@subsection Goals

This section exists to orgnize backgrounds of @emph{TreeFlower}

artistic motif.

@subsection Description

@subsubsection Desktop background

Once you have defined the vectorial artistic motif design, use the

@command{centos-art.sh} script (as described in usage section below)

to produce the png version of it. With the png version of your

vectorial design do the following:

Open the png version with GIMP.

Save the png version as a project of GIMP inside

@file{trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Backgrounds/Xcf}

directory, using the same name of your vectorial design but with the

@samp{.xcf} extension.  

Now use GIMP to improve your design.  Here you may add one layer for

pattern, another for colors, and so on until you find yourself

confortable with your artwork. For example,  the following layer

distribution (from bottom to top) was used to build revision 285 of

file @file{1360x768.xcf} using @emph{TreeFlower} artistic motif at

revision 241.

@table @strong

@item Layer 1: Background 

The first thing we did with GIMP was to create a layer named

@samp{Background} to store the artistic motif (File > Open as layer).

This layer is the lowest layer in the image.  Later, we started to

create layers one upon another to change the artistic motif visual

style.

@item Layer 2: Shadow#1

This layer is above @samp{Background} and contains a linear gradient

from left (000000) to right (transparent) covering the whole image.

This layer masks the artistic motif to avoid the effect of linear

gradient. This layer is 100% of opacity.

@item Layer 3: Shadow#2

This layer is above @samp{Shadow#1} and contains a linear gradient

from left (000000) to right (transparent) covering just the 70% of the

whole image aproximatly. This layer doesn't mask the artistic motif

which make the left part of it fall into the dark of linear gradient.

This layer is 100% of opacity.

@item Layer 4: Pattern (Paper)

This layer is above @samp{Shadow#2} an contains the paper pattern

shipped with GIMP 2.2. This layer doesn't mask the artistic motif so

the pattern is applied over the whole image. This layer is set to 15%

of opacity.

@item Layer 5: Pattern (Stripes)

This layer is above @samp{Pattern (Paper)} and contains the stripes

used over the artistic motif. This layer do masks the artistic motif

so the stripes are only applied to it. This layer is set to 10% of

opacity.

@item Layer 6: Shadow#3

This layer is above @samp{Pattern (Stripes)} and contains a linear

gradient from right (6600ff) to left (transparent).  This layer masks

the artistic motif so the linear gradient doesn't affect it. This

layer is set to 15% of opacity.

@item Layer 7: Shadow#4

This layer is above @samp{Shadow#3} and contains a

linear gradient from left (000000) to right (transparent). This layer

do masks the artistic motif so the linear gradient doesn't affect it.

This layer is set to 10% of opacity.

@item Layer 8: Color#1

This layer is above @samp{Shadow#4} and is filled with orange (ffae00)

color over the whole image. This layer is set to 10% of opacity.

@item Layer 9: Color#2

This layer is above @samp{Color#1} and is filled with

blue (010a88) color over the whole image. This layer is set to 10% of

opacity.

@end table

@quotation

@strong{Note} There is no definite combination. To get the appropriate

visual design is a matter of constant testing and personal taste.

@end quotation

Finally, use @samp{Save as copy ...} option to export the final

design. To export the final design use the same name of your vectorial

design plus @samp{-final.png} extension. 

You can repeat these steps to create images for other screen

resolutions.

@subsubsection Anaconda Prompt (syslinux) background

When building syslinux backgrounds it is needed to take into account

that the final image is reduced to 16 colors. In desktop background

there is no color limitation but syslinux does have. The goal of this

section is achieving a final syslinux background as close as possible

to desktop backgrounds using 16 colors only.

Another point to consider is the forground and background definition

used by syslinux. The syslinux documentation says that the color set

in position 0 is the background and color set in position 7 is the

forground. The final palette of color used by our background will

match that specification. For great contrast we'll use black as

background and white as forground. At this poing we have black

(000000) and white (ffffff) colors in our syslinux palette, which left

us with 14 colors to play with. 

Let's begin with @file{Xcf/640x300.xcf} layer distribution from bottom

to top:

@table @strong

@item Layer 1: Background

This layer is the lowest layer in the image composition and contains

the artistic motif image rendered for the same resolution (i.e.,

@file{Img/Png/640x300.png}). This layer is set to 100% of opacity.

@item Layer 2: Pattern (Paper)

This layer is placed above @samp{Background} layer and contains the

paper pattern shipped with GIMP 2.2. This layer doesn't mask the

artistic motif. This layer is set to 30% of opacity.

@item Layer 3: Pattern (Stripes)

This layer is placed above @samp{Pattern (Paper)} layer and contains

the stripes pattern shipped with GIMP 2.2. This layer does mask the

artistic motif in order to apply the stripes over it only. The

background is not affected by the stripes pattern just the artistic

motif. This layer is set to 20% of opacity.

