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// >> BLP Lab v0.3.2 readme file (English version)
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[ WARNING ]
THIS PROGRAM IS DISTRIBUTED "AS IS". NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DATA LOSS, DAMAGES, LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF LOSS WHILE USING OR MISUSING THIS SOFTWARE.



[ CONTENTS ]
- Description
- Mass converter window
- BLP options window
- Alpha channel window
- About & credits
- Version history



[ DESCRIPTION ]
BLP Laboratory (BLP Lab) is a tool for working with BLP textures. "Working" includes viewing, converting and some other stuff. Features:
- Supported file formats are BMP, JPG, TGA, PNG, BLP (can open BLP2 textures);
- Multiple files converting;
- Can add/remove alpha channel when saving;
- Gives detailed information about opened BLP file;
- Provides additional options when saving to BLP;
- Can display alpha channel and transparency on image.



[ MASS CONVERTER ]
This window allows you to convert multiple files to specified format.

- Source formats -
Here you can choose, files of which extensions to process. All options checked by default.

- Destination format -
Selecting output format for processed files.

- Source folder -
Where to pick files to process.

- Process files in subfolders -
Allows to process all files (not only in the root of folder) in specified source folder.

- Destination folder -
Where processed files will be placed.



[ BLP OPTIONS ]
This window provides advanced BLP format options.

- Mipmap count -
Ńount of generated mipmaps for image (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mipmap).

- Compressed -
Image will be saved in jpeg format. It is most applicable for images with a huge number of unique colours. Such BLP images have minimal size reduction, when packed to MPQ (or any other archive). Therefore this format is called "compressed". Can be saved with 1-100% quality. Spec recommends to use 60-80%, which is both decent quality and size.

- Merge headers -
BLP format allows to have one header for all jpeg images (mipmaps) in file, so file size can be reduced a bit. This option generates such header. Also, it has no effect, when you have "1" in "Mipmap count".

- Progressive encoding -
Output jpeg image will be in progressive format. File size can vary (both bigger or smaller in compare with standard encoding), but it is compressed a lot better in MPQ.

- Paletted -
Image will be saved in paletted format. Palette is located right after BLP header, and has limited count of entries (256). During image process, if current colour could not be found in palette, it is replaced with most approximate colour from palette.

- Compress palette -
Basically, palette size is fixed and equal to 1024 bytes. This option will reduce palette entries to number of colours in image. Example: you want to convert image with white text and black background. So when this option is checked, palette size wil be just only 8 bytes (2 colors * 4 bytes entry). This option as well as "Merge headers" reduces output file size.

- Error diffusion -
Implies Floyd-Steinberg dithering algoritm (see article @ wiki for more information). Usually high-colour image have noticeable artifacts and overall looks ugly after paletting. This option can reduce those artifacts, so image will look better. Image processed with this option have bigger size in archive, than image processed without it.



[ ALPHA CHANNEL ]
This window have options for basic alpha channel manipulations.

- Leave with no changes -
Self-explanatory.

- Add opaque alpha channel -
Adds alpha channel filled with white colour. This option overrides existing alpha channel.

- Remove alpha channel -
Fully removes alpha channel from image. Compressed BLP is the exception, because alpha channel cannot be removed there, so it is just filled with white colour.

- Spec decides that for you -
Automatically determines for each file what to do with alpha channel.



[ CREDITS ]
Author: Dmtri S. (Shadow Daemon, which also known as Spec).
- Toadcop - first tester and user, contributed icons for the program, provided good ideas.
- NETRAT - idea stormer and bug finder (by default).
- Dron - had useful ideas.



