-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                           Anything's an Icon                              |
|                         Shareware Version 2.0c                            |
|                             February 2002                                 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   This file contains most of the important general information about 
Anything's an Icon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[-]                        Contacting The Author
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      If you have any questions or comments about the editor or any of the
included files, I can be reached by email or through regular mail at the 
following addresses:
                           Chester Karwowski
                           1502 Green Valley Ct.
                           Bel Air, MD  21015-4758
                           
                           Email:  skikar@skikar.com
      
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]                          Table Of Contents
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

               [1].   The Installation Process
                      [a].  Download Version
                      [b].  Disk Version
               [2].   The Editing Tools
               [3].   Converting Bitmaps, and other images to Icons
               [4].   Using Your Newly Created Icons
               [5].   Registering Information
                      [a].  Registration Incentives
                      [b].  How to Get the Full Version
               [6].   Licensing and Warranty Information

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]                       The Installation Process
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1a].  -------------------- THE DOWNLOAD VERSION  ------------------------
     
     To install the program all that you have to do is unzip the installation
files into a temporary directory, and then run setup.exe.  The setup program
will prompt you through the setup process, and create an icon in your Start
Menu.  If you choose not to keep the program, you can uninstall it from the
"Add/Remove Programs" in the control panel.  You can access it by clicking
Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.  When the Control
Panel is displayed, double click Add/Remove Programs, and choose to uninstall
Anything's an Icon (Shareware).


[1b]. -----------------------  THE DISK VERSION  --------------------------

    If you have the disk distribution version of the program, all that is
necessary is to run setup.exe, and follow the prompts.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2]                       The Editing Tools
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

PALLET
    The Pallet is located above the displayed icon.  it has an almost
 unlimited number of colors available to you. Top grab a color all that is
 necessary is to left click somewhere in the pallet.

EXIT
    Exit from the icon editing system losing all unsaved data.

OPTIONS
    This button allows you to modify the current option settings for
 directory locations, and to change your registration name.

LOAD
    This button loads an icon into the editor allowing you to modify it.  
 It uses a standard Windows Open dialog box, and will locate icons in *.ico,
 *.dll, and *.exe files.

SAVE
    This button saves the current icon.  It uses a standard Windows Save
 dialog box.

UNDO
    This button will undo the last major modification to the icon that you 
 have made.  Major modifications include loading a new icon, xy-flipping, 
 undo, restore, line drag, box drawing, circle drawing, filling, and pasting
 clips.

RESTORE
    This button will restore the last icon that was loaded into the editor, 
 or the last icon that was saved by the backup button.  If you have made 
 modifications to an icon that you have previously loaded, and you wish to 
 keep them, do not restore the icon or the changes will be lost.  Clicking
 Undo will fix an accidental restore.

BACKUP 
    This button will backup the current icon so that it can be restored 
 later if you have made major changes, and wish to get the original icon 
 back.  It may be to your advantage to back up the icon if you like the 
 way it looks currently, but you want to make some major changes to try to 
 make it better.

Y-FLIP
    This button will flip the icon from top to bottom.  It essentially 
 turns the icon upside down.

X-FLIP
    This button will flip the icon from left to right. 
    
ROTATE
    This button will rotate the icon clockwise.

CLEAR
    This button clears the icon, creating an empty background.

PEN
    This button will give you a drawing pen allowing you to make 
 modifications to the icon, pixel by pixel.  You may hold the left mouse 
 button down to draw as if you had a pen in your hand.  You can also grab a
 new color from the drawing board by clicking the right mouse button while
 pointing at a new color.  The pen color will then change to the new color.


LINE
    This button will give you a line drawing tool that will draw lines 
 from one point to another on the screen.  
    To draw a line:
     1.  Click on the line drawing tool button.
     2.  Move the mouse to the point on the pixel map from which you 
         wish to start a line.
     3.  Push the left mouse button, and hold it down until you have 
         moved the mouse to the pixel that you wish to be the end location.
     4.  Release the button to make the line a permanent part of the icon.


BOX
    This button will give you a box drawing tool that will draw open 
 boxes, or rectangles from one corner to another.  
    To draw a box:
     1.  Click on the box drawing tool button.
     2.  Move the mouse to the point on the pixel map that you wish 
         to make a corner of the box.
     3.  Push the left mouse button, and hold it down until you have 
         moved the mouse to the pixel that you wish to be the opposite 
         corner of the box.
     4.  Release the button to make the box a permanent part of the icon.


CIRCLE
    This button will give you a circle drawing tool that will draw hollow 
 circles in the icon.  If you wish to draw a filled circle, then you must 
 draw a hollow circle as usual, change to the fill tool, and then fill the
 interior of the circle.
    To draw a circle:
     1.  Click on the circle drawing tool button.
     2.  Move the mouse to the point on the pixel map that you wish to 
         make the center of the circle.
     3.  Push the left mouse button, and hold it down until you have moved 
         the mouse to the pixel that you wish to be the edge of the circle.
     4.  Release the button to make the circle a permanent part of the icon.


FILL
    This button gives you a fill tool that will allow you to fill an area 
 of color in the icon with another color.  The color will spill into pixels 
 adjacent (left, right, top, and bottom) to the initial fill pixel, but will
 not fill into pixels diagonally adjacent.  It will also not fill into pixels
 of a color different from the color of the original initial pixel.
    To fill an area with a new color:
     1.  Click on the fill drawing tool button.
     2.  Click on a pixel in the area of color that you wish to change 
         to a new color.
     3.  Push the left mouse button, and the new color will fill into 
         the area.


IMAGE SCAN
    This button allows you to scan pictures looking for graphics clips that 
 can be pulled into the icon editor.
    To pull a clip from the bitmap:
     1.  Click on the bitmap scanning tool button.
     2.  Locate the picture file using the Open dialog box, and open it.
     3.  When the bitmap comes up, drag a box around the area of the
         picture that you wish to scan into the editor.
     
     Note: After the trial period, icons that are scanned into the editor
           from bitmaps are saved in a scrambled form in a file with the
           extension *.sko.  In order to make the files viewable by
           Windows, you must buy the complete registered version.  This
           will allow you to convert all of your old *.sko files to
           *.ico files, and to save all new scanned icons directly as
           *.ico files.
     For more information about registering, click the HOW TO REGISTER 
     button on the main screen.

COPY CLIP
    This button gives you a grabbing tool that allows you to take a square 
 clip from the current icon which can be pasted into an icon with the 
 paste clip button.

PASTE CLIP
    This button allows you to paste the contents of the clip buffer into 
 the current icon.  To use it just click the upper left pixel where you 
 wish to leave the clip.  The background pixels of the clip buffer are 
 not pasted into the icon.  Therefore if you wish to transfer an odd shaped 
 image, it is best to convert everything but the image to background, grab 
 the clip with the copy clip button, and paste the clip once you have 
 recovered the icon you wish to paste into.

COUNT COLORS
    This button allows you to count the total number of colors used in the
 icon.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[3]           Converting Bitmaps, and Other Images to Icons
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

     One of the most outstanding features of Anything's an Icon is
 it's ability to take pictures from the Internet, and convert them into
 standard icons that Windows can use.  There are several examples of this
 conversion included in the \ICONS directory saved as *.ico files.  
     This option is great for users like myself that have absolutely no
 artistic talent whatsoever.  What better icon could you use for a game
 then actual pictures from the game?
     To convert an icon from a bitmap or pcx, you must first find a picture.
 There are many pictures on the Internet, and you can retrieve them by right
 clicking them, and choosing Save Image As...  Remember where you save the
 image because you will have to locate it from within the program.
     Once you have successfully saved an image or several, you can load them
 into the icon editor using the Scan Image button.  Locate the image you
 wish to scan, click it, and press the Open button.  The bitmap will then
 be displayed on the screen.  Drag a box around the area you wish to capture
 to an icon.  The image will then be pulled automatically into the editor in
 the maximum number of colors.  If you wish to save the icon in a limited
 number of colors, you can make the change when you click Save.
     This option also works with pictures that were created by a scanner,
 so you could create icons of yourself, and your family if you would like.
 Just scan a picture of yourself, save it as a jpeg, and draw it into  
 the icon editor.  The manual that comes with the registered version
 explains the process in great detail, and offers suggestions to get the 
 best results.  Just another reason to register now.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[4]                    Using Your Newly Created Icons
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
     The Windows instruction manuals will definitely do a better job of
 explaining this, but:
     Once you have created the perfect icon, you will want to put it into 
 Windows where everyone can see your unique customized set of icons.
     To use the icon to replace an old icon: 
  
  1.  Save the icon with the save icon button in the editor.
  2.  Exit the editor and go back to Windows
  3.  Find, and Click on the old icon
  4.  Type Alt-Enter or choose Properties in the File Menu
  5.  Click the Change Icon Button
  6.  Click the Browse Button
  7.  Locate the new icon, and click it to activate it
  8.  Then click OK until you are back to the Desktop
    
     If you wish to use the Icon for a new application:
  
  1.  Save the icon with the save icon button
  2.  Exit the editor and ggo back to Windows
  3.  Choose New in the File Menu
  4.  Type in all of the requested information
  5.  Click the Change Icon Button
  6.  Click the Browse Button
  7.  Locate the saved icon, and click it to activate it
  8.  Then click OK until you are back to the Desktop
  
  Note:  If you have used the bitmap converting tool to create the icon, 
         it will have been saved as a scrambled *.sko file.  These files 
         can be seen by the editor, but you will have to buy the registered
         version to convert them to *.ico files so that Windows can see them.

