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From: cseaman@sequent.UUCP (Chris "The Bartman" Seaman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Subject: Re: GIF viewer
Message-ID: <55355@sequent.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 91 00:07:11 GMT
References: <roger_earl.1851@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca>
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Beaverton, OR
Lines: 35

roger_earl@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Roger Earl) writes:

[ Problems viewing GIF files directly on an Amiga... ]

< But the preferable thing to do is
< to convert the GIF to a HAM using a program such as HamSharp (PD or
< Shareware, I forget which).  This may take a while (8-10 minutes) but once
< its done you can view the HAM in a split second anytime you want.

I tried HamSharp, but I have found the new (?) HamLab 1.1 to be far
superior.  I only have the demo version (which is only limited in the
size of the bitmaps it supports), and it has given me results that I
thought were impossible on a standard Amiga.  It supports scaling,
cropping, color correction, several flavors of dithering, and can
output HAM or SHAM files, including superbitmaps of both.  It also
supports several other file formats for input, including the PPM, PGM,
and PBM intermediate formats used by the pbmplus tools.

Not only this, but the sucker is FAST!  A 320x400 GIF-to-HAM
translation, WITH dithering, takes about 30-40 seconds on my 2500/20.

Short of buying TAD or ADPro (which obviously do MUCH more than what
this program does), this is the best XXXX-to-HAM converter I have seen.
I am definitely going to register this puppy.

BTW, the demo version can be found on disk #466 in the Fred Fish library.

Regards,
Chris

-- 
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