Matching satellite scenery color to FSX 'native' scenery

[jgarnold]

I am creating an airport using satellite imagery as part of the surrounding scenery.

The colors of the trees in the photo realistic scenery is very different from the adjacent standard FSX trees (see attached screen shot - satellite imagery top half, FSX bottom half).

Is there an easy way of changing the colors of the trees in the image I have from the satellite imagery to better match the FSX trees?

I have GIMP2.8 and Paint Shop Pro X8.

Thanks

 

[CruiseHD]

You have to play a bit with it and test it then.
There is no other way to do it. Unfortunetly.

Regards

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks. I suspected that.
My problem now is how best to do that. There are many variations of the green color and I would need to change them all. I have seen a video tutorial where the author changed the color of say a red car to a green car. Am I correct in assuming that this would be a good starting place to work out how to do it.

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi John,

if you're interested in matching the imagery to the surrounding landclass then a straightforward approach is to find the local ground texture sheets (using TMFViewer and a landclass spreadsheet) then convert one of each seasonal variant -- e.g., 024b2fa1.bmp, 024b2sp1.bmp, 024b2su1.bmp, etc. -- to 24-bit bmp and load those as separate layers on top of your image. That way you can directly adjust colors as well as contrast and saturation.

Some image processing software also allows auto-matching of texture sheets though that may or may not work well depending on the imagery you're working with.

Cheers, Holger

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Holger for the suggestion.
If I understand correctly that would entail changing the standard FSX colors and loading those as separate layers on top, is that correct?
If so then I would have the same problem where those modified ground texture sheets were next to the unchanged layers?
If this is true I am thinking that it would be preferable to modify the colors in the photo realistic BMP image?
Please advise if I'm not understanding your suggestion correctly.

I thought that maybe I should change my blend mask to mask out all areas of trees in my photo realistic BMP (satellite) image and allowing the default FSX scenery (which is 'conifer' trees or similar) to show through. This though leaves (no pun intended ) all the other vegetation (grass etc) not 'fitting in' which would need changing the color anyway.

I am starting to wonder how those who create scenery for sale do it.

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi John,

nope, I meant purely as reference. The point is that you then have the sample(s) of the surrounding landclass textures right in your project file (as a separate overlay), which makes matching of colors, brightness, and contrast much easier.

There are many different options for altering specific components of an image file if overall changes don't yield the desired effects or if only specific areas need to be changed for seasonal adjustments (e.g., agricultural fields): selective color adjustments, magic wand selections (with feathering to avoid sharp edges), layer masks, etc.

I don't know whether GIMP has the option for adjustment layers like Photoshop does. Instead of directly changing your source it allows one to adjust parameter settings back and forth, which is much more flexible and thus helps fine-tuning.

The Photoshop screenshot shows a project of mine with two landclass texture squares as reference overlays and a bunch of adjustment layers as seen in the Layers panel on the right side.

While it's possible to mask out certain landuse types from an image source, like forests, you don't want to make your blend mask too complex, especially since there's always a narrow band of autogen suppression along blendmask edges meaning you couldn't do this for individual trees and expect the landlcass autogen to show. Thus, I'd always try to adjust the image as a whole first. With the process described above -- and I'm sure there are many other ways to do this -- it usually only takes a few minutes to get a decent overall result.

Cheers, Holger

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Holger

I understand now that using the samples are for reference only.
I started to have a look at how to achieve what I want after watching some Youtube video tutorials and wondered how I could have a sample of the FSX scenery texture on the screen at the same time, now I know.
Thanks again.

Added later.

I have forgotten how to locate a landclass for a particular part of the world. I have done it in the past but it eludes me now. I have 'googled' and searched youtube without success.
I tried dragging files 'into' tmfviewer in an effort to try and work it out but that didn't work either.


I found a document on the Microsoft (ESP SDK) web site named Terrain and Scenery (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc707102.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396#AppendixI) which describes the Tmfviewer app but still couldn't work it out.

 

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Just for future reference regarding color matching satellite imagery - I’ve used this free plugin for years with Paint Shop Pro - it was designed for PS I believe... I would assume it probably doesn’t work with Gimp ?

You provide a source it evaluates - then applies the color correction to a destination... The results are stunning - dramatic - and you’ll be hard pressed to find the edge after processing... Used it on a wide variety of projects and it’s an essential tool in my toolbox...

