PPaint.man New features of Personal Paint 6.1 include: Animation (featuring a storyboard, superior compression, multiple palettes, frame-by-frame timing etc.) Virtual memory (stores inactive image data using Fast RAM and disk storage) New, faster image processing effects, including transparencies, alpha channel and single image stereograms (both SIRDS and custom pattern stereograms, as in "Magic Eye") Support of Retargetable Graphics (display cards like the Picasso, Retina, Piccolo, Rainbow, EGS, Talon etc.) High quality 24-bit printing (Color and Black & White) Professional conversion of IFF24, PCX24, HAM & HAM8 to 256 colors HAM and HAM8 viewer active during color reduction Loading of files through Amiga DataTypes (JPEG, BMP etc.) Autoscroll painting Workbench Application Icon (Drag and Drop) ASL-compatible file requester More power through machine language code: the software is in part up to 500% faster "New Look" user interface A collection of utilities, including color fonts, new DeskJet printer drivers (up to four inks) and JPEG DataType We are continuing to invest in the Amiga in a very difficult moment. Your support is more precious than ever. If you like this piece of software, please make sure that it is an original. And if you have any suggestions, we would like to hear from you. Thank you. (Distributor and Cloanto contact information appears at the end of this file.) All new features of version 6.0 are documented in the new User Guide. Stereograms and other improvements of version 6.1 are described here. A description of the newest features follows. Sections are numbered and ordered as they appear in the manual. The contents of this file can be printed with a word processor, or by typing the following command in a Shell window: Copy PPaint:PPaint.man PRT: 1.14 External User Interface Files Personal Paint 6.1 has a "new look". All user interface pictures (tools, gadget images, etc.) are stored in a separate and editable file named "UIGraphics.pic" (inside "PPaint_Prefs"). The file may be stored in GIF format to reduce disk occupation. For faster program loading after hard disk installation, it can be loaded as a brush and saved again using the IFF-ILBM format. 3.1.4.1 Image Processing - Stereograms How to Create a Stereogram To generate a stereogram, you need to use both program environments: one to provide depth information and one to render the actual stereogram. Stereogram animations are also possible. If you select the Pattern stereogram type (SIPS) instead of the Random Dot type (SIRDS), you need to store a tile-pattern in the current brush. In single image stereograms, the "hidden image" is defined by different levels of depth. The 3D image does not have its own colors: it consists of depth information only. It does however inherit the texture of the "container" image, where very creative combinations of colors and patterns can be used. In the pattern type of stereograms, for example, a pattern can be used to create a forest or a sea, where the 3D shapes can be concealed. Depth information is provided by shapes drawn in different levels of gray. Simple shapes are normally easier and quicker to recognize. If text needs to be written in the hidden image, sans-serif, extra bold type is usually more readable. Black indicates the "most elevated" (closest) level, white corresponds to the "deepest" (farthest) level, while "flatness" is associated to a 50% gray (in the Palette requester: H=0, S=0, V=50%). This is the level which is not distorted when using pattern stereograms. Note that "front" and "back" are subjective, and can be reversed depending on the technique used for viewing the image: cross-eyed or parallel style. Extreme depths, such as those associated to black and white, are not necessarily the easiest to recognize. To the contrary. Highest quality is usually provided by intensities closer to medium levels of gray. For a quick test, draw a black box on a 50% gray background. Then go to the other environment, choose an appropriate screen mode (having the same size as the screen containing the black box) and color palette, select Image Processing from the Project menu and select one of the Stereogram filters. SIRDS (Random Dot Single Image Stereograms) are constructed using random dots, whereas SIPS (Single Image Pattern Stereograms) use the current brush to create a pattern. Personal Paint will render the stereogram in the current environment. Different variants of predefined filters are provided: High Quality filters produce stereograms which are easier to recognize, whereas the More Levels filters are capable of rendering more detailed depth variations (up to 256 levels, associated to gray shades