** PD/Shareware review / 439 words **

GrafTool v07.09.97
80%
** BC **
Graphics
RegisterWare, all Ataris
Author: Joergen van Bargen
Email: Joergen_van_Bargen@hh.maus.de
http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JJvB
** /BC **

** EDITOPTS.GIF here **
** GTOOLOPT.GI here **

Last issue we mentioned GrafTool, an excellent German image viewer, editor and manager, which is totally free to register, and gives users an extremely wide range of options to play with.

The program loads graphics in a huge range of formats, and it can load and play animation files in three formats. Loading of the latest format JPEGs is not supported yet, but you get an appropriate message in the useful log window to this effect and no ill effects were observed. In addition GEM fonts can be loaded and viewed.

Export from GrafTool is limited with only IMG, TIF, PNG, GIF and PCX supported. However, unless you are into web publishing and need JPEG output, the available formats should satisfy nearly all users. You can either save a picture by SICHERN ALS (Save as) in the desktop menu, or by clipping an area of a picture and then saving this via the SAVE VIEW option in the pop up menu available via a right mouse click - either option allows you to specify the final format.

There's some nice filters included, many of which can be used to sharpen or soften images. A useful tip is to select a small part of the image and experiment on that - the results are displayed in a new window and your original image remains unchanged. When you are happy with the result simply select the whole image for treatment.

The COLORS option from the desktop menu displays a palette of the currently available colours. Clicking on any colour box results in that colour flashing wherever it is in a picture for as long as you hold the left button down.

The useful KONVERT option available from the pop-up menu can be used to convert graphics from one resolution to another, but it also allows you, via the METHODS selection box to specify the dither pattern and colour palette.

Printing out from GrafTool is easy, if you have GDOS, SpeedoGDOS or NVDI installed the program will pick this up. The printing options available are extensive, providing full control over the size of the image to be printed, position of the page, raster setting and so on.

This is an excellent graphic utility which, although presently only available in the German language, is very easy to use, gives an amazing range of options, and considering the free registration, has to be worth a download or a trip to a PD/Shareware library!

** italics **
Mike Kerslake
** /italics **