Tutorial about generating transparent PNG's for use as tokens in a VTT or similar.

[Midgardsormr]

So one quick usage question. I scanned the documentation you linked to, and based on that, this should work.

If I use the command
convert in.jpg -resize 10000x200 out.jpg

I should get an image that is 200 pixels high, and the width will remain elastic. Is that correct? Is that the best way to accomplish it, or is there a wildcard of some sort to get IM to ignore one dimension?

[icosahedron]

A chap who is using my app has discovered that to make tokens you need to make transparent images and is worried that he will spend half a lifetime drawing alpha transparency masks for all the images he wants to use. He is making a sci-fi world so I thought id use some non copyright NASA images to show what can be done and why its not going to take as long as one might initially think if you know a few tricks.

Just a note from the chap who 'instigated' this tutorial.

Thanks for the interesting and informative tutorial, Redrobes, I didn't know any of that and I might be able to apply it one day. (I'll figure out this repping business shortly).

Unfortunately, this brings me back to the very reason I chose Viewingdale in the first place - these drawing programs are so difficult to learn in a short space of time. They all seem to be made by professionals for professionals.

You all use these things with such instinctive skill, but here's how it looks through the eyes of a beginner:

Firstly, you need to learn the controls of the software; then you need to know what an alpha channel is, what it is used for and how to access it and work with it with this particular software; then you need to know what anti-aliasing is, how it affects your image and how this particular software controls it; then you need to know what match colour tolerance is, how it affects your image and how this particular software controls it; then you need to know that expanding the image by a few pixels is a good idea and you need to know how to make the machine do it; then you need to recognise that increasing the brightness and contrast will help you to paint the thing white and you need to know where the controls are to do that; then you need to know that something called soften exists, you need to know what it does and how it will improve your image, then you need to figure how to make the machine do that - and that's just for the 'simple' image in your first example, and it assumes you can even find an 'edge' to draw around amongst the drop shadow.

Add to that the fact that I don't even know what it is that I need to know, and that the instructions for each operation are buried in a manual the size of an encyclopaedia that I have to read cover to cover to pick out which bits might be relevant...

All that just to import an image I can stamp down on a map!

If you only have a couple of hours a week to map in (say it's a back-burner activity for a GM and you want to spend most of that time making maps for next week's game) it can be easier just to find a simple paint program with an eraser that can be set to black, white, or 'transparent' and sit clicking pixels for a few days - at least you can pick that up and put it down in a tea break.

[Midgardsormr]

Bear in mind that Redrobes is a geek of the highest order: the type who builds his own tools from scratch.

I've got a little bit of the technician in me, which is why I asked the questions I did, but for most purposes, I'm more of an artist. Most of the time, I want to find a tool that does what I tell it to do with a minimum of fuss.

I'll try to find some time to write up a supplementary tutorial to do what you seem to need at the moment: make building stamps quickly and easily. For now, I need to do some detailing on my Perspective homework, which is due in two hours:

[Redrobes]

Yes all very valid points there. I think I am the worst at explaining stuff in simple terms.

Heres a simple example. I have a cyberman I took with my digi cam and have it on some black paper. I have made three transparency images. First is just the cyberman outline, second is same but has dark grey oval in middle and 3rd is where I have blurred the white version a lot and then added the white back in again. This last one gives a halo effect around him. Putting all three into the app next to each other shows what your going to see. Where the dark grey circle is shows some of the black paper but allows a lot of the floor pattern through too. Basically you can do semi-transparent icons this way.

I'll see if I can add the VMI file's as a zip at the end. You would need to create icons for those images to get a cyberman in your scene. I posted that cyberman as a PNG file in my challenge entry Dec08 for those Gimp/PS/PNG based users.

[icosahedron]

Yes all very valid points there. I think I am the worst at explaining stuff in simple terms.

Not at all - I've probably learned more about transparencies from that tutorial than I've picked up myself in the last five years.

I'll just lurk and learn for a while.

[RobA]

There is a good tutorial at gimptalk on this in gimp:
http://www.gimptalk.com/forum/cuttin...tool-t769.html

(I apologize for the title... for some reason people there call "removing the background of an image" "rendering" as opposed to the conventional CGI use of the term rendering, which confused the heck out of me.... I think it comes from the PS selection tool having the word render in the dialog...)

-Rob A>

[jfrazierjr]

hmmm... I wonder if Redrobes likes Dr Who?

[Redrobes]

hmmm... I wonder if Redrobes likes Dr Who?

I do but its that I was trying to use sci-fi stuff and its all I had. I have a few planets and the odd ship but its nothing that I can use as a demo.

I played Traveller once or twice at least twenty years ago. I cant remember a thing about it. I did a little Shadowrun too but again not enough for a campaign. And then there's Paranoia which is amazingly silly. Judge Dredd the board game is AWESOME but we haven't played that for a while now but we used to do that once a year or so... anyone play that...

Anyway, got an hour or two free now so ill make some snow tokens.

[Redrobes]

RobA: Thats a good way to do it. For tools that support PNG with alpha then cutting it out is probably the best way. I like the idea of a curve based selection area, my PSP does not have that. I will have to jump ship to something else one day.

I have been making snow textures for Ico. Couple of pics. Will upload a token patch shortly. I have always found doing snow immensely hard - maybe I dont see enough of the real stuff to know what its supposed to be like.

A few of kimmos characters in there - notice that the mage walks on the sunny side of the street heh heh.

[jfrazierjr]

I played Traveller once or twice at least twenty years ago. I cant remember a thing about it. I did a little Shadowrun too but again not enough for a campaign. And then there's Paranoia which is amazingly silly.

Heh...

Trust The Computer. The Computer is Your Friend.

What a funny game...