

                          Ani Mate Pro
                   Paint and Animation Program

                  copyright  (c)1997, Rick Sobie

                            Shareware

  By using this program you agree to the terms of the user
  agreement, LICENSE.TXT. Which basically is that if you find it
  useful after 21 days, you must pay for it.  $20 U.S.
  There is also a Utility Pack available for $10 with fades,
  wipes, hints and  tips, , to make your animation easier and
  more fun.
  Address is in LICENSE.TXT or on-line info is in ONLINE.TXT

  ****************************************************************
  System Requirements
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  A minimum 386 with 4 meg of disk space, a minimum SVGA
  adapter and mouse.
  Smartdrv.sys is almost a necessity. Use a virtual disk 
  such as ramdrive.sys if you do not have smartdrv.sys.

  Requires DOS 5

  Requires that a copy of COMMAND.COM be in your path, or
  the root directory, or in this directory.
  Uses COMMAND.COM to shell to DOS to run conversion
  utilities etc.

  If you experience problems under Windows 95, reboot in
  DOS mode.

  Do not move the mouse during initialization or it will
  bail out.
  If you recieve an error message that the system could not
  initialize graphics, your graphic adapter card may not
  be compatible with the program.
  Try using the command line option of stating the
  adapter after the program name like so

   ANI /aSVGA256 or    ANI /aVESA256

   If you use VESA256 or BGI256 your paste size will be
   limited to 64k. SVGA256 will paste up to available conventional
   memory.  For more info on drivers see the end of this document.
   If you still can't run the program seek out any 256 color
   *.BGI from the Internet and try it.

  The graphic drivers are files with a BGI extension and
  is a short form for Borland Graphical Interface.
  Thanks to Jordan Hargraphix for SVGA256.BGI,
  Bui Xuan Truong for VESA256.BGI, Knight Software,
  Scott Ramsay for his vsinc palette set routine and
  Borland for the others.

   To set the graphic mode use /m
   eg: ANI /m2     will set the resolution to 640x480 (default)
       ANI /aVESA256 /m3  will use the VESA256 driver in 800x600
       ANI /aSVGA256 /m4 /d60 will use the SVGA driver in 1024x768
       and set a mouse delay of 60 ms

    I designed the program to be used in 640x480 mode. Any image
    can be blown up to 1024x768 and still maintain image
    quality on a high res screen if necessesary afterwards.
    You can use the program in any resolution you want that is at
    least 640x400 but the interface will seem small in 1024x768.
    You may however need to capture an area larger than 640x480
    and may need to change to higher mode to do it. Use /m[n]
    where 2=640x480 3=900x600 4=1024x768

  I provided a Show Clips option that will preview your clips
  for you in VGA 320x200 full screen fairly quickly. That is the
  first 20 or 30 or so depending on how your files=num is set
  in config.sys and if you are using smartdrv.exe. There is
  a loss in quality during preview if the frame size is not
  320x200 originally. Temporary copies are made and the originals
  are untouched.

  If you have a superfast machine and the delay between
  mouse clicks is too short causing it to skip processes,
  use the commandline switch  ANI /d100 or similar value
  to set the delay. You only need to do it once for it
  to be written to the confg.fil

  Empty the CACHE\*.* subdirectory to remove the temp files
  stored there to free up your disk space at any time. Clip
  previews and temporary files are stored there.

  ***************************************************************
  Using the program
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Either choose NEW to create a new image or Load to load
  an existing image.
  The program reads and writes PCX type files to provide
  compatibility with other graphic programs.

  If you are wondering why the screen looks funny when decoding
  a PCX it is because I am cheating and using the screen memory
  to decode with because it is faster.

  Making Movies
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Once you have an image you can capture an area of it and that
  captured area becomes a clipboard. You have unlimited clipboards.

  Those clipboards can also be used as animation frames.
  You can save a series of frames on-mass as PCX files and
  then load them into Graphic Workshop for Windows and
  create an animated GIF for use on the World Wide Web
  on the Internet, or use VID EDIT for Windows, a
  program also available on the Internet.
  That program will take the PCX frames and "Insert" them to
  create an AVI. You can then add sound if you wish.

  You can also create MOV, FLI, MPG or any other format
  of animation file with conversion programs available
  on the Internet or BBS.
  Windows Paint can load PCX files as well as Paint Shop Pro,
  a program that compliments any graphic studio.

  The FIle Format used in this program is a VCX and is
  not compatible with other programs.
 _______________________________________________________________
       (VCX Programmer Info)
  First two bytes   Width of Image
  Next 2 bytes      Height of image

  Pixel Array widthxheight in number of bytes no compression

  x: 2 bytes
  y: 2 bytes

  Palette array 768 bytes of rgb data identical to a PCX palette
 ----------------------------------------------------------------
  ***  256 colors only ****

  Use Paint Shop Pro or similar conversion program to reduce
  photographic JPG images to 256 colors and save as PCX for
  loading into Ani Mate

Error Messages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    If the program beeps, it is because it cannot read or write
    to disk. Either it can't find a file or the disk is full,
    or files are corrupted. It will try and solve the problem
    when it can. If it still beeps reload your backup set.

******************************************************************

 ***  On-line help is also available on the Ani Mate Web Site  ***

    Help information is also available in the program under the
    Help Button "Help Book" or F1 or by clicking Mouse Button 2
    twice on any tool.


        Approx. 70 Paint and Animation tools

 Hot Keys
              F1     Help
              F2     Privacy Fast Black Screen F2 again it returns.
              F3     Reload TEMP.VCX
              F7     Normal Paste
              ALT-X  Exit

    All arrow buttons increment and decrement by 10 or by 1
    depending on which mouse button you press.

  If you like to have a printed reference or like to read
  manuals, I provided the following for you.

