Topic: [solved] Creating masks in photoshop for use in AGS tutorial

[GoToHellDave]

This is a step by step guide on creating a mask for use in adventure game studio from photoshop (cs5 but it should work with older versions), importing the mask and changing the image size.

Firstly, Open your image.

You may want to change the size to make sure it will be suitable in AGS

Go to image/ Image Size then change it something suitable. It's easier if you have it set to pixels.

Next hide or delete any of the layers you do not want to use, the eye symbol next to each layer or right click delete layer or even use the bin icon.

Next select a layer or a group, if it's a group right click, then merge group

Then right click and select stroke, or select it from the fx button at the bottom of your tool bar.

once on the stoke layer style set it to max 250 and inside the colour doesn't really matter at this stage

Do this for each layer and you should end up with something like this

use this colour code: a6caf0   I just found it the easiest to make masks with it

Then paint bucket over all your layers using this colour

The go to mode/ indexed color

Change it to system windows

Then when you come to save it make sure it's a bmp

and 8 bit is the only option viisible ( it should also have mentioned 256 colour earlier.)

Now putting it in engine, load up your level, select the import mask from file option.

This error message will appear if it's a different error message it maybe hasn't worked properly.

Then the mask should be visible like this

Then just fill in the mask with the paint bucket and if it's a walk behind area drag the line down into the appropriate place. This level will have many separate walk behind areas.

This is my first tutorial hope it helped

and check out our game. http://www.facebook.com/GoToHellDave?ref=ts

[Anian]

While I applaud the effort, you might want to think of the level of familiarity with PS you want to choose, because a person who made an entire background with objects in separate layers and make groups etc., probably knows how to delete a layer for example.
So maybe an intro (short text) of making a background with layers, might be helpful.

[GoToHellDave]

Indeed that is true, but it is a step by step guide, so any level of expertise can use it. For instance Our artist creates the backgrounds then I edit them. I don't have his level of expertise to create the background but I know how to use them effectively in engine. Just hope it helps people, it took me a while to get it to work on Photoshop, originally I was using a mixture of Photoshop and paint, but it's much better to do it all through Photoshop.