STraTOS 1997 April & May/STraTOS 1 - 1997 April & May.iso/CD01/GRAPHICS/MORPHER/DEMO.TXT

Text File | 1994-06-29 | 10.2 KB | 249 lines

Short Tutorial Description of how to user Metamorphosis 24,
Metamorphosis is also known as Morpher 1.0 in Germany (original
name) from Application Systems Heidelberg.

Short Tutorial by Yat Siu

if you have any further questions about it, please email me at
INTERNET: [e-mail]
Compuserve: 73073,142
Genie: Y.SIU
Delphi: LEXICORWORLD

alternatively you can call [phone], to place an order
by Lexicor Software
   1726 Francisco Street
   Berkeley, CA 94703
   U.S.A.

we accept Mastercard and Visa as well

This is a demo version, some functions such as Save are disabled.

Recommended Retail is 99 U$D


* Short Tutorial *

Crash Course in Morphing (Tutorial)

    This section is for users who want to begin and experiment right away with
Metamorphosis 24, it will outline the basic features and functions of
Metamorphosis.

    Load Pictures

    To begin morphing you need a source and target image, so select the menu
option /file/Load-TIFF-source... and load the KIRK.TIF file from the Morpher
DEMO Folder, this is your source image <Q>. Now you require another picture as
your target image and select the option /file/Load-TFF-target... and load the
SPOCK.TIF from the same folder (DEMO), the <Z> on the window title indicated
that this frame is the target image.

    Load the morphing joints with the option /file/Load morph-joints... and
select KIRKSPOC.MST, you should get the following screen:


Using Morpher

The Source and Target Window
    Before a morph is created a souce and targe image is required.

Graphics format
    Both Pictures need to be in the TIFF file format. It can be any TIFF that is
either paletted, true color or greyshade only. The higher the (color) resolution of
the picture the better the (color) resolution of the final rendered image will be.
There is one limitation, the picture sizes need to be the same (eg. if the source
image is 320x200 then the target image needs to have the same vertical and
horizontal pixels i.e. also 320x200).

Loading Picture
    The Source picture can be loaded by selecting the menu file/load-TIFF, the Target
picture can then also be loaded using the same option file/load-TIFF. While the
pictures are being loaded the metamorphosis activities window will display what
operation metamorphosis is currently doing. The TIFF files are handled internally
in Truecolor (graphics color) and are color dithered into the present color
resolution the program is currently running, the type of dithering can be selected
in the Options/Raster-type menu. The quality of the calculated graphics is a lot
better than what is displayed on screen.

Metamorphosis "Activity" window

    The Metamorphosis "Activity" window is an information box that will inform the
user what functions/activities Metamorphosis is currently doing such as "Loading
Truecolor-TIFF", "Quick-Dither" and "calculation time". The slider bar offers a
rough approximation of how far the current operation is on the way, underneath
the slider there is a time indicator. If you press the ESC key (escape) you will
interrupt the current operation and a text will appear "Esc = cancel activity" in
black. If the text is shaded grey (disabled) then the operation is not interrupted.

The "Tool" box window

    This window features the basic tools that ara available, such as setting, connecting
and deleting existing morphing points (connected with lines) which will be
referred to in this manual as morphing joints or just simply joints.

How to set morphing joints
    A line is usually described by setting a beginning and an end point. The
same theory applies to Metamorphosis.  The first step is to set the basic morphing
points and then join them (thus morphing joints) with lines afterwards (there is an
example in the DEMO folder using the same TIFF Files and joints, please refer to
the TUTORIAL for an exact description of the demo folder and contents.)

    After the pictures have been loaded it is necessary to define/set your own
morphing points. Select the tools-window by clicking on it and choose the
Hammer Symbol.

    When moving the mouse pointer accross one of the pictures that were
loaded the mausform (usually an arrow pointing sideways to the left) will change
into a hammer. Just like a hammer the points can now be "hammered" into the
picture, every click on the left mouse button sets a morphing point on the Source
as well as the Target Image on the same spot as the Source Image.

    Positioning the points

    The set points will more than likely be very often moved around, in order to
do this select the tools-window by clicking on it and choose the arrow symbol.

    Now select the point (on either the Target or Source Image) that needs to
be re-positioned, the selected point will be highlighted with a different color on
both the Target and Source Image. While pressing the left mouse button down,
move the point in the desired location and repeat the same action for other
morphing points that require re-setting.

    Connecting morphing points

    The next step is to connect the various points with lines to create morphing
joints, all the points in the Source and Target Image along the lines are
automatically re-calculated during a morph.

    Activate the line-symbol in the Tool-box window. To draw a line place the
mouse to a starting point and press the left mouse button. Now move the mouse to
the ending point and press the left mouse button again, the line will appear in
both the Source and Target Image.

    Deleting a set morphing point

    If an error occured that needs to be corrected the delete point option should
be selected in the tools window. By pressing the mouse button on the desired
point that needs to be erased that point will be deleted.


    Deleting a set morphing line

    To erase a line, select the scissor icon in the tools window and click on the
line that needs to be erased.

    Saving and Loading of Complete Morphing Joints

    The defined morphing joints can be saved off in the menu /file/save
morph-joint... and loaded in the same menu under /file/load morph-joint...

    Setting the Picture Quality

    Metamorphosis supports 4 levels of quality depth for the calculation of a
morph. In the menu Configuration the levels of quality can be set. Naturally the
higher the quality, the longer the rendering/calculation will take.

    Saving off Morph results

    After a single morph the results can be viewed in a newly opened window
with the title Morph-Results. To save off the result select the menu option
file/Save-TIFF-Morph... and a true color TIFF-file will be saved off on your
disk/harddrive (this file can then be edited in a package such as DA Picture).

    TIFF-Compression Algorithm

    Creating Morph Movies (Morphing Animations)

    In order to create a complete sequence of animations select the option (in
menu) action/animation. A Dialoguebox will appear with the number of total
frames, name of the morphing sequence and the path. Those settings are user
definable by simply clicking on the dialoguebox and typing in the changes via the
keyboard. By double clicking on the path option the current file selector box will
appear and it is possible to select the path by selecting the drive and folders via the
file selector box.

    Finished Animations are saved off in a number of TIF file formats such as
MORSEQ01.TIF, MORSEQ02.TIF, MORSEQ03.TIF, MORSEQ04.TIF etc.

    Using the PLAYER.PRG it is possible to playback the finished animations
created with Metamorphosis 24 (please refer to the Chapter MOVIE PLAYER for
more details).

    Additional Morphing Parameters

    In the Menu /configuration/parameters the more experienced user can
manipulate the basic morphing parameters. It is possible to determine how "soft"
or "blurry" the final morph result should look like.

    The first parameter determines how exact the lines will be rendered. The
more exact, the more edgy the final result will look like. If the setting is more soft,
then the final result will morph with more "soft" curves.

    The next parameter Distance to line determines how much influence more
distant lines have on individual points. Is the setting to high then only the closest
points will be affected, the lower the setting the larger the scope of influence of
the lines is towards the morphing points.

    The last parameter length of lines determines how much more/less
influence longer lines than shorter lines.

    The option default settings should generally produce satisfactory result,
changing the Parameters is not really necessary.

    Set colors for Markers

    In this dialoguebox the colors for the morphing points and lines can be
changed. Simply click on the color option.

LEXICOR SOFTWARE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
=====================================

***************************************
*** M E T A M O R P H O S I S   2 4 ***
***************************************

The first 2 Dimensional Morpher for Atari ST/TT/Falcon

Metmorphosis 24 can morph between two same TIFF pictures and create an
intermediate morph of the two images. After having loaded your source
and target frames you can not only produce single frames but tween
whole keyframe animations in 24bit.

Using set points to determine the morphing control points you can
tell the program what points need to be morphed from the source and
the target frame, the more points you add, the more detailed the
morph will be.

Some features are:

- Easy and User Friendly Interface
- Intuitive Toolbox (5 basic tools)
- 4 levels of morphing depth
- toggle rip on/off
- Multitos/Mag'X Compatibility and Support
- Complete GEM Windows Interface
- TIFF Support
- FPU Support

- ST/TT/Falcon/Clones Support

- * Suggested Retail is only 99 U$D * -

******** Special Offer is 79 U$D ***********

LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION - Distributors of the English Version
1726 Francisco Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
U.S.A.
Tel: [phone] - Fax: [phone]

US Dealers please contact Lexicor Software

Email: [e-mail]

on Compuserve: 75300,763 or visit us in the atari area (go atariven)
on DEPHI     : LEXICORWORLD or visit us in go com atari
on GENIE     : LEXICOR or visit us in the GRAPHICS RTC (m1415) cat 22