ranging from white to black). The pattern used for SIPS stereograms should be as "fractal" as possible. Smooth color transitions and wide areas of the same color should be avoided. The more color-information per unit of length, the stronger the illusion will be. Since the patterns are slightly distorted to render the stereogram, patterns which are naturally irregular (such as leaves, waves, grass, marble, etc.) tend to be more suitable than other (more geometrical) shapes. Of course it is possible to retouch the resulting stereogram, or paste it into another picture, to create something like a beach with a shark hidden underwater. Help symbols can be placed automatically on stereograms. By default, these are constructed by drawing small squares on top of the image, but they can easily be replaced by pasting a custom brush over the square. For convenience and maximum accuracy, the squares have an odd pixel size, so that in Magnify mode the brush handle can quickly be positioned over the central pixel of the box. Technically, stereograms are created by constructing vertical columns of almost identical patterns. When the eyes are crossed or widened as required to view single image stereograms, each eye focuses on a different column. The difference between the repeated patterns is very similar to the difference perceived by the eyes when looking at an object in the real world. What makes stereograms particularly interesting from a scientific point of view is that perspective information is not required at all. In fact, people who normally rely on perspective rather than on eye convergence to calculate distances have more difficulties than others when viewing stereograms. The wider the pattern (i.e., the columns), the greater the perceived distance. Too narrow or too wide patterns should however be avoided, since the resulting stereograms are not easy to view (the eyes must be able to cross or widen enough, so that two consecutive patterns overlap). The width of the pattern is determined either by the brush width (SIPS stereograms) or by other filter settings (Appendix C). In case of SIPS, the current environment should have the same color palette as the brush. For stereograms about as large as a VGA computer screen, 8 columns should provide a good quality/contrast compromise. This means that for SIPS stereograms the brush width would be 1/8th of the screen width, in pixels. Of course a brush can contain a pattern which is already repeated two or more times in the brush itself. The stereogram cannot render any information in the far left and right of the image. This is because there can be no overlapping of patterns when one eye approaches the left or right edge, since the other eye would look outside the image. The complexity, and most of the compromises of computer generated stereogram generation are caused by the fact that each column forms a pair with both the column to its left and the one to its right. When all this information is overlapped, shadows and echo effects may appear. Personal Paint's filter settings (Appendix C) provide different options to finely tune the creation process. For example, where "ghost" outlines result from very sharp changes in elevation (more likely to occur in SIPS than in SIRDS), flattening the image, increasing the Quality value or activating the Echo Suppression option should help. Echo Suppression works by using random stripes of the pattern as necessary. As a side effect, the hidden shapes may emerge in the final image. For very small stereograms (e.g. thumbnail format), a High Quality SIRDS style with high contrast image colors (e.g. black and white) could be the best choice, if ease of recognition is a priority. For stereo-animations, SIRDS are usually preferred to SIPS, because large patterns changing position from frame to frame would disturb the viewer. Appendix C explains how to change the random seed for SIRDS, or automatically use a new seed for each stereogram. One may think that a constant animation background (as could be provided by using positive BiasDx values) would help recognition of animated stereograms. In most cases, practice has proven the opposite to be true: if the random seed does not change from one frame to the other (and thus the pattern remains constant), the brain becomes able to concentrate on the "tricks" employed to render the stereogram. So it is better to use negative values (i.e. "noisy" background). In any case, creating an animation using a positive random seed value remains an interesting experiment. Viewing Stereograms Important: Single image stereograms have recently become very popular through posters and best-selling books (e.g. "Magic Eye", "Stereogram" and "3D Wonderland" series). Personal Paint uses some of the most recent and effective stereogram generation techniques, although the first papers dealing with this subject have been published more than 30 years ago. Since stereograms were first used for scientific visualization and in medical tests, research has been conducted on potential side effects of humans viewing such images. Not only have no harmful effects been discovered, but the techniques used for viewing single image stereograms are also sometimes employed for eye training. While even reading a textbook may cause eye strain and mental fatigue, we believe that it remains prudent to consider that crossing eyes, merging two different views into one and separating focusing from convergence are all actions which do not occur frequently in a natural environment. People with ametropia (e.g. hypermetropia or astigmatism) may tire more easily when viewing these images. Also, some optometrists have advised that people with autonomic ataxia and those at the beginning of farsightedness caused by age should avoid attempting naked eyed 3D viewing. What is a single image stereogram? It is a single picture containing different information for the left and right eye. When the eyes look at the picture "normally", the hidden clues cannot be recognized. However, when each eye looks at a different spot on the picture (which is what happens when the eyes pretend to look at an object positioned before or beyond the picture), after some adjusting, matching patterns can be recognized. Acting on eye convergence and divergence, the differences in the pattern provide the brain with depth information. While other methods use polarized light or colored glasses to separate the images, single image stereograms can be seen by focusing on a point which is either between the eyes and the picture (cross-eyed style), or much farther away than the picture (parallel style). Some stereograms can be seen in one of the two styles only. Most stereograms have two reference symbols on top of the picture, to ease proper adjusting. When you stare at the page out of focus, the two symbols may appear as four. This is because the eyes do not converge on the same image, and thus see "double". Now slowly adjust your eyes until the two inner symbols overlap, so that you see a total of three symbols. This is the appropriate convergence to see the stereogram. Slowly move your eyes downwards. You should soon begin to recognize some shapes, which your eyes will be able to focus on. The process can be initiated, for example, either by bringing a finger close to your eyes and moving it, or by imagining to concentrate on something very distant (e.g. mountains or clouds), or by putting the picture to the nose, and then slowly moving it forward, leaving the eyes unfocused. It is very important that the page be perfectly flat and horizontal. All edges should have about the same distance from your face. Try and resist the temptation to focus on the monitor (or paper). Once the brain begins to merge the two images, focusing will slowly follow automatically. Some people experience more difficulties than others when seeing a stereogram for the first time. Here is what William C. Haga had to say on the Internet: "Being one who has used wide-eyed vision on chain link fences ever since I was a kid, I was able to see the images right away. But I've had difficulty explaining the technique to friends. Today I had the latest Games magazine with me at my parents' house. Games is running another contest using SIRDS, so there are three in the latest issue. This time I thought of the reflection idea. So I opened mom's china cabinet, put the magazine against the glass in the door, and told mom to keep looking at her own reflection in the glass until the image appeared. It took less than thirty seconds. When she saw the 3D train engines, I was subjected to a squeal of delight that I hadn't heard from her for a long time..." 3.1.4 Image Processing - Alpha Channel The alpha channel is a special feature which is available with Brush Transparency effects. The alpha channel mode is activated by setting the Bias value to -1, and requires two consecutive brushes rather than one. In this mode, the degree of transparency of each pixel in the brush is a function of the brightness of the corresponding pixels in the second brush, rather than being defined by the plain Bias value. The additional transparency information provided by the second brush is called alpha channel. This data is very useful, for example, to create and manipulate images which must remain antialiased regardless of the background. White pixels in the second brush correspond