*** Reminder for a beginning converter ***

Here a letter came from a guy - he asked how to efficiently convert graphics from
ibm2zx (well, or amiga2zx). Judging by the quality, graphics conversion in most domestic programs is a weak point (a pleasant exception is Max
Romanov's intros). I think it’s worthwhile to dwell on this problem in detail once:

a) any more or less decent graphic will be suitable for conversion. editor
(Adobe Photo Shop, Photo Finish (from CorelDraw), Aldus Photo Styler, iPhoto
Deluxe, etc.)
b) if the original image is color, it must be switched to Gray
Scale mode.
c) then it is advisable to sharpen the image - Sharpen or even
Sharpen More. You may have to do this several times
d) then there is the _obligatory_ increase in contrast in the Brightnes &
Contrast menu. Contrast is usually set to 20-60%, brightness “to taste” (from -30
to +30)
e) conversion toblack and white format (Black & White). For animations and large
graphics, it is advisable to choose Pattern, for pictures with small details -
Diffusion.
e) technical details of translation into Hobeta-format and further distillation
to Spectrum are omitted, because there are at least a hundred ways :)))

_Control_quality_ of conversion (i.e., the correct selection of brightness and
contrast in point (d)) is:
- any picture must contain large quantities of pure white
/ pure black colors (if the entire picture is flooded with patterns, it is necessary to at least
double the contrast);
- if there is pure black color, but no pure white (or vice versa),
it is necessary to change the brightness balance;
- the presence of rare dots of a different color, where there should be pure black
or pure white color (you have to kill for this :)) - can be treated by increasing
contrast;
- good visibility of image details (if this is not the case, try
increasing the contrast or applying Sharpen/Sharpen Edges or enlarging
the image [what to do, you always need something sacrifice]);
- when converting animations, it is necessary to apply the same
same settings of conversion parameters to all its frames.

*********************************************************************************************************
That's all. Please inform all interested parties so that theyas
they fed us poorly rendered graphics as little as possible.
************************************************************************************************

2MR: If I missed anything, please add.

Warm greetings, Slava.

-+- MS GENS-97 v2.50++
+ Origin: Guru meditates 68040 times (2:5030/461.12)
================================================================

Get msg, Vadim!

Just in case, I repeat the letter. Do as it is written and everything will be - oh.b.
:)

ps\maybe Igor Gruzdev really should make an additional faq on this topic?

With warm greetings, Slava.

Hello Vyacheslav!

20 Mar 97 03:15, Vyacheslav Mednonogov wrote to Vladimir Kacev:
...skip...skip...skip...
VM> I think it’s worth looking at this problem in detail once:
Big, Big thanx...!!!
VM> a) any more or less decent graphic will be suitable for conversion.
Thanx again !!!
VM> e) technical details of the translation into Hobeta-format and further
VM> distillation to the Spectrum are omitted, because there are at least a hundred ways :)))
Nevertheless, our coder SEM wrote one more, 101 :)
VM> That’s all. Please inform all interested parties
VM> that they feed us poorly-constructed graphics as little as possible.
Certainly!
VM> ps\maybe Igor Gruzdev really should make an additional faq on this topic?
Of course!

Bye, Vladimir :)

VK> Nevertheless, our SEM coder wrote another one, 101 :)

And there’s nothing to write here, the TIFF format is an ordinary sprite, BMP is a sprite from bottom
up, PCX is a sprite compressed by RLE. And you don’t need more...

DG> But the truth is necessary.

This... I seem to have done very little in converting and in general working with graphics, so I’m unlikely to collect and systematize anything useful. If someone takes it and gives me something already systematized... Then I can throw it in as an addition to the main fact. Who? Probably Slava Mednonogov or Max Romanov. For
two platforms. Y?

With all sorts of regards and wishes.
Igor.

... I’m silent, but who hears it?