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Positive Image Now Available

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  Floppyshop  are   delighted  to  announce  the  release  of Positive

Image, a high end  image  processing tool  developed primarily for the

Atari TT and Falcon030 but which  also  runs capably on a standard ST.

Positive Image has  come    about  as  a  result of extensive research

into professional photographic image  retouching packages on non-Atari

machines. The result is an image  processing studio, such as has never

before been seen running on Atari computers!



  Positive Image runs on any  TOS  based  computer  but is enhanced to

take  full advantage of  the  improved  hardware  on  the  STE, TT and

Falcon, especially the DSP on the Falcon.  The blitter (if present) is

also used to  maximum  effect.  There   are  two  versions of Positive

Image,  one for  68000  based  ST/e's  the  other   for 68030 machines

(including PAK 68/3 accelerated  ST/e's  and  Apple Macintosh machines

running MagiC  Mac).   The  basic  68000  version  contains  all   the

features of  its  big  brother,   being  limited  only  by  the slower

processor speed  and  lower resolution displays.  If your ST/e,  TT or

Falcon has  a   processor  accelerator  or  graphic card fitted,  this

too will be used to  its fullest capabilities.



  Positive  Image is the ONLY  GEM  based  image processing program to

allow  the   editing  of 24-bit True Colour graphics on an ordinary ST

in any resolution   (including  low res!).   A high spec system is not

necessary in order to  run Positive  Image,  but the program will take

full advantage of the increased processing  power if it is there!  The

following is a list of the program's main features:-



  System Compatibility



  *   Minimum requirements:  1 Meg  of  RAM  only,   4  Meg of RAM (or

more) and a hard drive are recommended for serious use.



  *   Supports all screen resolutions (including ST low res) on the

ST/e,  TT and  Falcon including  overscan,  all virtual screen drivers

and the various   resolution  boosters  such as Autoswitch Overscan on

the ST  and  all  known   hardware and software resolution boosters on

the Falcon 030.



  *  Compatible with all official  releases  of  TOS (1.0,  1.2,  1.4,

1.6, 1.62, 2.05, 2.06, 3.05, 3.06, 4.01, 4.02, 4.04) and the developer

version of 4.92.



  *  Fully compatible with GDOS  1.1,   AMC  GDOS, FontGDOS, FSM GDOS,

SpeedoGDOS   v4, SpeedoGDOS v5, NVDI 3 and  NVDI 4 with regard to both

font and printer support.



  *  Compliant with all 100% GEM compatible graphics cards.



  *  Fully compatible with MagiC Mac.



  *  Fully compatible with Gemulator 4.



  *  Supplied in two versions  for  the  different models in the Atari

range. The   basic  program runs  on  any  Atari and the 68030 version

runs on any 68030  or   68040   based  TOS compatible system and takes

advantage of the  DSP in  the Falcon.



  Multi-Tasking Features



  *  Fully compatible with Multi-TOS, Geneva and MagiC 3 or 4.



  *  Supports extended AES messages  from Multi-TOS,  WinX, Geneva and

MagiC 3 or 4.



  *   Supports  the  Xacc  and   AV  protocols  for  sending  messages

betweenprograms.



  *   Support  for  Multi-TOS  and  MagiC  3  and  4's  drag  and drop

protocol   whereby  a  group   of   images  are  dragged  onto an open

window and are all loaded  in  a single operation.



  General Features



  *   Extensive  file  support  allows the following  graphic  formats

to  be imported:  AIM,  Degas,   Windows  and OS/2 Bitmap, EZ-Art Pro,

IFF (including   Deluxe Paint ST,  standard HAM,  high res HAM,  HAM6,

HAM8, HAM12 and 24-bit   HAM),   IMG   (including HyperPaint X-IMG and

conventional  X-IMG),  InShape,    Imagelab,    JPEG,   MTV  Raytrace,

NeoChrome,  PC  Paintbrush,  Photochrome,    Portable  Network Graphic

(PNG),  Prism Paint, True Paint,  Spectrum  512  (both   50hz and 60hz

pictures),  TrueVision Targa, TIFF v6  (including CCITT fax and   JPEG

support) and Tiny.



  *  Saves out in most popular formats including TIFF,  BMP,  JPG,

PNG,  TGA, XIMG, EZA, P?1 and NEO amongst others.



  *    Full  support  for   true   (i.e.    non  paletted)  256  level

Greyscales,  fully   preserving  the   colour  depth.   These are even

supported for  image formats    which  do  not  ordinarily handle this

type of image!



  *   Comprehensive file information (filename,  format,  compression

method,   dimensions, memory required, memory free) given when loading

images.



  *  Handles conversions between  monochrome,   16 colour, 256 colour,

Greyscale   and   True   Colour,   performing  colour  quantisation or

palette boosting  as necessary.



  *  Colour selection compliant with both RGB and CMY standards.



  *  Supports separate  editing  of  the  red,   green,  blue and mask

channels with colour images.



