HiRes Mode
HiRes mode generates a screen with resolution 320*200 pixels/16 colors.

The screen is divided into 40*25 attribute cells. Each attribute cell is 8*8 pixels big.

In this mode you can use maximum 2 colors in one attribute cell. It means that you can set color of background, and color of foreground (pixel color).

This mode isn't very popular, although it's possible to paint very nice pictures in it. Even if nowadays artists use this mode they rarely use more than 2 colors in the picture. Probably they are lazy to play with these tricky attributes.

Take for instance the following examples from more than 10 years old game. Even in-game graphic is in the high resolution.

As you can observe from today's competitions and demos, almost nobody is able to paint nice pictures in this mode.
Artists use MCI, FLI, IFLI, SHI, and SHIF modes instead. Though It's a bit demagogic saying that, ;-) because as you can notice from X-97 graphic compo, Bundy/WOW won competition with a MultiColor picture.

Maybe it's an exception proving the rule, maybe just the sign that WOW has one of the best MultiColor artist of nowadays ;-).

MCI Mode
Multi Color Interlace generates 320*200 pixel resolution.

You can use 4 colors in each 8*8 points big attribute cell. This mode also gives the possibility of mixing two colors together, so there are 4 of theoretical amount of 128 colors.
But how is it realised?

Here is the answer:

This mode uses two MultiColor pictures (160*200/4 colors in 4*8 cell), each using its own attributes (except the color RAM at $d800, which is shared by both).

These two MultiColor pictures alternates each frame, but one of them is shifted one point to the side. This causes visible effect of jerky movement from side to side. Fortunately, it also improves the fineness of C64 MultiColor mode, and gives painter larger color palette.

It's realized by a special routine, which by changing values in the VIC register $D011 causes that Bad Scan Line (In further text called Caroline*) is on each rasterline of visible screen.

For those who don't know what a "Caroline" is: Caroline occur each 8th rasterline. It's the time when the graphical processor of C64 (VIC) is loading graphic data from memory.

Bits 0-2 of the $d011 register (the VIC Control register) are used for the vertical smooth scrolling. Bad scan line happens.when the bits 0-2 of register $d011 are same as the bits 0-2 of register $d012 (raster-beam position register).

In FLI, a Caroline happens on each raster line of the graphic screen. This means that VIC reads the values from attribute screens each rasterline, not only each 8th as it normally does. Then, when you change the $d018 register on each rasterline, in order to change an attribute screen, it is done. You can use 4 colors in each 8*1 pixels big attribute area.

Special version of FLI is the HiRes FLI, which uses the same principles in HiRes mode. It allows graphician to use 2 colors (the background and foreground color) in 1*8 pixels big attribute area.

Interlaced FLI generates 320*200 dots resolution using 6 colors in each 8*1 points big attribute cell.

This mode also gives the possibility of mixing two colors together, so it's possible to use theoretically 128 different colors.

In this mode two FLI pictures alternates each frame, but one of them is shifted one point to the side. This causes a visible effect of jerky movement from side to side

Fortunately, it also improves the fineness of C64 FLI mode.

Super Hires FLI
Super Hires Interlace FLI

Super Hires FLI can generate pictures in resolution of 96*167 pixels/16 colors.

Instead of HiRes picture, it uses the HiresFLI picture as
a bacgkround layer,.

It can use 4 different colors
in the 1*8 pixels big attribute area.

2 colors are same for the whole picture, the background, and foreground color can be set separately for each attribute area.

Super Hires Interlace Fli alternates two SHF pictures each frame. An example picture, which uses SHIF mode was drawn by Deekay/Crest.

NOTE:
Roland Toegel - Crossbow/Crest - is the inventor of SHF and SHIF modes. For these, few, who doesn't know, let's say that he is famous coder and excellent (YES!) graphician. He is in the scene since eighties, and since the beginning he together with Goldrush, produced demos based upon excellent ideas. He is cool, sympathetic, friendly, cheerful, and definItely NOT arrogantly jealous to the new faces in the scene as some self-established old-legends (e.g. Timo). Demos he released lately shows us all the right attitude, sharply contrasting with all these bad designed PC demo clones. To Crossbow, and Deekay you can thank for the good colors in all new pictures in the gallery.
If you want to see some nice pictures in SHF, SHIF mode, and even more. Check demo Krestology in the Heroes and Legends chapter. Go check it NOW!

One 8*8 pixels big attribute area can contain 4 colors. 2 colors are same in the whole picture, and 2 can be set individually for each attribute area. (Background color, and foreground color, as in hires mode)

Realisation is quite simple:

Picture consists of 2 layers of multiplexed hires sprites. Hires sprite is 24*21 pixels big/1 color. Each layer consist of 4*8 hires sprites of the same color.

Two layers give us 2 colors, and Hires picture lying behind them give us another two, which can be set separately for each 8*8 pixels big attribute area.

Super Hires Interlace generates pictures 96*200 pixels big.

It alternates two SuperHires pictures each frame.

Like all interlacing modes, it can theoretically generate 128 colors palette.

I think than now it's time to check the example picture.

For me it was a shock when
I saw this picture for the first time.

Picture is painted by now inactive polish painter - Latifah.

Believe it, or not - converted to non-interlaced mode it has 87 colors, and in one 8*8 pixels big attribute area it use 10 colors.

Thanx To Jeffrey L. Jones for gramatical correctures.

*Caroline = Is a Dmagical new name for so-called BAD SCAN LINE. Wotnau and me spent a long time chatting about this line and decided to give her more appropriate name as we don't think that shereally is a bad line when she helped us and also other c64 dudez so many times. So we in DMAgic would like to tell you don't call our great line Bad Scan Line, she is not that bad!