Metrix Plug-in
http://www.jnrubin.net/psi/

Regards,
Scott


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[GeorgianVA]

Hello @HolgerSandmann ,

I have one more question: If I found out with TMFViewer what kind of landclass is around the airport, how do I find the corresponding texture for it? Is there somewhere a table with GUID / Texture?

Thanks a lot for your tips. Turned out, I am doing it almost the same way like you showed. I have just a different workflow to get the "original" textures. I load up FSX (only installed for exact that purpose) and take a screenshot from the Top-Down-View. I don't use P3D for that as I heard, that shaders, HDR etc, change the result quite a bit. If I could find the proper raw texture more easy, it would make my life a lot easier

 

[pinkjr]

I do exactly what David Hilker does and it works quite well, it get's you pretty close.

 

[wodec]

My This will help
http://fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/how-to-find-specific-texture.435141/#post-722640

My Steps:
1. Open tmfviewer.exe.
2. load worldlc.bgl go to the location you want (Menue Jump/Lat Long..).
3. move cusor around and you can read at the Buttonline by "Value" the Landclass Value.
4. open "FSX Land Class Table by Holger Sandmann v3.xls" look at Column "A" to the line with the Value of you Landclass Value and in Column "C" you can read the Texture prefix.
5. go to your MainFSXfolder ...\Scenery\World\Texture and search for your Texture prefix and you found your Textures.

I hope This help
Wolfgang

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks everyone.

That plugin sounded great and I'm sure I saw it once a couple of years ago and had forgotten about it HOWEVER t seems that it is a 32bit plugin and I have Paint Shop Pro X8 64 bit version installed and so it won't work. I also have PSPX2 32 bit installed where it does work however it runs out of memory with the large image file I have.

Wolfgang. I had initially tried that and missing noticing the ZOOM and when it initially loads I saw nothing displayed until I set Level of Details and then Zoom (my old eyes aint what they used to be). Thanks also for the filename of Holger's FSX land class table.

 

[scottb613]

Hi...

Hmm - just curious - how big are your files - I looked at an old project of mine from FS9 and the bit maps were around 110MB each and processed them with 32 bit Jasc PSP 9.1...

These are resized for viewing but this was the result - 5 seasons color matched to GE Pro - although had a BUNCH of extra editing for “hard winter”...

Regards,
Scott


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[jgarnold]

Thanks.
My image file (BMP) is 938Mb (14336 X 17152 pixels). I saved the satellite image with as much detail as I could.
PSP X2 will NOT allow me to create a new layer with the image. If I attempt to I get "not enough memory to complete operation" even though I have 8GB memory installed. It seems that PSP X2 was not written to efficiently handle memory as even in 32bit this file should not be a problem. I understand that from X4 there isn't that problem.

However I have found a solution. It has been pointed out to me that during installation of PSP X8 the user has the option to install the 32 bit AND 64 bit version so I will uninstall it and reinstall both versions.

Thanks

 

[scottb613]

Hi John,

LOL - I guess THAT is a BIG file...

Yeah - I went straight from Jasc PSP 9.1 to Corel PSP x9 - - - and during the install x9 prompted/recommended to install both 32 and 64... Please let me know how it works out - I haven't used the plug-in with x9 yet and I'm curious if it will work...

Best of luck...

Regards,
Scott

 

[jgarnold]

Hi Scott

Yes Metrix works with X8 32 bit so I would imagine that it would work with X9.

I too started with an early version of JASC PSP which if my memory serves me well was free and may have been included on a cover CD on a magazine.
I just wished there were magazines devoted to PSP as there are heaps for Photoshop.
The satellite image you included above looks great. Which airport is it and do you intend to release the scenery? If you don't could you attach a screen shot here from FSX especially where your satellite imagery 'meshes' with the stock FSX scenery texture.

Regards.

 

[scottb613]

Hi John,

Great - thanks... Yeah - I've used PS and Gimp for various projects - but PSP is the one for me... In addition - I'd rather not contribute to Adobe's cash cow and the software that you just keep paying and paying and paying for...

It's KMGJ (Orange County NY) - an old project I did for FS9 - never shared - I had everything done - custom buildings - custom fences - custom vegetation (even made the trees switch season on exactly the same day as the rest of the area - thanks Arno) - custom mesh - extended way passed the airport boundaries - planted over 15,000 autogen trees - full seasonal support - blended to GE Pro - - - except the dang blasted satellite image night textures - I tried a bunch of techniques but I couldn't come up with anything that satisfied me... I really needed to find a way to duplicate the UT vector roads... Burned out trying and dropped it... I also couldn't figure out to make those 3D glowing sphere lights that you see with Ultimate Terrain - needed them for the night as well... My whole take on scenery - is everything needs to blend seamlessly - nothing takes away from my enjoyment of a scenery more than when the demarcation is blatantly obvious... I just couldn't do it with the night textures... I'll look for some screenshots - but FS9 doesn't have anything close to the resolution of P3D...

I don’t have a clear shot of the border - this was before I did the airport itself - did the the satellite imagery and autogen first... The mountains in the background are GE Pro - but it was extremely difficult to find the demarcation... Please keep in mind this is FS9...

Regards,
Scott

 

[jgarnold]

I agree with you about contributing to Adobe's cash cow. I rarely even upgrade PSP although I did very recently but only after I found that later versions than X2 can 'handle' large image files as I previously described. A newer version has to offer me something I need before I will open my wallet.

Your scenery is quite impressive - to me anyway. I noticed all the autogen trees 'planted'.
My scenery is quite different as it is around an inlet which has a water airport so no visible airport. I am just trying to make the surrounding scenery look more lifelike.
As the photo realistic scenery is not close to where 'pilots' would usually fly over close to the ground at this stage I am not interested at this time in adding any 'objects'.

I started my airport a few years ago after a trip to Canada and becoming interested in floatplanes. I 'collected' several freeware water airports situated on the west coast which are very basic. I then found that FSX did not include Sechelt Water Airport and there was no freeware or payware available so decided to embark on creating one using ADE just for airport (water 'runway' and docks) and realigned the shores of the inlet as they were not represented correctly. I then decided I wanted islands in my scenery (which exist in the real world but not in FSX) so created them and some other stuff them using SBX. From there I added AI floatplanes then another dock when I found that the area has two floatplane dock areas, one on the right and the main one at the bottom.

I have then attempted to add photo realistic scenery for a large quarry (on the right) and golf course which now has expanded to include shallow water where it exists etc (on the left). I am now thinking that I have "bitten off more than I can chew" as I need to change the colors to make it more seamless with existing FSX scenery (cool rainforest texture) AND I will also need to create it for the four seasons. Oh well it gives me something to do rather than watch TV. I have tried METRIX and it seems to do what I want.

The following are screen shots of the area before my scenery and after (before using Metrix). On the right is of my scenery is a satellite image of the quarry and on the left the shallow water (I have to move or remove the wave action from the shoreline) golf course and surrounding area (this is what I have to change to blend in with the surrounding FSX trees (cool rainforest texture) as well as create images for the seasons probably just changing the overall colors as I don't think it usually snows near the inlet, at least the default FSX 'town' textures don't show snow in winter.

If I ever release it to the public I will do so as freeware.

 

[scottb613]

Hi John,

Great job and what a vast improvement of the area... Have you tried the ORBX free floatplane bases - I think they have two or three - all top notch as well... I just picked up ORBX Northern Rockies - simply because there's a guy on YouTube "TheHDAviation" or something like that - and he has countless high quality videos - all of aircraft arriving and departing Nelson BC - Canada... Fortunately - the region did a pretty nice job with it and even included the custom bridge that's in many of his shots... Includes both a paved runway and water runway... I recently picked up the MilViz Beaver - I'll need to try some water landings there - the area has some spectacular scenery... Keep up the nice work !!!

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHDAviation

Regards,
Scott

 

[jgarnold]

Hi Scott

Thanks for the compliments and thanks for the web link - looks nice.

I wasn't aware of the ORBX free floatplane bases. Unfortunately they require other ORBX software which is not free.

I have received a 'conversation' from a chap who is having problems with Metrix. I replied describing how to use it but I don't think that is the problem so I suggested he contact the author whose email address in in the package. I have only tried it once (and had no problem) so know very little about it.

I too have the MilViz Beaver but prefer to use the FSX DHC2 especially with the following freeware livery especially as the MilViz doesn't have a 2D panel and you also cannot view individual instruments such as the radio stack (well I couldn't work out how to). Strangely even when on water your are reminded to release the parking brake which doesn't work of course on water. Lastly I could not find how to (automatically using 'uninstall') uninstall it apart from manually removing folders. A real nuisance particularly as it has an installation application.