Chapter 6

Essential Graphics
Tools
In this chapter, youll learn about:
w Recommended painting programs
w Recommended screen capture utilities
w Recommended image viewers/converters
w Recommended palette tools
w Other useful graphics utilities
155
Criteria for My Recommendations
After spending countless hours scouring Internet software download sites, auction
sites, and flea markets for graphics software that can handle the tricky business of
creating arcade game graphics, I managed to find a number of tools that had all or
most of the features outlined in Chapter 5.
In order to make the cut, each program had to pass a rigorous evaluation pro-
cess. Among the criteria examined were:
n Interface and ease of use
n Performance and stability
n Compatibility
n Unique or special features
n Availability and support
n Cost
n Gripes
Interface and Ease of Use
This looks at the overall quality of the programs interface. It considers such fac-
tors as the layout of the drawing area, the intuitiveness and placement of tools,
and its consistency. These criteria are very important. A program with a poorly
designed interface tends to be more difficult to use and can make you less produc-
tive than a program that has a well-designed interface.
Ease of use examines how easy the program is to use. Creating game artwork is
challenging enough without forcing you to struggle with learning how to use yet
another piece of software. Since everyone approaches arcade game graphics
design with different levels of experience, its crucial for a painting program to
address the needs of both beginners and advanced users alike. This means it
should have features that are friendly to new users without being overly obtrusive
to experienced users.
Performance and Stability
Performance looks at how well a particular painting program runs on different sys-
tems. A program may provide every feature under the sun but if it doesnt run fast
or smoothly on your computer, it really isnt worth using. For a program to be
truly useful, it needs to be able to run well on both lower-end (i.e., 386, 486) and
higher-end (i.e., Pentium, Pentium II, etc.) computer hardware at an acceptable
level of performance.
156 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Stability considers how prone the particular application is to errors and crashes.
Some programs are bug-ridden and can crash your entire system while others are
almost legendary in their ability to keep on working in a reliable fashion no matter
what you throw at them. For obvious reasons, stable programs are preferable to
unstable ones, not only because theyre less likely to crash but also because
theyre less likely to take your artwork with them!
Compatibility
This criterion examines whether or not a program is compatible with standard,
commonly available hardware and operating systems. A particular program might
be loaded with features, have a great interface, and be fast, but if it doesnt run on
your system, then all of its advantages are lost.
For testing compatibility, I used two different computer systems. At the low end, I
used a generic PC compatible with a 133Mhz Pentium processor, 64 MB of RAM,
and a 2 MB S3 Trio64 video card that ran Windows 95 OSR2. Meanwhile, at the
high end, I used a 300Mhz Pentium II, Compaq PC with 192 MB of RAM, and an 8
MB Matrox Millenium video card that ran Windows NT 4.0 with SP 4.
NOTE: Since I ran my initial tests, Windows 2000 was released. Although I
have managed to test some of the software mentioned here under this new
operating system, I have not been able to test everything. As a result, I only
mention compatibility with Windows 2000 on a case-by-case basis.
Unique or Special Features
This criterion looks at any extra or special features that a particular program
might have. These features arent essential to do graphics work but are certainly
nice to have. However, I figured that Id mention them anyway, especially since
there may be a time when you find that you need to use one. The more the mer-
rier, I always say.
Availability and Support
Availability looks at the programs availability in the marketplace and how easy it
is to find and acquire a (legal) copy. Obviously, the more difficult it is to obtain a
particular program, the less likely it is for you to be able to use it. I gave special
preference to those programs that were easily found on the Internet since it offers
us more immediacy when it comes to obtaining software.
Similarly, if a program isnt well supported or frequently updated, the chances are
that the program bugs wont be fixed on a timely basis and its functionality wont
be extended to meet your requirements down the road.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 157
Cost
Cost considers the price of the software in question. I felt this was important to
mention since many of us, including yours truly, are on tight budgets!
Theres a wealth of powerful graphics software out there and contrary to popular
perceptions, most of it is free or modestly priced. Therefore, unless youre des-
perate, have special needs, or like to waste money, theres really no reason to
spend a lot of money for a good piece of graphics software.
In general, I only considered and evaluated programs that cost under $200 US.
Most of them cost much less and quite a large number were free altogether. The
issue of cost was, in fact, the only reason I didnt recommend Adobes excellent
Photoshop program in this book. As powerful and feature-rich as this program is, it
just costs too much, especially if creating arcade games is a hobby rather than a
livelihood.
NOTE: As this is a book with several months of production time, its impossible
to record the most accurate prices for the products reviewed in this chapter.
As a result, you should always visit the appropriate vendors Web site to get
the latest pricing information.
Gripes
In addition to the other criteria mentioned here, I include my personal gripes with
each program under a separate heading. This section also includes a list of fea-
tures and/or program options that arent supported but should be.
Finally, the programs themselves were categorized as follows:
n Recommended DOS painting programs
n Recommended Windows painting programs
n Recommended DOS screen capture utilities
n Recommended Windows screen capture utilities
n Recommended DOS image viewers/converters
n Recommended Windows image viewers/converters
n Recommended palette tools
NOTE: For clarification on what each of these different categories are, please
consult Chapter 5.
158 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Recommended DOS Painting Programs
n Deluxe Paint IIe
n GrafX2
n Improcess
n NeoPaint
Deluxe Paint IIe
Latest Version (at time of writing): 3.0
Native Platform: DOS but compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Commercial
Publisher/Author: Electronic Arts
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS 2.1 or better, 640 KB RAM, VGA
or SVGA graphics card, and mouse
URL (at time of writing): N/A
Deluxe Paint has long been a favorite in game development circles, making its first
appearance on the Commodore Amiga in 1985. As its popularity increased, ver-
sions of it were eventually released on other popular platforms, including the
Apple IIGS (1986), the PC (1988), and the Atari ST (1990).
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 159
FIGURE 6-1: Deluxe Paint IIe
There have been three PC versions of the program developed since its introduc-
tion: Deluxe Paint II (1988), Deluxe Paint Animator (1993), and Deluxe Paint IIe
(1993). Deluxe Paint II was the original release and lacked many of the features
that would eventually make Deluxe Paint so powerful. Deluxe Paint Animator and
Deluxe Paint IIe both share the same core features but Deluxe Paint Animator also
includes a powerful animation facility and only supports images with a 320x200
screen resolution. Finally, there is Deluxe Paint IIe. It is the most capable of the
three and the one I decided to review here.
TABLE 6-1: Deluxe Paint IIe Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Its drawing screen is refreshingly uncluttered and lets you get to
work right away. All of the programs tools and functions are
easily and readily accessible.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Works very well on older systems, especially slower 386, 486,
and Pentium class machines. Very stable.
Compatibility Very good Appears to be fully compatible with modern 32-bit operating
systems like Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0. It also is one of the
few graphics programs that runs reliably under Windows 3.1.
Unique or special
features
Very good n Has a special Perspective tool that lets you manipulate image
blocks along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes in order to create 3D-like
backgrounds.
n Supports all program tools while zoomed.
n Includes a Symmetry tool that allows you to produce
symmetrical shapes and patterns by mirroring and
duplicating pixels as you draw them.
n Automatically creates backups of your images. This is useful
in case you make a fatal mistake on your current
masterpiece.
Cost Fair Expect to pay about $30-100 for used copies depending on
source.
Availability and
support
Poor Deluxe Paint is no longer marketed or supported by its
publisher, Electronic Arts. However, it can still be obtained from
software dealers who specialize in discontinued or second-hand
software. In addition, it can occasionally be found on various
Internet auction sites.
