[TEC] My short 'how to guide' to converting SH4 .dds texture files for modding

[rea00cy]

Hello all. I would like to start doing some modding following your recommendations. The question is if I can use Adobe Photoshop Elements for that purpose.:hmm:

Regards,
Rea00cy

[Digital_Trucker]

You can use the nVidia photoshop plugin (available at http://developer.download.nvidia.com....0307.1915.exe ) to edit dds files in Photoshop. The plugin is supposed to work with gimp also. I believe that Paint.net has native dds support, also.

[Arclight]

I've just finished modding the "Periscope_Mask_1024.dds" using GIMP and it's .dds plugin. All smooth sailing, though I can't say anything yet about other (more complex) files. Just as a note.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by rea00cy

Hello all. I would like to start doing some modding following your recommendations. The question is if I can use Adobe Photoshop Elements for that purpose.:hmm:

Regards,
Rea00cy

Some PS plugins will work with Elements some won't.

I have PS Elements 3 and the dds is built in, just pick 'save as' and the dropdown will list dds and then a window comes up with all sorts of choices. And for loading it loaded right in. Maybe you have to convert to another format to do certain things, but all I was doing was shrinking the lights on the torpedo panel for the subs being built that need 8 forward tubes. (8 buttons didn't fit)

The problem I had with it was the alpha, I never worked with alpha channel and I thought it was a transparency color, it's not, it's a selection mask. So if you use PSE and need an alpha channel, make your selection, (select inverse if you selected the background ) and go to the Select menu and 'save selection' put in a name for it and then while it is still selected, save as. And the alpha selection is saved with the dds. The choice that worked for me was DXT3 with explicit alpha. If that is not right, maybe someone here would know but it worked for me.

Peabody