PALEDIT - A Simple VGA 256 Color Palette Editor
PALEDIT is distributed with MODEXnnn.ZIP, the general purpose MODE X
Library for VGA Graphics.
WHAT YOU NEED TO RUN PALEDIT:
* A Vga Monitor
* A Microsoft Compatible Mouse
A Mouse is most definitely required, as the keyboard is used for
nothing except entering file names.
FILES NEEDED IN THE CURRENT DIRECTORY:
PALEDIT.EXE - The Palette Editor Program
CHARSETS.CS - The Palette Editor's Internal Fonts
MOUSEIMG.CS - The Palette Editor's Mouse Pointer
SAMPLE PALETTE FILE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED:
RGB.PAL - A Simple Palette with Reds, Greens, and Blues
PRIME.PAL - A Simple Palette
GAMECOLR.PAL - A Bright Palette from a Game of mine.
WHAT IT EDITS:
The VGA DAC Registers, all 256 of them.
HOW IT WORKS/FEATURES:
PALEDIT allows the user to see the entire VGA Palette of 256 colors
and select and modify the RED, GREEN, and BLUE values of any individual
color (DAC) register. The entire group of 256 colors can be saved to
a disk file for later retrieval.
Individual "SLIDERS" show the current RED, GREEN, and BLUE color
components of the current color and allow them to be changed.
The Following operations can be performed.
* Raise, Lower, and set the RED, GREEN, or BLUE components.
* Copy the current RGB values to another Color (DAC) Register
* Brighten the selected color
* Darken and selected color
* Reset the selected color to its original state
* Blend an entire range of colors, creating a smooth
Transition from one color to another
* Optionally Lock out the first 16 colors to prevent
Accidental Modification
DESCRIPTION OF OBJECTS/FEATURES FROM THE TOP DOWN:
COLOR SLIDERS: In the upper left of the screen there are
Three Rectangular Boxes: One for each primary color:
RED, GREEN, and BLUE. Each Box has an arrow at each
end, and a scale bar in the middle, connecting the two
arrows. The scale bar is much like a thermometer,
indicating how much of that color is in the selected
color. To the right of each Box, the name of the color
is indicated, along with the content color in the form
of a number from 0 to 63; where 0 means none of that
color goes into making the selected color, and 63 means
that the selected color is saturated with that color.
Clicking the mouse on the slider's left arrow box will
decrease the amount of that primary color in the selected
color. Holding the mouse button down will reduce the
color value all the way to 0.
Clicking the mouse on the slider's right arrow box will
increase the amount of that primary color in the selected
color. Holding the mouse button down will increase the
color value all the way to 63.
Clicking the mouse on the scale bar will set the amount
of that primary color to the value the represents that
position on the slider.
LOCK Button: Clicking the button toggles the lockout of the
first 16 colors. When they are locked out, they can not
be modified, and when selected the word "LOCKED" will
appear below the color # on the Color Information Display.
LOAD Button: Clicking this button will load the Palette file
that is named in the Palette File name box. If no name is
given or no such file exists, then nothing will be loaded.
SAVE Button: Clicking this button will save the current Palette
in a file using the name given in the Palette File Name Box.
If a Valid name is not provided, nothing will be saved.
QUIT Button: Clicking this button will return you to DOS.
Nothing is saved, and no confirmation is given.
Color Information Display: This Box is on the left side of the
Screen, below the Color Sliders. It shows the number of the
currently selected color (from 0 to 255) and indicates if
that color is locked. To the right of this box is a big
square showing the current color.
LIGHTER Button: Clicking this button will make the selected
color brighter.
DARKER Button: Clicking this button will make the selected
color darker.
RESET Button: Clicking this button will restore the selected
color to the value it had when it was first selected.
BLEND Button: Clicking this button will let you Blend a range
of colors together. One end of the range of colors is the
currently selected color. After Clicking the BLEND button.
You must click on the color at the other end of the range
in the Palette Display Box. All of the colors in between
those two colors will be changed to represent a gradual
transition from the color at one end to the color at the
other end.
PALETTE FILE NAME BOX: This Text Box is used to enter the name
of a Palette file to load or the name to save the current
Palette as. Just click on the Box, and it will change color
and a flashing cursor will appear. Now you type in a filename
or edit the existing filename. Press <RETURN> or click
outside the text box to end editing.
PALETTE DISPLAY BOX: This Box shows all 256 colors in an array
of 32 by 8 color blocks. The Currently Selected Color will
have a Box around it. Clicking on a color with the Left
Mouse button will make that color the new currently selected
color. Clicking on a color with the Right Mouse Button will
copy the color value from the old selected color to it, before
it is made the new selected color.
Message Bar: At the very bottom of the screen, this Bar will display
information and messages for various functions.
PALETTE FILE FORMAT:
BINARY image, in order of VGA DAC (Color) Number. 3 Bytes Per
Color, 256 Colors. 768 Bytes total. The Files will be exactly
768 bytes in size.
COLOR:
RED: 1 BYTE
GREEN: 1 BYTE
BLUE: 1 BYTE
PALETTE: Array (0 to 255) of COLOR
COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, BUG REPORTS, etc:
Send the to the Author: Matt Pritchard
Through the 80xxx Fidonet Echo or
Matt Pritchard
P.O. Box 140264
Irving, TX 75014
CREDITS:
This Palette Editor was written in QuickBASIC 4.5
