Fig.1 : AddLight 2 interface
A: Main window ; B: Picture window ; C: Operator window ; D: Bitmap selector; E: Option requester.
What can AddLight do ?
Digital pictures are often made from an assembly of several
pictures, produced by different techniques in different software
packages.
The purpose of AddLight is to put these pictures together to obtain
a single frame.
This action can also be performed to sequences of pictures.
This process is similar to adding different layers to build a
picture in a paint programs layer window.
How does it work ?
AddLight allows you to load pictures, manipulate, assemble
them in many different ways and save the result.
You have access to ten bitmaps named A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J.
More than 30 operators can be applied to these bitmaps.
What you have to do, is to build a list of operators and set them
to achieve the effect you want.
The pictures that you use when you create your list will create
the " Frame 0 ".
This frame may not fit in the final sequence because it can use
frame at different time position.
Example : Background0001.jpg and car0100.tga.
Why decompose a picture?
You can save a lot of time if you decompose your picture into
separate elements.
Especially if something changes in your scene, you will only have
to recreate that element and then reassemble the project.
In many cases, it is faster than rendering the whole project.
You can apply this technique at different stage of your creation
process.
When you set up your cinematic, you can separate all the virtual
actors (such as a background, characters, accessories, special
effects)
Also, a popular technique called "Multipass rendering"
extends the decomposition of the scene to the lighting system
itself.
In this case, each element of the scene has pictures for each
of its lighting property, like color, luminosity, specular...
This will allows you to fine tune all the attributes of each element.
When you set up your lighting, you can make pictures of the same
scene with different lights.
This window is divided in 3 panels : the project panel, the operator panel and the list panel (Fig.1-A).
The project panel
At the left, there is the project size frame. Here you can
set the size of your project, in pixel unit. All the pictures
must have this size. If you try to load a larger picture, it will
be cropped. If you try to load a smaller picture, it will be completed
with black.
The [Show] button will display the Picture window (Fig.1-B) and
rebuild the picture.
The [Frames] input box contains the number of frames to be created.
If the frame number is 0, then Addlight will only process "Frame
0".
The [Process] button will start the picture creation process,
the files are loaded and saved.
The [Options] buttons will show the Option window (Fig.1-E).
The operator panel
This panel shows you the different settings available for the
selected line, in the list.
The Operation frame displays the current operator title.
The [Modify] button let you change the current operation, within
the Operator window.
The central frame shows tools to modify the current operator setting.
Note : when you use the slide bar, the picture is refreshed when
you release the mouse button, not when you slide.
The Pictures frame show you the source and destination picture.
When you push these buttons, you get the Bitmap selector window
(Fig.1-D).
The List panel
The list panel contains the tools to manage the list. You can
add, delete, move lines by using the appropriate button.
The list can contain up to 100 lines. (This is equivalent to a
40 layer picture).
In this window, you can see the pictures you are using in your
project, after the assembly is done (Fig.1-B).
If the [Selected] button is pushed and you change the selected
line, in the list, you must hit [Refresh].
This window contains a button for each operator available (Fig.1-C). Make your choice and hit [OK].
This window contains a button for each bitmap available (Fig.1-D).
Make your choice and hit [OK].
All the operations performed so far on these bitmaps will be displayed.
You can set options for the export file formats in this window
(Fig.1-E).
BMP can be saved in 24 or 32 bit. TGA can be compressed or not,
but is always 32 bit.
Jpeg compression can be changed here.
Fig.1 : AddLight 2 interface
A: Main window ; B: Picture window ; C: Operator window ; D: Bitmap
selector; E: Option requester.