>>>> Is there a way to convert q40 screenfiles to any other format, >>>> jpeg,bmp,etc either on linux or on qdos ? >>>> >> >>> To answer this we really need more information on the type of >>> files, but >>> I am assuming they are mode 4 or mode 8 screens in _pic format. >> >> It is truecolor hires snapshots taken with the launchpad util. >> > > Truecolor? You surely mean Hi-Color. (Unless Dilwyn allows for > true-color > (Mode 24?) snapshots in anticipation of new QL modes? > > Ffibys I assume by 'Launchpad util' you mean the Screen Snatcher/screen grabber program.
This should be capable of saving any QL or SMSQ screen size in any resolution, although as there has never been <true> (24-bit) colour hardware it's impossible to know if it works or not. Presumably this is actually a 16-bit colour mode and unfortunately Q40 and Q60 are not exactly the same 16-bit format as the QCP and QXL format, although the file size will probably be the same for Q40/Q60 and QPC?QXL 16-bit screens which have the same number of pixels (that is, a 1024x512 pixels 16-bit screen on a Q40 is probably the same length as a 1024x512 pixels on QPC2, but the pixel mapping bits will be different for both systems). That said, there are some programs and routines able to convert between QL and Windows formats. I wrote some conversion routines for Windows .BMP files and QL screens which appeared in in an article about converting GD2 graphics QL Today Vol 8 Issue 3. If you have not got this issue, I could send you a copy of the article as it contains some useful SBASIC listings and information I got from others about the file formats. For QL Today subscribers, I think (I hope!) that the article is also on the CD with the current issue. BUT if you use the listing on page 43 of that issue you must make a correction (thank you Geoff Wicks) to line 270 from: 270 GET #3,ql_bpl to 270 GET #3,tmp% : ql_bpl = tmp% The original line as published tried to get a floating point value from the file in line 70 but the file format actually stores a 16 bit word value there instead, so the fix just fetched a temporary integer and reassigns it to the floating point variable (handy thing QL coercion!) QL PIC files and QL screen files are fairly similar in terms of how colour information is held, but a QL screen is always a whole, continuous screen, whereas a PIC file may be a smaller section of the screen and with 10 (IIRC) bytes of information at the start of the file to indicate the width and height in pixels and the width of each line of graphics in bytes. Again, the information on PIC files is on the QL Today CD somewhere. There is often confusion between PIC and SCR files. SCR files should be pure screen files. PIC files ought to always be Pointer Environment Area Save files, which is a screen section held in same format as the screen but with the extra bytes at the beginning from which programs can tell how large and what mode it is: PIC files should have 1 word=identifier bytes 1 word=pixel width 1 word=pixel height 1 word=width of 1 line of graphics in bytes 1 byte=mode number (can't remember from memory if this is MODE number or DISP_TYPE number) 1 byte=nominally spare, but used by some programs like QDesign for their own purposes such as to indicate file compression for example. PIC files are normally uncompressed like screens. There are some graphics programs out there able to load and save pictures in the new colours, although I've not really used them enough to know what each can do: Photon - probably the best known, converts JPEG pictures. PhotoQL - saves a variety of formats, have used it in the past but forgotten by now what it can do. Author Roberto Porri? Seem to remember it was a bit slow. PQIV - Claus Graf? Never used it, I suspect it can't handle QPC2 screens as it was designed for Q40 picture handling. There is another program by Mark Swift (QDOS Classic author) for graphics, but I can't even remember what it's called, never mind what it can do. If anyone wants to use the programs in my article to make a little program to convert between .BMP and QL formats, and between QL screens and PICs, please fell free to do so (and send me a copy when finished!). It's on my list of things to do early this year, although Ralf Rekoendt mentioned he'd like to work on a program like ACDsee which, knowing Ralf when he gets up a head of steam, will be much better than my efforts! I'm in calendars mode at the moment... My wife has just been used M$ Word to create a calendar of her own for her office where she works, based on my QaLendar 2006 with new pictures. That got me writing a little Calendar wizard program this afternoon which is so far creating 3 or 4 different calendar layouts. That should keep me out of mischief for a few days. QaLendar 2006 is on my website already (QaLendar 2005 is still there in the same place for collectors/QoLlectors). At the moment it's M$ word format only, waiting for someone to offer to convert it to PDF while I find my PDF converter which is "filed" somewhere (i.e. lost it, my son probably pinched the CD). -- Dilwyn Jones -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.9/217 - Release Date: 30/12/2005 _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
