Converting 2048X2048 textures to 1024X1024.

Blackbird686

Blackbird686

SOH-CM-2025
Hey All --

Is there a way to convert 2048 X 2048 textures to 1024 X 1024? I cant get the higher res textures to work in FS9... at least on my install... and I don't think they are supposed to anyhow. Any advise would be appreciated.

BB686:USA-flag:
 
Of course...

Blackbird686 said:
Hey All --

Is there a way to convert 2048 X 2048 textures to 1024 X 1024? I cant get the higher res textures to work in FS9... at least on my install... and I don't think they are supposed to anyhow. Any advise would be appreciated.

BB686:USA-flag:
Click to expand...

Indeed there is... and so as not to lose detail... follow the steps I described in a post at SOH (the 80% incremental reduction) you might have to play a bit to get to the exact half size for the texture...
You need to work with a ductile program such as PSP or Photoshop... but it is indeed doable...
 
Use Photoshop to reduce the image resolution from 2048 to 1024.
Then save the texture as bmp.
Then open the saved texture with DXTBmp and save it as Extended Bitmap (32 bits 888)
You are good to go.
 
kernelPANIC said:
Use Photoshop to reduce the image resolution from 2048 to 1024.
Then save the texture as bmp.
Then open the saved texture with DXTBmp and save it as Extended Bitmap (32 bits 888)
You are good to go.
Click to expand...
You can save a step by opening the file first in DXTBmp, then exporting it to Photoshop. You can setup Photoshop as your editing program within DXTBmp. Once the file is reduced in size, DXTBmp has a command for importing back into the program before saving it to Extended Bitmap or whatever format you want.

This process is similar for converting large format DDS files to 1024 Bmp files, except for one additional step which is to invert the image.
 
kernelPANIC said:
Use Photoshop to reduce the image resolution from 2048 to 1024.
Then save the texture as bmp.
Then open the saved texture with DXTBmp and save it as Extended Bitmap (32 bits 888)
You are good to go.
Click to expand...

And that did the trick...! Thanks for the replies all. I thought I was really in for a chore there but the converted textures came out looking great.

BB686:USA-flag:
 
Hi,

Are you doing this to use FSX aircraft textures in FS9, and if so, do you just convert them all in the texture folder if they're 2048x2048? :isadizzy:

Andy.
 
Looking pretty sad!
Not much I can say about what might have gone wrong, but it's looking like the textures are saved in the wrong format.
For best results use extended 32 Bit, otherwise DXT3.
The paints will show up even without adjusting the alphas, but the reflections or transparencies (depending on the mdl programming) will be out of place.
 
Thanks, Stuart -

I was wondering if this was a 1950s version of low-visibility paint!

Actually, this was one of the birds that needed that extra step of inverting the texture plus the alpha, then saving the "flipped" texture. It's now looking as it should!

Going to try this on a few others as well.

EDIT: One thing I haven't been able to figure out, though - why do the leading edge slats work as they should, yet the aircraft has no flaps?
 
If you use DXTbmp, don't just open the file, export it, then save it. You'll probably end up with a bitmap in the wrong format. Instead, open with DXTbmp, export the visible portion, re-size it, then simply "Save" that image. Do the same thing with the alpha image too. Then, back in DXTbmp, click the button under the main image that looks like a small image with a white "up" arrow. This will refresh the image in memory with the one you just saved. Do the same thing with the same button under the alpha image. Then save the file from inside DXTbmp in your preferred format.
 
Here - try this - totally automated, problem free. (Just don't use on scenery files...)
Extract the two programs and the batch file into the same folder that your textures are in and then run the batch file.
The imagetool.exe is from the FS2004 SDK - I think. It might be from the FSX SDK. Either way, it works (most of the time). nconvert.exe is freeware from www.xnview.com. The batch file is my own - it will search for all .dds and .bmp and reduce them to 512x512. That can be increased or decreased by editing the batch file. Be warned, though, that running it this way will affect ALL images in the folder! If you've got some little 16x16 bitmap (or something), it will be ENLARGED to 512x512 (or whatever you've edited the batch file to say!)
 
Might be a good idea to go through the texture folder you want to convert before you do anything and make notes re: those odd files and put them back into their proper format once this process is run, since for me they don't seem to cause problems - for me the problems only stem from anything larger than 1024 X 1024, plus anything that requires the image to be flipped, which can be ANY texture size (I do this with DXTBmp); I downloaded some things last night I can play with to learn on, let's see what happens.
 
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