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ADORAGE MULTI - EFFECT - SYSTEM LIST OF CONTENTS 1. General information about Adorage ......................1-1 1.1. What is Adorage ? .................................1-1 1.2. IFF/SSA animations ................................1-2 1.3. Hardware and other requirements ...................1-3 1.4. Installing Adorage ................................1-4 1.4.1. Support/Registration card ................1-4 1.5. Loading and starting the program ..................1-5 1.6. Using graphics, text etc ..........................1-6 2. Elementary elements of Adorage .........................2-1 2.1. The user interface ................................2-1 2.1.1. Effect ...................................2-1 2.1.2. Sequence .................................2-2 2.1.3. Direction ................................2-2 2.1.4. Script ...................................2-2 2.1.5. Animation ................................2-2 2.1.6. Option ...................................2-2 2.1.7. Information/Status display ...............2-3 2.1.8. Other switches ...........................2-3 2.2. Working with Adorage ..............................2-3 2.2.1. The dialogue requesters ..................2-3 2.2.2. Information concerning inputs options ....2-4 2.2.3. Notes on keyboard inputs .................2-4 3. Tutorial - Initial experiments with Adorage ............3-1 3.1. Generating a movement effect ......................3-1 3.2. Generating a fade-in ..............................3-3 3.2.1. During the test calculation (test mode) ..3-5 3.2.2. During the calculation ...................3-5 3.2.3. Following the calculation ................3-6 3.3. Generating a fade-out .............................3-6 3.4. Appending fade-in and fade-out effects: ...........3-7 3.5. Short-cut/The ALT key .............................3-7 3.6. Creating an effect scene-change ...................3-8 3.6.1. The fade-in effect .......................3-9 3.6.2. The fade-out effect ......................3-9 4. Advanced program functions .............................4-1 4.1. The Script function ...............................4-1 4.2. The individual functions ..........................4-1 4.2.1. The 'Type' function ......................4-1 4.2.2. The 'Start' function .....................4-2 4.2.3. The 'Check' function .....................4-2 4.3. Ado-Prefs (default settings) ......................4-2 4.3.1. Screen position .........................4-2 4.3.2. Animation planes ........................4-2 4.3.3. Graphics buffer .........................4-3 4.3.4. Intermediate graphics storage ...........4-3 4.3.5. Effect interval .........................4-3 4.3.6. SSA/IFF animation .......................4-3 4.3.7. Effect duration in seconds/frames .......4-3 4.3.8. Old/New object selection ................4-3 4.3.9. Dialogue requester scrolling ............4-4 4.3.10. Memory path for IFF images ..............4-4 4.3.11. Save IFF images as ......................4-4 5. Basic Adorage tools ....................................5-1 5.1. The 'Sequence' field ..............................5-1 5.1.1. Starting image ...........................5-1 5.1.2. Running time .............................5-1 5.1.3. Stroboscope ..............................5-1 5.2. The 'Option' field ................................5-2 5.2.1. Workbench ................................5-2 5.2.2. Background ...............................5-2 5.2.3. Test .....................................5-2 5.3. The 'Direction' field .............................5-2 6. Animation field/Control ................................6-1 6.1. 'Play' subitem ....................................6-1 6.2. 'Change' subitem ..................................6-1 6.2.1. 'Screen position' function ...............6-1 6.2.1. The 'Intervals' function .................6-2 6.2.3. The 'Anim colours' function ..............6-2 6.2.4. the 'Play mode' function .................6-3 6.3. The 'File' subitem ................................6-3 6.4. The 'Delete' subitem .............................6-3 6.5. The 'Effect' subitem ..............................6-3 6.6. The 'Cancel' subitem ..............................6-3 7. Overview of effects ....................................7-1 8. Tips & Tricks ..........................................8-1 8.1. Interference .....................................8-1 8.2. Selecting an object ..............................8-1 8.3. Pixel-by-pixel selection, fine adjustment ........8-1 8.4. Using brushes ....................................8-2 8.5. Tips to remedy a lack of memory capacity .........8-2 8.6. Setting the centre ...............................8-2 8.7. LACE/Interlace ...................................8-3 8.8. Requester DF0: ...................................8-3 8.9. Foreground/background ............................8-3 8.10. Half-frames (for NTSC-users) .....................8-4 ADDENDUM ADORAGE V 2.0 9. The wreath effects .........................................Add-2 9.1. PLANE A ...............................................Add-2 9.1.1. Horizontal and vertical rotation of a plane .....Add-2 9.1.2. Horizontal rotation around a de-centralised centre with a spring and a large depth movement .......................................Add-3 9.1.3. Vertical rotation around a decentralised centralised centre with a spring and a large depth movement ..................................Add-3 9.2. PLANE B ...............................................Add-4 9.2.1. Both a tilt and a rotation around a central point with a depth movement .....................Add-4 9.2.2. Local rotation around the top right corner of the image with a depth movement ..............Add-4 9.2.3. Image appears with both a tilt rotation angle as well as a depth movement. It will be distorted and will become a spring effect .................Add-5 9.3. Helix .................................................Add-5 9.3.1. The image will fade in with great extension like a 'spiral fog' ..................................Add-5 9.3.2. The image will fade in with great extension like a 'spiral fog' and will be transformed like a dome .....................................Add-6 9.3.3. The fractals of the image will fade in like a dome, while simultaneously springing up and down Add-6 9.4. Comet .................................................Add-6 9.4.1. The fractals of the image will fly over the screen and turn in wide curves ..................Add-7 9.4.2. The fractals will be blowing in the 3D space, while transforming themselves like sheets in the wind .........................Add-7 9.4.3. First the image will fade in like a pirouette with big tracks, with the tracks becoming progressively smaller ...........................Add-7 10. The roll effects ...........................................Add-8 10.1. Curl (6 variants) ......................................Add-8 10.1.1. Spring intensity .................................Add-8 10.1.2. The graphic will fade in like a curl. The position will change from the top to the bottom while the curl radius becomes progressively smaller ....Add-9 10.1.2. The graphic will fade in like a curl. The position will change from the right top to the left bottom of the screen, while the curl radius decreases. During this, the spring will hold it back to the centre of the screen .................Add-9 10.1.3. The image will fade in and draw together like a curl. Then it will expend to the full image. The spring intensity will influence the vertical move Add-10 10.2. Roller (3 variants) ....................................Add-10 10.2.1. Spring intensity .................................Add-10 10.2.2. The image will fade in from the left like paint off a roller. The horizontal and vertical displacements help strengthen the 3D effect ......Add-10 10.2.3. The image will fade in from the right like paint off a roller. The roller will transform from the large start radius to the small end radius. The X and Y values result a local 180 degree contortion Add-11 10.2.4. The image will roll in from the left and right simultaneously ...................................Add-11 Annex 1: Index 1. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ADORAGE 1.1 WHAT IS ADORAGE Adorage is a multi-effect system, i.e. it includes an infinite number of options for the generation of video effects, as used in television. The main feature of Adorage is the generation of high-grade fade-ins, crossfades and dissolves between computer graphics or images and, as if by magic, between computer graphics and a running video signal, which presupposes the use of a Genlock. This means, for examples, that a graphic image or text can scroll on a running video image and rotate about several axes before exploding out of the screen, whereupon the second scene commences, in which a logo is brought in undulating only to disappear again in a spiral nedula - just one example of the unbelievably wide range of options offered by Aborage. Adorage was primarily developed for the video user. This has resulted in a optimum combinations of the quality required for professional applications and ease of operation for "home video film makers" who often have little knowledge of computers. Apart from this, rapid calculation of the effects was also one of the main objectives, as neither professional nor hobby users like having to put up with long calculation times. Adorage also offers "presenters" as a secondary feature, which provide an ideal tool for the incorporation of high-quality digital effects into presentations that are controlled by other programs. Whoever uses Adorage has the opportunity to play back calculated computer animations at a rate of 50 frames per second for the very first time. This has been made possible by the SSA format, one of our own developments. There is therefore hardly any difference between the resulting film and a professional production, generated using incredibly expensive hardware. Adorage can also be used to produce professional results on a "small" Amiga, which are merely accentuated on a "large" Amiga, of course. Page 1-1 1.2 IFF/SSA ANIMATIONS There are several distinguishing criteria which differentiate between IFF animations and SSA animations. IFF animations are generated and played back as complete single images by means of so-called page- flipping. The advantage of IFF animation is to be found in their compatibility. This means that e.g. IFF animations which have been generated in Adorage can be imported and played back in DPaint and then, e.g. in Scala. This format presents serious disadvantages in all other respects, However. The quality of the animation leaves a lot to be desired when larger quantities of data are involved. Apart from this, They require a lot of memory space. The SSA animation format is new. Frames are calculated and played back in this format. SSA = Super Smooth Animations; data is compressed to a much greater extent, which is indicated by the modest memory requirement. These advantages ensure a considerably higher degree of flexibility in the realisation of animations. BY THE WAY You will find that SSA offers the better alternative sooner or later. When this happens, and you are annoyed because all of your other animations buck and refuse to be played back as smoothly and gently as those produced with Adorage, do not worry - there is a solution - clariSSA. clariSSA, which is also a proDAD product, offers a means of converting Standard IFF or AnimS animations into the SSA format to which you have become accustomed with Adorage. And that is not all. clariSSA offers a further 40% improvement (compared with Adorage) with respect to the smooth, natural playback of animations. this means that you can even improve the quality of an Adorage animation, so if an animation starts bucking in Adorage, simply import it into clariSSA for smooth, non-bucking playback. Apart from this, you can combine graphic formats and palettes independently of the animation in this program, as a different palette can be used for each frame !! clariSSA also offers a lot of useful cutting functions, which allow you to inject the Page 1-2 animations into videos and presentations. It goes without saying that you can also combine animations produced by different programs to produce a single one - all in all a incredible number of facilities for versatile animation. Find out more - you`ll be pleased you did! NOTE: SSA-Animation in ADORAGE can only be created with INTERLACE - PICTURES! (vertical resolution min. 512 rows) IFF Single frame sequences cannot be played back with ADORAGE. 1.3 HARDWARE AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS As mentioned above, Adorage was originally developed in a professional environment for professional applications, where larger-scale system configurations are usually found, as far as storage media and memory capacity are concerned. In spite of this, Adorage also offers a means of producing amazing effects on smaller AMIGA systems. HOWEVER: The greater the capacity of the main memory (FastMem), the greater the volume of data which can be processed and the better or smoother the effects. Apart from this, the memory capacity limits are soon reached for higher-level graphics formats if you wish it use a lot of colours (EHB), for instance, or high resolution (e.g. Hires 256 colours). RECOMMENDED: AMIGA xxxx with at least 4 Mbyte Chip/FastMem, hard disk PREREQUISITE: AMIGA xxxx with at least 1 Mbyte. You can more or less disregard the ChipMem, the 0.5 Mbyte of the older AMIGA`s is quite adequate here, as the data is generated by Adorage is stored in the FastMem. Adorage is capable of running on systems with Kickstart 1.2 and above. The ECS resolutions are supported from Kickstart 2.x and systems with Kickstart 3.x and above, which also enable the use of the AGA modes, can use these in Adorage. Adorage does not support Amiga`s HAM mode, as the typical HAM fringes mean that these are not particularly well suited for fade-in, crossfadding and dissolving. Page 1-3 Furthermore, the computing times for these modes are very long, whereby there is virtually no noticeable differences between e.g. 256 colours in dithering mode and HAM. Integration of the HAM modes into a future version of Adorage is quite conceivable if there are interesting developments in the hardware configuration. When choosing a monitor, always make sure that if a flicker fixer card is installed, it can be deactivated. This counteracts the SSA affect of Adorage, so that the sequences of effects do not appear smooth, at least not on this monitor. The smooth, natural playback of the animations remains unaffected at the Amiga`s video output or via a Genlock. Actually, we must mention that the use of a Genlock is really obligatory, because this is what turns the Amiga into a really professional video machine. A genlock offers the only means of synchronising the Amiga and video signals, in order to superimpose one on top of the other. And this is the only way to obtain fade-in to the running video image. 1.4 INSTALLING ADORAGE Before installing the program, first make a backup copy of the disk. When the Adorage disk is inserted, the Adorage symbol (icon) appears on the Amiga workbench. A double click (left-hand mouse button) on this icon opens the Adorage directory. This directory contains an icon with the name "HDInstall". Drag this icon to the hard disk partition of your choice (e.g. Work:) and start the installation program with a double click on the icon. The program now creates an Adorage directory which is where the Adorage program will be located following installation. 1.4.1 SUPPORT/REGISTRATION CARD Please remember to return the registration card. If you do not do this, we will not be able to help if you have any problems. If you do have a problem, please call us at proDAD, we will be happy to help you any way we can. Alternatively, you can always send us a letter or a telefax, of course. Another adventure of returning your registration card is that we will keep you informed of any new developments in the software field. Page 1-4 1.5 LOADING AND STARTING THE PROGRAM Start the program with a double click on the "Multi-effect software" icon. Adorage runs in parallel with other programs in multi-task mode without any known problems, although the available memory capacity is the predominant factor here as well. Programs which are not absolutely necessary should not be run in parallel, as they take up an unnecessary amount of memory capacity. Adorage has been programmed in such a way that it does not require any ChipMem. The advantage of this is that the ChipMem required for the operation of these programs as DPaint, is at the full disposal of such programs. At any rate, the command "FastMemFirst" should be entered in the start-up sequence when Kickstart 1.2 is used to ensure full utilisation of the FastMem. On starting, Adorage creates a RAM disk, although this RAM disk is not reset-proof. We decided not to use a reset-proof RAM as this initially requires a certain amount of memory capacity, which is available to different extents according to the respective configuration. We therefore decided to leave this to the discretion of the individual user. Once the program has been loaded, the user level appears on screen, which is described in more detail in the following chapters. If any problems occur during start-up, these are displayed in a GURU-type requester. Appropriate measures, e.g. release memory, are then displayed and must be implemented accordingly. 1.6 USING GRAPHICS, TEXT ETC. All you need to bear in mind when importing graphics is to ensure that the graphic images have been stored in standard IFF format beforehand. As far as screen resolutions and number of colours are concerned, this IFF format can be processed in any form with the exception of HAM. Text must therefore also be available in the IFF graphics format. If you are using a background image, make sure that the palette and the resolution formats are exactly the sane as for the foreground image. The program draws attention to any operating errors in this respect. Page 1-5 THE USER INTERFACE 2 ELEMENTARY ELEMENTS OF ADORAGE 2.1. THE USER INTERFACE *** See Fig 2-1 *** The first thing that you notice when looking at the user interface is the perspective design which offers both visual and practical advantages. This becomes evident when you click on a switch. If the switch was raised beforehand, it is virtually pressed inwards when clicked and a red pilot symbol appears for "active". This indicates which switches are currently active or inactive. The "Test" switch or "Background" switch is activated and/or the "Workbench" deactivated, for instance, as soon as the program is started. The subdivision of specific logically related areas or fields, such as "Effects", "Script" or "Modes" is a further advantage. 2.1.1. EFFECT All of the basic effects with the corresponding switches are presented here. "Pressing" one of these switches activates the associated effect. PAGE 2-1 2.1.2 SEQUENCE *** See Fig 2-2 *** This field is used to define specific parameters and to set direction for the effects, which together fundamentally affect the subsequently calculation and sequence. The field is activated by clicking on the parameter display. 2.1.3. DIRECTION *** See Fig 2-2 *** This field is used to specify whether the effect is to calculated as a fade-in or as a fade-out (out/in). 2.1.4. SCRIPT *** See Fig 2-2 *** No text in manual 2.1.5. ANIMATION *** See Fig 2-2 *** Following calculation, the finished animations are further processed and controlled in this field. 2.1.6. OPTION *** See Fig 2-2 *** Basic items, which are preset for each mode, can be programmed in this field: Workbench on/off Background on/off Test on/off Page 2-2 2.1.7. INFORMATION/STATUS DISPLAY The full-width field at the bottom of the screen is used to display various items of information while you are working with the program. Problem messages or options for various switches are displayed here automatically. 2.1.8. The `Adorage-Prefs` can also be used to program default settings. Information concerning the system, i.e. memory management or information about specific image data can be requested by activating the '???' switch. 2.2. WORKING WITH ADORAGE 2.2.1. THE DIALOGUE REQUESTER The dialogue requester play a critical role in simplifying Adorage operation. Critical because requesters of this type accompany the user from the beginning right through to the finished product, which in this case is the effect i.e. appropriate information is provided for each individual step. This makes it virtually impossible for the user to overlook subitems and ensures full utilisation of the program. A dialogue requester is characterised by the following features: General information or option(s) is/are displayed in yellow text. The mouse can be used to select the various items by clicking on the corresponding switch/activated switches are also displayed in yellow text, whereas deactivated switches are displayed in grey text. Virtually all requesters contain the item `Cancel` which can be used to interrupt the generation of an effect from any working step, for example. Pressing the `RETURN` key executes the operation for the switch displayed in yellow text. Page 2-3 If the ALT key is held down, the program runs through the requesters in succession, adopting any previously selected settings, such as the position of the graphic object or definition of the background image. 2.2.2. INFORMATION CONCERNING INPUT OPTIONS Using the mouse: The mouse is used for most of the essential input options in the Adorage program. The right-hand mouse button can be used to cancel an effect calculation operation. It goes without saying that the mouse is also used for other functions in certain subitems, which will be described in greater detail in a later chapter. 2.2.3. NOTES ON KEYBOARD INPUTS Apart from using the keyboard to enter the input values, it can also be used to activate various functions which facilitate operator control: FUNCTION Keys enable speed selection for sequence ==> strobe ALT KEY like a click with the left-hand mouse button; when held down, it has the same function as a `continuous mouse click`, i.e. runs through all steps, adopting the previously set values (yellow text). Apart from the standard functions, the keyboard can also be used for other useful functions in various situations. Page 2-4 3 TUTORIAL - INITIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH ADORAGE 3.1. GENERATING A MOVEMENT EFFECT TUTORIAL CONTENT * Effect selection * Effect variants * Loading a foreground image * Test calculation * Animation calculation STARTING POINT: * Adorage start-up * The following are set on the user interface: Option field: "Background" inactive, "Test" active How to generate the fade-in effect "moving upwards": 1. Click on "Move" effect (Effect selection) *** See Fig 3-1 *** 2. Click on "Up" (Effect variant) 3. Foreground image appears, click on "File selection" 4. File requester `Load foreground image` appears 5. Select and load "Logo_IFF" with a double click 6. Graphic image appears, click left-hand mouse button to confirm 7. Requester "Select object for further processing" appears, click on "Whole image" 8. Calculation requester appears 9. Click on !Yes" for a test calculation 10. The animation is calculated for viewing (i.e. without recording) 11. To view again, simply press `ALT` 12. Press the right-hand mouse button to cancel 13. User level appears again Page 3.1 Having generated this fade-in effect, all you need now is a calculation of the animation. To obtain this, proceed as follows: 1. Deactivate the `Test` switch in the option field 2. Activate `Start` in the `Script` field *** See Fig 3-1 *** 3. A calculation requester appears on the screen, asking whether the calculation is to include recording of an SSA animation. 4. Click on "Yes" 5. The program calculates the effect 6. The program returns to the user level automatically on completion of the calculation. Proceed as follows to play back the effect: 1. Click on the "Control" switch in the "Animation" field *** See Fig 3-1 *** 2. The `Animation processing` requester appears 3. Click on "Play" to activate stand-by for playback 4. Start the effect with the left-hand mouse button 5. The effect is played back continuously in SSA mode 6. Right-hand mouse button = terminates playback Page 3-2 3.2. GENERATING A FADE-IN Knowledge of the fundamentals described in the previous chapters is required in order to understand the following section: Animation generations always commence with the section of the basic settings: OPTION FIELD : * Background image (on/off, here: active) * Test (on initially) * Workbench (deactivated if possible) DIRECTION FIELD: The flow direction for the animation is defined here. * forwards/out (to fade out) * backwards/in (to fade in) <== active initially SEQUENCE FIELD: * Starting image = 0 * Changing the running time to 2.0 * Stroboscope value = 0 The effect is selected first of all. Each effect comprise several variants, on the other hand, and different settings, which when combined add up to produce an infinite number of possible effects. The effects and their variants are described in the Annex. ACTUAL EFFECT EDITING: Example 1. Click on `Scroll` 2. The effect variant requester appears 3. Select the effect variant (here `right/middle`) REQUEST FOR SELECTION OF THE FOREGROUND IMAGE 4. Click on foreground image/file selection 5. The file requester opens 6. Select the graphics file (in this case `Logo_IFF`) 7. The graphic image with the proDAD logo appears 8. Press left-hand mouse button to confirm selection 9. Requester for background image selection appears 10. Click on "Empty image" = no function Page 3-3 SELECTING THE OBJECT FOR FURTHER PROCESSING 11. Click on "with the mouse" 12. A selection rectangle appears * Left-hand mouse button alters the size of the window * Position the window rectangle by click marking between the two lines outlining the object with the left-hand mouse button, moving the mouse at the same time. * Right-hand mouse button = inverted display of the area with simultaneous move facility * ESC key = display just the selected object 13. Define the proDAD logo as the object so that the window contains the complete logo. 14. Click on the little box in the top left-hand corner of the window (close gadget) with the left-hand button of the mouse to terminate the object definition operation 15. To position the foreground object against the background (empty image), first activate the "Define position" switch in the following requester. 16. The window is now displayed as a cross-hair cursor for positioning. 17. Press the ESC key once to return the graphic image to the screen. 18. Keep the left-hand mouse button pressed and move the graphic image 19. Having reached the desired position (e.g. bottom left), click on the close gadget to terminate the positioning operation. THE SUBSEQUENT REQUESTER OFFERS THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS: * Define the position again * "Foreground/Object", in response to the prompt "Move which screen?" * "Background" in response to the prompt "Move which screen?" * Move nothing * Cancel in order to return to the "Select object" operation 21. At this point, click on "Foreground/Object" 22. The calculation requester "Preview/Test ?" appears * "No" = cancel * "Screen position" to change the position of the screen => also refer to 4.3.1 * "recording as SSA" = super smooth animation calculation * "Yes" = preview calculation Page 3-4 * "Colour definition" = to change the colour used in the graphics => also refer to 6.2.3 for a description * Select "Yes" here to start the test calculation * The program now calculates the animation for viewing; it is not recorded CALCULATION AS AN SSA ANIMATION Deactivate "Test" mode Click on Script/Start Acknowledge requester with "yes" The program calculates the animation Please also read the following chapters. For playback, proceed in the same way as described for the example on page 3-2 and read item 3.2.3 carefully. 