a-graph - a professional image editor for the Amiga
===================================================
a-graph is a raster image editor for AmigaOS 3.x, written from scratch in C.
Its menus, panels, tools, dialogs, shortcuts and workflow follow today's
industry-standard image editors as closely as the hardware allows - if you
have used a modern professional image editor, you already know a-graph.
It is still a real Amiga program: it respects the system, works with
Workbench, and treats the Amiga's own formats as first-class citizens.
ONE BINARY, TWO KINDS OF MACHINE
--------------------------------
At startup a-graph picks its display path by itself:
- RTG (Picasso96 / CyberGraphX, cybergraphics.library v41+): its own
24-bit truecolor screen. This is the main target.
- AGA: without RTG it falls back to a 256-colour (8-bitplane) screen, so
it also runs on a classic A1200/A4000 without a graphics card.
- Workbench window: on a truecolor RTG Workbench it can also run in a
window there (View > Screen Mode > Workbench Window).
Two builds are included:
a-graph 68020 or better, no FPU needed
a-graph.060 optimised for the 68060 (with FPU)
AMIGA FORMATS
-------------
IFF ILBM
- Loads 1-8 bitplane palette images, 24-bit ILBM, HAM6, HAM8 and EHB
(the view mode from the CAMG chunk); the ACBM variant too.
- PCHG palette changes per line (small and big changes, the Huffman
compressed form too), so multi-palette pictures show as they do on
the Amiga; SHAM/CTBL sliced HAM as well.
- View > HAM8 Preview / HAM6 Preview: the picture on a native HAM
screen of its own (HAM8 needs AGA), as the chipset will show it.
- Saves IFF 24-bit, HAM8, HAM6, EHB, 256 colours and 16 colours,
ByteRun1 (PackBits) compressed.
IFF ANIM (DeluxePaint-compatible)
- Saves FORM ANIM: a full ILBM first frame, then op-5 "byte vertical
delta" frames (ANHD + DLTA), all frames on one median-cut 256-colour
palette.
- Loads ANIMs into the Timeline, or frame by frame into layers.
- Modern Timeline: frame strip with thumbnails, per-frame delays,
looping, Tween, Onion Skin, and layer animation (visibility, position,
opacity per frame).
Workbench icons (.info)
- Reads PNG icons, OS3.5 colour icons (FORM ICON/IMAG), NewIcons and
classic planar icons; normal and selected images open as two layers.
- Saves a classic DiskObject plus an OS3.5 colour image (up to 256
colours, transparency). An edited icon keeps its Default Tool, tool
types, stack, position and the rest.
- Image Previews: every saved file can get an icon with a thumbnail.
Clipboard (clipboard.device)
- Copy/Cut publish IFF ILBM; Paste takes an ILBM from any program.
Text travels as IFF FTXT.
PART OF THE SYSTEM
------------------
- ARexx port.
- AppWindow: drop file icons from Workbench into the window.
- Amiga bitmap fonts for type layers, with previews in the font list.
- Tablet pen pressure (size, opacity, flow) through the system's tablet
events.
- Droplets: a saved batch process as an icon to drop images on.
- Settings, brushes, patterns, actions and the dictionary live in PROGDIR:.
BRIDGES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD
--------------------------------
- PSD: layers, masks, groups with blend modes, layer styles, editable
type, adjustment layers, 8 and 16 bit. PSB (Large Document) is read too.
- PNG (up to 16-bit, interlaced), JPEG, TIFF (LZW/ZIP, paths), GIF
(animated too), WebP, BMP, TGA, PCX, PBM/PGM/PPM, Radiance HDR,
OpenEXR, PDF and EPS.
- Imports brushes (.abr), gradients (.grd), styles (.asl),
custom shapes (.csh) and patterns (.pat); exports patterns (.pat).
WHAT'S INSIDE, IN SHORT
-----------------------
- Layers: groups with real blend modes, clipping masks, Smart Objects,
Smart Filters with Blending Options.
- Layer styles: Drop Shadow, Bevel & Emboss, Glows, Satin, Gradient and
Pattern Overlay, Stroke.
- Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, a Camera Raw-style window, Filter
Gallery, Blur Gallery, Liquify and many more filters and adjustments.
- Select and Mask, Color Range, Quick Mask, single-channel editing.
- Brushes with dynamics, on-canvas HUD for brush size and colour,
Vanishing Point with several planes, live gradients.
- Actions (with Record Again), batch processing, Save for Web, Indexed
Color (Perceptual / Selective palettes), Bitmap mode.
NEW IN 0.7.2
------------
- Clone Stamp / Healing Brush: Alt+Shift+< > turns the clone source,
Alt+Shift+[ ] scales it.
- Type: Ctrl+Left / Right by words, Shift+Alt+Up / Down Baseline Shift,
Ctrl+Shift+X Horizontal Scale 100% (+Alt: Vertical), Ctrl+Alt+Q
Tracking 0.
