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Texturing: Icon Creation (PS)


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Icon Creation (Ps)

Step 1: Before we start

Now before we start I'd like to note that this workshop will work in any image editing program that supports layers, transparency and the DDS format, for example GIMP and Paint.Net. While these steps will work you have to keep in mind that the layout of the interface will differ between programs.

Okay with that now out of the way we'll need a picture for our icon, So what we'll do is open our chosen mesh in Nifskope, apply the texture if you have not already done so and postion it on screen so you an get a nice shot of it.

:pints: Smarty Says: When setting up the mesh position make sure that you leave a small amount of space around the edge of the image, this makes it easier to cut the mesh out of the screenshot you take.

With the mesh in position, take a print screen of it and take it into an image editing program. For this part I like to use paint because I'm able to do this a lot quicker than "heavier" programs.

I ended up with this:

Texturing_BaseImage.png

Now what you'll need to do is cut the mesh out of the picture, I usually use the rectangle select tool and select an area around the mesh, again leaving a bit of space between the mesh and my selection. I then copy and paste this into photoshop as a new image.

Texturing_BasePS.jpg

Step 2: Setting up our Icon

So we have our base image in photoshop we'll need to make a new image with a size of 64x64, this will be our actual icon. So go File>New> to get our new image.

Texturing_NewImage.jpg

So go back to our Base Image, what we need to do is remove the background to our image, since it's best to have a transparent background. So grab the Magic Wand tool:

Texturing_Wand.jpg

With that selected click on the background of your image, this should make a selection around the image layer and the image itself. Hit the delete button to remove the background.

:rofl: Smarty Says: If the selection removes the image rather than the background then undo your change, make the selection again if needed and then hit CTRL+SHIFT+I to invert the selection, now hit the delete key.

Texturing_NoBG.jpg

Now before we copy and paste this into our icon size image, we need to adjust the size. I've found that it's best to resize the image so it's bigger than what you need so that when you scale it, it keeps more detail.

So scale the image to about 150px - 200px, Copy and Paste that into our 64x64 icon image and scale it from there. To help with the scaling, Zoom into about 300% - 400%, this will definately help.

Texturing_Icon01.jpg

Step 3: Final Touches

Now have our base icon, just a few additions before we can save it and use it :), So first we'll make an Alpha Channel. This will control what part of the icon is show and what is not.

Grab the Magic Wand tool again and make your selection, but this time hit CTRL+SHIFT+I to invert the selection so that only the mesh is selected. With the selection made click on the Channels tab.

Texturing_Channels.jpg

Click to add a new channel, you will notice a Black Alpha Channel is added.

Texturing_ChannelNew.jpg

Now grab the Fill Bucket, make sure the foreground colour is White and fill in the selected area.

Texturing_Selection.jpg

Click the RGB layer at the top to view our icon again and press CTRL+D to get rid of our selection. Click on our Layers Tab and we'll continue.

Right-Click on our Layer and Choose Blending Options, then check the Outer Glow. The aim of creating icons is to make them look and feel like the vanilla ones and the Vanilla ones have an outer glow to them.

Now click on the Outer glow and change the colour of the glow to #EFE7AD, this should give it the same coloured glow as the vanilla icons.

Texturing_OuterGlow.jpg

One last thing, Photoshop does not like to compress all the layers/effects when we're saving our Icon as a DDS file. SO what we need to do first is go to Image>Mode>Indexed Color, just click ok to the screens that pop up. This will merge everthing together ready for saving.

Texturing_Index.jpg

Step 4: Saving

Our final step is to save our Icon as a DDS file so it can be used in the CS and In-Game. So go to Save As and choose DDS from the drop-down list, then select DXT3 as the compression. Most icons do not use MipMaps so you can click to not save them, but be warned. For smaller texture sizes (In the video options of the game) you'll need both Menus50 & Menus80 versions of your icon.

There is away around this and that is saving With MipMaps. When used in the CS the CS will complain about the use of MipMaps but your icon will work prefectly fine in-game and will help avoid the need for Menus50 & Menus80 versions of your icon.

Texturing_Save.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks IS. Trying to find all the settings in the Corel 3.0.12 that I have Is proving difficult. I got further in DX Studio. I`m still waiting for CS4 to finish downloading. When it does (maybe sometime next month, ha ) I`ll be more ready to actually spend more time with this. Great stuff though.  :coolup:

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Thanks IS. Trying to find all the settings in the Corel 3.0.12 that I have Is proving difficult. I got further in DX Studio. I`m still waiting for CS4 to finish downloading. When it does (maybe sometime next month, ha ) I`ll be more ready to actually spend more time with this. Great stuff though.  :coolup:


Thanks, hope it works out well for you :AK47:
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  • 10 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Very useful. Thank you.

I had run into the CS complaining about mipmaps on icons before this and wondered why modders included them. Your explanation about how it affects the menus50 and menus80 versions is a handy bit of modding knowledge.

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Very nice an clear tut, IS! :pints:

Maybe I'll write a small tutorial on how to use actions in Photoshop, which let's you automize (is that the right word?) several steps in the proces. Especially handy when you need lots of icons. Actions are very useful for retexturing as well.

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  • 1 month later...

Okay got a little tip for keeping some of the quality in the icon:

Before you use the Indexed Colour option to merge all layers ect, first save your image as a PNG file then re-open it and apply the Index Colour option, bit more hassle but it stops the index colour from dropping the quality of the icon.

I've just done this myself with a couple of icons, made the icons saved them as PNG, re-opened, created the Alpha Channel, used the Indexed Colour setting and saved as a DDS file. Previously there would have been a visual drop in quality, now taking an extra two steps avoids that ;)

Also works well with gradient images :)

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  • 6 months later...

quite nice tutorial there IS...

though I must admit that it doesn't show the power and quickness of PS as it could ;] especially when alpha channels can be done with three simple clicks, and certain setup of NifSkope, PS colours and its automated actions allow to make literally two brand new icons per minute from scratch ;] (where most of that time you spend to position the model properly in NifSkope than do anything in PS).

I could post here my way of doing icons if anyone is interested though there may be still some other better ways to do that...

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quite nice tutorial there IS...

though I must admit that it doesn't show the power and quickness of PS as it could ;] especially when alpha channels can be done with three simple clicks, and certain setup of NifSkope, PS colours and its automated actions allow to make literally two brand new icons per minute from scratch ;] (where most of that time you spend to position the model properly in NifSkope than do anything in PS).

I could post here my way of doing icons if anyone is interested though there may be still some other better ways to do that...

I'd love to see that Trollf. After spending hours doing icons for Imperial Furniture (including a bunch for your paintings :)), anything to speed up the process is appreciated. I love IS's tutorials too! I just like to see alternatives and I don't think IS would mind seeing a way to trim a couple of steps off his process either.

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