Gripes Fair n Provides only sketchy native support for common SVGA
display modes. This means that some users wont be able to
reliably access display modes with screen resolutions above
320x200 unless you use a third-party VESA driver.
160 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Criteria Rating Comments
n Only provides users with two drawing screens. This limits
your ability to work on multiple images at once and copy
elements between them.
n Only supports the PCX and LBM file formats.
n Uses a proprietary text font format for its Text tool. As a
result, its impossible to add new fonts to the program and
the included fonts lack significant variation in style compared
to whats available with TrueType fonts.
TABLE 6-2: Deluxe Paint Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Not implemented. However, its Brush tool offers
something similar.
The Brush tool Supports multiple brush widths.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size and flow of the spray.
The Line tool Can also produce connected line segments and
control the width of the line.
The Curve tool Can produce two types of curves: simple and one
with multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Can produce both filled and unfilled rectangles as
well as squares. Supports gradient fills for this tool.
The Ellipse tool Can produce filled and unfilled ellipses as well as
rotated ellipses. Supports gradient fills for this tool.
The Polygon tool Can produce both filled and unfilled polygon shapes.
Supports gradient fills for this tool.
The Fill tool Can fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Allows you to fill in objects using
straight, shaped, ridged, radial, and contoured
gradients.
The Selection tool Can perform cut, copy, and paste operations. In
addition, it also supports block resizing, rotation,
bending, shearing, halving, doubling, flipping, and
converting objects into single colors, as well as the
loading and saving of blocks.
The Lasso tool Offers the same features as the Selection tool. The
Lasso tool always operates on blocks transparently.
The Zoom tool Can magnify screen sections up to 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8
times their original size. Allows you to use all
available tools while in magnification mode.
The Navigator tool Allows you to view the entire screen and scroll
around the entire image.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 161
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Palette Selector Provides all major features including the ability to
define colors, swap color values, copy color values,
and define color gradients. It doesnt allow you to
load or save color palettes, however.
Brighten Not implemented.
Darken Not implemented.
Smooth Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Not implemented.
The Translucency tool Allows you to specify the level of translucency.
The Stencil tool Includes a simple but powerful Stencil function that
gives you full control over individual colors and the
ability to load and save stencils for future use.
The Anti-alias tool Works with all drawing tools. Uses a single
anti-aliasing algorithm but usually produces very
effective results.
The Colorize tool Works exceptionally well, particularly on color
gradients of the same intensity.
The Shade tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Grid tool All tools can snap to the grid, and grid spacing is
definable both interactively with the mouse and
through dialog box values.
The Eraser tool Not implemented.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool. Can
be undone with the Undo tool.
The Undo tool Provides an undoable undo function. However, it
doesnt support an undo history so you cant undo
successive operations.
The Text tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Utilizes a proprietary font format, which makes
adding fonts to the program impossible. Supports
bold, italic, and underline type in these point sizes: 8,
12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 56, 72, and 96. Doesnt support
leading, kerning, or tracking control.
Industry standard file
formats
Loads and saves both PCX (8-bit only) and IFF/LBM
(8-bit only). Comes with a separate utility to do other
file format conversions. All images are limited to 256
(8-bit) colors.
162 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
Multiple display mode
support
Included video drivers support most common VGA
and SVGA graphics cards in display modes of
320x200 to 1024x768 in 256 colors.
However, many of these built-in drivers are obsolete
and youll probably need a third-party VESA driver to
get most of them to work.
Multiple work screen
support
Only supports two work screens. This is enough for
some users but too limiting for others.
Keyboard shortcuts Offers extensive support for keyboard shortcuts.
Virtually every program feature has a keyboard
shortcut associated with it.
Coordinate tracking Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
GrafX2
Latest Version (at time of writing): 2.0 Beta 96.5%
Native Platform: DOS, but compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, 98, NT 4.0, and
2000
Type: Freeware
Publisher/Author: Sunset Design Software
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS 5.0 or better, 5 MB of RAM, VGA
or SVGA graphics card, and mouse
URL (at time of writing): http://www-msi.ensil.unilim.fr/~maritaud/sun-
set/grafx2.html
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 163
FIGURE 6-2: GrafX2
Two members of a French demo-coding group developed GrafX2 back in 1996.
Their unique perspective as both talented programmers and artists enabled them
to produce one of the most exciting and original painting programs to appear on
the PC platform in many years. While GrafX2 is new to me, it apparently has been
a favorite among European demo group artists for some time.
If its ever completed and developed to its potential, it stands to surpass even
Deluxe Paint IIe as the leader in PC-based painting software.
TABLE 6-3: GrafX2 Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Its drawing screen is clear and uncluttered so youll be able
to start drawing immediately. All of GrafX2s tools are easy
to find and are well positioned within the tool bar. Makes
good use of keyboard shortcuts.
Performance and
stability
Excellent GrafX2 accesses the computers graphics hardware directly
so it runs at exceptional speed, even on slower systems,
without requiring lots of memory. However, it experiences
some stability issues that will lead it to crash in certain
situations.
Compatibility Very good Works very well with Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000,
making it the perfect complement to your Windows game
development efforts. Unfortunately, this great program isnt
compatible with systems running Windows 3.1.
Unique or special
features
Good n Provides a tiling function that lets you easily create tiled
graphics. This feature is useful for testing background
images, etc.
n Can reduce colors in images, i.e., reduce a 128-color
image to 64 colors with good results.
n Supports all program tools while zoomed.
n Can be optionally configured to create backups of your
images. This is useful should you make a fatal mistake
when working on your current masterpiece.
Cost Excellent Free.
Availability and
support
Good Free for all to download although its not that easy to find.
The program is also still under development, but so far, it
has been well supported by its authors.
164 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Criteria Rating Comments
Gripes Fair n Doesnt allow you to create rectangles with filled color
gradients.
n Doesnt have a Text tool. Therefore, theres no easy way
to add text to an image with this program.
n Doesnt yet allow you to apply special effects to the whole
picture at once and certain block functions such as
free-rotate and block distort arent yet implemented.
n Doesnt provide an Anti-alias or a true Colorize function.
TABLE 6-4: GrafX2 Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Not implemented. However, its Brush tool offers
something similar.
The Brush tool Also supports multiple brush widths.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size and flow of the spray.
The Line tool Can produce both connected line segments and
continuous line segments.
The Curve tool Can produce two types of curves: simple and one
with multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Can produce both filled and unfilled rectangles. You
cant draw squares with it. Doesnt allow you to
create rectangles with gradient fills.
The Ellipse tool Only allows you to draw circles but lets you create
circles with gradient fills.
The Polygon tool Can produce both filled and unfilled polygon shapes.
Doesnt support gradient fills.
The Fill tool Can fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Only allows you to use radial gradient
fills but allows you to define the angle of the fill.
The Selection tool Can perform cut, copy, and paste operations. In
addition, this program also supports block resizing,
rotation (limited to 90- and 180-degree increments),
and flipping.
The Lasso tool Provides the same basic features as the Selection
tool. The Lasso tool always operates on blocks
transparently.
The Zoom tool Can magnify screen sections up 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14,
16, 18, and 20 times their original size. Also allows
you to use all tools while in magnification mode.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 165
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Navigator tool Allows you to view the entire screen and scroll
around the entire image.
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Palette selector Provides all major features including the ability to
define colors, swap color values, copy color values,
and define color gradients. In addition, it lets you
invert color values (reverse their order), swap entire
ranges of color, convert the palette to grayscale,
undo any palette changes, and return the current
palette to its default state. It also lets you count the
number of colors used in an image and perform
color reduction. Supports the Microsoft PAL format.
Brighten Currently not implemented.
Darken Currently not implemented.
