Short Tutorial Description of how to user Metamorphosis 24, Metamorphosis is also known as Morpher 1.0 in Germany (original name) from Application Systems Heidelberg. Short Tutorial by Yat Siu if you have any further questions about it, please email me at INTERNET: ysiu@lexicor.com Compuserve: 73073,142 Genie: Y.SIU Delphi: LEXICORWORLD alternatively you can call (510) 848 7621, to place an order by Lexicor Software 1726 Francisco Street Berkeley, CA 94703 U.S.A. we accept Mastercard and Visa as well This is a demo version, some functions such as Save are disabled. Recommended Retail is 99 U$D * Short Tutorial * Crash Course in Morphing (Tutorial) This section is for users who want to begin and experiment right away with Metamorphosis 24, it will outline the basic features and functions of Metamorphosis. Load Pictures To begin morphing you need a source and target image, so select the menu option /file/Load-TIFF-source... and load the KIRK.TIF file from the Morpher DEMO Folder, this is your source image . Now you require another picture as your target image and select the option /file/Load-TFF-target... and load the SPOCK.TIF from the same folder (DEMO), the on the window title indicated that this frame is the target image. Load the morphing joints with the option /file/Load morph-joints... and select KIRKSPOC.MST, you should get the following screen: Using Morpher The Source and Target Window Before a morph is created a souce and targe image is required. Graphics format Both Pictures need to be in the TIFF file format. It can be any TIFF that is either paletted, true color or greyshade only. The higher the (color) resolution of the picture the better the (color) resolution of the final rendered image will be. There is one limitation, the picture sizes need to be the same (eg. if the source image is 320x200 then the target image needs to have the same vertical and horizontal pixels i.e. also 320x200). Loading Picture The Source picture can be loaded by selecting the menu file/load-TIFF, the Target picture can then also be loaded using the same option file/load-TIFF. While the pictures are being loaded the metamorphosis activities window will display what operation metamorphosis is currently doing. The TIFF files are handled internally in Truecolor (graphics color) and are color dithered into the present color resolution the program is currently running, the type of dithering can be selected in the Options/Raster-type menu. The quality of the calculated graphics is a lot better than what is displayed on screen. Metamorphosis "Activity" window The Metamorphosis "Activity" window is an information box that will inform the user what functions/activities Metamorphosis is currently doing such as "Loading Truecolor-TIFF", "Quick-Dither" and "calculation time". The slider bar offers a rough approximation of how far the current operation is on the way, underneath the slider there is a time indicator. If you press the ESC key (escape) you will interrupt the current operation and a text will appear "Esc = cancel activity" in black. If the text is shaded grey (disabled) then the operation is not interrupted. The "Tool" box window This window features the basic tools that ara available, such as setting, connecting and deleting existing morphing points (connected with lines) which will be referred to in this manual as morphing joints or just simply joints. How to set morphing joints A line is usually described by setting a beginning and an end point. The same theory applies to Metamorphosis. The first step is to set the basic morphing points and then join them (thus morphing joints) with lines afterwards (there is an example in the DEMO folder using the same TIFF Files and joints, please refer to the TUTORIAL for an exact description of the demo folder and contents.) After the pictures have been loaded it is necessary to define/set your own morphing points. Select the tools-window by clicking on it and choose the Hammer Symbol. When moving the mouse pointer accross one of the pictures that were loaded the mausform (usually an arrow pointing sideways to the left) will change into a hammer. Just like a hammer the points can now be "hammered" into the picture, every click on the left mouse button sets a morphing point on the Source as well as the Target Image on the same spot as the Source Image. Positioning the points The set points will more than likely be very often moved around, in order to do this select the tools-window by clicking on it and choose the arrow symbol. Now select the point (on either the Target or Source Image) that needs to be re-positioned, the selected point will be highlighted with a different color on both the Target and Source Image. While pressing the left mouse button down, move the point in the desired location and repeat the same action for other morphing points that require re-setting. Connecting morphing points The next step is to connect the various points with lines to create morphing joints, all the points in the Source and Target Image along the lines are automatically re-calculated during a morph. Activate the line-symbol in the Tool-box window. To draw a line place the mouse to a starting point and press the left mouse button. Now move the mouse to the ending point and press the left mouse button again, the line will appear in both the Source and Target Image. Deleting a set morphing point If an error occured that needs to be corrected the delete point option should be selected in the tools window. By pressing the mouse button on the desired point that needs to be erased that point will be deleted. Deleting a set morphing line To erase a line, select the scissor icon in the tools window and click on the line that needs to be erased. Saving and Loading of Complete Morphing Joints The defined morphing joints can be saved off in the menu /file/save morph-joint... and loaded in the same menu under /file/load morph-joint... Setting the Picture Quality Metamorphosis supports 4 levels of quality depth for the calculation of a morph. In the menu Configuration the levels of quality can be set. Naturally the higher the quality, the longer the rendering/calculation will take. Saving off Morph results After a single morph the results can be viewed in a newly opened window with the title Morph-Results. To save off the result select the menu option file/Save-TIFF-Morph... and a true color TIFF-file will be saved off on your disk/harddrive (this file can then be edited in a package such as DA Picture). TIFF-Compression Algorithm Creating Morph Movies (Morphing Animations) In order to create a complete sequence of animations select the option (in menu) action/animation. A Dialoguebox will appear with the number of total frames, name of the morphing sequence and the path. Those settings are user definable by simply clicking on the dialoguebox and typing in the changes via the keyboard. By double clicking on the path option the current file selector box will appear and it is possible to select the path by selecting the drive and folders via the file selector box. Finished Animations are saved off in a number of TIF file formats such as MORSEQ01.TIF, MORSEQ02.TIF, MORSEQ03.TIF, MORSEQ04.TIF etc. Using the PLAYER.PRG it is possible to playback the finished animations created with Metamorphosis 24 (please refer to the Chapter MOVIE PLAYER for more details). Additional Morphing Parameters In the Menu /configuration/parameters the more experienced user can manipulate the basic morphing parameters. It is possible to determine how "soft" or "blurry" the final morph result should look like. The first parameter determines how exact the lines will be rendered. The more exact, the more edgy the final result will look like. If the setting is more soft, then the final result will morph with more "soft" curves. The next parameter Distance to line determines how much influence more distant lines have on individual points. Is the setting to high then only the closest points will be affected, the lower the setting the larger the scope of influence of the lines is towards the morphing points. The last parameter length of lines determines how much more/less influence longer lines than shorter lines. The option default settings should generally produce satisfactory result, changing the Parameters is not really necessary. Set colors for Markers In this dialoguebox the colors for the morphing points and lines can be changed. Simply click on the color option. LEXICOR SOFTWARE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ===================================== *************************************** *** M E T A M O R P H O S I S 2 4 *** *************************************** The first 2 Dimensional Morpher for Atari ST/TT/Falcon Metmorphosis 24 can morph between two same TIFF pictures and create an intermediate morph of the two images. After having loaded your source and target frames you can not only produce single frames but tween whole keyframe animations in 24bit. Using set points to determine the morphing control points you can tell the program what points need to be morphed from the source and the target frame, the more points you add, the more detailed the morph will be. Some features are: - Easy and User Friendly Interface - Intuitive Toolbox (5 basic tools) - 4 levels of morphing depth - toggle rip on/off - Multitos/Mag'X Compatibility and Support - Complete GEM Windows Interface - TIFF Support - FPU Support - ST/TT/Falcon/Clones Support - * Suggested Retail is only 99 U$D * - ******** Special Offer is 79 U$D *********** LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION - Distributors of the English Version 1726 Francisco Street Berkeley, CA 94703 U.S.A. Tel: (510) 848 7621 - Fax: (510) 848 7613 US Dealers please contact Lexicor Software Email: services@lexicor.com on Compuserve: 75300,763 or visit us in the atari area (go atariven) on DEPHI : LEXICORWORLD or visit us in go com atari on GENIE : LEXICOR or visit us in the GRAPHICS RTC (m1415) cat 22