    
    Brite-N    
    Version 1.0  6/29/95
    (c) 1995 by RSE Inc.    
    Licensed "As Is"


    Hi,

    I got Microsoft's Flight Simulator for Father's Day.  Boy was I  
    excited.  As a pilot who has been grounded for the last five years 
    this is a program I've long wanted.  Problem is, my monitor is dark.  
    I don't know if it's always been this way or if it's just getting 
    tired.  I could hardly read the flight instruments and most of the 
    details shown on the package weren't clear on my screen.  It looked 
    like it was time to fork over $400+ for a new monitor. 

    Then it occurred to me that I might be able to write a program that 
    would increase brightness with a hot-key.  To my great surprise and 
    pleasure, it worked!  Now I adjust monitor brightness and contrast 
    the way I want them, from the keyboard.  Flight Simulator has come 
    alive!  What's more, I can use it to increase brightness and reduce 
    contrast within Windows, graphics viewers, educational software, 
    almost anything.  I can even see the 3D dinosaurs in Dino-3D clearly! 

    If your monitor is dark, or you want to see details you haven't seen 
    before then you want to try Brite-N.


  * System Requirements

    A PC with a VGA or SVGA.  Works in video modes utilizing 256 colors 
    or less.  Some programs do not recognize Brite-N's hot key and 
    therefore will not work.  Brite-N does not work within Windows 95 
    (does any hot key TSR?).


  * How to use Brite-N

    Just enter BRITE at the DOS prompt.  Better yet, add a line to your 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT file that runs it for you.  Then you'll have it 
    available at all times.  If you're using a floppy to boot Flight 
    Simulator then remember to add BRITE to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the 
    floppy boot disk too. 
        
    Once Brite-N is loaded (it stays in memory and uses less than 2K of 
    RAM) you increase brightness by pressing Ctrl-RShift (press the Ctrl 
    key and the Right Shift key at the same) time.  To decrease 
    brightness press Ctrl-LShift. 
    
    Brite-N has two methods for adjusting brightness.  The first (and 
    default) is to adjust the brightness while leaving the contrast the 
    same.  The second method increases the brightness of the darker 
    colors more than it increases the brightness of the brighter colors.  
    This has the effect of decreasing contrast while increasing 
    brightness.  Play around and see which method you prefer.  Use the 
    "/1" command line option (enter "HIDE /1" at the DOS prompt) to use 
    option 1.  Likewise to use method 2 (contrast decreases as brightness 
    increases) use the "/2" command line option.

        
  * How Brite-N works.

    On VGA and SVGA modes that use 256 colors or less the video hardware 
    looks at a table of values that tells it how to create each of the 
    256 colors by specifying the intensity of red, green, and blue used 
    to create that color.  Each value can be one of hundreds of thousands 
    of colors.    

    Brite-N doesn't actually increase the intensity of your monitor, it 
    just modifies the values in the color table.  For example, if the red 
    intensity value of color #12 is 190, we may increase it to 200.  If 
    we also add 10 to the blue and green values then color #12 will be 
    brighter.  Other programs can change the table too, and often do.  
    For example, when you view pictures chances are the table is changed 
    for each picture.  In Flight Simulator the table gets changed as dawn 
    or dusk progresses and at various other times.  Whenever the host 
    program changes the table, you may need to use Brite-N to re-adjust 
    the brightness back to the way you want it.


  * Registered Users Only

    We've added a feature to Brite-N that makes re-adjustment a piece 
    of cake.  You can configure Brite-N so that whenever you press a 
    joystick button, or press the CapsLock or Scoll-Lock keys it sets the 
    color table to your last Brite-N adjustment.  In other words Brite-N 
    saves the values of the color table from your last adjustment and 
    sets the color table to those values when you press a joystick button 
    or the CapsLock or Scroll-Lock keys. 
    
    To illustrate, let's say you're in Flight Simulator.  You use Brite-N 
    to adjust the brightness to what you want.  You're flying an ILS 
    approach.  Suddenly FS decides its dusk and changes the color table.  
    Now you can barely see your instruments.  Impending death?  No 
    problem, just press the trigger on your joystick and instantly 
    everything is back the way you want. 

    The following command line options implement this restore-last-
    table feature. 

    Use /CL to restore by pressing the CapsLock key
    Use /SL to restore by pressing the Scroll Lock key
    Use /B? where ? is the number of the joystick button you want to use 

    The restore-last-table feature is only available to registered users. 


  * Other command line options:

    Use /U to uninstall Brite-N.  There may be situations where Brite-N 
        cannot be un-installed.  In those cases it will be disabled but 
        will remain in memory. 

    Use /A if you want the hot keys to be Alt-RShift and Alt-LShift

    Use /? for a summary of the command line options.

    You can change any of the command line options even after Brite-N is 
    loaded in memory.  Just run Brite-N with the new command line options 
    and those values will be passed to the program in memory.


  * How much?
        