***********************      (Use your text editor word search)

 Changing The Toolbar
 Tool Basics
 Individual Tool Help
 The CLP number
 Changing the prefix
 Capture Box Size
 Capture Box Position
 C and P buttons
 The S button
 File
 Edit
 Image
 Options
 Animation
 Selecting the size
 Zooming In
 Zooming Out
 Zoom Undo
 Capturing a Frame
 Showing Frames
 Converting to AVI etc.
 Full Screen Preview
 Hints and Tips
 Using the Pad
 Saving PADs
 Clip Handling
 Positioning The Pad


1
     Color Sampler
Click Button 1 to sample the Left Color.
Click Button 2 to sample the Right Color.
Hint: Click the mouse on the large Left
or Right Color indicator squares to clear
the screen in that color.

2
      Palette Tint Adjustment
To tint the entire palette, change the
numbers in the boxes provided in the menu
that appears.
      Tint A stretch of Color
Select this option and when you change the numbers
in the menu provided, you will tint only those
colors that are between the currently selected
Left color and Right color.


3
   Cut and Paste Palettes
Select a Left Color by clicking Button 1 on
a color on the color bar. Select a RIght color
with Button 2. Copy Left to Right Color will
copy that stretch of color to the palette
clipboard.

Paste between will take those clipboard colors
and fit them into a new palette you have loaded
once again between two colors that you select.

more
             Gradient Color

Gradient Color will take two different shades of
color a Dark one (Left Selected Color) and a
Bright one (Right Selected Color) and create a
stretch of color starting at spot #1 on the color
bar. You can then copy that stretch and paste it
into any palette at any location.


more
            Copy Clip Colors
The colors of the current clip eg: CLIPS\CLP1.VCX
will be copied to the palette clipboard.
            Reverse Stretch of Color
The color range - usually a gradient stretch -
will be reversed. This will affect the depth
aspect of the colors when used with some tools.

4


          Tinting a Palette Entry

Select a color then change the color values
in the menu boxes provided.

5
          Picture Color

This will isolate the colors in the current
image file - TEMP.VCX - and turn the remaining
palette entries black to allow you to add
colors to the palette by cutting or pasting
palette sections in or allow you to fit
clips with nonmatching palettes better in
some difficult situations.

6
        Fetch a Palette from Disk

You may select a VCX image file, PCX image file,
or PAL palette file, to retrieve a palette.
Just the palette will load, not the image.

BE sure that the PCX you load is a version 5
PCX with palette "info" or you will recieve
incorrect palette information.

7
          Swap Color

Suppose there were little blue specs on the
current image and you wanted to turn them all
green. You could use the color replacer eraser
icon and do it manually and tediously or you could
sample the color with the Color Sampler Icon making
the blue the Left selected color and green or
whatever as the Right Selected color. Then select
this Icon to change all occurances of the currently
selected Left Color in the entire file with the
selected Right color.


8
         Remove Duplicate Palette Entries

If you were to add to an existing palette without
affecting the image itself you will need blank
space to paste the new colors into the palette.

This icon finds and removes the duplicates in the
image file to make room for new palette entries.
Pasting two images with different palettes onto
the same page could require this as well.
You can also isolate the colors with the Picture
Color Icon


9
         Sort Palette

You may sort by brightness or Red Green Blue
values. Most of the draw tools are designed to
work within a stretch of gradient color from
Left to Right. Sorting the palette may make the
gradient tools work better.

Once sorted the image is remapped onto the new
palette.


10
        Average Two Palettes
When you paste a clip with a different palette
onto the image, it needs to be mapped to the
current palette. Sometimes the two palettes will
differ too much and the colors will not look
correct. You may then need to use this Icon to
make a better palette that both can use and then
map both the clip and current image onto it
with this icon.
It is always good to test map using the Scratch
Pad prior to mapping the clip using the Paste
Option in the Edit Menu.

12
                  The Pixel Movers

The normal Rectangle Cursor Box will >< shrink
and < > grow in contact with the window edges.

If the Poly/Rectangle Selector Icon is set to CLP
this means that it will move the current clip in
the chosen direction. If the Selector Icon is set
to normal rectangle, it affects the area inside the
cursor box.

more
               An Example
Used primarily for animation to move a character's
arm or leg etc just a few pixels in a particular
direction so that when the frames are played back
it will appear to move. For a fast sample:
1) load an image
2) use BOX then CAP above, to save a frame.
3) apply the normal rectangle pixel movers to the
   BOX area inside the captured clip.
4) repeat step 2 above.
5) Use Show Clips in the File Menu and view the
clips.

20
     The Poly/Rectangle Selector Icon

This icon toggles between CLP and normal.
When CLP is active the pixel movers move the
current clip in the direction of the arrows.
If normal, you use a rectangle cursor box to
determine the area to move in the direction of the
arrows.
Used primarily to move objects or characters
on animation frames.



21
      Paste Rotate Options Icon

This Icon Opens the Paste Options Menu and from
there you can view your clips, rotate, mirror,
flip, resize and test pasting them into position.

The changes do not affect the current clip. You
may repeat the process as many times as you wish.
This way you can make a series of character moves
by manipulating one clip without any loss of image
quality. The original is resampled each time.



23
          Line Draw

Select a range of gradient color from Left to Right
to draw with a gradient tube, or select both Right
and Left as the "same" color to draw with a solid
colored line.

The Line thickness is set on the bottom left.

24
           Line Blend

Performs a color blend operation affecting the
area within the thickness of the line.

Set the line thickness on the bottom left.

25
           Draw Splat

Select a Right draw color, select a line thickness,
the thicker the better for more effect.

Draw a series of short and long lines in a circular
fashion to create a paint splat.

26
          Draw Fan

If the selected Left color is the same as the
selected Right color then a solid colored ray line
will be drawn.