to complete opacity, while black and undefined pixels indicate full transparency. Example. Suppose you want to paste down a brush which is solid in the center and gradually becomes more transparent towards the edges. The alpha channel brush would reflect this and can be created using a gradient fill, white in the center fading to black around the edges. Animation Personal Paint accepts and creates the following animation formats: ANIM-5, ANIM-7 (short and long-words), ANIM-8 (short and long-words) and hybrid files which may contain any combination of these frame formats. In general, ANIM-5 remains the most space-efficient and widely used format. Personal Paint includes the original Auto ANIM save format, which, for each animation frame, selects the best compression scheme (ANIM-5, 7, etc.) Compared to pure ANIM-5 files, hybrid files may be up to 5-10% shorter, and still remain fully compatible with the official ANIM specifications. ANIM-8 is an evolution of ANIM-5, just as ANIM-7 is, although ANIM-7 is generally considered to be superior. Compared to ANIM-5, both formats may achieve faster loading of animation files. The Animation Menu: Storyboard In the Animation Storyboard, three dots under a reduced picture indicate frames having a palette differing from the current one. Double-clicking on a frame makes that frame (and its palette) the current one. 7.2.3 Edit Stencil Multiple colors can be selected or deselected with a single mouse click by dragging the mouse (with the mouse button pressed) over the color boxes in the the Stencil requester (just as in the tool bar palette). This is especially useful with large palettes. 8.8 File Requester The File Requester menu allows the user to replace the standard Personal Paint file requester with an ASL (Amiga Standard Library) compatible file requester, such as the Magic File Requester. A second requester appears to select the image format when saving a picture, unless the file name suffix indicates a file format. Recognized suffixes include: ".c", ".gif", ".iff", ".ilbm", ".lbm" and ".pcx". For example: "Clown.gif" would automatically be saved in GIF format, but in the case of filenames such as "Flower.pic" or "Painting", a format selection requester would appear. A. Program Messages The filter requires a brush Some image processing filters use the current brush to apply certain transformations to the image. This message appears if no brush has been defined. The filter requires an additional brush Image processing effects such as Alpha Channel require two consecutive brushes. The filter requires two environments Stereograms and other effects require two environments (i.e. two images). The filters apply the changes to the current environment, using the other environment as a source. UIGraphics.pic cannot be loaded The file containing the images used in Personal Paint's user interface could not be loaded. Possible causes include: file not found, insufficient memory, file corrupt. When editing the image, it is important that the reference lines used to the delimit the areas in the picture be respected and not modified. Section 1.14. B. Command Shortcuts In program requesters not containing any text gadgets, the and keys can be used instead of the Proceed (or OK) and Cancel gadgets, in addition to other keyboard shortcuts which may appear underlined. Storyboard Requester = Jump to first frame = Jump to last frame C.1 Program Settings FILTER (Image Processing Filters - Section 3.1.4) The second parameter (Filter Type) can be in the range 0-8 (6 = Environment Transparency, 7 = Brush Transparency, 8 = Stereogram). The following notes apply to the Stereogram Filter Type. A value of DivFac (Division Factor, range SHORTMIN .. SHORTMAX) greater than zero generates SIRDS (random dot) stereograms and indicates how many columns are to be created. This means that the pattern of random dots will be as wide as the image width divided by DivFac. Values of zero or less generate SIPS stereograms, which use the current use as a pattern. Bias (range 1 .. 16) allows to make some changes which affect the perceived quality of the stereogram. Lower quality stereograms (low Bias values) allow for more levels of depth, but may generate defects in certain shapes (e.g. thick vertical bars may appear thin). Higher quality images are easier to recognize, but their "flatness" (which is relative, because the contrast is excellent) leaves less room for different levels of depth. BiasDx (range SHORTMIN .. SHORTMAX) is used as a Random Seed for SIRDS in general and for SIPS with Echo suppression. Negative values cause a different seed to be generated automatically each time the filter begins processing. Values >= 0 allow exact reproduction of SIRDS, as the patter remains constant for each single value. BiasDy controls different other options, which are associated to its individual bits. The range is 0 .. 