3.2.1. DURING THE TEST CALCULATION (TEST MODE) A strobe effect can be built into a provisional calculation. This is achieved by pressing the function keys, to which continuously ascending stroboscope values have been assigned. These are displayed behind the colon in the "Sequence" field. The Shift key can be used to interrupt the calculation. The animation calculation operation is resumed when the Shift key is pressed again. Pressing the Alt key terminates or repeats the calculation. To calculate the actual animation, terminate the test calculation with the right-hand mouse button. Then deactivate the "Test" switch in the "Option" field, click on the "Start" switch in the "Script" field and respond to the question "Calculation recording as an SSA animation?" with "Yes". The program then calculates the animation. 3.2.2. DURING THE CALCULATION You have the option of deactivating the screen while the program is calculating the animation. To do this, keep the left-hand mouse button pressed until the screen goes dark (you may have to repeat this step as the screen can only be deactivated every xth interval). Another mouse click reactivates the screen. Page 3-5 3.2.3. FOLLOWING THE CALCULATION Adorage returns to the user interface having completed the calculation. Now activate the "Control" switch in the "Animation" field. The animation control level appears on the screen. Information concerning the animation appears in the top section of the screen, with the switches for animation editing options below (==> refer to chapter 6 "Animation field/Control"). Activate the "Play" switch; the animation screen appears. Play back the SSA animation by clicking the left-hand mouse button. Clicking the right- hand mouse button terminates or exits the animation. 3.3. GENERATING A FADE-OUT The situation after "Generating a fade-in" must have been reached for this example. The faded-in graphic image is to be faded out again after a period of e.g. 2 seconds. 1. Terminate playback, if applicable (click right-hand mouse button) 2. Change the user level of the "Effect" switch 3. Activate the "out" switch in the "Direction" field 4. Deactivate the "Background" switch and activate the "Test" switch in the "Option" field 5. The graphic image is faded out (without moving against the background) 6. Click on "Scroll" ==> Effect selection 7. Select "left/wide" ==> Effect selection 8. Acknowledge the fore ground image requester with "From the animation" 9. Respond to the following requester with "Last image" to declare the last image from the animation as the basis for the next (out) effect (confirm with left-hand mouse button) 10. Define selection of the object for further processing "with the mouse" again. 11. Define the proDAD logo as the object in suck a way that the window contains the complete logo. (Same procedure as for the previous example) 12. Confirm the object with "Adopt values" in the subsequent requester 13. Respond to the "Preview" calculation requester with "Yes". 14. View the calculation and terminate with the right-hand mouse button when ready. 15. Deactivate the "Test" switch in the "Option" field on the user interface. 16. Click on the "Start" in the "Script" field to start the calculation as an SSA animation with "Yes" Animation played back as described on page 3-2 3.4. APPENDING FADE-IN AND FADE-OUTS If Adorage is used to calculate animations, the individual calculations are attached to one another in succession. Please ensure that both the graphics format and the palette are the same for each effect. It will not be possible to link them to one another if this is not the case. PREREQUISITE: Animation from the previous 2 examples Proceed as follows if you wish to fade in the same graphic object "fade- in" as a `Wave` effect: Please program the following settings before hand: * "Direction" = "in" (= fade-in) * "Background" = deactivated * "Test" = activated 1. Select "Wave" ==> Effect selection 2. Select "right" and "fine" ==> Effect variant 3. Select "Repeat graphic image" to confirm reprocessing of the previously used graphic image ==> Graphic selection 4. Define the object in the same way as before ==> Graphic object 5. Start the test calculation 6. Deactivate the "Test" switch and start the actual calculation in the same way as before 7. If you look at the animation now, you will find that the wave effect has been appended. 3.5. SHORT-CUT/THE ALT KEY If you wish to fade the logo out, you can take a short-cut. The magic word is "Alt" key. Please program the following settings beforehand: * "Direction" = "forwards" or "out" (= fade-out) * "Background" = deactivated * "Test" = deactivated Page 3-7 1. Select "Fragment" ==> Effect selection *** See Fig 3- 1 *** 2. Select the "wide scatter" column "very fine" ==> Effect variant The following procedure is sufficient from this point onwards: 3. Keep the ALT key pressed until the calculation requester appears, than release. You may now activate the test calculation or move straight to the SSA animation calculation. This procedure cuts out the object definition and positioning items. The program calculates the animation for subsequent viewing. NOTE: As already mentioned above, you can start pressing the ALT key from any requester onwards. You can also press it for each effect or for every effect variant, of course. This facility cuts out the subsequent steps leading up to the calculation, offering a simple means of previewing several variants of an effect in test mode before passing it on for final calculation as an animation. 3.6. CREATING AN EFFECT SCENE-CHANGE Using Adorage to change the scene is basically very simple. This manual does not describe each individual operation step by step, but rather more explains the basic principle. You should certainly have familiarised yourself with the fundamental program functions with reference to the examples above beforehand. A full-scale image of any format is required in Overscan, whereby the colour 0 must not have been used in generating the image. This image is adopted as the foreground image. The AMIGA signal in then mixed with the video signal using the Genlock. Page 3-8 3.6.1. THE FADE-IN EFFECT First erase all previous effects with Animation/Control/Delete/All images, then change to the user interface with "Effect". 1. Select "Wind" ==> Effect selection 2. Select "Helix" and "medium" ==> Effect variant 3. Load the selected image ==> Graphic selection 4. `Whole image` ==> Graphic object 5. Calculate initially for viewing, then as an SSA animation 3.6.2. THE FADE-OUT EFFECT Please program the following settings beforehand: * Background = off * Direction (out) * Running time: 1 second 1. `Fire` ==> Effect selection 2. `Fine` ==> Effect variant 3. `Repeat graphic image` ==> Foreground image 4. `Whole image` ==> Graphic object 5. First calculate for viewing, then as an SSA animation Now change the interval between two effects to 30 seconds. To do this, select "Animation"/"Control", then click on the "Change" gadget. All items which can be modified are listed here. First select "Interval"/"Strobe", then select "Change all intervals". Define an effect interval of 30 seconds by entering 30 and pressing the Enter key. Now return to the control level with "Cancel" and playback the animation with "Play". You will now find that the interval between the fade-in effect and the fade-out effect has been changed to 30 seconds. Page 3-9 You can also control the interval manually, however, by pressing the left-hand mouse button when you wish the interval to start. The interval continues until the left-hand mouse button is released, partially starting the fade-out effect. Proceed as follows to realise a SCENE-CHANGE: 1. Record the video signal (from play-in recorder 1) 2. Fade the Amiga signal (graphic image) in on the required scene. (1st effect = Wind) 3. Keep the left-hand mouse button pressed 4. Start the new scene (play-in recorder 2) 5. Release the mouse button at the right moment, the image is faded out (2nd effect = Fire) The effect scene-change is complete. (You do not need 2 play-in recorders, as you can use a single play-in recorder to wind forwards or backwards between different scenes) Tips: Experienced users can obtain even better results using more sophisticated equipment. If the last image in a scene is digitised, for example, freezing the image, it can be dissolved with a fade-out effect while the next scene is already running in the background. This can only be achieved with correspondingly sophisticated cutting techniques, of course, but if a lot of colours are used, the results are certainly comparable with professional productions. The examples and descriptions above are intended to give you inspiration. Study basic ideas, use your own graphics, try out all of the functions and practice using the numerous editing aids that Adorage offers. Every user will eventually be capable of using the program effectively and to the full. This manual does not describe the IFF mode in any great detail as the procedures are more or less the same and the points at which they differ are adequately explained by the dialogue requesters. All you need to do if you wish to generate IFF animations is to switch over from SSA to IFF in the Ado-Prefs. The animations are then generated in the RAM in the form of frames and can be imported to DPaint, for example, as single-frame sequence. Page 3-10 4. ADVANCED PROGRAM FUNCTIONS 4.1. THE SCRIPT FUNCTION Instead of having to save a complete, calculated effect, all you need to do is to save a script. Proceed as follows for this: A script comprises a maximum of two effects (starting and closing effects). The closing effect is subject to certain limitations, but you will be advised of these during editing in Adorage. Proceed in the manner described above to generate a starting effect (normal effect creation). If you wish to add a closing effect, on the other hand, always calculate the starting effect in test mode (programmable in "Option") beforehand. This is necessary as the final calculated image in the starting effect constitutes the basis for calculation of the closing effect. Having run through the starting effect one in test mode, you can deactivate test mode again if you wish, the intermediate image has been recorded. Now switch over to `Closing` in the Script/Type field. The program then generates the effect and you can subsequently play the complete script back with `Script`/`Start`. You can also store the script in the memory by selecting "Check"/"Save" which means that you can calculate the script again at a later date with the "Load" function. "Delete" offers you the option of erasing the entire script (`A`) or just closing the effect (`B`). 