Otherwise a gradient tube will be drawn in colors
ranging from Left to Right.

27
      Color Replacer Eraser
All instances of the currently selected Left color
will be changed to the currently selected Right
color.
TIP: When morfing a clipped area that is surrounded
by black (#0 transparent), the morf gets its new
shape from the "non black" areas only. To allow for
the proper outline shape transformation, first
replace the surrounding black area with an easily
identifiable, easily replaced color with this tool.
After the morf, replace the black if you want.

28
              Color Eraser

Replaces the area inside the cursor box with black.

29
             Bezier Curve

Lay out a point, then move the mouse. Lay out a
second point and move again to shape the curve.

The line thickness is adjusted at the bottonm left.

Will use the range of color from currently selected
Left color to Right color unless they are the same.

30
            Gradient Blob Draw

Used primarily for landscapes.
Set the thickness to determine the range of the
effect. Set the Left color at a dark shade and
the Right color at a bright shade.
Draw a curvy line with button 1.
Move the cursor about half inch away from the
line in the center and hold button 2.
Lines will be drawn towards the cursor changing
color getting brighter as they approach the mouse
cursor.


31
        Flower Draw


Draws a flower shape.
Experiment with line thickness and ranges of color
between the currently selected Left and RIght Color
to see the effects created.

Click Button 1 to anchorthe circular cursor box.
Then Click Button 1 again to draw the flower.

32
        Flash Draw


Draws a jagged shape.

Used for advertising flashes such as NEW and
IMPROVED etc.

Click Button 1 to anchorthe circular cursor box.
Then Click Button 1 again to draw the shape.

34
       The Basic Filled Polygon

One of the most used tools. CLick Button 1 to lay
out a series of points then click both buttons to
complete the polygon. Outline color is the selected
Right color and the fill color is the currently
selected Left color. You may also choose the fill
style Icon to pattern-fill the polygon.

35
           Spray Paint

Select a Left color for the paint color.
Click Button 1 to paint.

The line thickness selected determines the
size of spray.

36
                 Flood FIll

 Select a Left FIll color and click on the
 area to paint.

 You may select a fill pattern prior using
 the Fill Pattern Icon.

37
                 Magic Paint

 Select a range of color between Left and RIght.

 The colors between the Left and RIght will be
 mixed up and painted in the boxed area when
 you click Button 1.

 The Line Thickness Selector determines the
 size of the box cursor.

38
          Blend Color

It can be a time consuming process to blend the
color contained in the cursor box.

It has a heavy blend effect so it may be better
to use the anti-alias Icon (next to it) for
a lighter blend effect.

39
                  Anti-Alias Filter

To smooth out jagged edges you may wish to use
this filter.

It usually has a minimal effect on areas that are
not too sharp in contrast.

40
            Pattern Fill Selector

Click on the fill pattern to use for the flood
fill tool as well as the polygon and filled
rectangles etc.

41
              Poly Sample Brush

To sample a non black polygon area of a page in
order to paint with the sample area as a brush.


Does not affect the clips or CLP number at all.

42
           Polygon Blend

Outline a shape and the non black area inside the
shape will be subjected to a heavy color blend.

43
              Gradient Filter
Outline an area and then select from the
menu provided. Click Button 1 to lighten
towards the center.
Click Button 2 to darken in towards the center.
You may set the maximum color brightness and
the minimum darkness level with the Right
and Left colors respectively.
TIP: When you lighten towatds the center it
adds depth to the object and it appears
more rounded out. If it darkens towards the
center it appears to hollow out.


45
          Filled Rectangle

Select the Left Color as the Fill color and
the Right Color as the outline color.

Select the line thickness to determine the
thickness of the outline of the box.

46
               Rectangle

Select the Right color as the draw color and
then click Button 1 to anchor the rectangle and
click button 1 again to draw the rectangle.

Select the Line thickness to determine the
thickness of the line.

47
               Globe Draw

Uses the range of color between the Left and
Right selected color to draw a globe.

Select a dark shade on the left and a light
shade on the right to draw a gradient ball or
globe.

48
               Filled Circle

Select the Left color as the Fill color and
select the Right color as the outline color.

You may select a fill pattern using the
Fill Pattern Icon and you may set the line
thickness for a thicker outline.

49
                Circle


Select the Right color as the draw color
and the line thickness to determine the
thickness of the circle.

If the Left color is not the same as the
Right color it will draw gradient circles
the thickness selected forming a gradient
torus (donut shape).

50
                3D Box

Select the Right or Draw color as the outline
color.

Anchor the box with Button 1 then click
Button 1 again to draw a 3D Box.

51
                Filled 3D Box

Select the Right or Draw color as the outline
color.
Select The Left or FIll color as the fill color.
You may select a pattern with the Fill Pattern
Icon.

Anchor the box with Button 1 then click
Button 1 again to draw a 3D Box.

52
             Plain Paint Brush


Select the Left color as the fill color.

Select a fill pattern using the Fill Pattern
Icon if you wish.

Button 1 to paint the area inside the cursor
box. The Line Thickness Selector determines
the size of the box.

53
                   Single Arrow

 The Left Color determines the color of the
 arrow head and the Right color determines the
 color of the line.

 The line thickness selector determines the
 size of the arrow.

54
                   Double Arrow

 The Left Color determines the color of the
 arrow head and the Right color determines the
 color of the line.

 The line thickness selector determines the
 size of the arrows.

56
            Copy and Paste Polygon
Outline a shape by laying out a series of points
to form a polygon. To complete the polygon, click
both buttons.
The area will be copied and become a clipboard or
clip or animation frame. (same thing)
When you paste, the black will not be pasted.
To cut the area (remove the area and preserve
the clip), press the space bar when the clip
is in place. When the clip is perfectly matched
to its original location it appears all black.
more

If while the area appears black you press the
spacebar, the clip area becomes black.

The CLP number is automatically incremented by 1.

This number along with the current prefix eg: CLP
will determine the name of the clipboard file.
eg:CLIPS\CLP2.VCX
          ^ ^-- clip count number
          |
          clip prefix



57
                  Copy Rectangle

Click Button 1 to anchor the box, click both
buttons to capture the area inside the box.

The area will be copied and become a clipboard or
clip or animation frame. (same thing)
When you paste, the black will not be pasted.
The CLP number is automatically incremented by 1.

58
           Sample then Morf Polygon
First outline a non black area to sample as a
brush. Then outline the non black area of the
shape you wish to morf the original sample into.
It takes the first area and molds the contents
into the second shape.
You may have to temporarily replace some black
surounding area prior to using this tool.
The best use of this tool is on photographic
images. Touching up areas or when you move an
object with the Pixel Movers and need to fill
in the vacant area.

59
               Blue Screen

In movies or television you often see a fake
background behind an actor. That fake background
is achieved by replacing a single color on the
film with another image. This is called blue
or green screening because the replaced color
is usually blue or green.
Click on any color in the top left corner of your
image and the current clip eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX will
replace the instances of that selected color in
your image.

60
                Shade Polygon

Outine an area of you picture that you wish to
add shading to, either darker or lighter.
Once you have clicked both buttons to complete
the polygon, if you click Button 1 the area gets
lighter. If you click Button 2 the area gets
darker.
It searches the palette for shades of color that
are the closest match to those it is shading.
Space Bar when done.

61
                Paste Options

Similar to the Edit Menu Clip Paste options.
Normal Paste, Mirror, Flip, Rotate, 3D Rotate.

Use this Icon in conjunction with the Scratch
Pad to manipulate pieces of clips.

When you paste a clip it seeks its original
position and once covered perfectly, the area
becomes temporarily black. To cut out that
matching area, press the space bar.

62

          Flash Copy Clip

This tool copies the area of the picture within
a flash type of polygon.

It could be used for page advertising or the
like.

The CLP number is incremented automatically.
The clip prefix along with the CLP number will
determine the name of the clipboard file.
eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX

63
          Circle Copy Clip

Click Button 1 to anchor the cursor box, then
click both buttons to capture the circular area.

The CLP number is incremented automatically.
The clip prefix along with the CLP number will
determine the name of the clipboard file.
eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX

64
         Current Clip Morf
Outline a shape to nmorf the current clip into.
This tool takes the current clip, deternmined
by the current CLP number. The clip prefix along
with the CLP number will determine the name of
the clipboard file. eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX
It samples this clip and molds it into the new
shape. It is non-destructive to the clip so
you can do it again and again.
It only samples areas of the clip that are
non black because black is always transparent
in this program.

65
             Resize the current Clip

Use the cursor box to determine the new size of
the current clipboard.

The process is non-destructive to the clip and
you can take numerous tries to get it just right
if you wish.

The clip prefix along with the CLP number will
determine the name of the clipboard file.
eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX

67
                 Write Text

Select the Right Color for foreground text and
Left color for background shaded text.

Anchor the cursor then type. Backspace to undo.
Prior to hitting the enter key, you can adjust
the color.

68
             Text Style Options

Shaded text uses the Right and Left color for
foreground and shaded text.

Bold text is just that, thicker text characters.

69
              Font Size and Type

Use the options provided in the pop up menu
to determine the current text font and size
of characters.

78
               4x Power Zoom

Click both buttons while the rectangle is over the
selected area to zoom in.

79
                2x Power Zoom

Click both buttons while the rectangle is over the
selected area to zoom in.

80
                8x Power Zoom

Click both buttons while the rectangle is over the
selected area to zoom in.

81
                   Zoom Undo

When you replace a zoomed in area the upper
Undo option will not reverse the editing done
while in a zoomed in state. You can however
use this Icon to replace the zoomed in area to
how it was prior to being zoomed in.

******************************
#22 {Changing tools]

 Just above the [line]
 thickness area on the
 bottom left is an arrow.
 Click on this arrow and
 the entire tool set is
 displayed.

 Click on a tool and it
 becomes the current tool
 in that row. Conversely,
 if you click Button 2 on
 any tool the entire row
 of tools are displayed.
 When you select a tool it
 becomes current.

 The toolset remains in the
 same configuration until
 changed in the same manner.

#23 {Tool Basics]

 Once selected, the tool
 remains active and a
 rectangle surrounds
 the tool to indicate that
 it is active.

 Some tools are designed to
 be used then turned off.
 If you wish to repeat an
 operation you will need to
 select it again.
 The cursor will usually
 change to signify that a
 tool is active.

#24 {Individual Help]

 Click on the arrow above the
 [line thickness area] in the
 bottom left, then once the
 tools are all displayed,
 click Button 2 on a tool to
 activate the individual tool
 help.
 or
 Click Button 2 on a tool.
 It shows the row. Click
 Button 2 again on a tool
 in the row and it shows
 the individual tool help.

#32 {The CLP Number]

 CLP is the default prefix
 that along with a number
 will determine the name of
 the captured area.
 eg: C:\ANI\CLIPS\CLP1.VCX

 Clips or "frames" are
 placed in the CLIPS
 subdirectory. Each time you
 capture an area the CLP
 number is incremented
 automatically.

 You may adjust the number
 manually using the [arrow]
 buttons. If the current
 spot is occupied the number
 is white on black.
 If empty it is white on red.
 You can check to see if you
 are about to write over a
 clip by incrementing the
 number by one and seeing the
 color of the number and then
 moving the number back to
 where it was.

#33 {Changing the prefix]

 To change the CLP prefix,
 click on "CLP". A menu
 appears. If you select the
 first white area, you will
 be prompted to enter the
 three letters manually.

 These three letters will
 then appear as a new menu
 choice.

 Switching between prefixes
 is common during animation.
 Cut and paste to edit your
 characters under one prefix,
 then capture your
 [animation frames] under
 another prefix. This
 separates your scratch work
 from your frames.


#34 {Capture Box Size]

 Provided for convenience
 is a capture [BOX]. It is
 the same as using any other
 cut and paste tool.
 You may set the size
 manually with the arrows.

 Clicking on the [S] locks
 the box's size and position.
 If the lock is off, the
 [BOX] automatically sets
 itself to the current clip
 size and position.

 If the area of the box is
 larger than available
 conventional memory, the
 numbers appear white on red.
 This only affects the way
 the clips are played back.
 Generally the clips will be
 converted to an [AVI, MOV,]
 MPG or FLI or other format
 on completion and will not
 be affected by this at all.

#35 {Capture Box Position]

 Provided for convenience is
 a capture [BOX]. When
 capturing animation frames
 it is essential that the box
 does not move or your
 [background] appears to jump
 all over during playback.

 Matching up frames to
 prevent this is difficult so
 a way to lock the size and
 position has been provided.

 Clicking on the [S] locks
 the box in position. When
 the box is not locked, it
 remembers the last place
 you captured an area with
 any capture tool.

 By clicking on the X:Y
 position display you are
 given a menu of three
 choices to match up the box
 to an existing clip set.

 "Automatic" reads the
 current CLP#.VCX file and
 obtains the size and
 position from the clip
 itself. Once selected, if
 you lock the box, the
 subsequent frames captured
 will all match up.

#36 {C and P buttons]

 The "C" button activates a
 capture tool. Use it to set
 the size and position of the
 animation sequence by
 capturing the first frame
 manually if you wish.
 It works like any other
 rectangle cut and paste tool
 but it doesn't paste.
 It just captures.

 To paste the clip, use the
 "P" button beside it. This
 button has numerous options.
 Paste is normal paste. "Put
 Clip" puts it back where it
 came from with black being
 transparent.

 Put Black puts the [black]
 background area of the clip
 as well. Options opens a
 secondary menu of clip
 manipulation options.

 View displays the clips
 allowing you to select one
 different from the current
 clip number.

#37 {The S button]

 The "S" button locks the
 size and position of the
 frame box for animation
 sequences.
 If the capture box is
 locked, the X:Y position
 area is white numbers on
 a grey background.

 Click on the X:Y position
 display to match up the box
 to an existing clip set.
 Make the clip current and
 then click on the X:Y.

 If you are an
 experienced animator you
 are aware of the
 difficulties involved with
 maintaining the same
 capture box size and
 position and will
 appreciate these features
 which make matching up or
 adding to an existing set
 a breeze.

 Your backgrounds can be
 made to pan or move but you
 want to prevent camera
 jiggle from clips that are
 not aligned properly.

#42  {File]

 New Image creates a new
 file called TEMP.VCX.
 This is the only main
 picture file used. Any time
 a file is loaded into the
 program it copies it onto
 TEMP.VCX. You can exit, then
 come back at a later date
 and reload this file without
 saving it under another name.

 Clipboards or CLP frames are
 also individual VCX files
 that reside in the CLIPS
 subdirectory. If you load
 one via this main menu it
 will also be copied to
 TEMP.VCX preserving the
 original. Use [SAVE AS] to
 save under another name.

 Show Clips is a preview
 option and not meant to
 replace the normal method
 of converting to [PCX] then
 [AVI, MOV, MPG or FLI] etc.


#43  {Edit]

 Undo will undo the last
 operation when it can.
 Each time you select a
 tool it grabs the screen
 and when you choose Undo
 it will replace the
 screen to where it was
 at that time. You may
 find it undoes too much.

 You may then select Redo
 which appears in the menu
 after an Undo operation.
 Redo will replace your
 work to the point where
 you selected Undo.

 Select [Cut] and a new
 menu appears with various
 cut or copy options.

 Select Paste and a new
 menu appears with various
 paste options.

#44   {Image]

 Resize opens a menu that
 allows you to choose
 between entering the
 numbers manually or using
 a growing rectangle to
 select the new size.

 TEMP.VCX - the only file
 used - will be shrunk
 or enlarged according to
 the size you select.

 Flip and Mirror affect
 TEMP.VCX. To undo merely
 repeat the operation.

 Rotate affects [TEMP.VCX]
 and is very slow process.

 It is much faster to
 capture an area and rotate
 it as a clip, then [Load]
 the file and a copy will
 become the new [TEMP.VCX]

 Save palette saves the
 palette as *.PAL

 Sort/Map palette arranges
 the palette colors in order
 of brightness then maps
 the pixels from TEMP.VCX
 onto the new palette.

 Average Two Palettes is the
 best way to bring a clip
 with a different palette
 into the current image.

 It makes room by removing
 duplicate entries and
 incorporates the new
 palette where possible then
 maps both onto the new
 palette.

 If you [Load] a new palette
 into the program, the
 current image - TEMP.VCX -
 will not look right snd you
 may need to select this
 option to map TEMP.VCX onto
 the new palette.

 Mapping onto the global
 palette is to ensure
 compatibility with
 [Netscape] and other
 browsers. As palettes go it
 is not a very good one for
 maintaining image
 integerity. Use it as a
 last resort. Most palettes
 will not be a problem.
 If you plan to create an
 animated GIF for use on
 the World Wide Web, you
 might want to create the
 GIF by loading your
 frames converted to PCX
 by this program into
 Graphic Workshop available
 on the Internet. It will
 do palette adjustments at
 that time.

