
 ________________________________________________
|                                                |     .___ .
| Program:       BINARIS Viewer                  |    //  //|
| Type:          Program or Accessory            |    || || |
| Version:       2.0                             |    || || /\_
| Distribution:  POSTCARDWARE                    |  _/|| ||\_ /|
| Systme:       Falcon030;                      | |_/ |_| \_|/
|                TOS/MiNT or MultiTOS;           |
|                any screen rez                  |
|                True Color recommended          |
| Last update:   24th July 1993                  |
| Authors:       Gilles Bouthenot (Megar)        |
|                Christophe BOYANIQUE (DMV)      |
|                                                |
| Copyright 1993 BINARIS                        |
|                                                |
| Purpose:       Display & convert TGA & GIF     |
|                images                          |
|                                                |
 


============================================================================



Hello guys, this is BINARIS Viewer v2.0 a faster-than-light TARGA & GIF
Images viewer for the Falcon030 and only in TRUE COLOR mode.

This soft is POSTCARWARE: you MUST send us a postcard if you use it !

This soft can be copied freely but not sold !
BBS and PD library can distribute it freely !

This soft CANNOT be modified or translated without our written permission !
If you want to translate it, contact us and we will send you all the stuffs
you need to make a correct translation !

You can contact us at:

Gilles Bouthenot        Christophe BOYANIQUE
8 Rue des Murgers       29 Rue Republique
25350 MANDEURE          37230 FONDETTES
FRANCE                  FRANCE



I    What For ?
---------------
   Maybe you have GIF/Targa's files on your disks ? Yes ? So, what do you
   use to show them ? I asked some guys. Here are the answers:
      - A software which is both slow to load images and slow to show them
        (STUDIO or Gemview)
      - A soft which is slow to load images but faster to show them (True
        Paint)
      - A soft which loads fastly images and which show them fastly too
        (users of BINARIS Viewer), but which only loads Targa Type 2 file
        and which works only in True Color mode

   BINARIS Viewer is an image file viewer under GEM but very very fast.
   Purpose is to show as many pictures as you want (max of 20 !), just
   limited by GEM and free memory you have.
   This shower may be very useful to image files collectors who want:
      - Save their pictures packed on disk (archivage is very easy)
      - Load them quickly, in one time (otherwise accessing rate would
        take too much time) (use Gemview, you will understand what I
        mean). This allow user to see his images fastly.
      - Loading image, making them scroll without waiting for the screen
        or the disk
      - Converting 24 bits TGA to 16 bits TGA (or 16 bits TG1) (they take
        less space) very very quickly. (Converting 24 bits --> 16 bits
        doesn't mean less quality because the Falcon can 'only' show
        65.536 colours (16 bits)) (with a cartrige, you can increase this
        to 16.777.216 (24 bits)).
        I must say you that the TGA 16 bits format only save 32768
        colours. Only the TG1 format can save 65536 colours image file.

   Unfortunately, BINARIS Viewer only works (in this version) in 'Near True
   color' Falcon mode. Indeed, using a palette involve to use dithering and
   thus take us (and to the processor) an age to do. Maybe in a future
   release ?
   (To encourage us, send us a letter saying you'd like to use BINARIS Viewer
   in others modes as True Color)
   But, it can be interesting to convert pictures in a fast resolution (no
   in 'Near True Color') so BINARIS Viewer works perfectly in other resolution
   but it doesn't show the images. But you can load and save them.



II   USES
---------
   BINARIS Viewer runs as program or as accessory, just change the extension.
   You can also drag a file on the program'icon (only in TOS > 2.0x) or install
   it as an application (see your Falcon's manual).
   Now, two ways:
      - You have launched the program from the desktop (as PRG, APP or GTP)
        A menu will be shown, and the Log window is opened. You can select
        options by the menu or the PopUp menu in the Log window.
      - The program is an accesory, so, to load a picture, you must call
        the accessory which will open the Log window.

   BINARIS Viewer can only read GIF87a & TGA type 2 format image file;
   BUT: You can pack your image with 'atomik 3.5' or 'Speedpacker 3' !
      that allow you to gain an impressive quantity of disk space on some
      image (TGA not GIF !).
      Unfortunately, to show your images, you need BINARIS Viewer, or another
      program which support packers, or, AUTO_SP3.PRG or ATM_3_5.PRG (which
      should arrive soon on Falcon030).

