INTRODUCTION

  SNATCH is a terminate and stay resident utility (TSR) that allows
you to create pictures for your Portfolio using your favorite paint
program. While this utility is not terribly fast (it uses the BIOS)
or terribly small (it was written in C), it will capture images from
CGA, EGA, MCGA, and VGA graphic adapters on your desktop PC. Don't
run SNATCH on your Portfolio. Hideous, odious and downright vile
things might happen.


                            HOW TO SNATCH

  First, from the DOS prompt on your PC, type SNATCH and hit return.
OK, have you done that yet? Good, we're on a roll. Snatch is now
lurking in your computer - waiting to be activated. Now go into your
favorite paint program (I use Deluxe Paint II Enhanced) and draw a
picture in the UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER. The image size, in pixels,
should be no larger than a Portfolio screen - 64 vertically by 240
horizontally.
  Now, here comes the esoteric part, SNATCH assumes that whatever is
in palette register 0 is the color black. All other registers are
considered to be the color white.  Just use the default pallete
mapping of the IBM, give yourself a white background to start with
and draw with a black brush. Do this and you won't have any
surprises.
  Once you have created your masterpiece and you're ready to save it,
press the <ALT-S> key combination. That's the ALT key and the S (for
SNATCH) key. The SNATCH software intercepts the keystroke, determines
if you're using a valid graphics mode, opens a file in the current
directory, writes out the image, closes the file, gives you two
reassuring high pitched beeps, and returns control to your paint
program.
  If you try to call up snatch and you are not in a valid graphics
mode, you will hear a low and slow beep. For example typing <ALT-S>
at the DOS prompt will produce the above circumstances. Also, don't
SNATCH pictures if you're running in a Super-VGA mode or with a
Hercules adapter.
  SNATCH creates files called, guess what, SNATCHxx.PGF. The xx field
will start at 00 and run all the way up to 99. Whaen SNATCH does a
save, it always tries to open the 00 file first. If that file already
exists, it tries with 01 and so on until a unique file name is found.
  That's all there is to SNATCHing. Just remember a few basic rules:

        1) Use the upper left hand corner to paint your picture
        2) Always use a white background
        3) Always paint with a black brush

  A few hints: since you're dealing with a pretty low res screen on
your Port, use a low res mode in your paint program. It makes those
pixels a lot easier to see.
  Draw an outline of the port picture size (64X240) in the upper left
hand corner so that you'll always know what part of the picture will
be saved.


                       WHAT'S IN THIS ZIP FILE

  This file assortment includes the SNATCH.EXE image capturing TSR,
this doc file, and three images that I painted using Deluxe Paint II
Enhanced and captured to PGF files using SNATCH.


                              GUARANTEES

  Forget it. This is freeware. No guarantees are implied or explicit.
If you don't like this software, don't use it. If you do, then upload
some of your images and share them with us.


                           ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  If it wasn't for Don Messerli, there would be no way to view PGF
files on the Portfolio. Thanks Don. Also, thanks to BJ Gleason, the
author of PBASIC, whose tireless support of the Portfolio has been an
inspiration.