[How To] use GIMP to convert textures

[Melkor]

-How to- step by step (Kinda)

1 - If you do not have it installed yet, download it from http://www.gimp.org, is completely free.
GIMP runs on both Linux and Windows. This "tutorial" is for the 2.6 series, you can download the latest stable for windows from here: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gimp-win/gimp-2.6.12-i686-setup-2.exe

2 - Go to File > Open... (or Ctrl+O) this will open a new window where you can locate and open the textures we need.

3 - with the textures opened, we gonna need a grid to help us. Go to Image > Set Grid... this will open a new window. In this windows we chose Spacing where we can set Width and Heigth of the grid, 4x4, 8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, etc depending on the size of our texture.

4 - Go to View and choose Show Grid, a grid will appear over the entire image, making it easier selection of areas (be sure that Snap to grid is marked too).

5 - In the Toolbox choose Rectangle Select tool (or just press R), select the part that you want in the texture (aided by the grid) and copy it to the Clipboard Edit > Copy (or Ctrl+C).

Go to File > Create > From Clipboard (or simply Ctrl+Shift+V) this will create a new image with the contents of the Clipboard.

Go to File > Save As... (o Ctrl+Shift+S) this will open a new window where you can specify where to save the file, the filename extension, etc. (be careful with this because sometimes GIMP automatically saves files as ".xcf") saving always in .PNG format, compression level 9. (thanks Calinou)

6 - Repeat step 5 until you complete the task :)

[Calinou]

Better enable "Snap to grid" too. :P
Texture packs should only use .png files, by the way (use compression level 9 for minimal size).

[Melkor]

well, in my GIMP version "Snap to grid" is "on" by default, but myabe im wrong :P, thanks for the extra tips

[LolManKuba]

This is pretty easy.

400th Post!!!

[Roflo]

GIMP just released version 2.8 and I think I heard that "Save As.." will save to native format (xcf).

Use "Export As.." if this is the case.

[LolManKuba]

Nope you can save as any format.

[VanessaE]

Roflo is correct - version 2.8 and up of The GIMP has a different save feature, with the idea being that "Save" and "Save As" should save only into GIMP's XCF format, as if it were a project file. The "Export" functions handle the creation of PNGs, JPGs and everything else.

They did this because XCF can losslessly store all of the data associated with the current image and nothing important will get lost, while any other format is guaranteed to throw away at least some small piece of data (PNG can't handle layers, GIF can't do true alpha, JPG is lossy, etc.).

Personally I'd have preferred they leave it the way it was in 2.6, but whatever.

[Calinou]

This is pretty easy.

400th Post!!!

404 post not found. :P
(look at your current post count)

I still use GIMP 2.6 on my computer, maybe I'll update to 2.8, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of new features.

[Jordach]

For windows: 2.8 laggs really badly, I could not do basic things, it kept locking up: went back to 2.6 my pc is old, but good enough to play new games.

[LolManKuba]

Roflo is correct - version 2.8 and up of The GIMP has a different save feature, with the idea being that "Save" and "Save As" should save only into GIMP's XCF format, as if it were a project file. The "Export" functions handle the creation of PNGs, JPGs and everything else.

They did this because XCF can losslessly store all of the data associated with the current image and nothing important will get lost, while any other format is guaranteed to throw away at least some small piece of data (PNG can't handle layers, GIF can't do true alpha, JPG is lossy, etc.).

Personally I'd have preferred they leave it the way it was in 2.6, but whatever.

Nope it's kind've confusing but sometimes when I tried to save as it made is .xcf but I figured out I did it wrong.
Okay
1) Name the file ect. LOL.png
2) Where it says All Images make it ect. PNG image
3) A menu pops up and you should know the rest.

[VanessaE]

If the "File -> Save[ As]..." function is behaving inconsistently in your copy, you should file a bug report about it, as they've definitely declared that it should work the way Roflo and I indicated. From the official release notes for 2.8:

Save And Export

A rather big conceptual change is that saving and exporting images now are clearly separated activities. Saving an image can only be done in the XCF format which is GIMP's native file format, able to save all kinds of information necessary for works in progress.

To export into other formats File->Export... needs to be used. This distinction makes it clearer if all available information is stored in a file, or not. [...]

[Jordach]

2.6 is the best one people, it does what we know, rather than these silly and stupid changes, I back dated to 2.6 because of this.

[NakedFury]

Would be nice to add a list of default textures needed: their names to save as.

[Melkor]

there is a new version of GIMP!
get here!
http://www.gimp.org/ (2.8.2)