Trouble with .bmp skin size

[AH_DealnDave]

~S All,

I'm having trouble installing skins into the flight sim.  It seems when I develop a skin using Photoshop, the skin size is 3.0 megs.  All other skins listed are only 1.0 meg. I am "merging visible" layers and flattening image.  Yet, I cannot seem to make the image smaller in size.  Any help or tips are greatly appreciated.  :)

[_AH_DarkWolf]

The game can only use 8-bit paletted textures that have a maximum of 256 different colors. If the skin is 3 megs its in full color 16-bit. Try and look for an option in your program to save the .bmp in 8-bit or you can use an external program like Bright to convert the bmp.

DW

[AH_DealnDave]

Thanks DW,

My Photoshop is not allowing me to use 8 bit, it seems only 16 and 32 bit are available.  The program has 8 bit, but it's not allowing me the option to select it (grayed out).  I tried to locate the Bright program,  can't find it.

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Hmm, ok. I used to get Bright from SimmersPaintShop which I think is closed. I currently use Brighter, which is just Bright with a little GUI thingie to make it easier to use. Here, lemme zip up mine.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/24ws3sy5njrdgt7/Brighter.zip?dl=0

Just unzip it and plop the folder anywhere you want. So what you do is first get your full color BMP, so export one out of the template or save the skin you are working on. Then run Brighter.exe.



This is the first screen, click browse and select the .bmp file you want to convert. If you have several, you can select one and then toggle "Work with multiple files" and it will convert all files of that type. Once you have the file(s) selected click next.



On the second screen I then click Advanced and then the Other tab, there I check Best under the Presets section.



Once done, click ok and you are back to the second screen and you hit Go. A little command prompt type screen will pop up as it does it's work, once it closes the process is done and you can close brighter. You should find the converted skin in the Brighter folder.

DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

Is DW the best helper ever in this Group?

I vote yes.

~S

[_AH_Bear]

Is DW the best helper ever in this Group?

I vote yes.

~S

Indeed..

[_AH_BBQhead]

S~

Brighter was throwing an error for Dave  naming an .ocx  file to be missing or corrupt.  However, Dave did find a fix in photoshop and is good now.  I believe the change had to do with the use of "rgb" color causing the 8 bit option to be greyed out so he changed it to "index" and now reports he's able to save in 8 bit format.
 
  Next question:  What did they do with the Rabaul map?     

       

 

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Brighter was throwing an error for Dave  naming an .ocx  file to be missing or corrupt.  However, Dave did find a fix in photoshop and is good now.  I believe the change had to do with the use of "rgb" color causing the 8 bit option to be greyed out so he changed it to "index" and now reports he's able to save in 8 bit format.

Hmm, there are two .ocx files in the folder. Works fine here. Wonder if its an issue with another windows version or something.

Next question:  What did they do with the Rabaul map?

It was in Ultra Pack, it is not in HSFX.

DW

[AH_DealnDave]

Thanks for all your help DW and BBQ  !!!

Damn .... wish that Rabaul map was in our sim !!!

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

It is in 4.13 stock, just flew it.

[_AH_Hollywood]

Dave,

Missions for today has Bright...  http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=3343

Just save your skin in 24 bit, create a folder called bright and place the .exe file in there;  drop it in there folder and double click on the .exe... it will always make the skin work in the game.

[_AH_DarkWolf]

I just tried using Brighter in Win 10 and got the same error as Dave, something about an .ocx file. So I tried running Brighter as administrator and it worked fine, so thats a potential fix if anyone else tries it.

DW