- Path tools: Direct Selection keeps the anchor clicked selected - the
arrows move it, Delete removes it; Path Selection: the arrows move the
path, Delete deletes it.
- The airbrush on: the digits set the Flow, Shift+digits the Opacity.
- Alt+click deletes your own swatches and gradients (as the reference).
- Color panel sliders: Foreground / Background chips - the sliders set
the one picked.
- Layers: Alt+drag a layer copies it to where it is dropped.
- Move tool: a layer dragged onto another document's tab is copied there.
- Layers: Alt+click a group's triangle opens / closes the groups inside
it too; Alt+click an fx badge: every layer's effects.
- Layers: several picked layers dragged together.
- Merge Clipping Mask (Ctrl+E on a clipping group's base).
- Layer names: Tab / Shift+Tab goes on to the next / previous layer's name;
accented letters can be typed.
- Rulers: the pointer's place marked on both.
- Right-click on the pasteboard: its colour.
- Select > Modify > Smooth: Sample Radius up to 500 px, Apply effect at
canvas bounds; soft edges kept.
- Paths panel: rows dragged - reordered, onto New (a copy), onto the bin.
- History: a state dragged onto New Document, the snapshot button or the bin.
- Move tool: the layer's edges and middle snap (not the pointer).
- Curves: Alt+2..5 channel, Ctrl+Tab points, arrows move a point, Ctrl+D;
Levels: Alt+2..5 channel.
- Right-click menus for the Slice tools and the Note tool.
- Swatches: your own reordered by dragging.
- Smart Guides: the gap to the nearest layers shown in px while moving.
- Shadows/Highlights: Radius up to 2500 px, clips up to 50 %.
- Batch: Source Opened Files.
- Gradient Map: your own gradients in its list.
- Gradient Editor: Import... / Export... buttons.
- New Style: Include Layer Effects / Include Layer Blending Options.
- Replace Color: the preview switches between Selection and Image.
- Layer Style dialog: Styles picks a style into the dialog.
- Contact Sheet II: the captions' Font Size.
- Last Filter / Fade show the filter's name; / locks transparent pixels;
Shift+F: the screen modes backwards.
- Info: Proof Color readout; "!" on CMYK out of gamut.
- Layers: right-click on an eye - hide / show this, the others, all.
- Info: W% / H% / angle in Free Transform, DX / DY while moving.
- Brush presets: , . < > step through them.
- View > HAM8 / HAM6 Preview opens the picture (saved as HAM in T:) in an
external viewer: SYS:Utilities/MultiView by default (it must be
installed), another one set in Preferences > File Handling.
- Fixed: saving IFF (HAM8 especially) could crash (packing buffer).
- Menus: selection commands grey with no selection, Merge Down on the
bottom layer.
NEW IN 0.7.1
------------
- ARexx: DO "<menu path>" [values] and PLAY "<Action>" on the A-GRAPH
port; Actions panel menu > Save Action as ARexx... writes an Action as
a script.
- Preferences > Interface: Native Intuition Menus (right mouse button over
the menu bar) and Tools with Names (the tool names beside the icons).
- Brush and Tool presets keep the whole Brush Settings (Tool presets: the
colour too with Include Color); Brush Settings sections can be locked.
- Properties: Preset lists, Auto and Black / Gray / White eyedroppers for
Levels and Curves adjustment layers; Document Properties lines clickable.
- Layer Style: drag in the image to move a shadow, Satin or a Pattern
Overlay; Pattern Overlay Link with Layer and Snap to Origin.
- The busy pointer while a command works, and a progress bar in the
status bar for long filters - Esc stops one (the picture as before).
- Batch / Droplet: Suppress File Open Options Dialogs and Suppress Color
Profile Warnings.
- Swatches: groups of your own (New / Rename / Delete Swatch Group).
- Actions: Insert Path (a Set Work Path step that brings the path back).
- Live vector masks: Vector Mask > Current Path keeps the path with the
layer - its row in the Paths panel edits it, the mask follows; kept in
projects, moved with the layer.
- Paragraph: Hyphenate (long words broken with a hyphen at the box edge).
- Free Transform carries a layer's linked mask (and its vector mask) along;
PSD files keep vector masks (vmsk) both ways.
- Edit > Transform Rotate / Flip turns a layer's linked mask too; Image
Size, Canvas Size, Crop, Trim, Reveal All and Image Rotation (also
Arbitrary) move the paths and vector masks with the image.
- Paths also follow History snapshots and Perspective Crop.
- Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush, Color Replacement and Background
Eraser: Pen Size (a tablet's pressure for the size).
- Preferences > File Handling: Save As to Original Folder.
- Histogram: Source Adjustment Composite.