    Brite-N is shareware.  As such you are encouraged to distribute it 
    freely as long as you include this documentation and don't modify 
    the documentation or Brite-N in any way.  
    
    You have 30 days to evaluate Brite-N.  If after the 30 day trial you 
    decide to continue using Brite-N then you are legally obligated to 
    register.  Brite-N's registration fee is only $8 (plus $1 shipping 
    and handling in the US and Canada, $5 elsewhere). 
    
    As a registered user you will receive:

       1. Capability to instantly restore brightness to your last Brite-N 
          setting by simply pressing a joystick button or the CapsLock or 
          Scroll-Lock keys. 
       2. The latest version of Brite-N.
       3. The option of upgrading to Brite-N PLUS. (See below) 
       4. No more messages asking you to register.
       5. A sincere "Thank You!" for supporting our efforts.
       6. Full function evaluation copies or some of our other shareware 
          including Hide-It!, Make-A-Show, and Remind Me!.

    To register just send a check or money order (in US funds drawn on a 
    US or Canadian bank) for $9 ($8+$1 shipping) in the US or Canada, or 
    $14 ($8+$5 shipping) elsewhere, to:

    Brite-N Registration
    1157 57th Drive SE
    Auburn, WA 98092

    Please make checks payable to RSE Inc.

    Visa or Mastercard customers may call or fax us at (206) 939-4105 or 
    order by e-mail by sending your name, address, card #, and expiration 
    date to rse@aol.com. 

    NOTE: Please indicate whether you primarily use DOS or Windows so 
    we know what version of our Remind Me! and Hide-It! shareware to 
    send. 


    * Brite-N PLUS

    Note:  Brite-N PLUS works only in those situations where Brite-N 
    works.  If Brite-N doesn't work in the game or application you want 
    it to then neither will Brite-N PLUS. 

    Brite-N PLUS is an enhanced version of Brite-N.  It has these 
    additional features:
    
    >  You can adjust contrast separately from brightness and vice versa.  
    >  You can adjust the red, green, and blue values individually.  
    >  You can assign up to 10 Brite-N color table settings to hot keys.
       Thes settings can be saved to disk so that the next time you run 
       Brite-N PLUS they're loaded and ready to go.  
    >  You can also restore a screen to it's original state before you 
       started adjusting the brightness.  Think of it as a reset button.

    Brite-N PLUS is not shareware.  It is only available directly from us 
    for $17.  Please add $2 for shipping and handling in the US and 
    Canada, $6 elsewhere.  To order simply follow the directions for 
    registering Brite-N except indicate that you want Brite-N PLUS 
    instead. 


  * NOTE to users of our Hide-It! program:

    As you know, the hot key in Hide-It! which allows you to enter your 
    password and instantly have access to all your hidden files contains 
    Brite-N's hot key as a subset.  You must load Brite-N after Hide-It! 
    or Hide-It! won't recognize it's hot key.  In other words, make sure 
    the line that loads Brite-N in your AUTOEXEC.BAT follows the line 
    that loads Hide-It!. 


  * Common Questions
        
    "When I use Ctrl-LShift to decrease the brightness after first 
    increasing it using Ctrl-RShift the screen doesn't always end up as 
    it started."    
    
    You're right.  To illustrate let's say the max intensity value is 200 
    and you have two colors, one with a value of 195 and the other with a 
    value of 183.  You increase brightness by adding ten to each value.  
    The first value maxes out at 200 and the second becomes 193.  You 
    then decrease the brightness by subtracting 10 from each value and 
    the end result is 190 and 183.  While color #2 ended up the same, 
    color #1 started as 195 and ended up as 190.  The situation can be 
    even more pronounced when using option 2 which decreases contrast 
    when brightness is increased. 

    "While Brite-N works great in some programs, in other programs it 
    just doesn't seem to do anything."

    Sorry, but that's the nature of the beast.  Some programs bypass 
    TSR's completely while others just take over the keyboard so Brite-
    N's hot key is never recognized.  Brite-N is one of those programs 
    where if it works it works and if it doesn't it probably never will. 
    You might also want to check to see what video mode the application 
    is using to display its images.  If it's in one of the SVGA modes 
    that displays more than 256 colors at one time then Brite-N won't 
    work. 
    
    "I don't like the changes I made using Brite-N.  How do I get back to 
    the original colors?"

    If you're at the DOS prompt just enter "mode co80".  If you're 
    reunning a program then perform some function that makes the program 
    re-draw the screen.  Chances are it will re-program the color table 
    at the same time.  In Flight Simulator just press W to get full 
    window view and then press W again to have the instrument panel 
    displayed.  FS will re-program the color table after the panel is 
    displayed. 

        
    * Thanks!
      
    We hope you enjoy Brite-N and decide to register, but if for any 
    reason you decide not to register we'd like to know why.  Please send 
    your e-mail comments to rse@aol.com. 

    Thank you for taking the time to evaluate Brite-N.  Happy flying!
        
    