Smooth Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
provides three different algorithms for the smoothing
process.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Currently not implemented.
The Translucency tool Allows you to specify the level of translucency and
choose from either additive or subtractive
translucency.
The Stencil tool Includes a simple but powerful Stencil function that
gives you full control over individual colors and the
ability to load and save stencils for future use.
The Anti-alias tool Currently not implemented.
The Colorize tool Not the same as in Deluxe Paint. Doesnt preserve the
original objects color intensity.
The Shade tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Grid tool All tools can snap to the grid, and grid spacing is
definable both interactively with the mouse and
through dialog box values.
The Eraser tool Not implemented.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool. Can
be undone with the Undo tool.
The Undo tool Provides an undoable undo function. However, it
doesnt support an undo history so you cant undo
successive operations.
The Text tool Currently not implemented.
166 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
Industry standard file
formats
Loads and saves PCX, BMP, GIF, and IFF/LBM images.
All images are restricted to 256 (8-bit) colors. The
program also allows you to save color palettes in
Microsofts PAL format.
Multiple display mode
support
Provides extensive display mode support.
The program is capable of generating and
supporting up to 60 different VGA and SVGA display
modes, including many non-standard Mode X display
modes that are useful to game programmers.
Multiple work screen
support
Like Deluxe Paint, it supports two work screens with
the ability to copy color palettes between them.
Keyboard shortcuts Offers extensive support for keyboard shortcuts.
Virtually every program feature has a keyboard
shortcut associated with it. The program comes with
a special configuration utility that allows you to
redefine the keyboard shortcuts.
Coordinate tracking Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
NOTE: You can find GrafX2 on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book.
Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
Improces
Latest Version (at time of writing): 4.2
Native Platform: DOS, but compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Freeware
Publisher/Author: John Wagner
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS 3.0 or better, 640KB RAM, VGA
or SVGA graphics card, and mouse
URL (at time of writing): http://homepages.together.net/~jwag/freesoft-
ware.html
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 167
Improces is a program that youll either love or hate. Its been around for years and
has so many features that its often hard to classify it as strictly a painting
program.
Programmer John Wagner created Improces in 1991 in order to fully exploit the
power of the PCs impressive VGA graphics capabilities. In many ways, he suc-
ceeded. As a graphics package, Improces straddles many different areas within the
graphics field; its part painting program, part image editor, and part image pro-
cessing program.
Unfortunately, while these multiple personalities make Improces a very powerful
program, they also contribute to its well-deserved reputation for being cumber-
some and difficult to use.
TABLE 6-5: Improces Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Poor Not very easy to use overall. Many of the programs features
arent very intuitive or easy to use.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Runs smoothly on slow PC systems (i.e., 286 and 386
systems). Users with faster systems will find the programs
performance proportionally faster.
Appeared to be very stable on all systems tested.
Compatibility Very good Works quite well under Windows 3.1, 95, 98, and NT 4.0. It
also appears to be compatible with most VGA and SVGA
cards, although your actual experience may vary depending
on your particular hardware setup.
168 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-3: Improces
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Very good n Includes a simple but effective sprite animation facility
where you can test the animations you create. It supports
variable playback speeds in two different directions and
allows you to preview animations of up to 12 frames in
length.
n Provides a number of image processing tools, giving it
much of the same capability of programs costing much
more.
n One of the few programs that can generate plasmas, or
fractal-like color patterns, which are useful for game title
and background screens.
n Allows you to create graphics in several common Mode X
display modes.
n Can use both ZSoft and Borland Stroked fonts with its Text
tool.
Cost Excellent Free.
Availability and
support
Fair The program is relatively easy to find online; however, the
author no longer updates or supports the program.
Gripes Poor n Doesnt offer an undoable Undo function. Whats more,
its standard Undo function is very limited in terms of what
painting operations it will reverse.
n Has a poorly designed interface.
n Uses a custom video driver that doesnt work with some
graphics cards in screen resolutions above 320x400.
n Its implementation and support of multiple screens is
inconvenient to work with.
n The Text tool is rather limited in function. Compared to
other programs mentioned here, its difficult to use and
edit text.
n Doesnt provide an Anti-alias or a Colorize function.
n Doesnt work with all tools while zoomed.
TABLE 6-6: Improces Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and
Effects
Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Draws lines in solid colors.
The Brush tool Supports multiple brush widths.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size of the spray.
The Line tool Allows you to create connected line segments and control
the width of the line.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 169
Drawing Tools and
Effects
Supported Comments
The Curve tool Supports two types of curves: simple and one with multiple
endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Lets you draw both filled and unfilled rectangles as well as
squares. Doesnt support gradient fills.
The Elipse tool Lets you draw filled and unfilled ellipses as well as rotated
ellipses. Doesnt support gradient fills.
The Polygon tool Allows you to draw both filled and unfilled polygon shapes.
Doesnt support gradient fills.
The Fill tool Lets you fill areas with solid colors, patterns, and gradient
fills. Also allows you to fill in objects using straight, ridged,
and radial gradients. Produces great results but is difficult to
use.
The Selection tool Has a limited copy and paste function and doesnt quite
work as you would expect it to.
The Lasso tool Not implemented.
The Zoom tool Only supports 4x magnification. Doesnt allow you to use
other tools or functions except the ability to change the
current drawing color.
The Navigator tool Not implemented.
The Eye Dropper tool Not implemented.
The Palette selector Only allows you to change color values and color gradients.
Supports color palette reduction.
Brighten Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Darken Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Smooth Known as Average and Median. Can work on either block
selections or the entire image.
Smear Not implemented.
Invert Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Translucency tool Not implemented.
The Stencil tool Not implemented.
The Anti-alias tool Not implemented.
The Colorize tool Not implemented.
The Shade tool Not implemented.
The Grid tool Doesnt support grid snapping but can draw fixed grids of
128x128 pixels in size.
The Eraser tool Not implemented.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
170 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and
Effects
Supported Comments
The Undo tool Very limited. Only works after certain operations and doesnt
support an undoable Undo.
The Text tool Supports both ZSoft bitmapped fonts and Borland Stroked
fonts. Only provides limited text editing capabilities. Doesnt
support leading, kerning, or tracking control.
Industry standard file
formats
Can load PCX, GIF 87a, and TGA files. Can save files in
PCX, GIF 87a, and TGA formats as well.
Multiple display mode
support
Supports most common display modes and Mode X screen
resolutions at a maximum of 256 colors.
Multiple screen
support
Supports multiple work screens but implements them in a
weird way. As a result, using multiple screens isnt as fast or
convenient as with other packages described here.
Keyboard shortcuts Supports only limited keyboard shortcuts.
Coordinate tracking Not implemented.
NOTE: You can find Improces on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book.
Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
NeoPaint
Latest Version (at time of writing): 3.2d
Native Platform: DOS, but compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: NeoSoft, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS 3.1 or better, 640 KB RAM, VGA
or SVGA graphics card, and mouse
URL (at time of writing): http://www.neosoftware.com/np.html
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 171
NeoPaint is a general-purpose painting program that also happens to be a reason-
ably decent tool for creating arcade game graphics.
NeoPaint first appeared in 1994 and has since undergone several revisions and
enhancements. Over the years its garnered a rather large following among game
developers due to its wide availability, impressive features, low cost, and sleek
Windows-like interface.
TABLE 6-7: NeoPaint Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent The program rises above the rest of crowd in the
sophistication of its interface. Its programmers went to the
trouble of developing an entire, mouse-driven windowing
system to ensure that NeoPaint would be easy to use for
users of all levels.
