Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!Classic_-_Concepts From: Classic_-_Concepts@cup.portal.com Newsgroups: comp.graphics Subject: Re: IFF, 24-bit color, displays, Amiga Message-ID: <39983@cup.portal.com> Date: 9 Mar 91 17:09:06 GMT References: <1119.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz> <15@goblin.ntg.uucp> Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 61 > 1. As you might know, the Amiga is not able to display more than > 32 colors at a time in FULL MULTICOLOR. Your information is way out of date. Without ANY hardware modifications, on a standard Amiga monitor, Macro Paint lets you display all 4096 colors in high resolution overscan (704 x 440) on any Amiga with 1 meg of memory (more is better, but it runs in 1 meg). Plus with extra memory, you can create much larger virtual screens (32,000 pixels square, e.g. 2000 x 800 pixels) which can be output to high resolution film recorders, slides or desktop publishing programs. "By taking full advantage of the Amiga's graphics co-processor (the copper), Macro Paint makes it possible to draw with all 4096 colors in the Amiga's high resolution graphics mode .... it is possible to change which 16 colors out of the 4096 are available on a line by line basis .... it records the true 12-bit color of each pixel in fast memory and is able to read and modify 32, 64, and 4096 color pictures ... can even read in standard 24-bit scanned or digitized IFF pictures and convert them to Macro Paint's 12-bit high resolution format." (Disclaimer: I am not connected with Lake Forest Logic, publishers of Macro Paint. This info is from the packaging and I've seen the images. They look great.) > 3. As far as I know, there is no Amiga program that can handle more > than 6 bitplanes.... The Firecracker ($1400), Colorburst ($1500), the Video Toaster ($1600), HAM-E ($299), DCTV ($299), Macro Paint ($139.95) all let you work with 256,000 and/or 16.7 million colors. You'd better research products that have been released in the last 8 months. The 24-bit wars on the Amiga started a long time ago. > The problem is: There is no standard for 24-bitplane-pics. Strike 3. It was defined about a year ago for the Amiga. > Marco Eichelberg Item #2. A previous poster mentioned that Amiga IFF standards were kept under wraps, available only to developers. NOT AT ALL. Most computer stores and book stores carry (or will order) the ROM KERNEL MANUALS, the same documents used by Amiga developers. IFF has never been a secret. And it's actually quite straightforward. It's just that the first documents released on its format made it seem unnecessarily complicated. The well-intended writers may have been programmers rather than technical writers. The IFF ANIM formats aren't secret either. Commodore is just a little erratic at times about disseminating information. That's why we have Usenet. Right? / \ / / \\\' , / // \\\// _/ //' __ _________________________________________ \_-//' / //<' /// Julie Petersen (LadyHawke@cup.portal.com \ /// > \\\` __ /// /,)-^>> _\` \\\ /// Computer Artist/Writer (/ \\ / \\\ \\/// // //\\\ ---------------------------------------------------- ((`