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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

2943.0. "GIF to DDIF converter available" by SUBURB::MCDONALDA (Old Elysian with a big D.I.C.) Thu Sep 21 1989 13:26

    Sorry for the new note, but I couldn't find (read - haven't got
    the time) the original set of notes to which this would belong.
    
    WJG (I think) was asking for a GIF to DECwindows converter. There is a 
    GIF to DDIF converter. Sketchy details contained in note 157 of the 
    DDIF::CDA conference.
    
    You have to contact Esther EPSYS::SANCHEZ for a pointer to the location
    of the converter. I've just mailed her.
    
    As soon as I get the converter, I will convert all the Neptune and
    Gabriel pictures to DDIF files. UTOX, DSS, and IMAGE can then be
    used to convert them to SIXEL, PostScript, or XBM, etc.
    
    Angus
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2943.1WJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationThu Sep 21 1989 16:156
>    As soon as I get the converter, I will convert all the Neptune and
>    Gabriel pictures to DDIF files. UTOX, DSS, and IMAGE can then be
>    used to convert them to SIXEL, PostScript, or XBM, etc.


Great! Please do...
2943.2Far out.SUBURB::MCDONALDAOld Elysian with a big D.I.C.Fri Sep 22 1989 08:4811
    The images are great! The ones I've done so far are unprocessed
    images straight from JPL i.e. the grid markers are still there and
    they're greyscale. I've just noticed something called WHOLE.GIF,
    which I am hoping is a processed image with all the separate filtered
    images put together.
    
    What is the copyright situation on these images?
    
    Esther's front end GIF - DDIF converter works fine.
    
    Angus
2943.3Some DDIF images for you.SUBURB::MCDONALDAOld Elysian with a big D.I.C.Fri Sep 22 1989 15:2715
    I have converted a number of the Neptune images and one Gabriel      
    image, and I have copied the resultant DDIF images to our DECnet
    account i.e. OPG::  All files are greyscale.
    
    Feel free to copy, but be warned: First, the area is due for a clear
    out, and second, each image is 1801 blocks long, apart from GABRFULL.IMG
    which is 2279 blocks long.
    
    The files are: CLOUD.IMG, NEPTUNE1.IMG, NEPTUNE2.IMG, NEPTUNE3.IMG,
    NEPTUNE5.IMG, NEPTUNE6.IMG, NEPTUNE7.IMG, TRITON.IMG and GABRFULL.IMG.
    
    I am having a little trouble with NEPTUNE4.IMG and WHOLE.IMG. Esther
    is looking into it.
    
    Angus
2943.4I wasn't impressedLOWLIF::DAVISThat's not a BUG it's a FEATURE!Fri Sep 22 1989 15:599
I downloaded a couple of the GIF files to my Amiga (WHOLE.GIF and CLOUDS.GIF)
and, unfortunately, I was disappointed.  Am I spoiled or what?  What quality
were the images originally?  Surely better than 16 color gray-scale?

Are any of the others better or they all similar?  Am I asking too many stupid
questions????


...richard
2943.5What's a .IMG file extentionAKOV11::SMITHReality, just a visible imagination?Fri Sep 22 1989 18:048
I copied over NEPTUNE1.IMG and tried to display it with the DDIF viewer on my 
workstation.  No luck!  It didn't like the format.  Any ideas?  Could someone
explain what .IMG is?  Does it still need to be converted to display in the
DDIF Viewer?

Thanx,

...Ed
2943.6..sounds like a pro or microvax..NWD002::FREEMANROFri Sep 22 1989 18:184
    The only format, that I know of right now that uses .IMG is the
    pro series and possibly the microvax? It sounds like some sort of
    conversion needs to take place.
    Rob
2943.716 shades of gray is allLEVERS::PLOUFFFather of Pooh fanaticFri Sep 22 1989 21:138
    re: .4
    
    The original Usenet postings talk about images frame-grabbed from
    cable TV by a Mac-II-based system, then uploaded as a raw bitmap
    of (you guessed it) 16-color gray scale.  I would tend to believe
    that these GIF files are the same images.
    
    Wes
2943.8SET FILE/SEMANTICS=...BOMBE::MOOREBaN CaSe_sEnSiTiVe iDeNtIfIeRs!Fri Sep 22 1989 21:144
    re: .5
    You probably lost the DDIF tags during the network transfer.  Try doing
        SET FILE/SEMANTICS=DDIF 
    (or something like that, sorry I haven't used it in a while)
2943.9Single Plane Problem ?AMIGA2::MCGHIEThank Heaven for small Murphys !Sat Sep 23 1989 07:368
    I wouldn't expect to be able to display grayscale images on a single
    plane VAXstation.
    
    IS the DDIF viewer 'smart' enough to know when it can and can't display
    the mulitple plane images ??
    
    Regards
    	Mike
2943.10WJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationMon Sep 25 1989 10:536
If your display routine is smart enough, it can simulate greyscale on a
single plane display with dithering.

I'm not sure "CDA Viewer" aka DDIF viewer does this.

John
2943.11Do I spy problems?SUBURB::MCDONALDAOld Elysian with a big D.I.C.Mon Sep 25 1989 10:5622
    .IMG is the, latest, default file extension used by DECimage. They
    are DDIF files, and the extension is to stop them being confused
    with the other major set of DDIF files i.e. DECwrite files; which
    now have the extension .DOC.
    
    .8 is correct in saying that DDIF file attributes tend to go missing
    on a copy. Do the old SET FILE/SEMAN=DDIF on your copied files.
    
    A further problem occurs with the CDA stuff. Development has been
    so rapid that its anyone's guess as to the version you have on your 
    system. Remember, the images are greyscale, and its only fairly
    recently that the DECimage stuff *supports* greyscale and colour.
    
    For what its worth, the .GIF images were rendered under VMS T5.3-462,
    running DECwindows V2.0. The image ident for CDA$ACCESS is CDA
    T1.2-890630, while what appears to be the DDIF viewer, has an ident
    of CDA T1.2-890819.
    
    Failing that, there's always DECimage Scanning Application; which
    I use to display the images.
    
    Angus
2943.12Viewer handles multi-plane imagesVIA::BAZEMOREBarbara b.Mon Sep 25 1989 16:3518
    re .9
    
    > IS the DDIF viewer 'smart' enough to know when it can and can't display
    > the mulitple plane images ??
   
    Yes.  In DECwindows V1 the DDIF Viewer would give an "image not
    bitonal" message if it bumped into a multi-plane image.
    
    In DECwindows V2, and CDA V1.2 the CDA Viewer can handle any image
    that DECimage can, because the Viewer uses IDS$STATIC_IMAGE to 
    throw the image up on the display.  DECimage checks the workstation
    display attributes and dithers the image down to whatever that
    workstation can handle.  No problem.
    
    If this isn't the behavior you are seeing, report the problem
    in DDIF::CDA_BUGS.
    
    			Barbara b.
2943.13UtoX can do GIF nowWJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationWed Sep 27 1989 10:4416
UtoX V3.0 just hit the streets.  It can read GIF now and even save to
the pause screen. Neptune looks nice!

BTW - Watch this space for 2 massave .ZOO files which will be appearing
on WJG:: soon:


	NEPTUNE1.ZOO
	NEPTUNE2.ZOO

Yup, these are the NASA data. Joe Smith of McDonnell Douglas in California
put together a nice slide show of all the pics. Stay tuned...


John
2943.14Colour images?SUBURB::MCDONALDAOld Elysian with a big D.I.C.Wed Sep 27 1989 11:2412
    John,
    
    Re .13, excitment, excitment. However, are these image processed?
    i.e. combining of the images taken through colour filters to produce
    true or false, even, colour images.
    
    The groans of "they're not in colour" when I displayed the .GIF
    images could be heard all the way on Triton. Not that I'm complaining,
    of course :-)
    
    Angus
                 
2943.15WJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationWed Sep 27 1989 14:234
Well, what I recieved was 2 floppies packed with IFF files. NOT the raw
NASA data. They are all grey scale converted by DigiView... Sorry!

John
2943.16Knew this topic would get back to Amiga...LEVERS::PLOUFFcan't memorize Zen...Wed Sep 27 1989 14:335
    On the other hand, IFF files are just the solution for my inability
    to convert large GIFs on a 512K machine (note 2817.something). 
    So let's see 'em anyway, please, please.
    
    Wes
2943.17WJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationWed Sep 27 1989 19:499
Yup, I'll post em (about 1700 blocks each!) if you'll download them :-)


I was hoping to get the raw data so I could play with DigiView and see 
what features would show under various conditions...

Maybe Joe (the guy who sent them to me) will send raw data as well...

John
2943.18One year!SUBURB::MCDONALDAOld Elysian with a big D.I.C.Thu Sep 28 1989 09:3513
    I checked in the Astronomy conference; actually I was hoping to
    find more image files :-). The word is, JPL's policy is *not* to
    general release mission data for a year. However, any of their
    selected releases (e.g. photos) may be scanned into electronic form.
    
    Hence, it appears that the raw and processed data, will not be made
    generally available for a year. However, they didn't mention about
    other sources releasing data, but I guess it depends on contractural 
    arrangements.
    
    Shame, but the reasoning behind this policy is sound.
    
    Angus
2943.19Try these outWJG::GUINEAUImpossible ConcentrationThu Sep 28 1989 10:5427
2943.20Got 'emLEVERS::PLOUFFcan't memorize Zen...Sun Oct 01 1989 01:146
    Thanks, John!  These are fascinating images.
    
    BTW, to display these on a 512K machine, I had to use 'sho' - included
    in one of the ZOO files - from the CLI.
    
    Wes
2943.21IMG -> GIF -> IFFNAVIER::MELLITZWed Mar 28 1990 12:526
    How's does one go about converting IMG files from DECscan to GIF
    so that they can be converted to IFF using GIF2IFF?
    Or is there a simpler way to convert IMG to IFF?
    
    Thanks,
    Rich
2943.22PEEVAX::GIFFORDMy dunny was kicked down by chooks!Wed Mar 28 1990 21:2215
UTOX will read a .IMG (DDIF) file and write a one of the following

SDML
SIXEL
TEK 4693
X BITMAP
DDIF

Utox only runs under DECwindows

Look into the CDA converter library as well....

Hope this helps with maybe some intermediate formats..

Stan
2943.23-><->?->??<-?NAVIER::MELLITZWed Mar 28 1990 21:3515
    Re: -1
    
>    Hope this helps with maybe some intermediate formats..
    
    Not really. I know I can read the IMG files in with UTOX, Paint,
    ore link to image in DECwrite.
    
    ... But how can I convert these pictures to IFF for downloading
    to my Amiga?  Maybe it's not possible!
    
    Is there a sixel to IFF converter? or any thing that UTOX will output.
    
   
    ... Rich

2943.24NAC::BRANNONvalue addedWed Mar 28 1990 23:259
    re .-1:
    csix converts from IFF to SIXEL, that might be a good starting point
    since sources are with it if I remember right.
    
    How about asking the UTOX folks to add IFF?  Then everyone that uses it
    would start wondering what an Amiga is...
    
    dennis
    
2943.25WJG::GUINEAUThu Mar 29 1990 10:468
>    How about asking the UTOX folks to add IFF?  Then everyone that uses it
>    would start wondering what an Amiga is...
    
I already did. They were too busy at the time but were definetly interested. He
even asked for IFF specs. Maybe it's time to ask again?


john
2943.26In anticipationWELMTS::FINNISPeter Finnis at WelwynThu Mar 29 1990 19:405
    I understand that IFF and GIF write as output is on the wishlist
    I'll post it if anyone is interested (the wish list that is)
    
    		Pete
    
2943.27TALLIS::MCAFEESteve McAfeeFri Mar 30 1990 00:057
    
    I gave them FF185 a while back along with some other information and
    the CSIX source code for what is worth.  I also offered to give a hand
    if necessary, but I never heard back.  If more people request this it
    might help...
    
    - steve