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Quantizator


ilmenit

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Hi,

 

Quantizator is a new tool for the 8bit Atari.

post-22831-126297439034_thumb.png

 

Currently only the gr.15 mode (4 colors) is supported.

 

The current version does not generate executables monkeyisland.xex,

but you can load a created MIC and COL files to Graph2Font:

post-22831-126297378057_thumb.png

 

Post your pictures, executables, questions and comments in this thread.

 

Have fun :)

Edited by ilmenit
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I have to congratulate for the software. Just today i was testing with 10 pictures, some of them C64 pictures, real pictures, HD pictures. The tool works very fine and get a good work. Off course need post manual adjustements on G2F, but it's interesting to see how can the Atari improve the quality on pictures changing colors on DLIs.

 

I feel the tool should use the 5th color, but I guess that will be so hard for an algorithm.

 

Greetz

Mario

 

P.D. Maybe you can add a small verification on filename source. The tool works even if you give a non exist filename.

 

Soon I will send a new version with many changes, including better color selection algorithm and nice dithering :)

Edited by Allas
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I feel the tool should use the 5th color, but I guess that will be so hard for an algorithm.

 

The 5th color have some limitations (4th and 5th can't be used together on a 8 pixel grid).

It's not easy to add in a color selection algorithm.

 

I plan however to add sprites and color changes in line.

Edited by ilmenit
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I've found that if the .col file is locked (as I had a hex-editor open examining it) when creating a new output image of the same name, quantizator will crash.

 

It's a great bit of software though, we need more and more of these PC based Atari development utilities as they really do help our software to become more professional and quicker to develop.

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Ilmenit,

 

this is a very nice tool. I did some experiments on it and I have to say it's the best in its class which I have seen so far.

 

some more feedback:

 

I use on my system windows 7 64bit. When using the quantizator this DLL was missing:

http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?msvcr71

 

furthermore, while converting, the tool somehow gets in conflict with the systems palette (changing the color depth). an argument for a "head less" execution (e.g. showing no processing window) would be very nice.

 

keep working on it!! maybe some talented programmer like you finds one day a nice processing algorithm that would make use of the 5th color, pmg and in-line rasterchanges while considering all given limitations.

 

grtx,

\twh

Edited by twh/f2
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Version 0.95

 

A lot of changes - new algorithms, preview modes, locking colors.

Take a look into readme.txt for help.

 

Original picture vs quantized picture

 

Hey Ilmenit,

 

it would be nice if you couldshare the command line args you have used to convert the pictures!

 

grtx,

\twh

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Are those images really being displayed on the Atari?

 

Yes, you can try to make your own :)

 

parrot.xex

post-22831-126339311543_thumb.png

 

Version 0.97 Quantizator097.zip

 

Changes:

- new: for /fastpreview and /preview additonal parameters (like setting height or palette) work and are added to the .bat files

- new: XEX file is generated (gr. 15) if width<=160 and height<=192

- new: close application button is active

- fix: wrong command was written to .bat

- fix: screen flashing in Windows Vista and 7 shouldn't happen any more.

 

(I couldn't set /w=150.)

 

The width must be dividable by 4, because 4 pixels are encoded in one byte in gr. 15.

Edited by ilmenit
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I think the MIC file Quantizator creates is just a raw ANTIC mode E bitmap with the dimensions you ask for.

 

ANTIC E has 2bpp:

 

00 BAK

01 PF0

10 PF1

11 PF2

 

The COL file is a COLBK value per line, then zeros to the end of the page, then COLPF0 values, more padding, and so on.

 

I think!

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Do you plan to add a graphic interface to your program?

 

I hate programming GUIs :)

If anyone wants to make it, I can change the Quantizator to be DLL for it.

 

 

Hi ilmenit,

Any chance for porting this to Java? I would volunteer even. This masterpiece would fit perfectly into WUDSN IDE which can act as the graphical frontend. I already have some GFX tools in there, so the frameworkis ready to plug this in (including storage of Quantizator parameter files).

JAC!

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Well, after weird things happened I wanted never to come to C64age erm Atariage. But this tool is really worth to break with it.

Seen people asking "can the A8 really show them" makes me asking myself, what have they realized ever?

 

Ilmenit, your tool is a real milestone. Showing the real feature of using 4 colour grahpics with the huge A8 colour palette.

 

 

post-2756-126379868972_thumb.png post-2756-126379869172_thumb.png

 

 

Have a look t the pillar to the left. This really is some style, we could name it "Line-Arts".

Based on this, a dream may come true icon_wink.gif

 

post-2756-126379901394_thumb.gif

 

The picture shows just simple midline changes on the bottom .... lda ... sta ..

Using x and y registers can double the amount of changes.

 

Well, not using Charmode and PMG, but just using the midline changes could enhance the style of the pictures, because we had less colour crossings and thus even more colors for the single elements.

The simple midline changes allow to reuse colours 2 times in fixed ranges. Do you think you can add this somehow into your converter?

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