4.2. THE INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONS 4.2.1. THE `TYPE` FUNCTION A script comprises a starting effect and a closing effect. If you wish to edit both of these, a test calculation of the starting effect is followed by a test calculation of the closing effect in test mode. The settings which are programmed while editing the effects are stored with the effect to which they apply. * Starting: Starting effect * Closing: Closing effect Page 4-1 4.2.2. THE `START` FUNCTION If a script, comprising one or two effects, has been edited or loaded, it can be activated, i.e. started for calculation, with the `Start` function. The calculation of an animation is also started with this function following the preview in test mode, as the preview is basically nothing more or less than a test run of the script with the newly programmed settings. 4.2.3. THE `CHECK` FUNCTION Scripts can be loaded, saved or deleted with this function. 4.3. ADO-PREFS (default settings) Ado-Prefs is called by clicking the mouse. This screen explains the option for the default settings which apply to Adorage. 4.3.1. SCREEN POSITION If you click on 'Screen position' the bar cursor for the mouse appears on the screen, you can use the cursor arrow keys to move the screen, accurate to a pixel. Pressing the HELP key during the move operation has the effect of an undo. The Undo option is available once the mouse has been clicked again and, apart from this, the standard values from the start-up sequence can be adopted. Any screen chaos can be attributed to excessive screen movement. To remedy the situation, press the HELP key once. 4.3.2. ANIMATION PLANES This value is usually managed dynamically by the program. It can also be changed manually, however. This is necessary, e.g. if an animation to be calculated is expected to require a lot of memory capacity. This function is used to reserve the number of bit planes the number of bit planes (not images) to be calculated in advance. This means that Adorage gathers up garbage during calculation operation, which results in efficient utilisation of the memory capacity. Page 4-2 4.3.3. GRAPHICS BUFFER Loaded graphics are buffered for further processing, ensuring uninterrupted effect generation. Apart from this, the Adorage user interface is also stored on the ram disk as Adorage`s dynamic ChipMem management deletes the user interface if necessary, in order to obtain additional memory capacity. It is then loaded from the RAM disk following termination of the effect generation operation. 4.3.4. INTERMEDIATE GRAPHICS STORAGE The last calculated image (this also applies after a calculation has been cancelled) is put into temporary storage so that it can be used for subsequent calculations. This offers a useful facility when working with script animations. 4.3.5. EFFECT INTERVAL You can determine the effect interval by clicking the mouse on `+` or `- `. It specifies the length of interval between two effects, i.e. how long one graphic image is to be retained before the 2nd effect takes over on the screen. (Can also be adjusted with Control/Change/Interval). 4.3.6. SSA/IFF ANIMATION This setting selects the animation format to be generated by Adorage. Please refer to Chapter 1.2 `IFF/SSA animations` for more detailed information about the two formats. 4.3.7. EFFECT DURATION IN SECONDS/FRAMES This setting determines whether the effect duration is entered and displayed in seconds or frames. 50 frames correspond to one second. 4.3.8. OLD/NEW OBJECT SELECTION The old object selection procedure has been integrated into this program to provide a familiar technique for those users who do not wish to change to a different method. New users should familiarise themselves with the new selection procedure. Page 4-3 The new object selection facility includes the following functions: A frame, similar to the workbench or window type, is used to select the object. The rectangular window comprises the upper edge, which allows the window to be moved when the mouse button is held down. Clicking the mouse cursor on any other point enables the reduction/enlargement of the object. The filled rectangular close gadget in the top left-hand corner is used to terminate the graphics selection operation. These functions are assigned to the left-hand mouse button. If the right-hand mouse button is used for these functions, the graphics image is displayed as an inverse image, which facilitates definition of the object in some cases. 4.3.9. DIALOGUE REQUESTER SCROLLING When the dialogue requester scrolling function has been activated, the requesters are scrolled over the screen from the bottom to the top. The requesters simply appear on the screen when this function is deactivated. 4.3.10. MEMORY PATH FOR IFF IMAGES This item appears if you have chosen IFF animations as the core image format. You can enter the path for storage of IFF ANIMATIONS, i.e. the disk drive and the corresponding sub directory in which the animation images are to be stored, e.g. `DF0:Images/` 4.3.11. This item appears if you have chosen IFF animations as the core image format. IFF ANIMATION images are stored under the general label name. This name comprises a 10-character identifier, with a consecutive number assigned for each frame. These numbers are assigned by the program and are required for subsequent lading in e.g. DPaint. Enter the name after selecting `Label name` and press RETURN to terminate the operation. Page 4-4 5. BASIC ADORAGE TOOLS 5.1. THE "SEQUENCE" FIELD *** See Fig 5-1 *** The "Sequence" field is in the lower part of the user interface, on the left-hand side. To activate this field, click on the field below it with the left-hand mouse button. You can then enter data for the order, starting image, running time, and stroboscope, using the ENTER key to switch from one field to the next. 5.1.1. STARTING IMAGE Starting image: Xth image from an existing animation which constitutes the starting point for the next animation to be calculated. 5.1.2. RUNNING TIME Number of images = number of frames, or the effect duration in seconds, which make up the animation according to the calculation; the higher the number, the slower the effect and the greater the required memory capacity. PAL television standard: 1 second corresponds to 50 frames NTSC television standard: 1 second corresponds to 60 frames Specify the input format - seconds or frames - in Prefs. 5.1.3. STROBOSCOPE Stroboscope Graduations in the animation to produce an intentional, homogeneous bucking effect. 0 Without strobe effect Bear in mind: the strobe effect takes up more memory capacity in the animation. Page 5-1 5.2. THE "OPTION" FIELD The following options are available: * Workbench on/off * Background on/off * Test on/off 5.2.1. WORKBENCH "Workbench" is only significant if you are running short of memory capacity. Deactivating this item releases a further 40 kbytes of memory. 5.2.2. BACKGROUND You can use a background image if this item has been deactivated. This may be e.g. an empty image, which enables positioning of a graphic object. Alternatively, you can use another graphic image as the background image, enabling crossfading from one graphic image to the other. If you`re working with a background picture, make sure that the graphic format and the colour palette is the same like the foreground picture. 5.2.3. TEST The effect can be previewed in test mode if this item has been activated. This means that the animation is not calculated, but the individual phases are displayed as they will subsequently appear. If used in conjunction with the ==> ALT key, you can run through several effects with a single graphic image at lightning speed. The preview rendering can be aborted with click on right mouse button. 5.3. THE "DIRECTION" FIELD As the name already implies, this item offers the facility os specifying the flow direction for an animation. There are two directions: * (out) - to fade a graphic image out * (in) - to fade a graphic image in Page 5-2 6. ANIMATION FIELD/CONTROL Only affects operations in SSA mode (set in the ==> Prefs) All functions required for subsequent processing of animations that have already been calculated are call in this field. Adorage offers a wide range of editing functions for changes and information. Click the left-hand mouse button to activate "Control". The subitems described in this chapter appear on the screen. Some buttons like play are only available, when a SSA - Animation is calculated or loaded in memory. 