ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 Shareware Freeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng) / ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I / GRAPHICS / MISC / VGACAD25.ZIP / TUTORIAL.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1990-10-06 | 28.5 KB | 654 lines

I. COLORIZATION: Colorizing Grey Images False Colorization is the process by which you are now viewing Black & White movie classics in living color. You can do the same thing, particularly if you own a digitizer that supports grey scales. I have selected 16 gray shades as the main focus of VGACAD's support, primarily since it is aimed at the low-end market. If you want to colorize gray images with more that 16 shades use the ColorBAR (CBAR) option to change the range of local colors. Let us colorize one of the famous GIF pics in BBSs - MONROE.GIF (which is being distributed with Michael Vigneau's VGAGIF in VGADEMO.arc). MONROE.GIF is a 16 grey-level picture with colors 0 to 15 containing the entire grey scale. Run VGACAP, then view the picture with any GIF viewing utility; capture the picture then load the screen and palette in VGACAD. The first thing to do is to increase the number of grey scale elements. From the ImgP (Image Processing) menu: 1) Convert (CNVT) the picture into the "Stretched 64" format. This will give you the maximum range of grey levels although the picture will remain unchanged. 2) Next BLUR the picture with a Threshold "Minimum =12"; this will smoothen the picture yet keep most of the edge detail. The smoothing will introduce intermediate grey scale values making your picture richer. Notice the "salt and pepper", random noise; these are the edges or "spikes" that were not "blurred" to keep details. 3) You can remove those spikes with the Median Threshold Filter, by increasing the value of BLUR to "Minimum=256". You can, also, zoom into each area with "spikes" and blur individual pixels with the HAZE function in the ZOOM Menu. Using the Zoom Menu will take more time but a significant amount of detail will be retained. You have numerous combinations of image procesing techniques at your disposal. You can use the CONTrast Enhancement function, or EDGE Detection functions to boost details or try different settings with the BLUR function to achieve different effects; the HAZE, LITE, DARK and BLEND processes can also be used on selected areas or pixels (from the Zoom Menu); you have to experiment to get the optimal quality from your grey image. 4) Convert (CNVT) the picture into a "Colors 32-63" format. Now from the Files Menu, load the "GRAY32.PLT"; you will notice that the picture remains untouched. You are now ready to colorize your grey image. Page ... 31 From the COLOR menu, select the CBAR option and change the range to 32 by clicking the CBAR box until you see bands of 32 colors on the upper and lower Colorbars. Click the AREA Colorization option. Now, with the scroll arrows, set the lower Colorbar to the 32 grey range; set the upper Colorbar to the flesh tones. Select any area in your grey image; after releasing the LEFT mouse button you will notice the entire area to be colorized with the flesh tones of the upper Colorbar. Do this for all areas you think will have that flesh tone; avoid the hair and background as much as possible. By now, most of your picture will have flesh tones and overlapping areas in the hair and background. To edit each area, use the ZOOM function in XColor mode; XColor will perform in the same manner as AREA Colorization but on a pixel basis; remember to keep the upper and lower Colorbars to reflect which range is being replaced by the other - the lower Colorbar always replaces the upper Colorbar. You can now use a "yellowish" Colorbar to simulate blonde hair color. If you are not happy with any of the hues, simply go into the Color Map and adjust any range until you have colors best suited for your image. Once you have colorized the hair, flesh areas and even the background, you will notice that no matter how careful you are at differentiating one colorized area from another (e.g., hair from her face) there will be an area of high contrast between the colorized areas. Click the MODE box and switch to PROCESS; use the HAZE, LITE, DARK or BLEND functions to smooth out the adjacent areas. Now for the final touches, you can paint over the eyes, lips, nails and any other detail in NORMAL mode or assign a new range for these areas; each range uses 32 colors - limiting you to 8 color ranges. There are innumerable combinations to colorize your grey picture. If you decided to convert your image