DRAW MODES
Drawing modes (effects) (Key:
'E')
This button opens a menu where you can
switch on or off the different drawing
modes.
In this menu, the "All off" button switches
all the drawing modes off. The [Del] key
is the keyboard shortcut for this button.
The "Feedback" button is only used in
"Shade", "Quick-shade, "Transparency"
and "Smooth" modes. When it is set, it means
that the _current_ state of the picture
has to be taken into account for the effect
instead of the state in which the image
was when you started to click for drawing.
The best, as often, is that you try by
yourself with and without Feedback to see
the difference.
The other buttons are the following:
SHADE
It consists in increasing or decreasing the
color number within a user-defined range.
This shows its real dimension when used with
a range of colors that shade off. Then,
you can work on a part of your picture where
colors belong to the same range without
having to change your brush color all the
time. You can choose the incrementation or
decrementation of the color by pressing
the left or right mouse button while
drawing. If you click on a color that does
not belong to the range, it will remain
unchanged.
LEFT CLICK
(Key :
F5)
Switches the Shade mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Shift+F5)
Opens a menu where you can define one table
of shades within a range of 8 memorised by
the program. The different sections of this
menu are:
- Palette: You can define in it the color
blocks that will be inserted
into the table of shades.
- Scroller: Used to change flick through the
tables of shades.
- Table of shades definition area: The 512
squares should be widely
sufficient to define the different shades
since every 256 colors of
the palette cannot be present more than once
in each table.
- A window (on the top-right side) permits
you to visualize the different
shades defined in the current table.
- Copy: Copy the contents of the table in a
buffer.
(Each time you open this menu, the current
table is automatically
transferred into this buffer).
- Paste: Copy the contents of the buffer
above in the current table.
- Clear: Reset the "shades" table.
- Insert: Used to insert the block selected
in the palette at the
cursor's position in the table of shades.
IF you click with the left mouse button on
this button THEN IF a block of more than one
color is selected in the table THEN It is
deleted and the block defined in the palette
is inserted. ELSE The block defined in the
palette is inserted at the position just
before the selected square. END IF
ELSE The block defined in the palette is
inserted by erasing the colors following the
beginning of the bloc selected in the table.
END IF
- Delete: Delete the block selected in the
table.
- Blank: Follows this algorithm:
IF you click with the left mouse button on
this button THEN Replace the block selected
in the table by blank squares.
ELSE IF a block of more than one color is
selected in the table THEN Insert blank
squares to the left and to the right of the
block. (this is useful for isolating a
shade quickly) ELSE Insert blank squares
to the left of the selected square. END IF
END IF
- Invert: Invert the order of the block
selected in the table.
- Swap: Allows you you move a block (this
exchanges it with what is
where you want to move it).
- Undo: Cancel the last modification of the
table.
- The 2 numbers displayed on the right of
these buttons are: (above) - the number of
the color selected in the palette if only
one color is selected. (below) - the number
of the color contained in a square in the
shades table if this square is the only one
selected.
- The "mode" button displays 3 different
modes:
"Normal": Shades in the range and saturates
to its boundaries.
"Loop": Shades in the range and loops if
boundaries are passed.
"No saturation": Shades in the range and
doesn't saturate if boundaries are passed.
If the Step (see below) is set to 1, this
option does exactly the same as the Normal
mode.
- Set/Disable: If you want to define several
shades in the same table
but you'd like these shades not to be
effective at the same time, you
can mask (disable) some parts of the table
so that they will be
interpreted a blank squares.
To do that, select a block in the table of
shades and click on "Set".
The block will be underlined with a white
line; this means that it is
disabled.
- Clear/Enable: This does exactly the
opposite as the button above.
- Step: Defines the step of incrementation
of the shade. The bigger,
the faster you run through the colors of the
shade.
For example: if the step is 2 and that you
have defined a shade with
the colors 0,1,4,5,9 and that you click on a
pixel of color 1, it will
take the value 5 which is 2 positions next
in the la table.
(We are sorry for these technical
considerations quite far from a purely
artistic point of view; but know that this
effect is really very useful and it is
preferable that you understand its whole
functionment if you want to fully take
advantage of it).
QUICK SHADE
This drawing mode has about the same effect
as Shade mode's except that it is faster
to configurate but a little bit less
powerful. When you draw on a color of the
image which is between the fore- and the
back-color in the palette, the color tends
towards the fore-color (according to the
step defined) if you draw with the left
mouse button, or it tends towards the
back-color if you are using the right mouse
button.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
Ctl+F5)
Switches the Quick-shade mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Ctl+Shift+F5)
Opens a menu with a few parameters that mean
exactly the same as in the menu of Shade
mode. These parameters are the step and the
loop/satu- ration mode (normal, loop, no
saturation).
