Tutorial Custom Skin Transparent Backgroud

[pauliebhoy]

I was gonna post this over @RSC but because they're down right now thought i would post it here.

Recently someone asked me todo an ingame MenuImage for a Custom Skin on a transparent background. So this is a small in 4 easy steps, well 5 if you include the final "saveas" lol.
"howto create an ingame Menuimage for your Custom Car Skin on a transparent background" like original car MenuImage in the car select screen...

Tutorial.txt along with 4pics are in the archive showing what screens you'll see and explaining exactly what todo so you can't go wrong.
And sorry if you folks already know this, but there's some out there that probably don't so...

could'nt post the archive for some reason so i'll just post the pics and steps here: Hope this ok and it helps some folks...

1st We'll start off with an eg. (see pic.1a)

1./ you need to cut all the background away from the your screendshot(see pic.1b still some work todo) so that you just have the image of a car on a transparent background. I use vertus fluid mask to cut everything away, but you could use the eraser,magic eraser or quick mask tool if you don't have Vertus. When that's done...

2./ Use the magic wand to click on the transparent background(see pic.2a) but NOT on the car. Then goto top menu: select/inverse (see pic. 2b)

3./ Then come across to the layers pallette and 1st, click on channels(see pic.3a). At the bottom of the channels menu you'll see a small square/rectangle with a circle in it: "save selection as channel" 2nd, clck it and now you'll see a small cutout of your car in white with a black background (Alpha Channel) at the bottom of the channels pallette. (see pic.3b)

4./ Make sure: "RGB, Red, Green, and Blue" are checked/highlighted and "Alpha Channel" is unchecked/not highlighted (pic.3b) then click back on "layers"(not important - just habit) in the pallette
Then goto menutop of screen) Select and then click Deselect.

5./ File/Save as/targa(.tga) and (make sure alpha is checked when you ask to save as) (see pic.4a)Now press "Save"...
Choose 32bit and leave "compress(RLE)" unchecked...(see pic.4b)

The file can simply be saved as "MenuImage.tga" and renamed later to match your "Team Name" in the .ini file.

Done...

You can experiment with this step below if you find you're MenuImage looks stretched or squashed ingame:
The Image width and height ratio should be kept the same.
ie. if you only compress the width of the image, you'll end up with a car that's squashed to tall for its width and by the the same token the same goes when you only compress the height you'll end up with a fat looking car (nice effect through a fisheye lens though).
What you can also do is take the Screenshot from a more front on view, rather than side/profile view as in have the car sitting facing on a line from 8 - 2 o'clock or 4 and 10 o'clock and viceversa font/rear whatever you prefer...
It's again a lot easier just to use the "transform grab handles" and while holding a "shift key" push or drag any of the grab handles at the corners and this will ensure you keep the same width/height ratio of/in your image...
So to get there: do step2... then edit/transform/scale

Even if you already know all this mafrien's, then it might help someone else.

ps. usually at the end of step 2 - i would copy and paste the selection into a new document (512x330) with transparent background and then, in the new document do step 2 through to step 5. Better result for me...
The longest part is taking away the background accurately and with that done, steps 3-5 takes about 30seconds.

Also i've found it's always a good idea to take that cutaway image and paste it into a new document after you fill the new doc. with a solid colour background(eg. blue - to get an idea of what it may look like on the ingame screen) to make sure you got rid of everything/pixels you wanted. Then: Edit/step back once your sure everythings gone...

[Cristian Haba]

hey paulie what did u use to make your skin, id like to learn to make one too. I know its photoshop but which one do i need?

[pauliebhoy]

Originally Posted by Hamann M3

hey paulie what did u use to make your skin, id like to learn to make one too. I know its photoshop but which one do i need?

CS3... Hamann, but i'm sure earlier versions will show the same basic screens as what's in the .tut
I just copy and pasted to pics in the same new doc to show more at once...

As in for veiwing the skins i use RH's Deep Explorer

[Gearjammer]

Great idea Pauliebhoy, and good tutorial

Hamann M3, and anyone else that was curious, I have used Photoshop as far back as Photoshop 5 and the procedure is pretty close to identical with a small exception. Photoshop elements, or the low cost version of Photoshop doesn't allow you access to the channels, so making an alpha channel is impossible for those who have the cheap versions.

The steps are very similar in Paintshop Pro as well, but the newer versions are closer than the older versions. For those that have gone real cheap, or just can't afford a paint program at all, look up GIMP. GIMP has the same abilities for the most part for skinning as Photoshop and is free to download and use. Similar steps can be followed in GIMP as in Photoshop or Paintshop Pro.

The key to remember in what Pauliebhoy was saying is make sure you cut out all of the background and then copy the image and paste into a new image that is the correct size of 512 X 330 to ensure that the size will be correct.

[Michael Herrmann]

i use ps 7.0 but befor i got hands on it i used ps 4.0 and gimp.
gimp can mostly do the same as adobe's photoshop and its free

[Kevin Ascher]

where to download that gimp, michael ???

[Michael Herrmann]

here you go ;D

windows installer:
GIMP-2.4.4 @ CHIP.de

hope it helps

[pauliebhoy]

thanx for the feedback Jim and for sharing 1st hand knowledge about other versions. And like Michael, i used the "GIMP" imaging proggie many moons ago. So i need to thank vince klortho for pointing me to it and also the GIMP community for having the patience to help me lol. along with RSC off'cos.

ps. I'll reiterate this though... Once you're happy the background and all the small stray pixels are removed, copy and paste it into a new doc 512x330...
Now don't resize the doc itself, but use the: Edit/transform/scale to resize only the car, in the new doc...
FWIW... always a good idea to save your work 1st as a .psd in case you need to edit anything. This means you don't have to repeat all the work you done for that particular car.