processed picture to 16 grey levels then you would have 16 color ranges to play with. Experimentation is the only way to optimize the results; after a few sessions you will be able to make startling colorized images. II. VSCRN TUTORIAL: Editing an 800x600x256 SVGA GIF Let us assume you want to edit a corrupted version of a classic 800x600x256 GIF (ie., ZOE.GIF) in the "\GIF\SVGA" directory. You want to remove some noise patterns from the lower-right corner caused by a bad download (your lucky it even loads). You have a PS/2 Model 50, a 30 Meg Hard Disk, and 1 Meg RAMDISK as Drive E. 1) From VGACAD's Main menu, click FILE. From the Files menu, click VSCRN. You are in a sub-directory called "\VGACAD" and will have to locate your picture file. As in the Files menu, you click the word "Pathname" at the bottom of the screen. You type the new path "\GIF\SVGA\". Page ... 32 2) Now click the LIST box and all the GIF files in that directory are listed. Having a large RAMDISK, click "Pathname". Press <ret> without any input to retain the PATH. Input the path of your RAMDISK at "VDSKpath" - which is "E:\" <ret>. 3) Click the DCOD box and select "ZOE"; press the RIGHT mouse button; "Filename: ZOE.GIF" appears at the lower left. Now, click "OK"; the disk whirls; you see "Creating TEMP files." 4) You are back at VSCRN. Click the "iSCR vDSK" box then OK; you see the center of the image slightly elongated (you are still in a 5/6 aspect ratio). To correct the aspect ratio, press "Esc" to get out of "iSCR" and PRESS [F2]-SIZE TO TOGGLE ASPECT RATIO. The screen "squishes" about 20%. You are now in a 320x200x256 mode with a 1:1 aspect ratio ! 5) Now back to viewing; click "iSCR" then OK and try out all the cursor keys. Press [F1] for HELP. With NUMLOCK UP, press <Shift-End> to "jump" the "viewing window" to the lower-left section of the image - the one you want to edit. Press "Esc" and the image is now stored in memory as your new 320x200x256 screen (but with a 1:1 aspect ratio). Click EXIT and you are back at VGACAD's Main Menu with the section to be edited. 6) Back at VGACAD, you'll notice that all the menus are slightly "squished" but the screen looks like you "zoomed" the 800x600x256 GIF. So far so good. All VGACAD functions will work as normal (with the exception of resizing/flipping options which assume a 5/6 aspect ratio). 7) After some time editing/image processing, you are now happy with the results and want to integrate it in your Virtual Screen. Click the FILE box from the Main Menu, then VSCRN. At the VSCRN menu, click the "iSCR" box, then OK; you see the same image you left without your changes. Press <Return> and you see the changes being updated to your Virtual Screen. 8) You think you have fixed the image and want to convert the Virtual Screen to an SVGA GIF file. Press "Esc". You are back in the VSCRN menu. Click the "LIST" box and the files appear. Click the NCOD box and a "text bar" cursor appears. Since you want to overwrite your old copy of ZOE.GIF, you click the LEFT mouse button over ZOE. Click OK and your image is now being encoded as an 800x600x256 GIF. 9) After a while, you are returned to VSCRN. You want to view the results of your editing. Click LIST again, then VIEW. As usual, select the file - ZOE. Click "OK". You are now transferred to MVGAVU where you can view your edited image as a 320x400x256 or 360x480x256 image on your PS/2 Model 50. Page ... 33 III. VSCRN TUTORIAL: Making a SVGA 640x400x256 image from scratch You have a regular IBM XT, 30 meg Hard Disk with an Orchid Designer VGA 512KB card. You want to create a 640x400x256 SVGA GIF using the 320x200x256 images of Phoebe Cates downloaded your favorite BBS (ie., CATES1.GIF, CATES2.GIF and CATES3.GIF). 1) You have to find out which of the three GIF palettes you want to use as your "reference" palette (the one which the other two will be MELDed with). From the Files menu, you click the GIF box, select CATES3, click LOAD then OK; CATES3.GIF is loaded and you are back in the Main menu of VGACAD. 2) Since CATES3.GIF is the "R-rated" scene of the three pictures, you decide that this is the GIF that will be the "reference" palette; let the other two GIFs be compromised to fit the "reference" palette. Click PLT, specify "CATESREF" (or any other name) as the filename, then click OK. 3) Now click VSCRN to get VSCRN menu. Click BLANK. Choose [A] for the 640x400 Virtual Screen. After a while, you are returned to the VSCRN menu. Click "iSCR", then OK; the screen is literally "blank". At this point in time, you are in the center of your Virtual Screen. You want to put CATES3 on the lower-left "quadrant", so press <Shift-End> (NUMLOCK SHOULD BE UP); the disk whirls but you don't see any changes in the screen (it is still blank). When the disk stops, press <Return>; the image appears and updates the Virtual Screen. 