3, and the values must be added: 1 = Help Symbols (on top of image), 2 = Echo Suppression. DISPLAY (Amiga DisplayID - Section 4.5) A value of 0xFFFFFFFF indicates to use the same screen mode as the Workbench screen. This was designed with the program startup files in mind. By default, Personal Paint is launched with the same screen mode as the Workbench, which avoids monitor flickering in combination with graphics boards. FILREQ (File Requester Flags - Section 8.8) The 6th bit in the FILREQ program setting is associated to the ASL (system) file requester option. The range for FILREQ is 0-63. Notes An original and unique Cloanto serial number should be attached to this product. We use these numbers to identify each individual package and when registering and supporting our users. If you report a problem, we will be able to use exactly the same version of the software which you are using. Given this number, we can track the manufacturing date, the brand of the disks being used, the company who printed the manual and whoever assembled the product. Worldwide, the Cloanto serial number is your guarantee of quality. Packages sold without this number should be considered counterfeit. We would like to always be able to offer you good manuals and high-quality disks, but remember, this is only a small part of what you get when you buy original software. Most of all, it's the hard work of the people and organizations who made it possible. Please help us fight software piracy and invest in our common future. For more information on upgrades and other Cloanto products, please contact the local distributors named at the end of this file. From time to time, information may be mailed directly to users of our packages. To take advantage of this, don't forget to mail the registration card which came with the product. Cloanto Product Presentation: Personal Fonts Maker and Color Extensions The Personal Fonts Maker has been acclaimed as "the best bitmapped fonts editor for the Amiga" by enthusiasts and professionals from Scala Computer Television to Kara Computer Graphics. It is the leading tool for handling fonts in up to 256 colors (no size limit, RTG compatible). It can even create printer download fonts (to achieve maximum printer quality and speed) and anti-alias Amiga vector fonts. Numerous other tools are included. The Personal Fonts Maker is a powerful tool for designing and processing bitmapped fonts. Amiga fonts and fonts created with the Personal Fonts Maker can be transferred to the printer memory and printed at maximum quality and speed. The Personal Fonts Maker can output fonts in formats which can be read by other Amiga programs, by other computers and by a vast range of differing printers (even 48-pin and laser printers). The program can handle IFF graphics. It is possible, for example, to work on typographical fonts input from a scanning device. Repetitive transformations on characters or entire fonts can be recorded, stored and executed as macros. A special programming language can be used to define the format in which fonts are to be saved or sent to a printer. The Personal Fonts Maker package includes a multitude of original fonts and support tools like the Printer Driver Modifier, which allows the user to personalize printer drivers. It is easy - and fun - to work with the Personal Fonts Maker, thanks to the elegant and intuitive user interface (with stereo sound effects). The manual is full of examples and introductory sections for novice users, and comes complete with technical information for Amiga experts. The Color Extensions add powerful color font processing capabilities to the basic package. Most of Personal Paint's editing tools have been incorporated into the package. For the first time, it is possible to process fonts in up to 256 colors and no size limit. Among others, special functions for anti-aliasing (even using an Amiga vector font as a point of departure) and right-to-left fonts are provided. This makes it an ideal companion to video applications, and a must in the titling environment. The Color Extensions come free with the new Personal Fonts Maker package (known as "Version 2"). Use with Personal Paint is recommended, in order to take advantage of additional functions and extended documentation. 512 Kbytes of RAM, 1 disk drive required (1 Mbyte of RAM recommended) Color Extensions: 1 Mbyte RAM required (1 Mbyte of Chip RAM recommended) Cloanto Product Presentation: Personal Write Personal Write is a very usable, fast and affordable Amiga word processor. Its features include: multiple text windows, mail merge, data compression (to save disk space), encryption of confidential texts, MS-DOS and Mac character sets (and many more), printer spooler, PostScript driver, etc. Ideal as a first word processor, its original and powerful text processing capabilities make it an invaluable companion to any other software package. Personal Write is an extremely fast word processor packed with original capabilities. It fully exploits unique Amiga characteristics like windows and multitasking. Personal Write does not limit the number of text windows which can be open at the same time. The combination of speed and space organization makes it an excellent mind extending tool. A built-in spooler can print even the longest texts in the background, while the program is used to do other work. Personal Write can encrypt confidential documents, which become unreadable to unauthorized users, and save disk space by compressing texts. Personal Write is also a powerful tool for converting texts into different formats. It can load and save texts combining more than 25 character sets of the most widely used computers. Control codes can be added or removed, as required by desktop publishing programs, Amiga system functions or other hardware and software environments. Thousands of combinations of printer settings can be selected to make the best use of features like the PostScript driver, the multistrike print mode, support for automatic justification with proportional characters and Personal Fonts Maker fonts. Alphanumerical labels can be used in the text for mail merge or to reorganize data. Keyboard shortcuts and the texts which are displayed can be redefined to personalize the user interface (which includes stereo sound effects). An automatic hard disk installation procedure can be selected with the mouse. 512 Kbytes of RAM, 1 disk drive required; 1 Mbyte of RAM recommended Cloanto Personal Paint, Copyright © Cloanto Italia srl 1992-1994, All Rights Reserved. Parts are Copyright © Nomad Publishing Corporation, 1993-1994. The HP DeskJet drivers included with Personal Paint are Copyright © Commodore-Amiga Inc. 1985-1993 and Cloanto Italia srl 1993. The Installer and Installer project icon are Copyright © Commodore-Amiga Inc. 1991-1993, reproduced and distributed under license. The JPEG DataType software is included with the kind permission of Steve Goddard. Executable file decompression modules by Peter Struijk and Albert J. Brouwer, used with permission. Lharc software by Paolo Zibetti, used with permission. Please refer to the original User Guide for further information. Cloanto and the Cloanto logo are registered trademarks of Cloanto Italia srl HTX, Personal Fonts Maker, PFM, Personal Paint, PPaint, Personal Write and PWrite are trademarks of Cloanto Italia srl Coca-Cola and Coke are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company EGS 28/24 Spectrum is a trademark of Great Valley Products Inc. Fargo is a registered trademark of Fargo Electronics Inc. Picasso is a trademark of Village Tronic Marketing GmbH Piccolo and Rainbow are trademarks of Ingenieurbüro Helfrich Primera is a trademark of Fargo Electronics Inc. Retina is a trademark of MS MacroSystem Computer GmbH Talon is a trademark of DKB Cloanto Italia srl Tel +39 432 545902 PO Box 118 Fax +39 432 609051 33100 Udine Bbs +39 432 545905 Italy E-Mail 100145.15@compuserve.com User and dealer inquiries should be addressed to the national distributors. German Area: Casablanca Multimedia GmbH Tel +49 234 72035 Wiemelhauser Straße 247 a Fax +49 234 72060 D - 44799 Bochum Great Britain: Ramiga International Ltd Tel +44 690 770304 Stablau 'Rin Fax +44 690 770266 GB - Pentrefoelas, Clwyd LL24 0HT Bbs +44 690 770696 North America: DKB Tel +1 810 960-8750 (tech.) 50240 W. Pontiac Trail Tel +1 810 960-8751 (sales) USA - Wixom, MI 48393 Fax +1 810 960-8752 Italy: CTO spa Tel +39 51 753133 Via Piemonte 7/f Fax +39 51 753418 I - 40069 Zola Predosa Italy - Mail Order and Upgrades: Lago snc Tel +39 31 300174 Via Benzi 18 Fax +39 31 300214 I - 22100 Como Sweden: ProComp Tel +46 472 70845 Box 46 Fax +46 472 71680 S - 340 36 Moheda Bbs +46 472 71270 French Area: Adept Marketing Tel +41 21 7022626 Rte. de Renens 1 Fax +41 21 7022629 CH - 1030 Bussigny-prés-Lausanne Greece: Multi-RAK Tel +49 234 9489411 Karnassiotis & Radouniklis GBR Fax +49 234 9489444 Prinz-Regent-Straße 70 D - 44795 Bochum Australia and New Zealand: Amadeus Computers Tel +61 2 652-2712 34 Tecoma Drive Fax +61 2 652-1515 Glenorie NSW 2157 Australia File Generated: 1994-11-17 06:01:48 Label Serials: 095-0998-741 .. 095-1002-793 Disk Microsign: On