Hi all, i am trying to work on a theme for the Droid X. Can anyone tell me why some of the images open in photoshop incorrectly and more to the point how to fix them?
I cant post a link apparently to the image or a http link since i'm new but
You can view the image here. http:/ / dl.dropbox.com/u/6769503/8bit.jpg
Is there a setting or something I can change in PS to open these correctly?
Thanks for your time.
KraYzeE
krayzee said:
Hi all, i am trying to work on a theme for the Droid X. Can anyone tell me why some of the images open in photoshop incorrectly and more to the point how to fix them?
I cant post a link apparently to the image or a http link since i'm new but
You can view the image here. http:/ / dl.dropbox.com/u/6769503/8bit.jpg
Is there a setting or something I can change in PS to open these correctly?
Thanks for your time.
KraYzeE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the original file extension? .png?
I had this same problem with some .png files wich had transparency in windows image viewer, but not in photoshop.
My solution was to open it in Paint.net and save it, rewriting the original image. Please be sure to set the transparency correct whilst saving in paint.net.
Download Paint.net
Thanks for the reply, yes it was a PNG, ill try paint.net but i would really like to use Photoshop. I cant understand how it can mess up the transparency and anti alias like that.
Update: Paint.net does indeed open the file correctly... so while i do now have a solution. I would still like to find out why Photoshop (both CS4 & CS5) open it incorrectly ?
Well technically 8 bit pngs are indexed images with a varying amount of colored pixels and then varying amount of transparent and semi transparent pixels so some programs might not like this. I would recommend gimp over ps as its similar but doesn't have this issue.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
that image actually seems correct, can you post an image of the alpha channel? then we will know if photoshop is not reading the file correctly
As one poster said, it's because the images is indexed. If you do Image > Mode > RGB, it will un-index it. I must warn you though, PS is HORRIBLE with indexed images. Use GIMP/Paint.NET to un-index it to save yourself a headache
JAguirre1231 said:
As one poster said, it's because the images is indexed. If you do Image > Mode > RGB, it will un-index it. I must warn you though, PS is HORRIBLE with indexed images. Use GIMP/Paint.NET to un-index it to save yourself a headache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh but then you lose the 8 bit optimization, even running optpng will not put it back to index png cause it will ossy optimize it. So just use gimp.
Thanks for the replys guys.
Here is an example image.
http:/ / dl.dropbox.com/u/6769503/btn_circle_pressed.png
If you open it in PS, you will see what i mean, changing it to RGB does not change the image. I can open it correctly it Fireworks, then save it without making any changes, and then i am able to open it in Photoshop correctly.
This will do for now in case anyone else runs into this issue. The file size isn't too much bigger this way, so it will work for now.
Thanks again to all that helped.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1631008/btn_circle_pressed_fixed.png
Here's the image fixed, it was indexed... all I did was open it up with osx Preview and save it again. Or you can try this gimp they all talk about but I think it's overkill to switch to another program just because 1 or 2 images are weird, especially after you paid for your copy of Photoshop.
DBBGBA said:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1631008/btn_circle_pressed_fixed.png
Here's the image fixed, it was indexed... all I did was open it up with osx Preview and save it again. Or you can try this gimp they all talk about but I think it's overkill to switch to another program just because 1 or 2 images are weird, especially after you paid for your copy of Photoshop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help. I don't have OSX and i absolutely cannot get used to Gimp. but opening it in adobe fireworks and saving it again right away does the trick, so although it's a pain, its simple to do.
If anyone ever figures out a way to directly open these types of files in Photoshop i'd be glad to know.
Cheers
KraYzeE
krayzee said:
Thanks for your help. I don't have OSX and i absolutely cannot get used to Gimp. but opening it in adobe fireworks and saving it again right away does the trick, so although it's a pain, its simple to do.
If anyone ever figures out a way to directly open these types of files in Photoshop i'd be glad to know.
Cheers
KraYzeE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that works but your removing the indexing. Android uses indexed pngs wherever possible because this saves space and resources, if you changed every file in the android system to rgba your phone would be noticeably slower.
If you change it to rgba and then run optipng on it you'll see it will not index cause it can only lossy optimize, but if you set the mode to index and then optimize it you'll notice then file will be considerably smaller with little or no image quality loss. So in short your removing a vary important optimization feature of the android system.
If your looking for a quick image conversion tool try image magick, this will allow you to write scripts to convert them png24/32 to png8 and back whole folders at a time.
well as we do with video it's always better to work with uncompressed, high res images. Then when everything is done and set in stone we compress and optimize without loosing too much image quality.
If i had to start a theming project I'll probably do the same, convert everything to high res, work on it then compress to a more optimized format.
DBBGBA said:
well as we do with video it's always better to work with uncompressed, high res images. Then when everything is done and set in stone we compress and optimize without loosing too much image quality.
If i had to start a theming project I'll probably do the same, convert everything to high res, work on it then compress to a more optimized format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah for video thats fine, but in theming and specifically for this file gimp will allow you to work on the indexed file and you literally can not tell the difference with the indexed file being atleast 50% smaller. Maybe this would make sense with an image that has alot of quality or is high res but in this instance it a loss of time and added steps when the same could be accomplished with industry standard tools.
Related
I want to make a thread for both those that are already Dev'in themes, and those that want to start, can trade info and techniques. For example:
(Program)
Photoshop Editor:
Then a description of a given process...
Etc.
I know that there are How To's, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=471586 but I'd like a more direct, and detail orientated place to discuss the specifics. I've tried a few attempts myself and found that some programs work, some don't. Plus, since the prices of some of these programs are as high as $600, and the fact that there are thousands of web-based programs, it'd would be nice to see what works best for who, and how.
Hopefully, this will turn into a good resource, and we'll soon have a forum full of the most excellent themes.
MODS: Let me know if I'm outta bounds and I'll fix. This is my first time makin a thread so it ain't all that.
To Do:
*search and post Theme Developement info for Windows, Linux, and Mac
These are links to useful threads related to different parts of theme developement...
Key Files Chart:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=r_ua-t_U23ci5_oxwQ4mGrg
Creating your boot animation:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=527200
Progress circle style/color editing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=540830
Editing .XML's:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=479019
How to use baksmali/smali:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537779
General Theme Developement:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=467639
Using DrawPatch-9:
http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/draw9patch.html
Signing made easy:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=473580
photoshop is my primary weapon of choice but I've also found that for minor edits like color changes touchups transparency changes and resizes photoscape and fotoflexer work pretty well especially when I'm at work and decide to mess around because I can't install photoshop on my work computer due to administrator locks I just downloaded photoscape and installed to the documents folder and fotoflexer is an online image editor and both are free
Okay... here is something very usefull...
You know those pesky indexed files right? they corrupt if you open them in photoshop?... I figured out how to remove the indexing... first you need to download and install Paint.NET off of the web... and then install(of course)... and then open any indexed file in Paint.NET... then save it... and it will be un-indexed... ... this will be very usefull for lots of people... cuz it is for me!
I like paint.Net myself. Its free and if you load the plugins available you can get a lot done quickly and easily.
Best tip is to make sure you save stuff in layers so that if you only need to edit part of an image you can.
Another tip is after you finish your edits you can expand the canvas on all sides by 1 pixel then use solid black for doing the .9 marks. Once done you can dump your files right into the latest eclipse and draw9 isn't even needed which saves a lot of time.
Also 7-zip is just amazing. You can use the file manager to move files between zip files and apk and even jar files without unpacking or packing over and over.
I agree with beagz 7zip is a must it makes it a hell of a lot easier when porting your themes for new builds another life saver is the android sdk lot s of useful information in there and eclipse for compiling .9 images which there are samples of in the android sdk to show you how to do the guides properly like beagz was talkin about in his previous post because if you mess one of those your phone can end up totally screwed
This is easy
Apps
.zip/.apk management: 7-zip (the most important part of theme development)
image manipulation: GIMP
Software
sign/resign files: Java JDK
.9.png editing: Eclipse to compile the apk
Pre-reqs
ADB working properly through the command prompt
Applications that make theming possible for Jonnybueno
I use Photoshop for images. Hue and Saturation(ctrl+u) is my best friend for changing the color of stuffs. For hex editing, I use HXD, outlined in this thread by Stericson: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=479019.
For signing, I use Stericson's Autosign.bat. If you don't know, you can double click on this to pull up the command prompt rather than launching the command line and then typing "autosign". Also, you can copy the file path by right clicking while holding the shift button on Vista.
And finally, for notification text, I use Ohsaka's colorChange.jar. Along with this really simple batch file.
White text:http://sharebee.com/b6b43290
Which is just one line(that I'm too lazy to type everytime I update)
Code:
java -jar colorChange.jar theme.zip ticker=FFFFFFFF clock=FFFFFFFF date=FFFFFFFF ongoing=FFFFFFFF latest=FFFFFFFF clear=FF000000 network=FFFFFFFF roam=FFFFFFFF
Resources
For viewing source to reference those xml files, I use these sites
Cyanogen source:http://github.com/cyanogen
Android reference (stock): http://developer.android.com/reference/android/R.attr.html
And then this website for finding just the right RGB codes: http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
Tips
I've learned that it is totally possible to rotate .9.png files using windows without having to redraw them and that images don't have to be the original size. There is a limit to how big you can go... but i have no idea what that limit is.
Oh and for different colored(other than black) notification text for downloads, edit the only xml file in DownloadProvider.apk/res/layout. For example, 0800001C 000000FF becomes 0800001C FFFFFFFF. In case you're confused, whats happening is that you're changing an ARGB code (which is backwards, so you're looking at BGRA... see stericson's thread please) from black (000000FF) to white (FFFFFFFF).
Working from Linux (Ubuntu) I've found File Roller to work as nice and easy as 7zip in Windows for working with zip/jar/apk.
GIMP is my gfx editor of choice in both worlds. Glad I discovered you don't need draw9patch to put the .9 guides in - draw9patch is a pain to use!
In Windows I use XVI32 a hex editor, ghex in Linux.
testsign.jar is all you need to sign - very simple from command line in both Linux and Windows
/Mats
I use Adobe fireworks for image editing a little easier then photoshop and has styles for lazy ppl like me and winrar full version for managing the apk's and zips and png crush setup to right click and crush pngs for compression if your update is too big.
I know this thread has been dead for a while but I see new phones linking to it as a resource for themeing, so I wanted to let you know that I have compiled a huge amount of information into one guide, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=667951 for detalis
As a side note: you might want to note the fact that my tutorial for changing/creating boot animations is for pre-2.1 builds (unless someone really decides they want a pre-2.1 boot animation on their phone, of course). I havent got around to updating the boot animation tutorial for 2.1+, cause thats going to be a looooong post.
Hey guys, I may be way off on this... but just tell me if my thinking is sound.
One of the things I see people doing in themes and roms is optimizing all of the png's for a smaller file size. At first glance, that seems like the thing to do -- Less in memory, less size = better.
But I know that on applications that need to load images very fast it is always better to make them as uncompressed as possible. That way, in order for the system to show the image, the cpu has less to uncompress before displaying it.
An example would be on my HTPC. There are all kinds of fan art and huge wallpapers that change with each click to the next menu. So when I switch from Music to TV Shows. My wallpaper switches from a picture of AC/DC to a picture of the cast from "House". The first thing everyone will tell you to do is convert them to bitmaps. Bigger file size but way less for the cpu to do in order to show it. This helps with not having a delay or one of the pictures not showing up for a split second.
Now I know we can't use bitmaps because we need the transparency. But with such little cpu power on these phones, wouldn't we want the pngs to be as uncompressed as possible?
As I said, let me know if there is something I am not thinking of. The answer could be as simple as the cpu required to uncompress the pngs has less impact that a few more megabytes of memory being used. Not sure if anyone has done any testing on this.
You can try re-saving with minimal compression using IrfanView or a similar tool (even Photoshop I'm sure).
Oh, the I am a web developer. I work with image compression everyday. Thats not the problem, I just wanted to know if anyone had considered this or if there is another reason I'm not thinking of.
Hi, I need help with a boot animation I am making. I followed all the instructions for it and its still not working. I just get a black screen during boot where the animation was supposed to happen.
This is for my Nexus 1 btw running CM 6.1.1. the boot animation is basically a siege tank from Starcraft 2 setting up and then packing up again.
I placed the zip in /system/media
Each png is 180x135.
Can someone please look at the zip and see what I am doing wrong? it would REAAAAAALLY help.
More than likely your missing an empty line at the end of your desc.txt, common problem.
Added extra line , didn't work
I added the extra line at the end of desc.txt and its still the same result. Ugh.... I have uploaded the new revised zip.
One problem that i had run into is that i was not zipping them in the least compressed format. make sure that you use fast(minimal) compression.
Compression
Yeah, I tried it both ways with WinRar and 7-Zip and made sure it was set to "Store" as the minimal to no compression option.
Here is my suggestion. This is the desc.txt file i use for all mine and it works fine. Change the resolution in the file and try using that one.
Desc
heres the bootanimation.zip with a changed desc.txt file
YES!!!!!!!!!! ^.^
ianreecej said:
Here is my suggestion. This is the desc.txt file i use for all mine and it works fine. Change the resolution in the file and try using that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG Thank You!!!! It works perfectly now. I don't know what happened before. Now I am going to try to mess with the resolutions to see if I can get everything bigger and cleaner.
Do you by chance know if there is a limit to the size of the boot animation? I made it 8mb because I wanted to keep it lean and fast. If its around 25 mb, will that affect performance?
demoneyes905 said:
OMG Thank You!!!! It works perfectly now. I don't know what happened before. Now I am going to try to mess with the resolutions to see if I can get everything bigger and cleaner.