     If you have any problems using the icons in Windows.  Read the Windows
  documentation to learn how to change the icons for an application, or how
  to set up new applications, and retrieve a new icon.  There is online help
  available in Windows by clicking the help menu.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[5]                        Registering Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[5a].  ------------------- REGISTERING INCENTIVES -----------------------

THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT:
     This version of the program has been released so that you may try it
 for as long as you wish.  If you like the program you should register it
 to continue to receive all of the options available to registered users.
 When the trial period ends, you will be given three choices for how to
 continue use.  These options are described below:

 Option #1: Register the program and receive all of the features available
            within the program.  All of the shareware warnings and delay
            screens will be removed, and you can receive future upgrades
            free through the Internet.
 Option #2: Continue to use the program as expired Shareware, in which case
            some of the most popular features will be disabled.  For
            example, you will lose the ability to save high color icons
            converted from pictures as normal icons.  Instead they will be
            saved in a scrambled format that can only be deciphered by the
            Registered version if you choose to purchase it in the future.
 Option #3: Convert the program into Freeware.  The Freeware version allows
            you to use all of the standard tools in the Shareware version
            except the ability to convert pictures into icons. 

 
WHY YOU SHOULD REGISTER:

 The complete registered version will have:
    -  The ability to save the icons converted from pictures as 
       *.ICO files that can be used in Windows.
    -  A printed instruction manual explaining the finer points of the icon 
       editor, including hints on how to get better icons.
    -  A personalized on screen name plate showing that you are a registered 
       user.
    -  All of the delay screens asking for your registration will be removed.
    -  Hundreds of additional 256 color icons scanned from popular games.
  Also,
    -  Any future revisions will be available to you free of charge through
       the Internet.

 If support for this program is high enough, we plan to integrate:

    -  Animated Icons
    -  Icons that can be saved in unusual sizes (for example 16x16).
    -  Additional editing ability to take advantage of options available 
       in Windows 95.
    -  Better graphics file manipulation allowing you to enhance pictures
       before they are scanned into an icon.
    -  A better clipboard Cut and Paste system allowing you to see the
       contents of the clipboard.
    -  Screen capture utilities that will help you to capture more
       images from games.
    -  Any other user recommended modifications that we feel would enhance 
       the program.

[5b]. ------------------ HOW TO GET THE FULL VERSION --------------------

    You may order the complete version of Anything's an Icon in one
 of two ways:
     
     1. Use the Order form that is available in the Help menu in the
        program to create an order form, and print a copy with the
        requested information.  Then send the form with a check or money
        order for $19 US to the address listed below.
 
 or  2. Print "Anything's an Icon" on a sheet of paper, and then print your 
        name, and complete mailing address in all capital letters.  Then
        send the paper, and a check or money order for $19 US to the
        following address:

                          Chester Karwowski
                          1502 Green Valley Ct.
                          Bel Air, MD  21015-4758
 
 -  Please make check or money order payable to the author Chester Karwowski
 -  The price for the complete version and all of its goodies is currently 
    only $19 US, plus $4 shipping and handling outside the United States.
 -  International users can save the shipping charges by requesting their 
    upgrades through email.  If you choose this method, you will receive an
    email attachment which after being uncompressed will expand into the
    programs that are usually on the install disks.  If you have any
    questions, about the process, you can contact us by
    emailing:   skikar@skikar.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[6]                  Licensing and Warranty Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    You are free to distribute the shareware version of this program in 
 any way you see fit by posting to bulletin boards, or by direct copying 
 provided the following 3 conditions are met:
     1. If the program is distributed on disk, a fee of no more than $5 
        may be charged for the program and disk.
     2. The program must be distributed completely intact, and unaltered.  
        The program may be zipped into a compressed file for distribution 
        as long as the compressed file will unzip into the completely 
        intact program.
     3. If any fee is charged for the distribution of this software, it 
        must be made clear to the purchaser that the program is "Try before 
        you buy" shareware, and that they are only paying for the 
        distribution costs.
    This software is owned by Chester Karwowski and is protected by U.S. 
 copyright laws.  You are not permitted to reverse-engineer, decompile, 
 disassemble, or otherwise modify this software.
    You may use the editor for as long as you wish, but if you use this
 software for longer than the 30 day trial period, you will lose access to
 many of the free trial features.  To continue using all of the editors
 features, you must purchase the complete registered version.
    
 LIMITED WARRANTY
    We will replace, upon submission of the defective disk, for 90 days any 
 defective Registered media that was purchased directly from the author 
 Chester Karwowski.  We offer no warranty guaranteeing the integrity of 
 disks distributed by vendors or other distributors.  
    The above warranty does not apply if you make any unauthorized attempt to
 modify the software, or if the media has been damaged by accident or abuse.
    We offer no warranty express or implied with respect to the quality, 
 performance, merchantability or fitness of this program for any purpose.
    In no case will we be held liable for direct, indirect, or incidental 
 damages resulting from any defect or omission in this software, including 
 but not limited to, any interruption of service, loss of business, 
 anticipated profit, or other consequential damages.
    In no event will our liability exceed the purchase price paid directly 
 to Chester Karwowski for this product.
    Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty 
 lasts, or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential 
 damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -  Windows, Windows '95, and MSDOS are registered trademarks of 
    Microsoft Corporation.
 -  The games.dll icons in the .\ICONS directory were converted from game 
    screen captures of graphics data created by the programmers of the 
    respective games.  The images remain the copyright of their respective
    owners.  The games and their publishers are listed in the GAMES.TXT file 
    in the .\ICONS directory.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