Performance and
stability
Good NeoPaints custom windowing system eats up a surprising
amount of computer resources. This makes it somewhat
slower in graphics operations when compared to the other
programs reviewed here, especially when running on slower
machines. Despite this, NeoPaint has proven itself to be a
very stable and reliable program.
Compatibility Excellent NeoPaint is one of the most stable DOS graphic programs
Ive ever used. Its never crashed, and it seems to run great
under all versions of DOS and Windows that I tested.
172 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-4: NeoPaint
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Does a great job of managing multiple work screens. You
can easily create and manage dozens of screens
simultaneously without problems.
n Unique among DOS-based graphics packages in that it
supports display modes from 320x200 to 1024x768 and
color depths of 4, 8, 16, and 24 bits, provided you have
compatible display hardware.
n Adding text with NeoPaint is very easy thanks to its
Windows-like font selection dialog and sophisticated text
editor. It even allows you to import small text files!
n Supports a wide array of popular graphics formats,
including Windows BMP.
n Provides a large number of image processing functions
and special effects.
n Provides good support and compatibility with most VGA
and SVGA cards.
n Includes (as an external program) a DOS screen capture
utility.
Cost Excellent $45 (US)
Availability and
support
Good Easily found online and well supported. However, it probably
wont be upgraded given the recent release of the Windows
version of the program.
Gripes Fair n Doesnt provide an undoable Undo function.
n Many of its various filters and special effects are slow,
particularly on older machines.
n Doesnt allow you to use all of its drawing tools when
using the Zoom tool.
n Offers a limited gradient fill capability. All of its gradient
fill angles are predefined.
n Handles image blocks in a cumbersome fashion. It takes
several steps to perform the same action that other
programs can perform in one.
n Selecting palette colors is a somewhat tedious process.
n Doesnt provide an Anti-alias or a Colorize function.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 173
TABLE 6-8: NeoPaint Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Brush tool Provides several brush sizes, shapes, and effects,
including charcoal, magic marker, and ink. Also
supports multiple brush widths and brush cloning, a
feature typically found only in image editors.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size of the spray.
The Line tool Can produce connected line segments and control
the width of the line.
The Curve tool Supports two types of curves: simple and one with
multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Can produce both filled and unfilled rectangles as
well as squares.
The Ellipse tool Can produce filled and unfilled ellipses as well as
rotated ellipses.
The Polygon tool Can produce both filled and unfilled polygon shapes
as well as gradient fills. Also lets you create basic 3D
shapes.
The Fill tool Can fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Also allows you to fill in objects using
straight, shaped, ridged, and radial gradients.
However, these gradients use predefined fill
directions and are much more limited than those
featured in Deluxe Paint and GrafX2.
The Selection tool Can perform cut, copy, and paste operations. In
addition, it also supports block resizing, rotation,
bending, shearing, halving, doubling, flipping, and
converting objects into single colors, as well as
loading and saving blocks.
The Lasso tool Same features as the Selection tool. The Lasso tool
always operates on blocks transparently. Offers
several variations of this tool for maximum flexibility.
The Zoom tool Can magnify screen sections from 2 to 100 times
their original size. Unfortunately, it doesnt allow you
to use all tools while zoomed.
The Navigator tool Allows you to view the entire screen and scroll
around the entire image.
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
174 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Palette selector Includes the standard functionality for this tool. Also
supports copying of colors and the loading and
saving of palettes but not in the Microsoft .PAL
format.
Brighten Allows you to brighten regions as well as the entire
image.
Darken Allows you to darken regions as well as the entire
image.
Smooth Allows you to smooth regions as well as the entire
image.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Not implemented.
The Translucency tool Not implemented.
The Stencil tool Not implemented.
The Anti-alias tool Not implemented.
The Colorize tool Not implemented.
The Shade tool Not implemented.
The Grid tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Eraser tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Undo tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Doesnt support undoable Undos, however.
The Text tool Provides sophisticated text handling. Compatible with
GEM bitmapped fonts.
Allows you to import ASCII text files. Doesnt support
leading, kerning, or tracking control, however.
Industry standard file
formats
Can load PCX, TIFF, or BMP files. Can save PCX, TIFF,
and BMP files.
Multiple display mode
support
Supports display modes with 4-, 8-, 16-, or 24-bit
color depth, provided your video card has the proper
drivers.
Multiple screen support Additional screens are limited only by available
memory. Provides an elegant system of managing
multiple screens.
Keyboard shortcuts Makes extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. However,
many are not intuitive.
Coordinate tracking Not implemented.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 175
NOTE: You can find a trial version of NeoPaint on the CD-ROM included in this
book. Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
Other Useful DOS Painting Programs
There were a number of DOS-based painting programs that met most of my
review criteria but ultimately werent recommended for various reasons. Never-
theless, they are mentioned here and include such programs as:
n DN PaintA free painting program with some extremely powerful tools and
features. It looks like a promising addition to your creative toolbox if you can
get it to run on your system!
n VGA Paint 386A free Deluxe Paint clone that shares much of the originals
powerful functionality.
NOTE: Some or all of these programs are included on the books accompany-
ing CD-ROM. Refer to Appendix B for additional details.
Recommended Windows Painting Programs
n NeoPaint for Windows
n Paint Shop Pro
n Pro Motion
NeoPaint for Windows
Latest Version (at time of writing): 4b
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: NeoSoft, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.neosoftware.com/npw.html
176 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
At first glance, NeoPaint for Windows just looks like a 32-bit Windows conversion
of NeoPaint for DOS. But despite sharing many of the originals features and inter-
face elements, the two are really different programs.
NeoPaint for Windows expands on the original DOS versions feature set and
improves on it in a number of areas. Among its improvements are a fully Windows
compliant interface, support for more graphic file formats, a new and more flexible
Zoom tool, better video display mode support, and a slew of new special effects.
In short, NeoPaint for Windows is a completely new program that addresses many
of the originals shortcomings. If youre interested in a low-cost and feature-rich
program for creating game graphics, you should strongly consider using this
program.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 177
FIGURE 6-5: NeoPaint for Windows
TABLE 6-9: NeoPaint for Windows Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Interface is a combination of Windows standards and the
earlier NeoPaint for DOS product. Some users will recognize
the similarities and immediately feel at home, while other
users will be distracted by the many options it offers.
Despite this, the program features are clearly labeled and all
in all, I found it very easy to use.
Performance and
stability
Very good Runs well on slower systems. However, certain tools, most
notably large brushes or some special effects, tend to be on
the sluggish side.
Seems very stable on all systems tested.
Compatibility Excellent Compatible with all versions of Windows from 95 through
Windows 2000.
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports a wide array of popular graphics formats,
including Macintosh PICT and Photoshop PSD.
n Allows you to take screen captures from inside the
program.
n Supports display modes of various color depths and
screen resolutions and can promote or reduce colors
between different display modes.
n Supports an undo history that allows certain actions to be
easily repeated.
n Supports a large number of special effects, all of which
can be previewed before applying them to your images.
n Supports all program tools while zoomed.
n Can import text from external text files.
n Provides a simple but informative help facility.
Cost Excellent $59.95 (US) or $34.95 (US) as an upgrade from the original
DOS version.
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily found online and relatively well supported.
Gripes Very good n Offers a limited gradient fill capability. All of its gradient
fill angles are predefined.
n Doesnt provide an Anti-alias or a Colorize function.
n Its interface occupies a large amount of usable screen
area.
178 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
TABLE 6-10: NeoPaint for Windows Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Brush tool Provides several brush sizes, shapes, and effects,
including charcoal, magic marker, and ink. Also
supports multiple brush widths and brush cloning, a
feature typically found only in image editors.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size and rate of the spray.
The Line tool Can produce connected line segments and control
the width of the line.
