Tutorial Basic Skin Editing With Photoshop

[Prometheus]

-Programs You Need-
Adobe PhotoShop CS2 (You must register to DL it)

Wc3 Image Extractor​

Note: You need to DL this and put it in the folder that the Wc3 Image Extractor II is in.
If you have an error with Comdlg32.ocx then DL this and replace the one in the Wc3 Image Extractor II folder.

1. Open up War3 Image Extractor and find the chimera skin as I'll be editing it. Right click on the skin name a select save. You should save it as a .tga. Its in Units\NightElf\Chimaera\Chimera.blp


2. Load up PhotoShop(it takes a minute) and open up the chimera skin. Make sure you save it as the Supported Images(*.tga, *.blp, *.jpg) or PS will not be able to open it correctly.
Note: You can hold control and press + or - to zoom in or out.


3. Goto the top and open the tab that says selection. Now click on the thing that says "Load Selection". A new window should pop up. Load the Alpha 1 Selection.

It should look like this


4. Now on the top tabs goto Image<Adjustments<Hue/Saturation. I want to change the Chimera's color to Gold so I set the Hue to 146. Now I want to make it brighter and more vivid so I set the saturation to +53. Make sure you have the Preview button checked, its at the bottom right of the window.
It should now look like this.


5. If you noticed now there are little patches of purple that were changed so click ok on the Hue/Saturation editor and click on the "Load Selection" thing again. You may have noticed the "Invert" option when you 1st went to load the selection. Click it now and load it up. It should look like this.


6. Open the Hue/Saturation Editor again and set the Hue to 146 and the saturation to +53. The whole thing should be colored. *If you don't like the color and lightness, fool around with them till you get a combination you like. Mine looks like this.* (The part in * * applies to step four too.


7. Reload the original selection and save it. Now open it with Wc3 Image extractor II and save as a .blp only. Set the Image Quality to 75 or higher, I usually use 100 because my maps are small. I suggest 80 because it looks about as good and it reduces file size by quite a bit.


8. Open up the map you want it in and goto the import manager. Import the .blp of the skin from where ever you saved it. Double click the imported skin, click use custom path and replace whats there with Units\NightElf\Chimaera\Chimera.blp

Here is our reskined Chimera!


~Anything I can add on to this Tutorial? Please Post With Your Comments~

 

[xflip04]

I think its pretty sweet, I have seen a few tutorials on this but I like to see more then one showing different units

I cant really think of anything that you could add atm

 

[Prometheus]

Just follow the steps with a different skin

 

[Uberplayer]

This is very helpful and good tutorial! Keep going!

 

[Prometheus]

I've made the final outcome picture better and touched up the beginning.

 

[Andrewgosu]

Good tutorial, but there are ALOT of tutorials teaching hue/saturation. I think its time to move things up a little

 

[Prometheus]

I'm going to make another one about adding on symbols and stuff

 

[Andrewgosu]

Great to hear.

 

[corvusHaunt]

KC, take a look at my two tutorials, and make sure you don't do the same thing as I've already done. I already think that two sets of 'Skinning with Photoshop' is too confusing and (no offense) possibly useless, maybe we could make a thread, and work it out so we can submit our tutorials in that same thread or something.

 

[Prometheus]

We can do all the tuts we want. You do yours and i'll do mine.

 

[Prometheus]

Who likes the idea of a "adding stuff to skins" tut?

 

[_Azuri3l_]

May be usfull.
You use Adobe Photoshop?
And something else.. try edit post dont double post..

 

[Jimpy]

Great tutorial Kc102, pictures are great too, really helpout the tutorial.

And Azuril, notice the date in which Kc102 posted in, its not a double post but more of a bump since they are a day apart.

 

[_Azuri3l_]

Sow sry xD

 

[Fillingen90]

please help me

How do i do to see how my char looks when im finish??

 

[Fillingen90]

im stuck at nr 8

 

[Sunny_D]

How do i do to see how my char looks when im finish??

there is an easy way to get a preview with your skin:

1) first google/search forum for "Warcraft 3 Viewer", download and install.

2) start viewer, open the mdx (model-)file where you want to attach the skin.

3) press 'Ctrl + M' to get to the remap function, emphasize the base-skinfile, click 'change' then browse to your edited skinfile (.tga, .jpg, .bmp, .blp i think)

anyway, the viewer is a must if you go on skinning

im stuck at nr 8

you can find out the correct path for the skins for example with the ImageExtractor II

 

[DemonOfNight]

can you make the tut for the stuff and things we add on the wc3 dbp???

 

[Prometheus]

can you make the tut for the stuff and things we add on the wc3 dbp???

Whats dbp?

 

[Naminator]

I can't find The Blood Mage -Kael somebody help!