Problems generating a skin

[rserban]

I am trying to generate a VG skin with NxSkinGen. I'm using gimp under linux. Long story short, I cannot get the right bmp. As far as I can tell it should work: it is an 8-bit bmp.
I attached a zip with two files: VGtemplate.bmp which is the bmp exported from NxSkinGen and test.bmp which is the one I generated. Could someone take a look at test.bmp and tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks,
--Radu

[JackAxe]

Hi Radu,

How do I download this ZIP?

<]=)

[rserban]

I did attach it. I understand that it takes a while until attachments are visible. Otherwise, if you are willing to tell me what's wrong with my bmp, I could probably email it to you.
Thanks,
--Radu

[rserban]

I am (obviously) very naive when it comes to digital photography. But I thought I'll be able to generate a 256-color BMP!
Whenever I open such a BMP in Nxskingen the color palette is all wrong.
Oh well...

[rserban]

OK, one final question: is then the color palette for the bmp fixed?!??
Anyone?
Thanks.

[TheSpies]

i made a color palette for gimp- it contains the 232 (yes 232) colors that will be available in palm.

also its easiest when using gimp to work on a copy in RGB then copy the area and paste into the original indexed image. changing the color values for the black area seems to fry it when you load it in NxSkinGen.

[rserban]

So I was right? The color palette is fixed? Did you extract it from a bmp exported from NxSkinGen?

I'm still a little bit confused as I cannot see how I'll be able to control the colors I want in the skin! I was doing exactly what you suggested: I started on an RGB copy and then I tried to paste it into the original indexed image, which forced the original indexed palette....

(If I convert to 256-color indexed the RGB image I was generating for my skin, its palette will contain only shades of blue, and many of them)

Any trick that I'm missing? Is there any way to use my image for a skin?

[TheSpies]

You can only use the fixed palette of the palm os. I made the palette converting a couple of jasc ones i found and playing around with it a bit. It will also match pilrc's color matching algorithm.

[rserban]

TheSpies,

Thans a lot for all your help. I thought I'll just post the image I wanted to use for my skin and ask you if there is any way I'll be able to continue with it?!? As I said before, if I just paste it into a bmp with the 'correct' palette all the colors are messed-up.

Anyway, here's the image:

http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~radu/bckgrnd.bmp

(image available HERE (http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~radu/bckgrnd.bmp))


--Radu

[cbulock]

Originally posted by rserban
As I said before, if I just paste it into a bmp with the 'correct' palette all the colors are messed-up.

Do you mean you get different colors, or just the colors don't look right. Because with any image, it's going to not look near as good as the origanal since you are reducing the amount of colors and only choosing colors from a very particular palette.

[rserban]

Best to show than tell :) Here is what I get after pasting into the template:

http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~radu/convertR.bmp

(image is HERE (http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~radu/convert.bmp) )

What can I do about this?


OT: How do I get a line break after the image so that the rest of the message doesn't appear to the right of the image? :confused:

[cbulock]

I think that is the best you can get. Maybe you would be able to mess with the dithering, I'm not that familiar with Gimp, but thats pretty much the best you can get out of a 256 color image.

[rserban]

:( Too bad. I guess I'll have to start from what I can get and not from what I want to get.

Thanks to all that replied,
--Radu

[TheSpies]

I can get a little better than that with my palette, maybe even a little more with mucking about with a few color values, but you are kinda limited.

[TheSpies]

*Note* eventually a pic should show up there ^^

[rserban]

TheSpies:

Could you please send me the gimp color palette for the plam that you mentioned? My email is HERE (raduserban@yahoo.com)

I tried to extract it from the bmp exported by NxSkinGen, but that bmp only uses about 37 colors and I'd like them all!

Or else, can you direct me to a bmp that uses all of them?

Thanks,
--Radu

[TheSpies]

It's sent. enjoy!

[rserban]

Thanks!