Changes

This tutorial is made for Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended version 10.0, but it will work on the other versions as well. This tutorial will help you not only learn how to make or edit Robot Arena 2 : Design & Destroy chassis skin decals, surface layers, and edge lines, but also how to reskin the arena textures, change parts of the game's UI. Also, “*.TGA”s with alpha channel are used a lot in most games, so you will be able to edit/create textures with alpha channels in other games too.

This tutorial is made for Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended version 10.0, but it will work on the other versions as well. This tutorial will help you not only learn how to make or edit Robot Arena 2 : Design & Destroy chassis skin decals, surface layers, and edge lines, but also how to reskin the arena textures, change parts of the game's UI. Also, “*.TGA”s with alpha channel are also used in most games, so you will be able to edit/create textures with alpha channels in other games too.

First, I must apologize that on some of the screenshots in this tutorial the mouse cursor, which becomes different when using some tools in Photoshop, may not look like it usually is. This is because my screenshot capture program which was suppose to capture the cursor also was bugy.

First, I must apologize that on some of the screenshots in this tutorial the mouse cursor, which becomes different when using some tools in Photoshop, may not look like it usually is. This is because my screenshot capture program (which was supposed to capture the cursor) had problems.

Now a little theory :

Now a little theory :

[[Image:2.JPG]]

[[Image:2.JPG]]

Now you can create a new document and draw whatever your decal will look like, or open a picture to copy a part of it as a decal. Go to File>Open select you picture and open it.

Now you can create a new document and draw whatever your decal will look like, or open a picture to copy a part of it as a decal. Go to File>Open, select you picture and open it.

[[Image:2a.JPG]]

[[Image:2a.JPG]]

[[Image:4.JPG]]

[[Image:4.JPG]]

This tool is very usefull when you want to select an object that is made of identical color. Our object is only made of identical red color so we set the Tolerance to 0, but if the object is made of colors that vary a little then you start adjust the value of Tolerance until it works fine for you. Now click somewhere inside of the object and it will be marked like this:

This tool is very useful when you want to select an one-color object. Our object is only red and of the same tone of red, so we will set the Tolerance to 0, but if the object is made of colors that vary a little then you start adjust the value of Tolerance until it works fine for you. Now click somewhere inside of the object and it will be marked like this:

[[Image:5.JPG]]

[[Image:5.JPG]]

[[Image:7.JPG]]

[[Image:7.JPG]]

This is usefull when the object is more complicated and made of different colors. Lets imagine this “N” is made of different colors. Start clicking on the edges of the “N” one by one, to close the selection click again on the first point you clicked. The more accurate clicking points you have, the more good and smooth the selection will look.

This is useful when the object is more complicated and made of different colors. Imagine this “N” is made of different colors. Start clicking on the edges of the “N” one by one, to close the selection click again on the first point you clicked. The more accurate clicking points you have, the more good and smooth the selection will look.

[[Image:Other.JPG]]

[[Image:Other.JPG]]

[[Image:9.JPG]]

[[Image:9.JPG]]

This way is not for people with shaking hands. This is free select mode where after the first click the lasso tool follow every moving with the mouse until its closed back to the first point. You can finish your selection by clicking again on the first point you clicked.

You need to be really careful here (and not to shake) if you want a decent result. This is a free select mode where after the first click the lasso tool follow every moving with the mouse until it's closed, back to the first point. You can finish your selection by clicking again on the first point you clicked.

[[Image:A.JPG]]

[[Image:A.JPG]]

Click on Color Range. Make sure all the options are set like this :

Click on Color Range. Make sure all the options are set like this :

This way is only if you want to mark exactly a specific/definite color. It will mark what color you select, but it will mark EVERYWHERE that this color exist on the image. Now click inside of the object on the image. Now you see what you have marked. The white is marked, the black not. As you can see the letters “NO” have very sharp edges. To select a object that is made of color that vary a little bit or just to make the edges more smooth you need to use the Fuzziness slider. Experiment with it to see what suits your needs best. Now click “OK” button.

