This is a port of my python script to Java.
This program takes in an image, quantizes it, and interlaces/modifies the data to be loaded directly into CGA ram. Optionally adding a small "loader" to the start and exporting as a COM file. This COM file can then be run on a CGA compatible computer and will display the image, waiting for a key-press before closing.
This requires Java 17 to be installed.
If you want to take a picture and convert it to a com-file with little regards for anything else, then run this
java -jar cgaimage.jar <mode> <inputfile> -com <outputfile.com>. See a list of modes in Usage.
For a demo of all modes see Demo.
CGA Image Generator version 1
usage: cgaimage mode image [-all] [-com <arg>] [-d] [-interlaced <arg>]
[-post <arg>] [-raw <arg>] [-resize]
Convert an image into a CGA compatible format.
-all Generate this image in every mode
-com <arg> Generate com file
-d,--dither Do dithering
-interlaced <arg> Path to raw interlaced binary files
-post <arg> Path to post-processed image
-raw <arg> Path to raw binary file
-resize Resize the images to native CGA resolution
--------------Modes-------------
320x200 4 color | 2b0L 2b1L 2b5L
... | 2b0H 2b1H 2b5H
640x200 2 color | 1b
80 x100 256 | 2Bo0 2bo1 2bn0 2Bn1
80 x100 512 | 2Bo 2bn
All demos shown are of
Image from Wikipedia
These images are processed with the args -post <filename> -resize -d
No attempts were made to keep the aspect ratio on these images consistent.
The post argument resizes images to maintain the aspect ratio that they would have when displayed on a CGA computer.
| Category | Mode | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 640x200 2 color | 1b |  |
The pixels are 1x2 |
| 320x200 4 color | 2b0L |  |
The pixels are 1x1 |
| 2b0H |  |
||
| 2b1L |  |
||
| 2b5H |  |
||
| 2b5L |  |
||
| 2b5H |  |
||
| 80 x100 256 col | 2Bo0 |  |
Composite colors, these vary between "new" and "old" CGA. Pixels are 2x1 |
| 2Bo1 |  |
||
| 2Bn0 |  |
||
| 2Bn1 |  |
||
| 80 x100 512 col | 2Bo |  |
Combinations of the 256 color palettes |
| 2Bn |  |
This project was built in intellij IDEA with commons-cli-1.5 and commons-io-2.11