Photoshop and Map Making? - Printable Version

Photoshop and Map Making? - Printable Version

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Photoshop and Map Making? - tityus - 07.12.2009

A few days ago, I've decided to try and make a map. Grabbed a few tutorials on pdf and my photoshop.

All went well, except photoshop is apparently altering my grayscale colors.

I was following the Manam tutorial by Kevinp, when I realized photoshop was throwing my colors of, what is a big problem when making map_t.tga. (ie: I've made that rgb 31 and 7 colors, but after I paint the area it turned to RGB 32 and 6 or 8 ) .

Does anyone use PS when making the texture map (map_T)? I understand many work with Gimp, but I would go for it only if I'm not able to get to terms with my PS.

comments?

t

- agracier - 07.12.2009

Just a suggestion perhaps, but do you use a separate layer for each RGB value? If not, you should try doing so. There is no sense in trying to make a single layer map_t without first making separate layers for each and every RGB value first. That also means working in .psd format (or GIMPS's own native multi-layer format).

That means 24 separate layers for the low0 RGB 0 through airfield3 RGB 23 textures as well as 1 layer for woods RGB 24 and a covering mask for water on top of them all for water RGB 31 (or 30 if you wish to have no surf).

When you've made all the layers and are satisfied with the results or wish to see how things look in the map itself, then you flatten all the layers using the NORMAL method of flattening.

If you've made highways/roads/rr these layers are flattened with the ADDITION option.

If you flatten your layers with the NORMAL option of flattening, there should be no changing of RGB values. BUT - be careful if you do any resizing of RGB layers - when resizing RGB values can be changed, especially on edges.

btw - these options are for GIMP, not Photoshop.

- redko - 07.12.2009

I use only photoshop for my textures.

What's your problem exactly ?

Confused

hock: oups....Agracier you are too fast for me !

- agracier - 07.12.2009

redko Wrote:I use only photoshop for my textures.
What's your problem exactly ?
hock: oups....Agracier you are too fast for me !

I don't think he means making textures, I think his problem is shifting RGB values for the texture areas on map_T.tga

For instance, he paints RGB 7 and RGB 31 and somehow when flattened (?) they turn into RGB 6 and RGB 30 ... giving wrong values of course and throwing off the textures used according to the load.ini.

I have a suspicion the problem lies in not using multiple layers in making map_t. Every RGB value should normally have a separate layer. UNLESS you paint in textures in the map-maker ... but that is whole different technique.

- tityus - 07.12.2009

Quote:(...) btw - these options are for GIMP, not Photoshop.

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll try to sort of my PS problem first. For now, Gimp is plan B.

Quote:his problem is shifting RGB values for the texture areas on map_T.tga

Doesn't have to involve multilayer nor flattening. Problem is present even in a solid simple single layer. Imagine one single layer, grayscale big square one, no mask, nothing else. I paint 31 and when I sample the color from "the canvas", it reads 32.

BTW, redko, could you test the example bellow in your PS and see if you experience the same?

- create new single layer grayscale .tga
- paint color 31 (#1f1f1f) - may wanna try also 7 (#070707)
- sample color with eyedropper or info panel

thanks

- fabianfred - 07.12.2009

I heard that CS 4 is OK...but earlier versions had this problem

- may-bug - 08.12.2009

Hi,

here are the RGB values I use with PS:

[FIELDS]
LowLand0 = 0
LowLand1 = 1
LowLand2 = 2
LowLand3 = 4

MidLand0 = 6
MidLand1 = 8
MidLand2 = 11
MidLand3 = 13

Mount0 = 16
Mount1 = 18
Mount2 = 21
Mount3 = 23

Country0 = 25
Country1 = 27
Country2 = 29
Country3 = 31

City0 = 33
City1 = 35
City2 = 36
City3 = 38

AirField0= 40
AirField1= 41
AirField2= 43
AirField3= 45

Wood0 = 46
Wood1 = 48
Wood2 = 50
Wood3 = 51

Water0 = 53
Water1 = 54
Water2 = 56
Water3 = 57

For roads, you can use:

Rail = 102
Road = 63
Highway = 160,

but sometimes another texture appears along the roads, I guess there's something to do with the layer to get correct roads but I couldn't find what ... That's why I use Gimp for drawing roads and rails (set the layer with "transparency" and it will look OK in the game).

Hope it helps.

