Marine Aquarium Time LOGO Support

feldon34 · 02-23-2006, 01:34 PM

Since the Time/Logo/Crystal feature is now going to be built into the main Aquarium product, can we PLEASE see this feature cleaned up?

I know that Prolific added the ability to import monochrome BMP files of just about any size and the Aquarium resizes the logo and lets the user place the logo on the crystal. But there are many many problems:

Poor to average logo quality
Most users don't understand that monochrome and black and white refer to a 2-color BMP. Most people equate this with an RGB file with no color or a greyscale image. I get more e-mails about people trying to use the Import Logo button than any other issue with the Aquarium.
Unable to remove/uninstall the logo (must find and delete a file named MA_Ext.p1p -- couldn't this at LEAST be named logo.bmp?)

Marine Aquarium Time supports the excellent PNG-24 file format and I have published logos in this format. However users have trouble using them because they first try (and often fail) to get the results they want with a BMP and then the Aquarium is stuck displaying the BMP and won't display the superior PNG logos they subsequently try to use.

At the very least I would like to see a Remove Logo button. 3 levels of difficulty here:
1) Delete the BMP logo if one exists or send a shell request to open the Program Files\Marine Aquarium Time\ folder so users can manage their logos.
2) Display the filename of the last displayed logo (BMP or multi-PNG) and prompt to delete the file.
3) Create a logo picker.

I think choice 2 is a good compromise in programming difficulty.

I would like the functionality of the Import Logo button extended to include PNG files. It would simply check the dimensions of the image to make sure it is a valid PNG and then copy them to the appropriate dir. And it would automatically delete the built-in BMP logo.

feldon34 · 02-24-2006, 02:53 PM

Came up again today. I created some logos for someone and it takes 2-3 e-mails for me to explain to them that the [Import Logo] button doesn't work for the purpose of loading PNG logos. I appreciate the effort that Prolific put into supporting BMP logos, but PNG is really where it's at quality-wise.

Tiny Turtle · 02-24-2006, 02:57 PM

I hear you. People really have problems discerning between 1-bit/2-color black & white and greyscale.

Dale · 02-24-2006, 11:19 PM

You mean it isn't completely explained in the documentation, and in the online help?

feldon34 · 02-25-2006, 03:10 PM

What documentation? What online help?

hayc59 · 03-01-2006, 12:07 AM

How do you remove the Prolific logo??
Is it possible?
thanks

feldon34 · 03-01-2006, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by hayc59:

How do you remove the Prolific logo??
Is it possible?
thanks

Add your own logo.

Edgar · 03-01-2006, 09:34 AM

F12 toggles the showing of all logos if registered.

hayc59 · 03-02-2006, 01:11 AM

Thank you

Scott · 04-01-2006, 03:11 PM

I have read the tutorial and am trying things. When the time clock first came out, I'm positive I was able to put in a colour image, but I don't remember how I did it. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Scott

Scott · 04-01-2006, 03:13 PM

Forget above post, I just realized it had to do with desaturating the image.

Thanks.

scott

louismo · 04-03-2006, 11:44 AM

[IMG]h:\DOWNLOAD\LaraLegend.jpg[/IMG]

Divo · 04-03-2006, 03:47 PM

can anyone inform me of where the file, MA_Ext.p1p is located. Or if anyone has figured out hoe to remove the prolific logo and replace it with their furnished custom logo???????????????????????????????????????
thanks Divo

feldon34 · 04-09-2006, 01:26 AM

Originally posted by louismo:

[IMG]h:\DOWNLOAD\LaraLegend.jpg[/IMG]

A link to a file on your hard drive won't work for the rest of us.

Either use the Attachment system (click Go Advanced and scroll down to 'Manage Attachments') or put the file up on your website and link to it from there.

feldon34 · 04-09-2006, 01:29 AM

Originally posted by Divo:

can anyone inform me of where the file, MA_Ext.p1p is located. Or if anyone has figured out hoe to remove the prolific logo and replace it with their furnished custom logo???????????????????????????????????????
thanks Divo

MA_Ext.p1p only exists IF you have successfully gotten a black-and-white BMP logo to work using the Import Logo button.

