New Icon Creator Tutorial

dylbie

dylbie

Registered
Hi all. After spending about 6 hours creating icons manually I thought it would be good to create a tutorial and some batch files to see if we can simplify and speed up the process. Step 5-9 have now been simplified into one step by Chris on the rF2 Online Tools website.

@Seven Smiles and Chris (redapg) have done the hard work of actually finding/creating the code to simplify this process so all the credit goes to them.

Unfortunately you still have to do some editing of the screenshot you take for the icon, but this process will take out the laborious donkey work of resizing each image 4 times. I realise Studio397 will probably create a tool to do this very soon or change the way the UI works (which would be better!) so this tutorial will probably be obsolete soon.

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Step 1.

Download the Fixed White Showroom by @FuNK! here: https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/studio-showrooms.60630/


Step 2.

Use the White Studio ‘fixed’ version and take a screenshot of the car.


Step 3. (Probably the trickiest/most time consuming part)

Get the screenshot into photoshop or alternative. Remove everything from around the car and inside the windows so the background is transparent. You will probably also need to edit the shadow underneath the car. Create another image of size: 5515 x 1152 and rename it “alt-icon-2048x1152.png” where “alt” is the name of your skin. Copy your original image with the bits cut out, into the new image and resize. Note: Unfortunately the screenshot is smaller than the 5515 x 1152 so you will lose some resolution up-sizing the image to fit. ***Save it as a PNG format***.

You should now have something like this:

41-Jim-Clark65-icon-2048x1152.png


EDIT: @McFlex has discovered a potentially easier way but it seems that the usual bullshit inconsistencies in rF2 mean it only works in DevMode:

1. Exclude "floor.gmt", "sky.GMT" and the entry "IncludeIns=sky" from the WHITESTUDIO_SIDE.SCN by adding "//" infront of the two entries

2. Change Screenshot Format to "3" in your player.json for .png Screenshots

3. Take screenshot in showroom. This screenshot has transparent background.

Step 4.

Do this for all your skins where you want new icons.


Step 5.

Go to the rF2OnlineTools website:
http://meetme.bplaced.net/rF2_onlineTools/rF2GGeninfo/uiiconcreator.php
Follow the instructions, upload your icons, and then the tool will create a .zip download of your new icon files, resized and renamed. This tool also has the function to create the old style icon. If you DON'T want this, click the checkbox "No, i don't want to have that 512 x 512 icon".


Step 6.

Take the new files (4 each for each skin + old style icon if you created it), and your original icon file: “alt-icon-2048x1152”. And drop them in your TEAMS file for your car, and repackage your mod. So the new icon files for each skin should be as follows:

\TEAMS\alt-icon-2048x1152.png
\TEAMS\alt-icon-1024x576.png
\TEAMS\alt-icon-512x288.png
\TEAMS\alt-icon-256x144.png
\TEAMS\alt-icon-128x72.png

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Any problems with this, or if anyone knows of a faster, more efficient way of creating these icons, then please feel free to tell me and I'll include it.
 
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a good way to create that.
I just use photoshop batch process the icon, cut them to a certain aspect ratio, make one resolution, the rest just scale down and save as another name.
just do a icon, record that, and batch process the whole folder, seems your way just need do it once

and 397 says internally we have such a tool(ps. the tool to create preview icons), it's just not yet ready for prime time while we are in beta for the new UI.
 
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zxd1997 said:
a good way to create that.
I just use photoshop batch process the icon, cut them to a certain aspect ratio, make one resolution, the rest just scale down and save as another name.
just do a icon, record that, and batch process the whole folder, seems your way just need do it once

and 397 says internally we have such a tool(ps. the tool to create preview icons), it's just not yet ready for prime time while we are in beta for the new UI.
Click to expand...

That's great. Can you PM me and tell me your technique in photoshop as we may be able to reduce the first steps of this process, and make it even simpler.

As I said I'm hoping this post will become obsolete, but knowing the time-scales around here it may help people in the mean time whilst we wait. It's still quite long winded, but cuts out the really boring/annoying bit.
 
dylbie said:
That's great. Can you PM me and tell me your technique in photoshop as we may be able to reduce the first steps of this process, and make it even simpler.

As I said I'm hoping this post will become obsolete, but knowing the time-scales around here it may help people in the mean time whilst we wait. It's still quite long winded, but cuts out the really boring/annoying bit.
Click to expand...
maybe I can, but not these days because I have no pc these days and.. need some translation job because I'm using Chinese language of photoshop and I need to translate it to english to describe it, but without access to my pc I can't done it and even can't describe what I've done in detail, just can say I use the batch process function...... So after I come back to where my pc at, I think I might pm you.
Just hope 397 can release their tool as soon as possible so that modders can avoid that time cosuming parts....
 
Just to try to improve my photoshop skills, i have recorded an action, for the resizement of the largest icon.
Unfortunately it seems as if there is no possibility to rename the files properly, that has to be made manually after the resizement.
It would be nice if someone would try it out.
How to use it:
NOTE: my language is german, so i don't know how the english terms in the menus are, but you can see what is meant on the screenshots.​
- Put the file that is in the attached zip, into the folder "C:\Users\[YOUR WINDOWS USER NAME]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6\Presets\Actions"
"Adobe Photoshop CS6" is my version, you maybe will have another one.
- Open photoshop and in the menu, open window->actions (or press Alt+F9).
On the right top corner of the new opened window, open the menu, select "load action" and select "rFactor 2 Icons.atn"
- the small actions window can be closed again.
- In the menu go to file->automation->batch processing
photoshop_batch_rf2_icons1.jpg

