Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-04
19:42:00
|  Choosing the correct gfx editor
I've got a hires bitmap currently in three files chroma.bin luma.bin bitmap.bin
I'd like to make some manual edits
I've been looking through the tools section, but I can't find a program that will import these files as they are, so either I'm asking, is there a tool that will do this? Or I'm asking whats the best format (and how do I convert theses) so I can get them into an editor.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2024-12-04
20:16:15
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
The "standard" Plus/4 image format is a PRG file that one can load and immediately display:
$0400 bytes of luminance data
$0400 bytes of color data
$1F40 bytes of bitmap.
If you typed GRAPHIC 1,1:CIRCLE 1,160,100,99, then saved the memory from $1800 - $3F40, that's it! A PRG file that's a picture.
A bit more info here.
I have a graphics editor (Csabo's Gfx Edit) which I use, but it's not very popular; I guess the interface is not great. It does the job though, and it can load/save the PRG files I described above.
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-05
03:58:30
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
yeah thats one of the ones I downloaded (your wav converter is awesome)
So, if I just write an .asm that sets bitmap+col/lum base addresses and screen mode, and then include my .bins in the right place, assemble it to a prg that should load into gfxedit?
EDIT:
So Ive tried above - "Could not determine PRG format, please email author"
And I've tried loading it into Yape -> save as PRG and get the same error.
And I've tried padding and joining to a continuous hex file 1k+1k+8k with a prg extension (which should be equivalent to a memory dump?) same error.
Dont worry, got it.
It's that last one + two byte location header.
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Posted By
Haegar
on 2024-12-05
08:00:30
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
Which program did you use to create the three files?
How quickly do you need them? If you have a few days, you can send them to me and I'll try to put them together if they are actually usable data for the Plus/4.
Is it a hires or a multicolour image?
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Posted By
gerliczer
on 2024-12-05
09:21:17
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
@Fuzzweed: You don't actually need a executable programme but a file containing the $1800-$3F3F memory area with a load address of $1800. IIRC.
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-05
12:28:48
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
Thank you both. It's the output from dfliconv, but I figured it out.
I can join them together in a hex editor and then just add the load to memory bytes at the front.
I would still be interested in your favourite editors tho. I tried csabos this morning and truthfully it's a bit basic. I like the initial layout, but colour selection seems awkward and there's no undo, which is a big loss I think.
The kind of thing I got used to on the Spectrum is something like select attribute 1 with left mouse, attribute 2 with right mouse and then draw right/left click.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2024-12-05
12:56:11
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
The approach in my editor is to be like the old logo editors, since "I grew up" using those.
The last public update to it was done more than 10 years ago. The reason I stopped was that I could not use the same development environment. Since then I started rewriting it in Visual C#, it's about halfway there I think - but since there's so little interest, I haven't made this a priority. Like I said, for touching up a few pixels, it's good enough, but I think most graphicians use PhotoShop and the like, and then use converters to bring it to the Plus/4.
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-05
13:17:24
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
If it had ctrl-z undo I think I would go ahead. But it will drive me mad without 
I already did my image conversion but I want to add some text, and I can't see a way text would make it through the conversion process with any accuracy.
Easier just to flip a few pixels. Somehow.
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Posted By
Murphy
on 2024-12-05
13:22:19
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
@Fuzzweed The most practical solution for bitmap editing is Multipaint.
http://multipaint.kameli.net/
It supports the standard hires and multicolor bitmap formats, feature rich and has an easy to use export format. (It still has some small bugs, but it is very usable)
You can export your bitmap to Botticelli format, which only needs to set some registers to display.
The format is simple:
$7800-$7fff br & color memory
$8000-$9f3f bitmap data
For multicolor files, the values of the two global colors are stored this way:
$7bff = $ff15
$7bfe = $ff16
Both register values are stored in a stupid way, the lower and upper 4 bits have to be swapped.
It saves the files with p4i extension instead of prg, which has the advantage that you can preview the images with a great retro image viewer library called Recoil.
https://recoil.sourceforge.net/
If you also want to work with 4 color images, the fastest way there is to work with png files, which you can load and convert directly with KickAssembler.
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-05
13:27:02
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
Thank you I'll check that out next.
With the p4i extension is the actual data equivalent to .prg? I.e I can just remove the first two bytes to get my raw binary data back?
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Posted By
Murphy
on 2024-12-05
13:29:59
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
Is exactly the same, so there are 2 bytes of start address here too. In fact, the only difference is the name of the extension.
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2024-12-05
13:32:27
| Re: Choosing the correct gfx editor
Perfect!
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