Category : Printer + Display Graphics
Archive   : MVGAVU61.ZIP
Filename : MVGAVU.DOC

MVGAVU (c) Copr. 1989-91 Lawrence Gozum & Marvin Gozum
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

User Manual


DISCLAIMER

This product is distributed AS IS. The authors specifically disclaim all
warranties ,expressed or implied, including ,but not limited to, implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with
respect to defects in the diskette and documentation, and program license
granted herein, in particular, and without limiting operation of the
program license with respect to any particular application use or
purpose. In no event shall the authors be liable for any loss of profit
or any other commercial damage including but not limited to special,
incidental, consequential or other damages.


LICENSING AGREEMENT

You may use this program for a 10 DAY TRIAL PERIOD. Should you find this
program useful, you MUST register it; you will then be provided with the
latest releases of the VGACAD system see last section of this manual).

Freely distribute unmodified MVGAVU copies provided you charge $10 max.
for distribution, in lieu of recognized Users Group guidelines (eg., ASP).


WHAT IS MVGAVU ?

MVGAVU is a GIF decoder/viewer/slideshow utility and component of VGACAD.
MVGAVU handles GIFs up to 2KBx2KBx256 and shows the whole picture w/out
scrolling; it also features a UNIQUE 256-color rendering scheme in
16-color EGA/VGA/SVGA modes for viewing multiple/animated images. As a
versatile slideshow, it automatically determines the BEST viewing mode.

You can also view PCX (Zsoft/PCPaintbrush) support for 2-color, 16-color
and 256-color image files.

MVGAVU supports TARGA file (16/24/32 bits) viewing through unique
16/256-color rendering schemes to view all those THOUSANDS of "colors"
in ALL modes supported. BMP (Windows 3.x) 16-color, 256-color and
24-bit (16.7 Million color) image files are also supported.

New! HiColor emulation added to see those 16/24/32-bit Targa and 24-bit
BMP files as if you had a 16384-color mode.

Real HiColor support lets you see those 16/24/32-bit Targa and 24-bit
BMP files in 640x480x32K (eg., ATI VGA Wonder XL) and/or 800x600x32K
with Tseng 4000 cards w/ Sierra DAC

eg. Cardinal VGA732
Diamond SpeedSTAR HiColor
Focus 2 the Max VGA4000
Micro-Labs Ultimate VGA/HiColor
Orchid Prodesigner IIs
SOTA Lightning VGA
STB PowerGraph Ergo-VGA HiColor
United Ultra Image HiColor


REQUIREMENTS

MVGAVU requires a PS/2 or EGA/MCGA/VGA/SVGA video card. 512KB of
RAM is required, although it uses less than that. The BRUN41.exe
runtime module MUST be present in your DOS path.


CONFIGURING MVGAVU

BEFORE DOING ANYTHING, configure MVGAVU by selecting (C)ard; MVGAVU
is initially set for "VGA or PS/2 Model 50". If the "VESA" setup was
configured previously, you MUST configure MVGAVU by typing

"MVGAVU -C" .

A list of Video card "types", based on their chipset family, are
presented. Enter the number that matches your card. When selecting
SVGA cards, check your manual or manufacturer for the chipset (e.g.,
ATI, Tseng, Paradise, Video7, Oak, etc..); when in doubt, select
choices 253, 254 or 255. You will also be asked to specify the amount
of video RAM present and, if ATI or Tseng4000 chipsets are selected,
HiColor capability option. HercGS users will be asked if a 1024x768
non-interlaced monitor is present to modify the 1024x768x256 mode.

BE SURE THAT MVGAVU.EXE IS LOCATED IN YOUR
DEFAULT DRIVE/PATH TO ENSURE HARCODING.

Trident TVGA card users that have the supposedly rare 'BR versions'
will notice that the bank switching will be erroneous. We tried to
accomodate this version but ended up compromising the more popular
TVGA 8800 and 8900 versions .

The Trident 1024x768x256 mode is not supported at this time since it
uses a very peculiar, card specific, bank switching methodology (ie.,
it conflicts with SVGA display conventions). Video mode support is
limited to 800x600x256 or 1024x768x16, if available.

Some Everex 678 (w/ Trident chip) have experienced compatibility
problems. If the 1024x768x16 mode works but fails in all other modes,
then you may have a defective card. Try using the VESA setting
described below; if that fails then you really have a problem card.


LAUNCHING MVGAVU AS A DOS APPLICATION UNDER WINDOWS 3.X

HERCULES STATION CARD USERS SHOULD NOT USE THIS OPTION.
======================================================

Before implementing the following steps, please ensure that the
BRUN41.EXE file has access to your PATH or has been copied into the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM sub-directory.

1. If you don't have a PROGRAM GROUP for DOS applications then

1.1. Click "File" under the Program Manager window.
1.2. Select "New".
1.3. Select "Program Group".
1.4. Click "OK".
1.5. Enter a DESCRIPTION for this "Program Group"
(eg., "DOS Apps")
1.6. Click "OK".

2. Click (activate) your "DOS Apps" window.
3. Click "File" under the Program Manager window.
4. Select "New".
5. Select "Program Item".
6. Click "OK".
7. Enter the full pathname of MVGAVU at COMMAND LINE and include
any Command Line processing option (if desired) discussed at a
latter section of this manual.

eg., If MVGAVU.EXE is located under the \VGACAD directory then
enter "\VGACAD\MVGAVU" at the COMMAND LINE.

If you wanted the AutoMode processing option to be activated
to select video modes up to 1024x768x256 then you would enter
"\VGACAD\MVGAVU -m" at the COMMAND LINE.

NOTE: You can also use the BROWSE function of this window to
select MVGAVU instead of actually typing it in at the
COMMAND LINE.

8. If you wish, "Change Icon" - "DOS" icon is preferred though.
9. Click OK.


VESA IMPLEMENTATION

MVGAVU now supports the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association)
application interface. By selecting VESA (ie., card "18"), virtually
all SVGA modes supported by your card can be utilized and integrated
with all of MVGAVU's processing options. VESA mode support includes:

800x600x16
640x400x256
640x480x256
800x600x256
1KBx768x16
1KBx768x256

VESA support requires you to load a card-specific resident program
before VESA can be used. An error message - "VESA not detected!"
will result if VESA has not been previously loaded.

Under certain circumstances, MVGAVU will reject a VESA mode; it will not
become available if it conflicts with "common" SVGA implementation. Any
mode that requires two windows ("bank switching methods") to read and
write to video memory or uses a window other than A000 hex will be
rejected (eg., Trident 8900 1024x768x256 mode).

The old ATI SVGA 1024x768x16 mode (trigerred via mode 65 hex) is not
supported via VESA - it is supported and hardcoded if you select the
ATI card instead of VESA. With the new ATI cards you can have ALL
VESA modes or hardcoded modes up to 1024x768x256.


LOADING PICTURES INTO MVGAVU

MVGAVU accepts [G]IF, [T]arga, [W]indows (BMP), PCX (PC Paintbrush) or
[B]ASIC (BLD+PLT) file types. Select any filename by moving a high-
lighted bar (with arrow keys) and pressing key. If you have
more than 184 files, the columns of files listed will scroll when either
margin of the screen is reached. moves to the first file while
moves to the last file. shows the next 184 files while
shows the previous. allows changes to the PATH, while
exits. BLD files MUST have a corresponding *.PLT file or a error
message will follow.


COMPATIBILITY

The BRUN41.exe runtime module HATES 'Shadow RAM' (eg., putting your
VIDEO BIOS in low or high RAM); it 'hangs' (at least on our 386 SX).
If MVGAVU 'locks-up' at start-up then you have this problem too;
disable 'Shadow RAM' (eg., via CMOS set-up) and it should work.

There are several COMMAND LINE OPTIONS that are NOT available from the
MVGAVU Expert Menu. All other processing options described in a latter
section of this manual can be invoked despite these option settings.

MVGAVU -H

"-H" HiColor Enable. If HiColor modes are not setup during configuration
then it can be accessed this way. If this command is invoked from the
command line, HiColor (32KB-color) modes will be made available at the
Expert Menu when Targa 16/24/32 or BMP 24-bit files are detected. No
verification of HiColor capability is done, CHECK YOUR CARD'S MANUAL
TO SEE IF IT SUPPORTS IT!

Note: HiColor modes and the CEG/Edsun DAC modes are totally different;
the former is a "true" 32KB color mode while the latter is a
peculiar "anti-aliasing"/smoothing mode which is NOT supported
by MVGAVU at this time.


MVGAVU -D

"-D" Disable Auto-Expanded Memory usage. Expanded memory is required
for those GIF89a "crashers" that require MASSIVE amounts of memory to
restore a screen. The LIM 4.0 EMS spec is required to use expanded
memory, if your EMS driver does not conform then unpredictable results
will happen such as getting strange colors in restored areas. Disable
Auto-EMS usage to allocate 96KB of low RAM for screen storage; this
should work with most GIF 89a images that conform to Jim Burton's
"Rules for GIF89a MIGs".


MVGAVU -E

"-E" EGA only mode forces EGA 640x350x16 to be the ONLY mode to be
selected by the user or MVGAVU during automatic mode selection (ie.,
hitting key.

If you are having compatibility problems (particularly SVGA mode and/or
bank switching) with MVGAVU please contact Lawrence Gozum [73437,2372]
via CompuServe's

E-Mail
or
PICs Forum


VIEWING TARGA FILES IN MVGAVU v6.0

o Only UNCOMPRESSED, UNMAPPED Targa (16/24/32 bit) files are
supported; an error code will result telling you that that specific
file is not yet supported.

o TARGA files must be <= 2048x2048.

o In 256-color modes, a HiColor emulation mode with 16384 colors is
trigerred. This new algorithm provides maximum color depth with
smooth continuous tones; there are barely any noticeable diffrences
with REAL HiColor modes and the HiColor emulation modes when these
SVGA modes are selected - 640x480x256, 800x600x256 and 1024x768x256.

o In 16-color mode, 2x2 "SuperPixels" are used. Although this limits
resolution, it effectively provides sufficient color depth to view
16/24/32-bit TGA images.

o AutoCentering is disabled.

o HiColor 640x480x32KB or 800x600x32KB modes (eg., Diamond Speedstar,
and ATI VGA Wonder XL) are made available when Targa files are
detected.

o If HiColor capability is initially configured, then the AutoMode
function will select from available HiColor modes, otherwise
an appropriate HiColor emulation mode will be selected.

o HercGS 512x480x16M mode is made available when Targa 24/32 files
are detected; saving the screen in this mode is disabled.

o Saving the screen in REAL HiColor modes or HercGS's 640x480x16K
and 512x480x16M modes are disabled. Saving images viewed with
HiColor emulation modes are enabled.


Note: TGA files are best viewed with the "Fix Aspect 1:1" or
"Fix Aspect TGA" processing option. In 256-color modes, view
TGA files with the highest mode possible (eg., 1KBx768x256).
In 16-color modes, use the grey processing option for maximum
detail; processing options are discussed in latter section.


VIEWING BMP (Windows 3.x) FILES WITH MVGAVU v6.0

o Only UNCOMPRESSED 16-color, 256-color and 24-bit (16.7 MB color)
files are supported.

o BMP files must be <= 2048x2048.

o In 256-color modes, a HiColor emulation mode with 16384 colors is
trigerred. This new algorithm provides maximum color depth with
smooth continuous tones; there are barely any noticeable diffrences
with REAL HiColor modes and the HiColor emulation modes when these
SVGA modes are selected - 640x480x256, 800x600x256 and 1024x768x256.

o In 16-color mode, 2x2 "SuperPixels" are used. Although this limits
resolution, it effectively provides sufficient color depth to view
24-bit BMP images.

o Slideshows are disabled.

o AutoCentering is disabled.

o As with HercGS modes with 32KB or 16MB colors, HiColor 640x480x32KB
or 800x600x32KB modes (eg., Diamond SpeedSTAR, and ATI VGA Wonder XL)
are made available when 24-bit BMP files are detected.

o Saving the screen in REAL HiColor modes or HercGS's 640x480x16K
and 512x480x16M modes are disabled. Saving images viewed with
HiColor emulation modes are enabled.

Note: BMP files are best viewed with "Fix Aspect 1:1" processing
option discussed in latter section. In 256-color modes, view
TGA files with the highest mode possible (eg., 1KBx768x256).
In 16-color modes, use the grey processing option for maximum
detail; processing options are discussed in latter section.



VIEWING PCX FILES WITH MVGAVU v6.0

o Only RLE 2-color, 16-color and 256-color image files are supported
(essentially covers ALL PCX files except CGA 4-color image files).

o PCX files must be <= 2048x2048.

o Slideshows are disabled.

o AutoCentering is disabled.


SELECTING VIDEO MODES

On default MVGAVU is set to AutoMode with "Expert Menu:OFF"; after
selecting a file, MVGAVU will immediately show the image. Pressing
after picking a GIF file triggers automatic mode selection.
MVGAVU selects the BEST video mode, based on your video card
configuration. Pressing aborts viewing and lets you reselect
a new file.

Set "Expert Menu:ON" at the opening menu if you want to use processing
options or to select specific video modes for viewing.


HiColor modes

640x480x32KB or 800x600x32KB modes (eg., Diamond Speedstar, and ATI VGA
Wonder XL) are supported by MVGAVU. HiColor modes are made available
at the Expert Menu ONLY when Targa 16/24/32-bit or BMP 24-bit files are
detected. Automode support is provided if you have configured MVGAVU
with the HercGS card or HiColor capability (ie., via card selection)
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CARD'S MANUAL TO VERIFY AVAILABILITY !

* If HiColor capabilty is not configured at the start then
invoke the "-H" command line option (ie., "MVGAVU -H");

To view images in HiColor modes,

(1) turn Expert Menu ON;
(2) pick a Targa 16/24/32-bit or BMP 24-bit file;
(3) select mode (eg., [H]iColor 640x480x32K) at the Expert Menu.

or simply use the COMMAND LINE format discussed at a latter section
of this manual.

Unsupported MVGA (Medium-resolution VGA) modes

The 320x400x256 mode is the safest since it uses minimal VGA register
modification and is safely within tolerances of PS/2 monitors; it should
run on any "register-compatible" VGA card. It has an interesting aspect
ratio - double the vertical resolution of MCGA/VGA 320x200x256; many
Amiga, Atari and MacII GIFs have this aspect ratio; viewing GIFs in this
mode replicates "what the originator saw". If the 320x400x256 mode
fails, your card is BIOS-COMPATIBLE ONLY !

The 360x480x256 mode pushes generic VGA cards to its theoretical limits!
With 270% more resolution, view 640x480x256 GIFs with more detail and
less "jaggies". If the 360x480x256 mode fails, your card is not as
"register-compatible" as it claims to be.

The 640x400x256 Tseng SVGA was created to view 320x200x256 GIFs more
clearly due to 400% more resolution - aside from adding the missing
mode to its SVGA repertoire. Amiga, Atari and MacII GIFs use this
aspect ratio multiple and look as close as possible to "what the
originator saw" with it.

View Jovian VIA scans (320x240x256 GIFs) in 640x480x256 or 800x600x256;
these GIFs have the same aspect ratio and have the same effect as
viewing 320x200x256 GIFs in the 640x400x256 mode.


Preset SVGA modes

MVGAVU has hardcoded support for many SVGA chipsets based on your video
card configuration. SVGA MODES ARE NOT VERIFIED; YOUR VIDEO RAM AND
CHIPSET LIMITS YOUR CHOICES; CHECK YOUR MANUAL !!!


SVGA/EEGA User modes

SVGA/EEGA User modes are made available ONLY when HiColor modes are
disabled. Only one or the other are made available.

To use User modes, press [U]ser Mode. On default, this mode is set to
EGA 640x200x16. To set your own modes specify the Screen Width, Screen
Height, colors (16 or 256), Video Mode, and Chip type (9=EEGA). Several
*.CFG files are included; copy a special video mode (e.g., 512x480x256)
to MVGAVU.CFG and it will be invoked when you use the "U" option. CHECK
YOUR CARD'S MANUAL TO DETERMINE IF IT SUPPORTS IT!

To set a 256 or 16 color mode, press [R]evise. Once edited, it is saved
and recalled anytime. Type the video mode in decimal (e.g. 255) or hex
(e.g. &HFF); HEX ENTRIES *MUST* BE PRECEDED BY THE "&H" CHARACTERS.
16-COLOR MODES (UP TO 800x600 EXCEPT EVEREX & VIDEO7 MODES) MUST ALWAYS
USE "9" (for EEGA) SINCE IT WILL TELL MVGAVU TO USE THE HARDCODED
STANDARD PROCEDURE. FOR MODES ABOVE 800x600 (e.g. 1024x768), YOU MUST
USE THE CORRECT CHIPSET (eg., ATI, PARADISE, TSENG, VIDEO7, ...).


EGA/EEGA/VGA 16-Color Modes

If a GIF or BMP or PCX file has more than 16 colors (e.g, 256) then a
unique 16-color rendering method will implemented (eg., 640x350x16).


PROCESSING OPTIONS

There are SEVEN (7) processing options:

Safety w/ MIGs
Normal w/ MIGs
OneMeg w/ MIGs
Fit to Screen
Fix Aspect 1:1
Fix Aspect TGA
Fix Aspect 5:6

The first six options can be triggered from the command line.

"Normal w/ MIGs" - this is the optimal processing option. Multiple
Image Graphics/GIFs (87a and 89a) will be rendered. Depending on your
card configuration, when using automatic mode selection (ie., )
or command line viewing, the best video mode will be selected; this will
include 800x600x256 and 1024x768x16 modes, if available.

Note: Old Paradise cards excluded 800x600x256 and 1024x768x16 modes;
USE ONLY THE "Safety w/ MIGs" OPTION BELOW IF YOU HAVE THE
OLD PARADISE CARDS.

"Safety w/ MIGs" - this option is the DEFAULT; it is similar to "Normal
w/ MIGs" but excludes the 800x600 and 1024x768 modes, even if they are
available to ensure that fixed-frequency monitors, with 640x480 as its
max, will not be affected. Moreover, setting this option will avoid
calling the 800x600 or 1024x768 modes which is excluded by some video
cards (eg., old Paradise cards and some Trident cards).

"OneMeg w/ MIGs" - this is essentially similar to the "Normal w/ MIGs"
option but includes the 1024x768x256 mode, if available.

Note: The processing options (above) will call the "Fit to Screen"
processing option (below) if the image exceeds screen parameters.
The AutoMode key is disabled with the following options.

"Fit to Screen" - this option decodes the FIRST image and fits that
image to maximum screen dimensions. This is useful for resizing images
and subsequently saving/encoding them with the [tab] option described in
a latter section of this manual.

"Fix Aspect 1:1" - with this option, certain GIFs that have the same
screen and image descriptors (e.g.CARMEN2) will be corrected for
accurate rendering (otherwise they will seem distorted). "1:1" aspect
assumes originator was using a "square" aspect ratio. If you have 100
pixels on all sides of a square, the square should appear as a SQUARE on
your monitor, not some rectangle. 320x240(Jovian VIA), 640x480, 800x600
and 1024x768 modes should have "square" aspect ratios. Use this option
to fix such GIFs (e.g., SYLVIA.GIF, PAULINA.GIF, FMAID.GIF, ... ).
BMP FILES ARE BEST VIEWED WITH THIS PROCESSING OPTION SINCE THERE IS
NO IMAGE/SCREEN DIFFERENTIATION.

"Fix Aspect 5:6" - this option is similar to the 1:1 processing option
but assumes that the originator was using a 320x200 or 640x400 screen
aspect ratio (eg., Amiga, Atari or MacII). AutoMode key is
disabled.

Note: Almost all SVGA cards, due to monitor and "clock" contraints
tend to implement the 800x600x256 mode with a 5:6 rather than
a 1:1 aspect ratio.

"Fix Aspect TGA" - this mode is intended for viewing TARGA (*.TGA) files
which typically originate from a 512x480 screen. If the image looks
"too fat" then use the "Fix Aspect 1:1" processing option.


GREY CONVERSION

If you require grey images for desktop publishing (DTP) applications,
then use MVGAVU's grey processing option at the Expert Menu. By simply
pressing the [G]rey Option, all images will be converted to grey shades.

Viewing TARGA images with the option is particularly useful if you
want to see a LOT of detail, albeit without color. If you view TARGA
images with this option and subsequently save it, you can process the
file for DTP or printing with GIFPUB ! The palette contrast and
brightness functions will work with this option, making it an ideal
preprocessor for DTP.


ADJUSTING THE VIDEO MODE

This feature is disabled when using extended Hercules Graphics Station
or HiColor (32KB color) video modes.

WARNING: TO USE THIS FEATURE YOU *MUST* HAVE A REGISTER-COMPATIBLE VGA
CARD AND MULTIFREQUENCY MONITOR. DEPENDING ON SOPHISTICATION OF YOUR
HARDWARE, MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO VIDEO MODES MAY TOTALLY DISRUPT THE VIDEO
SYNCING PROCESS, BE PREPARED TO PRESS THE "*" KEY TO RESET IF SYNC
SIGNALS ARE UNFAVORABLY DISRUPTED.

Some video modes (e.g., 800x600) have distorted aspect ratios (i.e.,
supposed to have 1:1 aspect ratios but isn't). To correct this, you can
(1) compress the image vertically/horizontally or (2) offset the image
on your monitor as if you were adjusting the vertical and horizontal
scanning controls of your monitor. If you set your monitor for
1024x768x16, you will normally find that modes such as 960x720x16 tend
to be distorted.

There is a growing amateur interest in VIDEO GRAPHICS via 'GENLOCK'
add-on cards (e.g., Jovian VIN, Willow VGA-TV). By adjusting the video
mode you can control the aspect ratio and overall image size sent to your
TV or video tape. 320x200 and 640x400 modes tend to send images that are
smaller than the total TV/Video image; centering may be required. With
640x480 or greater modes, the image may tend to be larger or distorted;
aspect ratio, image size and location adjustments may be required to
match 'real' video images with your computer graphic images.

After an image is displayed, press "[A]djust Monitor. The following key
options will be activated; this feature can be invoked in any video mode.

[->] move image right [ - ] compress horizontal aspect
[<-] move image left [ + ] decompress horizontal aspect
[dn] move image down [Ins] compress vertical aspect
[up] move image up [Del] decompress vertical aspect
[ * ] RESET ADJUSTMENTS
[Esc] exit


ADJUSTING CONTRAST & BRIGHTNESS

This feature is disabled when using extended Hercules Graphics Station
or HiColor (32KB color) video modes.

If you view in any mode except EGA, you can adjust contrast, brightness,
and color level. Virtually ALL palette modifications can be emulated
with these "knobs". Moreover, you can add or substract individual
quanta of red, green or blue components.

Make sure your NUMLOCK key is OFF !

[Esc] or any other key (e.g., [return] or [spc]) will exit.

[->] increase brightness [+] increase color level
[<-] decrease brightness [-] decrease color level
[dn] increase contrast [*] reset palette
[up] decrease contrast [A] Adjust Monitor

The following keys are CASE SENSITIVE.

[R] increase RED level [r] decrease RED level
[G] increase GRN level [g] decrease GRN level
[B] increase BLU level [b] decrease BLU level

With VGACAD you can import the adjusted palette in your edited picture
by pressing [backspace] key. When editing a SVGA GIF via VSCRN (i.e.,
"virtual screen"); eNCODe that GIF and view it with MVGAVU; adjust the
palette, press [backspace] then exit to import that palette.


SAVING RESIZED MVGA/SVGA GIFs OR MIGS (Multiple Image Graphics/GIFs)

You can 'downsize' (squeeze) SVGA GIFs (e.g., 640x480x256) or expand
small GIFs (e.g., 320x200x256) to 320x400x256 or 360x480x256. Downsize
SVGA GIFs for fast-decoding or enlarge small GIFs for enhanced image
processing with VGACAD or reduce odd SVGA GIFs (e.g., DGNLDY) to smaller
SVGA modes (e.g., 640x400x256). View your GIF with any video mode and
press the [tab] key.

MVGASCRN.RAW and MVGASCRN.PLT files will be created for GIF, PCX or BMP
(Windows 3.x) encoding with VGAFIL. NYBLSCRN.RAW and NYBLSCRN.PLT files
will be created for 16-color GIF encoding with VGAFIL. Subsequent saves
overwrite these files; encode with VGAFIL (which can be found in the
*.ZIP files of VGACAD (v2.0 and up) or VGACAP (v6.0 and up), and rename
immediately to preserve them.

