Changing portraits/pictures so they fit in the IMT Red or Blue Screenpack.

[lantern48]

Step-by-step instructions of how to change a character's pictures that don't fit properly in the IMT 1.0 screenpack would be great. For example, this Lex Luthor character http://www.scruffydragon.com/forum/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=28 does not display his pictures correctly on the select screen, the life bar, or the victory screen.

How would we change the pic on the character select screen, the pic on the life bar during a fight, and the pic for the victory screen, so that they all fit properly in the IMT 1.0 screenpacks?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can explain how to do this.

[Cyanide]

Most of the time, small portraits and large portraits should be aligned at 0,0 and the screenpack should align them according to that.

Now, assuming EVERY other character works fine in the IMT screen pack my guess is that lex luthor has had his portraits aligned differently for some reason.

Open him up in FF, realign them to 0,0 and save, should solve it. If they are aligned there... I swear at the IMT screenpack for altering something very fundamental to every character and even in a full game sense this is a little silly.

Option 1 first though.

[lantern48]

Can you please provide instructions how to do that?
I have just downloaded Fighter Factory 3 for the first time.

[Acey]

Try opening Lex Luther in Fighter Factory and align the portraits according to the suggestion above. Once you start having problems or have more specific question go ahead and bring them up here but you need to try it first.

[lantern48]

I did that.

I can't figure out how to change the pics without the images distorting.
The reason some need to be changed is because Luthor displays a split image for several of the pics - he was made for a different screen pack. I have new images to replace the old ones, I just can't figure out how to change the pics properly.

Every time I replace the image, it shows up all distorted:

What do I need to do to replace existing pics without Fighter Factory making some change to the image I am adding? It will not display the way the pic actually is. If I'm not choosing to alter anything about the image, shouldn't Fighter Factory display it without making automatic distortions I do not want?

Post Merge: January 17, 2012, 07:26:46 PMAnyone?

[Cyanide]

This depends on what sort of SFF file it is, i don't like FF3's management of SFFv1 even if it is capable.

In general though, you need to obey the normal rules for inserting a picture in a sff. 256 colours, transparent colour in the correct place, add without a shared palette.

You look like you've used a very high colour count and mugen is simply decreasing to 256 with no input from you.

[lantern48]

you need to obey the normal rules for inserting a picture in a sff. 256 colours, transparent colour in the correct place, add without a shared palette.

Can you explain what you mean by "transparent color in the correct place"? And also what "add without a shared palette" means?

All I did was find a pic and convert it to a png.
Can you explain in detail what else needs to be done?

[Acey]

Can you explain what you mean by "transparent color in the correct place"? And also what "add without a shared palette" means?

All I did was find a pic and convert it to a png.
Can you explain in detail what else needs to be done?

1) I suggest PCX files or worse case BMP. PNG files often cause issues.
2) After you resize the pic (120x140), and decrease the colors to 256 and save it as the correct file type then you need to index the sprite:

Click here for details on indexing the colors of a sprite

Then all should work great.

[lantern48]

1) I suggest PCX files or worse case BMP. PNG files often cause issues.
2) After you resize the pic (120x140), and decrease the colors to 256 and save it as the correct file type then you need to index the sprite:

Click here for details on indexing the colors of a sprite

Then all should work great.

So I add the image to Mugen and then index it from there? What about the transparent color in the correct place thing Cyanide mentioned? Can you explain that? And what is the deal with the characters background color? I don't have a background color.

You guys are all mentioning bits of different things, but are leaving other parts of the process out. Is it really that much trouble to give a step-by-step example?

[Acey]

So I add the image to Mugen and then index it from there? What about the transparent color in the correct place thing Cyanide mentioned? Can you explain that?

Read the link about indexing it will answer your transparent color question.

[lantern48]

Read the link about indexing it will answer your transparent color question.

No it doesn't. It tells me I have to choose a color that matches my background color.

I do not have a background color.
None of you, nor the article you linked me to mentions anything about how to do a background color in my image. What does that even mean? What else do I need to do to the image before it goes into mugen, as far as this background color deal?

You guys are all mentioning bits of different things, but are leaving other parts of the process out. Is it really that much trouble to give a step-by-step example from the start of the process through the end?

If it really is that difficult of a process that none of you can explain how to do it from start to finish, then mugen should be updated to easier implement adding a simple picture for one screen.

[Acey]

 

Getting frustrated won't help. Ask specific questions please.

1) Are you having trouble resizing the portrait to 120 x 140 properly? (what software are you using?)
1) Are you stuck on reducing your portrait to 256 colors?
2) Are you having trouble removing random transparency from the portrait? (this is what we're all trying to address for you but you might not even be at this step yet, Background color refers to the color you would like to have in Index 0 slot. With your portrait which ever color is sitting in index 0 will be transparent.)

ALL OF THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE YOU ADD THE SPRITE TO THE CHARACTER's SFF FILE.

[lantern48]

Getting frustrated won't help. Ask specific questions please.

