Alchemy 
ALPHA 006




ABOUT --------------------------------
Alchemy is an open drawing project aimed at exploring how we can sketch, 
draw, and create on computers in new ways. Alchemy isn't software for 
creating finished artwork, but rather a sketching environment that focuses 
on the absolute initial stage of the creation process. Experimental in nature, 
Alchemy lets you brainstorm visually to explore an expanded range of ideas 
and possibilities in a serendipitous way.

INSTALLATION -------------------------
Simply copy the Alchemy folder to wherever you keep your applications.
The 'modules' (and the 'lib' folder on Windows) folder must remain together 
with the application. Individual modules can be removed if not required, 
however be sure to not mix older modules with newer versions or vice versa.

CREDITS/LICENSE ----------------------
Alchemy was initiated by Karl D.D. Willis & Jacob Hina. 
The source code is released under the GNU General Public License and 
Copyright © 2007-2008 Karl D.D. Willis. 
Please see the 'COPYING' file for the full license.

WEB ----------------------------------
Alchemy website: http://al.chemy.org/
Download Alchemy: http://al.chemy.org/download/
Alchemy Forum: http://al.chemy.org/forum/

Version History
--------------------------------------
ALPHA 006

FEATURES
+ Jpeg export functionality added
+ Session file names can now be set in the options/preferences
+ Transparent Fullscreen mode added
+ Colour eye dropper added
+ Pull Shapes module added

CHANGES
+ Colour Switcher module 'Constant' button added, it can now change colours constantly when the pen is dragged
+ Options/Preferences interface redesigned
+ Fullscreen mode now hides the mac menubar
+ Changing the canvas size during a session now changes the canvas size of the session PDF
+ JPen library added (but not yet used), to allow pen pressure/tilt access
+ Camera colour module has been removed because of numerous bugs, it may be readded if we find a good java video library
+ Colour Picker popup and secondary window redesigned and standard across all platforms now
+ Shapes folder added to store PDF shapes used by PullShapes
+ iText PDF library update

BUG FIXES
+ Mirror module transparency bug fix
+ Switch menus opening properly in the specified application, not the default application
+ PDF colour accuracy fix, PDF colour format set to DEVICERGB
+ Shortcuts interface bug fixed
+ Language bundle loading fix 
+ Dialogs added for when the modules folder is missing


--------------------------------------
ALPHA 005

FEATURES
+ Draw over/under existing shapes mode 
+ Colour Switcher Module
+ Simple interface mode introduced, aimed at kidz!

CHANGES
+ Preferences/Options window added to change inteface mode
+ Modules can now be turned on and off in the preferences/options window
+ A default list of modules can be created in modules/modules.txt

BUG FIXES
+ Session timer now saves correctly only when the canvas has changed
+ Minor interface fixes (especially for Linux)

--------------------------------------
ALPHA 004

FEATURES
+ Load PDF session
+ Camera Colour affect module
+ Detach Shapes create module
+ Scrawl Shapes create module

CHANGES
+ Module selection shortcuts added
+ Sub Toolbar slider changed to a custom UI element
+ Alchemy now requires Java Version 5+
+ Export transparent PNG files

BUG FIXES
+ Mirror module fixed to work with Camera Colour module
+ Warning dialog added when overwriting files
+ Japanese localisation fixes

--------------------------------------
ALPHA 003.1
 
FEATURES
+ Hide cursor function

BUG FIXES
+ Keyboard shortcuts (fullscreen, recording) fixed
+ Displace module now working with straight shapes
+ Record indicator is no longer showing off screen on windows

--------------------------------------
ALPHA 003

FEATURES
+ Colour added - new colour picker in the tool bar
+ Foreground / Background button in the tool bar lets you draw with the background colour
+ Keyboard Shortcuts can now be assigned by the user
+ Displace affect module added

CHANGES
+ Performance has been greatly improved when drawing with many shapes on the canvas
+ Line smoothing can be turned on and off in the settings menu
+ Help system has been changed to the FLOSS manual Alchemy.pdf file in the Alchemy folder
+ Export menu can now create a PNG file as well as a PDF

BUG FIXES
+ Mirror module bug when using median shapes fixed
+ Warning dialog when closing Alchemy now functions properly
+ Trace Shapes now shows a warning dialog when a network connection fails

--------------------------------------
ALPHA 002

FEATURES
+ The toolbar is now detachable into a seperate palette window
+ Trace Shapes / Speed Shapes / X Shapes modules added
+ Copy function to copy the canvas to the clipboard as a bitmap
+ Alchemy Help added
+ Japanese Localisation
+ Canvas smoothing option added
+ Background colour is now changeable

CHANGES
+ PDF saving functionality improved. PDF files are now viewable throughout
+ Interface improvements, icon changes
+ Random module now has a distortion slider
+ Type Shapes module can now create shapes using the mouse and keyboard
+ More robust microphone detection and more accurate sound levels

BUG FIXES
+ Toolbar hiding functionality improved
+ Toolbar repainting when drawing 'blind' fixed
+ Shortcut key mappings fixed
+ Fullscreen mode on a mac is now stable

--------------------------------------
ALPHA 001
 
Initial Release