STENCIL
It is used to prevent some colors from
being modified if you draw on them. The
main application of the stencil is when you
want to change one color or more into
another.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
F6)
Switches the Stencil mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Shift+F6)
Opens a menu where you can define a stencil.
The different sections of this menu are:
- Clear: No color is protected.
- Invert: Colors that were protected are
unprotected and vice versa.
- Palette: Select colors that should be
protected with the left mouse button or
unprotect colors with the right mouse
button.
MASK
This effect could have been called "True
stencil" because it protects some parts of
the picture instead of some colors. The
colors you tag represent the pixels in the
spare page, corresponding to the pixels in
the current page, that you don't want to
alter. For example, draw a simple white
figure on a black background in the spare
page. Then, tag the black color in the menu
of the Mask mode. When you'll draw in the
current page, only the pixels corresponding
to the white (non-black) ones in the spare
page will be modified.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
Alt+F6)
Switches the Mask mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Alt+Shift+F6)
Opens a menu where you can set the colors of
the Mask.
This menu works the same way as the one of
the Stencil, so please refer to the Stencil
paragraph to know how to use it.
GRID
This is useful to snap the cursor to the
cross-points of a grid. It's generally
used to draw a grid before drawing sprites
of the same size such as a font or tiles,
or for drawing figures or grabbing brushes
with their dimensions multiple of the step
of the grid.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
'G')
Switches the Snap-to-grid mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Shift+'G')
Opens a menu where you can define the grid
parameters. These parameters are:
- X,Y: Steps of the grid.
- dX,dY: Offsets of the grid.
The following shortcut hides or shows the
grid in the magnified view:
Alt+Shift+'G'
The grid size will be according to your
snap-to-grid settings.
SIEVE
This effect allows you, by defining a
pattern, to draw only on particular points
of the picture. If you are a Manga drawer,
you might find this useful to make patterned
shades or color transitions.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
Ctl+'G')
Switches the Sieve mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Ctl+Shift+'G')
Opens a menu where you can define the Sieve
parameters. This menu consists in:
- 16x16 drawing area: You can define a
pattern in it (left click => white pixel /
right click => black pixel). All the white
pixels indicate that, when you'll draw,
pixels will be applied on the picture at the
corresponding positions whereas black pixels
won't modify the picture: whites pixels are
the "holes of the sieve".
- 12 default patterns: They can be copied to
the drawing area.
- "Transfer to brush": Copies the pattern to
the brush (white pixels => Fore-color /
black pixels => Back-color).
- "Get from brush": Puts the brush into the
drawing area (back-color => black pixels /
others => white pixels).
- Scrolling 4-arrows pad: Scrolls the
pattern in the drawing area.
- Resizing 4-arrows pad: Defines the
dimensions of the pattern.
- Default-value (black or white square):
Indicates which value must be inserted when
you increase the dimensions of the pattern.
- "Clear": Sets the whole pattern with the
default value (see above).
- "Invert": It... inverts :) ... black and
white pixels.
(Key:
Ctl+Alt+'G')
TRANSPARENCY
This allows you to mix the color(s) of the
paintbrush with the colors of the picture.
It's used to make transparency effects like
with watercolors.
You can also use the following shortcuts to
activate transparency mode and assign an
amount of opacity:
10% :
'1'
20% :
'2'
30% :
'3'
40% :
'4'
50% :
'5'
60% :
'6'
70% :
'7'
80% :
'8'
90% :
'9'
100% :
'0'
If you use two of these shortcuts quickly,
the second will set the units for finer
control. Ie: 4 5 makes 45%, 0 9 makes 9%.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
F7)
Switches the Transparency mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Shift+F7)
Opens a menu where you can define the
Transparency parameters. These parameters
are:
- Interpolation rate: Indicates the
percentage of the applied color that will be
considered upon the replaced color.
- Interpolation method: Uses an
interpolation algorithm to compute the
color, according to the interpolation rate.
- Additive method: Uses the lightest colors
to choose the color to apply. For example:
if you want to apply a color RGB:30,20,40 on
a color RGB:10,50,20, the color applied will
be the one, in the palette, that is the
closest to the theoretic color RGB:30,50,40.
- Subtractive method: uses the darkest
colors to choose the color to apply. For
example: if you want to apply a color
RGB:30,20,40 on a color RGB:10,50,20, the
color applied will be the one, in the
palette, that is the closest to the
theoretic color RGB:10,20,20.
SMOOTH
It provides an easy but not as efficient
anti-aliasing as any artist's touch.
Anyway this effect finds a better use in
making a blurry aspect.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
F8)
Switches the Smooth mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Shift+F8)
Opens a menu where you can define the Smooth
matrix or choose one among the 4 ones
predefined.