  *   Subject to memory and/or  available  hard  drive space,  an UNDO

buffer  is   available   at  all  times,   allowing  'mistakes'  to be

reversed easily.  UNDO works  for  almost  all  operations in Positive

Image.



  *  All  images  are  stored  internally  in  24-bit  format  and all

operations  are   carried out  on  the  24-bit  representation held in

memory.  This ensures  that  the  same  quality  results  are obtained

whether  pictures  are edited  in  monochrome or True Colour.



  *  Near-instantaneous screen redraws in True Colour mode.



  *  Images can be intelligently rescaled and anti-aliased to suit the

size of   your  paper  (or the dimensions of your choice provided they

do  not exceed   that of your paper!). Realistically you can print out

an image at up to  400%  of  its  original  size at 300dpi without any

noticeable loss of quality.



  *   Optionally  uses  windowed  dialogues  which may  be  moved  to

a  more  convenient location when  work  is being obscured.  Access to

the menu bar   or  other   GEM  applications  is  also  supported when

running under MultiTOS  with this feature enabled.



  *  Multiple dialogues can be open at the same time and you can move

between  them  freely,   even  under   single-tasking  TOS.   In  fact

different tools can be   active  for  different  images  and  Positive

Image   always  remembers   the   currently   selected  tool  for  the

appropriate image!



  *   Includes its own virtual memory feature which runs on any Atari

with  a    hard  drive.  Positive Image  is also fully compatible with

TT Fast RAM  and   virtual memory drivers on the TT and Falcon such as

Outside.



  *  Supports multiple loading of up to five images at once from the

Selectric    file   selector   and    inserts    the   filemasks   for

supported  formats into  Selectric's list of masks. These features are

also available to users of the Freedom file selector.



  *  Makes use of the GEM Clipboard for cutting and pasting of blocks.



  *   Allows you to specify your Clipboard directory and creates  a

Clipboard for you if you don't already have one.



  *  Retains multiple blocks in the Clipboard to facilitate easier

creating of montages.



  *   Clipboard  support includes the ability to clear all  blocks  or

delete individual blocks after use.



  *  Support for Brainstorm's DSP based JPEG decoder on the Falcon.



  *  Standard GEM compliant keyboard shortcuts for all menu options.



  *  Iconification of images to maximise desk space.



  *   All your preferred settings can be saved as default to save

valuable time   when next using the package.



  *   Floating  toolbar with short tool descriptions being  displayed

(except in 40 column modes) as  you hover over their icons.



  *  GDOS fonts may be  unloaded  when  not  in  use, in order to save

memory.



  *   All   the  common  text  attributes  such   as   bold,   italic,

underline  and outline may be  applied  to  your text and previewed on

screen before use.



  *   Powerful  block  handling  features  include  the choice  of  11

different overlay methods with user definable transparency feature.



  *   The  ability to use  any  of  the  RGB  channels of the block or

image as  a mask channel when pasting blocks.



  *   Supports  the  creation  of 3D random  dot  stereograms  and

foreground enhanced stereograms.



  *   Sixteen zoom levels allow you to scale an image up or down to a

maximum factor of eight. When zoomed  (in or out), blocks, brushes etc

are all scaled accordingly.  Outsize images  can be zoomed out to view

the entire image  for pasting   blocks   or defining localised regions

for  processing.  Zooming   in  allows  fine  editing  right  down  to

individual pixels.



  *  Fully illustrated in-depth 136 page manual which covers not only

the  use of  Positive   Image  itself  but  also  the fundamentals  of

image processing.  Includes extensive   cross-referencing,  a glossary

of over 250 terms  used  within  the  manual,   a guide to the various

graphic file formats and a  handy trouble-shooting section. Written by

a former regular contributor to several popular Atari magazines.



  Falcon Specific Features



  *  3D graphic interface.



  *  Compatible with 32Mhz and  40 Mhz accelerators (including BlowUp-

FX).



  *  Fast  DSP code handles most processor intensive operations such

as  re-scaling, rotating, filtering, dithering and such like.



  *  Works on both VGA and RGB monitors as well as ordinary TV sets.



  *  Fully  compatible  with ScreenBlaster  BlowUp030  and  other

resolution enhancers.



Printer Support



  *  Fully supports printing from any version of GDOS or SpeedoGDOS.



  *   Also  includes  its   own  printer  drivers  as  an  alternative

to  those   available with the various GDOS versions.



  *   Non-GDOS based printer support includes all 9-pin and 24-pin

Epson  and   IBM models, HP  DeskJet  (colour  and mono), HP LaserJet,

IBM  ProPrinter,  Epson  Stylus  (mono   and  colour)  and  Postscript

printers.



  *   Supports  half-toning,  random dithering,  clumped (the method

used  by   newspapers)  and  Floyd-Steinberg  dithering  as options to

use  when printing out.



  *   Uses  data   compression  when  printing  to  HP  Laserjets  and

Deskjets  to  reduce printing time.



