CompuServe Thread

#24 bit paint program

23 messages in this thread
#28702From: David PaschallApr 9, 1993 1:24 PM
Has anyone had success with GVP's Macropaint2. I just upgraded and the program crashes so often it is not very useful. It mainly crashes when I try to magnify part of the image. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Can anyone recommend a 24 bit paint program that works? David
#28719From: Black Belt SystemsApr 9, 1993 4:41 PM
Imagemaster's 24-bit paint "works". The very latest stuff from us, 9.51 which will ship starting Tuesday after the short vacation is over, has the one thing it was really missing – zoom. Other than that, it has more palette control, fill and draw modes and just "operations" than any competing 24-bit system on the Mac, PC or Amiga. It's NOT real-time, however; you should be aware of that. When you "do" a brush stroke, it'll be a moment before it's redrawn. Works best of AGA machines, but will run in stock ones if you're patient. –Ben …via AutoPilot
#28738From: Erik FlomApr 9, 1993 9:02 PM
Zoom?!?!? Yay! I'll be watching my mailbox . . . Thanks, Erik Flom
#28744From: Black Belt SystemsApr 9, 1993 11:52 PM
You bet. Nice zoom, too. :^) –Ben …via AutoPilot
#28768From: David PaschallApr 10, 1993 10:51 AM
Ben, Thanks for the reply. I'll call for the upgrade. Thanks. David
#28804From: Paul ToalApr 11, 1993 6:44 AM
Can Imagemaster find an area in a photo with out having to trace it? Kind of like when you would dodge and burn a photo. If you need to affect a small area, what controls do I have to do a fill that works in an area not defined by an absolute border, somewhat like a fade from one color/spread to another. Is this the version (9.51) that you wanted me to wait for to PowerUp? Can I do this over the phone with a VISA card? –Paul < Motorola Inside >
#28870From: Black Belt SystemsApr 12, 1993 3:27 AM
Imagemaster can do an excellent job of making ANYy effect "soft" just the way you desribe. The process is twofold; I'll describe it generally, since you don't have the software and an exact description would be rather pointless. Dodge and burn: Essentially, you "do" whatever it is you want to do; fill, contrast, solarize, really anything you like. Next, copy the change to another image buffer (Imagemaster can handle any number of images at one time, limited only by memory). Then you undo, which restores the image to its previous state. Now, recombine the change from the other buffer using one (or more) of Imagemaster's alpha channel tools and the "previous region" area select. One of the alpha tools is a simple to use soft edges type – just what you need. Others are more flexible and can do very complex operations regarding soft effects. 9.51 is just the ticket for a Power-Up that will leave you grinning. –Ben …via AutoPilot
#28752From: Bob FisherApr 10, 1993 2:33 AM
I assume, since your using MacroPaint, that you have an IV24. ImageFX is a natural for that platform with many powerful paint tools to compliment it's image processing prowess. Like Imagemaster it is not real-time but it allows you tthe ability to work in any Amiga resolution as well as several 24-bit resolutions. There's my two cents…for what it's worth… Bob Fisher
#28769From: David PaschallApr 10, 1993 10:52 AM
Thanks Bob. David
#28763From: Kermit WoodallApr 10, 1993 8:56 AM
ImageFX, also from GVP, has a great set of 24 bit paint tools as well as a wealth of image processing features. A nice bonus is that we also run directly on the IV24 so you can preview your work directly in 24 bits. We don't operate in real time, there is feedback of what you are doing, and the real image is redraw immediately after you finish whatever painting operation you've chosen completes. You can combine various draw modes with edge modes, alpha modes, color controls and more to create literally hundreds of drawing effects. Much fun! Kermit Woodall Nova Design, Inc.
#28770From: David PaschallApr 10, 1993 10:52 AM
Thanks for the reply, Kermit. I am nervous about getting software from GVP when I am having trouble with Macropaint2. My system is GVP combo in an Amiga 2000. Have you been able to use Macropaint? Is the real time aspect the problem? David
#28774From: Black Belt SystemsApr 10, 1993 2:41 PM
David, Mind you, we compete *directly* with ImageFX, so I think you should take this to heart: Both MacroPaint and ImageFX are not actually "GVP" products in the sense of coming from within the company. Both are made by outside groups and then *marketed* by GVP. In this case, the two "GVP" products are made by *different* external groups and so there is NO good reason to draw a comparison between the performance and/or reliability of ImageFX based on experience with MacroPaint. I realize you can't tell this without some insider knowledge, that's why I'm pointing it out. For my money, ImageFX is a much better product on both of those points, and Nova's shown a solid committment to backing the product from day one, which is considerably more than I can say for the other (MacroPaint). –Ben …via AutoPilot
#28780From: Peter GreciApr 10, 1993 5:54 PM
From what I saw of ImageFX at WOCA last weekend you have NO Worry about getting Kermitt's prg from GVP(ImageFX) I have their Cinemorph package and find it the FASTEST of all the Morpher's
#28821From: Kermit WoodallApr 11, 1993 1:46 PM
Thanks Peter…I should have also pointed out to David that he can download a demo of ImageFX/CineMorph from the libraries here on CIS. We released this demo to the public at WOCA in NYC and here on CIS at the same time. The demos are full program demos of both ImageFX and CineMorph with certain SAVE function disabled. Kermit Woodall Nova Design, Inc.