The Curve tool Supports two types of curves: simple and one with
multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Can produce both filled and unfilled rectangles as
well as squares.
The Ellipse tool Can produce filled and unfilled ellipses as well as
rotated ellipses.
The Polygon tool Can produce both filled and unfilled polygon shapes
as well as gradient fills. Also lets you create basic 3D
shapes.
The Fill tool Lets you fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Also allows you to fill in objects using
straight, shaped, ridged, radial, and contoured
gradients but doesnt allow you to adjust the fill
angle.
The Selection tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
supports a number of image block manipulation
functions.
The Lasso tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
supports a number of image block manipulation
functions.
The Zoom tool Lets you magnify screen sections from 2 to 51 times
their original size. However, it doesnt allow you to
use all tools while zoomed.
The Navigator tool Allows you to view the entire screen at once but uses
a crude form of this tool.
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 179
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Palette selector Provides all major features including the ability to
define colors, swap color values, copy color values,
and define color gradients. In addition, it lets you
undo any palette changes and return the current
palette to its default state.
It also lets you count the number of colors used in an
image and perform color reduction. Also supports
the loading and saving of palettes but not in the
Microsoft .PAL format.
Brighten Allows you to brighten regions as well as the entire
image.
Darken Allows you to darken regions as well as the entire
image.
Smooth Allows you to smooth regions as well as the entire
image.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Not implemented.
The Translucency tool Not implemented.
The Stencil tool Doesnt support color-based stencils but does support
screen masks in higher-color display modes.
The Anti-alias tool Not implemented.
The Colorize tool Not implemented.
The Shade tool Not implemented.
The Grid tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Eraser tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Undo tool Doesnt support an undoable Undo but does support
an undo history, which can simulate some of this
functionality.
The Text tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Allows you to anti-alias text and treat text as a block
selection for further manipulation.
Supports Windows TrueType fonts and can import text
from the Clipboard and external text files. Doesnt
support leading, kerning, or tracking control.
Industry standard file
formats
Can load BMP, PNG, JPEG, GIF 87a/89a, PSD, PCX,
TIFF, TGA, and Macintosh PICT. Can save BMP, PNG,
GIF 87a/89a, PSD, PCX, TIFF, JPEG, TGA, and
Macintosh PICT.
180 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
Multiple display mode
support
Supports all display modes supported by Windows
and your video hardware.
Multiple screen support Available work screens are limited only by available
memory.
Keyboard shortcuts Makes extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. Uses a
combination of standard Windows keyboard
shortcuts and NeoPaint for DOS keyboard shortcuts.
Coordinate tracking Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
allows you to specify the coordinate metric between
pixels and inches or centimeters.
NOTE: You can find a fully functional trial version of NeoPaint for Windows on
the CD-ROM included in this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more
information.
Paint Shop Pro
Latest Version (at time of writing): 6.02
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: Jasc, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000,
mouse, and an SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.jasc.com/products.html
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 181
Paint Shop Pro has been around since the early 1990s and each release of the pro-
gram has brought new features and capabilities. Now in its sixth incarnation,
Jascs Paint Shop Pro is the complete Windows solution for arcade game graphics
creation.
Simply put, if youre interested in a program that offers 90% of the power of
Adobe Photoshop for one-fifth the price, look no further than this program.
TABLE 6-11: Paint Shop Pro Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent A vast improvement from previous releases of the program.
Paint Shop Pro provides intuitive icons and maximizes the
available drawing screen.
Performance and
stability
Excellent The program is quick and responsive on all but the slowest
systems. Appears very stable on all systems tested.
Compatibility Excellent Compatible with all versions of Windows from 95 through
Windows 2000.
182 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-6: Paint Shop Pro
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports a wide array of popular graphic formats,
including Macintosh PICT and Photoshop PSD.
n Supports layers.
n Compatible with most Adobe Photoshop plug-ins. This
allows it to support a whole host of powerful third-party
special effects filters and export file formats, thus greatly
expanding the power of the program.
n Supports a large number of predefined special effects
and allows you to preview them before applying them to
your image.
n Supports the drawing of vectorized geometric shapes. This
allows shapes to be easily resized and manipulated
without resolution-specific distortion.
n Allows you to take screen captures from within the
program.
n Provides a command history that allows you to repeat or
undo sequences of past program operations.
n Supports display modes of various color depths and
screen resolutions and can promote or reduce colors
between different display modes.
n Can perform batch image conversion, thus, the program
can effectively serve as an image viewer/converter
program.
n Can perform gamma correction on images.
n Can browse your hard drive for images and make image
catalogs from them.
n Comes bundled with a powerful animation utility.
n Supports all program tools while zoomed.
n Provides an excellent online help facility.
Cost Very good $99 (US) download or $109 (US) for CD version.
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily found online and very well supported. Frequently
updated by an established company.
Gripes Very good n Offers a limited gradient fill capability. All of its gradient
fill angles are predefined.
n Tool option dialogs can be a bit annoying.
n Large program that uses a lot of RAM and disk space.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 183
TABLE 6-12: Paint Shop Pro Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Brush tool Provides several brush sizes, shapes, and effects,
including charcoal, magic marker, and ink. Also
supports multiple brush widths and brush cloning, a
feature typically found only in image editors.
The Airbrush tool Also allows you to control the size and rate of the
spray.
The Line tool Can produce connected line segments and control
the width of the line.
The Curve tool Supports two types of curves: simple and one with
multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Can produce both filled and unfilled rectangles as
well as squares.
The Ellipse tool Can produce filled and unfilled ellipses as well as
rotated ellipses.
The Polygon tool Can produce both filled and unfilled polygon shapes
as well as gradient fills. Also lets you create basic 3D
shapes.
The Fill tool Lets you fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Also allows you to fill in objects using
straight, shaped, ridged, radial, and contoured
gradients but doesnt allow you to adjust the fill
angle.
The Selection tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
supports a number of image block manipulation
functions.
The Lasso tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool and
supports a number of image block manipulation
functions.
The Zoom tool Lets you magnify screen sections from 2 to 32 times
their original size. Allows access to all tools while
zoomed.
The Navigator tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Palette Selector tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Supports the Microsoft PAL format.
Brighten Allows you to brighten regions as well as the entire
image.
Darken Allows you to darken regions as well as the entire
image.
184 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
Smooth Allows you to smooth regions as well as the entire
image.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Not implemented but can be simulated via one of its
special effect options.
The Translucency tool Not implemented but can be simulated with layers.
The Stencil tool Doesnt support color-based stencils but does support
screen masks in higher color display modes.
The Anti-alias tool Not implemented.
The Colorize tool Doesnt work the same way it does in Deluxe Paint or
other programs mentioned here as its only
supported in block operation and not as a
toggle/modifier as with other painting programs.
The Shade tool Not implemented.
The Grid tool Supports variable sized grids but offers no
snap-to-grid function.
The Eraser tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Undo tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Doesnt support an undoable Undo but does support
an undo history.
The Text tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Allows you to anti-alias text and treat text as a block
selection for further manipulation. Supports Windows
TrueType fonts. Includes the ability to adjust kerning
and leading.
Industry standard file
formats
Can load BMP, PNG, JPEG, GIF 87a/89a, IFF/LBM,
PSP, PSD, PCX, TIFF, TGA, and Macintosh PICT. Can
save BMP, PNG, GIF 87a/89a, PSP, PSD, PCX, JPEG,
IFF/LBM, TIFF, TGA, and Macintosh PICT. The
accompanying animation utility can also export FLIC
files.
Multiple display mode
support
Supports all display modes supported by Windows
and your video hardware.
Multiple screen support Available work screens are limited only by available
memory.
