Image Tutorial

Lesson 1. Converting to CEL Images

This tutorial will show you how to convert and manipulate images for building objects in a KiSS set. We assume that you have drawn your images in some other tool and now wish to assemble the images into a KiSS set. Ensure that UltraKiss is showing the main logo screen. Close any existing set. This lesson requires editing of the KiSS set so ensure that the Edit Enable toggle button on the toolbar is set.
Use File-New. This will create a new KiSS set at size (448,320) with a black border and one empty page.
Use File-Properties to change the new KiSS configuration (CNF) file properties. The attributes section of the Properties dialog will show a playfield size of (448,320). Press the small button beside this attribute and change the screen size to (800,600). Exit the configuration Properties dialog by pressing the OK button.
This tutorial assumes that you need to convert your doll images to the CEL format typically uses in KiSS sets. There are two ways to do this. The easiest, of course, is to simply import the images into your KiSS set and allow UltraKiss to automatically convert the images to CEL format. We will show you how to do this shortly. First, we want to show you how to use the Image Editor tool to perform this conversion. Open the Image Editor with Tools-Image Editor. With the Image Editor use File-Open to load the body.gif file from the Tutorial/Edit Image directory.
The Image Editor shows you the internal characteristics of the file. GIF images have internal palettes that are specific to the image. KiSS CELs are different. Cel images have palettes that are external to the image and stored in a KCF file.

To convert the GIF image to a KiSS type CEL, use File-Save As and overtype the file name 'gif' extension with a 'cel' extension. Save the converted file into a directory of your choice. Press the SAVE button. The Image Editor will write two files - body.cel and body.kcf.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 to convert legs.gif to a cel file.
On the main UltraKiss screen use Edit-Import Image to Selection. Select the body.cel and the legs.cel files from the directory that you stored the files in. You can do separate imports for each image, or one combined import for both images if you use the ctrl key to perform a multiple selection. On each subsequent dialog screen select the kcf file that matches the cel. The images will be loaded and positioned at the upper left corner of the playfield. Also, the background color of the set will change to match the first color in the first kcf file loaded.
Each image will have a green marquee box around it. The green lines show that the images are parts of a larger group, or a single object. In our case the body and legs are separate images that together make up the whole body.

Drag the legs to position them properly below the body image. This adjusts the image offset relative to the body so that the whole object can be drawn properly.

Use Edit-Regroup to consolidate the ungrouped images into a whole object. The marquee box will now be blue and will encase the complete body. You now have a consolidated KiSS object with its own object number. Drag the doll body to the center of the screen.
Now, either set the Tools-Options-Import-Import all images as CEL files option, or press one of the viewer compatibility preset toggle buttons on the toolbar. The viewer presets automatically set this option to convert files to CEL images during import.
On the main UltraKiss screen use Edit-Import Image to New Object. Use the ctrl key to simultaneously select shirt.gif, skirt.gif, shoes.gif, bow.gif, and thihighs.gif files from the Tutorial/Edit Image directory. The images will be loaded and positioned at the upper left corner of the playfield.
Properly position the doll clothes on the doll body. You may find that some images go behind other images. Just position them as best you can as we will correct the layering order in the next step. When done, useEdit-Unselect All or right-click anywhere on the backgound to unselect all the cels.
You will find that the images do not overlay each other correctly. For example, the bow may slide behind the shirt or the shoes may show behind the stockings. Use Edit-Adjust Layering to correct the problems. This will show a list of cels and their current draw levels. The drawing or layering order is always from top to bottom, in that the upper entries in the list overlay the lower entries. Click on any line that is out of position and drag the entry to the correct position.

You can observe the layering effects in the preview window of the Layering dialog. When you are satisfied, click OK.

If the images are not quite properly positioned, move them to their correct locations. When you are satisfied, use Edit-Write Page or View-Restart to commit your changes and set the initial positions for all objects on the page.
On the main UltraKiss screen use Edit-Import Image to New Object. Import the back.cel file from the Tutorial/Edit Image directory. This image is a photographic picture that does not have a palette. JPG files are always converted to Cherry KiSS cels. However, the background cel is a full screen image. It will obscure all the doll files after it is layered on top of these images. Use Edit-Adjust Layering and drag the background cel line to the bottom of the list, so that it has the lowest draw priority.
You will want to make the background fixed, so it cannot be picked up and moved. Place the mouse over any part of the background. Right click with the mouse and a popup menu for the object will appear. Select Image Context, Properties. A dialog window for the background image will be shown and a picture of the background will be in the preview area of this window.

Press the small button beside the Lock Value setting in the attributes section. Enter the value 99999. Press the OK button to close the Properties dialog and then observe that the background can no longer be picked up and moved with the mouse. The lock value has fixed the image in place because the value 99999 exceeds the value set for a maximum fixed object.

You may also want to set the Ghost property for this image. This will make the background image completely non-responsive to mouse clicks. You can now easily unselect previously selected objects by right-clicking anywhere on the image.
Use File-Save As to save your work. Save the new KiSS set to the Tutorial/Edit Image directory or a directory of your choice. The configuration element name should be CNF1.cnf if you began this tutorial after first starting UltraKiss. You can overwrite any existing element of the same name.

Note that when you save the configuration, all the cel and kcf files are saved, too. This will permanently update the CEL image offsets. For example, the legs that you attached to the body are offset from the upper left corner of the object. These offsets are written into the CEL file if the Tools-Options-Export-Write Image Offsets to CEL files option is set. If you repeat this lesson without re-converting the GIF images to CELs you will discover that your cel images are properly positioned when imported.

Next Document: Image Tutorial Lesson 2
Prior Document: UltraKiss Tutorials