New XL GPL Type Horizon - 2D Horizon Tutorial Part III v1a
It may be necessary to dimmen the images in GIMP for night tracks (My Notes: This will come up later after the images are coloured to avoid doing it for two images (one light and one dark)).
But it doesn’t end there, there’s a way of making the skies in your image transparent. Why is this useful, because it means you can see the different sky files for NR2003 (I'll talk about what they mean in a different tutorial).
Colouring the horizon can take a while. I will include something on how to colour the skies to match the horizon in a later part. It uses the colourize feature in GIMP.
This part of the tutorial explains how to do:
-Transparency on the Horizon (colouring the image)
-Dimming the Horizon Segments (For Seeing NR2003 Skies in a Night Track)
The material you need is in the last part: Part II, which includes the links. The 3do materials are also in my last three tracks, Jasper, Moon, and Sugar.
Transparency on the Horizon (colouring the image)
My Transparency Method So Far
I excluded BMP to PNG (in GIMP) to TGA to MIP (in WinMip) Method - Reason, Important note; What you want to be transparent can be any colour, just as long as that's not the colour in your image, because, whatever is the same colour as what you are making transparent will also disappear. You may not see them all by the naked eye until there in the game (which is frustrating. I had small holes in my Jasper Horizon that I could not see beforehand). This method only did black transparency (one colour). (Currently Retesting - Diffrent If exported from GIMP)*
So, as you've guessed you have to colour the sky in the least likely colour so only that is transparent. It will take some patience.
Colouring every Pixel (my old method)
This is Called Type 4 or Type 7 Transparency (I guess)
For Your Horizon
-Get your image you have made for your horizon, colour the sky one colour in paint. (Can be tedious but the outcome is too good to miss)
Note: after reading my old method, see my new method below in brackets (saves time)
Back up previous files and copy the ones you are doing into a folder called colouring (If needed)
Usually it is this specific colour of pink (because it is the least likely colour to be in an image), but can be any colour, just as long as that's not any of the colours in your image.
-For large areas, I select and crop and press cut. I also copy segments, I've already painted (the step pattern your seeing).
-NOTE: Zoom in to get every pixel. I carefully drew along it with the pencil in the same colour.
-IMPORTANT: Match up the images to get it the sky matched exactly between the segments. Make sure it is the same zoom level and the slider is lined up.
TIP: It may be easier to do this before you split up the images then you may not have to do the important step mentioned above.
Each segment should look like this:
Or you could use an image editor to get an area transparent faster (my new method).
I forgot I could do this halfway through colouring; sorry about that.
-Go to https://www.online-image-editor.com/ upload your image, click on advanced, and select transparency.
-Notice fuzz factor; that is what is going to get most of the sky. Turn this up until you see no fuzz between the sky and the horizon. Note that you may have to experiment on which works the best, you can always press undo.
Click to remove on your selected area and it disappears. If you find it's taking the mountains or horizon in all settings, then you might have to carefully draw over those parts manually, and then use the editor, which is also why those colouring steps above are important. In addition, the edit may not get to all of the parts e.g. if you have trees in your horizon, you need to colour them manually then do the editor for the sky.
Remember to re-save your image as a 24BMP, then colour it as specified above any colour that is not on the bit you want to show. Make sure it is the same fuzz factor for each image unless there is something on your horizon that is a bit different e.g. clouds. This ensures they would all line up correctly.
Ignore the “you will lose transparency” message when turning a PNG into a BMP.
Lastly look for any specks on the image that weren’t coloured and fill those in, and also resave the files as a final (bold) PNG in a folder named PNG.
-Remember that if you have six segments reflected, you only have to colour these then reflect them onto themselves (horiz0-horiz5). Also, remember to save regularly in case you have to press undo. Go to rotate and flip horizontal to reflect an image.
Now there all pink (or the colour you have chosen to make transparent).
Process the mip files You have coloured (horiz0-horiz11)
Save using these settings
Good settings
10 Sum-Im
mip
(Type 4 or 7!) Mapp 0
4 Priority (Try changing this to get better imagery. 4 is recommended)
-EXTREMLY IMPORTANT: To avoid getting grey images from using Type 10 shift+click, please tick TYPE 4 or TYPE 7 then hold down shift, then click on the colour you want to be transparent (the pink colour).
Don't worry I am currently learning how to do Type 10 Method, and involves exporting from GIMP as a TGA after you've selected the colour you want to be transparent, then WinMip 2 automatically picks that up for you to turn into a mip with the transparency already set.
I'll update this later.
Notice the box left changes colour
Save the file repeat for the remaining eleven segments. Remember to check they are all the same file size as mentioned before otherwise one of them could be in the wrong setting.
That online image editor really (bold)cut down the time didn't it? I do not know how I forgot about it.
NOTE: Please keep the PNG Transparent files, you will need them to dim the sky the next part.
An Example of finished work so now you'll see the NR2003 Skies.
Remember to place the sky and ground made earlier.
For a night track, you will need to dim the images in GIMP
Make sure you use the PNG transparent image without the colour you want to make transparent added or that will be dimmed too. You should have a PNG Folder. The transparent colour will be re-added after the dimming.
With your PNG images go to colours, Brightness-contrast, and turn your brightness right down to zero (0 to -127). You do not need to do contrast as it distorts the image.
*Continues In Part IV Due To a Maximum of 25 Attachments*
The tutorials are clones of the one on Stunod and Armory Digital. Please check the links in case of question and answers on both:
https://www.adrd-forums.net/index/threads/2d-horizon-tutorial-part-iiiv1a.357/ (Armory Digital)
https://stunodracing.net/index.php?threads/2d-horizon-tutorial-part-iii-v1a.14771/ (Stunod)
It may be necessary to dimmen the images in GIMP for night tracks (My Notes: This will come up later after the images are coloured to avoid doing it for two images (one light and one dark)).
