XMORPH(1)

NAME
       xmorph  -  digital  image  warping (morphing) for X window
       system

SYNOPSIS
       xmorph [-start srcimgfile [-finish destimgfile]]

DESCRIPTION
       xmorph is a digital image warping program, also known as a
       "morphing" program.  It runs under the X Window System.

       If  imgfile  names  are provided on the command line, then
       those images are loaded in.  Otherwise,  xmorph  generates
       images  to be used in lieu of images provided by the user.
       Images may be loaded from menus within xmorph.

       xmorph has built-in help pages that answer questions about
       the details of its use.  Run xmorph and look at the online
       help for more information.

OPTIONS
       -start srcimgfile
              Read the srcimgfile as the "source" image.

       -finish destimgfile
              Read the destimgfile as the "destination" image.

MAKING MOVIES
       xmorph is  NOT  a  tool  for  making  movies.   xmorph  is
       intended  to  be used with OTHER tools for editting movies
       in the digital domain.  I do not intend to add movie  mak-
       ing abilities to xmorph.

       However, morphing is fun for some people who don't already
       have the means for making  movies,  so  here  is  a  brief
       explanation  of how to make a movie from the images gener-
       ated by xmorph:

       xmorph uses the TrueVision Targa (TGA) image file  format.
       You  can  use  PBMplus or netpbm or ImageMagick to convert
       Targa to other still image formats.  (This will be  neces-
       sary  if, for example, you use the Berkeley MPEG encoder.)
       See ftp://ikaros.fysik4.kth.se/pub/netpbm/.

       Use another program, such as  Berkeley's  mpeg_encode,  or
       SGI's  dmconvert,  to  turn  the  sequence  of images that
       xmorph created into a  single  animation.   See  ftp://mm-
       ftp.cs.berkeley.edu/pub/multimedia/mpeg/encode/.

       Use another program, such as mpeg_play, or movieplayer, to

       view   the    animation.     See    ftp://mm-ftp.cs.berke-
       ley.edu/pub/multimedia/mpeg/play/.

       There  are  plenty  of  other programs available for doing
       that, and many of them are excellent.

AUTHOR
       Written and Copyright (C) 1994-1996 by Michael J. Gourlay.

       Help  came  from many places, including Andy Thaller, War-
       wick Allison, and Mike Hoefelein.

       The original morphing algorithm is presented in  ``A  Two-
       Pass  Mesh Warping Algorithm for Object Transformation and
       Image Interpolation'', ILM Technical Memo #1030,  Computer
       Graphics Department, Lucasfilm Ltd., 1990.

       Mesh-based digital image warping is discussed in detail in
       Digital Image Warping by George Wolberg.

SEE ALSO
       X(1) ppmtotga(1)(netpbm or PBMplus) tgatoppm(1) 
       (netpbm or PBMplus) mpeg_encode(1) from U.C. Berkeley, 
       mpeg_play(1) from U.C. Berkeley, ImageMagick, dmcon- 
       vert(1)(under Silicon Graphics IRIX). movieplayer(1) 
       (under Silicon Graphics IRIX). 

       Adobe Premier, Art Department Pro Professional  Conversion
       Pack (under Amiga).

BUGS
       The only image file type currently supported is Truevision
       Targa (TGA) but xmorph will load any type of  Targa,  such
       as  8-bit,  15-bit,  or  16-bit  colormapped or grayscale;
       24-bit or 32-bit true color (with or without  alpha  chan-
       nel);  run-length encoded or uncompressed.

       Some  versions  of  the program "xv" can not read xmorph's
       TGA image files.  This is a bug in "xv", not in xmorph.

       Report bugs to michael.gourlay@colorado.edu

WEB SITE
       http://ucsub.colorado.edu/~gourlay       http://ucsub.col-
       orado.edu/~gourlay/Software/Graphics/xmorph.tar.gz
       http://ucsub.colorado.edu/~gourlay/Software/Graph-
       ics/xmorph.README http://ucsub.colorado.edu/~gourlay/Soft-
       ware/Graphics/xmorph.txt