1) Are you having trouble resizing the portrait to 120 x 140 properly? (what software are you using?)
1) Are you stuck on reducing your portrait to 256 colors?
2) Are you having trouble removing random transparency from the portrait? (this is what we're all trying to address for you but you might not even be at this step yet, Background color refers to the color you would like to have in Index 0 slot. With your portrait which ever color is sitting in index 0 will be transparent.)

ALL OF THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE YOU ADD THE SPRITE TO THE CHARACTER's SFF FILE.

I have been specific.
I have asked for step-by-step instructions - something you refuse to provide.

In my last post, I specifically asked about a background color for my image and what does that mean. I don't have a background color in my image.

I see it's too difficult for anyone to explain this from start to finish. So maybe you can at least explain this background color deal. I'll ask again, very specifically:

Walk me through and explain what this background color deal for my image is.
I have an image, here it is:
 There is no background color on it. Explain to me how and why I need to add a background color to it.

Is that specific enough for you?

[Acey]

In my last post, I specifically asked about a background color for my image and what does that mean. I don't have a background color in my image.

I see it's too difficult for anyone to explain this from start to finish. So maybe you can at least explain this background color deal.

Background color refers to the color you would like to have in Index 0 slot. With your portrait, which ever color is sitting in index 0 will be transparent

Now you can answer my questions:

what software are you using?

Edit: Looks like you found what you were looking for. Gimp help

[lantern48]

Now you can answer my questions:

Edit: Looks like you found what you were looking for. Gimp help

What does the background color have to do with anything?
Why does it need to be transparent?

Again, I didn't have a background color in my image - it was just the image as is.

Anyway, a step-by-step was posted and I am following it.
So you don't have to worry about not explaining anything anymore.

[Cyanide]

Ow my brain.

Mugen insists on a transparency setting for EVERTHING right now. Even stages have it, but you can turn it off there.

Your original post implied that you had actually changed portraits round before and knew what you were doing to some extent and that the new SFF types may have been causing issues for you. That is apparently not the case. Your answers were given on the basis we thought you had some prior knowledge (and preferably that you'd read at least one tutorial before trying to do what you're doing)

[lantern48]

Ow my brain.

Mugen insists on a transparency setting for EVERTHING right now. Even stages have it, but you can turn it off there.

Your original post implied that you had actually changed portraits round before and knew what you were doing to some extent and that the new SFF types may have been causing issues for you. That is apparently not the case. Your answers were given on the basis we thought you had some prior knowledge (and preferably that you'd read at least one tutorial before trying to do what you're doing)

Say what?
This is my original post:

Step-by-step instructions of how to change a character's pictures that don't fit properly in the IMT 1.0 screenpack would be great. For example, this Lex Luthor character http://www.scruffydragon.com/forum/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=28 does not display his pictures correctly on the select screen, the life bar, or the victory screen.

How would we change the pic on the character select screen, the pic on the life bar during a fight, and the pic for the victory screen, so that they all fit properly in the IMT 1.0 screenpacks?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can explain how to do this.

Can you show me where in that I imply I "had actually changed portraits round before and knew what you were doing to some extent and that the new SFF types may have been causing issues for you."?

I was asking for step-by-step instructions. Step-by-step means just that: from the start of a process to its finish. I specifically mention the screen pack I use because many are different in the way they are setup and display pics. It wouldn't make much sense asking for how to align pics and portraits if I used a screenpack that doesn't use the coordinates you give me, does it?

 Also, I specifically mentioned 1.0 because if there was a difference in how the process works based on version, it wouldn't help me much to receive instructions for a version I don't use. Furthermore, it's clear that by me not knowing how to align pics and portraits so that they fit in the screen pack I use, that I'm a complete novice.

I did try to learn and do everything on my own before I asked for help. First by jumping in and messing around with Fighter Factory and then using few different portrait tutorials. Obviously those didn't help very much or I wouldn't have asked here for step-by-step instructions.

The tutorials I tried -- no less than 5 -- constantly had the tutorial maker being a d*** and saying things like "if you don't know this, then you're not worth my time explaining to." Which was always great when I got through 30 minutes of the tut and then got stuck because some arrogant bunghole can't be bothered to explain a point to someone reading a tutorial. What a waste of time...

Hint: people who read tutorials don't know how to do whatever the tutorial is walking them through - that's why they use a tutorial. I did pick up on a few things from the piss-poor tuts I tried to follow, but again, when they start asking you to do things you are not familiar with and go out of their way to say "you should know how to do this, I'm not explaining it' it makes it all kind of pointless.

Tunglashor's tut was great. Clear, concise, explaining and showing how he did everything he did. A comprehensive, easy to follow step-by-step that a beginner can use - I'm proof of that.

The problem I encounter with others trying to help, is that my first language is English and for many mugen pros, English is not their primary language. So there tends to be a lot of misunderstandings from people who are not 100% fluent in the language.

Mugen insists on a transparency setting for EVERTHING right now. Even stages have it, but you can turn it off there.

For the record, I know how to do this in portraits, but I still don't understand what it really means or why mugen needs it. I've stopped asking for an explanation because it seems too difficult for anyone to answer. I'm happy with knowing how to do it.