Question about custom sprite colors

[DamTheGreat]

For my upcoming map pack, I want custom sprites (monsters, projectiles, etc...). I created a custom fireball in GIMP, then imported it into the WAD with SLADE, but when I wanted to convert the graphic to Doom format, it got all screwed up and looked disgustingly hideous. My guess is that it is because the colors I used don't exist in the Doom palette. Therefore I'm wondering if there is a way to "match" the color I'm using in GIMP to the Doom palette. For example, the color of my projectile would be 252 in the Doom palette, how do I make sure the color I use in GIMP is the same? Is there a table of hex values of the Doom colors? I get the impression that I'm rambling nonsense, as I've never delved into this before. One more question: do graphics HAVE to be converted to Doom format?

[Gez]

I'll answer your last question first: no. There are several source ports out there that support truecolor graphics in PNG format. So if you're aiming at GZDoom compatibility, for example, then there's no need to convert to Doom format images. It's only needed if you want to go for vanilla compatibility standards.

 

As for making sure you use the right colors in GIMP: the simplest is to import the Doom palette as a palette in GIMP. You can use SLADE to convert any Doom palette to GIMP's format by selecting the PLAYPAL in question and doing Palette->Export as... and choosing "GIMP palette (*.gpl)" as the file type to save. The Gimp palettes must be placed in <GIMP install folder>/share/gimp/2.0/palette before you start the program.

[DamTheGreat]

16 minutes ago, Gez said:

I'll answer your last question first: no. There are several source ports out there that support truecolor graphics in PNG format. So if you're aiming at GZDoom compatibility, for example, then there's no need to convert to Doom format images. It's only needed if you want to go for vanilla compatibility standards.

 

As for making sure you use the right colors in GIMP: the simplest is to import the Doom palette as a palette in GIMP. You can use SLADE to convert any Doom palette to GIMP's format by selecting the PLAYPAL in question and doing Palette->Export as... and choosing "GIMP palette (*.gpl)" as the file type to save. The Gimp palettes must be placed in <GIMP install folder>/share/gimp/2.0/palette before you start the program.

 

Thanks for the answer!

 

I design my maps with GZDoom in my mind, so I probably don't need to convert, but it just feels right to do so.

 

Also, while thinking about the issue, I came up with a pretty convoluted solution: open an image of the palette in GIMP and then using the color picker tool on the square I need... Thanks, tendency to overcomplicate things!

[Dark Pulse]

If you're making images in the Doom image format, you've got a few options.

1. Stick to colors in the Doom Palette. Naturally, this might require some finessing of your graphic to make work.
2. Alter the PLAYPAL to change the colors. The downside of this, of course, is you will also alter other graphics.

Alternatively, as Gez said, if you're not aiming for something vanilla-compatible, most source ports support PNGs with their own embedded color palette, including GZDoom. For maximum space savings, you can even reduce the color depth if the image uses less than 256 colors. For example, if a sprite only need 16 colors, you could convert it to a 4-bit PNG.

 

That's a little more of a technically advanced topic, though.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Dark Pulse