  *  Images can be printed to disk if memory is low.  These files can

then  be double-clicked from the GEM Desktop and sent directly to the

printer.  They   can  also  be  printed  out  from  PC,   Mac and Unix

machines if you transfer them   via a PC formatted disk.



  *  Can export images in PostScript format.



  Image Processing Features



  *   All  the  usual tools such  as  Brightness/Contrast,  Contrast

Stretch,   Negate,  Threshold,  Histogram   and   Equalise are present

as  well as  many revolutionary new ones.



  *   Images  can  be  rotated  to  any  angle in either  a  clockwise

or anti-clockwise direction to an accuracy  of one degree. Uses DSP on

the Falcon.



  *  Real-time mirroring of images.



  *  Comes supplied with six commonly used image processing filters

(including smooth, sharpen and remove noise) built-in.



  *   Allows  the  user to create his/her own external filters  for

use  with Positive   Image.   The   package   includes  about a  dozen

useful pre-defined external filters including  Blur, Emboss, Erode and

Vibrate.



  *  Supports 256 level (8-bit) masking. Includes a configurable

gradient mask tool which allows you to create your own masks.



  *  Allows processing of user defined rectangular,  circular,

elliptical and bezier   area   definitions  within  Greyscale and True

Colour  images without affecting other areas of the image.



  *   Powerful auto-trace tool  supports  user-defined tolerance level

to allow easy  selection of multi-coloured  areas of similar RGB value

eg; could  be used to select a sky background.



  *   Pixel  precise  area selection  of  any  shape supported by  use

of  Alpha Channel handling.



  *   Image  warping (two different implementations  supported)  and

shearing enable  life-like  twisting  and  distorting of  images.  The

closest you'll get to morphing on  a non-frame based package. You must

see these features to   believe  them!  They  are fully operational in

the demo version!



  *  Supports gamma correction of images for screen and/or printer.



  Image Retouching Features



  Besides  having a powerful compliment of image  processing  tools,

Positive Image  includes a number  of  localised retouching tools with

user definable brush  size and  shape.   These  are for the main part,

similar in concept  to those  found  in any standard graphics package,

but  further  enhanced   to   fully   exploit   the  image  processing

capabilities of Positive Image.  The retouching tools are as follows:-



  *   Sharpen/Blur  -  A  dual  purpose  tool  which applies  a  local

high  pass sharpen (or blur) filter to the pixel beneath the mouse.



  *  Dodge/Burn - A dual purpose tool which lightens or darkens each

pixel  in the area beneath the  mouse,  when used on Greyscale or True

Colour images.



  *  Eraser - Erases any given area with the eraser adopting the size

of the currently selected brush.



  *   Fill - A standard fill tool as found in most graphics packages

but  with user control over opacity, fade and strength.



  *  Spraycan - A traditional airbrush tool with the added advantage

that  you can set opacity, fade and strength to suit.



  *   Paint -  A  standard  painting  tool  which  applies your chosen

colour to the image relative to  the  size  and shape of your selected

brush.



  *   Pencil - Identical  to  paint  except  that  it  always works at

single pixel level, regardless of the size of the brush.



  *  Rubber Stamp - A multi-purpose cloning tool.



  *   Full user configurability of all image processing tools allowing

you  to set the Opacity,  Fade  and  Strength  to  make them work like

'real' paint!



  All  retouching tools may be used in Positive Image's variable zoom

mode  to ensure pixel precise accuracy,



Price



  Positive Image  is available NOW. It normally costs 79 pounds + P&P,

but you can order  your   copy  at  a   special introductory  price of

just œ65.00 + P&P   (UK 2   pounds,  Europe  5 pounds, rest  of  world

10 pounds) for  a  limited    period  only.  Overseas customers please

check to see if we  have  a  distributor    in  your country.  If not,

please note (when ordering   from  Floppyshop)  that   payment must be

made  in UK   currency  (Eurocheque,  Post  Giro,  International Money

Order or a cheque drawn on a UK bank). To be honest, you will probably

find it easiest to pay by credit card.



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  Contact:- Floppyshop, PO Box 273, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. AB15 8GJ.

  Tel:\Fax: 01224 586208, International +44 (0)1224 586208

  email: sdelaney@steil.wintermute.co.uk



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  Positive Image Distributors



SWEDEN,  NORWAY, FINLAND, ESTONIA, LATVIA and LITHUANIA - Falcon Pro

Center, Vaederlekstorget 12, S-418 32 Gothenburg, Sweden.



  NETHERLANDS - Atari ST Computerclub Nederland (ACN),  Postbus 5011,

2000 CA Haarlem, The Netherlands.



  DENMARK - Indigo 2, Montanagade 29E, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.



  NORTH  AMERICA  -   Computer Direct,  10338-59  Avenue,  Edmonton,

Alberta, Canada. T6H 1E6



  UK,  IRELAND  and all other territories - Floppyshop,  PO Box 273,

Aberdeen, AB15 8GJ, Scotland, U.K.





