jdm@hodge.UUCP (jdm) (05/27/89)
There have been many posts about conversion utilities for Targa,
GIF, PCX, and PIC files lately. There is a software package that
I use called ImageTools 2.0 that does at least some of what
people are asking for on the IBM PC. To order the product call
Microtext Industries at 714-240-7105. The current price for the
package is $99. Their BBS (The GRAFX Group BBS) number is
714-240-7459. The author of the Imagetools software is Jeff
Bridges and he has an account on this BBS and will usually
respond to email within 24 hours.
Here is a blurb about the package and the utilities that come
with Imagetools V2.0. BTW, I am in no way associated with
Microtex or the GRAFX group. I am just a satisfied customer
passing on what I think is useful information.
------------------------Blurb to follow----------------------------
Image Tools is a collection of utility programs that
will allow a user to select an image from a variety of
video sources, convert it to a popular PC viewing format
and display or animate the images using popular tools
like GRASP(tm) from Paul Mace Software. There are
provisions for image enhancement during conversion,
scaling, averaging several images together, multi- file
operations for animation sequences and color selection
and location for specific palette mapping. There is
also a utility for converting images to various
gray-scale formats for desktop publishing. Image Tools
provides a complete package for the desktop video
enthusiast.
AVERAGE - AVERAGE is a utility for averaging two or more
TARGA or Jovian Via FULL COLOR files together to help
reduce some of the frequency spikes generated by low-end
video capture. This is especially useful when working
with a poor quality video source and a video capture
board. It can also be used to generate interesting
special effects via the add and overlay parameters.
PICBW - PICBW converts TARGA, GIF, PIC, PCX or VI files
to black and white PCX files for use in desktop
publishing or general black and white printing. It has
options for toner blackness adjustments, paper whiteness
adjustments, scaling and rotation. There are also
parameters for random intensity comparisons and non-RGB
weighted intensity calculations.
PICTGA - PICTGA is a utility for converting Pictor, PCX
or GIF files to TARGA compatible images. This is useful
when a user wants to reduce the number of colors in a
picture, change the video mode of a picture while
preserving color palette, or get a group of pictures
into TARGA format so that they may be converted back
into Pictor pictures together in with the same palette
using TGAPIC.
TGAPIC - TGAPIC is a utility for converting TARGA format
pictures into Pictor, GIF or PCX pictures into either
EGA 16 color, MCGA 256 color or VGA 16 color modes. It
reduces the color palette while providing options for
color combining, smoothing, black- level thresholding
and also allows full control over starting color and
number of colors so that direct palette mapping is
available. This means that the user can decide exactly
how many colors he wants in the picture and where those
colors are to reside in the palette. Colors may be
sorted in increasing intensity order so that gray scale
conversion quality is maximized, decreasing saturation
level, or in hue order which helps to group similar
colors together. If multiple pictures are converted
simultaneously, they are all converted to the same
result palette.
TGASCALE - TGASCALE performs color-space scaling on
TARGA or Jovian full-color VI files. This is much
better than the normal pixel scaling found in paint
programs and utilities. Instead of merely inserting or
throwing away pixels, the continuous color stream is
scaled allowing for the deletion or insertion of
appropriate pixels without aliasing or loss of color
resolution.
------------------------End of Blurb----------------------------
--
jdm@hodge.cts.com [uunet zardoz]!hodge!jdm
James D. Murray, Ethnounixologist
Hodge Computer Research Corporation
1588 North Batavia Street
Orange, California 92667 USA
TEL: (714) 998-7750 Ask for James
FAX: (714) 921-8038 Wait for the carrier