@item Layer 4: Shadow#1

This layer is placed above @samp{Pattern (Stripes)} layer and fills

the entire layer area with violet (6600ff) color. This layer do mask

the artistic motif in order to applied the violet color to the

background area outside the artistic motif only. This layer is set to

15% of opacity.

@item Layer 5: Color#1

This layer is above @samp{Shadow#1} and is filled with orange (ffae00)

color to cover the whole image. This layer is set to 10% of opacity.

@item Layer 6: Color#2

This layer is above @samp{Color#1} and is filled with blue (010a88)

color to cover the whole image. This layer is set to 10% of opacity.

@item Layer 7: Shadow#2

This layer is above @samp{Color#1} and contains a linear gradient from

left (000000) to right (transparent) covering 70% of the image

approximately. 

@end table

At this point we have the composition and should look like the desktop

backgrounds. Compared with desktop backgrounds there are some

differences in opacity. This is because in our testings the final

color information found with this composition produces an acceptable

16 color image. Of course this is something we haven't seen yet.

To define the color information of our current coposition, save the

syslinux background composition we've done using @samp{File > Save as

Copy ...} option in the following location:

@verbatim

trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Backgrounds/Img/Png/640x300-final.png

@end verbatim

Now, create the final png version of syslinux backgrounds using the

following command:

@verbatim

centos-art render --entry=trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Distro/Anaconda/Prompt

@end verbatim

This command will create syslinux-splash final images for all major

releases of CentOS distribution the repository has been configured to.

The important files here are @file{syslinux-splash.png}, other

files may contain the wrong information because we haven't defined yet

the correct color information to use.

Open one @file{syslinux-splash.png} file with GIMP and use the

@samp{Image > Mode > Indexed} to reduce image colors up to 16 colors,

using the @samp{Generate optimum palette} feature of GIMP.  If the

image looks aceptable after reducing colors, use the @samp{Palettes}

menu (Ctrl+P) of GIMP to import a new palette from file and name it

@samp{CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux}. Once you've saved the palette, the

color information is stored at:

@verbatim

~/.gimp-2.2/palettes/CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux.gpl

@end verbatim

You need to edit @file{CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux.gpl} file in order

to set the appropriate order of colors.  Remember black (000000) in

position 0, and white (ffffff) in position 7. Other positions are

irrelevant. When editing this file you may find that color reduction

did not set black and white colors to their respective values exactly.

Change that manually. For example, consider the following palette:

@verbatim

GIMP Palette

Name: CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux

Columns: 16

#

  0   0   0	Background (black)

 23  20  35	Untitled

 34  25  48	Untitled

 37  35  60	Untitled

 47  36  68	Untitled

 37  54  86	Untitled

 60  48  90	Untitled

255 255 255	Foreground (white)

 66  54  99	Untitled

 74  61  98	Untitled

 49  78 126	Untitled

 43  87 151	Untitled

 92  89  95	Untitled

 54 104 183	Untitled

158 153 156	Untitled

201 196 195	Untitled

@end verbatim

Update the @samp{Palettes} menu to get the new color positions from

the file you just edited and open the palette with double click. 

Update the @file{syslinux.gpl} file copying the following file:

@verbatim

~/.gimp-2.2/palettes/CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux.gpl

@end verbatim

to

@verbatim

trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Colors/syslinux.gpl

@end verbatim

With the @samp{CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux} palette opened in the

@samp{Palette Editor}, open (Ctrl+O) the following file:

@verbatim

trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Colors/syslinux.ppm

@end verbatim

and replace its color information with that one in

@samp{CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux} palette.  When you are replacing

color information inside @file{syslilnux.ppm}, remember to keep the

order of colors just as they are in the

@samp{CentOS-TreeFlower-Palette} palette.  

The @file{syslinux.ppm} file is 16 pixels width and 1 pixel height, so

you probably need to zoom it a bit to set the color information in

their place when using the pen tool with the brush @samp{Circle (01)

(1 x 1)}.

Once you've updated the @samp{syslinux.ppm} file, it is time to update

the following file:

@verbatim

trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower/Colors/syslinux.hex

@end verbatim

The @file{syslinux.hex} file contains the color information in

hexadecimal notation.  The color information in hexadecimal notation

is required by @command{ppmtolss16} command.  The @command{ppmtolss16}

command produces the final LSS16 image format that is used by syslinux

program inside CentOS distribution.

The color information inside @file{syslinux.hex} must match the one in

@file{syslinux.ppm} and @file{syslinux.gpl}. For example, based on

@file{CentOS-TreeFlower-Syslinux} palette of colors above, consider

the following @file{syslinux.hex} file:

@verbatim

#000000=0

#171423=1

#221930=2

#25233c=3

#2f2444=4

#253656=5

#3c305a=6

#ffffff=7

#423663=8

#4a3d62=9

#314e7e=10

#2b5797=11

#5c595f=12

#3668b7=13

#9e999c=14

#c9c4c3=15

@end verbatim

@subsubsection Grub background

@subsection Usage

@itemize

@item ...

@end itemize

@subsection See also

@menu

@end menu