Paint.NET Tileset Problem

Post by **Fleexy** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:01 am

OK, I'm trying Paint.NET out. I really like it's interface and features, but I can't get it to work with tilesets. This is what I do:

Load my custom Keen color palette (which I have verified as correct)
Load 2TIL0000-G.BMP (KeenGrouted Keen 2 Tile Bitmap)
Make my changes, etc...
Save, using AUTO-DETECT COLOR PALETTE
Load up KeenGrout and DeGrout
In 2TIL0000.BMP, all white turns to black. <-- PROBLEM!

So, help me please! I can go back to MSPaint (and I made an error.bat to extract the graphics over the ruined bitmap to fix it, but Paint.NET has so many cool features that I want to use! Again, HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!

>>FLEEXY<<

And thanks in advance :)

Tulip · Post by **Tulip** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:08 am

Paint.Net is useless for editing Keen bmps. It doesn't save with less than 256 colours and will always mess up your palette. Try opening your bmp in another program like gimp that actually supports 16 colour bitmaps, and save it there with a proper Keen palette.

lemm · Post by **lemm** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:21 am

Here are two editors designed for pixel art:

Graphics Gale

Made by a japanese guy, mostly free, but you can't save animated gifs unless you buy full version. What I use.

Allegro Sprite Edtor

Spleen posted this earlier... it's completely free and has many useful features as well.

CommanderSpleen · Post by **CommanderSpleen** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:52 am

You could try the workaround I need to use in order to edit my graphics with Kolourpaint (which also refuses to save at lower than 8-bit) under Linux:

Keep a copy of the original 16-colour bitmap, along with a 24-bit duplicate. When you want to import the graphics back into the game, open the 16-colour in GIMP (other programs may work, but I've only tried it with GIMP) and paste the 24-bit image into it. Saving now should retain the original palette.

I'm yet to figure out a more straightforward way to do this. Tried all sorts of things like manually editing the palette in a hex editor and running ImageMagick routines over it, but to no avail. A GIMP script to automate the above process would be handy, but there were so many backward things about that scripting language that I decided it wasn't worth my time.

It would be nice if Modkeen didn't use such a restrictive image format. It seems MS Paint, GIMP or Photoshop are the only programs you can expect to have minimal problems with as far as saving files goes.

CommanderSpleen · Post by **CommanderSpleen** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:32 am

Hmm. Did you use modkeen or keengraph to export the graphics? I have just discovered that keengraph uses 8-bit bitmaps instead of 4-bit. I think keengraph may just be the miracle solution to our problems here...

Here's hoping. I shall keep you informed after running an experiment.

Edit: Nope, it looks like KolourPaint just ruins it all by doing something stupid like shrinking the palette. Damn.

Looks like we still need something separate that will convert 24-bit bitmaps into an 8-bit or 4-bit bitmap with the correct palette... Any volunteers?

levellass · Post by **levellass** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:35 am

Hey ho hup-lah!

Can you give me an example of a Kolor Paint bitmap? If it always does something to the palette in a predictable way I could add it to KeenGraph simply enough.

Likewise with 24-bit bitmap support, if anyone wants it. (Note, I'll probably use the first imported bitmap to build a 'palette' out of.) I'm always looking to increase compatibility with things and things. :)

CommanderSpleen · Post by **CommanderSpleen** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:09 am

If you can make KeenGraph work with 24-bit bitmaps (remembering of course that it's possible some colours will not match up and the program needs to deal with that), that would be brilliant.

I'll upload a KolourPaint-mangled bitmap from both Modkeen and KeenGraph soon. Kind of in the middle of a lot of things right now.

Edit: The bitmaps have been posted in the KeenGraph thread in Keen:Coding.