Do you by chance know if there is a limit to the size of the boot animation? I made it 8mb because I wanted to keep it lean and fast. If its around 25 mb, will that affect performance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Problem. The limit is really the space on your internal memory as far as i know. If you can fit it on there it should be fine. I know for myself with a droid incredible i can go to about 20 megabytes but that is only again due to my limited internal memory. If you were to move some apps to the sd card etc you can probably free more space.
Drop me a PM if you have questions or need a hand anytime.
Just had a look at your desc.txt and the problem was that all the info was on one line instead of seperate lines for each string of info
-RES +FPS
-NUMBER OF PLAYS + NAME OF FILE ( EACH FILE NEEDS ITS OWN LINE AND PLAY COMMAND)
-EMPTY LINE
Hope this helps you shed some light where you had your hiccup.
Also I found its the fps and image size that affects the animation.
If you have a high quality animation (KB/MB not res size) and a high fps it will struggle to render the images and result in sluggish playback. Try optimizing your images to squeeze that little bit extra out.
dully79 said:
Just had a look at your desc.txt and the problem was that all the info was on one line instead of seperate lines for each string of info
-RES +FPS
-NUMBER OF PLAYS + NAME OF FILE ( EACH FILE NEEDS ITS OWN LINE AND PLAY COMMAND)
-EMPTY LINE
Hope this helps you shed some light where you had your hiccup.
Also I found its the fps and image size that affects the animation.
If you have a high quality animation (KB/MB not res size) and a high fps it will struggle to render the images and result in sluggish playback. Try optimizing your images to squeeze that little bit extra out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bro for your advice. I had the same problem.
I ran into a major issue last night.
This was REALLY pissing me off, you know one of those things that SHOULD be working but isn't. Whenever I view the decompiled apk (framework-res, and systemUI)
The files are decompiled everything looks correct, but when I open the image files in cs5 they look all blurry as hell. I have attached some screenshots. Make any sense to anyone?
Just curious why the images would show up that way once they were pulled into PS. Its not just that image, its all the images. Does anyone know how I can resolve this or even prevent it from happening?
Can I not use Photoshop CS5? Dreamweaver CS5 seems to handle the XML files like a pro.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Try without decompiling - its not needed just for replacing icons - use any zip program to open apks
cdesai said:
Try without decompiling - its not needed just for replacing icons - use any zip program to open apks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that too. The first pic is the picture preview in the folder. It only happens when its open in PS. Very strange. I can open it in paint, and the the icon is normal (just loses the transparency, of course).
Open the img with paint.NET first, then save, then you can open it in photoshop.
I think this is an issue with the img being indexed in photoshop, something like that.
It's an indexing issue, ps dies not do it right. Open the images in either paint.net or the gimp. Switch the mode to rgb, save then you can open them fine in ps
What a pain in the ass. Opening them all in paint.net now, this might take me awhile. lol
Hi I' a web designer and graphic artist, not much android developer, I've made this intent of a bootanimation.zip, even make the zip with KEKA for mac osx ppc and photoshop, but somewhat it is just showing a black screen. I'm attaching the zip file, could you check it out and tell me what would be wrong with it?
I cannot attach the file, so I've uploaded, if someone can download it and check it, I would appreciate letting me know why this is only showing a black screen on my tablet.
Thanks.
Gus
p.s: here is the file http://gusduenas.leftandrightsolutio...tanimation.zip
any help.
;(
What device?
----------------------------------------------
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ideas:
Spoiler
-launcher/lock screen
-line rider type game where you control the character
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-roller coaster tycoon style game
-many more!
Just message me which idea you want info on and I'll tell you!
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check on the link I've posted and see what would be the problem, thanks for your help.
gusduenas said:
check on the link I've posted and see what would be the problem, thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
link is broken...
Homebrew animation [SOLVED for Mac users]
Finally! I've just solved, many threads were correct the problem with the bootanimation.zip is the compression so I've downloaded the stuffit plus and I set the preferences to no compression and expert mode to the middle between faster and smaller compression level 8 and I've opened in the stuffit archive manage one of the many bootanimation.zip files I have from original and finally I got it good! :good:
Now it is working this solution is specially for all mac users (like me) with photoshop and stuffit archive manager. When in the window of the stuff archive manager, you are able to navigate the files inside the zip, so the better is to erase the originals and replace by yours, don't forget to have the desc.txt written good.
As an extra precaution, when you finally have all your files made in photoshop jpg, go and open preview and re-save them as jpg again in order to have a regular jpgs, maybe is nothing but I've just wanted to be sure since the bmp from photoshop is not read as a boot_logo by android, so my those are my two cents.