MooVer creates a QuickTime movie from a sequence of Macintosh PICT data files dropped on it. It can also add a sound track if a System 7 sound file is dropped on it. MooVer works on both 68k-based Macs and the new Power Macintoshes, and requires at least System 7.0, and QuickTime version 1.6.1 or newer.
You can optionally "add subtitles" under each image frame. In this case, MooVer will subtitle each frame. It will either use the name of each PICT file, or, if there is a special "subtitle" text file in the same folder as the PICT files, MooVer will use each text line from this file for the subtitles instead.
The display size of the overall movie is determined by the size of the first image dropped in. All successive images, no matter what size they are, will be resized (scaled, not cropped) to fit the size of the first image.
MooVer can create QuickTime movies in either 256 colors (8-bit) or millions of colors (24-bit, or TrueColor.) If 256-color mode is used, then any 24-bit PICTs will first be dithered down to 8 bits before their frames are added to the movie. This is independent of any QuickTime compression settings.
MooVer is Shareware, and if you begin using it, you are asked to register it with esp Software for $10 US.
How To
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To use MooVer, do the following:
(1) Drag some PICT files onto MooVer.
(2) Answer the prompts for settings, compression and where to put the movie.
(3) Drag some more PICT files onto MooVer, they will be added on to the current movie.
(4) Choose "Close" or "Quit" to save and close the QuickTime movie as output.
(5) Repeat steps 1 through 4 to create new movies until you are dizzy, or out of disk space.
Example
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I have enclosed a sequence of PICT files that you can select and drag onto MooVer to create a simple computer animated movie. I wanted to include an interesting set of frames for a sample movie, but at the same time I wanted to keep this archive small. I hope this is a reasonable compromise.
By the way, this animation sequence was created by a Freeware ray tracing application I've helped build called POV-Ray Macintosh version 2.2. POV-Ray is available on the Macintosh and many other computer platforms. You can find the latest copy of this impressive application on CompuServe, America On-line, and the Internet (Also look for my book on POV-Ray, called "Ray Tracing for the Macintosh CD", published by Waite Group Press.) I have included the original POV-Ray scene source file that generated the frames, so that you may use it with POV-Ray to create a larger or smoother movie if you wish.
Quiet Mode
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If you do the same kind of movies over and over, you may wish to preset all the settings, and then just drop images on MooVer, and have MooVer just use the previous settings without prompting you for anything. To do this, drop an image on MooVer, and set up the settings the way you want. Close the movie, and select Settings from the File menu. Now turn off the checkbox called "Always prompt for these settings", and quit MooVer. MooVer will no longer prompt for anything, but will use your settings as defaults. Note that if an output movie already exists, you will NOT be prompted to replace it, it will automatically be overwritten. To turn quiet mode back off, just run MooVer, choose Settings from the File menu, and turn the "Always prompt..." checkbox back on.
More about Subtitles
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If you have the Subtitles checkbox off (the default), then a simple QuickTime movie will be generated, straight from the pictures. If you turn Subtitles on, then MooVer will overlay some text at the bottom of the image. MooVer will automatically put the name of the PICT file in the subtitle area, unless you do something special. If you want some subtitles other than filenames under each image, you must create a subtitle file. The subtitle file must be named "Subtitles", or it must be the name of the first PICT file, with any PICT file extension replaced by ".Sub". For example, if the first image was called "Red October.Pict", then you'd need a Subtitle file called "Red October.Sub". This subtitle file must be in the same directory as the first Pict file. The subtitle file is simply a text file, with each line holding text for the subtitle of that picture (First line goes onto the first frame, 2nd onto the 2nd frame, etc.) If a line is empty, the previous line is repeated in its place. If the subtitle file has no more lines, but more pictures are added, their frame subtitles will revert back to their file names.
Subtitle technical note: Currently the subtitle text is imaged right onto the image behind it, which means that any lossy compression will affect the quality of the text, and scaling the movie will scale the text in an ugly chunky way. A future version may split the text out as a separate track and use TrueType text for smooth scaling.
More about Sounds
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Currently, MooVer only accepts System 7 style sounds, that is, sounds like those dragged out of the system file. These are sound resource files of type 'sfil', and can be created by many standard sound recording programs (e.g. MacroMedia's SoundEdit 16/Pro). MooVer adds the sound at the BEGINNING of the movie, but later versions will start the sound at the last image frame dropped in. It is perfectly acceptable (but questionable) to drop multiple sound files on MooVer, they will all be played simultaneously at the beginning of the movie.
More about QuickTime Compression
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Sorry, there is not room to go into detail about the trade-offs of all the different QuickTime compression settings you can choose for your movies, that is beyond the scope of this Read-me document. However, I have found that for a good compromise of quality, compression, and speed of playback, the Animation compressor is quite good. If you want very high compression and can stand some small loss in image quality, and you are playing the movie very slowly (as in a slide show), you may want to use the JPEG compression at about 70%. These are just starting hints; you should experiment with your particular input files and use what works best for you.
Known Bugs
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The only known bug is that the movies created aren't quite the correct duration, and can sometimes exhibit odd behavior if programmatically single-stepped. I am going to look into the problem, and I hope to have it fixed in the next release.
History
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1.0a1, 5/93
First started designing and coding
1.0b13, 3/3/94
Fixed splash screen to take keys/clicks correctly, and added a POV-Ray-generated logo
1.0 final, 3/25/94
Finalized document, created example POV-Ray animation scene and PICTs.
1.1 beta, 9/1/94
Added registration logic, new MooVer and esp Software logos, added simple single sound import, started FLI/FLC work.
1.1 final, 9/1/94
Incorporated ideas and documentation fixes from beta testers, finalized documents, created Registration document.
Maybe Later
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After 1.1, these may be added:
-Multiple System 7 Sound Files and AIFF files can be dropped along the sequence, and they will be added as part of the sound track, starting at the frame they were dropped.
-FLI/FLC style (MSDOS) movies may be dropped on and converted to QuickTime movies
-separate the image and subtitle as independent QuickTime tracks
-save the subtitle track as TRUE text (better when scaled)
-allow even more user options for the final generation of movies
-allow FLI/FLC output, so we Mac guys can contribute MSDOS-readable movies
Of course, the most important options are the ones you decide need to be added. Please let me know how you are using this, and what you might like to see added!
Legal
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This application program is Shareware. It may be used by any individual to create movies for any purpose, personal or commercial. It may be distributed freely as a complete package with this documentation on BBSes, but it may not be sold for profit, or be distributed by Shareware companies or bundled with commercial software without prior permission from the author. Registering entitles you to use this program on one computer at a time. The author does not guarantee its fitness for any purpose. The author cannot be held liable for the software's use or misuse.
If you use this program often and you feel it is worthwhile, please pay for the program by sending the Shareware fee of $10 in US funds to esp Software. Please read and print the accompanying document called "Registration Form" for details on registering this software product. This registration is a one-time fee, and licenses the use of the software to you for all future releases of the Shareware version of MooVer. After you register, esp Software will e-mail or postal mail you a personal registration number. When you enter this number with your name, the initial "Please Register" dialog will no longer appear when you launch the application. Registering entitles you to notices of updates to this application, and also possible notices of any other new applications created by esp Software. Please help support the Shareware concept and Macintosh software development, register today.