   NOTE ABOUT Speedpacker 3: The 'offset' mode is supported but, if you use
      this possibility, you MUST configure offsets like this:
      - First part no packed
      - Second part packed.

   Before starting depacking the file, the program check the free-Memory to
   avoid depacking the file if not enough memory is free.

   Once the file has been loaded and depacked, the program converts the image
   to the standard internal format which is exactly the 'true color' mode
   format.
   Thus allow the program to show the image very quickly.

   Of course, you can move the window, shrink it, load as much picture as
   you want in the same time.
   You can arrange windows by pressing M, H or V.
   To move the picture into the window, use lift or arrow keys (normal or
   shifted (faster displacement)).
   By pressing the Escape-Key, you will acceed to the Overscan mode, allowing
   you to show the picture witout window, without menu (except if the program
   is lauched as an accessory). You can always move the picture with arrow
   keys normal or shifted, if the picture is still bigger than the screen.

   A double-click on a image will make appear the toolbox, featuring the rez
   of the screen, the lenght taken by the image and his size. Click on the
   arrows to select the number of an image and click on the number to show it.

   Now, you can save the image by clicking on 'Save'. You can choose between
   'TGA' or 'Coke TG1': the first offers compatibility with other software,
   the secund is a new format, adapted to the Falcon030. Thus format is called
   also 'Coke format' and it will be used in our next productions.
   (auto viewer ?)
   Here is the format:
    0  12 'COKE format'
   12   w width in pixels
   14   w height in pixels
   16   w offset to the image from the start of the file.
          A value of 18 means format 1.00
   18 ({12.w}*{14.w}*2) picture in falcon True color mode

   The twice format have the same lenght !

   We suggest you for a normal use to save the picture under the 'TGA 16 bits'
   format and to pack it with a packer (Atomik 3.5 or SpeedPacker 3).
   Indeed, conversion to the Falcon mode is very quick !



III   IMPORTANT !
-----------------

   This program can use the advantage of Selectric if it's intalled ! So you
   can choose up to 10 files and load them in the same time !
   If you don't nom, Selectric is the best Fileselector remplacement ever
   seen on Atari by Stefan Radermacher and it's Shareware !

   This program works only on a Falcon030 or higher, due to the use of new
   features of the 68030.
   It doesn't use neither DSP nor Blitter.
   But Auto-generated-code is used to show the picture very fastly.
   We could use 68030+Blitter to be faster. This will fixed in the next
   release.
   Loading a Targa image: the y-inversion bit is correctly supported.
   Saving image works by setting this bit to 1 (thus means 'no inversion')
   Some softwares don't take care of it (SLIDE SHOW 384*480 for example)



IV   WHAT ABOUT KEYS ?
----------------------

Keyboard help:                 HELP
Information:                   I
Load a picture (TGA or TG1):   O/L
Save a TGA picture:            S
Save a TG1 picture:            SHITF+S
Close an image:                C
Quit:                          CONTROL+Q
Fullscreen:                    ESCAPE (in TRUE COLOR)
ToolBox:                       Double-Click on a picture or desk
Picture moving:                Arrows with/without SHIFT
Windows cycling:               W
Windows in mosaque mode:      M
Windows in vertical mode:      V
Windows in horizontal mode:    H



V    NEXT RELEASE:
------------------
 - TGA other type support !
 - Faster !!! (yes, yes !)
 - Maybe BINARIS Viewer could load GIFBLAST file (it's a PC file format
   which allows GIF file to be packed at 25% whitout quality lost. But
   write to support us!)


VI   Bonus:
-----------

You can contact the author of Selectric at:
  Stefan Radermacher
  Unter Krahnenbumen 52-54
  W-5000 Kln 1 (ab 1.7.1993: 50668 Kln)
  Deutschland
  EMail: sr@k.maus.de



VII  Greetings:
---------------
- BINARIS members: AAZ, HAWAT, RON THE DON, BIGBOB, MEL.
- Stefan Radermacher author of Selectric
- David Oakley/ASTRAsoft author of DeskTracker MultiTask
- DrComputer/Adrenaline
- Sharpman/TBC
