Alternate Kill Decals

[+Piecemeal 450]

I've created the basic details of some new kill markings based on the stock ones. The idea I have had is to help prevent having the front fuselage of an aircraft covered in red stars by creating a kill star for five kills, ten, twenty-five; and a combination of all to create the decals in between.

Anyway, I've created twenty five or so over the past couple of days but I'm having REAL bother with getting them to work. I know that the TGA needs to be saved properly but I've searched high and low on the web and here at CA for a "tutorial for dummies" on creating/editing TGAs using GIMP 2.6. The ones I've found are either too technical or just aren't very well put together. I'm absolutely useless with image editing software.

 

Here's an example of what I'm doing:

SampleTGA.rar

 

Anybody with a skill for decals out there that's willing to have a look? I'm almost screaming with frustration at this stage

[+ianh755 196]

You haven't "cut-through" the Alpha Channel layer. When you add the Alpha Channel you need to paste the decal into the Alpha layer, then delete (use eraser) over the decal. This cuts-through the Alpha Channel to show the decla below.

 

Here's a quick 7Mb AVI of me doing a decal for you to watch. It may not be the best way but only takes about 90 secs per decal.

 

http://www.ianhenshall.com/sf2/decal.avi

 

***EDIT*** - If your Stars are on different layers for my way to work all the stars must be grouped into a Smart Object so that there is only 2 layers - The background and your complete decal.

Edited February 28, 2012 by ianh755

[Wrench 9,426]

this might help some...

 

scroll down to my post, #9

[+logan4 845]

Piecemeal, if you have the original file in Gimp as a layerd file - meaning the stars are on a different layer and a separate background layer, than the only thing you need to do is to turn off the visibility of the background layer and save the image as a .tga.

I'm not sure which original format you use (psd, icx or other layered format) as the basic.

 

Like on my attached pic, layer1 is the background color, it is off and if I save the file as it is shown then only saves those 2 selected visible layers on the tga. Automaticaly applying the alpha channel to the tga without any hassle.

 

logan4

[+Piecemeal 450]

You haven't "cut-through" the Alpha Channel layer. When you add the Alpha Channel you need to paste the decal into the Alpha layer, then delete (use eraser) over the decal. This cuts-through the Alpha Channel to show the decla below.

 

Here's a quick 7Mb AVI of me doing a decal for you to watch. It may not be the best way but only takes about 90 secs per decal.

 

http://www.ianhensha...m/sf2/decal.avi

 

***EDIT*** - If your Stars are on different layers for my way to work all the stars must be grouped into a Smart Object so that there is only 2 layers - The background and your complete decal.

 

Hi Ian. Thanks for the tutorial. GIMP is a little different in set up than Photoshop but I got the gist of what you were on about. Tried it with one of the TGAs - no joy

 

 

this might help some...

 

scroll down to my post, #9

 

Hi Kev. What? Where? I checked the post history on your profile but I could only see the past five posts you made

 

Piecemeal, if you have the original file in Gimp as a layerd file - meaning the stars are on a different layer and a separate background layer, than the only thing you need to do is to turn off the visibility of the background layer and save the image as a .tga.

I'm not sure which original format you use (psd, icx or other layered format) as the basic.

 

Like on my attached pic, layer1 is the background color, it is off and if I save the file as it is shown then only saves those 2 selected visible layers on the tga. Automaticaly applying the alpha channel to the tga without any hassle.

 

logan4

 

Hi logan. No offence bud but I kind of lost track of what you mean half way through. When it comes to images I'm like a caveman with a Clancy novel

[+Piecemeal 450]

Noticed on thing as well. I'm teaching myself using a TGA with no alpha channel. But when I add a layer and name it "Alpha 1" - another alpha channel automatically appears as soon as I paste onto the channel I created:

 

[Wrench 9,426]

wwwhhoooppps!!

 

my fault, brothere!

 

forgot the copy in the damn link!!

 

here be:

http://combatace.com/topic/70674-2-colour-tail-number-decal-how-to/

[+logan4 845]

Hi logan. No offence bud but I kind of lost track of what you mean half way through. When it comes to images I'm like a caveman with a Clancy novel

 

No problem, I myself am also a rookie in this field. Personally I never use the channel tab on the gimp. When I create a layer I use other names, like this pic only with the transparency option, then draw, write or copy the things I want to put on that single layer. The program automatically creates an alpha channel for the layer not need to add to it.

[+Piecemeal 450]

I think I've chewed enought of the desk for one night. I'ts 3am here. Time to pop my sleepers methinks before I start chewing more MDF. I'll have a go at it again tomorrow evening when I get back home. As I stand now, I'm just completely and utterly baffled by this imaging enigma. Later folks

[+logan4 845]

Check out the files contained in this zip. It was created from the tga you gave in the first post, still needs some color correction as I didn't botherd with it. the tga was simply "saved as" from the basic file with a turned off background layer. Play/tweak/experiment with it to your likeing.

tempkillmark.zip

[+Piecemeal 450]

Cheers for that logan. I was able to sort out the background layer on the second image ('Killmarkbasic'). Went to save it. Just be sure, can you clarify one thing for me? :

 

[+logan4 845]

It relatively unimportant as it only relates to the created tga, you can chouse either. I normally leave it on the merge option and press export (or just press enter). After that you will get an other window asking the save option. There it is important that you leave empty the "RLE compression" option

 

Sorry for the late reply as I work in evening shift and just finished.

Edited February 29, 2012 by logan4

[+Piecemeal 450]

No joy. I don't know why but I just can't seem to get my head around this. I've been trying this for the past couple of days and hitting a brick wall every time. I don't understand this at all. Normally I pick thing up pretty easily but this TGA business escapes me. I thought I had sorted out the enigma of it earlier but it's gone from my head again.

I've got twenty five improperly formatted TGAs (1-25) that I put together by using TK's stock ones as a template. A lot of the work I did on them was basically cut, copy & paste stuff (I can't paint for s**t) so I don't know if that's got any bearing on the problems I'm encountering.

The only suggestion I can make at this stage is if anybody wishes to finish what I've been working on, they can send me a PM and I could e-mail the files to them. They can even if they wish claim credit for the job.

[+logan4 845]

Don't give up on it mate. Your killmark works see the pic bellow. Unfortunately the plane I used had no more room for decal on the nose mesh so its on the fuselage of it.

 

Why you think it is improper format? Can your problem be a wrong call out in the decal.ini? or a position thingy or maybe an already full mesh with decals? I had this later happen to me many times.

But it is your call, all I can say, take few days off from it then take a look at it again.

Edited February 29, 2012 by logan4