- Pattern Fill layers: drag the pattern in the image while its dialog is
open; Link with Layer and Snap to Origin.
- Free Transform: Use Relative Positioning (the triangle between X and Y).
- Color Balance adjustment layers keep Shadows, Midtones and Highlights
at once (the Tone picks the sliders shown); PSD files keep all three.
- Adjustment layers: Save Preset / Load Preset in Properties' Preset list
for Levels (.alv), Hue/Saturation (.ahu), Exposure (.ahe) and Selective
Color (.asv) - the reference's own preset files.
- JPEG Options: File Size (the file's size at the settings shown).
- Color Picker: Color Libraries - a color book (.acb) read, its colours
by name; typed letters or numbers find one.
- A manual: a-graph.guide (AmigaGuide) - Help > a-graph Help opens it.
It has an ARexx chapter (every command, return codes, an example) and
a chapter on what works only with RTG and what only with AGA.
- The start page (no picture yet) runs Screen Mode, Workbench Window,
a-graph Help, About Plug-ins and System Info too.
- Select and Mask: Preset (Default, your own presets, Save / Delete).
- Type > Hyphenation...: Words Longer Than, After First, Before Last,
Hyphen Limit, Hyphenate Capitalized Words (kept with each Type layer).
- Character: Kerning Optical (each pair of letters spaced by their shapes).
- Channel Mixer layers kept live in PSD files; its presets (.cha) too.
- Actions panel: a step picked, dragged to move it, deleted or duplicated;
Play from it (Ctrl+Play: that step only); new steps go after it.
The steps scroll; Action Options has a Color (Button Mode shows it);
Insert Stop has Allow Continue (off: the Action halts, Play goes on).
- Blur Gallery > Tilt-Shift: Distortion and Symmetric Distortion.
- Blur Gallery (Iris, Tilt-Shift): Save Mask to Channels.
- Path Blur: Start / End Point Speed, Taper, Strobe Strength and Flashes.
- Spin Blur: Strobe Strength and Strobe Flashes.
- Character > Selected Characters: Ordinals and Fractions.
- Blur Gallery (Field, Iris, Tilt-Shift): Noise Amount (grain back in the
blurred parts).
- Keys and mouse as the reference: Alt subtracts / Shift+Alt intersects
a selection; Shift while painting keeps the stroke straight; Eyedropper
Alt+click = Background, Shift+click = colour sampler; samplers dragged.
- File requesters open where the last one was left (kept between starts).
- Help > Check for Updates... (needs a running TCP/IP stack: Roadshow,
AmiTCP, Miami): a newer version on Aminet is reported, with its page;
Preferences > General > Check for Updates at Start (off by default).
- Move tool: Alt+arrow copies the layer and nudges the copy. History:
Alt+click a state duplicates it; Alt+click the snapshot button asks.
- Auto-Align Layers and Photomerge: Vignette Removal.
- Color Lookup reads ICC abstract and device link profiles too.
- Help: closing the guide brings a-graph's screen back to the front.
- Full Screen Mode: Esc returns to Standard Screen Mode.
NEW IN 0.7
----------
- Workbench window mode (a real, resizable window on an RTG Workbench).
- Many more mouse and key modifiers as in the reference: Ctrl = Move for
one drag, Ctrl/Alt+Space = Zoom, Alt = a tool's opposite, arrow keys on
Free Transform / crop box / selection outline, Ctrl+Z inside Free
Transform, double-click to commit a transform, and more.
- Channels: an eye per channel, Shift+click to target several, drag to
reorder; Paths: thumbnails and all seven buttons; History: Delete.
- Group / Layer from Background dialogs, Global Light Altitude, Blending
Options' General Blending, Black & White and Gradient Map adjustment
layer settings, Adjustment Presets, EPS and PDF (ZIP) options, PNG 8-bit
in Export As, a canvas Border preference.
FIXED FROM USER REPORTS
-----------------------
- The drop-down menus open and follow the pointer much faster on a
68030 and on MorphOS.
- The Hand (Space held) can no longer stay stuck on.
- A layer lock can always be removed: click the lock badge on the
layer's row, or use Lock Layer (context menu, Ctrl+/) again.
- Free Transform works on big layers (the limit is free memory), on the
Background (it becomes a layer) and fits the box to the layer's
content; the Move tool's transform handles start it.
INSTALLATION
------------
Unpack the archive anywhere and double-click a-graph (or a-graph.060 on a
68060). The program keeps its settings and presets in its own drawer
(PROGDIR:), so give it a drawer you can write to.
Optional: put a word list (one word a line) in PROGDIR:a-graph.dic for the
spelling checker.
TESTING
-------
a-graph is under active development and is constantly checked by automated
tests, on a PC under WinUAE and on real Amiga hardware.
Please report bugs and ideas to the e-mail address above.
|
aminet net>