The Prolific logo will remain until you successfully add a logo to Marine Aquarium in one of these 2 methods:

1. Click Import Logo in the Aquarium and feed it a black-and-white (not greyscale, not color, not half-toned, but a 2 COLOR: black & white image) BMP file. The results are fair at best.

2. Create a 256 x 256 24-bit (not Indexed) with 8-bit transparency (32-bit) color, greyscale, etc. PNG file and place it in
C:\Program Files\SereneScreen\Marine Aquarium ******.

The ****** is whichever version of the Aquarium that supports logos (Time, MA 2.6, etc.).

louismo · 04-09-2006, 09:12 PM

Originally posted by louismo:

[IMG]h:\DOWNLOAD\LaraLegend.jpg[/IMG]

Sorry for that.
It was because my previous profile can't post attachment.

The Lara Legend Logo file can be downloaded at:
http://wttfcweb02.netvigator.com/fil...oan%2FLogo.dat

After downloading, replace the file at
c:\Program Files\Marine Aquarium 2.6\Logo.dat

Hope anyone likes Lara as I do.
BTW, It's really hard to make a logo in 2.6.

feldon34 · 04-09-2006, 09:31 PM

So you gave up on doing a PNG?

msaudinaitis · 05-08-2006, 02:04 PM

Hi,

New member here. I'm trying to create a custom logo for MA2.6 but continually get the error message stating that the logo must be in a black and white .BMP file. I have successfully created logos in MA2 using the instructions where the logo is saved as a .PNG file and uploaded them into the application, but MA2.6 won't let me do that. I'm using PS6 and would appreciate a workaround to accomplish this. Thanks.

feldon34 · 05-12-2006, 12:23 PM

What I don't understand is why this question comes up so often.

The Import Logo button DOES NOT WORK.

Somewhere I must be failing to make this point. What instructions did you use?

feldon34 · 05-12-2006, 01:04 PM

I'm significantly revising the Logo Download page as well as the Logo Creation Guide. But something tells me I will always receive these e-mails. That "Import Logo" button is so tempting.

02-23-2006, 01:34 PM	#1
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Marine Aquarium Time LOGO Support Since the Time/Logo/Crystal feature is now going to be built into the main Aquarium product, can we PLEASE see this feature cleaned up? I know that Prolific added the ability to import monochrome BMP files of just about any size and the Aquarium resizes the logo and lets the user place the logo on the crystal. But there are many many problems: Poor to average logo quality Most users don't understand that monochrome and black and white refer to a 2-color BMP. Most people equate this with an RGB file with no color or a greyscale image. I get more e-mails about people trying to use the Import Logo button than any other issue with the Aquarium. Unable to remove/uninstall the logo (must find and delete a file named MA_Ext.p1p -- couldn't this at LEAST be named logo.bmp?) Marine Aquarium Time supports the excellent PNG-24 file format and I have published logos in this format. However users have trouble using them because they first try (and often fail) to get the results they want with a BMP and then the Aquarium is stuck displaying the BMP and won't display the superior PNG logos they subsequently try to use. At the very least I would like to see a Remove Logo button. 3 levels of difficulty here: 1) Delete the BMP logo if one exists or send a shell request to open the Program Files\Marine Aquarium Time\ folder so users can manage their logos. 2) Display the filename of the last displayed logo (BMP or multi-PNG) and prompt to delete the file. 3) Create a logo picker. I think choice 2 is a good compromise in programming difficulty. I would like the functionality of the Import Logo button extended to include PNG files. It would simply check the dimensions of the image to make sure it is a valid PNG and then copy them to the appropriate dir. And it would automatically delete the built-in BMP logo. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

02-24-2006, 02:53 PM	#2
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Came up again today. I created some logos for someone and it takes 2-3 e-mails for me to explain to them that the [Import Logo] button doesn't work for the purpose of loading PNG logos. I appreciate the effort that Prolific put into supporting BMP logos, but PNG is really where it's at quality-wise. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

02-24-2006, 02:57 PM	#3
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	I hear you. People really have problems discerning between 1-bit/2-color black & white and greyscale. Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

02-24-2006, 11:19 PM	#4
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	It would be logical... You mean it isn't completely explained in the documentation, and in the online help?

