
Help for !SprEdit:
==================
!SprEdit provides some basic editing and manipulation of a Sprite file.

 Simply drop a Sprite file onto the icon-bar icon. The sprite will be displayed
in the centre of the screen surrounded by a 'box' with circular icons at the
vertices and at the mid-points of the sides.

 The sprite can be moved bodily, streched, squeezed etc using the MOUSE and/or
flipped, rotated, magnified etc. using various KEYS.

 By default the background colour is black. This can be changed - see KEYS.

 The default/normal action is that the 'new' sprite is displayed immediately
the MOUSE buttons or keyboard KEYS are released. This can be changed using the
<U> key which toggles ON/OFF the 'Update' status. When On the 'box' will change
colour and the 'new' sprite will not be plotted until the mouse <Menu> button
is clicked. This is probably the better option if 'Collage' is On since you can
alter the 'box' at will until you are ready.

 Normally the screen is cleared before each 'action' i.e the 'new' sprite
replaces the 'old' sprite - but this too can be changed using the <C> key.
 'C' stands for 'collage' or 'cumulative' i.e the screen is not cleared first
and the'new' sprites are 'added' to the current screen.
 Press <C> again to revert to 'single' sprite display.


MOUSE:
======
 Clicking and holding <Select> will move the pointer to the centre of the sprite
and you can then drag the sprite to a different position. Release <Select> to
drop the sprite at this new position.

 Click and hold <Adjust> on a vertex circle to drag it to a different position.
A parallelogram will be formed and the sprite will be displayed within it when
<Adjust> is released

 Click and hold <Adjust> on a mid-point circle to drag the whole side to a
different position. A new parallelogram will be formed and the sprite will be
displayed within it when <Adjust> is released.


SAVING:
======= 
Clicking <Select> on the iconbar icon will open a directory 'Pics'. This is
held within !SprEdit and it is where saved sprites are stored. They will
be automatically named as 'Pic1','Pic2',... in sequence throughout a session.

 Before you quit !SprEdit you should resave any of the files you wish to keep
in a different directory since the directory 'Pics' is emptied each time the
program is quit.

Press funtion key <F3> to save a sprite in its current form - within a bounding
axes-aligned rectangle. (Only the visible on-screen part will be relevant.)


KEYS:
=====

Discrete effects:
=================
a) Background Colour: press Left <Alt> to lighten and  Right <Alt> to darken.

b) Update - press <U> to toggle ON/OFF. When On the sprite plotting is not
   updated until the Mouse <Menu> button is clicked.

c) 'Collage' -  press <C> to toggle Collage(Cumulative) ON/OFF.

d) Default sprite: press <D> to revert to the original loaded sprite.

e) Bounding box - press <B> to force the sprite into a bounding axes-aligned
   rectangle

f) Full screen box - press <F> to force the sprite to full screen size.

g) Parameters - press <P> to toggle between normal/fine parameter adjustments.

h) Horizontal flip - press <H> to flip the sprite horizontally i.e left/right.

i) Vertical flip - press <V> to flip the sprite vertically i.e swap top/bottom.

j) Brush - press <SpaceBar> to toggle ON/OFF using the sprite as a continuous
   paint brush. - see below for more details.

k) Outline Box - press <End/Copy> to toggle ON/OFF. When OFF nothing works.
   To resume press <End/Copy> again and the outline box is restored.


Continuous effects:
===================
Use the following Keys to manipulate the sprite shape :-

k) Cursor key Right - increase the 'width' of the sprite.

l) Cursor key Left  - decrease the 'width' of the sprite.

m) Cursor key Up    - increase the 'depth' of the sprite.

n) Cursor key Down  - decrease the 'depth' of the sprite.

o) <Z> - rotate the sprite anticlockwise (about its centre).

p) <X> - rotate the sprite clockwise (about its centre).

q) '>' - magnify the sprite (about its centre).

r) '<' - contract the sprite (about its centre).

NOTE: when the sprite is rotated the meanings of 'width','depth' will be altered
somewhat. Similarly for the effects of <H> and <V>.


Creating a new sprite:
======================
s) Press <Tab> to start to create a new sprite. (Press <Tab> again to abort.)
   A new coloured box will appear which can be manipulated as above - except
   that it has to remain axes-aligned (i.e rotation etc. are now not available).

t) Press <R> to restore the default box that first appeared in s) above.  

u) Press <Return> when you are ready to capture the contents of the box as a
   new sprite. The program then reverts to its previous state except that this
   'new' sprite becomes the 'current' sprite. However the original loaded sprite
   is still available (by pressing <D>).

v) Press <N> (= New) to revert to this newly created sprite at any stage.
   Note that pressing <D> will always give the original default sprite.
   Also note that creating another sprite using <Tab> again will overwrite
   the previous 'new' sprite i.e only one 'new' sprite is allowed.
   However you can always save the previous sprite for later use.


Painting:
=========    
   Pressing <SpaceBar> takes you into paint-brush mode. The effects are more
   dramatic if the 'Update' is Off i.e plotting is immediate. Using very 'thin'
   sprites while holding down <Z>,<X> keys give interesting wallpaper patterns.
                                                                               


Copyright: R.A.Swetman