#45  {Options]

 Select Menu Colors to
 customize your desktop.
 Once you have set your
 preferred colors, the
 program will do its best
 to maintain those colors
 inspite of different
 palettes. When it cannot
 find the exact color it
 will use the closest match.

 Choose Tools is provided
 in case you missed the
 small arrow above the line
 thickness area on the
 bottom left.

 Enlarge Canvas will provide
 a larger amount of drawing
 room on your picture. It
 Enlarges TEMP.VCX without
 enlarging the image itself.

 Scratch Pad Activates the
 Pad like the Scratch Pad
 Button does.

 Color Dither use filters
 to enhance the image and
 increase detail.


 Text Size opens a menu
 which allows you to set
 the current font and size
 used by the Text Icon.

 EMPTY CACHE is an option
 to empty the subdirectory
 CACHE\*.* which the program
 uses for temporary files.
 In time it can become huge
 and eat up a lot of disk
 space. Empty it to free up
 disk space and virtual
 memory at any time.

#46  {Animate]

 Moving backgrounds will
 take an image you select
 and alter it in stages,
 capturing frames as it does
 to give the illusion of
 [panning and zooming] like
 a movie camera.

 Once this is done, a set of
 clips or frames with a BAK
 prefix \CLIPS\BAK1.VCX ...
 exists for you to then add
 foreground moving objects
 or characters to.
 In the [CAP] [BOX] it
 displays the BAK frame, then
 superimposes the new set
 onto the backgrounds.
 The new foreground set must
 have some [black] #0 or it
 may completely cover the
 backgrounds. Black is
 transparent.

 Copy clip set will copy
 a series of frames onto
 another prefix. This is
 to protect the originals
 or to allow you to change
 the new set and later add
 to the first to make a
 longer sequence.

 Save Clip Set prepares the
 clips for transport to your
 favorite movie making
 program like VID EDIT or
 Graphic Workshop, which
 take frames, in this case
 PCX files and connverts
 them to AVI, MOV or FLI or
 MPG to share with others
 or use on the Internet etc.

 Show Clip Set is a preview
 option and not meant to
 replace the real method
 which is to save as PCX and
 convert to AVI, MOV or MPG
 etc. The preview works
 on copies and leaves the
 originals alone.

#52  {Selecting Size]

 Select the Icon that
 coresponds to the amount
 of zoom enlargement you
 require. 2 4 or 8 times
 as large.
 You may use any tool
 on the zoomed area unlike
 most other draw programs.

 Drawing on a zoomed area
 allows for more accurate
 work and a much better
 finished product.

#53  {Zooming In]

 Move the rectangle over
 the area you wish to
 work on and [click Both]
 Mouse Buttons. The area is
 blown up and you may now
 draw, paint cut and paste
 etc on the blown up area.

 Undo and Redo will still
 work as well as the Scratch
 Pad and other tools. Some
 Palette tools will cause
 the area to be replaced
 prior to their use.

 You may not work on the
 other areas of the image
 until you replace the area.

#54   {Zooming Out]

 To replace the zoomed in
 area, merely click on the
 bar as stated there.
 If you select a menu button
 or palette tool, it will
 also zoom back to ensure
 that conflicts do not arise
 during file loading etc.

#55  {Zoom Undo]

 You may find that after
 working on a zoomed in area
 it didn't turn out as you
 had hoped. The Upper Menu
 Button Undo will not
 reverse that area after it
 has been replaced but you
 can undo that area with the
 Zoom Undo Icon. It only
 affects the area of the
 last zoom operation.

#62  {Capturing a Frame]

 Any clip or cutting can be
 an animation frame because
 they are all the same file
 type. A  VCX file. It is
 similar to a PCX or BMP
 type of file.

 Use any capture, cut or
 copy tool to capture an
 area of the screen to disk.
 Poly tools require you to
 lay out a series of points
 around the area and
 rectangle tools copy a
 rectangular area.

 The [CLP Number] will be
 incremented automatically.
 eg: CLIPS\CLP2.VCX then
 CLIPS\CLP3.VCX etc...
 CLP0 and CLP1 are used
 internally as virtual
 memory when working with
 clips.

#63  {Showing Frames]

 Under the menus File or
 Animate is an option Show
 Clips which preview your
 frames. You may wish to
 see your clips individually
 and so [Thumbnail] in the
 Scratchpad is provided as
 well as the [View] option
 located under the "[P]"
 button on the clip bar.

 [View] will do a quick
 size and display the clips
 along the top of the screen.

 [Thumbnail] will also map
 the colors which takes a
 few seconds longer to
 display.

#64  {Converting]

 Most animated movies found
 on the Internet etc are
 formatted into a file type
 that can be viewed by other
 people. Since most people
 Windows, [AVI] is very
 popular. The GIF format is
 the most prevalent on the
 Internet. To make an
 animated GIF, AVI, MOV, MPG
 or FLI movie, you will need
 a conversion program such
 as VID EDIT or Graphic
 Workshop to combine the
 frames, use compression,
 and put all your clips into
 one file.

 In order for this program
 to interface with these
 conversion programs you
 will need to convert your
 frames to PCX a file type
 that these other programs
 can read. They cannot read
 a VCX.

 Under the Animate Menu
 button is an option that
 will [Save Clips] which
 will handle this operation
 on a group or series of
 clips or frames.
 You may also [SAVE AS] a
 PCX individually if you
 wish. These other programs
 have the capacity to handle
 different palettes and
 VID EDIT easily sizes
 frames on the fly.

#65  {Full Screen Preview]

 Not to replace the proper
 method of conversion to AVI
 MOV or MPG etc but rather
 to see how your sequence
 would look full screen.

 This option under the Show
 Clips Menu, will size
 copies made of your clips
 to 320x200 VGA screen
 size, maintaining the same
 aspect ratio of the images,
 then play them back super
 fast full screen.