[ VERSION HISTORY ]

[ 0.3.2.362 ] // [ 11.11.2009 ]
++ Added BLP quality displaying
++ Added BLP JPEG encoding type displaying
++ Added optional usage of Lanczos resampling
++ Added optional BLP association
## Fixed bug with transparency displaying
## Fixed bug with scrolling bars
## Fixed bug with opening some paletted BLPs

[ 0.3.1.333 ] // [ 02.09.2009 ]
++ Added option to show/hide info about BLP
++ Added Lanczos resampling algorithm to zoom
++ Added centering image feature
== Now zoom changing ratio depends on current zoom
## Fixed bug when saving compressed BLP without merging headers
## Fixed bug with opening bitmaps that were saved in Photoshop
## Fixed some bugs, caused by changing language

[ 0.3.0.307 ] // [ 02.08.2009 ]
++ Added BLP2 support (for opening)
++ Added error diffusion feature (for paletted BLPs)
++ Added progressive encoding feature (for compressed BLPs)
++ Added subfolders processing feature
## Fixed bug with folders in mass converter

[ 0.2.4.285 ] // [ 25.07.2009 ]
++ Added PNG format support
++ Added resizing window by image size feature
++ Added one copy of program at once feature
## Fixed bug with mipmaps when opening BLP file via drag-n-drop
// Removed 512x512 limit when saving to BLP

[ 0.2.3.265 ] // [ 22.07.2009 ]
++ Added language support
++ Added "Use manifest" option
== Changed memory allocation method for opening JPG
## Now current file name is also displayed in program title on taskbar
## Fixed bugs related to incorrect size definiton of BLP
## Fixed bug when opening non 24-bit or 32-bit image
## Fixed bug with loading and saving BLP options

[ 0.2.2.242 ] // [ 19.07.2009 ]
++ Added "Show alpha" and "Show transparency" buttons to the panel
++ Added messages for exceptions that mostly could happen
++ New "Zoom in" and "Zoom out" icons
== Now text in edit boxes can be selected with CTRL+A
== Now when saving to paletted BLP, color count is taken into account
## Fixed bug related with that the source folder does not contain the desired files

[ 0.2.1.220 ] // [ 18.07.2009 ]
## Added configuration loading and saving
## Now when switching between mipmaps, color count is calculated again

[ 0.2.0.213 ] // [ 15.07.2009 ]
## Added alpha channel options
## Now when switching between mipmaps, zoom is applied as well
## Fixed bug with size when opening compressed BLPs

[ 0.1.8.203 ] // [ 11.07.2009 ]
++ Added progress bar to mass converter
## Fixed mipmap size issues

[ 0.1.7.195 ] // [ 09.07.2009 ]
++ Added formats selecting feature to mass converter
## Fixed bug with saving to TGA
## Fixed bug with saving to JPG

[ 0.1.6.184 ] // [ 03.07.2009 ]
++ Added image zoom feature

[ 0.1.5.179 ] // [ 27.06.2009 ]
++ Added scroll bars when loading big images
++ Added basic JPEG support
## Fixed BMP loading bug

[ 0.1.4.166 ] // [ 21.06.2009 ]
++ Added TGA RLE format support (for opening)
++ Added BLP header size display
++ Added unique color count display

[ 0.1.3.151 ] // [ 17.06.2009 ]
++ Added drag-n-drop
++ New icon & about window
== Now current file name is displayed in window title

[ 0.1.2.139 ] // [ 14.06.2009 ]
== Now BLP information is being cleared when opening non-BLP image
## Fixed file extension bug when saving file
## Fixed orientation tag when saving to TGA

[ 0.1.2.131 ] // [ 07.06.2009 ]
## Fixed bug with slash in the folder path
## Fixed bug when saving picture w/o alpha channel to compressed BLP

[ 0.1.2.125 ] // [ 30.05.2009 ]
++ Added alpha channel preview
++ Added transparency preview
++ Added TGA & BMP support

[ 0.1.1.110 ] // [ 24.05.2009 ]
++ Added mipmap preview
== Changed main window interface
## Fixed bug with alpha channel

[ 0.1.0.100 ] // [ 17.04.2009 ]
^^ Initial release

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"/quit Shadow_Daemon" not supported by kernel.