MIGs are usually several 'overlayed' images which simulate animation.
MVGAVU supports GIF MIGs. Since MIGs tend to change what you initially
see from what you see at the end of the GIF, you may want to save the
final rendered image rather than the first one for editing with VGACAD
or conversion to another image format or mode. Simply save the final
rendered image as you would a resized image (ie., using the [tab] key)
and convert it with VGAFIL. VGAFIL supports GIF, PCX, TGA (Targa 16)
and BMP (Windows 3.x) encoding to edit the image with any program that
supports those file formats.


GIF & TGA SLIDESHOWS

Up to 4096 GIF of TGA files can be viewed in a slideshow. Move the
cursor to select files and press [+] key to mark or [-] to unmark.
After selecting files press [S]how to start and you will be presented
with transition options. You can adjust the "delay" factor between
each "slide" by adding pauses up to 30 seconds and use one of the
various transition effects. During the show, press any key (three to
four times) while the show is running to exit. MVGAVU selects optimal
video modes based on your video card configuration and command line
processing option selected.


COMMAND LINE VIEWING & BATCH PRESENTATIONS

MVGAVU can be used in batch (*.BAT) files for presentations. In Command
Line mode, only your picture is displayed and pressing any key (except
[tab], [backspace], [A]djust Monitor and Color/Picture adjustment keys)
after its display will end the program. No menus or prompts interfere.

Type "MVGAVU ?" for help or type

"MVGAVU [processing option] filename "

-S Safety w/ MIGs (default)
-N Normal w/ MIGs
-M OneMeg w/ MIGs
-E EGA w/ MIGs
-F Fit to Screen
-H HiColor Enable
-A Fix Aspect 1:1
-T Fix Aspect TGA

with no extension and optional path (e.g.,MVGAVU \gif\wett). GIF, PCX,
BMP and TGA files are viewed via automatic mode selection; the range of
video modes selected from and how the graphic is rendered depends on
your video card configuration and processing option selected.

MVGAVU searches for the first matching *.GIF, then it searches for a
*.TGA file then, then a *.BMP file, then a *.PCX file, and lastly a
*.BLD file (which can be viewed only in MCGA 320x200x256 mode and must
have matching *.PLT files in the same drive/directory).


THE CHAINED VGACAD ENVIRONMENT

BRUN41.exe is a runtime module distributed under licence with Microsoft
in connection with this program. Place it with MVGAVU or anywhere your
DOS PATH has access to. MVGAVU is a part of VGACAD. ONLY ONE COPY OF
BRUN41.EXE IS REQUIRED.


REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION OF MVGAVU IS BASED ON 'PERSONAL USAGE'. CORPORATE OR
ORGANIZATIONAL USERS *MUST* REGISTER ALL COPIES USED ON AN INDIVIDUAL
BASIS; A SPECIFIC PERSON (NAME) MUST BE EXPLICITLY ASSIGNED TO EACH
REGISTRANT WHO WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CORRESPONDING REGISTER.OVL FILE TO
INDICATE REGISTERED USAGE. REGISTRATION GRANTS A SPECIFIC PERSON (NOT A
JURIDICAL PERSON OR CORPORATE ENTITY) THE RIGHT TO 'USE' MVGAVU.

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³ ALTHOUGH WE WILL TRY TO RESPOND TO YOUR REGISTRATION IN 2-3 WEEKS,³
³ PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 4-6 WEEKS DELAY TO PROCESS YOUR REGISTRATION. ³
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As token of our appreciation (i.e., to registered users), we will send
you the the latest version of the VGACAD system; many of the programs
listed below do not require a graphics card.

GIFPUB - converts 256 color GIF/PCX files to B&W images desktop
publishing (DTP) as .PCX (Ventura, First Publisher, Publisher's
Paintbrush, WP, Pagemaker). Variable sizing/contrast/brightness.
Includes printing on IBM/Epson, HP Laser and compatible printers.
Variable sizes. 8 pics/page and/or Single/Double Pass printing on
dot matrix printers. Preview in CGA/HGC/EGA/VGA/EEGA/SVGA. Histogram-
equalization. No graphics card required.

GIFBIT - converts B&W PCX files (e.g., scanner output to 32KBx32KB !)
to grey shades for VGACAD image processing, GIFPUB redithering or
printing, or VGA2EGA conversion - it edits those "scan line jitters".
Viewing modes in MCGA/VGA/SVGA. No graphics card required.

SQZGIF/EGA2VGA - converts LARGE GIF/PCX pics (to 2KBx2KBx256) to
several sizes and video modes using "color averaging" to blend/smooth
"jaggies" or fast interpolation. Variable sizing. Also, converts
GIFs (16 colors and below) and creates up to 256 new colors; outputs
directly to GIFPUB, GIFDOT, VGACAD, MVGAVU, VGA2CGA or VGA2EGA.
No graphics card required.

GIFHEX (formerly VGA2EGA) - converts 256-color pictures to 16-color
EGA or VGA . Error-distributed dithering. User support to 1024x768.
Variable sizing/RGBICMY/contrast. EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

MVGAVU - latest version.

VGACAD - extensive paint/image processing program for VGA/MCGA users
(edit GIFs up to 32KBx32KBx256 !!!); airbrushes, color and grey image
processing functions (smoothing, noise removal, shading, contrast
stretching, edge detection, ...), splines, Cut&Paste, variable sizing,
256-color gradient/pattern fills, MORE ! Full screen SuperVGA editing
and image processing function to 1024x768x256. 360x480x256 support.
MCGA/VGA required.

VGA2CGA - converts 256 color GIFs to CGA! See "405" colors in an
unsupported 160x100x16 CGA mode. CGA/EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

MAC2GIF - converts .MAC ("readmac") pictures to 5-16 grey shades or
color and saves to .GIF or BLD/PLT file. EGA/MCGA/VGA required.

VGACAP - resident utility to capture 256-color MCGA/VGA or SVGA images.
FAST 640x480x256/16 or 800x600x256/16 and 1024x768x256/16 screen grabs.

VGAFIL - GIF, PCX, BMP (Windows 3.x) and TGA (Targa 16) encoding
utility. Accepts ALL RAW file formats used by our utilites as well as
BLD/PLT files. This utility replaces RAW2GIF, RAW2PCX and BLD2GIF.


WHAT'S NEXT ?

Aside from enhancing existing releases with greater capabilities (e.g.,
expanded memory, virtual screen, SVGA functions, other graphics
formats), we are developing VGACBT (Computer-Based Training program)
and MANNEQUIN for Advertising/Fashion Design or creating your own
artistic nudes. We will try to develop and integrate more image
processing functions for all our applications; if you have any image
processing functions you would like to see, please let us know.

In the short term, we are developing RGBLAB. This is a color reduction
utility to 'downsize' 24-bit or 16 Million-color pictures to 256-colors.
RAW red, green and blue files, TIFF (*.TIF), TARGA (*.TGA) and Windows
3.x (*.BMP) files will be the main input sources. IDTVGA dithering will
play a key role in previewing or rendering 24-bit images in SVGA
256-color modes.

Support maverick authors like us and we will continue developing
products like nothing seen commercially - otherwise they will simply
"DIE" from lack of support ! Compare the cost/benefit ratio of any of
our products with commercial products. You, and you alone, determine
whether it will be worthwhile to continue developing. Support the
User-Supported (Shareware) concept. Register your Shareware copies.
To register, send the registration form and check or money order payable
in USD to:

Dr. Marvin Gozum
2 Independence Place #1105, 6th & Locust
Philadelphia, PA 19106



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank John Bridges for releasing VGAKIT.ARC which
included source code for 'bank switching' the Tseng, Paradise, Trident,
Everex, C&T, ATI, Oak chipsets and source for the popular 360x480x256
mode. We would like to thank Mike Abrash for publishing source code (in
Programmer's Journal) for the 320x400x256 mode. Seminal variants have
been developed based on their evolving work into MVGAVU. We are grateful
to Don Babcock, for QBASM's GIF adaptations of Tom Pfau's Public Domain
LZW source (in LZW.ARC) for QB4 linking, which provided invaluable
guidance in resolving QB4 memory allocation problems. Thanks a meg -
John, Mike, Don and Tom !


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Graphics Interchange Format and GIF are trademarks (tm)
of CompuServe Inc. an H&R Block Company.