6.1. "PLAY" SUBITEM Used to play back a generated animation: it opens the graphics screen and the effect sequence commences with the next click of the left-hand mouse button. You can override the programmed intervals between the animations manually by clicking the left-hand mouse button when the interval starts. The animation is frozen until the mouse button is released. 6.2. "CHANGE" SUBITEM Enables various changes to generated animations. 6.2.1. "SCREEN POSITION" FUNCTION Click on "Search" Used to select an image or an interval from an SSA animation. Adorage waits for a click with the left-hand mouse button. After the mouse button, the animation runs until the next interval/sequence (click with right-hand mouse button = cancels the "Search" function). The search resumes when the left-hand mouse button is clicked again. Once you have found the image that you have been looking for, confirm by clicking the right-hand mouse button (do not confuse this with the cancel operation, as this can only be used between two actual effect intervals, i.e. during effect playback). This search function can also be used to change palette or intervals. Page 6-1 Once you have reached the required image, interrupt the search function with the right-hand mouse button, then use the cursor (arrow) keys on the keyboard to change the position of the image. Having successfully change the position, confirm by pressing the ENTER key. The following switches are then available for selection: * OK: activates the position changes that have just been made * Undo: ignores the position changes that have just been made * Startup: activates the original values 6.2.2. THE "INTERVALS" FUNCTION This function is used to alter the intervals between individual animation sequences. You can either search for just one interval that you want to alter or you can change all intervals to a specific value. You can also change the strobe setting with this function, whereby the value is changed from a particular point onwards. To search for an image ==> "Search" (previous item). 6.2.3. THE "ANIM COLOURS" FUNCTION To search for an image: ==> "Search" (item 6.2.1.) This function can be used to change the palette for animation following calculation. The advantage of this is that once the graphic image has been positioned and superimposed onto the Genlock image, any undesirable colour overlays or unsuitable colour combinations become visible, intensified by the Genlock image, and you can alter these retrospectively. The colour requester offers the item `Selection` for you to choose the colours. Clicking on `Selection` with the mouse enables you to click onto each colour in the graphic directly, which is then displayed inversely. A click with the right-hand mouse button returns you to the requester. You can now use the RGB shift (RGB = Red, Green, Blue) to alter the colour. Click on the `View` item with the mouse to check the results. `Undo` returns the most recently altered colour to its original state, while `ALT` returns the complete palette to its original values. Use the `+` and `-` keys to run through the colours in the palette successively; this facilitates colour selection. `OK` confirms the set values. `Canc` cancels the colour change function. `I` is used to move the requester vertically (`Shift` key => returns the requester to its original position) Page 6-2 6.2.4. THE "PLAY MODE" FUNCTION "continuous": an animation is repeated continuously "without update": the last image in an effect is not erased "play once only": one run followed by an empty screen, click with the right-hand mouse button terminates this idle state 6.3. THE "FILE" SUBITEM Use to load, save or delete an effect. It is also possible to link animations to one another with "Append", i.e. attaching existing effects to one another. The same file requester is used for each function to maintain a certain amount of transparency. Animations can only be appended to one another, however, if they all use the same resolution and palette. 6.4. THE "DELETE" SUBITEM Enables the deletion of a complete animation or individual sequences "Search" ==> Chapter 6.2.1 Having found the required point, all of the subsequent images can be deleted. * "All images": deletes all of the images in the animation * "Last effect": deletes the most recently generated effect 6.5. THE "EFFECT" SUBITEM This subitem changes to the user interface in order to generate a new effect and returns to this animation processing level immediately afterwards. 6.6. THE "CANCEL" SUBITEM Cancels the animation functions; returns to the user interface Adorage information: ??? Page 6-3 Activating `???` on the user interface calls a SYSTEM OVERVIEW to the screen, which contains useful information regarding memory capacity and the images currently being processed. This information may be essential to subsequent operation with Adorage. If Adorage does not operate properly, this can usually be attributed to a lack of memory capacity, and can be analysed precisely in `???`. You can then take suitable measures, such as deactivating the workbench or the intermediate memory, to remedy the situation. Page 6-4 7. OVERVIEW OF EFFECTS The following overview assumes that the direction has been set to `in`. If this has been set to `out`, the information applies to the effect accordingly. The new "Whirl" *** See Fig 7-1 *** and "Roll" effects *** See Fig 7-1 *** are described in the instruction manual for version 2.0. LOGO CHECK *** See Fig 7-1 *** * Pattern: Diagonal check pattern * Coarse opening: The graphic image is generated from several openings * Single lines: The graphic image builds up vertically * Chequerboard: Chequered graphic display * Fine opening: Like coarse opening, but with more, finer openings * Double lines: The graphic image builds up vertically with double lines LOUVRE *** See Fig 7-1 *** * Horizontal: Horizontal louvres The figure specifies the number of louvres used * Vertical: Vertical louvres The figure specifies the number of louvres used The graphic image is built in louvres. The size of the louvre is determined by the size of the graphic image and the selected number of louvres. Page 7-1 FRAGMENT *** See Fig 7-1 *** * Wide scatter * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra * Narrow scatter * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra "Fragment" causes a graphic image to explode into several parts. `Wide or narrow scatter` determines the distribution of the individual fragments on the screen. The values below these refer to the size or gauge of the fragments. The finer the fragment, the longer the time required and the more memory capacity required. FIRE *** See Fig 7-1 *** * Wide scatter * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra * Narrow scatter * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra `Wide or narrow scatter` determines the distribution of the individual segments on the screen. The values below these refer to the size or gauge of the segments. The finer the parts, the longer Page 7-2 the time required for calculation and the more memory capacity required. Unlike "Fragment", "Fire" causes the graphic image to "fall into itself" in the centre before exploding. The following applies to both `Fire` and "Fragment": Each finer grade ==> requires approx. 4 times the computing capacity WILD CHECK *** See Fig 7-1 *** * 8 x 8 * 10 x 10 * 15 x 15 * 22 x 22 * 25 x 25 * 28 x 28 Wild check puts the graphic image together with checks according to the random principle. The grade determines the way in which the graphic image is distributed over the individual checks. The size of the check increases with the size of the graphic image. CIRCLES *** See Fig 7-1 *** * Radius: The graphic image is generated from its radius * Diameter: The graphic image is generated from its diameter * Fan: The graphic image is built up in the form of a fan, with two pie wedges * Propeller: The graphic image is built up in four pie wedges * Double fan: Like fan, but with 4 wedges * Zermedes: Like fan, but with 3 wedges Page 7-3 MOSAIC *** See Fig 7-2 *** * very coarse * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra The graphic image is put together like a mosaic, whereby the grade is determined by the switch designations. The size of the mosaic pieces does not increase with the size of the selected window. SCROLL *** See Fig 7-2 *** * Left/shallow: The graphic image is scrolled in from the left: shallow scroll * Left/medium: The graphic image is scrolled in from the left: medium scroll * Left/wide: The graphic image is scrolled in from the left: wide scroll * Right/shallow: The graphic image is scrolled in from the right: shallow scroll * Right/medium: The graphic image is scrolled in from the right: medium scroll * Right/wide: The graphic image is scrolled in from the right: wide scroll Page 7-4 DASHES *** See Fig 7-2 *** * Horizontal dashes: Horizontal lines from two directions with vertical offset * Horizontal wedges: Horizontal wedges from two directions with vertical offset * Horizontal slide: Parts of the image slide into one another on the horizontal plane * Vertical dashes: Vertical lines from two directions with horizontal offset * Vertical wedges: Vertical wedges from two directions with horizontal offset * Vertical slide: Parts of the image slide into one another on the vertical plane * Horiz. coarse slide: The image is divided into a comb-like pattern then regenerated * Horiz. fine comb: Like coarse, but with finer screening * Vert. coarse comb: As above, but scrolling the image vertically * Vert. fine comb: As coarse, but with finer screening PIECES *** See Fig 7-2 *** * Dot: The graphic image emerges from the centre in 4 