 Mouse Button 1 to slow down,
 Button 2 to speed up and
 and Both buttons to flip
 back and forth between two
 frames.

 This helps to find
 inconsistencies in your
 sequence. It works on
 copies only and leaves the
 originals intact.

#66  {Hints and Tips]

 Do your palette adustments
 on your first frame to save
 work later. Converting the
 palettes later is time
 consuming.

 Work with objects and
 characters on a [black]#0
 background because black
 is transparent when using
 the cut copy and paste
 tools. Then the series
 of clips with a black
 background can be placed
 on a series of background
 clips for more professional
 looking animation.

 When you have done
 something good, save it
 using the [SAVE AS] option.
 The program never harms
 originals because it only
 works on copies of the
 originals loaded into the
 program. [TEMP.VCX] is used.

 Clips are at risk of being
 overwritten so use
 different Clip Prefixes to
 protect them. Switching
 back and forth between your
 scratch work and your good
 finished product.

 If you wish to use the
 Shade Poly to add shading
 for more realistic looking
 images, do it last or you
 may have trouble matching
 up the shadows on the next
 frame.

#72  {Using The Pad]

 The scratch Pad is very
 handy for working with
 small bits of an object
 or character, or for
 referencing your
 [Thumbnail]s or for seeing
 how a palette mapped clip
 will look.

 It is just like having a
 scrap of paper on your desk.

 Click on the Button to
 display it and click again
 on the same button to put
 it back.

 The Pad itself has three
 buttons. One to move the
 Pad to another spot on
 your desk, one to handle
 loading saving and clearing
 of Pads, and one
 specifically for working
 with Clips or frames.
 On the left, middle, and
 right, of the top of the
 Pad itself.

#73  {Saving PADs]

 You may wish to save your
 [Thumbnail]s or other scrap
 pieces etc and so the
 option to save the contents
 of the Scratch Pad has been
 provided by clicking on the
 word "Scratch Pad" at the
 top of the pad itself.

 Select Save PAD and name
 the file with a PAD
 extension. Otherwise it
 will be lost when you
 exit the program.
 Each time you run the
 program a new pad is
 created.

#74  {Clip Hnandling]

 There are many Clip options
 under the right top button
 of the Scratch Pad. The
 operations they perform do
 not affect the clip
 permanently but work on
 copies. It is a good way to
 test how something will
 look prior to performing
 the operation on the clip
 itself.

#75   {Positioning the Pad]

 Use the top left button on
 the Pad to move the pad to
 another area of the desk
 top. It may be obscuring
 a part of the image you
 are working on.
 You can use the pad while
 zoomed in but you cannot
 zoom a portion of the pad.

**************************
line
 Click on a line thickness
 and it becomes the
 thickness of the lines you
 draw with.

arrow
 With all arrow buttons, if
 you click Button 1 on an
 arrow it increments or
 decrements by one. If you
 click Button 2 on an arrow,
 it increments or decrements
 by ten.

animation
 Any Clipboard or cutting
 can be thought of as an
 animation frame because
 they are the same file
 type. CLIPS\*.VCX

BOX
 A box area has been
 provided to use as a
 capture area for your
 animation clips. Click
 once it shows the box,
 click again it captures
 the area inside the box.

S
 Click on the S and the
 Capture Box size and
 position is locked. Click
 again and it is unlocked.

AVI
 These are common file types
 used for animated movies.
 Windows can play AVI's.
 You need a conversion
 program that can read PCX
 files to convert to them.
 VID EDIT or Graphic
 Workshop are available on
 the Internet.
 You can add sound etc and
 actually create your own
 movie or cartoons of a
 professional quality.

background
 A background can be a
 single image or series of
 images captured using the
 Moving Backgrounds option.
 CLIPS\BAK1.VCX...

black
 Black color #0 has a 0 on
 the color bar. It is the
 only color that is
 transparent when cutting
 and pasting. It is very
 important when placing
 characters on a background.

SAVE AS
 After you have finished
 drawing a picture and you
 want to save it, you must
 use SAVE AS to save the
 image under a different
 name. The program only
 creates and edits one
 file called TEMP.VCX.
 Each time you load a file
 it creates a new TEMP.VCX
 SAVE AS a PCX to allow
 other programs to load the
 images you create.
 Load a PCX to allow this
 program to edit images
 created with other programs

PCX
 A PCX file is an image file
 type that is common to
 almost all paint programs.
 Loading and Saving As a PCX
 allows compatibility
 between different programs.
 Conversion programs can
 convert a PCX to any other
 format such as GIF or JPG.
 The best conversion program
 and a must for any serious
 graphic artist is PAINT
 SHOP PRO available for
 Windows on the Internet.

Cut
 When you cut an area out
 it still becomes a
 clipboard or clip or frame
 and can be treated like any
 other VCX file. It will be
 placed in the CLIPS
 subdirectory using the
 current clip prefix
 eg: CLIPS\CLP1.VCX...

TEMP.VCX
 This is always the current
 image file being worked on.
 Load any new image
 eg: IMAGE.PCX  or CLP2.VCX
 and a copy will be converted
 to TEMP.VCX.
 A VCX file is very similar
 to a PCX or BMP image file.
 It is the file type used by
 this program. To transport
 your image into another
 program, SAVE AS a PCX

Load
 In the FILE menu is the
 option to load a file into
 the program. If the file
 you wish to load is a PCX
 it is copied to TEMP.VCX
 if it has a PAL extension,
 the palette will be loaded
 and the image unchanged.
 The image will probably
 need to be mapped to the
 new palette.
 If you load a ZIP file
 you will need a copy
 of PKUNZIP in your path.

