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"Transparencies"

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sniper297 (136 posts)
Aug-04-01, 06:33 PM (EST) "Transparencies" Well, I blew it again. I was looking at corel10 at the store, and they had microsoft picture it publishing gold for 50 bucks, and all I really want to do is save the $^#&$%*#$^! TGA with the tranparency intact so I don't get opaque windows, and I SHOULDN"T need a 250 dollar 3d drafting program for that. So I bought the microshaft and got opaque windows again. I'm gonna TRY like hell to get onto their website to find out how to return it and get my money back, but that's gonna take a few years. Meantime, anybody else got this POS I would appreciate it if you would tell me; (1) Is this program capable of doing it and if so (2) how the hell I'm supposed to do it. The help file is as helpful as they usually are, keyword transparent gives you the following:
If you want to preserve the transparent area in the picture:
Save in .gif format.
The .gif format allows for transparent areas in a picture. However, the .gif format allows for only 256 colors to be used in the picture, so the quality of the image might be reduced.They go on to say that transparent areas will turn white if you save it as a jpeg, not a ^#$^$%#&$! word about TGA alpha transparencies. Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Transparencies dgallina Aug-04-01 1 RE: Transparencies MJL Aug-06-01 2 RE: Transparencies ATSF Aug-06-01 3 RE: Transparencies Axelthorpe Aug-06-01 4 RE: Transparencies sniper297 Aug-06-01 5 RE: Transparencies MJL Aug-06-01 6 RE: Transparencies Xacto Aug-07-01 7 RE: Transparencies ATSF Aug-07-01 8 RE: Transparencies ATSF Aug-07-01 9 RE: Transparencies MJL Aug-08-01 10

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dgallina (77 posts)
Aug-04-01, 06:45 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Transparencies" Paint Shop Pro 7 can do this. You can buy it on-line. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's not as nice as PhotoShop, but it works..... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
MJL (19 posts)
Aug-06-01, 01:21 AM (EST) 2. "RE: Transparencies" That was the problem I was having using ARCsoft photo studeo 2000 and my efforts till I read on the forums that the KGP -- known good products were Adobe Photo something at http://www.adobe.com/ and Paint Shop Pro7 (http://www.jasc.com/download_4.asp) the big difference between the two is that Adobe has a free demo download -- BUT YOU CANT SAVE ANYTHING, while PSP7 has a 30 day free download -- it then costs $90 (I think) when you want to buy it -- BUT YOU CAN USE IT !!!!!!! -- I'm already on my 15th day into the demo -- and three uploads to train-sim -- I might just shell out the $90 in grattitude for the freebe download.. The transparent problem has to deal w/ something called an alpha channel -- I don't know how it works but when I open a car or engine w/ PSP7 and then save it Clear stays Clear.hope this helps, look forward to seeing some of your work
Matt -- who is very, very cheap
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ATSF (78 posts)
Aug-06-01, 02:04 PM (EST) 3. "RE: Transparencies" I have Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99) which has 80 % of the functionality of Photo Shop 6.0 ($500+). When I did a copy and paste I would lose the Alpha Channel as it would not save the file as a TGA. It saved it in Photoshop format - with square wheels. If I do a copy and paste into It will save the file correctly as a TGA. This is an apparent bug in Photoshop Elements. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Axelthorpe (3 posts)
Aug-06-01, 04:10 PM (EST) 4. "RE: Transparencies" At least in photoshop you have to flatten the image to save it as something else than a .psd.So the only way to save to a non .psd-file (read: non layer-file) you have to either flatten it (merge all layers) or save as a copy.Don't know if this is the case.-----------------------------------------
Leffe Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
sniper297 (136 posts)
Aug-06-01, 10:54 PM (EST) 5. "RE: Transparencies" Thanks, guys, I downloaded the PSP demo and it worked - transparent windows. I just can't believe in this day and age that a five dollar shareware program would be incapable of doing this, let alone a 50 dollar microshaft program. Of course, look what got me and a lot of other guys on this site to begin with - we all paid 50 bucks to be beta testers for MSTS. Send error report indeed. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
MJL (19 posts)
Aug-06-01, 10:57 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Transparencies" LAST EDITED ON Aug-06-01 AT 11:01 PM (EST)Flatten an image?? if you mean merge all layers, no you don't have to do this before saving it as a non .psd-file.
FOR EXAMPLE
I know that when I'm working on a file (.BMP or .TGA) I have the background image and a "New Piece" -- a numberboard or something like that, and it is on a seperate layer. Move the newpiece to where you think you want it. I then save as a (.BMP or .TGA) -- get some pop-up message (ignore it), run the MAKEACE w/ the .BAT file (cause I don't know dos), CTRL-X (cut) the new .ace file out of the working directory, put it into the "Real directory" in the TRAINSET folder (the one w/ all the cars) Then fire up my TEST TRAIN consist that has the new car. See that I need to move the "Newpiece" down 1 or 2 pixels. exit the TEST TRAIN, (but not MSTS, --ALT-TAB out of MSTS) -- that way it keeps the train launcher screen open to your test train. Go back to the PSP7 move the piece the smidge ammount needed, repeat process (a cycle of this takes about 1&1/2 minutes once you get everything down) ---
- when you save a multi-layered image into a .BMP, or .TGA it automaticly makes everything a single layer in the saved file (like a screenshot), but the origional working piece on the screen still has multipal layers ----- (it would take 1/8 the time to show someone this then type about it)hope this can be of help
Matt Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Xacto (234 posts)
Aug-07-01, 02:03 AM (EST) 7. "RE: Transparencies" Matt, as long as you are using a .bat file to process the texture, add this line to the end of it:copy conwhl1.ace c:\"program files"\"Microsoft Games"\"Train Simulator"\"Trains"\"Trainset"\"consol"\.That will save you the step of manually copying the .ace to the TS folder. Just change the file and folder references to match your situation. I have a bunch of these bat files on the desktop for the projects I am working on at the moment.Cliff Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ATSF (78 posts)
Aug-07-01, 03:10 PM (EST) 8. "RE: Transparencies" Thanks for the tip. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ATSF (78 posts)
Aug-07-01, 05:07 PM (EST) 9. "RE: Transparencies" I was making changes to my tga files located in my trainset loco file. I was then manually copying the tga files to my bat file. Runnung the makeace program. Manually copying the resultant ace files back to my trainset loco file. I will make all my changes in the bat file thus eliminating all manual copying. (Except for keeping a backup from time to time).This is a great time saver - Thanks. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
MJL (19 posts)
Aug-08-01, 00:16 AM (EST) 10. "RE: Transparencies" sounds like a good idea, I'll give it a try on the engine I'm working on now
Matt Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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