directions * Line: The graphic image emerges from the centre in 2 directions * Mill: The graphic image emerges from the centre twisted * Vertical duo: The graphic image is produced in two vertical parts * Horizontal duo: The graphic image is produced in two horizontal parts * Vertical Press: The graphic image is pulled vertically in two directions from the centre * Horizontal Press: The graphic image is pulled horizontally in two directions from the centre Page 7-5 MOVE *** See Fig 7-2 *** * right: Moves the graphic image to the right * left: Moves the graphic image to the left * down: Moves the graphic image to the down * up: Moves the graphic image to the up * to the left: Move the graphic image across the entire screen to the left * to the right: Move the graphic image across the entire screen to the right * left/top: The graphic image appears from left/top * right/top: The graphic image appears from right/top * left/bottom: The graphic image appears from left/bottom * right/bottom: The graphic image appears from right/bottom Spring movements = IS = programmable in Spring Acceleration movements = IA = programmable in Spring WINDOW *** See Fig 7-2 *** * Dot: The graphic image emerges from the centre as a window * Line: The graphic image appears from its vertical centre * Mill: The graphic image emerges from the centre turning clockwise * Parts: The graphic image in 4 parts, horizontal and vertical * Vertical duo: The graphic image simultaneously appears from the top to bottom and vice versa * Horizontal duo: The graphic image simultaneously appears from left to right and vice versa Page 7-6 WAVE *** See Fig 7-2 *** Undulating movements * very coarse * coarse * medium * fine * very fine * ultra * spacial * left * top * bottom * right WIND *** See Fig 7-2 *** Various effects using segments which move as if blown by a wind. Variants: * Fall/F * Channel/F * Helix/F * Flag/S Can be changed according to the spring constant and by moving the central point. Page 7-7 8. TIPS AND TRICKS 8.1. INTERFERENCE The term interference is used to describe a conspicuous flicker affecting some pixels during movements along the vertical axis. Proceed as follows to prevent this sort of interference: 1. Generate the required effect (e.g. move up or down) 2. Terminate animation play mode with a click on the right-hand mouse button 3. Select `Cancel` to return to the user interface 4. Click on `Script` / `???` 5. The information menu appears 6. Note the `Optimum value for vert. movement (yellow text) 7. Mouse click = return to the user level 8. Click on the mouse on the `Sequence` display field 9. Leave the `Starting image` value at 0 (RETURN) 10. Enter the optimum value from the information menu for `No. of images` (RETURN) 11. Leave the `Stroboscope` value unchanged (RETURN) 12. Recalculate or append the corrected animation (for comparison if applicable) 13. Deactivate `Test` 14. Activate `Script` / `Start` 15. Acknowledge `Record as SSA` with `Yes` 16. Animation is calculated as described above 17. Playback as described above Observation: this 2nd animation is much more clearly defined i.e. no flicker. 8.2. SELECTING AN OBJECT If problems occur while selecting a graphic object, you can remedy the situation in the following way ESC. key: display the defined object only Right mouse button: inverse display of the graphic image to intensify the contrast Page 8-1 8.3. PIXEL-BY-PIXEL SELECTION, FINE ADJUSTMENT Keep the left-hand ALT and Amiga keys pressed down and use the cursor keys to move the object or change its size. 8.4. USING BRUSHES A special trick in Adorage enables the recognition of graphic images which were stored as brushes when they are loaded. This works in the following way: 1. Store a brush of e.g. 120 * 150 pixel in the graphics program e.g. DPaint, activate Background 2. Commence effect editing 3. Load the brush in Adorage as a graphic object 4. Define an empty image as the background 5. Define`Whole image` as the selected graphic object 6. When positioning on the empty image, you will notice that the program has recognised the actual size of 120 * 150 7. Terminate effect editing. 8.5. TIPS AND REMEDY A LACK OF MEMORY CAPACITY Terminate unnecessary tasks Clear the RAM disk Delete brushes and sketches in graphic programs running in parallel Deactivate Option/Workbench, i.e. close. 8.6. SETTING THE CENTRE A centre can be set for certain effects. This centre may have a drastic affect on the appearance of an effect. In the `Flag` variant of the `Wind` effect, for example, you can move the centre into a corner of the screen to produce a sort of 3D whirl. You can also use this facility in the `Fire` effect to define the direction from which the segments come together to produce the graphic image. These are just 2 examples, but experiment yourself. That is the best way of exploring the possibilities. Page 8-2 IMPORTANT: If you move the centre away from the centre of the screen, the other radii will increase the increments between the individual images. The displacement between the images (delta) increases as a consequence of this. This is why an animation suddenly becomes longer. The risk of bucking is also greater, of course, as the processor is more occupied with delta displacement. 8.7. LACE/INTERLACE For creating SSA-Animations, you must always use INTERLACE (LACE) IFF graphics. If you don`t use interlace pics, you`ll see an error message like this: "cannot create animation, picture format contains no LACE" With NON interlace picture, you can create IFF single-frame sequences, which can be played back with other software like Deluxe Paint or clariSSA. 8.8. REQUESTER DF0: If you continually get a requester saying "please insert df0: in any drive: With Ado-Prefs you can set the used paths as preset paths. First, render an effect, choosing the proper paths for the images. Next click on "Ado- Prefs" then click on "save". This defines the previously used paths (foreground, background etc.) as presets. 8.9. FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND When using a background image, make sure that both pictures have the same colour palette and the same screen format. Page 8-3 8.10. HALF-FRAMES (FOR NTSC-USER) The manual makes reference to "half-frames", which are also known as "fields". In NTSC (the standard for TV broadcasting in the United States), there are 30 frames per second, and 60 fields per second (two fields make one frame). In other words, an animation of one second has 60 half-frames. PAL: 25 frames = 50 fields NTSC: 30 frames = 60 fields Page 8-4 ADDENDUM ADORAGE V 2.0 AGA COPYRIGHT proDAD 1993 NEW FEATURES: * Many new effects * New effects freely definable with user-supplied parameters * Better rendering-performance * New GUI * Supports AGA modes up to 256 colours THE NEW EFFECTS NOTE: To reproduce the effects in the following examples, the images must always be centred on the screen. Other positions will work, but will produce results other than what is described. You can use the graphic !Logo_IFF" in drawer "Images", so you must not use an empty screen as a back ground-pic to place the image selection. This is a Hires-INTERLACE graphic for creating Super-Smooth-Animations (SSA). Page ADD-1 9. THE WREATHS EFFECTS *** See Fig 9-1 *** This icon is the third effect in the last row. DESCRIPTION Causes segments of the image to appear like wreaths or planes. CENTRE POINT Choose the centre point with the left mouse button. Clicking the right mouse button confirms the new centre point. centre of the object: Normal rotation of the segments centre point for from centre: Wide rotation of the segments. More memory will be used and there will be greater possibility of jerkiness in the animation playback. SPRING INTENSITY high spring intensity: Variable effects possibilities. More memory will be used and there will be a greater possibility of jerkiness in the animation playback. Low spring intensity: Possibly smoother playback. 9.1. PLANE A GENERAL INFORMATION Rotation angle: XY - level 0 = normal position of the objects. ==> angle speed Tilt angle: XZ - level 0 = actual position of the objects. Moving depth: factor for depth distortion DIFFERENT PARAMETERS FOR NICE EFFECTS Because the Wreath effects can be time consuming, we recommend you use "Very Coarse! for test renderings and "Fine", "Very Fine" or "Ultra" for SSA recordings. Page ADD-2 9.1.1. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ROTATION OF A PLANE. PARAMETERS Effect Length: 1.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 720 Tilt Angle: 360 Move Depth: 0 Centre: Central 9.1.2. HORIZONTAL ROTATION AROUND A DECENTRALISED-CENTRALISED CENTRE WITH A SMALL DEPTH MOVEMENT PARAMETERS Effect Length: 1.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 0 Move Depth: 30 Centre: Central 9.1.3. VERTICAL ROTATION AROUND A DECENTRALISED-CENTRALISED CENTRE WITH A SPRING AND A LARGE DEPTH MOVEMENT PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 0 Tilt Angle: 360 Move Depth: 30 Centre: Central Spring intensity: 100 Page ADD-3 9.2. PLANE B GENERAL INFORMATION Rotation angle: XY - level 0 = normal position for the objects ==> angle speed Tilt angle: XZ - level 0 = normal position of the objects Moving depth: Factor for depth distortion Distortion: Factor for spectral projection 9.2.1. BOTH TILT AND A ROTATION AROUND A CENTRAL POINT WITH A DEPTH MOVEMENT PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 360 Move Depth: 20 Distortion: 0 Centre: Central Spring intensity: 100 9.2.2. LOCAL ROTATION AROUND THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE IMAGE WITH A DEPTH MOVEMENT PARAMETERS Effect Length: 3.