Short: Convert IFF anims to GIF anims (ImageFX required) Author: Ridwan Hughes Uploader: Ridwan Hughes Type: gfx/conv IFFAnim2GIFAnim.ifx Ever seen a web page with a neat animated GIF and wanted to create a anim yourself? Well, this script for ImageFX and WhirlGif can't create your neat anims, but it can convert your IFF anims to GIF anims, such as DPaint anims. And you don't even need an AGA Amiga to create 256 colour GIF anims. Changes since 1.1 of the script: - Spaces in drive names and filenames allowed (although not recomended using spaces in filenames for web use). - Loop option fixed, previously this didn't work. - Timing option fixed, this also didn't work. (hey, I'm new to ARexx ;) - Removed the disposal option as my copy of ImageFX can't save transparent GIF's. This will be reinstated when I can get it to work properly. - User is able to select number of colours used in the GIF anim. - Added brightness and contrast options which execute in that order before any scaling is done. - Added a sharpen option, which is done to the images after any scaling that may happen. - The AmigaDOS command "echo" is no longer needed. - Fixed the bug when cropping an anim, the image used to be 1 pixel smaller (both x and y) than indicated. Features: - Very simple conversion process, no need to make lots of GIFs anymore. - Cropping your anim. You can select just a small portion of your IFF anim to be turned into a GIF anim. - Scaling you anim. Scale down your IFF anim to any size (2x2 being the smallest size), even after cropping. - Does not use extra hard drive space for conversion of anims. Requires: - ImageFX1.5 upwards. V1.51 was given away on a magazine but that does *not* mean it is pd, 2.0 is also commercial. - The Foreign render module for ImageFX so that even OCS/ECS Amigas can create 256 colour GIF anims. (should be in your ImageFX setup) - WhirlGif version 2.01+, available on Aminet. Instructions: Put WhirlGif in c:, you need version 2.01 or better (2.01 is the version at the time of releasing this). Make sure that: PIPE: is mounted, this is required for the transference of GIFs from ImageFX into WhirlGif. The dir Env:ImageFX exists, if it doesn't, create it, and also Envarc:ImageFX so's you don't have to remake it in future. You have the render module Foreign, if not, get it from your main ImageFX archive or original disks. Place IFFAnim2GIFAnim.ifx in the REXX dir of your ImageFX installation. Load up ImageFX, click on the Arexx button in the Toolbox menu, then click on IFFAnim2GIFAnim.ifx for which you will get these options in the script: 1 load source IFF anim - click on the IFF anim you wish to load 2 destination GIF anim - type in or click on the GIF anim you wish to save 3 It will now tell you to select the 2nd to last frame as most IFF anims have 2 extra frams for looping purposes. 4 Select the 2nd to last frame, IE if you have 102 frames to select from, select frame 100. 5 Loop the GIF anim? (currently set to play once) - basically asks you wether you want to add in the Netscape loop option and how many times you loop the anim, but IBrowse versions up to V1.1 seems to loop GIF anims regardless. 6 Set a time delay between frames? (currently set at max speed) - asks wether you want to slow down the GIF anim, the delay number is the time between displaying frames. Not setting a time or setting the time to 1 will make it run at full speed. 7 Crop the anim? - allows you to crop (take a small part of) the anim for conversion purposes. When in crop mode it will ask you to click on one corner of the box (doesn't matter which), a pixel will be drawn where you click - this doesn't affect the final render - then it will ask for you to click on the opposite corner. When in crop mode, you can click on the main control panel *but not any of the buttons* and then click right mouse to remove the control panel to see the whole screen. You can also press M to magnify the screen to pinpoint the corner you wish to use, and also use the cursor keys to scroll round the magnified screen. 8 Change the brightness? - If you are for example using a digitised animation that you want to turn into a GIF anim and it's a little dark, you can alter the brightness of it. 9 Change the contrast? - Again, similar reasons for changing the contrast as with the brightness option. Note: The brightness and contrast options are executed in that order before any scaling is done. Also, they both have sliderbars that start at 0 and end at 255 with 127 being the center, because ImageFX wouldn't allow negative values in it's sliderbars :( 10 Scale the anim? - this allows you to shrink your anim down to any size smaller than the original picture size, right down to 2x2 pixels. Upon selecting to scale the anim, you are presented with a slider bar for the width of the GIF anim, select the new width and click on Okay. Then you will be presented with a second slider bar for the height, the position of the slider will be automatically set with relation to the width you selected, so that the image is scaled evenly width and height. You may change the width then click on Okay. 11 Sharpen the anim? - If the scaled animation doesn't look very clear, you can sharpen the images. Any sharpening done is done to the images after any scaling that may be done. 12 Number of colours in anim (Cancel=256) - Allows you to select the number of colours your GIF animation uses. Remember, if you don't need 128 or 256 colours then don't use them, most animations will look good in 64 or less colours and will save space. After going through those above processes you choose, the conversion will start, do not, and I repeat *do not* stop the script by pressing Ctrl+C, this will totally mess up future conversions and you will have to reset your Amiga to make any more GIF anims. Wait a short while and then your GIF anim should be created. :) To create another GIF anim, just repeat the steps 1-11 after selecting executing the script. Please don't go creating GIF anims that have 100+ frames, or anims that are 320x256 size, they just take too long to download and not everyone can load and see them, the Amiga at most only has 2mb chip mem. (more on gfx cards usually, but not everyone owns a gfx card) Bugs: - Won't work if you don't have the dir Env:ImageFX - Won't work if you don't have WhirlGif and execute available in c: - Messes up totally if you break the script with Ctrl+C, subsequent GIF anims are totally messed up due to the way PIPE: is used. To do: - Look into the transparency option for ImageFX2.0+ users. Unfortunately I don't own vers 2.0+ so I can't do much on that score at the moment. - Look into making a script for a PD program so that everyone can create GIF anims, not just the ImageFX owners. - Try and sort out the way PIPE: is used so that the user can stop the script at any time. Rid. Email: Ridwan Hughes IRC : Darwin on Europe side of EFnet, apparently now called IRCnet. WWW : http://www.ridhughz.demon.co.uk/