AuthorTopic: Alpha Channel/Layer and Indexed Images -- a Pro Motion 6 issue  (Read 2305 times)

Offline skw

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Hi there!

I've just bought the full retail version of Pro Motion 6 and, I must tell you, I'm quite satisfied with it -- really, it works faster now, and a good number of some nasty bugs is now gone (like the inacurate reposition feature, problems witch undo while trying to get back to the previously resized version and such), except one thing. . .

Mainly, the alpha layer.

The thing is like this.  I'm currently working on a commercial project, as the tile artist -- so what I basically do is tilesets.  The problem is, however, that while making some natural flora elements---like, say, the trees or a variety of bushes---I need to have some transparent shadow layer underneath them -- so that they actually fit in every type of ground, soil, grass and whatnot.  This issue is, in theory, solved by introducing the alpha channel.

While working with indexed images, Pro Motion stores it in a separate file, as an additional layer.  It's not the case with some former graphics (done my an other artist), I mean, the ones that were used in the previous game the engine we're currently working with was built for.  There, the images are still indexed but the alpha channel is just another "slider value" following RGB -- and every color has its own alpha value (except the basic Red, Green and Blue variables, of course).

I don't like, then, how PM6 handles things -- it wouldn't be so much of a problem for me, but I'm afraid my employers won't be happy with it -- as that would probably require them to rewrite the program code of a ready engine just for the sake of matching this quirky restriction.

I've figured out that with the True Color images (we're still on the .PNG format), the alpha layer is saved within the image file (but not the palette, which is stored in a separate file).  My sets have to be 8-bit, though, so there's no chance of passing it by as a 24-bit image.

Is there any solution to that?  Is there a way to force Pro Motion to spit out proper images?

edit:

As it turns out, the question is solved within the range of my company's responsibilities.  They use some kind of a trick which is in turn connected with the ability of PNG images to contain RGBA values.  I've also spoken with Jan Zimmermann, the Pro Motion 6 creator, and he says there's some output filter that actually allows you to crate such an optimized palette in an indexed file.  I might edit this post again and provide you with the further solution if I obtain any,

and then the moderators may lock this thread up, I suppose.


Thank you!
« Last Edit: April 18, 2009, 02:24:21 pm by johnnyspade »
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