Keyboard shortcuts Makes extensive use of keyboard shortcuts.
Coordinate tracking Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 185
NOTE: You can find a fully functional trial version of Paint Shop Pro on the
CD-ROM included in this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more
information.
Pro Motion
Latest Version (at time of writing): 4.2
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000
Type: Commercial
Publisher/Author: Cosmigo, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/
Pro Motion is a Windows-based painting program that was closely modeled after
Deluxe Paint V for the Commodore Amiga. It first appeared on the market in 1996
186 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-7: Pro Motion
and has earned a good reputation as a game graphics creation tool with both hob-
byists and professional game developers alike.
If youre serious about designing arcade game graphics, definitely get Pro Motion.
TABLE 6-13: Pro Motion Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Interface is very intuitive. Screen is relatively uncluttered.
Most options have icons associated with them and all work
as expected.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Runs well on even the slowest of machines. Faster machines
will enjoy even better performance.
Noticeably stable on the systems tested.
Compatibility Very good Fully compatible with all 32-bit versions of Windows from
Windows 95 through Windows 2000.
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Provides all of Deluxe Paints painting tools and
functionality.
n Includes a sophisticated, built-in animation tool.
n Supports multiple levels of undoable undos.
n Supports all program tools while zoomed.
n Supports all popular file formats.
n Supports plug-ins, which can extend the functionality of
the program even further.
n Provides a simple but effective help facility.
Cost Very good $58 (US) e-mail version or $74 (US) for the program on CD.
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily found online and very well supported by its author.
Updated frequently and updates are free.
Gripes Very good n Anti-alias function isnt as robust as some of the other
programs mentioned here, particularly when dealing with
text.
n Only supports six work screens.
n Handles Windows Clipboard access in a non-standard
way.
TABLE 6-14: Pro Motion Feature Summary
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Pencil tool Not implemented. However, its Brush tool offers
something similar.
The Brush tool Also supports multiple brush widths.
The Airbrush tool Allows you to control the size of the spray.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 187
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Line tool Also allows you to created connected line segments
and control the width of the line.
The Curve tool Supports two types of curves: simple and one with
multiple endpoints.
The Rectangle tool Lets you draw both filled and unfilled rectangles as
well as squares.
The Ellipse tool Lets you draw filled and unfilled ellipses.
The Polygon tool Allows you to draw both filled and unfilled polygon
shapes.
The Fill tool Lets you fill in areas with solid colors, patterns, and
gradient fills. Also allows you to fill in objects using
straight, shaped, ridged, radial, and contoured
gradients with full control over the fill angle.
The Selection tool In addition to the standard functions such as cut,
copy, and paste, this program supports block
resizing, rotation, bending, shearing, halving,
doubling, flipping, and converting objects into single
colors, as well as loading and saving blocks.
The Lasso tool Same features as the Selection tool.
The Zoom tool Lets you magnify screen sections from 2 to 32 times
their original size. Also allows you to use all tools
while in magnification mode.
The Navigator tool Allows you to view the entire screen at once but uses
a crude form of this tool.
The Eye Dropper tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Palette Selector tool Provides all major features including the ability to
define colors, swap color values, copy color values,
and define color gradients. It even allows you to load
and save color palettes in the Microsoft .PAL format.
Brighten Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Darken Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Smooth Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Smear Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
Invert Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Translucency tool Allows you to specify the level of translucency.
The Stencil tool Includes a powerful Stencil function that gives you full
control over individual colors and the ability to load
and save stencils for future use.
The Anti-alias tool Provides two algorithms of anti-aliasing for different
situations and works with all drawing tools.
188 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Drawing Tools and Effects Supported Comments
The Colorize tool Works exceptionally well, particularly on color
gradients of the same intensity.
The Shade tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Grid tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Eraser tool Not implemented.
The Clear tool Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
The Undo tool Supports an undoable Undo and can even redo
actions up to several levels.
The Text tool Supports full text editing capabilities and compatible
with Windows TrueType fonts. Doesnt support
leading, kerning, or tracking control.
Industry standard file
formats
Reads and writes BMP, GIF 87a, IFF/LBM, and PCX
files.
Its animation tool can also import and export files in
the FLIC format.
Multiple display mode
support
Limited to 8-bit (256 color) display modes in all
standard Windows screen resolutions.
Multiple screen support Only supports a maximum of six work screens
regardless of available memory.
Keyboard shortcuts Makes extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. Many of
these are logically assigned and some even mirror
shortcuts used by Deluxe Paint.
Coordinate tracking Includes the standard functionality for this tool.
NOTE: You can find a feature-disabled demonstration version of Pro Motion on
the CD-ROM included with this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more
information.
Other Useful Windows Painting Programs
There were a number of Windows-based painting programs that met most of my
review criteria but ultimately werent recommended for various reasons. Never-
theless, they are mentioned here.
n ArtGemAn interesting true color painting program. Although a capable pro-
gram, its strange interface makes me prefer other programs.
n ChaosFXA feature-rich image editing program. The program is technically
very impressive but very expensive when compared to most of the other pro-
grams reviewed in this section of the chapter.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 189
n Pixel 32An incredibly promising image editor that is still under development
and not completely stable at this time. However, once this program is com-
pleted, it will give programs such as Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop a real run
for the money.
n Ultimate PaintA general-purpose painting program. While the program is
stable and inexpensive, its not nearly as feature rich or easy to use as many of
the other programs reviewed here.
NOTE: Some or all of these programs are included on the books accompany-
ing CD-ROM. Refer to Appendix B for additional details.
Recommended DOS Screen Capture Utilities
n Screen Thief
Screen Thief
Latest Version (at time of writing): 2.04
Native Platform: DOS
Type: Freeware
Publisher/Author: Villa Software, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS, Windows 95 and 98, and a VGA
graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.villasoftware.com
190 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-8: Screen Thief
Screen Thief is a full-featured DOS screen capture utility thats been around since
the early 1990s. It has become popular with game developers due to its reliability,
feature set, and ability to capture screen displays that other capture programs
could not.
If you need to capture DOS game screens, this is the program to use.
TABLE 6-15: Screen Thief Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Good Very easy to use for a pure DOS program. Default capture
keys are easy to access and intuitive to use.
Performance and
stability
Very good Worked as advertised with good performance. Very stable.
Compatibility Good Runs flawlessly under DOS and Windows 95. Not tested
under Windows NT, however.
Unique or special
features
Very good n Provides support for most common graphic file formats
n Allows user to redefine capture keys, which makes it very
flexible.
n Can redefine its interrupt for maximum compatibility with
other DOS TSR software.
Cost Excellent Free.
Availability and
support
Good Can be found online relatively easily. Still supported but not
frequently updated.
Gripes Good n Requires you to configure it manually via the command
line to support special features and display modes.
n Has trouble capturing some screens that use SVGA
compatible display modes.
TABLE 6-16: Screen Thief Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Full screen capture Can successfully capture screens in most VGA and SVGA
display modes.
Active windows capture N/A N/A
Region capture Not implemented.
DOS screen capture Works as expected.
DirectX capture N/A N/A
Standard file formats Can capture screens and save them in PCX, TIFF, BMP, and
GIF file formats.
Clipboard access N/A N/A
Capture undo Not implemented.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 191
Program Features Supported Comments
Automatic palette
correction
N/A N/A
Image cropping Not implemented.
NOTE: You can find a copy of Screen Thief on the CD-ROM that accompanies
this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
Recommended Windows Screen Capture Utilities
n HyperSnapDX
n Snagit
HyperSnapDX
Latest Version (at time of writing): 3.55
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: Hyperionics
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS, Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000,
and an SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.hypersnap-dx.com/hsdx/
192 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
HyperSnapDX is an extremely impressive and powerful screen capture utility. It
can capture virtually any Windows screen including those used by DirectX and
3Dfx Glide games. Furthermore, it can save captured images in any of 20 different
graphic file formats.