Netscape
 A browser is a program used
 to surf the Internet. When
 you sign up for Internet
 access you get a free
 browser program which will
 allow you to use the
 Internet.

panning
 If you move a video camera
 from one side to the other
 this is called panning.
 You can recreate this
 effect by holding the
 camera still and moving
 the background instead.
 When you zoom in on an
 image it gets larger.
 Zoom out it gets smaller.
 You can recreate these
 effects using the
 Moving Backgrounds option.

CAP
 Click once on BOX and it
 shows the capture box area.
 The word now changes to CAP.
 Click on CAP and it
 captures the area of the
 screen inside the box to
 the next CLP number.
 eg: CLIPS\NEW1.VCX
 In this example NEW is the
 Clip prefix. The number
 will be incremented
 automatically.

Both
 Press Button 1 or 2 then
 while holding it down
 click the other button as
 well.

CLP
 In the left top of the
 screen is CLP or other
 clip prefix followed by
 a number with arrows for
 raising or lowering this
 number. Click Button 1
 on the arrow and it
 increments by one. Click
 Button 2 on the same arrow
 and it increments by 10.
 This number along with the
 clip prefix will form the
 name of the clipboard file.
 eg: CLIPS\CLP1.VCX or
 CLIPS\NEW34.VCX etc
 It is a fast and efficient
 way to handle clipboards
 or animation frames.
 Switch between prefixes to
 separate your scratch work
 from your animation frames.

View
 Under the "P" button on the
 Clip Bar at the top of the
 screen, is an option menu.
 One of those options is
 VIEW. Click on view and
 your clipboards or
 animation frames will be
 displayed in a row on the
 top of the screen.

 Click on an image and it
 is surrounded by a
 rectangle. Choose OK or
 click outside the box
 and the clip number is
 set to paste that clip.

P
 The "P" button opens a menu
 of options to paste the
 current clipboard that
 coincides with the current
 clip prefix and current
 clip number.
 eg: CLIPS\NEW2.VCX
 In this example NEW is the
 clip prefix and 2 is the
 clip number. A series of
 clips eg 2...32 can be
 used to create an animated
 movie. You need to convert
 them to PCX and then to
 a movie format using a
 program designed to take
 these frames and put them
 into one file using a form
 of data compression.
 VID EDIT or Graphic Workshop
 are available on the Internet
 to accomplish this.
 They will create an AVI or
 GIF animation file for you.

Thumbnail
 Available under the menu
 option Show Clips or
 in the Scratch Pad middle
 button. Thumbnail will
 display the clips between
 the numbers you enter.
 Unlike the VIEW option
 under the "P" button,
 thumbnail will map the
 colors allowing you to
 see the clip images even
 if they do not have the
 same palette.

Save Clips
 Once you have completed
 your sequence you can
 convert them to PCX and
 then export them to a
 movie making program.
 These movie making programs
 take individual frames -
 in this case PCX - and
 combine them into one
 file. VCX2PCX is used.

 It will size and convert
 them as such:
 CLIPS\CLP21.VCX converts to
 CLIPS\CLP21.PCX ...

 Once this is done, you
 can then load them into
 Windows, into perhaps
 VID EDIT to make an AVI
 or paste them into
 Graphic Workshop to make
 a GIF for use on a Web Site

 In the process they may
 add a video type of data
 compression which will
 make the file smaller.
 In order to share your
 animation with the masses,
 you need to convert the
 series into one easily
 handled transferable file.

  Standard Disclaimer
*******************************************************
  This program is the copyright property of Rick Sobie
  and any unauthorized use is prohibited.
  It is provided as is, free of any waranties or guarantees
  and I will not be held responsible for damages from its
  use or misuse.

Graphic Drivers
***************
   There are more BGI drivers in DRIVERS.ZI_
   You will need to unzip it. USe them at your own risk. You
   may need to reboot if they are incompatible.

   The graphic memory and adresses are machine specific. Dos -unlike
   Windows- makes no provision for graphic use. Therefore it is
   up to the individual to adapt to all the miriad of machines.
   This is done with the BGI interface. The screen can be
   adressed without problem but to paste requires graphic
   memory size and adresses that vary from machine to machine.

   The VESA256 driver will only paste to 64k because that is the
   largest block of graphic memory that applies to all machines.

   If you use the SVGA256 driver provided it contains high level
   routines to use all available conventional memory to paste.
   It is compliant to the vesa standard as well.
   It doesn't go into extended memory because that again is machine
   specific and would conflict with the programs use of memory.

   If you find an alternate BGI driver such as a Diamond Stealth
   driver, and you want to see if it will paste beyond the 64k
   limit, you will need to backup the existing SVGA256.BGI
   and rename the alternate driver SVGA256.BGI
   Do so at your own risk.

   The driver you wish to try must originally have a *.BGI
   extension. If it doesn't work you will recieve a graphics error
   message. If it does work, it may still have a 64k paste limit.
   If it does, it will merely not show the clip while pasting.

   In all cases it should still paste the clip to the screen
   but whether or not you can move the clip transparently to
   locate the spot to paste at, is the question.

   The animation you create with this program can be 1024x768
   or actually up to 4024x4024. You will just have to save
   your frames as PCX and then load them into Windows into
   VID EDIT or Graphic Workshop for WIndows.

   This program is designed to create AVI, MPG, MOV, FLI etc
   for use on the Internet. Due to the limitations of
   information transfer on the Internet, small animation
   frames are used exclusively anyway.
   That is why a 640x480 mode is best. Perhaps I will make
   a Windows version some time, but then, many of the unique
   features would have to be abandoned in order to conform
   to the standard interface.

   If you like to work in higher modes such as 1024x768 and
   find that the paste size is still too small, contact me
   for high mode version which foregoes the ability to
   shell to dos in order to provide a larger paste size.
   It costs a little more but it may be what you need.




