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alpha channel help?? - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: alpha channel help?? (/showthread.php?tid=69239)


alpha channel help?? - Beowolff - 18.03.2010

okay.. i'm a modder not a skinner...or a paint person, at all. but, i've discovered i have a need to fill up certain slots or holes on an aircraft i'm modding that uses the SDB-5 wings. as you know, the SBDs have those slots in the wings/flaps, etc, and i thought they were made into the model, but now i discover they are in the Alpha channel of the summer skin. (btw, i'm not using the stock SBD skin but a third party one and it still has the holes in the alpha for the SBD slots.)

my question is is it possible to take out the holes in the alpha channel without messing up the skin? and if so, what's the best way?

i tried opening the TGA files in Gimp and showing the alpha channel (yep, there were the slot holes alright.) but when i tried removing them it left white, unpainted spots where the holes had been. i tried repeatedly with the same bad result each time.

anyone that give me a leg up on this? ---keeping in mind i'm a total noob to paint work of any kind. lol.

many thanks in advance... i'm within a knat's arse of having this plane ready, and this will "dramatically" improve it's looks if i can pull it off somehow.

- Gumpy - 18.03.2010

Your working on TGA files,I use a program called DXTBmp to convert them to JPEG image,then do my editing and convert them back to TGA.I don't know how it works but the alpha channel seems to follow some how.

- stuka_40 - 18.03.2010

Well, there are skin1o.tga, skin1p.tga, skin1q.tga and skin1o.tgb in SDB-5's summer folder the tgb file is actually a tga file and you have to change Alpha channel in this file, first change the file extension to tga for editing it and then edit the Alpha channel (you only need to paint over holes with withe color and save it as tga file (remmber no compression the file size must be 4 MB and 1024x1024 in pixel size) then you have to change the file extension to tgb again. if third party skin is an tga file and you use it as moded instate of default one you have to change the file extension (don't forget the sizes of file).

- Beowolff - 18.03.2010

Gumpy Wrote:Your working on TGA files,I use a program called DXTBmp to convert them to JPEG image,then do my editing and convert them back to TGA.I don't know how it works but the alpha channel seems to follow some how.

yeah...alpha is VERY mysterious somehow. :-?

GIMP handles it fine...but as i said, when i open the alpha and try to remove the slots/holes in the flaps and wings (or even just try and delete the entire alpha channel) it leaves unsightly WHITE splotches on the regular skin where those holes had been.

is there not someway to remove the alpha (or even better JUST THOSE SLOT HOLES in the alpha) without it effecting the normal skin of the plane? or is the skin paint somehow 'around' those holes and will leave an ugly splotch no matter what?

very confusing stuff here to a non-painter like myself.

- Gumpy - 18.03.2010

Beowolff if you don't have this program DXTBmp you should check it out, you can edit alpha channels with it and it's free,do a Google search for it.

- .041 Safety Wire - 18.03.2010

In photoshop if you turn on the channels you can work with just the alpha channel which is usually black on white. Channels is under the window drop down menu just below layers.

- stuka_40 - 18.03.2010

Beowolff Wrote:
Gumpy Wrote:Your working on TGA files,I use a program called DXTBmp to convert them to JPEG image,then do my editing and convert them back to TGA.I don't know how it works but the alpha channel seems to follow some how.

yeah...alpha is VERY mysterious somehow. :-?

GIMP handles it fine...but as i said, when i open the alpha and try to remove the slots/holes in the flaps and wings (or even just try and delete the entire alpha channel) it leaves unsightly WHITE splotches on the regular skin where those holes had been.

is there not someway to remove the alpha (or even better JUST THOSE SLOT HOLES in the alpha) without it effecting the normal skin of the plane? or is the skin paint somehow 'around' those holes and will leave an ugly splotch no matter what?

very confusing stuff here to a non-painter like myself.

The alpha channel is a black and white layer in the main image the white colored parts indicate the visible parts of main image and the black colored parts indicate the transparent (holes!) parts in main image. Well i don't use gimp but if you can see and edit the alpha, the only thing is to paint totally white color over the holes in your case the parts of the wings that you want to be visible! that is it, in photoshop it is very easy! i did it for you, you can replace the alpha with mine i attached also edited skin1o.tgb file too. Download here: Arrowhttp://www.mediafire.com/?vgtocnrmt4i :wink: