Clip2gif, in many ways, combines the abilities of graphic converters and Transparency into one easy-to-use program. It does this with a rather Spartan interface with no windows.
Clip2gif, in many ways, combines the abilities of graphic converters and Transparency into one easy-to-use program. It does this with a rather Spartan interface with no windows.
To use clip2gif simply launch it. Next select graphic options from the Options menu. Options include the ability to save files as in PICT, GIF, or JPEG formats. If the format is GIF, then you have the option of saving the file as an interlaced file and/or a transparent file. If you select JPEG, then you have a number of image quality options. In either the GIF or JPEG formats you have the options of selecting the number of colors in the image (pixel depth) and/or scaling the image.
After selecting your options, you can apply those options to graphic images in either of two ways. The first way is via the clipboard; by selecting "Save clipboard as..." from the File menu any PICT image in the clipboard is saved to the file name you specify. Alternatively, you can use the File menu's "Convert PICT file..." option to select a graphic from a dialog box. The selected file will then be duplicated and the selected options will be applied to the newly created file.
The only problem with this utility is that you never actually see the graphics you are manipulating. This isn't necessarily bad. It's just irregular for most Macintosh-based programs.
Clip2gif is also completely AppleScriptable. This means it can become an indispensable utility in common interface gateway (CGI) scripts that create graphic images "on the fly." The example called "See My Room" in the chapter on CGI scripting does just this. Please refer to that section for more information.
Eric last edited this page on September 26, 1995. Please feel free to send comments.