Short: Stuff for Magic Workbench Author: Trevor Morris Uploader: Trevor Morris Type: pix/icon Version: 2.0 (08.94) Architecture: generic Filename: MagicWBPixII.lha Unpackwith: lha -ax e MagicWBPixII.lha Requirements: Amiga OS 2.x+ Long: The following material was created on a 14M A3000 with an OpalVision Board, DPaintIV and Art Department Professional. You may need to modify the enclosed goods slightly to adapt them to your enviornment (anything that I am currently aware of is explained below...feel free to let me know of others). The original archive contains: this text file prefs/patterns/(17 images) prefs/presets/(17 presets) prefs/sys/env-archive/(prefs) s/(piece of my startup-sequence) c/(rand) icons/(lots of icons) two sample pictures grabbed from my WB. The s: dir just shows a piece of a s-s which I use to get random backdrops (it is pretty self explainatory :) prefs:wbpattern prefs:presets/wbpattern`c:rand 1 17`.pre use The c: dir contains a randomizer written by Troy Morehouse, which is required by the s-s script. Rand will take two arguments and randomize your images between the two intervals. The way I work the process is to use the WBPattern prefs and save a preset for each picture I want to randomize (in my case the prefix is wbpatternX.pre). Simply call that prefix with wbpattern in the s-s with the randomized portion in "tilde quotes," as shown above (if in doubt, just cut and paste the piece of this s-s into yours and copy the presets I've included into your prefs:presets drawer). I keep the patterns dir in the prefs drawer, however, put it where you like. NOTE to OS2.x users: you'll have to use NickPrefs (which you can get in the MagicWorkBench archive) to display the backdrops, however, you can still randomize them in the same manner as described above. NOTE to 4000 owners (maybe 1200?): you'll probably have to run the images through DPaint or ADpro to remap the palette (I don't know why but the palette doesn't show up properly?!?). I DID labour over the enclosed images however, very few are from my own imagination...Amy the Squirrel and some other Cat Lady (by Eric Schwartz), Cool World's Holly Wood (?) and some other pix which I've gotten from somewhere and then fixed them up and made them Magic Workbench "compatable." You might notice the obvious lean towards anime (japanese animation) characters in the last few images...I've become an anime junky as of late (check it out, it really helps when you're looking for that "any excuse will do" to procratinate the homework). If you want to make your own (which you SHOULD do so that I don't have to :), here's how I do it...first I find a pic I like (go figure), scan or digitize it (if it isn't already an image), then run it through ADPro with the 8 color magic workbench palette locked...TWICE! (once with Floyd dithering on, and then a second with it off. The reason: some parts of the pick will look good dithered, and others won't, so I pick pieces out of each to make the final image). Next spend anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more fixing the image up (hand antialiasing, dithering...). One tip: sometimes it's easiest to just trace the outline of the pic in DPaint and then use the stencil to wipe out all the color. Now it's just like a paint by number! Use the ranges to get the nice dithering effects. The magic wand tool in OpalPaint also helps to get rid of a lot of color which are similar (thereby allowing you to reduce the palette). Another approach is to remap the image with the MWB palette right in DPaint...experiment for yourself... The icons in the icons drawer are just some I drew when I had the need (I even took some from DOCK icons and scaled them, fixed them...), and I'm even sure that I have more lying around somewhere...whatever, if you find these at all useful, well great! Finally the crap about keeping the archive in tact...blah, blah, blah: Distribute this archive how you like: in pieces if you like, or a collection of corrupted images without this text file to help them along...whatever. Money: don't want any...enjoy them (God knows you won't get anything else in life for FREE!) If you like these just say HI! (or give me some of your cool pix). Copyright? okay would you believe these are copywritten?...!? :) Thanx for magic workbench Martin Huttenloher. You should register for Magic WorkBench 2.0 NOW!... Trevor email: shockwav@unb.ca