4) Press "Esc" to get back to the VSCRN menu. Click EXIT and you are back in VGACAD's Main Menu with the CATES3 image. Now, LOAD "CATES2.GIF". Click "GIF"; select "CATES2"; click LOAD then click "OK". CATES2.GIF is now loaded. You are back in the Main Menu. Happy with the image, you forego any image procesing and now want to integrate it in the Virtual Screen. 5) Click FILE; from the Files Menu, click MELD. The PLT and MELD boxes are both "set". With the "text bar" cursor, you pick "CATESREF" which you previously saved as your "reference" palette. You then click "OK". The picture changes color then reappears with new colors. Happy with the MELDed output, you proceed to VSCRN. 6) From VSCRN you pick "iSCR" again, then OK, and see the last screen you "pasted" on the Virtual Screen (i.e., CATES3). You want to place CATES2 in the upper-right quadrant; <Shift-PgUp> (NUMLOCK IS UP!) and the screen "blanks" since that "quadrant" is empty. Press <return> and CATES2 appears and is updated in the Virtual Screen at that location. Page ... 34 REPEAT steps 4 to 6 for the last screen (CATES1) and place it at any of two remaining "quadrants" (i.e., the lower-right or upper-left). You can use the remaining "quadrant" for text. 7) Having MELDed the three 320x200x256 screens of Phoebe Cates and added text to the last "quadrant" you now want to convert the Virtual Screen to a large GIF. Knowing you have almost no space in your Hard Disk left (you didn't clean-up for 3 months <grin>) you want to save NEWCATES.GIF to a 360KB floppy in Drive A, so you click "Pathname" and change it to "A:\". 8) Now, click the "LIST" box; no files appear since it is a blank floppy disk. Click the NCOD box and a "text bar" cursor appears. Since you want to create a new filename, you move the "text bar" cursor to "Filename" and click the LEFT mouse button. Type the new name (e.g., "NEWCATES"); you press <return> and the .GIF extension is added to your filename. Click OK; your image is now being encoded as a NEWCATES.GIF (640x400x256) in Drive A. 9) After a minute, you are back at the VSCRN menu. To view the results of your editing click LIST, then VIEW; pick NEWCATES then click "OK". You are now transferred to MVGAVU where you can view your edited image as a 640x400x256 (even if this mode is not supported by the Orchid DVGA) ! IV. IMGPRO TUTORIAL: EDITING BLD/PLT IMAGES INTO SVGA MONTAGE Let us assume that you have the following GIFs which you want to combine into a 640x400x256 montage: LISAW, GINA, DABO and CATES - all are 320x200x256 images. You have a Paradise SVGA card and 720KB of RAMDISK as Drive E. Note: Whenever "click' is mentioned, this means you click the LEFT button unless RIGHT is specifically mentioned. 1) First, lets set your paths. From the MAIN menu, click the "File" box to transfer to the FILES Menu; click the VSCRN box. At the VSCRN menu you are prompted to save a 320x200 USERSCRN, click the RIGHT mouse button since we have nothing to save at this time. Click "Pathname" and change your path to where your GIFs are (eg., "\gif\mcga") and change your VDskpath to your RAMDISK for FAST access (ie., "E:"). Now, click BLANK and select "A" for a 640x400x256 virtual screen. After a second you are back at the VSCRN menu, click EXIT to return to VGACAD's MAIN menu. Page ... 35 2) Determine which of the four pictures has the RICHEST colors - the one with the widest spectrum of colors to choose from. In this example, LISAW.GIF is our choice. From the FILES Menu, click the GIF box and a listing of all your GIFs in that sub-directory appear. Click "LOAD"; place the highlight bar on LISAW and click it; LISAW.GIF appears under "Filename". Click "OK" and LISAW is loaded. 3) Go back to the FILES Menu, click the PLT box, and save the palette as your reference palette (eg., "REF"). This will be the palette which remaining images will be matched against. 4) Now click the VSCRN box. When prompted to save a 320x200 USERSCRN, click LEFT to save it, RIGHT aborts. The screen is shown and saved to USERSCRN files. 5) Click the "ImgP Edit" box and you'll see a whole new menu. 6) Click the "xVGA Mode" box, a text screen similar to MVGAVU appears. Since you have a Paradise SVGA card, select "8" for its 640x400x256 video mode. It automatically exits. If you are not sure about the choice you made, click the "xVGA Mode" box again and see a RED flashing number beside "RET-LastMode" indicating the selected mode; if okay then press <return>. 