FF7 PSX pre-rendered backgrounds to replacing the ones of FF7 PC version?

  • Thread starter Thread starter frivol
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I have successfully put modified field files back in game. It is not easy to do and requires a lot of work with layer masks.
 
If by error you mean the info line from show_missing_textures, that is intentional. It shows you that FF7 was trying to use palette 12 first, but the driver defaulted to palette 0 instead. Although field backgrounds have many palettes they never use the same part of any texture with different palettes so having a separate texture for each palette is not necessary.
 
Oh I see, wait I'm not sure if I understood correctly what you said, so should I rename the textures in this case? Also you said "the driver defaulted to palette 0 instead" I do not understand this part.

P.S.: sorry my newbie questions and also I wanted to thank you for your awesome work!!
 
"md1stin_04_12" is refering to palette 12 of the texture "md1stin_04", but since that file doesn't exist the driver loads "md1stin_04_00" in its place. With field backgrounds this is a Good Thing (tm) and you don't have to do anything to rectify the situation.
 
As I said you cannot just resize the image.  You need to use layer masks in PS and you should not use adobe resizer.  If this task is to be done, Genuine Fractals is the only option.
 
Aali but the background I edited is not being dispayed in the game, that´s one of the reasons why I was not understanding what you said, I even thought your driver was loading the old background instead the edited one (as a way to fix any problem related to backgrounds) althought I understand now that it makes not sense since there is a modified background file in the flevel lgp calling the new edited pngs allocated in the Textures folder, so I do not understand what is happening or what I´m doing wrong. What should I do to get my edited background working in game?

As I said you cannot just resize the image.  You need to use layer masks in PS and you should not use adobe resizer.  If this task is to be done, Genuine Fractals is the only option.
Click to expand...
DLPB I tried with onOne Perfect Resizer (previously known by the name "Genuine Fractals"), so this is the same plugin you are talking about (which I have used for the last year and I love it) but I still get a not matching background with green lines, I have tried some different methods such us trying to convert all layers to a single smart object and resize them all together which seems to work,but actually don´t because you can not get back your layers properly resized. But a lot of people here is talking about layer masks and I´m not sure what you guys mean with that, I´m going to google it anyway, but still I will be gratefull if you tell me what you mean exactly with layer masks.

Thnx in advance!!
 
Last edited:
You dont need to modify files in flevel.lgp anymore. Field files can be replaced via modpath. Basically whatever show_missing_textures is asking for will be loaded if you provide it.
 
If you are doing what I think you are, it will never work.  If you resize any individual part, they will come out being non uniform to each other.  These differences will be a problem.

The way I would assume to do it (ask sl1982 he has done it) is to resize the whole picture as 1, and THEN cut out the pieces from the completed picture.  That way you have used resize on the WHOLE picture AND THEN cut out the pieces.

I might be talking crap there.  Sl1982, you're on  :mrgreen:
 
Step 1: Remove all traces of flourescent green from the images
Step 2: Figure out where there should be pure black that has been interpreted by palmer as transparent. Fill these in with black
Step 3: Take all the layers from each png and put them in the main background image, making sure to keep them as layers.
Step 4: For each layer you need to select everything that is non transparent and save the selection.
Step 5: Merge all layers
Step 6: Resize with your preferred resizer
Step 7: Load each saved selection and cut them into their own layers
Step 8: Make each layer into its own PNG image and save them according to the original file names
Step 9: Profit
 
yeah I knew that.   ;D

Basically, it is a shit load of work.... and not as easy as simple resize = success.
 
Step 2: Figure out where there should be pure black that has been interpreted by palmer as transparent. Fill these in with black
Click to expand...
When does this happen? Its not supposed to get it wrong.
 
I cannot remember offhand when it happened, and honestly I am not sure if they even need to be filled in with black or not, but that was just one of the steps that I used. The only reason I thought it may be wrong as the transparent pixels were on the main background image and in the middle of the image itself.
 
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond and help me with this. After following most of the steps that sl1982 provided -which I combined with some other tricks-, I get now a perfectly resized and matching background, but I´m still getting the "missing textures" msg, and I´m unable to understand why it is missing (sorry that I´m so noob  :-\). To clarify this, I´ll put here the steps I´m following, with some images that will help me to explain my problem in a better way:

1- In Palmer I open "md1stin" file (train station, the first background we see in the game)

2- I hit on "Export PNG from layer" (still in palmer) and then I get 4 different PNG files (from "md1stin_0_00000000.png" to "md1stin_0_00000516.png")

3- Now the resizing/editing process in photoshop:



4- After a successful background resizing, I overwrite the old PNGs with the modified layers I got in Photoshop.

5- In Palmer again (I had not closed the program before), I hit on "Import PNG to layer" so I get my resized background sucessfully Imported.

6. Now, still in Palmer, I hit on "Save Field file", so I get 5 new different PNG files (from "md1stin_00_00.png" to "md1stin_04_00.png") and a field file ("md1stin") which will replace the old one.

7. I copy the field file ("md1stin") inside the folder "flevel" ("...\Final Fantasy VII\direct\flevel") and the new PNG files I got inside the "textures" folder ("...\Final Fantasy VII\textures").

8. Finally I run the game and I get the "missing textures" msg, and I noticed the game is loading the old background because I did put one big red text on it in one of my previous attempts. So I´m lost, I thought I was doing things right, but I guess I´m definitely doing something wrong.



Thnx again for all the help you are giving me!  :)
 
You shouldn't use the field file palmer produces, its not necessary anymore. Just put the PNGs it creates in mods/<your modpath>/field/md1stin/
 
YAY!! I finally got it working, Thank you so much Aali!! The problem was the path, I even did not notice that the "missing textures" msg was giving me the path itself, my bad lol!!  :roll:

Thank you again guys, I hope this thread help more ppl.
 
Last edited:
Yeah the app log shows you what is needed :)  if you used fractals, please upload your png so I can see.
 
Sure! This is how it looks when I collapse all layers, but I need to improve it since it was only a simple resizing with some other little editing to test all this.

(1024*1024 - I tried 2046*2046 but Palmer does not let me import it.)


(I would like to show an ingame picture when I do a better attempt with this resizing/editing thing, this one doesn´t like me so much).
 
If this works ingame with the same quality as it is, I think you should start a new thread in Team Avalanche forum since I believe this will be very good.
 
Avalanche is for recreating graphical effects, not just applying a filter.
 
Yeah, but isn't it to tweak FF7 to make it look better? This is from this idea I came...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top