02-25-2006, 03:10 PM	#5
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	What documentation? What online help? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

03-01-2006, 12:07 AM	#6
hayc59 VoodØØ Child™ Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 252	How do you remove the Prolific logo?? Is it possible? thanks ãrê ¥Øu êxpêriêncêÐ 9.11.01 Never Forget God Bless America

03-01-2006, 08:47 AM	#7
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Originally posted by hayc59: How do you remove the Prolific logo?? Is it possible? thanks Add your own logo. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

03-01-2006, 09:34 AM	#8
Edgar Prolific/SereneScreen Developer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Norwalk, CA Posts: 513	F12 toggles the showing of all logos if registered. *Edgar Tolentino* Prolific Developer www.prolific.com www.LifeGlobe.com

03-02-2006, 01:11 AM	#9
hayc59 VoodØØ Child™ Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 252	Thank you ãrê ¥Øu êxpêriêncêÐ 9.11.01 Never Forget God Bless America

04-01-2006, 03:11 PM	#10
Scott Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Canada Posts: 20	I have read the tutorial and am trying things. When the time clock first came out, I'm positive I was able to put in a colour image, but I don't remember how I did it. Can anyone shed some light on this? Scott

04-01-2006, 03:13 PM	#11
Scott Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Canada Posts: 20	Forget above post, I just realized it had to do with desaturating the image. Thanks. scott

04-03-2006, 11:44 AM	#12
louismo Registered Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 6	Finally works [IMG]h:\DOWNLOAD\LaraLegend.jpg[/IMG]

04-03-2006, 03:47 PM	#13
Divo Registered Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1	can anyone inform me of where the file, MA_Ext.p1p is located. Or if anyone has figured out hoe to remove the prolific logo and replace it with their furnished custom logo??????????????????????????????????????? thanks Divo

04-09-2006, 01:26 AM	#14
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Originally posted by louismo: [IMG]h:\DOWNLOAD\LaraLegend.jpg[/IMG] A link to a file on your hard drive won't work for the rest of us. Either use the Attachment system (click Go Advanced and scroll down to 'Manage Attachments') or put the file up on your website and link to it from there. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-09-2006, 01:29 AM	#15
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Originally posted by Divo: can anyone inform me of where the file, MA_Ext.p1p is located. Or if anyone has figured out hoe to remove the prolific logo and replace it with their furnished custom logo??????????????????????????????????????? thanks Divo MA_Ext.p1p only exists IF you have successfully gotten a black-and-white BMP logo to work using the Import Logo button. The Prolific logo will remain until you successfully add a logo to Marine Aquarium in one of these 2 methods: 1. Click Import Logo in the Aquarium and feed it a black-and-white (not greyscale, not color, not half-toned, but a 2 COLOR: black & white image) BMP file. The results are fair at best. 2. Create a 256 x 256 24-bit (not Indexed) with 8-bit transparency (32-bit) color, greyscale, etc. PNG file and place it in C:\Program Files\SereneScreen\Marine Aquarium ****. The **** is whichever version of the Aquarium that supports logos (Time, MA 2.6, etc.). "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-09-2006, 09:31 PM	#17
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	So you gave up on doing a PNG? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-08-2006, 02:04 PM	#18
msaudinaitis Registered Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1	Hi, New member here. I'm trying to create a custom logo for MA2.6 but continually get the error message stating that the logo must be in a black and white .BMP file. I have successfully created logos in MA2 using the instructions where the logo is saved as a .PNG file and uploaded them into the application, but MA2.6 won't let me do that. I'm using PS6 and would appreciate a workaround to accomplish this. Thanks.

05-12-2006, 12:23 PM	#19
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	What I don't understand is why this question comes up so often. The Import Logo button DOES NOT WORK. Somewhere I must be failing to make this point. What instructions did you use? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-12-2006, 01:04 PM	#20
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	I'm significantly revising the Logo Download page as well as the Logo Creation Guide. But something tells me I will always receive these e-mails. That "Import Logo" button is so tempting. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman