion.
-
- Load the Fashion image from the Images drawer on the Digi-Paint 3 disk.
-
- Select Copy This Picture from the Swap sub-menu in the Picture menu.
-
- Select white from the 16 color palette,and Colorize from the Mode menu.
-
- Press the w key on the keyboard to colorize the entire screen at once.(Coloriz-
- ing with any gray scale color[r=g=b]removes all of the color from the image)
-
- Click the Controls gadget to display the Transparency controls.
-
- Select the Point Hotspot,and move it so that the hotspot is directly over the
- white highlight on the red sphere in the Hotspot locator.
-
- Move the right hand(Edge Transparency)slider to the bottom of its range.
-
- Select Rub Thru from the mode menu and press w on the keyboard.
-
- You will see the color of the original picture return to your "de-colorized"
- black and white screen,according to the Transparency settings,from the original
- color picture in the Swap Screen.
-
- This technique can be used to create misty "cutouts" of photographs or as a
- selective Undo. Rub Thru can easily be used with a different picture in the
- Swap Screen to give may other interesting montage and blending effects.
-
- 33
-
- TUTORIAL 7:BACKGROUND
- This tutorial shows how to create backgrounds,and particularly perspective back
- grounds. This example specifically creates an ocean background. First we'll
- create the ocean.
-
- Select the left Range color(the color just right of the Current Color Bar)by
- clicking it: a white highlight appears around the color.
-
- Click on the bright blue color in the 16 Color Palette;this blue then becomes
- the left color of the Range Colors.
-
- Click on the rightmost Range Color to select it.
-
- Move the pointer over the Current Color Bar and hold down the left mouse
- button;the palette appears below.
-
- While still holding down the mouse button,move the pointer over the three Color
- Selectors(on the right side of the Palette)until a very light blue color
- appears in the Current Color Bar;then release the mouse button to select that
- light blue color as the right Range Color.
-
- Click the right Range Color again to de-select it.
-
- Pull down Range mode from the Mode Menu.
-
- Go to the Controls section of the Toolbox.
-
- Set the Transparency controls to Horizontal Hotspot,and place the Hotspot at
- the top of the Hotspot locator.
-
- Go to the Tools section of the Toolbox and select the Rectangle tool,the Fill
- gadget,and the one-pixel brush.
-
- Draw a rectangle filling up the bottom two-thirds of the screen.
-
- Now select a Range for the sky colors,using a light gray for the left color and
- a dark gray for the right color.
-
- Draw a rectangle on the top part of the screen,just meeting the top of the
- rectangle you just drew.
-
- You now have a blank seascape,ready to add details. Similar range painting
- techniques can be used for landscapes. This works best using the Random
- Dithering pattern;you can try using the Pattern Dithering by clicking the left
- half of the icon in the Controls section,or try it with no dithering at all by
- de-selecting Dithering.
-
- Add seabirds to the painting by using a similar Range as you used for the sky.
- Just change the left color to while,and select the Filled Continuous Freehand
-
- 34
-
- tool. Select the Circle brush in the smallest brush size. Draw a tiny double
- arc,like the curved wings of a seagull,and from a distance your friends will
- thing you can draw.
-
- Add a low-lying sun by substituting yellow for the right Range Color and
- drawing a small filled circle just above the horizon line. For a final touch,
- add the reflection of the sun in the water by adjusting the Transparency
- controls with the right slider to minimum,the left to just below halfway,the
- hotspot on vertical in the center. Use the Filled Continuous Freehand tool to
- draw a wavy reflection in the water,and you have a completed seascape.
-
- TUTORIAL 8:COLORIZING
- This tutorial shows how Digi-Paint 3 can be used to colorize a black and while
- picture.
-
- Load the picture titled Lady from the Images drawer on the Digi-Paint 3 disk.
-
- This picture was digitized with the Digi-View video digitizer in black & white.
- Now we'll use Digi-Paint 3 to provide some lifelike colors for the picture.
-
- Select the one-pixel brush.
-
- Pull down Colorize from the Mode menu.
-
- Now we're ready to start colorizing. We'll begin with the skin tones.
-
- Go to the Palette section by clicking the Palette icon.
-
- Choose a pink flesh color by moving the pointer over the Color Selectors and
- holding down the left mouse button. The current Color Bar changes to show the
- various colors the pointer is traveling over.
-
- Go to the Tools and select the Filled Continuous Freehand tool.
-
- Go to the Canvas and carefully trace the outline of her face by holding down
- the left mouse button. Be sure you complete the outline so the color fills in
- properly. When you've completed the outline,release the mouse button and you'll
- see the flesh tone added to her skin. If you didn't outline the face properly,
- click Undo and try again.
-
- Once you have the face filled in properly,look at the color. If the skin tone
- doesn't look right,go back to the Palette and change the skin tone to a better
- shade,then click Undo and then Repeat to put the new shade on the Lady's face.
-
- Now to add color to the lips.
-
- 35
-
- Go to the Palette Controls and select a shade of red that you like. Now trace
- the outline of the lips and watch the color fill in.
-
- If you don't like that shade of lipstick,click Undo,choose another color,then
- click Repeat.
-
- For the most realistic addition of color to the lips,go to the Transparency
- controls.
-
- Set the right-hand slider about one quarter of the way up.
-
- Choose the Horizontal Hotspot and put the hotspot in the middle.
-
- Now when you add the color to the lips(click Undo and then Repeat again,if
- you've already added a color to the lips)it is blended with the face color at
- the edges,adding an illusion of depth.
-
- To add eye color,select a light blue color and draw an outline around the
- retina of each eye. For added effect,use the Transparency controls with the
- left hand slider set to minimum,the right on maximum,and the Point Hotspot set
- at a point corresponding to the reflection on the retina. This will keep the
- color off of the reflection,adding to the contrast.
-
- Make the whites of her eyes stand out by carefully Colorizing them with white.
-
- Add eye shadow by using Transparency controls to blend the edges of it(try the
- Horizontal hotspot again,with the left slider about one quarter of the way up
- and the right slider at minimum). You can see where the model was wearing eye
- shadow;trace that area carefully. For the final touch,use a yellow to add gold
- color to the earrings.
-
- TUTORIAL 9:MONTAGE
- This tutorial shows you some of the techniques used in combining elements from
- different digitized pictures. In this example,we'll combine various parts of
- the Fashion and Lady images.
-
- Load the picture called Lady from the Digi Paint disk(use the Palette from the
- file) and copy it to the swap screen using Copy the Picture from the Swap sub-
- menu of the Picture menu.
-
- Load in Fashion(do not use the Palette from File option)and press j on the
- keyboard to swap screens.
-
- Select the Freehand Continuous took,the one pixel brush,and the Scissors.
-
- Carefully cut out the lips from the Lady picture so they become your custom
- brush and press j to return to the Fashion picture.
-
- 36
-
- Paste down the lips in the middle of the scarf where you think her mouth should
- be.
-
- Select Rub Thru from the mode menu and the largest circular brush.
-
- Make random brush strokes on the Fashion picture to bring forward other parts
- of the Lady picture in an artistic way.
-
- To combine elements from more than these two images,simply cut out parts of
- other pictures or brushes or load in new images using the swap screen.
-
- TUTORIAL 10:PERSPECTIVE
- This tutorial demonstrates how to use Digi Paint 3's Warping Controls to
- simulate a three dimension perspective.
-
- Load the Fashion image from the Digi-Paint 3 disk.
-
- Select the one pixel brush,the Rectangle Tool,and the Fill gadget.
-
- Click the Scissors gadget,then draw a square enclosing the model's eyes and
- part of her face;this picks up a custom brush of that area.
-
- Now we need a clear Canvas.
-
- Choose black from the 16 Color Palette and pull down Clear from the Picture
- menu. Choose white from the 16 Color Palette so that the cursor is more easily
- seen.(This procedure can also be done by pressing Shift-K.)
-
- Pull down Copy This Brush under the Swap sub-menu in the Brush menu.
-
- Pull down TxMap from Mode menu.
-
- Go to the Controls section of the Toolbox. Note that the Warping Controls are
- now active.
-
- You can use the default warp settings horizontal(|)and zero warping(the
- straight line at the bottom of the slider range)
-
- Select the Polygon tool and turn on the Fill gadget.
-
- Draw a trapezoid,with the top line being about half of the length of the bottom
- line,and the sides at about a 45 degree angle. The picture is filled in when
- you complete this shape,giving a perspective impression.
-
- For smoother results,turn on the Smoothing gadget to the left of the Warping
- Controls.
-
- 37
-
- SPHERE
- To create a sphere effect,use the Filled Circle tool to draw a circle. Use the
- Point Hotspot in the Warping Controls set at the center. For a greater
- impression of a sphere,use the Transparency controls to increase the
- transparency of the edge of the circle. Or use Darken mode with Transparency
- set to none(the top of the slider)at the Hotspot,one third Edge;this will
- darken the edges of the sphere if you Repeat the drawing.
-
- CYLINDER
- To create a cylinder effect,use the Filled Rectangle Tool to draw a tall thin
- rectangle. Use the Vertical Hotspot in the Warping Controls set at the
- center,and set the warp amount slider about half-way up(to the slightly curved
- line next to the warp slider range).
-
- TUTORIAL 11:TILES
- This tutorial demonstrates how to use text and the special features of Digi-
- Paint 3 to create titles.
-
- Go to the Text Rendering section by clicking the Text icon.
-
- Choose a font by clicking the Fonts icon;the Font Requester appears.
-
- Click Cinnamon to open that drawer,and then click 41 to select that size.
-
- Click Open Font to bring that font into Digi-Paint 3 and return to the Text
- Rendering section.
-
- Click the bold A icon to the left to select bold text.
-
- Click in the Text Entry Window in the upper left area of the Toolbox and type
- Text.
-
- Click the Text to Brush icon to the immediate left of the Text Entry Window,or
- press Return to turn the text into a brush.
-
- In a moment,the text you typed becomes a custom brush. Stamp it down anywhere
- in the Canvas.
-
- To add some interest to the title,use Range paint mode.
-
- Select Range from the Mode menu.
-
- Click the Text to Brush icon again,and the text reappears as a custom brush
- using the Range Colors.
-
- You can alter the Transparency controls to get transparent titles. In order to
- get the title with the new control settings active,you must click Text to
- Brush.
-
- 38
-
- To create warped effects,take any text brush and pull down Copy This Brush from
- the Swap sub-menu in the Brush menu. Then pull down TxMap mode. Now you can
- draw a parallelogram to create italic text,use the Circle tool to create
- spherical text effects,and of course resize the text to any shape you draw.
-
- 39
-
- CHAPTER 5 USING TRANSPARENCY
-
- Digi-Paint 3's Transparency is one of the most powerfula and widely useful
- features ever offered in a paint program. Transparency works with all other
- program features in exactly the amount and location you specify;it is always
- available to you if you care to use it.
-
- CONTROLS
- The Transparency controls are located in the Controls section of Digi-Paint 3's
- user interface and consist of a graphic representation of the drawn shape or
- pasted brush(a shaded red sphere)with adjustments available for the
- transparency of the edge of object,transparency of the center or "Hotspot",and
- adjustments for the shape and kind of Hotspot.
-
- The left hand vertical slider and the three icons to its left control the
- Hotspot or center transparency. At the bottom of the slider the Hotspot is
-
- 40
-
- entirely transparent,and at the top of the slider the Hotspot is entirely
- solid. The three icons to the left of the slider are preset positions at the
- bottom(100% transparent),middle(50% transparent),and top(0% transparent or
- opaque)of the slider. Click any one of these icons to move the slider to that
- position.
-
- In the middle of the Transparency controls is the Hotspot Locator,with four
- buttons above it;from left to right,those buttons are the Off button,the Point
- Hotspot,the Horizontal Hotspot,and the Vertical Hotspot. These buttons and the
- locator determine the location and kind of hotspot present in your drawn shape
- or pasted brush or text.
-
- When the Off button is selected(the default setting),a large white block fills
- the Hotspot Locator. In this setting,the Edge Transparency and the Hotspot
- Transparency sliders are linked;moving one slider moves the other. This setting
- is particularly useful for "tinting" effects and layering transparent colors.
- Usually,if you are using a solid color with setting,it's best to turn off the
-
- 44
-
- Dithering controls,especially for tinting purposes. When using Range mode and
- the Hotspot is off,the left-hand color for the Range is used instead of the
- Current Color(note that if Dithering is on,dots of other colors are painted in
- the area you draw).
-
- The Point Hotspot button displays a small white square in the center of the
- Hotspot Locator. Click the Point Hotspot button again to turn off the Hotspot
- Locator. When the Point Hotspot is active,drag it anywhere in the Locator. This
- sets the position of the Hotspot,whose transparency is controlled by the
- Hotspot Transparency Slider. When using Range mode,the Hotspot controls the
- location of the left hand color in the Range Colors.
-
- The Horizontal Hotspot button displays a verticla white bar in the center of
- the Hotspot Locator. Click the Horizontal Hotspot button again to turn off the
- Hotspot Locator. When the Horizontal Hotspot is active,drag it anywhere in the
- Locator. This sets the position of the Hotspot,whose transparency is controlled
-
- 45
-
- by the Hotspot Transparency Slider. When using Range mode,the Hotspot controls
- the location of the left-hand color in the Range Colors.
-
- The Vertical Hotspot button displays a horizontal white bar in the Hotspot
- Locator. Click the Vertical Hotspot button again to turn off the Hotspot
- Locator. When the Vertical Hotspot is active,drag it anywhere in the Locator.
- This sets the position of the Hotspot,whose transparency is controlled by the
- Hotspot Transparency Slider. When using Range mode,the Hotspot controls the
- location of the left hand color in the Range Colors.
-
- The right hand slider and the three icons to its right control the Edge
- Transparency. At the bottom of the slider the edge of any shape you draw(or
- custom brush you paste down)is entirely transparent,and at the top of the
- slider the edge is entirely solid. The three icons to the right of the slider
- are preset positions at the bottom,middle,and top of the slider. Click any one
- of these icons to move the slider to that position.
-
- 46
-
- The picture "The Gallery" shows some of the many ways that Digi-Paint 3's
- transparency controls can be used for different,subtle shading and lighting
- effects.
-
- TRANSPARENCY AND THE MODES
- Transparency can subtly or to a large degree alter any of Digi-Paint 3's 11
- modes to create nearly limitless new ones.
-
- When you're using the Transparency controls to adjust the degree of a mode,the
- usual setting is to turn off the Dithering controls(no Dithering active)and to
- leave the Hotspot equal to the Edge,so that the Transparency affects the whole
- area equally.
-
- You can,however,create interesting and subtle effects by changing those
- standard settings. Dithering with a pattern works well on geometrical figures,
- while random dithering produces good effects with digitized images. Dithering
- of either sort results in more apparent colors,which gets closer to the
- mathematical ideal of the operation being performed. In other words,it looks
- better in many cases.
-
- EFFECTS
- There are far too many possible effects achievable through the clever use of
- Transparency for us to list here;the following is just a sample of some of the
- ways that Transparency can give you an artistic edge. If you spend a little
- time experimenting with these suggestions and their variations,you will
- discover a full set of your own favorite settings.
-
- 47
-
- 1.Clouds and Mist-Making realistic clouds or mist is easy when you use Range
- mode with Transparency. Set up a range of white to light gray for sunny days or
- darker grays for a more overcast setting. The proper setting of the hotspot and
- transparency levels add the right degree of translucency to mist or fog.
- 2. Perspective Effects-Transparency and the other modes can help simulate
- different kinds of perspective:
-
- Using Blur with the transparency set to around 90% and painting over objects in
- the background of your picture will give the effect of great distance;the
- objects will blur slightly as if seen through a hazy atmosphere.
-
- Colorizing background objects with blue and approximately 75-90% transparency
- will also give them the look of being at a great distance but without actually
- blurring them;objects seen at a great distance through a clear atmosphere take
- on a blue tinge but remain sharp in detail.
-
- 3.Translucency-objects can be made translucent with the correct application of
- transparency. Using a semi-transparent light gray to draw an object is an
- excellent simulation of glass. A Range mode set up of white at the hotspot to
- gray at the edge with the correct placement of the hotspot in the locator can
- make a glass object with light source reflections.
- 4.Improved Montage-using Edge Transparency when pasting down custom brrushes
- helps to more effectively blend them into the picture. Try using various
- amounts of edge Transparency in the Montage tutorial when pasting down the
- lips. You'll notice that the transition is much smoother;another benefit is
- that you don't need to be as precise when cutting out the custom brush,because
- varying the Edge Transparency will blend out any unwanted details.
- 5.False Color-Using Transparency with Digi-Paint 3's logical modes(And,Or,and
- Xor)can yield some very interesting computerized false color effects;make
- Xor'ed halos of false color by setting Hotspot Transparency at 100% and Edge
- Transparency at 0% and drawing over the desired area.
-
- Because there are so many different combinations and possible modes,there are
- usually subtle differences between seemingly identical modes,such as painting
- in Normal mode with 50% transparent white and painting using Lighten mode. To
- prove this to yourself,set the Transparency Controls to 50% with the Hotspot
- off. Select the color white from the 16 color palette. Using Normal mode,draw a
- filled rectangle over any portion of the Fashion image from the Art Disk. Then
- choose Lighten from the Mode menu and click on Undo and then Repeat. You will
- notice a definite difference between the two modes that at first glance seem
- identical.
-
- INTERACTIVE TRANSPARENCY
- The Transparency Controls are also interactive;that is,you can manipulate them
- while an object is being drawn to create unusual effects. If the Toolbox
- vanishes while drawing the object,click the right mouse button to halt the
- process,then click Undo and Repeat. While the process is being repeated,move
- the Hotspot Locator or change the Transparency sliders. This works better on a
- large object,because with a small object there isn't much time.
-
- 48
-
- CHAPTER 6 WARPING AND TEXTURE MAPPING
-
- Texture mapping in Digi-Paint 3(TxMap from the mode menu)offers tremendous
- power to warp images,resize them,and create three dimensional effects. The
- controls provide a graphic representation of the warped brush(a wire frame
- sphere)and controls for the amount,type and location of the warping.
-
- The controls are set up in a fashion that allows for maximum flexibility;Digi-
- Paint 3's TxMap mode can re-map or warp any shape into any other. Add to this
- the fact that TxMap works very well with Transparency and the other modes,and
- you have a brush manipulation system that gives you control of every aspect of
- the final result.
-
- WARP ENABLE
- These controls are only operative when TxMap Mode is active. To begin,you must
- first load in,or make a custom brush using the Scissors and make a copy of it
- (using the Copy This Brush command under the Swap sub-menu in the Brush-menu).
- Then pull down TxMap from the Mode Menu.
-
- 51
-
- The Warping Slider to the left of the Warping Controls determines the amount of
- warping in the resulting image,from none to severe;the most severe warping is
- at the top of the slider. The three icons to the left of the slider are preset
- positions at the bottom,middle,and top of the slider. Click any one of these
- icons to move the slider to that position.
-
- Texture mapping with the Warp Amount set to 0 can be though of as unlimited
- brush re-sizing and re-proportioning,depending on whether the brush retains its
- previous shape(although larger or smaller)or not.
-
- WARP LOCATOR
- To the right of the Warp Amount slider is the Warp locator,with three buttons
- above it;from left to right,those buttons are Point Warping,Horizontal Warping,
- and Vertical Warping. These buttons and the locator determine the location and
- kind of Warping present in your drawn shape or pasted brush or text.
-
- The Point Warping button displays a small white square in the center of the
- Warp Locator. When Point Warping is active,drag it anywhere in the Locator.
-
- 52
-
- Point Warping means that both the horizontal and vertical lines in the brush
- are warped equally according to the setting of the Warp Amount Slider.
-
- The Horizontal Warping button displays a vertical white bar in the center of
- the Warp Locator. Click the Horizontal Warping button again to turn on Point
- Warping. When the Horizontal Warping is active,it can be dragged anywhere in
- the Locator. Horizontal Warping means that all of the horizontal lines of the
- brush are warped to the degree specified by the warp amount slider,around the
- vertical axis specified within the Warp Locator.
-
- The Vertical Warping button displays a horizontal white bar in the Warp
- Locator. Click the Vertical Hotspot button again to turn on Point Warping. When
- Vertical Warping is active,it can be dragged anywhere in the Locator. Vertical
- Warping means that all of the vertical lines of the brush are warped to the
- degree specified by the warp Amount Slider,around the horizontal axis specified
- within the Warp Locator.
-
- 53
-
- THE GALLERY
- The picture "The Gallery" on the Transfer 24 disk shows just a few of the ways
- that TxMap mode can be used:
-
- Texture-Mapped Wood Floor-The floor of the room is nothing more than a Digi-
- View Gold picture(it is the digitized base of the copy stand). The picture was
- loaded as a custom brush and put down in perspective.
-
- The Perspective Pictures in the Cube-These pictures were also loaded as custom
- brushes and warped onto the opposing faces of the cube.
-
- The Rainbow Balls-These balls seem to be leaving the famous "NewTeks" picture
- because they were cut out and re-sized to appear larger than they actually are.
-
- THE SHAPE TOOLS
- Any Shape Tool can be used with TxMap,whether filled or unfilled. The warp
- amount and location chosen for texture mapping are very important in creating
- the best warping effects.
-
- Freehand Continuous-Can be used for unusual shapes and to simulate more complex
- objects. Once you've placed an image,use other drawing modes(such as Darken)or
- the Transparency controls to blend the image into the rest of the picture.
-
- Polygon-This is usually the best tool to use for perspective effects. The
- trapezoid shape with warping set to 0 is the most common polygon for generating
- the most realistic 3D effects.
-
- Rectangle-This is the most commonly used shape for straight brush re-sizing
- (with Warp Amount set to 0). The proportions of the original brush can be
- altered to a great degree without affecting the quality of the re-mapped brush.
-
- Circle and Ellipse-Useful for creating spherical effects. The best settings for
- the warping controls are generally slight(10-25%)Warp Amount with Point Warping
- set in the center.
-
- SMOOTHING
- When Smoothing is activated(this is only possible when you are in TxMap mode),
- it allows you to anti-alias the custom texture-mapped brush and eliminate the
- jaggies that would otherwise occur. Because re-draw of the custom brush takes a
- little longer with Smoothing activated,it is best to leave it off until you
- have finished experimenting with the warp control settings and are sure that
- you have the final result. Smoothing affects all texture-mapping and tiling
- operations.
-
- TILING
- The Tiling controls allow you to texture-map multiple copies of the custom
- brush. You can select a format of from 1 to 9 copies either horizontally or
- vertically by clicking on the arrows on the top and left borders of the Tiling
- controls. Tiling also works with smoothing and is only available when you are
- using TxMap mode.
-
- 54
-
- SUGGESTIONS
- Here are a few suggestions that may lead you to develop some of your own
- Texture-Mapping techniques.
-
- More severe warping effects can be obtained by pasting down an image using
- TxMap mode and warping at maximum,the click Scissors and Repeat. The image you
- just created is turned into a custom brush. Now choose Copy This Brush from the
- Swap sub-menu in the Brush menu. Select a shape tool and draw a new shape on
- the screen. The previously warped image is warped even further into the new
- shape,since the Warping control is still set to maximum.
-
- Try texture mapping text brushes into free-hand shapes. This is a good way to
- get some extremely unusual custom fonts.
-
- INTERACTIVE TEXTURE MAPPING
- The Warping Controls can work interactively(in real time)for unusual effects.
- Activate TxMap mode(remember,you must first cut out a custom brush and then
- copy it),then draw a new shape on the screen. The custom brush is texture
- mapped into that area with the Warping Control settings applied. Now click
- Undo,and then Repeat. Grab the Warping Point in the Warping Locator on the Warp
- Amount Slider and move it around while the image is being drawn. The warping
- effect moves around in the image as it is being drawn. Of course,this works
- best if the image being drawn is large,so that you have enough time to make
- these changes(turn on Smoothing to give you more time). Try using the Vertical
- Warping bar and moving it up and down to create a wavy,rippling effect.
-
- 55
-
- CHAPTER 7 TIPS AND HINTS
-
- X-SPECS 3D COMPATIBILITY
- Digi-Paint 3 is compatible with the X-Specs 3D manufactured by Haitex,Inc.
- Digi-Paint 3 can be used to draw in thee dimensions while using X-Specs.
-
- You must be in interlace mode for 3D drawing to work. The X-Specs create 3-D by
- using alternate lines in the interlace mode for display to the left eye and the
- right eye;the display is synchronized with very fast LCD shutters in the
- eyeglasses.
-
- The left eye sees the even lines,the right eye sees the odd lines. Press * to
- turn on the X-Specs(press e to turn them off). Press the left parentheses key
- (Shift-9) to draw for the left eye;press the right parentheses key(Shift-0)to
- draw for the right eye. Create 3D effects by first pressing "shift-9" and
- pasting down a brush. Then move it to one side about 5 to 10 pixels away,press
- "shift-0" and paste it down for the other eye. Varying the amount of separation
- between the two views creates a greater or lesser impression of depth. Some
- experimentation will show you how to get the best use out of this feature.
-
- WORKING WITH DIGI-VIEW GOLD
- First of all,Digi-Paint 3 is the perfect companion to NewTek's Digi-View Gold
- video digitizer.(If you don't already own Digi-View Gold,it's a combination of
- hardware and software fo your Amiga that allows you to "digitize" objects or
- pictures using a video camera,thus bringing the images into your Amiga.) Digi-
- Paint 3 reads in any Digi-View picture,and can be used to touch up,edit or
- combine such pictures. The Rub Thru mode is particularly useful to merge two
- Digi-View pictures using the Transparency controls. Combine a digitized picture
- of yourself or your friends with digitized pictures of the rich and famous. See
- what you'd look like with different hair color or even a different hair style.
- Or,for more commercial applications,you can digitize products and alter their
- appearance to help make design decisions. Digi-Paint 3 now give you the
- capability to edit the lifelike images you get from Digi-View,which lets you
- get more out of your Digi-View.
-
- RESOLUTION MODES
- Digi-Paint 3 can load files of any resolution mode created by Digi-View. Hi-res
- images(640x200 or 640x400)are re-rendered into HAM mode using a sophisticated
- algorithm that creates an amazingly crisp picture. This conversion process uses
- the Dithering currently selected;you may get better results with some pictures
- by using patterm Dithering or no Dithering at all.
-
- RAW FILES
- Digi-Paint 3 cannot directly utilize Digi-View's raw RGB files. You must first
- use the Transfer 24 software to load in the RGB file and save it in any
- standard Amiga IFF resolution. You can also take the opportunity to manipulate
- the file with the image processing tools available in the program.
-
- 59
-
- NORMAL PICTURE TO OVERSCAN
- The resizing technique covered in tutorial #4 can be used to convert a standard
- size pictue to overscan size. Set the screen size to one of the overscan
- settings(say 384x240). Then load in a 320x200 picture. Select the entire
- picture as a brush,and save it using Copy This Brush. Then use TxMap mode with
- Smoothing on an draw out a new rectangle to the limits of the 384x240 Canvas.
- Select the View command from the Picture menu to see the results.
-
- CURING FLICKER
- Interlace pictures can sometimes suffer from flickering. Use TxMap mode to
- remove flicker. Select the picture as a brush,select Copy This Brush from the
- Brush Swap menu,select TxMap mode and turn on Smoothing. Then select the Filled
- Rectangle drawing mode and single pixel brush. Drag out the rectangle making it
- either slightly larger or smaller than the original. The flicker in the
- repainted image will be greatly reduced or gone.
-
- ADVANCED PERSPECTIVE
- The directions in the Perspective Tutorial give you a quick way to get
- perspective effects. For even better results,pick up the image you get at the
- end of the tutorial as a custom brush,use Copy This Brush,then use the
- Horizontal Warping with Warp Amount at medium at stamp it down again. Then
- Repeat using Darken mode with Transparency horizontally at the front to darken
- the rear edge of the brush and not the front edge.
-
- PERSPECTIVE FILL SCREEN
- Use the Tiling Controls set to 9 by 9,use TxMap to draw a rectangle covering
- the bottom two-thirds of the screen,with Warp Amount set to high,and the
- Horizontal Warping at the bottom of the Warping Locator. This gives you the
- effect of the brush receding off into the distance.
-
- MAKING NON-INTERLACED PICTURES INTERLACED
- Load a non-interlaced picture(for example,let's say 320x200). After the picture
- is loaded go to the Size requester(from the Picture menu)and click the
- Interlace button,the OK. The screen is redisplayed as interlace with the
- picture in the upper half of the screen. Select the whole picture as a custom
- brush and copy the brush. Select TxMap mode and draw out a new rectangle that
- covers the whole screen. For even better results,turn on the Smoothing control.
-
- LARGE TILES
- To get more than 9 copies of a brush in a Tile,use Tiling again on the brush.
- For example,if you want 12 copies of a brush vertically and horizontally,cut
- out the custom brush,copy it,then activate TxMap and set the Tiling Controls to
- 6 by 6. Then stamp down the brush,click Scissors and click Repeat,then copy
- this new brush and select 2 by 2 tiling,then stamp down the new brush.
-
- MULTIPLE COLOR RANGES
- To create color gradations with more than two main colors(and their
- intermediate shades),use Range Colors in Range mode to draw part of what you
- want. Then set a new Range Color. For instance,if you want a range from red to
- yellow to blue in a rectangle,set a red to yellow range,draw half the rectangle,
- then set a yellow to blue range and draw the other half of the rectangle.
-
- 60
-
- REVERSE RANGE TEXT
- This effect uses Range Colors to bring out text against a background of the
- same range. Select Range mode,then choose the Horizontal Hotspot and drag it to
- the bottom of the Hotspot Locator in the Controls section of the Toolbox. Go to
- the Text section and type in the title you want(a large display font works the
- best;at least 24 point). When the text appears,select Copy This Brush from the
- Swap sub-menu in the Brush menu. Go to the Controls and move the Horizontal
- Hotspot to the top of the Hotspot Locator. Now go to the Tools and select the
- Filled Rectangle tool and draw a rectangle about the size of the text you
- created(it can be larger or smaller,if you prefer). Now select TxMap mode from
- the mode menu and click Repeat. If you like,turn on the Smoothing in the
- Controls menu before doing this. You now have text against a background where
- the same color range goes in opposite directions.
-
- MISCELLANEOUS TIPS
- If you're not getting what you expect when you draw,check to see what Drawing
- Mode you're in,or see if you've left the Transparency controls on. Press the
- Tab key to return Digi-Paint 3 to its default settings.
-
- The right mouse button cancels any operation in progress. Since Digi-Paint 3
- draws things from the top down,this feature can be used to draw only the top
- half of a brush or a shape.
-
- Remember,with Merge Picture,the whole back picture is the paint that can act on
- the front picture with any of the Mode menu features. Try bringing a picture
- into the front using Transparency controls for a "soft-focus" effect.
-
- The effects of Blur mode can be adjusted using the Transparency controls and
- the Dithering controls.
-
- When not in use with Range mode,the Range colors can be set up to hold a spread
- of colors that you'll be using often.
-
- Files can be opened by double-clicking on the file name and aborted by clicking
- and holding the left mouse button.
-
- Using the keyboard shortcuts saves time. When you find yourself reaching for
- the same icon or menu item for the hundredth time,look in Appendix A for a
- keyboard shortcut. Painting with two hands is faster than painting with one
- hand.
-
- Freehand drawing works rapidly,but if you release the mouse button and draw
- again before the "Zz" cursor disappears,Digi-Paint 3 considers that as part of
- the original brush stroke. A single Undo will remove all such paint from the
- screen. This can be used to sign your name of the screen with Freehand drawing,
- and then clear your name off the screen by clicking Undo.
-
- When you hold down the right mouse button to display the menus,the program's
- copyright information is displayed at the bottom of the screen. More
- importantly,the current picture size and custom brush size are also shown.
-
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-
- CHAPTER 8 REFERENCE
-
- The Reference section covers all of Digi-Paint 3's features in detail.
- First,all of the Tools in the Toolbox are described,then all of the gadgets,
- controls,and icons on the various screens. Finally,the Menus are presented in
- detail.
-
- The Reference Section is not designed to be read straight through. While all of
- the informaion in here is useful,much of it may be known to you already by
- virtue of experimentation or by working through the Tutorials presented
- earlier. Skip through the parts that you're already familiar with. Browse
- through interesting commands. Look in this section when you want to know how to
- do something in Digi-Paint 3,but you aren't quite shure how the feature works.
- In short,refer to this section for answers to the questions you encounter when
- using the program.
-
- SPECIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE MOUSE BUTTONS
- Besides the normal functions of pointing and clicking and menu selection,the
- right and left mouse buttons have some special functions in Digi-Paint 3:
-
- LEFT MOUSE BUTTON
- Clicking in either the current color bar or the range bar(between the left and
- right range colors)gives you the Pick Color pointer. As long as you hold down
- the left button,you will be able to select any color from the canvas and make
- it your current color.
-
- RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON
- Clicking the right mouse button at any time there is a wait pointer(the cloud
- of Z's)on the screen,will cancel the operation in progress. This includes the
- repainting of brush strokes and file loads and directories.
-
- Clicking the right mouse button after selecting magnify,but before locking down
- the view,will close the magnify window.
-
- Clicking the right mouse button in a file requester will close it and return
- you to the toolbox and menu screen.
-
- Terminating a paint stroke by clicking the right mouse button will instruct
- Digi-Paint 3 to ignore repaint. This is useful if you want to make non-
- connected brush stokes with different colors,and use them as a custom brush.
- For example:choose red from the palette and draw a letter "h". Instead of
- releasing the left mouse button,click the right mouse button. Then choose blue
- and draw the letter "i"(dot the "i" using yellow after drawing the stem of the
- letter in the same manner as you drew the "h")then click Scissors and Repeat to
- pick up the entire word.
-
- TOOLBOX
- The Toolbox is at the bottom of the screen,below the Canvas. The Toolbox
- contains the Tools,Gadgets,and Menus that give you all of Digi-Paint 3's
- controls.
-
- The Toolbox consists of two sections:the Color Strip and the four Command
- sections. The four Command sections which appear by clicking on the appropriate
- gadgets;these sections are Tools,Palette,Text Rendering,and Controls.
-
- 65
-
- When you fist load Digi-Paint 3,the Tools section is present and the other
- three sections are hidden.
-
- THE COLOR STRIP
- The Color Strip is at the top of the Toolbox no matter what Command Section is
- underneath. The left portion of the Color Strip shows the 16 colors of the
- current palette in 16 small boxes. These 16 colors can be used anywhere in the
- Canvas without using HAM modifiers(see Appendix B). Directly to the right of
- the 16 colors is the Current Color Bar,showing the color currently selected for
- use. Finally,at the far right of the Color Strip,the Range Colors are shown.
-
- 16 COLOR PALETTE
- This is located at the left of the Color Strip. These 16 colors can be used
- anywhere in the Canvas without using HAM modifiers. Select one of the 16 colors
- as the current color by clicking on the desired color;the Current Color Bar
- changes to indicate the color you select. To change one of the 16 colors use
- the Copy Color command from the Palette menu(see Palette menu). Any of the
- Amiga's 4096 colors can be used in the 16 Color Palette. When you save a
- picture,the particular 16 Color Palette you have chosen is saved with the
- picture.
-
- CURRENT COLOR BAR
- This bar,in the middle of the Color Strip,shows the current color selected for
- use with the Tools. This color can be any one of the 4096 available. When you
- select a new color(by clicking on one of the 16 colors,or by using the Pick
- Color function)the Current Color Bar changes to the new color selected. By
- pressing and holding the left mouse button when the pointer is on the Current
- Color Bar,the Palette appears temporarily and the Pick Color function
- activates. While you continue to hold the left mouse button,moving the pointer
- over any color on the screen(in the Canvas or in the Palette)selects that
- color.
-
- 66
-
- RANGE COLORS
- This section of the Color Strip sets the range of colors used for the Range
- drawing mode. The left-hand color is the Hotspot(see Transparency controls)of
- the Range effect and the right-hand color is the edge of the Range effect.
- Shown between these two colors is the range of colors used by Digi-Paint 3 for
- the Range Mode drawing.
-
- To set the colors used in the range,click on either Range Color;a white
- highlight surrounds it. Then click on one of the 16 colors in the 16 Color
- Palette,or click and hold on the Current Color Bar and drag the pointer to any
- color on the screen. When you release the mouse button,the new color replaces
- the selected Range Color. Be sure to de-select the Range Color by clicking it
- again so that every new color you select doesn't change the Range Color.
-
- The Range Colors are not used unless Range Mode is selected from the Mode menu.
- When Range Mode is in use,the Current Color is ignored and the Range Colors are
- used. The Transparency controls can be used to change the balance and
- distribution of the Range Colors in the drawing.(see Transparency controls for
- an explanation of how to control the Hotspot.)The Dithering(located on the
- Controls screen)also affects the Range Colors;the default setting is random
- Dithering.
-
- THE TOOLS(Keyboard Equivalent:F1-Tools/Controls Toggle)
- This section of the Controls contains the basic tools for applying paint to the
- Digi-Paint 3 canvas. The top row in this section holds the various Shape Tools
- and the Brush Shapes. The Shape Tools consist of the Freehand,the Freehand
- Continous,the Polygon/Straight Line,the Rectangle,the Circle,and the Ellipse
- tools. The Fill Gadget,to the right of the Ellipse,causes the shapes drawn with
- the Shape Tools to be filled with the current color(or uses any of the other
- Drawing Modes;see the Drawing Modes in the Menus section.
-
- All of the Shape Tools are activated by clicking on them;the icon is
- highlighted to show that the Tool is selected. When the Fill gadget is on,the
- Shape Tools are shown with a filled icon,and any Shape drawn is filled with the
- current color. To draw with any Shape Tool(except for the Polygon/Straight Line
- Tool),select the Tool,then move the pointer to the Canvas. Press and hold the
-
- 67
-
- left mouse button as you move the brush in the desired shape. Release the
- button when you are satisfied with the shape you've drawn.
-
- FREEHAND(Keyboard Equivalent:s)
- This tool creates freehand lines using the current brush and the current color.
- These lines are subjected to the Drawing Mode in effect. This Tool is not
- available when the Fill Gadget is activated. If you move the mouse very fast,
- the line won't be continuous.
-
- FREEHAND CONTINUOUS(Keyboard Equivalent:d-unfilled;D-filled)
- This tool creates freehand lines using the current brush and the current color.
- These lines are subjected to the Drawing Mode in effect. When the Fill Gadget
- is activated,this Tool draws irregular shapes that are then filled with the
- current color according to the Drawing Mode in effect(make sure that your
- starting and ending points meet so you have a closed shape to fill). If you
- draw very swiftly,the brush may fall behind your movements,but it catches up
- with 100% accuracy,remembering exactly where you've been.
-
- POLYGON/STRAIGHT LINE(Keyboard Equivalent:v-unfilled;V-filled)
- This tool creates polygon of any shape and size using the current brush and
- color;or it can be used to draw a straight line. To draw a straight line,click
- anywhere in the Canvas to establish one end point. As you move the pointer,a
- straight line is drawn out. Move the pointer until the line is the distance and
- direction you want,then click the right mouse button and the line is drawn.
-
- To create a polygon,click anywhere in the Canvas to establish the first corner
- of the polygon. Drag out a straight line,in any direction and length,then click
- the left mouse button to create another corner. Continue creating corners in
- this manner until you have completed the next-to-last corner. Then put the
- pointer where you want the last corner to appear and click the right mouse
- button. The polygon is completed,with straight lines connecting all corners.
- With complex polygons,it is best to actually complete the polygon before
- clicking the right button,to make sure that the polygon is drawn as you want.
-
- 68
-
- When the Fill Gadget is activated,the polygon is filled with the current color
- according to the Drawing Mode in effect(make sure that your starting and ending
- points meet so you have a closed shape to fill).
-
- RECTANGLE(Keyboard Equivalent:r-unfilled;R-Filled)
- This tool draws rectangles of any size and proportions using the current brush
- and color. To create a rectangle,click anywhere in the Canvas to establish the
- first corner of the rectangle. Then drag the rectangle outline out to the
- desired size and release the mouse button to complete the rectangle. When the
- Fill Gadget is activated,the rectangle is filled with the current color
- according to the Drawing Mode in effect.
-
- CIRCLE(Keyboard Equivalent:c-unfilled;C-filled)
- This tool draws a perfect circle of any size. To create a circle,click anywhere
- in the Canvas and drag the circle outward to the desired size,then release the
- mouse button to complete the circle. The point where you click first is the
- center of the circle. When the Fill Gadget is activated,the circle is filled
- with the current color according to the Drawing Mode in effect.
-
- ELLIPSE(Keyboard Equivalent:e-unfilled;E-filled)
- This tooldraws an ellipse of any size. To create an ellipse,click anywhere in
- the Canvas and drag the ellipse outward to the desired size,then release the
- mouse button to complete the ellipse. The ellipse can be elongated vertically
- by moving the mouse pointer up or down,or elongated horizontally by moving the
- mouse pointer left or right. The point where you click first is the center of
- the ellipse. When the Fill Gadget is activated,the ellipse is filled with the
- current color according to the Drawing Mode in effect.
-
- 69
-
- FILL(Keyboard Equivalent:f-off;F-on)
- When this icon is activated,any shape drawn with the Shape Tools is filled with
- the current color according to the Drawing Mode in effect. When the Fill Gadget
- is highlighted,it is activated,and the Freehand Curve tool disappears. The
- Shape Tool icons appear as "solid" shapes to show that the Fill gadget is
- active. If Fill is turned on and the Repeat function is used,the repeated brush
- stroke will be filled.
-
- BRUSH SIZE SELECTOR(Keyboard Equivalents:"-"-smaller brush;"+"-larger brush)
- The built-in Brush Shapes are available in seven different sizes. Sizes are
- selected by clicking on one of the seven brush size icons. The leftmost icon is
- the largest and the rightmost icon is the smallest. The size change affects all
- of the built-in Brush Shapes save for the one-pixel brush,which always remains
- one pixel in size.
-
- By pressing and holding the left mouse button while the pointer is over the
- Brush Size Selector,the current brush size is displayed. Move the mouse to the
- left to increase the size of the brush,and move it to the right to decrease the
- size of the brush. This shows you precisely the size of the brush before you
- select it.
-
- BRUSH SHAPES(Keyboard Equivalents:"/"-shape toggle;"."-one-pixel brush)
- There are seven built in Brush Shapes available in Digi-Paint 3;select any of
- the brushes by clicking on its icon. The first is the one-pixel brush;this
- brush is not affected by the Brush Size Selector. Next are the horizontal line
- brush,the vertical line brush,the left slant brush,the right slant brush,the
- square brush and the round brush. The slant brushes are particularly useful for
- calligraphy-type effects.
-
- 70
-
- CLOSE BOX(Keyboard Equivalent:Esc-Open/Close Toggle)
- Clicking this icon(or pressing the Esc key)closes the Toolbox,leaving the
- Canvas unobstructed. Clicking the right mouse button or pressing the Esc key
- brings back the Toolbox.
-
- CONTROLS(Keyboard Equivalent:F1-Tools/Controls Toggle)
- Clicking this icon switches the Toolbox to the Controls section,described later
- on in the Reference section.
-
- TEXT RENDERING(Keyboard Equivalent:F2-Tools/Text Toggle)
- Clicking this gadget switches the Toolbox to the Text Rendering section,
- described later on in the Reference section.
-
- PALETTE(Keyboard Equivalent:F3-Tools/Palette Toggle)
- Clicking this gadget switches the Toolbox to the Palette section,described
- later on in the Reference section.
-
- UNDO(Keyboard Equivalent:F4)
- This extremely powerful gadget reverses the effect of the last drawing
- operation performed with the following exceptions:
-
- 71
-
- Directly after a file or brush load or save operation.
- Directly after a swap screen operation.
- Directly after a text to brush operation.
-
- You can only Undo since the last time you clicked the mouse button in the
- Canvas. The Undo gadget will not work on the CopyColor command from the Palette
- menu;you must use the Undo from the Palette menu to reverse that operation. You
- can Undo an Undo operation by clicking the gadget again.
-
- REPEAT(Keyboard Equivalent:F5)
- Activate this button to repeat the last drawing action on the screen. This may
- not sound very useful until you realize that you can change colors or activate
- different shading features and use the Repeat function to place the new colors
- or shading effects in exactly the same place as your drawing action. Just like
- Undo,this feature only works on the actions since your last mouse click in the
- Canvas.
-
- MAGNIFY(Keyboard Equivalent:m-magnify on/off toggle)
- Clicking this gadget changes the pointer to a Magnifying Glass and activates
- the Magnify screen. As you move the Magnifying Glass over the Canvas,the area
- under the Magnifying Glass is displayed in the Magnify window at 8x
- magnification. Bring the Magnifying Glass to the area on the screen you want to
- see close up and click the left mouse button. The area selected is fixed in the
- Magnify window.
-
- Digi-Paint 3's Magnify screen can be treated exactly as any other normal Amiga
- screen:it can be moved up or down with its top-line title bar by dragging with
- the left mouse button pressed,and pushed to back with the front/back gadget in
- the right hand corner of the title bar.
-
- Display the Toolbox in the Magnify window by pressing the right mouse button.
-
- All of the Tools work normally in the magnified area. You can scroll around in
- the magnified area by moving the pointer over the magnify screen and using the
- arrow keys on the keyboard.
-
- 72
-
- Return to the normal Canvas by clicking on the Magnify gadget again,by clicking
- the Close gadget in the upper left corner of the Magnify window,or by pressing
- the Esc key.
-
- SCISSORS(Keyboard Equivalent:b)
- The Scissors are used to create custom brushes,which can be any shape,size,or
- number of colors. These custom brushes can then be pasted down anywhere in the
- Canvas using the current Drawing Mode.
-
- The Scissors work in conjunction with the current Shape Tool selected;thus,you
- can have a freehand selection,a circular,ellipse or rectangular selection,or a
- polygon selection. Click on the Shape Tool you want to use,then click the
- Scissors to activate them. Then draw around the area you want as a custom brush
- and release the mouse button. The area you've defined becomes a custom brush
- attached to the pointer.
-
- The Shape Tools cannot be used directly with this custom brush,but all of the
- features in the Mode Menu can be used for some rather startling effects. To
- remove the custom brush,click on one of the built-in brushes.
-
- An easy way to pick up the shape you've just drawn without including any
- background is to click the Scissors icon and then the Repeat icon. The last
- object drawn is removed from the screen and turned into a custom brush.
-
- MODE INDICATOR/COORDINATES(Keyboard Equivalent:g-toggle)
- This shows the current Drawing Mode selected(see the Mode menu,later in the
- Reference Section). Clicking on this displays the Coordinates(see the Prefs
- menu,later in the Reference Section).
-
- FRONT/BACK GADGET
- This gadget controls which window is currently on top. Click the left part of
- the gadget to bring up the Workbench;click the right half of the gadget to
- bring that window to the front of the screen.
-
- 73
-
- TEXT RENDERING(Keyboard Equivalent:F2-Tools/Text Toggle)
-
- FONTS(Keyboard Equivalent:i)
- Click this icon to bring up the Font File Requester(see Figure 8.42 and the
- File Requester description in this reference section for more details),with
- which you can load in different Amiga fonts.
-
- Point to the disk drive gadget which represents the drive in which your disk
- with fonts is located. Click with the left mouse button and the files and
- drawers available on the disk appear in the black area at the bottom of the
- Font requester(they may already appear if you have used any Load requester
- previously). Volumes and file drawers appear in white letters;fonts(and other
- files)appear in gray letters. The name of the volume or drawer selected appears
- in the black window to the right of the disk drive names. Click on a drawer
- name with the left mouse button to open the drawer(a drawer is any word in
- white that is not followed by a colon). The drawer name replaces the name of
- the disk in the black window. Click on the name of a font(e.g.the font drawer
- Diamond has 12 and 20 in it),and that font name appears in the black window to
- the right of the window where the disk or drawer name appears. Most fonts come
- in several sizes,so you will need to select one,which will appear in the
- rightmost window at the top of the file requester. If the font you've just
- selected is the one you want to open,then click on the words Open Font with the
- left mouse button. There is a brief pause,then the Font requester disappears
- and the font is now loaded.
-
- Only one font can be loaded into Digi-Paint 3 at a time. If you have already
- created a text brush befor loading a new font,you must click the Text to Brush
- icon in order to use the new font for the current text brush.
-
- SMOOTHING OFF/ON(Keyboard Equivalent:$-on/off toggle)
- When the right half of this icon is activated,the font is automatically
- anti-aliased by using colors selected from the palette to soften the edges and
- give a much greater apparent resolution. This also results in a horizontal
- compression of the text. When the left half of this icon is activated,Smoothing
- is off and no anti-aliasing is used.
-
- STYLE SELECTORS(Keyboard Equivalents:"%"-Bold toggle;"^"-Italics toggle;
- "&"-Underline toggle)
- These three icons affect the style of the text;the styles(from left to right)
- are Bold,Italic,and Underline. Click on each one to activate it(when activated,
- the icon is highlighted). Any or all of these Styles may be selected at one
- time.
-
- TEXT ENTRY WINDOW
- When you click in the Text Entry Window to enter text there,the keyboard
- commands are temporarily disabled. Any text you type is entered into this Text
- Entry Window. When you have the text you want,click on the Text to Brush icon
- to the immediate left of the text window(or press the Return key)and the text
- is transformed into a custom brush on the pointer. Click anywhere in the screen
- to stamp the text down in the current color and according to the current
- Drawing Mode in effect. If the text you type is longer than the window,the text
- scrolls. Use the arrow keys or point and click to move the cursor to a new
- location in the text string.
-
- Note that if you want to stamp the text down in a different color than the
- color you used when creating the custom brush,you must select that new color
- then click the Text to Brush icon again to recreate the custom brush of the
- text with the new color. This is also true if you cange drawing modes,alter the
- Transparency controls,or change other settings.
-
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-
- TOOLS(Keyboard Equivalent:F1-Tools/Text Toggle)
- Click this gadget to display the Tools section of the Toolbox.
-
- THE PALETTE(Keyboard Equivalent:F3-Tools/Palette Toggle)
- Underneath the 16 Color Palette are a range of colors based on those colors at
- the top. They give a range of colors from the lightest to the darkest possible
- that includes the color at the top. These colors may be chosen as the current
- color merely by clicking on them. If you're looking for a shade just slightly
- different from on of the colors in the 16 Color Palette,it's often easiest to
- find it here.
-
- RGB SLIDERS
- These three sliders are located between the Tone Selector and the Color
- Selectors at the bottom of the Palette Controls. The sliders,from left to
- right,represent the Red,Green,and Blue values of the current color on a scale
- from 0 to 15(which results in 4096 different possible combinations or colors).
- These sliders change dynamically as the selected color changes. You can also
- move these sliders to alter the Current Color by pointing to them and holding
- down the left moust button while you drag them up or down. This is another way
-
- 76
-
- to select a desired color.
-
- PICK COLOR(Keyboard Equivalent:",")
- Activate this button next to the Front/Back gadget to pick a color from the
- screen;this saves you the trouble of trying to figure out exactly what color
- you want by trying to use the Color Menus. Once the pointer appears,hold down
- the left mouse button as you move the pointer across the screen. You'll see the
- colors change in the Current Color Bar and the RGB Sliders. Once you release
- the left mouse button,the selected color is chosen,and you can then use any of
- the brushes to draw in that color.
-
- After you select Pick Color,you can close the Toolbox by pressing the Esc key
- so that you can pick a color from anywhere on the screen.
-
- COLOR SELECTORS
- These three large squares at the right of the Palette Controls represent
- portions of the 4096 colors available in Digi-Paint 3. Since thousands of
- colors can't be shown in a small area,these squares change dynamically as you
- move the pointer over them while holding down the left mouse button. As you
- move toward the color you want,the other squares show all possible shades of
- that color. When you move around the leftmost square,the red value of the color
- stays constant while the blue and green components change. Similarly,the center
- square holds the Green component steady,and the rightmost square holds the Blue
- component steady. You can see the RGB Sliders move as you move around the Color
- Selector,and this can guide your color choice. When you release the mouse
- button,the last color selected appears in the Current Color Bar.
-
- 77
-
- CONTROLS(Keyboard Equivalent:F1-Tools/Control toggle)
-
- DITHERING(Keyboard Equivalents:"!"-off;"@"-pattern;"#"-random)
- Clicking the left part of this icon selects a regular pattern for mixing colors
- when you are using the Range,Lighten,Darken,Colorize,RubThru,Blur,or TxMap
- drawing modes. Clicking the right part of this icon selects a random pattern
- for mixing colors when you are using the Range drawing mode. If neither part of
- the icon is selected,no dithering is used(color transitions occur in smooth
- bands). Dithering(especially random dithering)adds more colors to the screen by
- using a mixture of two colors to simulate a third color. This process makes the
- results of color transformations more accurate. Digi-Paint 3 uses 30 bits per
- pixel accuracy(over 1 billion colors)to calculate dither patterns.
-
- SMOOTHING OFF/ON(Keyboard Equivalent:"/"-off;"?"-on)
- When the right half of this icon is activated,the drrawing created is
- automatically anti-aliased by using colors selected from the palette to soften
- the edges and give a much greater apparent resolution. When the left half of
- this icon is activated,Smoothing is off and no anti-aliasing is used. This
- function is only available when you are in TxMap drawing mode.
-
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-
- TILE CONTROLS
- The Tile Controls allow you to paste down the custom brush in multiple copies
- (up to 9 by 9). This is done with whatever degree of Warping is used with the
- Warping Controls. Tiling is only active when TxMap Mode is on. First of all,you
- must make a custom brush,then use the Copy This Brush command under the Swap
- sub-menu in the Brush menu. This creates a copy of the custom brush,and enables
- TxMap in the Mode menu. Pull down TxMap from the Mode menu and go to the
- Controls section of the Toolbox. The Tile controls are now active.
-
- Click on the arrows at the top of the Tile Controls to increase or decrease the
- number of copies horizontally;click the arrows to the left of the Tile Controls
- to increase or decrease the number of copies vertically. Choose any Shape Tool
- from the Toolbox,activate Fill,and draw a shape on the Canvas. The custom brush
- is drawn into that shape with the indicated number of copies. For instance,if
- you have 2 chosen for the horizontal copies and 3 for the vertical copies,
- you'll end up with six copies of the original custom brush within the new shape
- you've drawn.
-
- The Smoothing and Dithering controls also affect the results of Tiled brushes.
-
- WARPING CONTROLS
-
- WARP ENABLE
- These controls are only operative when TxMap(texture mapping)Mode is active. To
- begin,you must first select a custom brush using the Scissors(as described
- earlier)and make a copy of it(using the Copy This Brush command under the Swap
- sub-menu in the Brush menu). Then pull down TxMap from the Mode Menu.
-
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-
- WARP AMOUNT
- The Warping Slider on the left of the Warping Controls determines the amount of
- warping in the resulting image,from none to severe;the most severe warping is
- at the top of the slider. The three icons to the left of the slider are preset
- positions at the bottom,middle,and top of the slider. Click any one of these
- icons to move the slider to that position.
-
- WARP DIRECTION
- The Warping Direction controls across the top of the Warping Locator(the large
- area to the right of the Warping Slider)determine the position of the "warping
- point";that is,the point or axis along which the picture is warped. The icon on
- the left is Point Warping,meaning that the image is warped both horizontally
- and vertically. The icon in the middle is Horizontal Warping,and the icon on
- the right is Vertical Warping. Choose any one of these and then move the
- resulting Warping Point in the Warping Locator,the large area below these
- icons.
-
- When you have adjusted these controls to your satisfaction,click in the Canvas
- and drag out the outline of the current Shape Tool you've selected to any size
- and release the mouse button. The custom brush that you copied is then
- displayed with the warping determined by the TxMap controls.
-
- When these controls are active,the Tiling Controls are also activated. The
- Dithering and Smoothing controls also affect the results of the Warping
- Controls and TxMap operations.
-
- TRANSPARENCY CONTROLS
- These controls determine the amount of transparency present when you draw or
- paste,and also the placement of the "hotspot" of the transparency. In addition,
- these controls affect the placement of Range Colors when the Range painting
- mode is active.
-
- The left-hand vertical slider and the three icons to its left control the
- Hotspot transparency. At the bottom of the slider the Hotspot is entirely
- transparent,and at the top of the slider the Hotspot is entirely solid. The
- three icons to the left of the slider are preset positions at the bottom(100%
- transparent),middle(50%) transparent),and top(opaque)of the slider. Click any
-
- 80
-
- one of these icons to move the slider to that position. The right-hand vertical
- slider works the same way but controls the transparency of the Edge of the
- drawn shape or pasted brush.
-
- In the middle of the Transparency controls is the Hotspot Locator,with four
- buttons above it;from left to right,those buttons are the Off button,the Point
- Hotspot,the Vertical Hotspot,and the Horizontal Hotspot. Once the Hotspot shape
- is selected,it can be positioned anywhere inside the locator by clicking on it
- with the left mouse button and dragging it to the desired location.
-
- MENUS
- This section explains each of the menu commands available. The menus appear
- when you press the right mouse button;move the pointer to the desired menu and
- the commands available on the menu are displayed. Move the pointer down until
- the command you want is highlighted,then release the mouse button and the
- command is activated. Some commands have submenus,which appear when you move
- the pointer over that command. To select a command on a submenu,move the
- pointer to the right until the command you want is highlighted,then release the
- button and the command is selected. Some menu commands may be checked or
- starred;this means that command is currently in effect(for instance,the current
- drawing mode is shown with an asterisk).
-
- FILE REQUESTER
- Digi-Paint 3's file requester appears in 5 instances:Picture Loading and
- Saving. Brush Loading and Saving and Font Loading. The File Requester works
- identically in all of these instances,except as noted in the individual
- reference listings for these functions.
-
- In the upper left corner of the File Requester is the Close Box;clicking here
- with the left mouse button closes the File Requester and returns you to the
- Toolbox. Directly to the right of the close gadget are three disk drive gadgets
- df0:,df1:,and dh0:-referring to the first,second,and hard disk drives of your
- Amiga. Clicking any of these gives you a directory of files located in that
- drive.
-
- The files and drawers available on the disk appear in the black area at the
- bottom of the File Requester. Volume names(which are followed by a colon)and
- file drawers appear in white letters;file names appear in gray letters. The
- name of the disk appears in the black window to the right of the disk drive
- gadgets.
-
- 81
-
- Click on a drawer name with the left mouse buttom to open the drawer. The
- drawer name replaces the name of the disk in the black window. Click on the
- name of a file,and that file name appears in the black window to the right of
- the window where the disk or drawer name appears. If the file you've just
- selected is the one you want to open,then click on the words Open File with the
- left mouse button.
-
- OTHER FEATURES OF THE FILE REQUESTER
- Clicking on the "/" that's between the disk drive gadgets and the window where
- the disk name appears,moves you from the directory of the drawer that you're in
- back to the directory of the whole disk(or the next "higher" drawer,if you're
- using nested drawers).
-
- Click on the ":" button to go to the root directory of the current selected
- volume.
-
- If there are more file names than the black file name area can hold,the gray
- bar to the left of those names can be used to scroll the window showing the
- file names. Point to this gray bar and hold down the left mouse button,then
- drag it up or down to scroll the file names.(Nothing happens unless there are
- more file names than the window can show.)
-
- If you have already seen the file or directory that you want during the listing
- of a large directory,clicking the right mouse button or pressing the space bar
- will abort the rest of the listing.
-
- Double-clicking a file name will also cause it to open.
-
- Clicking on the left side Foreground/Background gadget in the upper right-hand
- corner of the file requester will move you back to the Amiga Workbench screen
- if it is still open;this makes it easy to format a blank disk if you've
- forgotten to do so before saving a picture or brush.
-
- PICTURE MENU
- This menu controls various operations concerned with the picture,including
- loading,saving,printing,and the screen size.
-
- LOAD(Keyboard Equivalent:1)
- Activating this command brings up the File Requester(see Figure 8.42 and the
- File Requester description in this reference section for more details),with
- which you can call up picture files that you have saved on disk(or files that
- someone else created and saved on disk).
-
- 82
-
- Point to the disk drive gadget which contains the disk with the picture file
- you want to load. Click with the left mouse button,and the drive whirs for a
- moment and the files and drawers available on the disk appear in the black area
- at the bottom of the Load Requester.
-
- Click on a drawer name with the left mouse button to open the drawer. The
- drawer name replaces the name of the disk in the black window. Click on the
- name of a file,and that file name appears in the black window to the right of
- the window where the disk or drawer name appears. If the file you've just
- selected is the one you want to open,then click on the words Open File with the
- left mouse button.
-
- There is a brief pause,then the File Requester disappears and a small requester
- appears. The Load Palette From File button is already selected;if you don't
- want to use the palette taken from the file,click it to turn it off so that the
- picture uses the palette currently in Digi-Paint 3(see the section on Color
- Palette for more information). Keeping the current palette allows you to use
- the current colors you have selected as the 16 Color Palette;the incoming
- picture may have some "color fringing"(see Appendix B)because it is not using
- its original palette.
-
- If the picture is in hi-res(640x200 or 640x400 resolution),a button labeled
- Shrink Hi-res to Lo-res appears in the requester. Select that button to remap
- the picture into Lo-Res mode. This process uses sophisticated color routines to
- give results that are almost identical to the original file. If you don't
- select this,the picture is loaded in as a super bitmap in its original
- dimensions.
-
- Click OK to load the file;click Cancel to return to the File requester.
-
- When you click OK and the picture is a different size than the current Canvas,
- another message requester appears,saying Change Screen Size? Click either the
- Yes or No button. If you select Yes,then Digi-Paint 3 changes the Canvas to
- conform to the size of the picture file. If you click the No button,then Digi-
- Paint 3 loads in as much of the picture as it can into the current Canvas
- starting from the upper left-hand corner.
-
- If you select "Yes",and you have an active swap screen,another requester
- appears:
-
- 83
-
- Selecting OK,do size change changes the screen size and deletes the swap
- screen. Selecting CANCEL size changes instructs Digi-Paint 3 to load in as much
- of the file as it can into the current screen format,starting with the upper
- left-hand corner.
-
- SAVE(Keyboard Equivalent:p)
- The Save command is used to store the work you've done in a file on the disk,
- so that your work may be called up again by Digi-Paint 3,or called up from
- another program such as Digi-View Gold. The Save File Requester is identical to
- the Load File Requester in its appearance and function(see figure 8.42 and the
- File Requester description in this reference section for more details),except
- that the words Open File have been replaced with Save File. Type in a new name
- for the file you want in the File Name Window by first clicking in that window
- with the left mouse button,then typing the name you want. Then press Return to
- save the file,or point to Save File and press the left mouse button. If your
- disk is full and has no more room for files,Digi-Paint 3 warns about this when
- you try to save the file. It's generally a good idea to have some data disks
- formatted and ready just in case you run out of room on your disk.
-
- PRINT
- To print the picture that's on your Digi-Paint 3 screen,select this menu item.
- Make sure your printer is already connected before using this feature. A
- requester appears that asks for the number of copies you want to print. Click
- on the arrows to change this number up or down. The number of copies can be
- changed at any time during the printing process. Click OK to print;click Cancel
- at any time to stop the printing process and return to the Toolbox.
-
- The Workbench included on the Digi-Paint 3 disk has Preference settings for
- most of the popular printers available for use with the Amiga. Please refer to
- the Amiga Users Manual if you have any questions about how to set up
- Preferences to work with your particular printer.
-
- QUIT
- Select this menu item to exit Digi-Paint 3 and return to the Workbench. A
- message appears when you select Quit,asking if you really want to quit. Click
- Yes to quit;click No to return to the Toolbox. CAUTION:If you haven't saved the
- file you've been working on,you'll lose that file when you quit.
-
- VIEW(Keyboard Equivalent:o-normal overscan;O-severe overscan)
- This option sets the Amiga to the overscan display mode. It displays more of
- the picture by shifting it up and to the left,thereby filling the overscan
-
- 84
-
- borders.
-
- SIZE
- This brings up the Size Requester(see Figure 8.47),where you can change the
- size of the Canvas.
-
- The horizontal number of pixels is shown in the left-hand box. Click the left
- arrow to decrease the size,and click the right button to increase the size. To
- the right of this box is the vertical number of pixels;click the large down
- arrow to decrease the number of pixels in large increments,or click the small
- down arrow to decrease the number of pixels in large increments,or click the
- small down arrow to decrease the number of pixels in small increments. The up
- arrows to the right increase the number of vertical pixels in a similar manner.
- The Restore button resets the screen size to its default(320x200)setting. Click
- the Interlace button to have the screen displayed in interlace mode(it is
- highlighted when selected). The next box shows the screen size selected. Click
- OK to accept the new size and return to the Toolbox. If you selected a new size
- that is smaller than the previous picture size,portions of the picture are lost
- as the screen size is reduced. If you choose a larger size than the current
- picture,the picture appears in the upper left corner of the new screen size.
- Click Cancel to return to the Toolbox without changes.
-
- CLEAR(Keyboard Equivalent:K)
- This command clears the Canvas to the current selected color. All drawing on
- the Canvas is lost(Undo will retrieve the image). The Swap Screen and the Brush
- Copy are unaffected by this command.
-
- SWAP(Keyboard Equivalent:j)
- This submenu item controls the Swap Screen that Digi-Paint 3 makes available to
- you. In essence,you can have two pictures present in Digi-Paint 3 at the same
- time,one in "front" and one in "back". The Swap submenu gives you the following
- commands:Exchange Pictures,Copy This Picture,Delete Other Picture,and Merge
- Pictures,Exchange Pictures will switch the front and back pictures. Copy This
- Picture is the only feature active when you start up using Digi-Paint 3 to the
- spare screen. Using this feature to copy whatever is in the current screen of
- Digi-Paint 3 to the spare screen. Using this feature requires extra memory,
- which may not be available if the screen is very large(or in a 512K machine).
- If the Swap Screen is not available,the screen flashes when you try to use
- it,telling you that there's not enough memory to create a Swap Screen.
-
- For instance,load the Lady picture,then select Copy This Picture. The picture
- will be copied to the spare screen. When this happens,you'll notice that the
-
- 85
-
- RubThru button is no longer grayed out(see RubThru). Now use Clear to clear the
- front screen to the color selected. Scribble on this screen with any brush,then
- go back to the Swap menu and use the Exchange Pictures command to switch the
- front and back pictures. Delete Other Picture will remove the picture stored in
- the spare screen and free up the memory allocated,while Merge Pictures will
- merge the front and back pictures using the operation chosen from the Mode
- Menu. With Merge,the whole back picture is the "paint"(see the Mode Menu
- section for a more detailed explanation).
-
- BRUSH MENU
-
- LOAD(Keyboard Equivalent:L)
- Activating this command brings up the Load Brush File Requester,where you can
- call up custom brushes that you have saved on disk(or files that someone else
- created and saved on disk). The Load Brush File Requester is identical to the
- File Requester in its appearance and function(see Figure 8.42 and the File
- Requester description in this reference section for more details),except that
- the words Open File have been replaced with Open Brush.
-
- Point to the disk drive name where your disk with brush files is located. Click
- with the left mouse button,and the files and drawers available on the disk
- appear in the black area at the bottom of the File Requester.
-
- Click on a drawer name with the left mouse button to open the drawer. The
- drawer name replaces the name of the disk in the black window. Click on the
- name of a file,and that file name appears in the black window to the right of
- the window where the disk or drawer name appears. If the file you've just
- selected is the one you want to open,then click on the words Open Brush with
- the left mouse button.
-
- The brush loads in from the disk and appears attached to your pointer. The
- brush can then be used just as any other custom Brush(see the Scissors icon in
- the Toolbox section).
-
- SAVE(Keyboard Equivalent:P)
- The Save command is used to store the custom brush you've created in a file on
- the disk,so that the brush can be called up again for use in another picture.
- The Save Brush File Requester is identical to the Load File Requester in its
- appearance(see Figure 8.42 and the File Requester description in this reference
- section for more details),except that the words Open File have been replaced
- with Save Brush. Type in a new name for the brush you want in the File Name
- Window by first clicking in that window with the left mouse button,then typing
-
- 86
-
- the name you want. Then press Return to save the brush,or point to Save Brush
- and press the left mouse button. If your disk is full and has no more room for
- files,Digi-Paint 3 warns about this when you try to save the file. It's
- generally a good idea to have some data disks formatted and ready just in case
- you run out of room on your disk.
-
- NOBACKGROUND(Keyboard Equivalent:t-off;T-on)
- This command makes the background color(color 0)of the brush transparent when
- the brush is cut out. It is very useful when you have an unusual shape to cut
- out from a normal background(a doughnut shape,for example). You need not
- carefully trace the shape;just turn on NoBackground and cut it out roughly.
- Anywhere that color 0 occurs inside the area you cut becomes transparent.
-
- The background color is always color 0,which in the default palette is black
- (the leftmost color in the 16 Color Palette). Use the CopyColor command from
- the Palette menu to change color 0.
-
- SWAP(Keyboard Equivalent:J)
- This submenu item controls the custom brush Copy that Digi-Paint makes
- available to you. In essence,you can have two brushes present in Digi-Paint 3
- at the same time,one displayed and one saved. The Swap submenu gives you the
- following commands:Exchange Brush,Copy This Brush,and Delete Swap Brush. These
- commands are only available when you have cut out a custom brush.
-
- Exchange Brush switches the current and swap brushes. Copy This Brush is the
- only feature active when you cut out a custom brush and have not yet used any
- of the Swap commands;use it to copy the current custom Brush to the "swap
- brush". Delete Swap Brush removes the brush stored as the swap brush and frees
- up the memory allocated to it. Restore Swap Brush displays the swap brush;the
- currently displayed brush is deleted.
-
- PALETTE MENU
-
- These commands control changing colors in the 16 Color Palette.
-
- 87
-
- COPY COLOR
- This command is used to enter colors into the 16 Color Palette. Digi-Paint
- allows you a palette of 16 colors that can be used anywhere on the screen
- without causing a "fringe" color effect(see Appendix B for a more detailed
- explanation). To use CopyColor,first select the color that you want to put into
- the palette(use the Color Selector or the PickColor function;see elsewhere in
- the Reference section for details). Select CopyColor from the Palette menu;the
- pointer changes to a pointer with a question mark. Click on the color in the 16
- Color Palette that you want replaced. After a moment,the color is replaced in
- the palette and wherever it occurs in the painting. If you do this with an
- existing painting,this will generally mess up the picture somewhat(especially
- if the new color is very different from the old color). Use the Undo command
- from the Palette menu to reverse this choice.
-
- To change the color that is considered transparent for the NoBackground
- function,make the color that is to be transparent the current color. Then
- select CopyColor to get the pointer with the question mark. While the pointer
- is in this form,select NoBackground from the Brush menu and the color you
- selected will be transparent for the purpose cutting out brushes.
-
- REMAP
- This command can be used after you have changed one or more of the 16 Palette
- colors. Remap uses the new palette colors to try and recreate the original
- picture's colors. This feature is handy if you want to adjust the palette to
- include new colors while you keep the original picture intact. Remap is
- particularly important when working with digitized images. If you need to put
- new colors into the palette,try to replace colors that are similar to other
- colors in the palette:when you Remap,the difference between the new picture and
- the original is minimized.
-
- UNDO
- This Undo the effects of any CopyColor or Remap operations.
-
- EFFECT MENU
-
- This menu affects the current custom brush. If no custom brush is selected,then
- nome of these commands are available.
-
- FLIP HORIZONTAL(Keyboard Equivalent:x)
- This command flips the current custom brush around a vertical axis.
-
- FLIP VERTICAL(Keyboard Equivalent:y)
- This command flips the current custom brush around a horizontal axis.
-
- ROTATE 90 DEGREES(Keyboard Equivalent:z-clockwise;Z-counter-clockwise)
- This command rotates the current custom brush 90 degrees in the clockwise or
- counter-clockwise direction,depending on the submenu item you choose. If you
- want to flip a custom brush 180 degrees,it is faster to Flip Horizontal and
- then Flip Vertical.
-
- MODE MENU
-
- These drawing modes are very powerful ways to create and alter paintings. Their
- effect extends to all of the Shape Tools,Brushes(including custom brushes)and
- text. The current drawing mode is displayed in the Mode Indicator box present
- in the Tools and Text sections of the Toolbox,in the lower right-hand corner.
- It's important to keep track of what drawing mode is in use;otherwise you could
- get unexpected results when you draw.
-
- Most of the drawing modes are affected by the Dithering settings found in the
- Controls section of the Toolbox;the exceptions are Normal,And,Or,and Xor
- drawing modes.
-
- NORMAL(Keyboard Equivalent:"'" or "~")
- This is the default drawing mode,where the paint you apply to the Canvas is the
- current color you have selected. If you are using a custom brush,the custom
- brush is applied to the Canvas using all the colors in the custom brush.
-
- RANGE(Keyboard Equivalent:1)
- This drawing mode applies paint to the screen using the Range Colors on the
- Color Strip. While in this drawing mode,the Current Color is not used;only the
- Range Colors. Use the Transparency controls to change the location of the left
- most Range Color(see Transparency controls for a complete explanation). The
-
- 89
-
- Point Hotspot in the Transparency controls is automatically turned on when you
- enter this drawing mode. If you turn off the Hotspot,then only the right-hand
- Range Color is used(though if Dithering is on,you may see specks of other
- colors).
-
- If you are using a custom brush,the Range Colors are stamped down in the shape
- of the custom brush(but using none of the colors of the custom brush).
-
- This drawing mode can be used to crete highlighting effects,backgrounds with
- graduated shades of multiple colors,or other lighting effects.
-
- LIGHTEN(Keyboard Equivalent:2)
- This lightens the color of the screen in the area where you apply paint. This
- functions is very useful with the Repeat command,so that you can lighten an
- area you've just drawn.
-
- If you are using a custom brush,lighten uses only the shape of the custom brush
- (but none of the colors of the custom brush).
-
- DARKEN(Keyboard Equivalent:3)
- This darkens the color of the screen in the area where you apply paint. This
- function is very useful with the Repeat command,so that you can darken an area
- you've just drawn.
-
- If you are using a custom brush,Darken uses only the shape of the custom brush
- (but none of the colors of the custom brush).
-
- COLORIZE(Keyboard Equivalent:4)
- This mode changes color values(chrominance)on the screen without affecting
- their brightness(luminance). The new color is the same as your current value,
- but with the same brightness as the old color. This is a very powerful feature
- that can be used for such things as colorizing a black and white picture,as
- shown in the tutorial. Or you can use this to change the colors of an area on
- the Canvas. Colorize is affected by the Dithering controls,so if you want a
- pure color turn off Dithering.
-
- If you are using a custom brush,Colorize uses only the shape of the custom
- brush(but none of the colors of the custom brush)with the Current Color.
-
- RUBTHRU(Keyboard Equivalent:5)
- This mode is only active when you have a second picture in your Swap Screen.
- You must choose Copy This Picture from the Swap submenu of the Picture menu in
- order to activate RubThru brings portions of the "back" picture to the "front"
- screen(the one that you're looking at). Activate RubThru and then use any of
- the Transparency features,Fill,or any brush. The Transparency controls can be
- used with RubThru to create very misty montage effects.
-
- If you are using a custom brush,RubThru uses only the shape of the custom brush
- (but none of the colors of the custom brush).
-
- 90
-
- BLUR(Keyboard Equivalent:6)
- This Mode softens the edges of all color transitions,acting like a watercolor
- overlay on the painting. Using this effect repeatedly(by clicking the Repeat
- key)cretes a very watery effect. Note that the Transparency controls can reduce
- the amount of Blur being used in an area.
-
- If you are using a custom brush,Blur uses only the shape of the custom brush
- (but none of the colors of the custom brush).
-
- TXMAP(Keyboard Equivalent:7)
- This drawing mode allows you warp or resize any custom brush,and fit it into
- any shape you draw(including text). In order to activate this mode,you must
- first make a custom brush(using the Scissors,as described elsewhere in the
- Reference section). Then use the Copy this Brush command from the Swap submenu
- on the Brush menu to create a copy of the custom brush. Now the TxMap command
- is available on the Mode menu. After you select TxMap,switch to the Controls
- section of the Toolbox. There you will see that the Warping controls are
- available,as well as the Tile Pattern controls and the Smoothing controls. The
- use of these controls is described further in the Controls section of the
- Reference section.
-
- Remember that each time you use TxMap,it is operating on the copy of the
- original custom brush. If you cut out a new custom brush and then paste it
- down,the TxMap maps the original custom brush onto the shape of the new custom
- brush using the Warping Controls settings. The effects of this can get rather
- complicated,especially if you also have the Transparency controls turned on.
-
- AND(Keyboard Equivalent:8)
- This drawing mode is similar to using a colored filter(of the Current Color)on
- the area of the Canvas affected. If you are using a custom brush,And uses only
- the shape of the custom brush(but none of the colors of the custom brush)with
- the Cureent Color.
-
- Technically,And is a binary operation that compares the RGB numbers of the
- paint to the screen. This command operates on the RGB values as binary numbers;
- that is,And converts the base 10 RGB values into binary,then compares the
- binary values of the paint and the screen pixels. In this case,the result of
- the comparison is a 1 only if both of the numbers are ones. The effect of And
- is to push the affected colors in the direction of the paint you're using. And
- is also useful to remove other colors. For instance,if you And with Red 15
- (Green & Blue at 0),the result will be the pure red separation of the picture.
-
- OR(Keyboard Equivalent:9)
- This drawing mode is similar to blending light sources(of the Current Color)on
- the area of the Canvas affected. If you are using a custom brush. Or uses only
- the shape of the custom brush(but none of the colors of the custom brush)with
- the Current Color.
-
- 91
-
- Technically,this command operates on the RGB values as binary numbers;that
- is,Or convers the base 10 RGB values into binary,then compares the binary
- values of the paint and the screen pixels. If either or both of the binary
- digits are 1,the result is a one. The effect is usually to add color,but this
- will vary depending on the RGB values of your paint.
-
- XOR(Keyboard Equivalent:0)
- This drawing mode creates a negative effect(of the Current Color)on the area of
- the Canvas affected. If you are using a custom brush,XOR uses only the shape of
- the custom brush(but none of the colors of the custom brush)with the Current
- Color.
-
- Use pure white with XOR to create a negative effect on the picture. Some very
- interesting false color effects can be created by XOR with other colors like
- red or blue.
-
- This function is perhaps the strangest of all of the mode functions. The title
- (pronounced Ex-or)refers to a function in mathematical logic called an
- "exclusive-or" operation. This command operates on the RGB values as binary
- numbers;that is,XOR converts the base 10 RGB values into binary,then compares
- the binary values of the paint and the screen pixels. Those of you familiar
- with binary logic should be able to take it from there. The rest of us will
- have to be content with experimentation to determine exactly what XOR does. For
- the most part,XOR will reverse the colors of the area you act upon;this is
- especially the case if you use a white brush(RGB values of 15).
-
- PREFS MENU
-
- This menu controls some of the basic settings of Digi-Paint 3.
-
- CLOSE WORKBENCH
- This command closes the Workbench,thus free-ing more memory for Digi-Paint 3.
- This is very handy if you have a particularly large Canvas or only 512K of
- memory. If this command is selected,then Digi-Paint 3 always tries to keep the
- Workbench closed.
-
- OPEN WORKBENCH
- If you need to open the Workbench,use this command. Note that opening the
- Workbench uses up some memory which Digi-Paint 3 could use for the Canvas. When
- this command is selected,Digi-Paint 3 always tries to keep the Workbench open.
-
- 92
-
- COORDINATES(Keyboard Equivalent:g-coordinates/mode toggle)
- This command activates or deactivates the coordinates,which appear in the
- Toolbox window replacing the Mode Indicator(clicking the Mode Indicator also
- brings up the Coordinates). The coordinates show the distance in pixels from
- the upper left corner of the Canvas. When you begin to draw,the coordinates
- become relative to the starting point of the drawing. If the Toolbox has
- disappeared as you draw,press the Esc key or right mouse button to bring it
- back so that you can see the coordinates.
-
- GENLOCK
- This command forces Digi-Paint 3 to ignore color 0 and never use it in any
- painting operation while this command is active. If you are using a genlock
- device,then all areas of color 0 in the picture are replaced with the other
- video source being brought in by the genlock. This command lets you use all of
- Digi-Paint 3's features without leaving "color 0 holes" in a genlocked image.
- (Note:color 0 is the leftmost color in the 16 Color Palette.)
-
- 93
-
- CHAPTER 9 TRANSFER 24
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
- The Transfer 24 software contains much of the image-processing capabilities of
- New Tek's award-winning Digi-View Gold software. Adding the Transfer 24
- software to Digi-Paint 3 gives you a complete set of painting and image-
- processing tools. Those of you who already have Digi-View 3.0 software will
- notice that the changes are minor,and if you know how to use Digi-View,you
- already know how to use Transfer 24.
-
- GETTING STARTED
-
- Before you begin,make a working copy of the Transfer 24 disk using the standard
- AmigaDOS copy procedures.
-
- Load the Transfer 24 program by double-clicking the program icon. The startup
- screen appears,where you can choose the resolution mode(see Figure 9.01).
-
- Click on the Off or On buttons for each entry. The selected buttons are
- highlighted. As you choose different options,the numbers inside the Width and
- Height buttons change to reflect those options. You can also click the width
- and height buttons repeatedly to cycle through all the available sizes in that
- dimension. Click OK to accept the settings and enter Transfer 24;click Exit to
- return to the Workbench. These settings control the pixel resolution of the
- screens;the color resolution(for instance,32 color or HAM)is controlled from
- within Transfer 24.
-
- 97
-
- PROJECT MENU
-
- NEW
- Pulling down this menu item clears the Amiga's memory of any images currently
- in Transfer 24,CAUTION:If you haven't saved the image on the screen before you
- use New,the image is lost.
-
- LOAD
- Pull down this menu item to bring in IFF(Interchange File Format)or Digi-View
- and Digi-View Gold RGB and IP files that you've stored on a disk.(IFF files are
- a standard format on Amiga graphics programs;any IFF image can be brought into
- Transfer 24.)When you activate this item,the Load requester will appear.
-
- The requester says Load IFF at the top,and below that all of the files on the
- disk are displayed. If there are more files on the disk than can be displayed
- in the window,drag the gray bar to the right of the window and more file names
- will be revealed. File names will be in a dark color,while drawers will be in a
- light color(files are often stored in drawers;see your Amiga manual for more
- information). If the file you want is in a drawer,simply click on the drawer
- name the contents of that drawer will be displayed. If you want to return to
- the "outside" of the drawer(the root directory),click on the button at the
- bottom of the Load requester with the disk drive name on it(the first internal
- disk drive is named df0:;the second drive is named df1:;and the hard disk drive
- is named dh0:). When you click on the file name that you want to load,the name
- appears in the File window. The disk name will appear in the Drawer window only
- if you've switched drives by clicking on the drive buttons,and the drawer name
- (if any)will appear instead of the drive name.
-
- When you have the file name in the window,click on Load and the file will be
- loaded into Transfer 24. If you don't want to load a file at all,click Cancel
- and you'll be returned to the Transfer 24 screen.
-
- 98
-
- Loading an IFF file will automatically convert it to the current resolution
- mode and number of colors that you have set in the Controls requester. This
- format conversion is a very useful feature. Once you've converted a file,you
- can then save it out(usually under a different name to preserve the original).
-
- In order to convert your picture to the current resolution mode without the
- bottom and left sides being cut off or left black,make sure that you have saved
- the picture from Digi-Paint 3 as an even multiple(for shrinking)or sub-multiple
- (for enlarging)of the new resolution mode in both the horizontal and vertical
- directions.
-
- Examples:
- If your current resolution is Make sure your picture size is
- 320x400 640x200,320x200,etc.
- 384x200 768x400,384x400,etc.
- 704x480 352x240,704x240,etc.
-
- Note that Transfer 24 cannot load in all super bitmap pictures created by Digi-
- Paint 3. The maximum size picture allowable in Transfer 24 is 768x480 pixels.
-
- SAVE
- This menu item allows you to save digitized images as an IFF file that can be
- ready by other IFF-compatible programs. The requester is the same as the Load
- requester,except for two things;the top of the requester is labeled Save,and
- the button on the bottom left-hand corner of the requester is labeled Save. The
- title of the requester will change,showing the number of colors you are saving
- in the image. To save the file,first make sure that you are saving to the
- correct disk. Click the drive buttons below the file window to see the contents
- of each disk. When you have the drive correctly assigned,click in the File
- window and a cursor will appear. Type in the name you want to use for the file,
- then click on Save. Remember to use a different name than any existing file,
- unless you want to erase a current file. The name cannot be longer than the
- window. It helps to use names that are easily remembered.
-
- 99
-
- LOAD PALETTE:This menu item loads the palette associated with an image into the
- Palette controls. As you'll see later in the Controls menu,you can display an
- image in 32 colors or less. Once you've constructed that particular color
- palette,you can use the identical palette by activating Load Palette and
- selecting the file that you want from the Load requester that appears. Select
- the file name and click Load,just as you would load a file. Nothing appears to
- have changed on the screen,but when you go to the Palette controls,you'll see
- that the palette from the image you selected is now loaded in. If you select
- Freeze Palette and then load in a new picture,the image you load will be forced
- into that palette. This is useful if you are working with a series of images
- for an animation or presentation program,and you want all of the images to use
- the same palette.
-
- 100
-
- PRINT
- If you want to print your Transfer 24 screen image,use this menu item.
-
- Call up the image you want to print. Then activate the print function. Make
- sure you've set your Preferences on the Workbench disk to the correct printer.
