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Scout
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 1570 |
Release id #108098 : PicChar v0.13
It seems that this tool is often used during the 3Color Logo compo.
That's nice :)
Also, I noticed some 'complaints' in the comments about calculating the used chars which seem to be incorrect.
Although my C64 activities are below 0 at this moment, I'm willing to find the bug (if there's any) and fix this.
To be sure there *IS* a bug, how do you load your logo to convert?
PicChar expects a prg file which is normally 8194 bytes (8192 bytes + 2 bytes with the loadaddress) in size.
If you load a compressed file or a file which loads from $0801 to $3FFF, I can imagine some of you might weird results.
So, tell me :) |
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Didi
Registered: Nov 2011
Posts: 487 |
Pictures are handed in as executable. So before you check, you have to extract the plain image from the viewer to get correct results. Otherwise the bytes used by the code to display will be counted als chars, too. A picture consists of a bitmap ($1f40 bytes), the color RAM ($03e8 bytes) and the screen RAM (another $03e8 bytes, where only the lower 4 bits of each byte are needed). The old Koala format has these parts in memory right behind each other, making $2710 of data + 1 byte for background color. This is the data to be analysed by the converter to check for unique colors and unique chars. |
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Monte Carlos
Registered: Jun 2004
Posts: 360 |
This makes only sense, if the final format is font+screen+colorram. The tool was intended to convert only 3 color pictures to font+screen, so i find scouts argument quite logical.
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algorithm
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 705 |
Just convert picture to 4 color c64 grayscale in bitmap format and import to csam v3 with dither off and prune value set to zero. After processing if image is identical then fine. Or if it is not it can be used to reduce chars to 256 with some lossiness |
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WVL
Registered: Mar 2002
Posts: 902 |
I'm guessing the color combinations for all chars are not the same in a lot of pictures, giving 'wrong' results. (but that is what you get if you only look at the bitmap data, without looking at the color maps..)
Also, there are prolly also some pictures that could be done in even less chars, if the converter handles the colormaps with care (ie, making an empty char by setting the color for that char singlecolor black f.e.). |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
i find the amount of noise caused by "cant convert this into a charset" quite awesome.
seriously, how much of a problem could this possibly be? we managed to do this kind of stuff back in the days, using only a c64, and having *no* tools.
Quote:I'm guessing the color combinations for all chars are not the same in a lot of pictures, giving 'wrong' results. (but that is what you get if you only look at the bitmap data, without looking at the color maps..)
indeed - "normalizing" the bitmap should be first step of any conversion to 3 color mode (why ppl call it 3 colors when its infact 4 of them is another question =D)
Quote:Also, there are prolly also some pictures that could be done in even less chars, if the converter handles the colormaps with care (ie, making an empty char by setting the color for that char singlecolor black f.e.).
that wouldnt apply to this compo though - "3 color logo" implies one value for whole colorram :) |
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WVL
Registered: Mar 2002
Posts: 902 |
Quote: i find the amount of noise caused by "cant convert this into a charset" quite awesome.
seriously, how much of a problem could this possibly be? we managed to do this kind of stuff back in the days, using only a c64, and having *no* tools.
Quote:I'm guessing the color combinations for all chars are not the same in a lot of pictures, giving 'wrong' results. (but that is what you get if you only look at the bitmap data, without looking at the color maps..)
indeed - "normalizing" the bitmap should be first step of any conversion to 3 color mode (why ppl call it 3 colors when its infact 4 of them is another question =D)
Quote:Also, there are prolly also some pictures that could be done in even less chars, if the converter handles the colormaps with care (ie, making an empty char by setting the color for that char singlecolor black f.e.).
that wouldnt apply to this compo though - "3 color logo" implies one value for whole colorram :)
only one value? ORLY? If it only 'implies' that, then I don't see why you couldnt break that 'rule' ;) c64 is all about cheating, you know! (and the more you cheat, the more you rule!)
I think I even have some old commandline converter lying around that tries to convert by modifying the colorram aswell, will do a search for it :) |
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user
Registered: Mar 2011
Posts: 8 |
@WVL Someone has done this already ;)
Primeval Soup
Edit: This was the reason to code a tool to force black at D8xx. The reflection is only a cross copy of the twister above with an other D8xx value.
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
Quote:If it only 'implies' that, then I don't see why you couldnt break that 'rule' ;)
"Max. usage of 3 colors + background overall, of which one has to be one of the first 8 colors."
not much point to discuss that :) (but you could exploit that it doesnt actually say that you cant use any of these 4 colors in color ram - correct :)) |
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Scout
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 1570 |
Okay, thanks for your feedback.
It seems that PicChar 0.13 has no bugs but lacks proper support for multicolor images. Converting hires pics works like a charm.
Keep in mind, I created this tool for myself while working on Accumulator back in 2005 and I couldn't find a PC based converter which could convert more than 1 picture into a charset.
I hope to find some time soon to make this tool more versatile (ie. good multicolor support).
Okay, you may now use this thread to create some new csdb drama ;)
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