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Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« on: July 24, 2017, 04:45:16 PM »
AdPro is best installed onto a hard drive rather than trying to run it from Floppies.

If you run "Expert Mode" on the installation, you get full control over where the different components are installed to.

You will not get much out of a 1MB Amiga, ie an unexpanded A500+. AdPro loads in one format, keeps that copy in memory, and lets you render (convert) the image data to other formats. Then you can save the new version. AdPro ALWAYS at 24 bit resolution internally, which is very memory intensive. But best fidelity when doing the maths.

I would recommend a minimum 2MB fast RAM / half MB chip RAM for AdPro. It only uses chip RAM to create Amiga friendly images, it loads different formats to fast RAM. Later versions will use chip RAM if that's all there is available.

Of course, you can have higher resolution Amiga images if you have more chip RAM, so A1200 or A500+ with extra fast RAM are generally better for using AdPro than A1000, A500, A2000 or A600. The A1200 will be able to display images in S-HAM8, unlike the A500+. But the A500+ and earlier machines can still render and save images in S-HAM8. They just can't display them. Interlaced S-HAM is the best they can show, unless you have a Newtek Dynamic HIRES renderer, which is unlikely. (Proprietary format). Or you have a real 24 bit card installed, which is a game changer.

Very simple point and click interface, can deal with batches of images, BEST image processor ever done on Amiga.

If you got a REALLY nice Miggy, you can even replicate the Bladerunner "let's zoom into a photograph" effect. Up to a point, anyway. IIRC there was a VMM option for AdPro, to allow for supersized images. Horribly slow but it did work (with a Memory Management Unit equipped Amiga).

AdPro changed it's name to MorphPlus when it got a Morphing function. The later the release, the more build in functions, loaders and savers it has. You can generally use later loader and saver plug ins with earlier versions.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2017, 05:10:14 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2017, 03:35:05 PM »
Quote from: Matt_H;828658
Not exactly. MorphPlus is a separate product with a high degree of interoperability (and shared modules) with ADPro. The ADPro 2.5 readme describes the order in which each program/upgrade should be installed in order for all the loaders/savers/operators to work correctly.

That isn't what the manual states... which could be wrong of course.

It says that Adpro 2.1b is the earliest version that will take the Morph operator. Which also means having a compatible version of FRED installed. You need the FRame EDitor to mark out areas for morphing, you don't need it just to load graphics files, render them and save them out in Amiga IFF style.

Barebones requirements - 1MB total memory (lot of operators unusable but should be able to load, render Amiga screens and save). You can install it to floppy, but you have to load Workbench from floppy and swap disks. Painfully slow.

Full capability - 4MB minimum (although may be limited in picture size).

The fact is, everybody still called it AdPro after ASDG changed the name. The brand was too strong to change.

I hope this is of use to the OP. It's true you don't need AdPro to convert screens to Amiga displayable, but quite frankly if you don't bother with it, you are missing out, in my opinion.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2017, 03:38:55 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2017, 05:58:41 PM »
Quote from: number6;828709
In the context of this thread, this is really not important but...
Morph Plus from the makers of Art Department Professional.
Source
I assure you that if the product (AdPro) had changed names at ASDG I would know.

But feel free to ask Perry of ASDG, who still drops in here occassionally.
One thread he participated in

#6

None of that alters the fact that Morph+ was "just" Adpro with a Morph operator. Or how it was marketed here (ASDG had no UK presence) or what the importer told the market what ASDG had decreed was happening with their product.

I say "just" because even without a Morph operator, AdPro is still excellent. :)
 
 OP should find some pointers on using it here, it's the magazine with the only official full release (CU Amiga 57, May 1993). Pages 14-16, I think.
 
 http://amr.abime.net/issue_603_pages
 
 But, you won't get a full set of operators, loaders or savers with it. You have to hunt around for them and pop them into the right drawer of the installation.
 
 It's either that or post the full manual, which probably wouldn't go down very well.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2017, 06:24:07 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2017, 05:10:38 PM »
Well Matt, MorphPlus manual states that;-

1) The Arexx Port name is "AdPro".

2) The Arexx port responds to all the same commands as AdPro, like "AdPro_to_Front", "AdPro_to_Back", etc.

3) The manual also states that AdPro and MorphPlus will not multitask with each other. You can install them yourself and try that.

If you run MorphPlus first, then Left-Amiga-N or M to get back to the Workbench, then try to run AdPro, you get the error message;-

"AdPro is already running".

So, even if MorphPlus isn't AdPro, it reports itself that way to the User, and to other programs, for instance Professional Page.

Go figure. And have a nice day. :laughing:
« Last Edit: July 26, 2017, 05:12:43 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2017, 02:25:13 PM »
Quote from: T3000;545744
ADPro and ImageFX were both excellent in their day and usually both programs were in use. ImageFX however became better than ADPro at what it does over the years.

Could be. I never used ImageFX or Adpro, I use Morph+ with Adpro Operators, loaders, savers.

Worked for me, but these days it's a real problem trying to build up a software base to do that.

In the 90s it would have been by far the most expensive method, so not many tried that. Call it a perk of getting promotional software (which were all marked "Promotional Copy - Not for resale" so it's not like I made money from them).
 
 On a price vs performance basis, it just wasn't a viable route. These days though...
« Last Edit: August 10, 2017, 02:28:48 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2017, 04:19:08 PM »
No idea Kolla. It should do, but I don't have a Vampire.
 
 I don't even have any fast RAM in my classic Amigas.
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Basic installation of Art Department Professional
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2017, 10:02:30 AM »
Quote from: scuzzb494;829917
I was just checking my disks for Art Department Pro and this is what I have ...

0933: Converter ABEKAS Raw BMP [ copy ]
0934: Abekas Driver for Art Department Professional ASDG Inc
0935: Art Department Professional Version 2 Patch Disk
0936: Art Department Professional Version 2 Disk 1
0937: Art Department Professional Version 2 Disk 2
0938: Art Department Professional Version 2 Disk 3
0939: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 Program Disk One
0940: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 Program Disk Two
0941: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 Program Disk Three
0940: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 D03 [ copy ]
1556: AdPro-Macros Spare ADF.Rexx [ copy ]
4334: Macro System VLab Software v4.0 includes AdPro2 Loader
12191: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Program Disk 1 [ boxed ]
12192: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Program Disk 2 [ boxed ]
12193: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Program Disk 3 [ boxed ]
12194: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Patch Disk 1 [ boxed ]
12195: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Patch Disk 2 [ boxed ]
12196: Art Department Professional Version 2.5 ASDG Tutorial Disk [ boxed ]

No Morph operator or FRED then. Easy enough to slot into the correct drawer.

Oh, yeah, I checked, apparently I DID do a load of laundry for you and a bunch of other people... still dealing with the aftereffects. In between my unusual lifestyle choices. That odd blend of tonnes of dirty clothing turned clean certainly affected me.

Scuzz even has a Wiki entry...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuzz
« Last Edit: August 24, 2017, 10:06:01 AM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi