PhotoShop Question

[OBIO]

I am just getting into repaints. I am using PhotoShop 5.0 LE (Limited Edition). Basic but has everything I need at this point it seems.

The other day I was working on a skin, just doing some practice on making panel lines and rivets and working with layers (been a while since I used PhotoShop, so need to get the rust knocked off). Needed to take a break and let my butt get some blood flowing (and take the dog out for a rousing round of fetch...for a Chihuahua/Jack Terrier mix, he sure is an amazingly athletic dog). Well, saved the file as PSD. Closed PS and DXTbmp. Later I came back to it, did some more work and wanted to see my work on the plane, so see how things were working out. I could not get the file back into DXTbmp.

Is there some process I do not know about for getting the file back into DXtbmp? Or was it simply because I had not merged the layers (that thought just popped into my tiny little brain)? I think I may have answered part of my own question. But still, how do you go from a saved PSD (with merged layers of course) to DXTbmp?

OBIO

[OBIO]

I figured it out. Once done with the image, save a copy as a 24bit BMP. Open DXTbmp, open the 24bit BMP file of your aircraft texture, then convert to DXT(what ever level you use). Easy as falling off a log, once I took time to tinker around and figure it out on my own.

Here's the result of my most recent work. I added some weathering and grime to the stock FDGs SBD5 Dauntless. The plane flies like an Eagle, but looked like a Sparrow....not depth to it. What I did is better, but still not great. I basically modified the stock texture, adding in some paint wear, paint chips, dirt and exhaust staining.

Stock Texture

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf831f29f13a8b68accaa7b85179573b6/e97f5cad.jpg

My modified texture.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5de10a576c96a80060fee31ca706d850/e97f66f4.jpg

My next endeavor will be an attempt to do a complete skin for the FDG2 Corsair. Again, great flying plane, but not all that great looking.

OBIO

[AndyG43]

Obio, I always save my files as a .tga (targa) file, and then open and resave that with DXTBMP. My understanding is that this gives you more control over alpha layers.

BTW If I'm talking rubbish (again) then can somebody please correct me. :costumes:

AndyG