HyperSnapDX is one screen capture utility that belongs in every game developers
toolbox.
TABLE 6-17: HyperSnapDX Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Very easy to use and default capture keys are easy to access.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Worked as advertised with great performance on all systems
on which it was tested. A very stable and reliable program.
Compatibility Excellent Runs flawlessly under Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 193
FIGURE 6-9: HyperSnapDX
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports over 20 common graphic file formats including
PSD.
n Allows user to redefine capture keys, which makes it very
flexible.
n Can capture DirectX and 3Dfx Glide game screens.
n Can capture the entire scrolling contents of a screen
window.
n Supports many common image manipulation functions
such as resizing and changing color depth and resolution.
Cost Excellent $25 (US)
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily found online, well supported, and frequently updated
and enhanced.
Gripes Very good n Doesnt capture DOS screens.
TABLE 6-18: HyperSnapDX Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Full screen capture Allows you to capture any Windows-compatible display
mode supported by your system.
Active windows capture Works as expected.
Region capture Works as expected. Supports coordinate tracking in order to
help you make more precise region captures.
DOS screen capture Not implemented.
DirectX capture Works as expected.
Standard file formats Can capture screens and save them in PCX, TIFF, BMP, PSD,
GIF, PNG, and a number of other file formats.
Clipboard access Works as expected.
Capture undo Works as expected.
Automatic palette
correction
Works as expected.
Image cropping Works as expected. Provides handy guides that enable you
to crop images with pixel-point precision.
NOTE: You can find a fully functional trial version of HyperSnapDX on the
CD-ROM that accompanies this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more
information.
194 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
SnagIt Pro
Latest Version (at time of writing): 5.01
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: TechSmith, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, DOS, Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000,
and an SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.techsmith.com/products/snagit/
SnagIt has been around in one form or another since 1990, and like a fine wine, it
only gets better with age. This screen capture utility offers a number of powerful
and unique screen capture features, including the ability to capture and record
screen activity as highly compressed video files. In addition, its one of the few
Windows screen capture utilities that is able to capture full-size DOS screens.
TABLE 6-19: SnagIt Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Very easy to use and default capture keys are easy to access.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Worked as advertised with great performance on all systems
tested on. A very stable and reliable program.
Compatibility Excellent Runs flawlessly under Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 195
FIGURE 6-10: SnagIt
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports all common graphic file formats.
n Allows user to redefine capture keys, which makes it very
flexible.
n Can capture DOS screens.
n Can capture screens and save them as Windows AVI
videos.
n Can capture the entire scrolling contents of a window.
n Supports many common image manipulation functions
such as resizing and changing color depth and resolution.
Cost Excellent $39.95 (US)
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily found online, well supported, and frequently updated
and enhanced.
Gripes Very good n Doesnt allow DirectX screen captures.
TABLE 6-20: SnagIt Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Full screen capture Allows you to capture any Windows-compatible display
mode supported by your system.
Active windows capture Works as expected.
Region capture Works as expected. Supports coordinate tracking in order to
help you make more precise region captures.
DOS screen capture Can capture most DOS screens, even when running a full
DOS session.
DirectX capture Not implemented.
Standard file formats Can capture screens and save them in PCX, TIFF, BMP, GIF,
PNG, and a number of other file formats.
Clipboard access Works as expected.
Capture undo Works as expected.
Automatic palette
correction
Works as expected.
Image cropping Works as expected.
NOTE: You can find a fully functional trial version of SnagIt on the CD-ROM
that accompanies this book. Please refer to Appendix B for more
information.
196 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
Recommended DOS Image Viewers/Converters
n SEA
SEA
Latest Version (at time of writing): 1.3
Native Platform: DOS
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: Photodex Corporation
System Requirements: A 386 with 4MB, a VESA-compatible 1 MB VGA card,
and a mouse (optional)
URL (at time of writing): http://www.photodex.com
SEA achieves what has often been thought impossible under DOS: it marries an
easy-to-use and attractive user interface with a solid image viewing and conver-
sion engine.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 197
FIGURE 6-11: SEA
If youre a DOS user, this is the image viewer/converter program to have.
TABLE 6-21: SEA Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent The best of any DOS-based graphics program of its type.
Menu commands are clearly labeled and intuitive, making it
easy to use.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Runs very well on all tested systems. Fastest of all of the DOS
image viewers Ive used. Appears to be very stable and
reliable.
Compatibility Very good Runs on DOS and Windows 95 and 98. Will not run on
Windows NT 4.0, however.
Unique or special
features
Good n Supports command line driven image viewing and
conversion.
n One of the few DOS-based image viewers to support PSD
files.
n Supports all SVGA display modes with the appropriate
VESA drivers installed.
Cost Very good $29.95 (US)
Availability and
support
Good Easily obtainable and reasonably well supported. Updated
occasionally.
Gripes Good n Should support more graphic file formats.
TABLE 6-22: SEA Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Extensive graphics file
format support
Supports all standard image formats such as GIF, JPEG,
PNG, TIFF, PCX, PSD, IFF/LBM, and TGA.
Good interface Excellent interface. A real joy to use.
Batch conversions Works as expected but not as efficient or elegant as some of
the other programs described here.
Image catalogs Works as expected.
Special operations Performs many special operations including image resizing,
color reduction, and gamma correction.
Other Useful DOS Image Viewers/Converters
There were a number of DOS-based image viewers/converters that met most of
my review criteria but werent reviewed here for various reasons. Nevertheless, I
will mention them here as you may find them useful. These are:
198 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
n DisplayA free image viewing and conversion utility that provides many fea-
tures and options. Its only drawbacks are its large memory requirements and
complex user interface.
n Graphics Workshop for DOSA very reliable, shareware image viewing and
conversion utility. This program was written by Steven William Rimmer, one
of the leading authorities on graphic file formats.
n NviewA DOS version of XNView (which is described in the next section)
that utilizes the same image viewing/conversion engine. Unfortunately, there
were compatibility problems that prevented it from running properly on my
test system.
NOTE: Some or all of these programs are included on the books accompany-
ing CD-ROM. Refer to Appendix B for additional details.
Recommended Windows Image Viewers/Converters
n IrfanView
n XNView
IrfanView
Latest Version (at time of writing): 3.17
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Freeware
Publisher/Author: Irfan Skiljan
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9227474
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 199
IrfanView 32 started out three years ago as a hobbyist project by a talented uni-
versity student named Irfan Skiljan and has quickly established itself as one of the
best programs of its typefree or commercial. IrfanView 32 supports dozens of
graphic file formats, special effects, and image conversion options, and provides
many other features that few other programs of its type can touch.
I highly recommend this program as much for its features as its price.
TABLE 6-23: IrfanView Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Very good Easy to use but tries to pack too much functionality in too
little an area. Some options are crowded and confusing.
Performance Excellent Performs very well on all systems tested. Displays images
quickly.
Compatibility Excellent Runs without incident on all Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and
2000 systems.
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports over 70 different graphic file formats, including
all of the file formats mentioned in Chapter 3.
n Can do batch image conversions.
n Can double as a screen capture utility.
n Can create browsable thumbnails of all of the images in
a given directory.
n Can count the number of colors used by a particular
image.
n Can install itself as your default Windows graphic viewer.
200 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-12: IrfanView
Criteria Rating Comments
Cost Excellent Free.
Availability and
support
Excellent Easy to obtain and well supported. Updated frequently.
Gripes Very good n Tries to do a bit too much for a program of its type. This
means that many of its menu options are cluttered.
TABLE 6-24: IrfanView Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Extensive graphics file
format support
Compatible with all common graphic file formats and then
some.
Good interface Interface is relatively easy to use.
Batch conversions Works as expected. Performs conversion actions quickly.
Image catalogs Works as expected.
Special operations Can perform color depth reduction and promotion, image
scaling, and a variety of other useful image processing
effects.
NOTE: You can find a copy of IrfanView on the CD-ROM that accompanies this
book. Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
XNView
Latest Version (at time of writing): 1.12
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000
Type: Freeware
Publisher/Author: Pierre Gougelet
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pierre.g/
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 201
XNView has been around in one form or another since the early 1990s. Since that
time it has been ported to platforms as diverse as the Atari ST to Linux.
Its also one of the most impressive image viewing and conversion programs Ive
ever seen as it supports over 120 different graphic file formats and sports a
refreshingly simply and effective user interface.
If youre looking for a reliable and feature-rich image viewer/converter, definitely
consider using XNView.
TABLE 6-25: XNView Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Intuitive and very easy to use. Makes good use of icons and
all options are clearly labeled.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Performs very well on all systems tested. Displays images
quickly. Appears to be very stable.
Compatibility Excellent Runs well on all Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000 systems
tested.
202 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-13: XNView
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Supports over 120 different graphic file formats, including
all of the file formats mentioned in Chapter 3.
n Can do batch image conversions while applying special
effects.
n Can double as a screen capture utility when needed.
n Can create browsable thumbnails of all of the images in
a given directory.
n Can count the number of colors used by a particular
image.
n Can install itself as your default Windows graphic viewer.
Cost Excellent Free.
Availability and
support
Excellent Easy to obtain and well supported. Updated occasionally.
Gripes Excellent None.
TABLE 6-26: XNView Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Extensive graphics file
format support
Compatible with all common graphic file formats and then
some.
Good interface Interface is very easy to use.
Batch conversions Very flexible.
Image catalogs Works as expected.
Special operations Can perform color depth reduction and promotion, image
scaling, and a variety of sophisticated image processing
effects. Can even apply these operations to images as it
converts them from one format to another.
NOTE: You can find a copy of XNView on the CD-ROM that accompanies this
book. Please refer to Appendix B for more information.
Other Useful Windows Image Viewers/Converters
There were a number of Windows-based image viewers/converters that met most
of my review criteria but werent reviewed here for various reasons. Neverthe-
less, I will mention them here as you may find them useful. These programs
include:
n CompuPicA commercial image viewing and conversion utility. Provides
many useful features and has an excellent user interface.
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 203
n Graphics Workshop ProA very well written shareware image viewing and
conversion utility. Offers many features and options including the ability to
save images as executable programs. This program was also written by Steven
William Rimmer, one of the leading authorities on graphic file formats.
NOTE: These programs are included on the books accompanying CD-ROM.
Refer to Appendix B for additional details.
Recommended Palette Tools
n Opal
n PalMerge
Opal
Latest Version (at time of writing): 1.95
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: Basta Computing, Inc.
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.basta.com
204 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-14: Opal
Opal enables you to perform several different types of color palette manipulations.
These include looking up the RGB value and palette index of any pixel on the
desktop, capturing the palette of another application, and saving the contents of
the current color palette to a bitmap image or text file.
TABLE 6-27: Opal Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Excellent Very easy to use. The programs options are logically
arranged and well thought out.
Performance and
stability
Excellent Runs well on all Windows systems tested. Appears to be very
stable.
Compatibility Excellent Compatible with Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0.
Unique or special
features
Good n Allows you to export the contents of the current color
palette to a text file. This can be very useful for designers
and programmers alike.
n Can describe color values in a variety of formats.
Cost Excellent $10 (US)
Availability and
support
Good Easily found online and well supported. However, it is only
occasionally updated.
Gripes Poor n Doesnt allow you to alter the color palette or perform
color palette manipulations of any sort.
n Limited use in non-palette display modes.
TABLE 6-28: Opal Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Color palette editing Not implemented.
Color palette
extraction from
bitmaps
Only reads palette data from BMP files.
Palette construction
from input files
Not implemented.
Common file format
support
Only reads palette data from BMP files.
PalMerge
Latest Version (at time of writing): 3.0a
Native Platform: Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0
Type: Shareware
Publisher/Author: Bryan Miller
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 205
System Requirements: PC compatible, Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0, and an
SVGA graphics card
URL (at time of writing): http://www.allcity.net/~vantageview
PalMerge is a program designed to give you full control over the contents of the
color palette under Windows. Among its special features is a first-rate color pal-
ette editor and the ability to extract color palettes from images, and view and
process images in various file formats.
Although it wont replace the color selection tools available in most painting pro-
grams, PalMerge is a good supplemental utility, which many game developers
need, and it performs operations that many graphics utilities cant.
TABLE 6-29: PalMerge Overview
Criteria Rating Comments
Interface and ease
of use
Very good Relatively easy to use but incorporates several non-standard
or outdated Windows interface elements.
Performance Excellent Runs well on all Windows systems tested. Appears to be very
stable.
Compatibility Excellent Compatible with Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0.
206 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-15: PalMerge
Criteria Rating Comments
Unique or special
features
Excellent n Can merge the contents of several palettes into one.
n Can add Windows reserved colors to the palette.
n Can perform color reduction and palette remapping
operations on individual images or in batch.
n Comes with a number of predefined color palettes to
experiment with.
n Can export palette data in the Microsoft .PAL format.
Cost Very good $17 (US)
Availability and
support
Excellent Easily obtainable online. Supported but not updated very
often.
Gripes Good n Tries to do too much in one program. Its very good at
palette manipulation but less so as an image viewer or
conversion utility.
TABLE 6-30: PalMerge Feature Summary
Program Features Supported Comments
Color palette editing Works as expected. Uses Windows palette editor but does
support impressive color copying and pasting abilities.
Color palette
extraction from
bitmaps
Works as expected. Can extract palettes from BMP and save
them in Microsoft .PAL format.
Palette construction
from input files
Works as expected.
Common file format
support
Supports all standard file formats including .bmp.
NOTE: These programs, as well as several DOS palette tools, are included on
the books accompanying CD-ROM. Refer to Appendix B for additional
details.
Other Useful Graphics Utilities
Besides the programs discussed here, the accompanying CD-ROM includes a
number of other useful graphics programs and utilities. Of these, two programs
really stand out as useful additions to any arcade game developer/designers
creative toolbox. These programs are:
n MkExpl 3.0 by Lennart Steinke
n Universe v1.6 by Diard Software
Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools 207
MkExpl 3.0
MkExpl is a DOS-based program that allows you to create a variety of high-quality
animated explosion effects. The program takes parameters and then saves the
generated sequence into a sequence of .PCX format files. With this program, you
never have to go to the trouble of designing explosion effects again! Best of all,
this program is free! Figure 6-16 shows an example of the effects this program can
create.
Universe 1.6
Universe is a Windows program that allows you to visually create sophisticated
outer space scenes and backgrounds. It allows you to plot realistic looking star
fields, nebulas, lens flares, galaxy formations, vortexes, and even several types of
planets! The images it generates are suitable for use in virtually any type of
space-oriented arcade game. Universe is a shareware program and well worth the
price, considering the hours it can save you in design time! Figure 6-17 illustrates
just what can be achieved with this amazing program.
208 Chapter 6 / Essential Graphics Tools
FIGURE 6-16: Example Output of MkExpl 3.0
FIGURE 6-17: Example Output of Universe v1.6