DDS save settings for Face tint files ? (Body-Head Tint problem when saving)

[JimFever]

I want to tweak an existing and working perfectly FaceTint file for an NPC. (The face head texture and body tint match perfectly with the skin set used)

I just adjusted the eye make up part in photoshop to make it less heavy and saved the DDS using DXT5 - ARGB , 8 bpp - Interpoled Alpha setting.

 

As you can see here (jpg previews), the only difference is around the eye make up and no other color value is modified, so, unless i missunderstandand how facetint files work, the facetint should be the same and preserved.

 

Original FaceTint DDS :

 

 

Modified DDS :

 

 

 

I dont understand since now i have a face tint global mistmatch between the head and the body like in the pic below :

 

 

So my guess is that something is screwed up in the DDS saving process that change the global tint of the face

(or was it in opening ? DDS facetint are 8 bits files isnt it ?)

Both Previous and new DDS have the same alpha layer (plain white Alpha 255 255 255)

So i dont understand. is there some normal maps option or something else i should use ? is my DXT5 format valid for Facetint files ?

 

Thanks in advance since i m clueless after a simple modification...

Edited October 25, 2018 by JimFever

[Algabar]

Okay, since noone has replied so far, you'll get some "half-knowledge" from me...

 

You're probably right, that the slight neckseam is caused by the compression format. EVERY type of compression has the downside os slightly changing colors. Just the way it is. Therefore it is very important, which colour settings you choose: "linear" (the standard in Skyrim) wil give different results than ARGB. So, having chosen the "wrong" type may explain color differemces.

 

Another thing, that puzzled me is the DXT 5 format. DXT 5 means texture with additional alpha layer. Depending on the type of texture, this alpha layer is intepreted differently by the game engine: In normal maps, the "alpha channel" is in fact the so-called "specular map", which basically determines, how "shiny" an object is. White means "very shiny", black means "absolutely dull". In diffuse maps (the usual, coloured textures), the alpha channel indicates transpareny, with white meaning "fully transparent" and black "solid".

Technical details aside: I don't see the point in adding an alpha channel to a tintmask. So DXT-5 for a tintmask sounds unuasual. Normally, I'd simply use DXT-1 (texture without alpha channel) or DXT-7/BC-7 (better looking, but still compressed newer format) for tintmasks. Beware: BC-7 is only supported in Skyrim SE, not in "Oldrim", where it can crash the game...

 

Unfortunately I can only point you into a certain direction: Find ouit, which format was used for the original tintmask. After editing the file, save exactly to the same format. Or: Use "racemenu" as an ingame tool. This way you don't have to worry about file formats at all.

[JimFever]

Aaahh, finally somebody trying to help, thank you :smile: ! I was suprised nobody answered and thought an answer would pop up like "hey just get sure to click THAT parameter because blabla" but nope :sad:

Looks like a stupid simple thing to me that goes wrong but i m still clueless.

 

Thank you for the tips about the alpha channels and other textures use by the game engine. Always good to know and define precisely how they are used. (i got a better knowledge of Alpha channels than speculars and others sub use textures tbh...)

 

 

Anyway, as mentionned in my question i dont get how that HUGE tint gap between the original file and my little modified file happens in.. the save process (?) (the face skin should have that very orange tone with this lighting here, just as the torso, the original have it...). Since, my saved file have the same true/full white alpha chanel ( = the tint layer should be fully opaque if that alpha channel is ever used in this case), or at least used in the same way, and give the same tone then.

 

Sadly my DDS plugin for photoshop looks outdated, i ve heard only recently of that DXT7 format but its not in my version (DXT 1,3 and 5) v 8.55.0109.1800 from NDivia. Years back i used to produce tons of DDS for some car custom textures without any color corruption problems but there were no potential transparency involved, if its the cause here of the tint gap, which i m not sure.

The whole face making in Skyrim / & SSE is giving me headaches on every aspect... I still dont get what is wrong, even if your comments makes me wonder about a few fix solution.

 

Sorry to ask such a sounding lazy question but do you have any reliable source for a newer DXT plugin ? (a few months ago, it tooks me more than an hour before finding a working DDS plugin while i would find it in 15 seconds 10 years ago *sighs*)

Edited October 28, 2018 by JimFever

[Algabar]

As I said - unfortunately I'm no expert on tintmaks. I mostly worked with weapon and armour textures. Except for some normal map tweaking (but there exact colors don't matter) I never tried anything reagrding body textures...

 

The plugin I'm currently using comes from Intel:

https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-texture-works-plugin

 

There's another one by nvidia, but it seems it hasn't been updated for years... The Intel plugin works - even with the latest version of Photoshop. Hope that helps at least a bit ^^

[JimFever]

Oh it did@Algabar, but not the way i expected, but thanks to your plugin version yessss. So big thank you :)

 

So... i installed your version and removed mine and kept on trying like 5 or 6 different save format (from DXT1 to that DC7 format in its variants). I got various results, all wrong, some of them looking the same as my previous tests and some even worse with a bigger tint gap. Almost gave up untill i REOPENED the original DDS (with your plugin then) and found out a totally different result than before. (i made my new tests starting from my PSD, which have basically the (supposedly correct ) original DDS, then a layer with my little tweaking, flatening all before exporting...). So, the "stupid thing" was in the opening, with my plugin version, i either screwed up something in the opening settings (my version have more options than yours for opening DDS), or its just not working on those files, i coulnd tell. Anyway, thats how the FaceTint TRULLY looks here (i put my modification on the right for comparison purpose ^^)

 

 

As we can see, we are far from that blue-ish tone that showed in my first version opened (and then) explaining that big tint gap. Nothing was screwed in the save process so.... I exported in simple DC (DXT)1, color only (no alpha), 32 bpp no compression for quality. Because... the other difference is that i got no alpha layer in the file when opening with your plugin version, so your comment on that was on point ;) !

 

Here is the result. hmm i might adjust my tweak on the make up like a little less but that works and, as "stupid" as it was in the end, now i know what was wrong. Thanks for you help dude :)

 

 

[Algabar]

Glad you found the cause of the issue and got it working! :cool: And thanks for the update!

[JimFever]

Your much welcome. The thing is that i... litteraly made hundreds of DDS in another contex, for Rfactor1 and older car simulators during more than 10 years, opening and saving every kind of DDS files (from templates or directly ingame files) after reworking them heavily too, and i ve never encountered such a thing as a color "shift" while just opening any DDS ever like it was the case here o_O Thats weird. You never stop to learn i guess... On a joke side, and about plugin Intel beats Ndivia by 1-0 then :laugh:

 

Errr... A totally offtopic pic, containing a bunch of edited (actually fully reworked and designed) DDS. :

 

 

#FeelsNostalgicMan #FeelsOldMan :ninja:

Edited October 31, 2018 by JimFever