JumboPalette users guide

What's this?

JumboPalette (JP) is a creature used to choice, manage and edit palettes (gradations). Usually, it serves as a part of other programs.When some program requires user-defined palettes (example - visualisation kits), it can use JP to let user to choice them. In its own, JP is a complete separate component which interacts with user and performs palette-selection task. 
 

Working with JumboPalette.

First of all, consider the following terms: 
    palette - is an array of colors; 
    palette folder - is a set of palettes. 

In JP, user has a set of palette folders. One of this folders may be active. Only palettes of active folder are shown, and all actions discussed below are performed in active folder. There are two special folders : Favourites and Recent. You can put your favourite palettes in "Favourites" folder; Recent folder holds recently choiced palettes. Before we can forget about palette folders, two hints are to be outlined: each folder is represented and stored as a separate BMP file (each raster line of this file is a palette); in second, folder/palette organization is similar to folder/files, as in your darling windows. 
One of palettes in your palette folders may be active - this palette will be choiced when you press ok button. 
 

JP is divided into two instances : "user" and "enchanced". "User mode" is desinged only for palette choicing and managing; "Enchanced mode" used to edit palettes using various tools. 

You may be interested, how to add your palettes in JP system? First of all, JP supports "pasting". So, you can use some raster-image editor, like PhotoShop or CorelDraw, to prepare gradations. Then you copy them to clipboard, and paste in JP. 
Also, you can edit palettes using built-in JP tools. 

 

User mode.

Ok, we are in user mode. What can we see? List of palette folders in the left of dialog; list of palettes of active folder - "pal-list"; zoomed-in representation of active palette; ok/cancel buttons and tools buttons. 

How to choice a palette? Going throught folders, find the palette you need. Select it in palette list - it will become active. 
Then, click OK to choice active palette. Also, you can double-click it in palette list - it will become active and then choiced. 

Lets discuss tools. 

"Paste 1st line". As was told, you can prepare palettes in raster-image editors, or somehow else.  The main requirement is that palette must be in the clipboard as an image. "Paste 1st line" gets an image from clipboard, and transforms its 1st raster line to palette. What does "transforms" mean? All palettes in JP are stored at fixed size. So, if the size of JP palettes and the width of image in clipboard aren't equal, raster is resized to JP pal-size. Pasted palette is added to the top of pal-list. 
"Paste over" - pastes palettes from clipboard over selected. You can select any number of palettes in pal-list. Then, when you use "Paste over", it pastes 1st line from clipboard over 1st selected palette, 2nd line over 2nd selected palette, and so on. Of course, you can select all palettes in pal-list (e.g., in active folder), and paste over all. 
"Paste all image" - pastes the entire image from clipboard. Each line of image transformed into a new palette. Pasted palettes are added to the top of pal-list. 

"Copy" - copies selected palettes to clipboard. Really, the image is copied, and each line is a palette. 
"Copy thumbnails" - copies selected palettes to clipboard as thumbnails. 
"Copy as text" - copies selected palettes as text file - you can paste it in any text editor and save for using in other programs. 
"Copy as cpp header" and "Copy as pas file" - no comments. 
"Copy as plain text" - a variation of "Copy as text". 

"Cut" - copies selection to clipboard and deletes it. 
"Delete" - deletes selection. 

"Copy to favourites" - copies selection to Favorites folder. 
"Duplicate" - duplicates selection; duplicated palettes are placed at the top of pal-list. 

"Enchance window" - toggles User/Enchanced mode. To learn about Enchanced mode, look for next topic. 

 

Enchanced mode

This mode allows you to edit palettes. First of all, the dialog is transformed. This ones are added: 

Palette Graph - is a RGB graph representation of active palette; 
Simpe tools - various simple tools, like rotation or grayscale. They aren't discussed, look for hints; 
Special tools - various not so simple tools, which are discussed below; 
Additional tools - various tools added by master application; 
Tool options - options for special or additional tools. When some of them active, options (if any) are displayed here; 
Channel options - are RGB options and divided into this sections: 

Active palette representation: you can choice which color components are visible; 
AP graph options : how graph is shown; 
AP edit options: includes 'Edit channels list' - you can choice which of RGB components are edited. Some tools use this info to perform actions only on selected channels.
 
Now we are to discuss most not obvious subjects. 
 
Edit tool 
This routine is used to directly edit palette. Thats it, you can use mouse on active palette RGB graph to edit active palette. 
Use points or lines to draw on RGB graph. Select affected channels from 'Edit channels list'. 

Bands tool 
Use this routine to add bands to active palette. First of all, select it by clicking "bands" button - options will appear. Click on  'active' checkbox to activate bands tool. According to formula, define constants which determine bands. Click 'Confirm' to  confirm changes, or click 'cancel' to discard them. 

Cycle tool 
Use this tool to rotate active palette. Push down mouse button on 'Cycle', then move mouse left or right to rotate palette. 
When you will release mouse, changes will be fixed. If you want to discard changes, release mouse on 'Cycle' button. 

Light tool 
Works like cycle tool, but it performs lighten/darked effect. 

All of described tools use information from 'Edit channels list' => affect only on selected RGB channel[s]. 

 
Thats it, dont know what can I say anymore useful about JP.
Be happy!

Created by Contact, july 2001
contact@mail.ur.ru