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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 26th Jul 2009 at 2:56 AM
Default Multi-colored patterns
Im having just a bit of trouble making patterns with more than 2 colors. Im doing everything according to the tutorial but then once I get to the pattern packager, if I choose 3 or 4 and preview its just white. (Or if I change the color its which ever color solid, basically it hides the design). Im not using a vector program because no matter how much practice I have, I CAN NOT understand Illustrator. Either way, most patterns look decent only 2 color but I would love to do more than that. Oh let me add that at the end of the tutorial your supposed to copy the image into a new file only under the green channel, which is what Ive been doing but I tried to just use all channels and it gives me more colors but more or less just lightens or darkens the image, If that makes any sense. So is there something simple Im doing wrong or does photoshop only allow for 2 colors? Or am I supposed to be coloring them in photoshop via seperate layers? (Which also doesnt make sense because you desaturate) I need help.

Thanks
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Eminence Grise
#2 Old 26th Jul 2009 at 4:35 AM
For a four-color pattern, the final bitmap -- the one you save as .dds -- should be set up as follows. Each CHANNEL (not layer) in the bitmap should contain a grayscale image; so the four images are stored in Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha. For each grayscale image, the white pixels go where that channel's color will show; the black pixels go where that channel is transparent. If you have gray pixels, they will tint whatever is underneath them with the channel's color.

Let's say you have a flower pattern which is gonna have a blue background, yellow petals, red center, and green leaves. The bitmap in the Red channel should be solid white; that's the background, and it will show wherever there isn't something on top of it. The bitmap in the Green channel can be the petals: it has white where the yellow petals in your pattern will be, and black everywhere else. The bitmap in the Blue channel will be white where the red center of the flower will be, and black everywhere else. The bitmap in the Alpha channel will be white where the green leaves of the pattern will be, and black everywhere else.

This final image will not look anything like your desired pattern in Photoshop, which is why it's recommended to set up your pattern FIRST in a different image using layers instead of channels, and then paste the layers over to the channels of the final image one at a time. Then save the .dds, open the pattern packager, specify four colors, select your defaults, and click "preview".

Not sure if I understand your problem well enough to be sure that'll help, but maybe it'll clarify what you're aiming for
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 26th Jul 2009 at 5:18 AM
ok so on the final step when im getting ready to save the image to .dds I am NOT supposed to Select All, copy, make new, click only on green channel and paste. Each seperate color has to be a seperate layer and pasted into a seperate channel? Im still not quite understanding. I tried to do something simple like a red rose, green stem, white background. I cut the top off the rose and placed it in new image under Red channel, did the same with green stem under green channel, then left background alone. Was this what you meant?
Eminence Grise
#4 Old 26th Jul 2009 at 6:43 AM
In the final image, there should be only one layer. In fact you can ignore the layers palette on this image altogether, and just look at the channels.

It's convenient to set up your pattern in a "prep" image, with one layer for each color; then you can paste each layer into a different channel of the final image.

Quote: Originally posted by Tonya1026
I cut the top off the rose and placed it in new image under Red channel, did the same with green stem under green channel, then left background alone. Was this what you meant?


The background has to be pasted in the Red channel, and it should be solid white (that gives a solid color background). The channels are stacked in the final pattern in the following order: Red at the bottom, then Green, then Blue, then alpha (if you use it) on top. If you put the background on top, it will cover everything else up.

So, the Red channel should have a solid white image, Green should have white pixels where the flower head is and the rest black, Blue should have white pixels where the stem is and the rest black.

There are various methods of achieving this, but that's what you're aiming for.
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