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 0 Move Depth: 50 Distortion: 0 Centre: TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE IMAGE Spring intensity: 0 Page ADD-4 9.2.3. IMAGE APPEARS WITH BOTH A TILT ROTATION ANGLE AS WELL AS DEPTH MOVEMENT. IT WILL BE DISTORTED AND WILL BECOME A SPRING EFFECT. PARAMETERS Effect Length: 0 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 360 Move Depth: 50 Distortion: 500 Centre: top left of the image Spring intensity: 40 9.3. HELIX GENERAL INFORMATION Rotation angle: XY - level 0 = Normal position for the objects ==> angle speed Tilt angle: XZ - level 0 = Normal position of the objects Extension: Percentage expansion in relation to the rotation angle Diminution: Fractal diminution at the centre. Positive = Fractals at the centre are large and projecting outward. Depth: The higher this parameter, the more depth the object has. This is only noticeable, if a tilt angle is used. 9.3.1. THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN WITH GREAT EXTENSION LIKE A "SPIRAL FOG" PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.0 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 0 Extension: 100 Diminution: 0 Depth: 0 Centre: centre of the image Spring intensity: 0 Page ADD-5 9.3.2. THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN WITH GREAT EXTENSION LIKE A "SPIRAL FOG" AND WILL BE TRANSFORMED LIKE A DOME. PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.0 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 180 Extension: 100 Diminution: 100 Depth: 100 Centre: centre of the image Spring intensity: 0 9.3.3. THE FRACTALS OF THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN LIKE A DOME, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SPRINGING UP AND DOWN PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 180 Tilt Angle: 360 Extension: 100 Diminution: 200 Depth: 200 Centre: centre of the image Spring intensity: 60 9.4. COMET GENERAL INFORMATION Rotation angle: XY - level 0 = Normal position for the objects ==> angle speed Tilt angle: XZ - level 0 = Normal position of the objects Extension: Percentage expansion in relation to the rotation angle Diminution: Fractal diminution at the centre. Positive = Fractals at the centre are large and projecting outward. Depth: The higher this parameter, the more depth the object has. This is only noticeable, if a tilt angle is used. Page ADD 9-6 9.4.1. THE FRACTALS OF THE IMAGE WILL FLY OVER THE SCREEN AND TURN IN WIDE CURVES PARAMETERS Effect Length: 2.0 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 360 Extension: 100 Depth: 300 Centre: top left corner of the image Spring intensity: 0 9.4.2. THE FRACTALS WILL BE BLOWING IN THE 3D SPACE, WHILE TRANSFORMING THEMSELVES LIKE SHEETS IN THE WIND. PARAMETERS Effect Length: 1.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 360 Extension: 200 Depth: 200 Centre: centre of the image Spring intensity: 50 9.4.3. FIRST THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN LIKE A PIROUETTE WITH BIG TRACKS, WITH THE TRACKS BECOMING PROGRESSIVELY SMALLER. PARAMETERS Effect Length: 1.5 secs Effect Direction: in Rotation Angle: 360 Tilt Angle: 1500 Extension: 100 Depth: 250 Centre: centre of the image Spring intensity: 20 Page ADD-7 10. THE ROLL EFFECTS *** See Fig 9-1 *** This is the fourth effect in the last row. DESCRIPTION The effect group will Roll will cause the image to roll on the screen based on geometric forms like curls and rollers. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ROLL EFFECTS Start radius: Roll radius at the beginning of the effect. End radius: Roll radius at the end of an effect. X - value: X - displacement from the Centre per 360 degrees (positive values only !) Y - value: Y - displacement (can be negative or positive value) Contortion: Rotational speed of the image Note: If the value is too high, the graphic will tear apart) Relation %: the relation between the X - and Y - resolution 10.1. CURL (6 VARIANTS) 10.1.1. SPRING INTENSITY The spring intensity is very important to influence the curl effects. Please experiment with this value to see the effect! Page ADD-8 10.1.2. THE GRAPHIC WILL FADE IN LIKE A CURL. THE POSITION WILL CHANGE FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM, WHILE CURL RADIUS BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY SMALLER PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Curl down A Effect length: 1.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 100 End Radius: 10 X - Value: 5 Y - Value: 30 Contortion: 90 Relation %: 70 Spring: 0 10.1.3. THE GRAPHICS WILL FADE LIKE A CURL. THE POSITION WILL CHANGE FROM THE RIGHT TOP TO THE LEFT BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN, WHILE THE CURL RADIUS DECREASES. DURING THIS, THE SPRING WILL HOLD IT BACK TO THE CENTRE OF THE SCREEN. PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Curl up A Effect length: 2.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 80 End Radius: 20 X - Value: 20 Y - Value: 40 Contortion: 180 Relation %: 50 Spring: 50 Page ADD-9 10.1.4. THE IMAGE WILL FADE AND DRAW TOGETHER LIKE A CURL. THEN IT WILL EXPAND TO THE FULL IMAGE. THE SPRING INTENSITY WILL INFLUENCE THE VERTICAL MOVE PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Curl down C Effect length: 1.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 80 End Radius: 50 X - Value: 30 Y - Value: 20 Contortion: 180 Relation %: 30 10.2. ROLLER (3 VARIANTS) 10.2.1. SPRING INTENSITY The spring intensity will have no influence with this effect. 10.2.2. THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN FROM THE LEFT LIKE PINT OFF A ROLLER. THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISPLACEMENTS HELP STRENGTHEN THE 3D EFFECT PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Roller right Effect length: 1.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 100 End Radius: 50 X - Value: 10 Y - Value: 10 Contortion: 90 Relation %: 30 Page ADD-10 10.2.3. THE IMAGE WILL FADE IN FROM THE RIGHT LIKE PAINT OFF A ROLLER. THE ROLLER WILL TRANSFORM FROM THE LARGE START RADIUS TO THE SMALL END RADIUS. THE X AND Y VALUES RESULT IN A LOCAL 180 DEGREE CONTORTION PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Roller right Effect length: 1.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 150 End Radius: 10 X - Value: 5 Y - Value: 20 Contortion: 180 Relation %: 100 10.2.4. THE IMAGE WILL ROLL IN FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIMULTANEOUSLY PARAMETERS Effect Variant: Roller LR Effect length: 3.5 sec Effect Direction: in Start Radius: 500 End Radius: 500 X - Value: 20 Y - Value: 20 Contortion: 10 Relation %: 10 Page ADD-11 APPENDIX 1: INDEX anim colours .........................6-2 background ...........................5-2 8-3 brushes ..............................8-2 check function .......................4-2 circles-effect .......................7-3 comet-effect .........................Add-6 curl effects .........................Add-8 dashes-effect ........................7-5 DF0 ..................................8-3 dialogue requester ...................2-3 Direction field ......................3-3 effect duration ......................4-3 Effect Editing .......................3-3 effect interval ......................4-3 Fade in ..............................3-3 3-9 Fade out .............................3-6 3-9 fine adjustment ......................8-2 fire-effect ..........................7-2 Foreground image .....................3-3 8-3 fractals .............................Add-6 Add-7 fragment-effect ......................7-2 graphics buffer ......................4-3 half-frames ..........................8-4 Hardware .............................1-3 helix effects ........................Add-5 IFF/SSA animations ...................1-2 Input Options ........................2-4 Installing Adorage ...................1-4 interface ............................8-3 interference .........................8-1 Keyboard inputs ......................2-4 lace .................................8-3 logo check-effect ....................7-1 louvre effect ........................7-1 memory capacity ......................8-2 memory path ..........................4-4 mosaic-effect ........................7-4 move-effect ..........................7-6 Movement effect ......................3-1 Option field .........................3-3 pieces-effect ........................7-5 plane A effects ......................Add-2 plane B effects ......................Add-4 play mode ............................8-3 roller effects .......................Add-10 rotation of a plane ..................Add-3 scene-change .........................3-8 3-10 scroll-effect ........................7-4 Sequence field .......................3-3 spiral fog ...........................Add-5 Add-6 spring intensity .....................Add-10 start function .......................4-2 Starting the program .................1-5 stroboscope ..........................5-1 Test mode ............................3-5 type function ........................4-1 Using graphics .......................1-5 Using interface ......................2-1 wave-effect ..........................7-7 wild check-effect ....................7-3 wind-effect ..........................7-7 window-effect ........................7-6 workbench ............................5-2 The END