- If you want to cancel your printout,turn off the printer. After a brief wait,a
- requester appears asking you to check the printer or the cabling. Click Cancel,
- and you are returned to Transfer 24.
-
- HISTOGRAM
- This feature gives you information about the red,green,or blue information of
- the image in Transfer 24. Move the cursor to the right of Histogram in the menu
- when the submenu appears,and select either Red,Green,or Blue. In a moment two
- graphs will appear,showing the raw data and the data as Transfer 24 has
- adjusted it. The vertical axis is the number of pixels,the horizontal axis is
- the brightness(left to right is darkest to lightest). The adjusted histogram
- shows how the image is affected by your manipulation of the Color controls.
- Click OK to return to the main screen.
-
- ABOUT
- This tells you the copyright information and the latest version number of your
- Transfer 24 software. Click OK to return to the main screen.
-
- QUIT
- Pull down this menu item to exit Transfer 24 and return to the Workbench. If
- you haven't saved the image on the screen,this image will be lost when you Quit
- Transfer 24.
-
- 101
-
- CONTROLS
-
- COLOR
- Activating this menu item brings up the Color Control panel(see Figure 9.06).
- This may also be done from the keyboard by pressing the right Amiga key and the
- c key simultaneously. The Mode portion of the control panel determines how the
- digitized image will appear. When you first bring up the control panel in lo-
- res,4096+ is highlighted. The image will appear using all 4096 colors of the
- Amiga's palette. This display mode is known as Hold-And-Modify(HAM).
-
- The image can also be displayed in line art mode(2 color)black & white(labeled
- B/W),32 colors or less(16 colors or less is the only option available in med-
- res or hi-res;see the Palette menu),64 colors(labeled HalfBrite)or 4096,a good
- way to display the image while you are getting the color settings just right;
- this mode is faster than 4096+.
-
- Just below the Mode panel is the Dither control,which only affects images
- displayed in 64 colors or less. Dithering is the use of two colors mixed to
- produce an apparent intermediate shade and helps to fill in intermediate
- colors. A typical picture will contain thousands of subjective shades.
-
- Setting the Dither to 1 or 2 instructs Transfer 24 to mix pixels of different
- colors to produce other colors when viewed at a distance. Try viewing an image
- with Dither on,and then turn Dither off and hit Display again. The difference
- should be readily apparent.
-
- There are really three ways to dither with Transfer 24-Dither 1,Dither 2,and
- the Sharpness slider. Dithering can be used along with sharpness;the best
- results come from a combination of the two. The Dither control gives a pebbly
- texture to the image,while the Sharpness is grainier. The Dither 1 setting is
- more subtle,while Dither 2 is very useful for reducing the number of colors in
- image.
-
- 102
-
- The panel directly left of the Dither control has two buttons,Pos and Neg. The
- Pos button creates a normal image from a negative. Activating the Neg button
- and then choosing display will create a negative version of the image,inverting
- all of the colors. This can be used to create a positive color image of a color
- negative.
-
- There are seven sliders on the panel that control Brightness,Contrast,
- Saturation,Red,Green,Blue,and Sharpness. These sliders adjust your image for a
- better picture of just for special effects. To move the sliders,move the
- pointer onto one of the sliders and hold down the left mouse button. Drag the
- slider to the position you want and release the button. You'll notice that the
- number at the bottom of the slider changes from -47 to 48. You can record these
- settings for future reference.
-
- BRIGHTNESS
- Like its namesake on a TV,this control increases or decreases the overall
- illumination of the image. Moving the brightness control even a little has
- marked effects on the image. At the maximum setting,the image is almost
- completely white;at minimum,the image is almost completely black.
-
- CONTRAST:
- Again,this control is similar to the control on your TV set. Raising the
- control makes white white,blacks blacker,and colors more intense. Lowering it
- makes blacks and white more gray and colors washed out. This can sharpen or
- decrease the distinctions between different areas on the screen. At maximum,
- the image is "flattened" to few shades with almost no distinctions.
-
- SATURATION
- This works like the color control on a TV set. At minimum,the image is
- converted to black and white. At maximum,the colors are abnormally intense and
- cartoon-like. If the colors in the image don't seem vibrant enough,raise the
- saturation control.
-
- RED
- When set high,this increases the amount of red in the image;when reduced,the
- amount of red is diminished. At minimum,there is no red in the picture;at
- maximum,the picture is entirely in shades or red.
-
- GREEN
- When set high,this increases the amount of green in the image;when reduced,the
- amount of green is diminished. At minimum,there is no green in the picture;at
- maximum,the picture is entirely in shades of green.
-
- BLUE
- When set high,this increases the amount of blue in the image;when reduced,the
- amount of blue is diminished. At minimum,there is no blue in the picture;at
- maximum,the picture is entirely in shades of blue.
-
- SHARPNESS
- Raising this control sharpens the image but increase the amount of "grain" or
- "snow". Lowering the control reduces graininess but will increase the amount of
-
- 103
-
- "contouring" or "banding". A typical value for sharpness might be 3-5,which
- will be particularly useful for making text appear sharper. At maximum,the
- image is "snow";at minimum,the image is blurry and impressionistic.
-
- DEFAULT
- Clicking on this button returns all the control sliders to the neutral setting.
-
- OK
- This removes the control panel,but not re-display the picture at any new
- settings.
-
- PALETTE
- This button takes you directly to the Palette controls.
-
- DISPLAY
- When you've adjusted the control panel to your liking,this control displays the
- picture with the new settings.
-
- PALETTE
-
- This menu item activates the Palette control(see figure 9.07);the keyboard
- equivalent is pressing the Amiga key and the p key simultaneously. The Palette
- control has several main fuctions:to reduce the number of colors in an image,to
- display an image in a particular palette,and to modify the palette colors.
-
- To use the Palette controls,first click on the button that says 32 in the Color
- controls,then click on the Palette button at the bottom of the Color controls.
- This takes you to the Palette controls. The palette in the upper right-hand
- corner shows the best 32 colors for displaying the image out of the 4096
- possible. If you want to have less than a 32 color image,move the slider in the
-
- 104
-
- box labeled 32 colors. The number of colors change as you move the slider. You
- also see a U-shaped outline move on the colored squares immediately above,
- showing the last color in the range you've selected. If the Color control was
- still set to 4096 or 4096+ colors,call up the color control and hit the 32
- color button(which,has changed to reflect the new number of colors you're
- asking for). Hit the Display button and exit the Palette control. The image
- will now be displayed with the new number of colors.
-
- Why would you want to have less than 32 colors? This can be quite useful if you
- want to bring an IFf image into a paint program and have some colors left over
- to alter the image. You may only want to use 28 colors in the image,thereby
- reserving some colors for you to assign in the paint program. Fewer colors can
- save space. A 320x200 16 color image can be 32K,while an 8 color image is
- always 24K or less. This can be important when storing images in a database or
- sending them over a phone line,or just to save disk space.
-
- You can also alter the individual colors in the palette to create interesting
- special effects. Point at the color you want to change and press the left mouse
- button. The colored square is now highlighted. If you move one of the Red,Grn,
- or Blu sliders to the right,you'll see the color change. When you've adjusted
- the colors to your liking,click on the Freeze Palette button,and then hit
- Display. The image will be redisplayed using the palette colors you've chosen.
- If you turn off the Dither control in the Color Controls,you can get some very
- interesting effects.
-
- MAKE PALETTE/FREEZE PALETTE
- Transfer 24 is usually set on Make New Palette which means it will try to
- construct the best palette that it can for any picture you load,or after you
- have adjusted any of the color control settings in your current picture. If you
- do not want Transfer 24 to alter the palette then you must select Freeze
- Palette. From that point on,it will always use the current palette no matter
- what changes you make to the image. The correct way to load the original
- palette associated with a picture is:Load the picture,select Freeze Palette and
- then Load Palette.
-
- COLOR 0 ON/OFF
- When turned off,this control instructs Transfer 24 to make its palettes without
- using Color 0. This is useful if you plan to use the picture with a genlock and
- don't want "Color 0 Holes" to appear in the final output.
-
- DISPLAY
-
- This item is used whenever you have made any changes to the image and wish to
- see the results. It has the exact same function as the Display buttons on the
- Palette and Color Controls menus.
-
- 105
-
- APPENDIX A:
- KEYBOARD COMMANDS AND TOOLBOX
-
- TOOLS
-
- KEY COMMAND
- a Repeat
- b Scissors
- c Unfilled Circle
- C Filled Circle
- d Unfilled Continuous Freehand
- D Filled Continuous Freehand
- e Unfilled Ellipse
- E Filled Ellipse
- f Fill Off
- F Fill On
- g Coordinates/Mode toggle
- m Magnify mode toggle
- r Unfilled Rectangle
- R Filled Rectangle
- s Freehand tool
- U Undo
- v Unfilled Polygon
- V Filled Polygon
- F1 Tool/Controls toggle
- F2 Tool/Text Controls toggle
- F3 Tool/Palette toggle
- F4 Undo
- F5 Repeat
- - Smaller brush size
- + Larger brush size
- \ Brush shape toggle
- . One-pixel brush
-
- MENU COMMANDS
-
- KEY COMMAND
- B Restore Brush
- H Copy picture to Swap screen
- N Copy Brush to Swap
- t NoBackground off
-
- 109
-
- T NoBackground on
- i Font Requester
- j Swap screens
- J Exchange custom brushes
- K Clear screen to color 0,set current color to color 1
- l Load Picture Requester
- L Load Brush Requester
- p Save Picture Requester
- P Save Brush Requester
- x Flip brush horizontally
- y Flip brush vertically
- z Rotate brush 90 degrees clockwise
- Z Rotate brush 90 degrees counterclockwise
-
- DRAWING MODES
-
- KEY COMMAND
- 'or~ Normal mode
- 1 Range mode
- 2 Lighten mode
- 3 Darken mode
- 4 Colorize mode
- 5 RubThru mode
- 6 Blur mode
- 7 TxMap mode
- 8 And mode
- 9 Or mode
- 0 Xor mode
-
- CONTROLS
-
- KEY COMMAND
- n center hotspot in Warping Locator and Hotspot Locator
- F6 100% Hotspot,100% Edge
- F7 50% Hotspot,50% Edge
- F8 20% Hotspot,20 Edge
- F9 100% Hotspot,0% Edge
- F10 Hotspot Direction toggle(off,horizontal,vertical,both)
- / Texture Map Smoothing Off
-
- 110
-
- ? Texture Map Smoothing On
- ! Dithering Off
- @ Pattern Dither
- # Random Dither
-
- PALETTE
-
- KEY COMMAND
- ,or< Pick Color
-
- TEXT
-
- KEY COMMAND
- $ Text Smoothing toggle
- % Bold toggle
- ^ Italics toggle
- & Underline toggle
-
- MISCELLANEOUS
-
- KEY COMMAND
- I Interlace mode toggle
- o Overscan mode 352 toggle
- O Overscan mode 384 toggle
- S Save picture under current name and location
- w Whole screen operation
- * Both views(3D off)
- ( Left view(even lines for 3D)
- ) Right view(odd lines for 3D)
- Esc Toolbox open/close toggle;close magnify window
- Return Activate string gadgets to enter strings;OK on requesters.
- Cursor Scroll picture;scroll magnify window
- Space Stops operation in progress. at that point
- Tab Default program settings(transparency off,hotspot centered,
- Normal mode.
- Left mouse click CANCELS operation
-
- 111
-
- APPENDIX B:HAM MODE AND DIGI-PAINT 3
-
- The Hold-And-Modify(HAM)display mode on the Amiga uses six bit planes to
- display images. This means that each pixel(picture element-one dot on the
- screen)uses 6 bits to determine its color. If the most significant or leftmost
- 2 bits are "00",the remaining 4 bits(giving a value of 0 to 15 in binary)are
- used to look up the pixel's color in the color table. This gives you 16 values
- from the possible 4096 colors available,which is why Digi-Paint 3 has 16 colors
- in the Color Palette. Each color has 4 bits worth of red,green,and blue
- information;thus,each color has a Red value from 0 to 15,a Green value from 0
- to 15,and a Blue value from 0 to 15.
-
- If the most significant two bits of a given pixel are 01,the pixel has the same
- color as the pixel to its immediate left,except that the last four bits can be
- used to replace the blue value of that pixel. If the most significant two bits
- are "10","11",the last four bits replace the green value.
-
- The effect of all this is that you can display all 4096 colors on the screen at
- once,though you can't go from black(red 0,green 0,blue 0)to white(red 15,green
- 15,blue 15)in one pixel;it takes three pixels to make that transition,since you
- can only modify one of the RGB values for each pixel. The transition would take
- four pixels on the screen. The first pixel is RGB 0-0-0;the second pixel is RGB
- 15-0-0;the third pixel is RGB 15-15-0;the fourth pixel is RGB 15-15-15(white).
- HOWEVER,the ability of Digi-Paint 3 to use the 16 Color Palette means that for
- 16 of the colors you choose,that color can be immediately substituted anywhere
- on the screen without the transition just described. This technique is what
- gives Digi-View Gold its exceptionally sharp HAM images,and this feature also
- makes Digi-Paint 3 a very powerful tool.
-
- 113
-
- APPENDIX C:DIGI-PAINT 3 AND AREXX
-
- AREXX COMPATIBILITY
- Digi-Paint 3 is ARexx compatible. ARexx is a standard for interprocess
- communications on the Amiga,and Digi-Paint 3 can communicate with ARexx. This
- is important for the power user who likes to program;with this capability you
- can control Digi-Paint 3 completely from other programs you write. This
- capability can be used to write self-running paint demonstrations.
-
- Please note that Digi-Paint 3 acts only as an ARexx "server". Other
- applications and ARexx programs can control Digi-Paint 3. Digi-Paint 3,however,
- does not implement "macros" or any other function that depends upon ARexx.
-
- A drawer labeled heystuff is on the Digi-Paint 3 disk. This drawer contains two
- small programs that send messages to Digi-Paint 3:hey and heyline. An example
- of how to use these programs is given in that drawer. If you have a copy of
- ARexx,you can use that program to write more sophisticated commands for Digi-
- Paint 3 to follow.
-
- This capability could be used for such things as a digitizer or rendering
- interface,a way to generate quick color-filled backgrounds,or an an
- algorithmically precise pattern or painting generator.
-
- BACKGROUND
- In the early days of the Amiga,the ROM KERNEL manuals were issued. These books
- provided a "never before seen" amount of detailed information. Information
- about a brand new and very technologically advanced computer-The Amiga.