But it doesn’t end there, there’s a way of making the skies in your image transparent. Why is this useful, because it means you can see the different sky files for NR2003 (I'll talk about what they mean in a different tutorial).
Colouring the horizon can take a while. I will include something on how to colour the skies to match the horizon in a later part. It uses the colourize feature in GIMP.
This part of the tutorial explains how to do:
-Transparency on the Horizon (colouring the image)
-Dimming the Horizon Segments (For Seeing NR2003 Skies in a Night Track)
The material you need is in the last part: Part II, which includes the links. The 3do materials are also in my last three tracks, Jasper, Moon, and Sugar.
Transparency on the Horizon (colouring the image)
My Transparency Method So Far
I excluded BMP to PNG (in GIMP) to TGA to MIP (in WinMip) Method - Reason, Important note; What you want to be transparent can be any colour, just as long as that's not the colour in your image, because, whatever is the same colour as what you are making transparent will also disappear. You may not see them all by the naked eye until there in the game (which is frustrating. I had small holes in my Jasper Horizon that I could not see beforehand). This method only did black transparency (one colour). (Currently Retesting - Diffrent If exported from GIMP)*
So, as you've guessed you have to colour the sky in the least likely colour so only that is transparent. It will take some patience.
Colouring every Pixel (my old method)
This is Called Type 4 or Type 7 Transparency (I guess)
For Your Horizon
-Get your image you have made for your horizon, colour the sky one colour in paint. (Can be tedious but the outcome is too good to miss)
Note: after reading my old method, see my new method below in brackets (saves time)
Back up previous files and copy the ones you are doing into a folder called colouring (If needed)
Usually it is this specific colour of pink (because it is the least likely colour to be in an image), but can be any colour, just as long as that's not any of the colours in your image.
-For large areas, I select and crop and press cut. I also copy segments, I've already painted (the step pattern your seeing).
-NOTE: Zoom in to get every pixel. I carefully drew along it with the pencil in the same colour.
-IMPORTANT: Match up the images to get it the sky matched exactly between the segments. Make sure it is the same zoom level and the slider is lined up.
TIP: It may be easier to do this before you split up the images then you may not have to do the important step mentioned above.
Each segment should look like this:
Or you could use an image editor to get an area transparent faster (my new method).
I forgot I could do this halfway through colouring; sorry about that.
-Go to https://www.online-image-editor.com/ upload your image, click on advanced, and select transparency.
-Notice fuzz factor; that is what is going to get most of the sky. Turn this up until you see no fuzz between the sky and the horizon. Note that you may have to experiment on which works the best, you can always press undo.
Click to remove on your selected area and it disappears. If you find it's taking the mountains or horizon in all settings, then you might have to carefully draw over those parts manually, and then use the editor, which is also why those colouring steps above are important. In addition, the edit may not get to all of the parts e.g. if you have trees in your horizon, you need to colour them manually then do the editor for the sky.
Remember to re-save your image as a 24BMP, then colour it as specified above any colour that is not on the bit you want to show. Make sure it is the same fuzz factor for each image unless there is something on your horizon that is a bit different e.g. clouds. This ensures they would all line up correctly.
Ignore the “you will lose transparency” message when turning a PNG into a BMP.
Lastly look for any specks on the image that weren’t coloured and fill those in, and also resave the files as a final (bold) PNG in a folder named PNG.
-Remember that if you have six segments reflected, you only have to colour these then reflect them onto themselves (horiz0-horiz5). Also, remember to save regularly in case you have to press undo. Go to rotate and flip horizontal to reflect an image.
Now there all pink (or the colour you have chosen to make transparent).
Process the mip files You have coloured (horiz0-horiz11)
Save using these settings
Good settings
10 Sum-Im
mip
(Type 4 or 7!) Mapp 0
4 Priority (Try changing this to get better imagery. 4 is recommended)
-EXTREMLY IMPORTANT: To avoid getting grey images from using Type 10 shift+click, please tick TYPE 4 or TYPE 7 then hold down shift, then click on the colour you want to be transparent (the pink colour).
Don't worry I am currently learning how to do Type 10 Method, and involves exporting from GIMP as a TGA after you've selected the colour you want to be transparent, then WinMip 2 automatically picks that up for you to turn into a mip with the transparency already set.
I'll update this later.
Notice the box left changes colour
Save the file repeat for the remaining eleven segments. Remember to check they are all the same file size as mentioned before otherwise one of them could be in the wrong setting.
That online image editor really (bold)cut down the time didn't it? I do not know how I forgot about it.
NOTE: Please keep the PNG Transparent files, you will need them to dim the sky the next part.
An Example of finished work so now you'll see the NR2003 Skies.
Remember to place the sky and ground made earlier.
For a night track, you will need to dim the images in GIMP
Make sure you use the PNG transparent image without the colour you want to make transparent added or that will be dimmed too. You should have a PNG Folder. The transparent colour will be re-added after the dimming.
With your PNG images go to colours, Brightness-contrast, and turn your brightness right down to zero (0 to -127). You do not need to do contrast as it distorts the image.
*Continues In Part IV Due To a Maximum of 25 Attachments*
The tutorials are clones of the one on Stunod and Armory Digital. Please check the links in case of question and answers on both:
https://www.adrd-forums.net/index/threads/2d-horizon-tutorial-part-iiiv1a.357/ (Armory Digital)
https://stunodracing.net/index.php?threads/2d-horizon-tutorial-part-iii-v1a.14771/ (Stunod)
Last edited:
