Re: Apple IIgs video modes? (3200 and DreamGrafix)

[ykim@cs.columbia.edu (Yong Su Kim)]

In article <1993Apr23.025453.23014@nuscc.nus.sg> ltchean@iss.nus.sg (Lim Thye Chean) writes:
>If there is a program on the background swapping palettes, you can have up
>to 200 palettes displayed at one time. That is, each line has its own palettes.
>So you can have 16 x 200 = 3200 colours. But I have never seen a 3200 picture
>uses more than 256 colours.

Actually, that is because a lot of the 3200 colour pictures that are
floating around have been converted from GIFs.  In the GIF format,
pictures are limited in that they can only display 256 colours on the
screen at one time, although they have a much larger range of colours
which can be chosen to be one of the 256 colours.  I'm pretty sure
that is the case, but if I am wrong, someone can correct me.

It would not be too difficult to generate a 3200 colour picture using
a 3200 colour paint program like DreamGrafix.  Given some of the
advanced graphics tools for dealing with multiple palettes in
DreamGrafix, it would be rather trivial to draw something with 3200
colours.  Of course, making a good looking picture with 3200 colour is
another matter since the tools do not necessarily make the artist... 

Actually, come to think of it, I do remember seeing some 3200 colour
pictures done by an artist called Ferrari floating around which used
more than 256 colours.  You could run the picture through SuperConvert
and it would tell you how many colours were used, but I don't have the
picture anymore so I can't give you a precise number.

I know that DreamGrafix is still selling since I've seen their ads in
A+/Incider, and it's a shame that there hasn't been a big effort by
people to exploit the 3200 and 256 colour mode on the Apple IIGS.
DreamWorld is the only company that I can thinkin of which has a real
viable commerical product which truly utilises the special graphics
modes on the GS.

Of course, there was Prizm and that other 3200 colour paint program
whose name escapes me which was hyped up but never released for some
mysterious reason. 

At least DreamGrafix is still around and shipping...


-- 
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Yong Su Kim, Class of 1993		|  Internet: yk4@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu
Columbia College, Columbia University   |        or  ykim@cs.columbia.edu