-
- One of the most unusual differences,between the Amiga and other computers in
- its price class,is the fact and nature of its multitasking ability. The Amiga
- was the first "home" computer to be delivered with a multitasking operating
- system. It is still the only one that multitasks BY DESIGN.
-
- One of the ways to take advantage of this multitasking is to write 'script
- programs' that either a)run various programs together in order to combine
- features of each,or b)programmatically control a user's interaction with the
- system.
-
- In the same pioneering spirit of the Amiga,Digi-Paint 3 was designed to take
- advantage of the machine's multitasking,interprocess communication and built-in
- Intuition library. In this same spirit(and for the "advanced user" or
- programmer)we provide the following information regarding the backend-interface
- of Digi-Paint 3.
-
- ANY PORT IN A STORM("diving in",in a technical way...)
- Digi-Paint 3 handles most of its user interaction through a single,named
- message port. The 'name' of the port is the filename of the program Digi-Paint
- 3. If Digi-Paint 3 is renamed,the port used will have the new name. All user
- menu and gadget selections can be performed by 'sending a message' to
- Digi-Paint 3's port.
-
- 115
-
- These messages consist primarily of 'action codes'(a list is provided in the
- following pages). Note that there are more messages than there are gadgets and
- menu selections. Also note that these 'action codes' are what is contained in
- the DigiPaint.KEYS(keyboard shortcut)file.
-
- Again,the portname Digi-Paint 3 uses is the "program-name" it was run as(by
- AmigaDOS). Therefore,if Digi-Paint 3 is run from a picture's icon,and the
- icon's default tool is ":hp",then the port name used will be "hp". Multiple
- copies of Digi-Paint 3 may be run at the same time. The port name can be used
- to resolve which running copy of Digi-Paint 3 will receive a particular
- message.
-
- A visual indication of the portname is provided on the bottom line of the "menu
- screen display". To see this:activate Digi-Paint 3,press and hold the right
- (menu)button and examine the bottom line of the "tool window". The portname is
- the very first thing on the bottom line of the menu screen.
-
- WHAT IS IT?
- The script capability of Digi-Paint 3 allows complete control over the
- program's operation by using a 'script' file instead of the 'normal' mouse
- interface. A script file is a simple text file that can be created with any
- text editor on the Amiga.
-
- WHAT CAN IT DO?
- Script commands are available to duplicate the entire user interface:everything
- Digi-Paint 3 does can be done with a script. Another feature is available to
- the "remote/script" user:the scan-line interface. The scan-line interface is
- used to deliver a line of pixels to Digi-Paint 3 at "30 bits per pixel"
- resolution. That is,Digi-Paint 3 will dither 10 bits per color(r,g,b)per pixel,
- using the selected(matrix/random/none)dither type and plot the result on its
- "work screen". This can be used to generate patterned backgrounds,as a general
- purpose renderer(rgb->ham conversion),and as a digitizer interface.
-
- CONCEPT:FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND
- Digi-Paint 3's "frontbox" and "backbox"(move screen to front/back)gadgets not
- only rearrange screens,they also implement a foreground/background paradigm.
- When running in "background",Digi-Paint 3 dispenses with 'real time brush
- display' and therefore runs faster. Also,Digi-Paint 3 will not insist upon
- being the 'frontmost' screen when running in background.
-
- CONCEPT:ACTION CODES
- When communicating with Digi-Paint 3 through the 'remote' interface,each
- message sent to Digi-Paint 3 contains an 'action code'. Action codes are 4
- character(1st one capitalized,other 3 lower case)'commands' to Digi-Paint 3.
- There exists an action code for every:
-
- 116
-
- menu item
- gadget
- mouse button/move "event"
-
- These SAME action codes are used in the Digi-Paint.KEYS keyboard shortcut file.
- Each line in the ".keys" file contains a "raw" keycode and the action code
- that's supposed to happen when the particular key(or key combination)is
- pressed.
-
- CONCEPT:AMIGA/PORT TECHNICAL
- Digi-Paint 3 uses a single port for all inter-task communication. This port is
- used for the 'normal' Intuition(mouse/gadget/menu)interface. This "exec message
- port" can also be used by both ARexx and AmigaDOS users.(ARexx is a trademark
- of Wm. S. Hawes.)
-
- To communicate with Digi-Paint 3,its 'port name' must be known.
- This name is displayed on the bottom line of the menu screen.
- (A programmer can scan the "exec port list" to locate the port.)
- Actually,the port name is the same name as the Digi-Paint 3 program file. If
- you rename Digi-Paint 3 to "xyz" then the port name will be "xyz".
-
- CONCEPT:SENDING MESSAGES
- The way that action codes are communicated to Digi-Paint 3 is by send a message
- (containing the action code)to Digi-Paint 3's port. Two systems can be used to
- send these messages:eith ARexx(a full-scale script language)or AmigaDOS. As an
- extension to the DOS method,Digi-Paint 3 can also be controlled from AmigaBASIC
- or any language that supports message passing.
-
- A program named hey is supplied with Digi-Paint 3. It is a CLI type program
- whose functionis to send a message to a named port. The command line format is:
-
- 1>hey portname message
- ex:1>hey Digi-Paint 3 Undo
-
- This example will cause Digi-Paint 3 to perform an "undo" operation. Again,
- please note that ALL functions are available in this manner,including loading
- and saving of files.
-
- AMIGADOS/BASIC
- AmigaBASIC can communicate with Digi-Paint 3 by using the hey program. The only
- extra "glue" code needed are statements setting up access to the DOS function
- execute. This means using the DOS.bmap file. It also means the AmigaBASIC must
- be started from the CLI(in order for execute to work properly).
-
- 117
-
- AREXX
- The complete script capability is available to ARexx users. With ARexx,the user
- gains a complete language with many type of control structure support(not
- possible with simple AmigaDOS command files). ARexx users should note,however,
- that Digi-Paint 3 does not take kindly to 'decimal points'. All numbers sent to
- Digi-Paint 3 should be 'integers without a decimal point'. All the same
- commands apply the same as for AmigaDOS scipt users.
-
- Digi-Paint 3 acts as a 'server' with regards to ARexx. DigiPaint will not issue
- calls to ARexx,since it doesn't have a "macro" capability. Therefore all ARexx
- applications need to be run from 'outside' Digi-Paint 3(e.g. from a CLI). The
- ARexx program should include the statement "address Digi-Paint 3"(assuming that
- "Digi-Paint 3" is the port name).
-
- COMMAND SUMMARY
- In general,there are 4 groupings of action codes:mouse,menu,gadget,and 'other'
- codes that have no direct 'normal intuition interface' counterpart:
-
- Mouse action codes are:
- Move x y
- Pend x y(pen down)
- Penu (pen up)
-
- These work exactly as if the mouse(normal)pointer initiated the action.
-
- Some of the more common gadget action codes are:
- Undo performs an undo operation
- Scis goes into scissors/cut-out-a-brush mode(Pend,Move and Penu action codes
- actually do the cut)
- Redo does a 'repeat' or 'again'-type operation
- Prgb r g b sets the paint color
- Drre "draw rectangles" mode
- Drci "draw circles" mode
- Dotb "dotty(vs. smooth)brush" mode
-
- ACTION CODE LIST
- Move x y moves the "drawing pen"
- Pend x y starts drawing,saves an "undo"
- Penu complete drawing,does "repaint"
- Prgb r g b sets paint color to r,g,b values
-
- 118
-
- Clbx close box,hides tool window,kills magnify,etc.
- Babx screen-to-back(background)
- Frbx screen-to-front(foreground)
-
- Ksrt right arrow key equiv.,scrolls picture
- Kslt left arrow/scroll
- Ksup up arrow/scroll
- Ksdn down arrow/scroll
-
- Undo undo operation
- Redo again/repeat/repaint
- Whsc whole screen,as if brush stroke covered entire screen
- Scis scissor/cut mode toggle
- Magn Magnify enable
- Endm ends magnify mode
- Ccto "copy color to" menu selection(follow with Cbx? code)
- Pale palette tools visible
- Ctrl control sliders visible
- Txbt text tools visible
- Pick pick mode toggle
- Dith matrix dither on/off
- Rdit random dither on/off
-
- Bsmo smooth-connected brushes
- Doty "dotty"-not connected brushes
- Drln line mode
- Drre rectangle mode
- Drci circle mode
- Drar ellipse mode
- Floo flood fill on/off
- Flon flood on
- Flof flood off
-
- Dotb single dot brush
- Brt2 horizontal line brush
- Brt3 vertical line brush
- Brt4 left to right,topdown slant
- Brt5 left to right,bottomup slant
- Brt6 small squares
-
- 119
-
- Brt7 small circles
-
- Bsz1..Bsz7 standard brush select,sizes 1 to 7
-
- Tbbo text-bold
- Tbit text-italic
- Tbun text-underline
-
- Clrs clear screen
-
- Rubt rub through paint mode
- Czer color zero(genlock function)
-
- Aali anti-alias toggle
- Aaon anti-alias on
- Aaof anti-alias off
- Tran transparent brush color
-
- Hvof 2way blend off
- Hvar 2way h/v glend toggle
- Harr 1way horizontal blend toggle
- Varr 1way vertical blend toggle
-
- Shva toggle button,2way stretching
- Shar 1way horizontal stretching
- Svar 1way vertical stretching
-
- Cbx0 color 0(palette color select)
- Cbx1-Cbx9 colors 1-9 select
- CbxA- colors 10-15 select
- CbxF
- CbxG front color of range
- CbxH back color of range
- CbxI current color(deselects range color)
-
- Swap Swap screens
- Cpic copy picture to swap screen
- Dswa delete swap screen
- Mswa merge swap screen with 'front' picture
-
- 120
-
- Load picture load requester
- Save picture save requester
- prin print requester
- Quit (immediate quit-no save)
- Clsc close screen
- Opsc open screen
- Csiz sizing requester
- Pund palette-undo
- Rema palette remap
- Lobr load brush
- Sabr save brush
- Font font load requester
- Flix brush flip x/horizontal
- Fliy brush flip y/vertical
- Rotm brush rotate minus 90 degrees
- Rotp brush rotate(plus)90 degrees
-
- Pmcl paint mode clear/normal
- Pmdn paint mode-darken
- Pmln paint mode lighten
- Pmso solid range paint mode
- Pmco paint mode colorize
- Pman paint mode "and"
- Pmor paint mode or
- Pmxo paint mode xor
- Sizi Sizing/txmap/warp mode
- Blur blur mode
-
- Clwb close workbench
- Opwb open workbench
-
- Okls ok to load/save
-
- Fnam filename string ex:"FnamAFILENAME"
- Dnam directory name string
-
- Dlva deliver a line of(alpha/ascii)rgbs to Digi-Paint 3 format is
- #rgbs,line#,#(r,g,b)where"#(r,b,g)"is separate 10bit color
- values
- Dlvb delive a line of(binary)rgbs to DigiPaint format is same as
- "Dlva" but all values are 16bit words
-
- 121
-
- Aoff all modes off
- Prgb r g b paint color
- Trbg r g b transparent color
- Dflt (re)load default files,picture,keyboard shortcuts
- Vwpg view page overscan
- Vwps view page severe overscan
-
- Pot0# center blend pot(# is 16bit,from 0-$fff)
- Pot1# edge blend pot
- Pot5# warp amount
- Poth# blend,horizontal center(2way gadget)
- Potv# blend,vertical center
- Spoh# stretch horizontal position
- Spov# stretch vertical position
-
- Nnar picture size 32 narrower
- Nwid 32 wider
- Nsho shorter 40 lines
- Ntal taller 40 lines
- Nlsh 2 lines shorter
- Nlta 2 lines taller
- Nioo interlace on/off
- Nion interlace off
- Ndflt restore/default size
- Nsca new size-cancel
- Nsok new size-ok(changes size)
-
- Txup tile x,increment
- Txdn tile x,decrement
- Tyup tile y,increment
- Tydn tile y,decrement
-
- Maxc max,mid,min setting for center blend
- Midc
- Minc
- Maxe max,mid,min setting for edge blend
- Mide
- Mine
-
- 122
-
- Maxw max,mid,min warp amount
- Midw
- Minw
-
- Coor coordinates display toggle
- Coon coordinates on
- Coof coordinates off
-
- Xlef x-specs,left eye paint
- Xrig x-specs,right eye paint
- Xbot x-specs,simply turn on "glasses",no paint effect
- Xoff disable x-specs
-
- Bswa swap brush
- Bcop copy brush
- Bdel delete brush
-
- Pfil use palette from file
- Pcur use current palette
- Ptog palette from file/current toggle
- Sron shrink hires on
- Srof shrink hires off
- Sroo shrink hires toggle on/off
- Oklo ok,continue load(after palette select)
-
- Pemo print "more" copies(incrementor)
- Pcfe print "fewer"copies
- Pcok print-ok start printing
- Pcca print-cancel print request
-
- 123
-
- APPENDIX D:TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-
- For technical support on Digi-Paint 3 and other NewTek products you may call or
- write to:
-
- NewTek Technical Support
- 115 West Crane Street
- Topeka,KS 66603
- Phone:(913)354-9332
-
- The Tech Support phone lines are staffed from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. Central time
- Monday through Friday.
-
- NewTek also handles Technical Support through its BIX conferences and we
- welcome Digi-Paint 3 programmer Jamie Purdon to the BIX support group. For
- continuing support and application ideas,we encourage Digi-Paint 3 and ARexx
- users to join the NewTek DigiPaint conference on the BIX(Byte Information
- Exchange)network. At the BIK command prompt,simply type "j newtek digipaint".
-
- 125
-
- COOL FRIENDS OF NEWTEK CLUB
-
- Have you ever dreamed of owning a desktop fusion reactor? Have you considered
- producing your own movie? Are you troubled by such mysteries as why that fifth
- dentist doesn't recommend sugarless gum for his patients who chew gum? If you
- can answer yes to any of these questions then you may be eligible for The Cool
- Friends of NewTek Club,where scientific inquiry isn't just a good idea,its the
- law. As a member you will receive NewTek Demo Reels,NewTek Lifestyle Kits,
- information on new products and other essential items. To join,write to:
-
- NewTek Incorporated
- CFONC Application
- 115 West Crane Street
- Topeka,KS 66603
-
- or call(913)354-1146. Be seeing you.....
-
- PAGES THAT SEEM TO BE MISSING WERE BLANK NOTEPAGES IN THE DOCS.
-
- DIGI-PAINT 3 DOCS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SOUTHERN STAR WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF
- RAP......................
-
-