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#Color Palette Problems

13 messages in this thread

#191012From: Kenny ThomasSep 15, 1995 2:33 PM

When I save a .FLI from Animator Studio and then try to use Autodesk's DOS player (AAPLAY.EXE Ver 1) the color palette is all wrong. Using any Windows player all the colors are OK. I have the same problem with .FLC's. I have found one shareware DOS player which will play these flicks in the correct color (BUILDSV). I've saved the files as full palette, reserving Windows colors, 64 colors, mapped to a similar FLI (which had not been near AAS yet). I've tried every Windows video driver my S3 card allows. No luck. Have you heard of this before? Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? (I need to use FLI's becuase of the capabilities of the dinosaur systems the animations must run on.) Thanks, Kenny

#191065From: dave aguilarSep 15, 1995 9:23 PM

>> Have you heard of this before? Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? << i have. a few things to try. check out the downloadable AAPLAYHI update to AAPLAY which handles more chipsets and higher resolutions better. make sure you are using the 236 colors option (under settings) when saving as an FLI. if yhou still have problems, let me know… we'll look at graphics drivers but i'm not suspecting right now. -dave

#191431From: Kenny ThomasSep 18, 1995 1:43 PM

Thanks for the prompt reply. AAPLAYHI.EXE will play the FLI files from Animator Studio with the correct colors. However, we have an installed base of about 4500 systems ranging from AT's to 486DX33's using AAPLAY. I would really like to sort our the problem with it. I moved the particular flick and players to other systems (AT and a PS/2 70) to further verify this inconsistency. Saving .FLI files with either 256 or 236 colors DOES make a difference in the colors that AAPLAY displays, but neither are correct. I can take an FLI file that plays correctly using AAPLAY, open it in AAS, save it as an FLI file and then AAPLAY will not display the correct colors on any machine I've tried. I am a neophyte, but why switch to another player, if I am still only trying to display 300X200 at256 colors? The target systems are only running DOS. Is it any help to tell you, I have AAS version 1.0? Would it be any help to email a small "before and after" flick? I could use a shareware program (Animagician) to fix the palette after AAS does its thing, but its time consuming and I'd rather not. Thanks again, Kenny

#191466From: dave aguilarSep 18, 1995 4:33 PM

>> from AT's to 486DX33's using AAPLAY. I would really like to sort our the problem with it. << okay. then we'll make that our goal if this is possible. >> Saving .FLI files with either 256 or 236 colors DOES make a difference in the colors that AAPLAY displays, but neither are correct. << shoot. >> I can take an FLI file that plays correctly using AAPLAY, open it in AAS, save it as an FLI file and then AAPLAY will not display the correct colors on any machine I've tried. << there must be a re-organization taking place here at the palette level. i need to see these… any chance of my getting a before and after FLI? AAS version 1.0 may be guilty of this. but it's hard to say till i see your flics. >> Would it be any help to email a small "before and after" flick? << yes! ZIP'em down please when you send em. >> I could use a shareware program (Animagician) to fix the palette after AAS does its thing, but its time consuming and I'd rather not. << yep. i agree. send'em on and i'll try to make some sense of them. -dave

#191867From: Kenny ThomasSep 20, 1995 5:53 PM

Thanks again, I've zipped up two small flicks, before and after with a readme file explaining the particulars and sent them to you via regular mail. Keep me posted, Kenny

#191926From: dave aguilarSep 21, 1995 2:42 AM

>> I've zipped up two small flicks, before and after with a readme file explaining the particulars and sent them to you via regular mail. << kewl. i'll take a look at them and get back to you on them. -dave

#191538From: will taitSep 18, 1995 11:16 PM

Kenny, I am applying my Windows "identity" palette to flics in Premiere. First save from AAS with no compression. I usually do it as an AVI file though since it makes life easier for playback. I believe this will hold true for flics however. Will

#194346From: Samir DobricOct 6, 1995 4:44 PM

#194354From: dave aguilarOct 6, 1995 7:35 PM

>> I have read your answer about the AAPLAYHI update for AAPLAY. I am expiriencing terrible problems with pallettes with 256-color drivers (VGA). With 16 colors is everything OK. Is there any secure way to set the pallette of the FLC file to be the same as pallette in one specific bitmap? << yes. in Animator Pro you have complete control over the palette register values used. there are functions in Pro which will apply (fit) any palette (include a 16-color palette) to all frames in the flic. in other words, if there is a solution to this problem set, its cure also rests within the movie file itself. if you simply have FLCs and are using toolkits and players to work with the movie file, this will be difficult. -dave

#194468From: Samir DobricOct 8, 1995 4:14 PM

Hello Dave! >>yes. in Animator Pro you have complete control over the palette register values >>used. there >>are functions in Pro which will apply (fit) any palette (include a 16-color palette) >>to all frames >>in the flic. in other words, if there is a solution to this problem set, its cure also >>rests within >>the movie file itself. if you simply have FLCs and are using toolkits and players >>to work with >>the movie file, this will be difficult. Ok, if the problem can only be solved within of Animator Pro then I have to "catch" some of the messages being processed by player's window procedure. I had a similar problem a year ago with Multimedia Viewer 2.0 (Microsoft) and solved it with subclassing of the window. If there are some AAPLAY.DLL pallette internals considering messages (Repaint for example), please let me know. Samir Dobric Germany

#194481From: dave aguilarOct 8, 1995 6:26 PM

>> Ok, if the problem can only be solved within of Animator Pro then I have to "catch" some of the messages being processed by player's window procedure. I had a similar problem a year ago with Multimedia Viewer 2.0 (Microsoft) and solved it with subclassing of the window. << yup. same idea, Samir. -dave

#194347From: Samir DobricOct 6, 1995 4:47 PM

Hello! I have read your answer about the AAPLAYHI update for AAPLAY. I am expiriencing terrible problems with pallettes with 256-color drivers (VGA). With 16 colors is everything OK. Is there any secure way to set the pallette of the FLC file to be the same as pallette in one specific bitmap? I am working with AAPLAY.DLL to integrate FLCs into my Toolbook application. Sorry for posting this message twice, but I forgot to write what tools I am working with. Thanks Samir Dobric Germany

#194647From: will taitOct 9, 1995 9:56 PM

Samir, Are you using Toolbook 3.x or 1.5? The 3.x version has palette control for the book. Also you could open a flic in Premiere and save it as a .avi file with a palette of your own making (no compression) then save the .avi back out to a flic, or just play the .avi Will