- agracier - 08.12.2009

Odd RGB values those above. Where did you ever get these values from?
I've always used the values given in Kevins map-making tutorial and have never been plagued by any troubles when using these:

low0 RGB 0
low1 RGB 1
low2 RGB 2
low3 RGB 3

mid0 RGB 4
mid1 RGB 5
mid2 RGB 6
mid3 RGB 7

mount0 RGB 8
mount1 RGB 9
mount2 RGB 10
mount3 RGB 11

country0 RGB 12
country1 RGB 13
country2 RGB 14
country3 RGB 15

city0 RGB 16
city1 RGB 17
city2 RGB 18
city3 RGB 19

airfield0 RGB 20
airfield1 RGB 21
airfield2 RGB 22
airfield3 RGB 23

woods RGB 24
water RGB 31 (surf)
water RGB 30 (no surf)

secondary roads RGB 32
railways RGB 64
highways RGB 128

these last three are flattened using ADDITION option for flattening.

To ascertain that these values work, take any newly made map_t from a new map mod and search the land areas with a color picker or eyedropper tool (or whatever it's called in your program of choice) and see if you find anything above RGB 24 on the land areas. I seriously doubt it.

Other than the RGB values given above for roads/highways/rr, RGB values above 40 are used to simulate shallow water and surf around coastlines. Since your high RGB values won't accord with your map_C and mapC_tga.table, you won't see water on these areas, even though in map_T you've created water textures.

- tityus - 08.12.2009

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Quote:from agracier:
I've always used the values given in Kevins map-making tutorial and have never been plagued by any troubles when using these(...)

But since you said you've been using Gimp to create your textures, It's logical to assume that you're not able to produce the maps in photoshop, without the texture shift.

Or you're trying to provide an answer with photoshop and I'm interpreting it wrong, as if you were talking about gimp?

Quote:from may-bug:
here are the RGB values I use with PS:
(...)
but sometimes another texture appears along the roads
(...)
That's why I use Gimp for drawing roads and rails

You are having the texture shift problem too... and Gimp was the solution.

I'm wondering if anyone is using PS alone to work...

- tityus - 08.12.2009

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Quote:from agracier:
I've always used the values given in Kevins map-making tutorial and have never been plagued by any troubles when using these(...)

Quote:from may-bug:
here are the RGB values I use with PS:
(...)
but sometimes another texture appears along the roads
(...)
That's why I use Gimp for drawing roads and rails

You are having the texture shift problem too... and Gimp was the solution.

I'm wondering if anyone is using PS alone to work...

Quote:I heard that CS 4 is OK...but earlier versions had this problem

That may be all true.
I'll wait a little more for an answer before changing plans... maybe someone has a solution that's not using another software...

Thank you all for now...

- tityus - 08.12.2009

Just finished a test and PS is really shifting the colors.

What I did:
- created a map, with a matrix of 5x10 islands, 400x400m each.
- used the FMB to assign one of each textures to the islands.
- opened the resulting texture map in PS.

Confirmed that some textures appeared with the wrong values when inspected with PS.

:-(

- agracier - 08.12.2009

I don't use Photoshop to make maps, but Paint Shop Pro (version 7, which makes little difference to other versions of PSP - but it is incredibly stable and I've been using it for years).

Only when all the work is done to the various map files (map_T / map_h/ ed_m01/02 etc - all made in layered psd files) do I convert them to tga files, but then in GIMP, because PSP does not have the license or whatever to convert to the subtype of tga the game requires ...

But even so, in PhotoShop or GIMP or PSP, an RGB value stays an RGB value, and should not shift when painting or filling or whatever.

Not unless you are using some kind of option other than the normal or standard option of painting or filling.

- tityus - 08.12.2009

Quote:(...) in PhotoShop or GIMP or PSP, an RGB value stays an RGB value, and should not shift when painting or filling or whatever.

Exactly, it should not...

Alas, it doesn't address those colors correctly... hence this post. :wink:

See agracier, my main concern was not how do I make a map. It was something more in the lines of I'm using photoshop, I've painted 31, why does it read 32... must be anti-aliasing... no, it must be the layer mode... after many musts, I decided to check if anyone else using photoshop could confirm the shift.

then...

fabianfred has pointed that earlier versions of PS had this problem and the PS CS4 may work fine.

... and yes, just like you, I find it very surprising when things happen that should not.

If I find out more, I'll share the info.

t

- may-bug - 09.12.2009

Hi,

I use Ps CS2 v9.0. The normal values -those you give- never worked for me. The values I give are those I got by testing, they work perfectly (for me).

I remember a thread where Cannon asked about that, but I don't remember how he sorted it out. I'll check later.

About water, I have different values too, but I never pushed more my investigations because I work by testing in-game the areas I draw for shallow water and surf on map_C ( something about RGB 80 > 120, I have to check my files to know exactly).

Thanks for the roads tip Big Grin

, I'll try it tomorow after work.

... and sorry for my bad english, I hope the message is understandable :-? .