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. |
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.
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.
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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.
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.
"Copy" - copies selected palettes to clipboard. Really, the image
is copied, and each line is a palette.
"Cut" - copies selection to clipboard and deletes it.
"Copy to favourites" - copies selection to Favorites folder.
"Enchance window" - toggles User/Enchanced mode. To learn about Enchanced mode, look for next topic. |
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;
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
Cycle tool
Light tool
All of described tools use information from 'Edit channels list' => affect only on selected RGB channel[s]. |
Created by Contact, july 2001
contact@mail.ur.ru