#28824From: Peter GreciApr 11, 1993 2:40 PM
Good Show matey. How Large are these files?
#28845From: Kermit WoodallApr 11, 1993 7:38 PM
The ImageFX demo is about 540k or a bit less. Large, but not surprisingly so considering we have both programs on this disk, plus demo images for experimenting with. Kermit Woodall Nova Design, Inc.
#28880From: Peter GreciApr 12, 1993 6:18 PM
Thanx for the info Kermitt. I think I'll pester my buddy into sending me a copy on Floppy. He keeps pestering me into selling him my Understanding Imagine 2.0 book so, I'll add that to the price heheheheheheheh
#28820From: Kermit WoodallApr 11, 1993 1:43 PM
David, you should contact customer support about the Macropaint2 problem, however Nova Design, Inc. aren't the same people who created MacroPaint2. We created ImageFX and GVP markets and distributes it. Kermit Woodall Nova Design, Inc.
#29089From: kevin kodamaApr 17, 1993 2:06 AM
this message is actually for Kermit, Perry or Ben 🙂 I am looking for an operator or effect which works like the Mac program "JAG", which is a *very* smart antialiasing tool specifically designed for antialiasing 3d rendered images-by analysing images, sharpening edges, smoothing transitions, etc. I have been trying to antialias Lightwave rgbs without reducing the file sizes (i.e. scaling) Imagemaster's antialias and ADPRO's blur, convolve, etc. do not seem to be antialiasing selectively- Does imageFX have a decent antialiaser ? Or will someone please write one 🙂 thanks kevin
#29244From: SyndesisApr 21, 1993 9:04 AM
I was a beta tester for JAG for Windows. I think you've answered your own question – you don't get JAG-like effects with standard sequences of blur, convolve, etc. It's got to be a "smart" technique. But that's not to say that I've always thought JAG was a bit expensive for essentially a single-function image processing program… 🙂 Or maybe I should write a similar program that simply turns IBM images into video-compatible, NTSC-valid colors, and charge $150 for it… 🙂
#29401From: kevin kodamaApr 23, 1993 10:25 PM
hi john, well, if you write a JAG like program for the amiga, i'll definitely pay you what I am going to have to pay for the mac version 🙂 btw, i know your views on writing converters for low-support platforms, i.e. wavefront, have a lot to do with the realities of the "hobby" amiga price market-but what *would* you charge for converters if the market were more mature ? For example, my brother creates his objjects on a SGI running Pro-Engineer. I take his .STL (stereolith) file and, using an AREXX program my brother also wrote, convert the file to .geo. However, .STL is all triangles. If the new lightwave can read splines, we would much rather convert the spline data (IGES) directly into LW, in which case a simple AREXX script will not do. What would a IGES converter run pricewise? we are thinking around 3-400 easily would be worth it, maybe more with full spline support… sorry for the length… kevin
#29413From: SyndesisApr 24, 1993 11:11 AM
When we first released the Wavefront Converter, it was $395. It's dropped to $295. DXF was $295, now it's $150. When the 3D Studio Converter was released a few weeks ago, we priced it at $150, too. There's been severe confusion about LW Pro's abilities regarding splines. The splines are only in Modeler, and although the spline info is actually stored in the file, LightWave only works with the polygonalized version, and you set the level of approximation in Modeler. It may not even be that flexible, I haven't explored it fully. There's no "surface patch" in LightWave Pro. IGES is darn tough, about 4 times as tough as DXF. I have been considering an IGES-out converter. You must realize that IGES is a veritable kitchen sink: it supports hierarchies of CSG objects combined with boolean operations, all sorts of geometric entities, just piles of stuff. Fortunately, most people can use the DXF converter instead of IGES. I've called the stereolithography people several times to get their format, and they ignore my requests. If you've got a spec, I'd love to see it. .STL should be easy to support. There's one guy in Texas who begs me to write one every nine months. He has his own converter, but it only works with Sculpt files. We've had a few requests to support Pro/ENGINEER neutral files. I have the spec on file, I think. If you've got some sample files, please send them to me. When I get the itch to work on a new format, I look for the spec, I look for sample files, and if I can't find both, I proceed to the next item on the stack. 🙂 It's tough. The higher-end formats are much more complex and problematic than the low-end Amiga formats. It's impossible for us to actually own all the hardware and software necessary to support them. The Wavefront, Digital Arts and soon the Softimage Converters were all developed via a painstaking beta process that involves a lot of files exchanged via modem or mail to our testers. The hobby modelers want every converter to be bundled and/or cost $30. They want to show off their modeler to their high-end buddies. The problem is, the rest of the customers actually own the high-end system, expect a good translation and good tech support. They're making thousands of dollars by using Amigas to model, then selling pricey renderings on their more expensive hardware and software. Our upcoming "Syndesis 3D-ROM" product is one way we're addressing this… It's a collection of more than 500 public domain objects, all converted to most of the formats we support. It's a way for hobby modelers to convert those objects they downloaded from CIS, to give to their friends in Wavefront .obj format.
#29271From: Black Belt SystemsApr 21, 1993 6:04 PM
There is no "jag-like" operation in Imagemaster at present, Kevin. –Ben …via AutoPilot