Using JPEG with Amos

[WAKD]

Hi. I have downloaded a jpg image and I have tried converting to 32bit colour, resizing image and using ext such iff and bmp. When I load them into Amos for my program it says either:

A) Picture is too big

or

B) illegal screen parameter at line.....

Can someone guide me please?

[Dan]

32bit or 32 colors ?

If the image has 32 colors, then it should be saved as 8bit.

[WAKD]

Hi Dan,
Thanks. That did work but, what happens now is the buttons should have a red borders, "yes" should be green, "no" should be red and in the top left and bottom right of the buttons the are small white curves to make the buttons look like glass but the IFF image has changed everything to its palette colour. Is there a way I can get the original bob buttons back without effecting the IFF image please?

I could draw a box for the text and buttons but, I don't think it would look as good.

[fxgogo]

I suspect the image is using your entire 32 colour palette for greys. You need to reduce the images colours down to say 16 or 24 shades of grey, which will leave you 16 or 8 colours for other elements. I am presuming you are using a 32 colour mode.

[WAKD]

Hi,
All I did was save the image as 8 colour iff

[fxgogo]

So is that 8 colours or 8bit colour?
What program are you using to convert the images?

I have not used Amos before, but I would think there is a setting to define what gfx mode you want to use and possibly even what colour palettes you want to use. The problem might be happening there.

By the way I just saw your other post and I would suggest not starting off new threads that are the same as this one.

[Konrad]

@WAKD:
Please try not to confuse bit and colors

Example:
- You have 32 colors TOTAL available
- You want to use the colors green, red, white for text and buttons. So you have to reserve them
- When you just save the images the "simple" way the graphics program will use all 32 colors and adjust those so they fit the picture the best
- When you then load the picture your colors red, green, white get "overwritten" by the picture's palette
- For every picture you want to use you have to reserve green, red, white in the picture's palette. And also in the same spot of the palette. Which you didn't do and thus loose your red, green, white

[fxgogo]

Originally Posted by Konrad

@WAKD:
Please try not to confuse bit and colors

Example:
- You have 32 colors TOTAL available
- You want to use the colors green, red, white for text and buttons. So you have to reserve them
- When you just save the images the "simple" way the graphics program will use all 32 colors and adjust those so they fit the picture the best
- When you then load the picture your colors red, green, white get "overwritten" by the picture's palette
- For every picture you want to use you have to reserve green, red, white in the picture's palette. And also in the same spot of the palette. Which you didn't do and thus loose your red, green, white

Said a lot better than me. That is the exact issue you are having.

[WAKD]

Thanks for the reply. I do understand your example so, how would I reserve said colours as not to have them overwritten please?

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by Konrad

@WAKD:
Please try not to confuse bit and colors

Example:
- You have 32 colors TOTAL available
- You want to use the colors green, red, white for text and buttons. So you have to reserve them
- When you just save the images the "simple" way the graphics program will use all 32 colors and adjust those so they fit the picture the best
- When you then load the picture your colors red, green, white get "overwritten" by the picture's palette
- For every picture you want to use you have to reserve green, red, white in the picture's palette. And also in the same spot of the palette. Which you didn't do and thus loose your red, green, white

I'm still trying and I appreciate your help and patience. Interestingly, if I use the GET PALETTE command I get the button colours back but, it then affects the IFF image. I'm still doing something wrong as I still don't know how to reserve colours.

[d4rk3lf]

This:

Originally Posted by fxgogo

What program are you using to convert the images?

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

This:

I have used:
Ultimate Paint
MT Paint
Deluxe Paint 4
and an online converter which is supposed to do what I need:

http://tool.anides.de/

I've tried experimenting with masks, EHB command, HAM command, Get bob palette and the list goes on

[Psiq]

Originally Posted by WAKD

I'm still trying and I appreciate your help and patience. Interestingly, if I use the GET PALETTE command I get the button colours back but, it then affects the IFF image. I'm still doing something wrong as I still don't know how to reserve colours.

I think what Konrad is trying to say about reserving the colours is to ensure the colours you require for the buttons are in the pallete of your iff image. If you have 32 colours in your image 3 of them need to be the colours for your buttons.


When you use GET PALETTE you are using the colour palette of your buttons for the image.

[fxgogo]

I think you need to do some reading up on indexed colour graphics. I would start with the deluxe paint manual. Once you got a good understanding of colour palettes, jump back into your game. We have all been spoilt by 24bit colour displays for the last decade and a bit. Limited colour images are different, but do offer some interesting benefits.

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by Psiq

I think what Konrad is trying to say about reserving the colours is to ensure the colours you require for the buttons are in the pallete of your iff image. If you have 32 colours in your image 3 of them need to be the colours for your buttons.


When you use GET PALETTE you are using the colour palette of your buttons for the image.

So, the IFF image must have the bob colours for the buttons to display their colours along with the IFF image?

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by fxgogo

I think you need to do some reading up on indexed colour graphics. I would start with the deluxe paint manual. Once you got a good understanding of colour palettes, jump back into your game. We have all been spoilt by 24bit colour displays for the last decade and a bit. Limited colour images are different, but do offer some interesting benefits.

Yeah I've started on that.

[fxgogo]

I found this good primer on wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indexed_color

I do remember another book or article that helped me back in the day, I am just trying to find it. In the mean time try that.

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by fxgogo

I found this good primer on wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indexed_color

I do remember another book or article that helped me back in the day, I am just trying to find it. In the mean time try that.

Thanks much appreciated

[Konrad]

OK, just checked and found how to do it in PPaint / PersonalPaint

- Start PPaint
- Open the menu and click "Project > Image Format"
- Choose "PAL:Low Res 320x256" and 32 colors > Proceed
- Open the menu and click "Project > Load Image"
A requester with "Format Selection" pops up
- Select "Current format", which should be "320x256 - 32 colors"
- click "Proceed"
Picture is now loaded and color reduced to 32 colors. But all colors used
- Open the menu and click "Color > Palette > Edit"
- Change the first colors to your liking, f.ex. to black, white, green, red and hit "Proceed"
Colors of the picture will look wrong now, which is ok
- Open the menu and click "Color > Remap"
Now PPaint has remaped the pictures to the modified palette
Everything will now look ok and the first colors are mapped as you need them.
Make sure that you setup your custom colors the same for all pictures (i.e. black, white, green, red in the same spot of the palette).

I'm sure there is a more "professional" way, but it's a long time ago that I did this stuff and forgot almost everything.
At least it should work for your project .

BTW: PPaint offers also some filters / dithering when color reducing pictures (Settings > Dithering > Floyd-Steinberg for example).
You can set this setting first before loading the picture.

[WAKD]

Originally Posted by Konrad

OK, just checked and found how to do it in PPaint / PersonalPaint

- Start PPaint
- Open the menu and click "Project > Image Format"
- Choose "PAL:Low Res 320x256" and 32 colors > Proceed
- Open the menu and click "Project > Load Image"
A requester with "Format Selection" pops up
- Select "Current format", which should be "320x256 - 32 colors"
- click "Proceed"
Picture is now loaded and color reduced to 32 colors. But all colors used
- Open the menu and click "Color > Palette > Edit"
- Change the first colors to your liking, f.ex. to black, white, green, red and hit "Proceed"
Colors of the picture will look wrong now, which is ok
- Open the menu and click "Color > Remap"
Now PPaint has remaped the pictures to the modified palette
Everything will now look ok and the first colors are mapped as you need them.
Make sure that you setup your custom colors the same for all pictures (i.e. black, white, green, red in the same spot of the palette).

I'm sure there is a more "professional" way, but it's a long time ago that I did this stuff and forgot almost everything.
At least it should work for your project .

BTW: PPaint offers also some filters / dithering when color reducing pictures (Settings > Dithering > Floyd-Steinberg for example).
You can set this setting first before loading the picture.

Hi. Thanks for your advice. Sadly, I still have the same problem. Although the instructions I followed worked in PP the buttons on top of the IFF image did not show their intended colours. They are still affected by the IFF image. Using different versions of AMOS gives different results but, again the IFF image still affects the bob buttons which are saved as abk.