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In A Hurry - with a Tutorial |
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By Kermit Woodall
Requirements: ImageFX, NewTek Flyer
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mageFX is the premiere image editing and special effects package for the Video Toaster and Flyer. Video Toaster User Magazine even rated ImageFX as the single best paint package available for Toaster/Flyer owners. They said, "You must have this program. Period." That was just for its painting abilities! You can paint on multiple image buffers using standard drawing tools that are familar to anyone already using Toasterpaint, but the tools go far beyond to include traditional media painting tools like chalk, crayon, fingerpaints and many others.
ImageFX is also the best special effects and image processing package you will find! It comes with a wealth of special effects such as ripples, bubbles, liquid distortions, lens flares, lightning, sparkles, fire, warps, swirls, morphs, motion blurs, it can turn your video sequences into animated paintings and so much more. There are advanced tools for rendered blue and green screen compositing included that surpass mere chromakeying methods. ImageFX’s wire removal system, Wireless™, can remove wire support rigs or even scratches from your scenes!
If you need to translate images from other platforms for use on your system, or send your images out to be used on other platforms, ImageFX comes with the widest range of image file format translation modules available anywhere. Platforms such as the Mac, PC, Sun, SGI, Alias and all Amiga formats are supported.
Another of ImageFX’s strengths is it's extensive support of ARexx and batch processing. This means you can use ImageFX’s tools to setup complex jobs involving hundreds of frames of video to process automatically. Convert a hard drive full of images into a new format? No problem. Need to add a custom look to your work using a combination of ImageFX tools? Want it all to be done automatically? No problem.
Finally, ImageFX’s integration with the Toaster and Flyer is unparalleled. While ImageFX will work on any Amiga system, with or without a Toaster/Flyer, it can also grab frames directly from the Toaster, render to the Toaster/Flyer, it can paint directly on the Toaster’s composite output, and it can even load and save Toaster Framestores and Flyer Clips.
ImageFX has taken top ratings in every Video Toaster and Amiga magazine reviewing it to date. It has a suggested retail price of $349.95 and is available through your local dealer and many mail order firms.
Nova Design, Inc. is upgrading and rereleasing one of the Amiga’s most acclaimed 3D rendering packages. Sporting a complete interface redesign and a host of all new features. This new release will bring 3D rendering and animation out at an affordable price!
Stepping out of Newtek’s excellent Toaster/Flyer software can seem a bit daunting, but you will ultimately find it exceedingly worthwhile. Underneath the Toaster/Flyer is the Amiga, the undisputed king of the hill in desktop video, and a computer with huge market of additional products that can make your job easier to do.
Our ImageFX, if you’ve been touring the solar system and somehow managed to avoid hearing of it, is the best image editing, image processing, and special effects package available on any platform today. In my ‘totally unbiased’ opinion of course. (see byline) When combined with your video sequences on the Toaster/Flyer, ImageFX can help you give your work the look of a professional Hollywood effects studio!
To get to this point you’re going to have to learn how to master batch processing on the Amiga. More importantly, you’ll also have to learn how to master it in ImageFX! This tutorial will attempt to ‘leapfrog’ you over much of the learning curve and get you working right away. We’ll do this by showing you all the basic steps involved in processing some simple image processing over an entire Flyerclip.
It’s possible to create Flyerclips in ImageFX, frame by frame, if you want to do so. Things to be aware of:
Since ImageFX must use the Flyer’s software compression (defaulting to HQ5 solely) the frames won’t be the same size as the hardware compression. This means you must create new clips instead of saving back to the original clip. Usually this is a good idea in any case as you don’t want to overwrite your original images.
When saving directly from ImageFX you’ll need to turn off the ImageFX thumbnail saving. ImageFX’s thumbnails aren’t compatible with the Flyer and will confuse it, preventing playback of the clip.
