Frustrated beyond words
 

I need some help guys. I've been trying and trying to figure out how to create my own .tgas and/or modify others'. I have gone through this forum backwards and forwards (lots of great info here, this thread is great!). However, try as I might, following every step here, I can NOT get this stuff to work for me. I'm about ready to either tear my hair out or cry from frustration.

I'm using PSP 5.0 (it's all I've got). I tell it to create a new image, with a transparent background. Fine, blank sheet up now, checkboard (transparent) background. Draw whatever I want on it. Go to save it. Don't have the option to save as 32-bit, but remember reading (somewhere in one of these posts) that you can save as 24-bit compressed. Do that. Yes, as a .tga. Open it back up, or look at it in-game. It's got a white background. I just can not get them to stay transparent. Help!

*feels very very stupid for not being able to figure this out* :(

I tried that same thing at first. Transparent backgrounds just dont seem to work. You have to add an alpha channel to it. Not sure if psp 5 has that option, I know psp 4 ( the version I had ) doesnt. I DLed the trial version of psp 7 and havent had a problem since.

Well, I've tried to tell it that it has an alpha channel, but I'm not sure if I was doing it right. If you can, try to explain to me (yet again, I know it's been covered in this forum but it's not making sense to me) what I need to do ?

Trial Version of PSP 7? Wouldn't happen to have a link handy, would you?

work around it.

Grab a TGA file you already know has a transparet backgorund and erase all the drawing in it, Save AS "Transparent". Then use that to start with every time.

I'm still real new with the graphics thing, too, but here's how I do it with PSP7.

Start like you have been, with a transparent background.

Draw your doodads, doodles, and niftys.

When you have you graphics straight, Select All, this should put the selection marquee thingy around edge of your file.

Now, find 'float' in the selection menu and hit it. This should make the marquee thingy 'hug' the edges of just the graphics you made, it shouldn't include any background. I've managed to do this a number of different ways, so I'm sure there are others, this is just the one that tends to work most often ;) I have also heard of people using 'invert' to get the marquee to hug the edges of your graphic.

Then, 'save selection as alpha channel'. Again, under the selections menu.

Then, save your graphic file, you should be good to go.

I'm pretty sure my .tgas are getting saved in 32bit, and I don't have a problem with them.

Here's Jasc's homepage where you can get free 30 day psp7

www.jasc.com

good luck!

Lunakin
58 Ranger
SBOW
E'ci

When making images, what should the dpi be?

I'm at 72 pixels per inch, it works for me.

luna

DPI
 

Dots Per Inch shouldn't matter unless you want to print your images..

You can choose the DPI, then choose the dimensions of your document in Inches.. or centimeteres, and then the program will simply mutlipy with DPI to find the pixel dimensions of your image, so that when it prints at the size you have set in inches/cms, it will effectively print the number of dots (pixels) per inches you have chosen ? Makes sense ?

Only for printing. Forget about it for EQ UI. You can set it to ANYTHING as long as you choose the pixel dimensions of the picture.

Cairenn, I gotta tell ya. I started doing UI mods with psp5.0 and had so much difficulty, I was just about in your state. Making them transparent was/is no easy chore in that version. As soon as I downloaded psp7.04 everything became clear (no pun intended).

Making transparencies in psp7 is a piece of cake. There are many different methods as people like to do it their own way. I prefer the magic wand method.... click the blackground color with the wand, invert your selection (CTRL+SHIFT+I), then save that selection to the alpha channel. Mind you, it might help to adjust the tolerance of your magic wand. If you have it too high, it will select more than just the background. Play with it a bit for different effects or levels of transparency.

Get psp7, even the trial edition for now (lasts for 60 days). It'll make your .tga editting a whole lot easier. Not to mention it makes making animated Nanas easy for when you're tired of modding skins.

-Cormanth

I'm playing around with psp 7 and that program owns.

I "heard" that with Kazaa or some other programs you
can find the full version of Photoshop 7 to download.
Don't know if it's true or not...

Leandred Cerwelan
Crusader of Tunare
Remedy @ Nameless

ALPHA CHANNEL!

OMG I would never have figured that out!! I'm totally new to Targas, I KNEW there was a reason they were using them... I just didn't know what!

You guys ROCK, I've been banging my head on the desk all day trying to figure out why my mod has these wierd holes in it!!!

THANK YOU!!

EDIT: That was EXACTLY my problem... that's so cool :nana:

I also had trouble generating tga files with transparency. I am using a very old version of Fractal Painter and it does not understand that tga's can have alpha. However, it does understand that tiffs can have alpha.

So, what I do is output my images as tiffs and use GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) to convert from tiff to tga. Somewhere in the process the alpha gets inverted, so I have to save my tiffs with the reverse of the mask I want.

hmm any of you guys got a good idea on saving the tga's with partial tranparency?

gimp=coolness
no transparency problems except when editing other people's artwork, and then only certain ones cause problems (t.king's Celtic inventory turns white, the other ones don't...)

PsP 6 does transparent backgrounds
 

I started off graphics work with PsP 5, upgrade to PsP 6, which does have the capability of starting off with a transparent background. While I know zip about XML other than it's a mark up language (which puts me ahead of 90% of the world's population as far as that goes.) I rather enjoy doing graphics. I got really hooked on them from a site called Moyra's Web Jewels. I am not anywhere near her quality of work, but I can always hope to improve myself, and now I have a new inspiration with the EQ UI.

If you can find a copy of PsP 6 lying around somewhere, I highly suggest you pick it up. Personally, I'm holding out for Photoshop 7, as I downloaded a demo for my Mac and man, is it SWEET!

:D

Hope this helps, although it seems most of the problem has been resolved.

Alyys V'Costa (how did the GM figure out Alyys S'Kupre after 14 months?)