				QuickPaint v1.0
				By Timothy Howe

				  INTRODUCTION

	QuickPaint is a simple, quick program I made so I could draw
pictures on my old Tandy 1000 and view or edit them on my 486.  It
supports two video modes: EGA and Tandy 320 x 200, 16 color modes.  The
pictures are stored in a very simple format, and it should be easy to
port a viewer to almost any platform in about 5 minutes.
	QuickPaint is shareware.  This means that you are encouraged to
try the program out for free.  If you like it, you are requested to buy
the registered version.  In addition to giving me a reason to improve
the program, you will have a clear conscience and a better version of
the program, with no nag screens.
	The shareware version of QuickPaint is full-featured, except
that it does not allow you to fill in areas.  When you register, you
will recieve the latest full version of the program.  To register, print
out and fill in the file REG.TXT.  Then send it and $7.50 to:

		Timothy Howe
		1296 Yosemite Dr.
		Milpitas, CA 95035-6425

			HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM

Starting the Program

	To start QuickPaint, simply type "QP" at the DOS prompt.  If you
have an EGA, the program should probably detect it automatically.  If
you are using a Tandy, you have to type "QP /T" to use the Tandy
graphics mode.  If your EGA is not automatically detected by the
program, you need to type "QP /E".  When you are done using QuickPaint,
press the Escape key to return to DOS.

Moving Around on the Screen

	When the program starts, you should see a black screen with a
green dot in the middle.  The green dot is the cursor.  You can use the
arrow keys to move the cursor around.  You can also use 4 special keys
to jump around the screen quickly.  These are ";", ",", ".", and "/". 
These keys, respectively, move up, left, right, and down by 10 pixels.
	Here is a diagram of the keys:

		 	Up			;	Up 10
	Left   <- ->	 Right	      Left 10  ,   /     Right 10
		 	Down			.	Down 10

Drawing

	QuickPaint has 6 commands: change colors, draw a dot, draw a
line, draw a circle, fill an area and paint an area.  The fill and paint
commands are not available in the shareware version of the program.
	To change colors, press the "A" key.  A box will appear in the
lower right corner of the screen.  The center of the box will be the
foreground color, and the edge of the box will be the background color. 
Use the left and right arrow keys to change the foreground color, and
the up and down arrow keys to change the background color.  When you
have the colors you want, press the spacebar.
	To draw a dot, move to the spot where you want to draw the dot
and press the spacebar.
	To draw a line, move to the spot where the line should start and
press the "L" key.  A dot will appear.  Then move to the spot where the
line should end and press the spacebar.  A line will be drawn between
the first point and the second point.
	To draw a circle, move to the spot where the center of the
circle should be.  Then press the "C" key.  Next, press the left and
right arrow keys to increase or decrease the size of the circle and
press the spacebar.

Files

	QuickPaint lets you save and load pictures.  To save the current
picture, press the "S" key.  After a pause, QuickPaint will ask for the
filename to save it as.  Type in a name and press enter.  After another
pause, the screen will be restored.
	To load a picture, press the "R" key.  QuickPaint will ask for
the file to load.  Type the name and press enter.  After a pause,
QuickPaint will display the picture.
	To erase the screen, press the "E" key.

			     FILE FORMAT

	QuickPaint files are stored in a simple format.  The beginning
of the file contains the characters "QP".  These must be there for the
file to be recognized.  Next there is the width, height, and number of
colors.  These values are two bytes each, and are stored in the Intel
"back-words" format.  Finally, there is the image data.
	The image data is compressed using RLE compression.  Each value
consists of the number of pixels and then the color of these pixels.  If
the number of colors is less than or equal to 16, these values are
encoded into a single byte, with the run length in the high nybble. 
Otherwise, they are in seperate bytes.
	You are encouraged to write viewers for other platforms, if you
have the capability.  Anyone is allowed to write programs that use this
format, but they cannot be called QuickPaint.  Have fun!

			   HOW TO REACH ME

	My email address is TimHowe@aol.com.  My web page is at
http://members.aol.com/TimHowe.  My address is:

		Timothy Howe
		1296 Yosemite Dr.
		Milpitas, CA 95035-6425

