Icon Alias

[miker1264]

Work on Icon Alias using Icon Library continues.

Now I can put together the Compound String Arrays needed to display multiple alternate icons. Now that I'm working on making colored drawer icons using Batch Processing there will be many new IconSets to display to showcase Icon Alias.

I will use something like this:

struct ICON_LIST
{
    char *Cur_Icon_Name[100];
    char *Alt_Icon_Name[100];
} ;

Then it can store up to 100 Icon Names and Alternate Icon Names. So several alternate icons can be displayed at a time. Using this struct for compound string arrays I can assign string literals for each set of icons. Assignment of variables doesn't work with char *[ ] . But that's ok. It's just for testing & showing off nice new drawer icons.

Screenshots coming soon. But first I have to write the functions. 

[miker1264]

Work on Icon Alias using Icon Library continues.

Now I can put together the Compound String Arrays needed to display multiple alternate icons. Now that I'm working on making colored drawer icons using Batch Processing there will be many new IconSets to display to showcase Icon Alias.

I will use something like this:

struct ICON_LIST
{
    char *Cur_Icon_Name[100];
    char *Alt_Icon_Name[100];
} ;

Then it can store up to 100 Icon Names and Alternate Icon Names. So several alternate icons can be displayed at a time.

Screenshots coming soon. But first I have to write the functions. 

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Thank you,  you are creating something really nice for AROS

[miker1264]

Thank you,  you are creating something really nice for AROS

And it's fun to play with graphics! 

It keeps me out of trouble mostly. But I still tell bad jokes.

I'm super excited about Batch Processing to Make Icons from Base Images. But I don't think anyone else realizes the implications. So many possibilities.

And I just discovered that it's possible to use neon blue or neon green glow borders for dramatic effect with certain colored icons. It's fun to find out what AROS can do with graphics.

I think charcoal black icons or medium red icons would look so nice with neon blue glow borders. And that's something we didn't have before. 

[AMIGASYSTEM]

I'm discussing about your project with Peter Keunecke, author of the famous Icon.library OS3, he is a fan of icons and finds your project interesting, but he hasn't seen your screenshots yet, if you authorize me I can post them on EAB forum.

[miker1264]

I'm discussing about your project with Peter Keunecke, author of the famous Icon.library OS3, he is a fan of icons and finds your project interesting, but he hasn't seen your screenshots yet, if you authorize me I can post them on EAB forum.

Sure. No problem. Whatever screenshots I post can be redistributed freely.

With colored icons and Icon Alias I have in mind complete Themes with window borders, background image, and icons. I have one in mind now for the "Black and Blue" Theme. Picture a big black cat with blue eyes, blue window borders, and charcoal black icons with neon blue glow borders. 

[magorium]

I'm super excited about Batch Processing to Make Icons from Base Images. But I don't think anyone else realizes the implications. So many possibilities.

oh. I do  though

I don't even think you realize to the fullest... Think big ! 

For example... what if you could supply those masks in a more uniform way/format (*) and you would add that functionality to for instance .., say .. a library. Then you could apply this kind of functionality on the fly when loading an icon.

* the only thing that isn't clear to me (because i lack time to investigate atm, so all my own wrongdoing), is it possible to programmaticly extract those masks from the original supplied icon image ? or is the used colour-scheme to close to the colours of the (background) drawer image ?

[miker1264]

magorium

The mask I refer to is a copy of the original image, either normal or selected. Each image with a graphic in it has a mask. It's just a region of white pixels (255,255,255) painted over a graphic or glow border or something we want to preserve so it doesn't change color.

The way the Copy_Mask function works is by comparing two byte arrays and copying into a third byte array. It compares an original image and it's mask image and copies the pixels under the mask to a selected byte array for the output image.

The way I set it up is Copy_Mask(...FALSE) copies pixels under the mask to the output byte buffer. But Copy_Mask(...TRUE) copies the white pixel mask itself to the output byte array, making a new mask image.

These functions would be nice to have in a library module or a cli app that can be used. There are many possibilities.

[magorium]

miker,

Yes, i did grasp your explanation 

Unfortunately that was not what i meant to say/ask. .. sorry for that, let me try rephrase

Back in the day when you required a mask when using the blitter, and taking into account that we were quite lazy back in those days, we created our mask-bitmaps by checking individual pixels in the image and identifying which pixel belonged to the graphical image, and which pixel is/was part of the 'background'.

This can be a fully automated process, as long as you know which pixel belongs to what part of the image.

Now, doing that with 24-bit color-pixels with alpha channel can be a bit daunting but the process is similar. You only have to know which pixel(colours) belong to the background and which ones to the image (or you can do/combine that using pixel coordinates that belong to the overlay area in case it is consistent). That way you do not have to manually create the mask for the overlay image (your whitespace). Similar can be done for the 'glow' area. If the position of the glow is consistent then you can automate that process as well.

I ask, because as i can imagine, the creation of the mask must have taken away much of your time and is most probably a process that you do not wish to repeat (very) often.

That is why the original designer of those icons has a much easier job. (s)he has one drawer background and design the individual overlay-images. Then launches a macro or script to put all designed overlay images on top of the drawer icon. If you use modern tools like gimp or even TAD on native Amiga then creating such a bunch of icons is a peace of cake (not including designing the overlay images though, that is an art form in itself  ).

edit: I recalled another trick from back in the day: When using planar image data, sometimes an overlay was just using 2 or 3 upper/lower planes and the background used the other planes. That way you only had to watch carefully with providing the correct colour information for the combined planar pixels. You could do some nice tricks at runtime with that as well ... especially when playing with the copper.

[miker1264]

magorium

Ah. I understand now what you meant earlier.

It would be easy to automate making the overlay masks because we simply compare it to the Base Image of the Default Drawer. If what is in the image with a graphic is NOT the same as the Base then it's a graphic so make it white! Definitely a good idea. Now I need to add a new menu item: "Make Masks".

I may need to go back and do some small post processing cosmetics but it's better than the manual method. Why didn't I think of that brilliant idea!? 

I am using a similar method as what you described for Batch Processing. I used Colored Base Images and Copy the Graphic Elements from the Originals. I just made these black icons using that method. Because the Base Image had a blue glow border, then all images have a blue border. That's also a good idea.

But then Icon Alias is the means by which we can display new icons in non-permanent way.

[miker1264]

Here is the backgroung image I intend to use for the Blue and Black Theme to showcase Icon Alias, and the new Black Icons.

It reminds me of the AROS Boot Screen...

[miker1264]

And finally, here are the sample of Black Icons for you to play with.

Some of them need a little cosmetic repair. The mask wasn't good.

[magorium]

It would be easy to automate making the overlay masks because we simply compare it to the Base Image of the Default Drawer. If what is in the image with a graphic is NOT the same as the Base then it's a graphic so make it white! Definitely a good idea. Now I need to add a new menu item: "Make Masks".

Aha. Yes, in case you have an empty drawer image without overlay then this is even much easier to accomplish exactly as you wrote. Now you have the better idea there 

But then Icon Alias is the means by which we can display new icons in non-permanent way.

Indeed, and at the same time, thanks to your color-schemes it could be integrated (much later ofc and not in particular addressed at you) in a theme, that matches the rest of the desktop settings. E.g. a winter or autumn theme with matching icons, or what about icons that glow more (or become more dark) when the time reaches sundown.

Eat that windows wallpaper-seasons-changer 

Graphics are such a playful topic to fool around with 

[magorium]

Here is the backgroung image I intend to use for the Blue and Black Theme to showcase Icon Alias, and the new Black Icons.

that would be awesome if you are able to pull that off, because...

It reminds me of the AROS Boot Screen...

.. that image looks amazing, and indeed reminds me of kitty-boot-eyes-looking-for-something-yummie-to-eat as well.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Sure. No problem. Whatever screenshots I post can be redistributed freely.

Thanks

With colored icons and Icon Alias I have in mind complete Themes with window borders, background image, and icons. I have one in mind now for the "Black and Blue" Theme. Picture a big black cat with blue eyes, blue window borders, and charcoal black icons with neon blue glow borders. 

Yes beautiful "Black and Blue" even if for my old eyes they create glare, I on my AfA One had created 2 Themi, the icons created by me the existing windows on AfA OS, I attach screenshot: