I did it!!!!
Imagemagick + mskmgr batch conversions to PNG.
sweet.
Ok, you will need:
- the ability to follow instruction
- patience
- some decent e-juice
- patience
- some depreciated .bmp & .a.bmp files that need to become .png files
- mskmgr.exe
- imagemagick
- the ability to write a batch file
your two main instructions are as follows:
to convert an all black (indexed) mask file to a readable format
Code:
mskmgr chip1_blackfile.a.bmp chip1_newmask.bmp /r
to add that mask file to the .bmp graphic
Code:
convert chip1.bmp chip1_newmask.bmp -alpha deactivate -compose copy_opacity -composite PNG32:chip1.png
Ok, now as for batch files - what and why? It's just a script, a chain of commands that you can write in any text editor (sublime text 2, notepad+..whatever) that your dos box can run through and process for you and you, most importantly, only need to write them out the once.
as for batch files, I've just had a look at an old one.
open your text editor
save your empty file as finaly.bat
write in your strings of commands
save
in dos promt:
NB. if your commands and files are all in different directories, you
will need to write the commands
with the correct directory tree navigation from where your batch file is being run.
Owing to this consideration make sure:
- you have mskmgr in a folder just beneath your files/chips etc so you can run: mskmgr 3/chip-d.a.bmp 3/chip-d_mask.bmp /r
- you can call imagemagick from anywhere (should be the default install) so you can run:
- convert 3/chip-d.bmp 3/chip-d_mask.bmp -alpha deactivate -compose copy_opacity -composite PNG32:3/chip-d.png
Just a fyi, I ran this process on a Mac in terminal so that works for any mac heads itt.
[edit]further Macs can/do use '/' in many places where PCs use '\'. If that messes up xthemes.ini edits or directory tree navigation...or any commands for that matter...try switching between the two.
Last edited by G3K0; 10-04-2013 at 09:49 PM.