7) Click, the "iPut" box. The screen blanks since IT IS BLANK. A small rectangle, about 1/4th the size of the screen appears. Place it wherever you want LISAW to be. Click ONCE and LISAW appears. A blinking rectangle appears around the image (this blink may not be as apparent on FAST machines). You didn't like where you placed the image, so click the RIGHT button; the image is cleared and the rectangle appears again. You can repeat this process as often as you wish - until it is located exactly where you want it. If you click the LEFT button, the image will be 'pasted' and the rectangle will appear again so that you can paste several copies of the same image anywhere you want. If you click the RIGHT button during the 'verify' blinking phase, the WHOLE screen is restored. Lets assume you pasted LISAW on the upper left corner and have just pasted another copy on the lower right corner. The rectangle is blinking - waiting for your decision. Click BOTH buttons (DON'T RELEASE THE BUTTONS UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE BOTH ARE BEING PRESSED). Once released, the 'verify rectangle' disappears and the image is SAVED to TEMP files - this will take a few seconds. After the image is updated, you are returned to the IMGPRO menu. Click EXIT. Page ... 36 8) You are back at the VSCRN Menu and prompted again to save the 320x200 image. Since you already did, click the RIGHT button. Click EXIT - back at VGACAD's MAIN Menu. 9) Now the second picture - click FILE, click GIF, click LOAD, select the second GIF (eg., GINA), and click OK - its loaded. THIS SECOND IMAGE HAS TO BE 'MELDED' OR YOUR VIRTUAL SCREEN WILL BE CORRUPTED BY GINA.GIF's PALETTE. Click FILE, click PLT and click MELD. Select REF.PLT, which you saved from LISAW.GIF then click OK. Your image is changed before your eyes - it looks a bit different since the colors were compromised with LISAW.GIF's palette - anyway you think its ok. Click once and its done. 10) Lets paste it. From the FILES menu, click VSCRN and save it as a 320x200 USERSCRN when prompted (LEFT mouse button). Click the "ImgP Edit" box, then click the "iPut" box. 11) You'll see the two copies of LISAW on your 640x400x256 screen and the same rectangle which you can move all over the place. Since you think one copy of LISAW on your montage is enough, you place the rectangle OVER the image of LISAW on the lower right corner. Click and its pasted over the old image. Its now the 'verify blinking' phase; since you like where it is, click BOTH buttons and the screen is updated. After the image is updated, you are returned to the IMGPRO menu. Click EXIT. 12) Use STEP 8 to STEP 11 as a guide for every image you want to include in your montage. You can position these 320x200x256 images as creatively as you want. 13) Lets assume you have just pasted the fourth "melded" image on your montage. From the VSCRN menu, click NCOD (ie., eNCODe) and a highlight bar appears. Move the highlight bar beside "Filename" and click. Type your new filename (eg., "MONTAGE") and press <enter> - "MONTAGE.GIF" appears. Click OK. 14) After a few seconds, its encoded. That's all folks. V. IMGPRO TUTORIAL: SQZGIF, USERSCRNS & VARIABLE IMAGES In this lesson, you'll try the powerful capabilities of the integrated VGACAD system as it resizes, synthesizes new colors, and 'melds' images with different sizes and colors into an MVGA 360x480x256 montage to give to a friend who has a generic but register-compatible 256KB VGA card. Let us assume that you have the following images: Page ... 37 MASSIVE.PCX - 1024x768x256 (SVGA+) JACOBSN.PCX - 640x480x256 (SVGA) DARLNG .GIF - 640x480x16 (VGA) TRUDI .GIF - 640x350x16 (EGA) Two of the images are in GIF(87a) format and two are in PCX 256-color format. You have a PS/2 with a regular, generic 256KB VGA card, a 286 with NO RAMDISK, a 40 MB hard disk - and have about 4MB left of free disk space. The VGACAD system is located in "C:\VGACAD". 1) Determine which of the four pictures has the RICHEST colors - the one with the widest spectrum of colors to choose from. In this example, JACOBSN.PCX is your choice. 2) From the MAIN menu, click the "File" box to transfer to the FILES Menu; click the VSCRN box. At the VSCRN menu you are prompted to save a 320x200 USERSCRN, click the RIGHT mouse button since you will be saving USERSCRN images with unusual sizes. PRESS <F4> to transfer to SQZGIF. 3) SQZGIF is invoked and you are prompted to choose a file format for input; select [P]CX. The files selection menu comes up; your PATH and VPATH are set to defaults - "\VGACAD". Change your PATH to where your images are - (eg., "\IMAGES") and press <enter> TWICE to keep your VPATH to "\VGACAD". Select JACOBSN.PCX and press <enter>; it is decoded. SQZGIF's main menu is shown. Since you want to mix four LARGE images into a 360x480x256 virtual screen you will have to "squeeze" the image into a 180x240 USERSCRN (which is exactly 1/4th of the screen). Keep the default CONTROL SETTINGS. Now, select [U]ser and specify a 180x240 USERSCRN size. Hit <enter> and image is processed. [Q]uit from SQZGIF and delete the SPARE files when prompted to conserve your disk space. 4) You are back at VGACAD. Since we didn't create any TEMP files, you should be back at the VGACAD main menu. Click FILE. Your PATH SHOULD still be "\VGACAD" (if for some reason its different, then change it to "\VGACAD"). Click the PLT box, click LOAD, select USERSCRN.PLT then click OK. Your menu colors change. Now click the VSCRN box. 5) You are now at the VSCRN menu and are prompted to save a 320x200 USERSCRN, click the RIGHT mouse button since you already have one ready for pasting. Click BLANK and select "E" for a 360x480x256 virtual screen; it takes a few seconds; you are back at the VSCRN menu, click the "ImgP Edit" box. Page ... 38 6) Click the "xVGA Mode" box, a text screen similar to MVGAVU appears. Since you want the 360x480x256 mode card, select "1" and it automatically exits. If you are not sure about the choice you made, click the "xVGA Mode" box again and you see a RED flashing number beside "RET-LastMode" indicating the mode you selected; if its okay then press <return>. 7) Click, the "iPut" box. The screen blanks - IT IS BLANK. A small rectangle, about 1/4th the screen appears. Place it wherever you want JACOBSN to be. Click ONCE and JACOBSN appears. A blinking rectangle appears around the image. You didn't like where you placed the image, so click the RIGHT button; the image is cleared and the rectangle appears again. You can repeat this process (ie., pasting and 'undo'ing with the RIGHT button) as often as you wish - until it is located exactly where you want it. If you click the LEFT button, the image will be 'pasted' and the rectangle will appear again so that you can paste several copies of the same image anywhere you want. If you click the RIGHT button during the 'verify' blinking phase, the WHOLE screen is restored. You pasted JACOBSN on the upper left corner and the 'verify' rectangle is blinking - waiting for your decision. Click BOTH buttons (DON'T RELEASE THE BUTTONS UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE BOTH ARE BEING PRESSED). Once released, the 'verify rectangle' disappears and the image is SAVED to TEMP files - this will take a few seconds. After the image is updated, you return to IMGPRO menu. Click EXIT. 8) You are back at the VSCRN Menu and prompted again to save a 320x200 USERSCRN image; click the RIGHT button. You are now ready for you next 'squeezed' image. Press <F4> for SQZGIF. 9) SQZGIF is invoked and you are prompted to choose a file format for input; you want TRUDI.GIF as your next image; select [G]IF; files are shown. Your PATH and VPATH are set to defaults - "\VGACAD". Change your PATH to where your images are - (eg., "\IMAGES") and press <enter> TWICE to keep VPATH. Select TRUDI.GIF and press <enter>. A takes a few seconds to decompress; the main menu of SQZGIF comes up. This is a 640x350 image with 16-colors. Normally you will have to interactively play with the [M]atrix and [T]hreshold settings to get the best results with 16-color images; here is some 'spoon feeding'. Press [M]atrix and it changes to "2x2" which is about right for this image. Press [T] and change the threshold to "26". Now, select [U]ser and specify a 180x240 USERSCRN size. Hit <enter>;image is processed. [Q]uit from SQZGIF;delete SPARE files when prompted to free disk space. Page ... 39 10) Since TEMP files have been created, you are 'chained' back to the VSCRN menu. Use STEP 7 as a guide to paste additional USERSCRN images when in the IMGPRO menu. MASSIVE.PCX is a 256-color image; use STEP 3 as a guide to process this image with SQZGIF. DARLNG.GIF is a 16-color image; use STEP 9 as a guide to process this image. 11) Lets assume you have processed the remaining images and just pasted the fourth and last USERSCRN image on your montage. From the VSCRN menu, click NCOD (ie., eNCODe) and a highlight bar appears. Move the highlight bar beside "Filename" and click. Type in your new filename (eg., "MONTAGE") and press <enter> - "MONTAGE.GIF" appears. Click OK. 12) After a few seconds, its encoded. That's all folks. Page ... 40