The middle square represents the pixel on
which you draw and the 8 others represent
the neighbour pixels. Then, the point on
which one draw will be replaced by the
weighted average (according to values of
each squares) of the 9 defined points.
SMEAR
It smears pixels in the direction you are
moving your paintbrush, just as if you
wanted to spread fresh paint with your
fingers. You can combine this effect with
the transparency effect.
(Key:
Alt+F8)
Switches the Smear mode.
TILING
It consists in displaying parts of the
brush that are adjusted on a tiling when
you are drawing. It's mainly used for
quickly drawing a background with a
pattern, but there is a great number of
other possibilities.
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
Alt+'B')
Switches the Tiling mode.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
Alt+Shift+'B')
Opens a menu where you can define the Tiling
parameters. These parameters are the offsets
of the tiling.
TILEMAP
This mode analyses the current image to
define identical rectangular tiles. After
that, anything you draw is repeated on all
other occurrences of the same tile. The tile
dimensions are defined by the Grid settings
(but the grid mode doesn't have to be
active).
LEFT CLICK
(Key:
None)
Switches the Tilemap mode. Note that it is
set separately for the main and spare page.
RIGHT CLICK
(Key:
None)
Opens a menu where you can define the
following options for the tilemap mode:
* Detect mirrored : When this is active,
Grafx2 detects tiles that are exact mirrored
versions of another. It can be set
separately for X and Y.
* Show count : Briefly displays the number
of unique tiles after each analysis.
8 BIT
This mode enable constraints of the vintage
8bits computers video modes, such as the ZX
Spectrum, Commodore 64, etc.
LEFT CLICK
Open the menu if no constraint type has been
already selected.
Else enable/disable the constraints
RIGHT CLICK
Open the menu to choose the type of
constraints.
Block modes
ZX Spectrum, Game Boy Color, Thomson MOTO,
Mega Drive, C64 MultiColor and C64 HiRes
are modes with block constraints. Only a
limited count of different colors is
allowed in a pixel block.
Game Boy Color
All pixels within a 8x8 block should be in
same 4 colors palette. There are 8 palettes:
colors #0-#3, #4-#7, ..., #28-#31.
Advice: put common colors at the same
position within the palettes. eg if
you need a black background, set
colors #0, #4, #8, etc. to black.
Color #0 of each palette is transparent for
Game Boy sprites.
Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
The constraints are similar to GBC mode,
there are 4 palettes of 16 colors each.
Color #0 of each palette is transparent.
ZX Spectrum
The two colors of the 8x8 block must share
the same bightness bit.
C64 Flexible Line Interpretation (FLI)
- Layer 1 contains the background colors,
one per line.
- Layer 2 contains the Color RAM with one
color per 4x8 block.
- Layer 3 contains the bitmap and Screen RAM
Two colors from the Screen RAM can be used
per 4x1 block.
Amstrad CPC Mode5
This mode works on 5 layers pictures with a
width multiple of 48.
- Layer 1 defines INK 0 for the full screen.
The whole layer is filled at once.
- Layer 2 defines INK 1 for each line. Any
paint fills a full line in this layer
- Layer 3 defines INK 2 for each line. Any
paint fills a full line in this layer
- Layer 4 defines INK 3 for 48x1 blocks.
A whole block is filled at once.
- Layer 5 defines which INK is displayed for
the pixel. All pixels are addressables.
Layers 1-4 must be filled with CPC Hardware
colors, ie 64-95 (0x40-0x5F). INKs 0-3 are
selected in layer 5 with colors 0-3.
Amstrad CPC Rasters
This mode works on 5 layers as Mode5. Layer
layout and function are the same. The
difference lies in the fewer constraints in
INK changes. They need to happen in 32pixels
or more, at 8 pixels boundaries.
Amstrad CPC EGX/EG2
Theses modes mix lines in mode0/mode1 (EGX)
and mode1/mode2 (EGX2).
Odd lines have pixels twice as wide as even
lines but with twice as much possible colors
Apple II HGR
This mode is basically a monochrome 280x192
mode which can be outputed as 6 colors. The
colors are formed by 0101 pixel patterns.
Layer 1 is the monochrome picture.
Layer 2 is its color view, emulating output
of a "Le Chat Mauve" Apple //c RGB adapter
When drawing in Layer 2, a pixel pair is
modified at once.
The purple/green or blue/orange palette is
selected for a 7x1 pixel block.
Apple II DHGR
Layer 1 is the monochrome picture as for HGR
and Layer 2 is the color view, emulating a
"Le Chat Mauve" Apple //c RGB adapter in
"mixed" DHGR mode.
Color pixels are 4 b&w pixels wide.