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Re: Screenshots
[Re: ulillillia]
#65031
03/02/06 01:28
03/02/06 01:28
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818 Minot, North Dakota, USA
ulillillia
Senior Expert
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Senior Expert
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818
Minot, North Dakota, USA
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Done! However, you're not going to like the news: there is a dark edge (a shadow) going to the bottom right. To get rid of this means making a complicated panel, of which is still not forbidden. Here are the details: The logo is 50% transparent as a whole. The most common color used is (224, 228, 224). The light area (on the left edge corner of the A) is (240, 244, 240). The dark area (the shadow), is (48, 56, 48). The odd ball (the center shadow pixel in the closed part of the A) is (64, 48, 32). If you want, I can create a panel to fully cancel out the effect (or at least as much as possible) so everything is all the same color. Of course, I happen to have the formula for this as well. Here's the technique: Finding the alpha (transparency): 1. Using the eyedropper tool, take note of the background color of at least 3 screenshots (each screenshot must have a unique background color; the more the more precise you can get). Take notes of the colors as the eyedropper tool gives, not what was from in the original image. 2. Repeat the same for the colors of the object in question. Takes notes. The notes will come in very handy for step 3. 3. Find the difference among the backgrounds and the color in question. Look at my sample of the logos as a guide. To explain: Quote:
Format: (background, test color) - difference with background from previous, difference in test color from previous
Black: (0, 96) Gray: (128, 160) - 128, 64 White: (255, 223) - 127, 63
Note that 64 is half that of 128 and 63 is nearly half that of 127. This indicates that the object is half transparent.
Finding the color (red, green, and blue done separately repeated for each color to find). 1. Load a screenshot with an all-black background (and not any other color - black is extremely easy to work with). 2. Use the eyedropper tool to get the color in question. 3. Apply this formula (convert alpha into a fractional value):
AC = TCĂ·ALP
AC is the actual color (the color made transparent), TC is the color shown, and ALP is the alpha value. 50% is 0.5. 87.5% is is 0.875. In this case, you take the TC and multiply by 2, the same as dividing by 0.5.
Seem easy? To tell the truth, I didn't know the techniques, but through experimenting with known samples, I figured it out in about 50 minutes. Math is great, when you know how to make use of it.
Edit: not 20 minutes, 50. Small typo....
Edit #2: If you really want to confirm my result and really see for yourself, Download my XCF file and play around with the background (note: requires The GIMP to see it. Compare that to what you see in the engine - you'd be surprised. I did this to confirm it. There's even a version that is not transparent so you can see how it would look if it was not made transparent. The same thing also applies to the A6 watermark as well (possibly A4).
Edit #3: While I'm at it, I might as well provide the canceller to make that logo disappear entirely. There isn't much of a choice for colors though, but at least the logo is virtually gone. Just don't place any text or displays in the area where the logo is or it'll become visible. You may, however, add decals around it as part of one big status display. Just right-click on the tiny image below and save the PNG file to disk. From there, save the PNG file as whatever format you prefer. PNG is true color so I'm using it, even though GIF has half the file size....

It looks weird, but provided that all my calculations are correct, the logo would otherwise become virtually invisible or so close to it, only a screenshot could tell that it exists. I can do the same for the A4 and A6 logos too (I need 3 screenshots as explained, and from there, it's now easier to process because I know the technique on how to do it. It's a wonder what I can do with numbers, isn't it?
Last edited by ulillillia; 03/02/06 02:14.
"You level up the fastest and easiest if you do things at your own level and no higher or lower" - useful tip
My 2D game - release on Jun 13th; My tutorials
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Re: Screenshots
[Re: ulillillia]
#65032
03/02/06 23:33
03/02/06 23:33
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 725 USA
TeutonicDarkness
User
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User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 725
USA
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Quote:
just that your white and gray aren't actually white or gray so this may cause some inaccuracies. White is 255 for red, green, and blue. Gray is 128 for each and black is 0 of each. You got black correct, however. Then again, I don't think A5 has support for 32-bit color.
Well I Matched it Exactly as you described here: 1. A black (0, 0, 0) panel beneath it (no overlay) 2. A white (255, 255, 255) panel beneath it 3. (optional - for enhanced accuracy), a gray (128, 128, 128) panel beneath it
In Paint Shop Pro.... It may be a problem of the way the A5 Extra Engine handles colors I'm unsure.
It is good you got it figured out! I'm going to give it a trial run and let you know. 
On Behalf of all A5 Users THANK YOU! 
*** Teutonic Darkness ***
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Re: Screenshots
[Re: TeutonicDarkness]
#65033
03/02/06 23:41
03/02/06 23:41
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818 Minot, North Dakota, USA
ulillillia
Senior Expert
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Senior Expert
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818
Minot, North Dakota, USA
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Given that transparency is defaulted to 50% when transparent and your colors otherwise seem to be 50% the brightness, so I theorize that you used an open level with nothing visible (except the black background) and you made your panels bright. It was sufficient enough. It's a wonder what I can do with numbers, isn't it?
"You level up the fastest and easiest if you do things at your own level and no higher or lower" - useful tip
My 2D game - release on Jun 13th; My tutorials
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Re: Screenshots
[Re: ulillillia]
#65034
03/02/06 23:54
03/02/06 23:54
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 725 USA
TeutonicDarkness
User
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User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 725
USA
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Hey, It doesn't work as of yet... just kind of makes a Grey box on screen  [image]http://www.teutonicdarkness.com/gamestudioresources/shot_0.PCX[/image] Here is The Screen shot I grabbed of You pic in the Level. Its In .pcx just as A5 saves it I didn't alter anything. *** Teutonic Darkness *** Opps forgot the .pcx wont display... This one should but I re-saved the original up above to a .png
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Re: Screenshots
[Re: TeutonicDarkness]
#65035
03/03/06 00:26
03/03/06 00:26
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818 Minot, North Dakota, USA
ulillillia
Senior Expert
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Senior Expert
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818
Minot, North Dakota, USA
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That's the only way you're going to be able to get rid of it. Also, brighten the gray used a little as the gray is 120, 120, 120 when it should be 128, 128, 128. Upon doing so, the A5 logo would be otherwise gone for good. For best results, build a panel around the gray. The reason why I used that gray color is it's the only color (within a very narrow range) that can fully get rid of that logo. It's there, but due to being transparent, and knowing the formula to calculate colors of varying degrees of transparency, that's going to be your only option. All you can do is build a panel around it and just make sure you don't have any text or other objects above where the logo is. Look at your BMP image once and zoom in to that gray spot. You'll still see the logo, but notice how it's so well hidden? Just making that gray surrouding it slightly lighter should fix it and make it 100% invisible (due to zero contrast). Because I didn't get the white color, this reduced my accuracy, but as you can see, it's extremely close to vanished.
When displaying graphics on the web, use PNG if you don't want any colors altered (GIF if there are 256 or fewer colors.
"You level up the fastest and easiest if you do things at your own level and no higher or lower" - useful tip
My 2D game - release on Jun 13th; My tutorials
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