Transparencies with GIMP

2013-06-28T20:53:41Z

Ozzman1997: /* The basics */

{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = true
| FS2002 = true
| FS2000 = true
| FS98 = true
}}
== A short tutorial about editing transparencies in textures with GIMP ==

GIMP uses layermasks to assign transparency information to layers.

=== Why use layer masks? ===

* It saves you the tedious procedure of manually adding an alpha channel to an image with DXTBMP.
* Masks are added '''per layer''' and are automatically combined upon exporting. This means you can decide just how transparent each (layered) element of your texture is.
* With the DDS-Plugin [http://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/], you can for example export your texture directly as a FSX compatible DXT5 .dds file for an improved workflow.

=== The basics ===

# Select transparent parts on texture
# Assign the transparent parts to a new layer
# "Layer" -> "Mask" -> "Add Layer Mask"
# Choose "Selection"
# In the window for the layers, right click on the layer with the mask and choose "Show Layer Mask"
# Edit the layer's color to control transparency (anything between black (transparent) and white (opaque))
# When done, right click the layer in the layer window again and untick "Edit Layer Mask" and "Show Layer Mask"
#* If the transparency gets annoying when editing the texture, tick "Disable Layer Mask" (you can leave the mask disabled; the image will export properly)

You will have to play around with the various settings that the "Add Layer Masks" offers to find an optimal result for your needs.

=== Before exporting ===

# Enable all layer masks you want to export
# Choose the layers you want to export by making them visible or invisible
# Next, select "Image" -> "Merge Visible Layers" from the menu bar
# Select "Clipped To Image" and tick "Discard Invisible Layers"

=== Exporting ===

* Bitmap formats
** Export as 32 bit .bmp files can be done with GIMP's "Save As" function and choosing "32 bits" (R8 G8 B8 A8) in the "Advanced Options" dialogue. <br> Getting the resulting bitmap into DXT format still requires the use of Imagetool or DXTBMP 'though.

* DDS format
** Before exporting your texture into the .dds format from GIMP, you '''will have to flip the image vertically'''.<br> This can be done with "Image" -> "Transform" -> "Flip Vertically" or by assigning a key combination to this function ("Edit" -> "Keyboard Shortcuts"; CTRL+ALT+F works)
** Export with "File" -> "Save As" and select "BC3/DXT5" as compression when asked.

Note: Neither .dds nor .bmp files store any layer information, so it's recommended to undo the layer merging process after exporting (CTRL+Z or CTRL+Y) and save the texture in GIMP's native .xcf or the .psd format for further editing at a later point.

== Related ==

=== Internal ===
{{Template:Navbox-Textur-Related}}

=== External ===
[http://essay-for.me/ essay online]

[[category:Aircraft Design]]
[[category:Modeling]]
[[category:Texturing]]

FSDeveloper Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Transparencies with GIMP