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From: aaron@madnix.UUCP (Aaron Avery)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: GIF viewing again and again (long but informative!)
Keywords: GIF, graphics, IFF, conversion
Message-ID: <1513@madnix.UUCP>
Date: 28 Aug 90 06:03:23 GMT
References: <5338@harrier.ukc.ac.uk> <1990Aug23.045556.17590@uokmax.uucp> <Aug.24.20.43.26.1990.19054@emerald.rutgers.edu>
Reply-To: aaron@madnix.UUCP (Aaron Avery)
Organization: ASDG Incorporated
Lines: 45

>In article <1990Aug23.045556.17590@uokmax.uucp> drtiller@uokmax.uucp (Donald Richard Tillery Jr) writes:
>> The Art Department (with _optional_ GIF module) will allow the
>> intuitive loading and manipulating of a GIF picture (as well as RGB
>> formats from Turbo Silver {I ray trace and go to a dynamic mode} the
>> Sculpt series, Digi View 3.0 and Digi View 4.0) and saving it in any
>> mode including Dynamic work-alikes of the NewTek versions (which are
>> viewable with Dyna-Show although the version of TAD that I have
>> doesn't work too well in this area, the files must be actually
>> loaded into Digi View 4.0 and then re-saved for Dyna-Show to be able
>> to read them).  You can adjust all kinds of things with TAD including 

This surprises me a little, as I've never had trouble reading an ARES or
AHAM image saved by TAD with Dyna-Show. Which version of Dyna-Show are you
using, and what kind of trouble did you have?

>> the price is still too high ($50 or so for TAD and $30 or so for the
>> GIF module) and the kick-in-the-head is that they offer a
>> "professional" version at $199 list that will save to all the modes
>> but also requires the external modules (at similar extra cost) to
>> address GIF and the other optionals.  I cry "FOUL" and call that 
>> a rip-off (no flames please, just IMHO).
As Eric so eloquently stated, considering that things like Adobe Photoshop
for the Mac retail for $895, we think the price is quite reasonable.
Some of those software companies haven't even put in the many years of work
to make sure that the functions are done "right".

One other note -- The Art Department Professional will include both loaders
and savers for GIF, PCX, DPIIe and MacPaint formats besides the IFF, DV21,'
Sculpt and Impulse formats already fully supported. It will include full,
powerful ARexx support. Modular image operators to allow for more sophisticated
image processing. You can also render in up to 256 colors with the same
sophisticated dithering routines and an enhanced palette to save GIF and PCX
images for your non-amiga friends to share. All this and current TAD owners
can get it for $75. I know that sounds like a lot of money to some Amiga
owners, especially with the amount of memory you may need to make full use of
all those features. It's still a reasonable price in the grand scheme for
a "rock-solid" piece of software which can be invaluable to many users.

- Aaron

-- 
Aaron Avery, ASDG Inc.         "A mime is a terrible thing to waste."
                                                             -- Robin Williams
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