This way is only if you want to mark exactly a specific color. It will mark what color you select, but it will mark the color EVERYWHERE it is on the image. Now click inside of the object on the image. Now you see what you have marked. The white is marked, the black not. As you can see the letters “NO” have very sharp edges. To select a object that is made of color that vary a little bit or just to make the edges more smooth you need to use the Fuzziness slider. Experiment with it to see what suits you best. Now click “OK” button.

[[Image:C.JPG]]

[[Image:C.JPG]]

Those were some ways of making/selecting parts of a image. Use whatever way you prefer, and mark what you have need. I will mark the letters like this :  

Those were some ways of making/selecting parts of a image. Use whatever way you prefer, and mark what you need. I will mark the letters like this :  

[[Image:D.JPG]]

[[Image:D.JPG]]

[[Image:Y.JPG]]

[[Image:Y.JPG]]

   

   

If you run the RA2 you will find the new decal you have just created. But you might see that there are some strange white bounds all around the decal (in this case all over the letters “NO”). This is because RA2 use the nearest pixels to smooth the edges of the decal. In this case, the color around the “NO” in our document is our background color which is white. If you don’t like this you can repair it very easy.

If you run RA2, you will find the new decal you have just created. But you might see that there are some strange white bounds all around the decal (in this case all over the letters “NO”). This is because RA2 use the nearest pixels to smooth the edges of the decal. In this case, the color around the “NO” in our document is our background color which is white. If you don’t like this you can repair it very easy.

[[Image:Z.JPG]]

[[Image:Z.JPG]]

[[Image:Zd.JPG]]

[[Image:Zd.JPG]]

   

   

After the color selection window is open, select a color that is the same with your decal color. Exactly pure red in our case with the “NO” letters. Click “OK” now.

After the color selection window is open, select a color that is the same with your decal color. Pure red (100% red) in our case with the “NO” letters. Click “OK” now.

[[Image:Ze.JPG]]

[[Image:Ze.JPG]]

[[Image:Save.JPG]]

[[Image:Save.JPG]]

   

   

Now, if you run the game and apply this decal you will see that there are no more signs of these “white bounds”. It does not matter that your whole picture is made of red color. The alpha channel is the one that will define what to draw and what not to. Yes, this means that you can full the whole document with some colors, but drawing in the alpha channel will define what and how to draw ingame.

Now, if you run the game and apply this decal you will see that there are no more signs of these “white bounds”. It does not matter that your whole picture is only made of red. The alpha channel is the one that will define what to draw and what not to. Yes, this means that you can full the whole document with some colors, but drawing in the alpha channel will define what and how to draw ingame.

[[Image:Zg.JPG]]

[[Image:Zg.JPG]]

   

   

If your decal is a complicated picture made of many colors the situations is way more difficult. I will not explain in detail how to do it in this tutorial, but i will tell only that you need to surround your decal edges with the same color that your edges are made of.

If your decal is a complicated picture made of many colors the work you have to do is way harder. I will not explain in detail how to do it in this tutorial, but i will tell only that you need to surround your decal edges with the same color that your edges are made of.

Now let’s learn how to make your decal with some cool transparency. Open you decal file again. Switch to work in the alpha channel.

Now let’s learn how to make your decal with some cool transparency. Open you decal file again. Switch to work in the alpha channel.

[[Image:Zh.JPG]]

[[Image:Zh.JPG]]

   

   

Open the color choose window again. Move the color select circle to the full left in the coloured box and move it only up and down. Doing this will allow you to very precisely select the percentage of your transparency. The more the grey comes to white, the more transparent, and the more the grey comes to black, the more non-transparent. Let’s choose for example the grey level to be like this. Click “OK” now.

Open the "color choose" window again. Move the color select circle to the full left in the coloured box and move it only up and down. Doing this will allow you to very precisely select the percentage of your transparency. The more the grey comes to white, the more transparent, and the more the grey comes to black, the more non-transparent. Let’s choose for example the grey level to be like this. Click “OK” now.

[[Image:Zk.JPG]]

[[Image:Zk.JPG]]