IMP, or the ImageFX Multi-Processor, is just what you’ll need to automatically process an entire clip. Sadly, because Flyerclips appear to AmigaDOS as a single file containing any number of frames or fields, IMP’s point-and-click cousin, AutoFX, cannot read in a Flyerclip automatically. (Techguy Note:AutoFX works by counting the number of files/frames you’ve added to its list of frames and creates animations based on this number. Since a Flyerclip appears, initially, to be a single file this technique fails.) If you really want to use AutoFX, you can use the ARexx script found in ToasterPaint, CliptoIFF, to make a clip into a series of IFF/ILBM frames on your hard drive then when you’ve used AutoFX on those frames, use ToasterPaint’s IFFtoClip to make them a clip again.
Other solutions include Visual Inspirations Control Tower and VisualFX for ImageFX software packages. These excellent packages control the Toaster/Flyer and ImageFX to automatically create amazing animated effects and transitions. Contact the folks at Visual Inspirations for more information on their software.
IMP requires the use of ARexx commands for its batch processing. You can get these from ImageFX’s help system by going to the Index and selecting ARexx Documentation, or you can use ImageFX’s automatic macro recording feature to have ImageFX write an ARexx script for you based on it recording whatever you do in ImageFX. There is a complete chapter in the ImageFX manual on this, but as a quick referesher, note the following.
Shift-1 (!) turns macro recording on. Generally you’ll do this after loading one, or more, sample images to use as the basis of your macro script, but before you actually start to use the effects or image editing features you wish to record. It’s also advisable to use images of the same size and color depth as some effects work differently on differently sized images. When you first turn the macro recording on, you’ll be prompted for a name for your Learn file (macro recording). Enter a name, eg: sample.ifx, with the .ifx on the end simply to serve to remind you that the file is a script for ImageFX. You’ll also be prompted to save current drawing settings. Only confirm this if you’re planning on recording a series of painting operations.
Shift-2 (@) turns off macro recording and saves the script. Remember the path and name of the script for use later.
The first thing to do to setup IMP to process a Flyerclip is to hit the right mouse button to gain access to the pull-down menus.
Go to Settings and select ANIM Format. You will get a string requester that you must enter the word Flyer into. Next select ANIM Options and replace whatever comes up there with the word Append.
(Don’t bother entering anything into the Load or Save Formats. They are not used when you are solely processing from and to Flyerclips)
The four checkbox items should all be turned off if they’re not already. (ie: no checks in the boxes)
The cycle gadget should be set to read, Save 24-bit Animation, which is what a Flyerclip is. Select your Flyerclip for your Main buffer by either keying the path and name of the clip into the Main: string or select it by hitting Pick at the end of the string gadget area.
If you are going to be compositing, bluescreen or otherwise, select your Swap buffer in a similar manner. Select the name for a new Flyerclip to save to by entering the name in the Dest: string or use Pick to select a Flyer drive then enter the name following it.
If you recorded a macro script to use in IMP key it now into the Proc: string. (eg: Rx "sample.ifx") Otherwise key in the ARexx commands you will be using.
Once you’ve done all the above, click Begin and away it will go!
The ImageFX manual and Addendum manuals contain a complete list of IMP’s variables for passing frame numbers and more to your scripts. If you wish to pass these variables into an ARexx script simply add them after the name of the script in the Proc: string, eg: Rx "sample.ifx $F $S $E", and then read in the parameters from within the ARexx script.
Many animations can be created by editing a macro script to add formulas that use the variables to animate parameters from a starting point to an ending point. Experiment and have fun!
Kermit Woodall is part of the astounding Nova Design, Inc. team that brought you the top-rated ImageFX and the highly anticipated upcoming Aladdin 4D. Kermit is a top-notch software designer, confessed information addict, and as a writer has reached a lofty position that allows him to write his own bios without fear of editing.
Nova Design, Inc.
1910 Byrd Avenue, Suite 204
Richmond, VA 23230 USA
Phone: (804) 282-5868
Fax: (804) 282-3768
WWW: http://www.novadesign.com
Email: kermit@novadesign.com
Sales: mailto:bob@novadesign.com
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