Editing backgrounds...

[EmperorSteele]

Hey...

I wanted to play around with some of the background files in photoshop... just for shitz and giggles.  However, upon extraction and decompression, the files no longer have extensions, and photoshop refuses to open them.

So, uhm... help? =.

[Darkdevil]

Give them extensions then ^_^

[mirex]

Im not sure which background do you have in mind, but i would guess that they are in unknown-game-format which graphic editors cannot open ... maybe some tool is needed to put them into some known format ...

[trickstar66]

Or you could just give it extensions and see if they work...

[Cyberman]

Hey...

I wanted to play around with some of the background files in photoshop... just for shitz and giggles.  However, upon extraction and decompression, the files no longer have extensions, and photoshop refuses to open them.

So, uhm... help? =.

Backgrounds for FF7? PC or PS1? Or... what game for that matter?

The background information for FF7 is complicated and convoluted. <- nuff said

For FF7 you have to consider the following.
Basically the background information consists of 16x16 groups of pixels that are placed in a virtual screen larger than the visable screen, in FF7's case the visable screan is 320 x 224
However the backgrounds can be as large as. 1088x240 pixels (Ancient forest). So size can be quite deceptive. The size limitation is the PS1's VRAM (since it was developed originally for the PS1) or 524288 pixels. However this is deceptive in the fact that the game doesn't scroll the whole screen, and uses palettes to create the background information on the fly.
In any case the backgrounds are limited in size.  There is also the fact they have animation layers as well as 'sprite' segments so that objects can be walked around sat on or move (streams pitcher plants in the ancient forest etc.)

You can extract a background for FF7 PS1 using 7mimic (by SnailRush) and edit it to your hearts content, with careful work you can do all sorts of things. However at the end of the day you still need to stuff it back into the games files.



Cyb

[EmperorSteele]

I just wanted the texture files from the PC version.  LGP tools can preview them, but even giving them extensions doesn't work when I extract.  Photoshop says something like "Couldn't find format marker" or something.

I've even tried an "open S", but still, nada.

But yeah, i tried the extension thing.. BMP, TGA, jpg... tried 'em all.  then i tried a .tex and hoping photoshop would at least TRY.. but no.

So really, what i need to know is what part of lgp tools is used to recognize and decode these images, and how can i integrate such a thing into PS?

and yeah, for ff7.  My bad, i forgot people discused 8 around heere, too =P

[halkun]

Ok, that's because FF7PC uses a special file format that only it can use.

TEX files are file only made for FF7, and only FF7PC an it's related hacking tools can read them. It's not a standard and is actually a hack of the non-standard PSX TIM file. Your best bet is to cut/paste using a screenshot

[mirex]

I just wanted the texture files from the PC version.

Im not sure now, backrounds are stored in files with .TEX extension ?
If you want to take texture files with .TEX extension into Photoshop, you can, extract them with lpgTools and convert them with my tool Biturn. Get it from my homepage.

[ficedula]

...or you could save them from LGP Tools

When you're viewing a TEX file, right-click on it for a "Save as BMP" option.

[EmperorSteele]

Uhm..

Fic, i tried that.. it doesnt seme to wanna work =/  Doing it with things like, peoples EYES work, cuz they have the extension, but the background are extension-less, and therefore, the saving as" doesn't wanna work.

I'd try the screenshot thing, but a lot of these backgrounds are oddly huge... i'd be doing a lot of copy/pasting.  ah well ^_^

thanks everyone, anyway...