Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!Bob_BobR_Retelle
From: Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking...
Message-ID: <40852@cup.portal.com>
Date: 3 Apr 91 23:40:58 GMT
References: <1245@exua.exeter.ac.uk>
  <1991Apr3.004047.511@jato.jpl.nasa.gov>
  <1991Apr3.055519.2322@ns.network.com>
  <1991Apr3.055821.2405@ns.network.com>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 28

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Ed Krimen writes:

>logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes:

>- >4)     Is it possible to get Gif images to look remotely nice on a STE?
>-
>- No.  Even ST's in color mode have only 8 shades of grey, and the 
>- STe's have only 16.  In high-res mode you just got on or off.
 
>I must disagree -- assuming by 'remotely nice' we mean as good as 
>VGA.  One may convert GIFs to Spectrum 512 format.   ...
 
Unfortunately, number of colors is only part of the story.. Spectrum 512,
while allowing up to 512 colors on the screen, is still limited to low
resolution...  converting a VGA picture to 320 x 200 resolution usually
results in severe loss of detail, and distortion of the aspect ratio of
the original.  (i.e., pictures come out fuzzy and squashed)
 
DigiSpec does a fairly good job of conversion, but allows no control over
aspec ratio... picture of people come out short and fat usually.. the
GIF converters that DO allow control over aspect ratio usually end up
reducing the picture so much that an extreme amount of detail is lost..
 
The only GIFs that convert reasonably well to the ST are ones which were
320 x 200 to begin with...  and there aren't very many of those any more..
 
BobR