- in the now opening window, select the set "rFactor 2 Icons" (1)
- create 2 folders (i have named them source and output), where you put the high res png, that should have the resolution 3624x1152, into one of the folders and select that as source folder (2).
- select the other folder as target folder (3)
- in the last field, select "filename" in dropdown x1, file extension in dropdown x2 and single digit serial number in dropdown x3. That is necessary to get nothing overwritten, even if the result is a bit weird.
- click ok and the process should do it's job.
As said, you have to rename the files, accordingly to the proper names, manually.
I hope it works for you too.
photoshop_batch_rf2_icons2.jpg
 

Attachments

Bernd said:
Unfortunately it seems as if there is no possibility to rename the files properly, that has to be made manually after the resizement.
Click to expand...
it can, but just one resolition by one resolution
just in your photo, x1,x2,x3 there, just add a new line in between your x2 and x3, and input like -icon-2048x1152 and process, that will be auto.(but in german i don't know if that exactly the same like my Chinese version so you can try it) add after the original filename and before .png, but you need only name the origianal pics like altxxxxx.png, no any other word. hopes that can help
 
zxd1997 said:
it can, but just one resolition by one resolution
just in your photo, x1,x2,x3 there, just add a new line in between your x2 and x3, and input like -icon-2048x1152 and process, that will be auto.(but in german i don't know if that exactly the same like my Chinese version so you can try it) add after the original filename and before .png, but you need only name the origianal pics like altxxxxx.png, no any other word. hopes that can help
Click to expand...
I have found another way, where someone else in involved. :)
It's WIP already.
 
Thanks @Bernd. I've updated the steps above and removed the part referencing the batch files, and linked the website instead. Many thanks to those involved for this tool. It's a much simpler cleaner way of doing it :)
 
Many thanks for your effort. Just two short questions:
You have writen:

dylbie said:
...Create another image of size: 5515 x 1152 and rename it “alt-icon-2048x1152.png” where “alt” is the name of your skin...
Click to expand...

1. On the linked website i found the instruction to upload a pic file with the resolution 4960 x 1152 px. Why it is different?

2. Why we have to name that file with wrong resolution (2048x1152 instead the real resolution)?
 
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Juergen-BY said:
Many thanks for your effort. Just two short questions:
You were writing
1. On the linked website i found the instruction to upload a pic file with the resolution 4960 x 1152 px. Why it is different?
2. Why we have to name that file with wrong resolution (2048x1152 instead the real resolution)?
Click to expand...
I maybe can answer to that.
1. The size, given on the tool page, is the current "final" one that will be used in the new UI, as chris (redapg) has said what his information is.
But he also did say that in his opinion, as long as the new UI is WIP, "final" don't means final finally. :)
2. Yes, what @dylbie has written already :D
 
Is there someone, who can help creating the car icons? I'm struggling with Step 3.

Step 3. (Probably the trickiest/most time consuming part)

Get the screenshot into photoshop or alternative. Remove everything from around the car and inside the windows so the background is transparent. You will probably also need to edit the shadow underneath the car.
Click to expand...
​
 
Use the white version of that showroom. Then use photoshop or similar to remove the white background.
 
Hey guys i found a way more easy way for step 3 of this tutorial. You can create a screenshot directly out of rF2 which has a transparent background behind the car. It requires the WHITESTUDIO_SIDE showroom to be in DevMod or knowledge of how to modify the rfcmp files.
A tutorial on how to install a showroom to DevMod can be found here: https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/tutorial-discussion-showrooms.60794/

Of course this steps can be added to the first post of this tutorial. @dylbie

These are the steps you have to follow.

1. Exclude "floor.gmt", "sky.GMT" and the entry "IncludeIns=sky" from the WHITESTUDIO_SIDE.SCN by adding "//" infront of the two entries

2. Change Screenshot Format to "3" in your player.json for .png Screenshots

3. Take screenshot in showroom. This screenshot has transparent background.

I will write @FuNK! in his thread and maybe he makes a new plug and play showroom for the not DevMod Version


Edit: Big bummer. Found out screenshot with transparent background only works in DevMod. Again big inconsistency in the development of rF2. Sometimes i am very tired of this shit :confused:
 
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McFlex said:
Hey guys i found a way more easy way for step 3 of this tutorial. You can create a screenshot directly out of rF2 which has a transparent background behind the car. It requires the WHITESTUDIO_SIDE showroom to be in DevMod or knowledge of how to modify the rfcmp files.
A tutorial on how to install a showroom to DevMod can be found here: https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/tutorial-discussion-showrooms.60794/

Of course this steps can be added to the first post of this tutorial. @dylbie

These are the steps you have to follow.

1. Exclude "floor.gmt", "sky.GMT" and the entry "IncludeIns=sky" from the WHITESTUDIO_SIDE.SCN by adding "//" infront of the two entries

2. Change Screenshot Format to "3" in your player.json for .png Screenshots

3. Take screenshot in showroom. This screenshot has transparent background.

I will write @FuNK! in his thread and maybe he makes a new plug and play showroom for the not DevMod Version


Edit: Big bummer. Found out screenshot with transparent background only works in DevMod. Again big inconsistency in the development of rF2. Sometimes i am very tired of this shit :confused:
Click to expand...

Awesome. Yeah I'll add it in. Sorry not been paying attention here for the last few weeks.

I was kind of hoping that Studio397 would have released their tool by now, but after 9 months I've lost hope.

McFlex said:
Edit: Big bummer. Found out screenshot with transparent background only works in DevMod. Again big inconsistency in the development of rF2. Sometimes i am very tired of this shit :confused:
Click to expand...

Only sometimes? Being tired of this shit is becoming a full time job every time log on to this forum.
 
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