Tools for Colecovision homebrewing

[Kiwi]

I'll see what the image file looks like using HxD comparing to the SD cartridge.

[Kiwi]

The files that ti output produced 2 files, one that TIAP(pattern), the other TIAC(color).  You need a tool like hexeditor, I use HxD, to combine TIAP and TIAC together.  TIAP(pattern) is the first 6KB, append the color data after the Pattern data. Then save as .pc.  It showed up in CVpaint.  Ultimate cartridge should load it.

[Greg2600]

I finally got CV Paint to work.  Hmmm, what I tried to convert looks awful, ha ha.  I'll have to fiddle with the colors before imported into that program first.

[Tursi]

I wasn't aware that ColecoVision had any particular file formats which might be more useful than raw... if I just output the pattern, then append the color, and give it a .pc extension, that will help?

 

Some tips for converting:

- the more pixels you have, the better. Give up on fitting portrait mode images and select the middle/left/right fill modes to zoom in as much as possible on the image. Alternately edit the image outside of Convert9918 to your own preference, but get it to fill 256x192.

- dithering is almost always necessary for a decent image. The newest versions of Convert9918 have proper Ordered dithers - Order4 is the best compromise. However, it tends to fade colors. Atkinson has the best color reproduction. It comes down to the image which looks better. You should try /all/ of them to see which you like. Just press 'reload' after any change to see the effects.
- if you're super into it, you can also change the dithering error distribution by directly editing the boxes around PIX there. (You'll see them change as you click buttons). The total error is out of 16, so if all boxes total 16, you are distributing 100% of the error. Don't worry about it if this doesn't make sense, I never change them by hand anymore.

- I tend to keep Luma at 120% to preserve detail (this setting adjusts the compromise between brightness and color - 100% makes them equal), and then you can use the Gamma Correct to adjust the brightness of the resulting image. I have a default set at 80 that works for most images. 100 means no adjustment, again, less is darker and more is brighter.

- You can change "max color shift" to adjust how many pixels need dithering - I keep it at 5%. The bigger the number, the more colors will be shifted to closer to the TI palette before conversion, and so reduce the dither needed at the expense of color shift. Helpful if you're close but just need that little bit more!

 

These are my default settings:

[Tursi]

(I downloaded and tested against CVPaint2, and it's now a save option in the program. http://harmlesslion.com/software/convert9918)

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Tursi
(had to find yet another Burgertime box art ;) )

[Greg2600]

On 5/7/2020 at 4:04 PM, Tursi said:

(I downloaded and tested against CVPaint2, and it's now a save option in the program. http://harmlesslion.com/software/convert9918)

 

I had success but not without headaches.  So I cannot get Convert9918 OR CVPaint2 to open a freaking file!!!!  Nope, won't do it.  Instead, I have to save a BMP from PhotoShop, and then drag it into Convert.  Then I can save that conversion into a PNG.  Then I have to open the PNG in PhotoShop and copy the image, then loading it From Clipboard in CVPaint.  That allows me to save it as a PC file and the Ultimate SD will load it.  What a royal pain in the rear!@#!@

[Tursi]

Go ahead and DM me one of the pictures that will not open, I've never had a single image (that wasn't corrupt) fail. I will at least be able to tell you why!

 

I did notice the "open" button doesn't work right, so drag and drop is your best bet with Convert9918, but it should handle any PNG, TIFF, JPG, BMP, GIF, or PCX (actually, given the variety of TIFF and the lack of testing of PCX, I won't guarantee those formats ). But I've run thousands through it (literally, it did all the image conversion for the TI version of Dragon's Lair ).

 

Just in case you're doing something unexpected, I'll post a video of my converting an image, then you can see if your process differs.

 

(Also, you DID update so you have the correct save option, right?)

 

 

 

(I forgot to do any kind of resize, so you may need to full screen it to read anything, but even so you should hopefully be able to see what I did).

 

[Kiwi]

You'll have to drag the picture into Convert9918.  Don't select PNG file (PC)(*.PNG). Instead pick the newly added option, Coleco CVpaint(*.pc) from the new updated Convert9918.

[Tursi]

I fixed the open button and the tab order now too... v173 is up for that. But drag and drop is still faster.

 

[Greg2600]

11 hours ago, Tursi said:

I fixed the open button and the tab order now too... v173 is up for that. But drag and drop is still faster.

 

 

Okay, first I did not comprehend that you wrote this application and were updating it on the fly!  Huge DUHHHH on me.  It works great now!  I can open the PNG I made in PhotoShop and save it straight to PATCOL, bypassing CVPaint.  I did a test with Dukes of Hazzard 2D and 3D boxes.  While I do like the 3D boxes for newer hardware, not sure they're the right approach for the Ultimate SD.  Now others have done most of the boxes in 2D for the cart many years ago, though some of them I felt, like Dukes, lost a lot of detail and wished to modify them.  I'll see how far I get.  Thanks for the assistance here.

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Greg2600