Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Author Topic: Used Amiga software to help make a book  (Read 2088 times)

Description:

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Ral-ClanTopic starter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2006
  • Posts: 1979
  • Country: ca
    • Show only replies by Ral-Clan
    • http://www3.sympatico.ca/clarke-santin/
Used Amiga software to help make a book
« on: August 28, 2012, 06:32:01 AM »
Well, it took me a few years but I've written, illustrated and laid out a childrens' book (three actually).  Amiga software played an important role in the graphics work.

The graphics were hand drawn, then cleaned up with ImageFX running under WinUAE.
The books were laid out using PageStream (Windows version, yes, but I used the almost identical Amiga version until a few years ago when my A2000 finally broke).

All transparent PNGs I needed in it were done on the Amiga side as well.
Some font conversion was done in TrueType on the Amiga side.

You can see some previews in my Lulu.com shop. Got a few test copies and the quality of the printing and binding is excellent.

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/woodenflutes

Amiga ain't dead yet!
Music I've made using Amigas and other retro-instruments: http://theovoids.bandcamp.com
 

Offline Vanilla

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Join Date: Oct 2008
  • Posts: 100
    • Show only replies by Vanilla
Re: Used Amiga software to help make a book
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2012, 08:48:05 AM »
That's creative of you. :)

Will you become another famous Amiga software user.? ;)

It is unforunate you had to use a PC as it does take away some bite. :(

BTW at first I thought this was about using 2nd hand used Amiga software in order to write an Amiga book which didn't quite make sense. :P
Welcome Vanilla. To your continuing tour of duty. :-)
 :angel:
 

Offline Leffmann

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Join Date: Feb 2011
  • Posts: 119
    • Show only replies by Leffmann
Re: Used Amiga software to help make a book
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2012, 11:22:41 AM »
The cover and binding on Baron von Klam looks really professional. I mostly use WinUAE and Mac OS X for my tinkering, but someday I hope to finish something using nothing but Amiga software running on a real Amiga.
 

Offline Ral-ClanTopic starter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2006
  • Posts: 1979
  • Country: ca
    • Show only replies by Ral-Clan
    • http://www3.sympatico.ca/clarke-santin/
Re: Used Amiga software to help make a children's picture book
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2012, 12:41:46 PM »
Thanks.

Yes, I did run my Amiga software in WinUAE instead of a real Amiga, of course.  But it illustrates the power of WinUAE and how close it's come to being a really high-powered, viable AmigaOS productivity platform (I consider it as stable as real Classic Amiga but capable of the speed of an 060+).  The amount of productivity software I've tested on it that runs well proves to me it's not just for games (although it does that well, too).  I was REALLY pushing WinUAE's capabilities.  I was editing graphic images that were over 6000x4000 pixels with sometimes up to five or six layers in ImageFX.  So this shows how well WinUAE can run Amiga productivity software.

In the past, before my A2000 died in 2008, I actually used PageStream and ImageFX to fully design independently released music CD-covers, etc. that were sold commercially.  I also designed all the packaging for the VIC-20 MegaCart using Amiga software.

ImageFX is my main, go to graphics software, even on the PC!  I've got WinUAE set up so that I can almost seamlessly flick back and forth between Windows and Amiga screens on the fly and exchange graphics between apps on both platforms.

It's fun and gets the job done well.

(PS. I've edited the title to make it more clear, sorry! Haha)
« Last Edit: August 28, 2012, 12:47:56 PM by ral-clan »
Music I've made using Amigas and other retro-instruments: http://theovoids.bandcamp.com
 

Offline runequester

  • It\'s Amiga time!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2009
  • Posts: 3695
    • Show only replies by runequester
Re: Used Amiga software to help make a book
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2012, 01:47:09 PM »
Very inspirational, thank you. Writing is hard work, doing it with Amiga just makes it mor awesome.
 

Offline Matt_H

Re: Used Amiga software to help make a children's picture book
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2012, 01:08:44 AM »
Totally cool. What did you use to deliver the completed file to Lulu? PageStream PDF output? Raw PostScript?

The Amiga is quite a capable DTP platform. The RKMs and many manuals back in the day were all done in PageStream.