Thundercraft

Lately, I find myself loading and re-saving hundreds of images a day. Mostly, this is to convert from PNG to JPG in order to save disk space. But, often, it also involves image cropping, resizing and gamma correction (Level Adjustment). Anyway, I've noticed that the "file size" estimate of how large an image file will be when saved (from Save As > [file name] > {Save Configuration window}) is not very accurate. Sometimes, it so happens that the "file size" estimate shows what looks like a round number like 120.0 KB. However, it seems to me that Paint.Net either truncates the number past the first decimal place or it rounds down to the nearest tenth. I say this because, as I said, I've been loading and re-saving hundreds of images a day. Since disk space is premium to me, I pay close attention to the "file size" as well as the actual file size through Windows Explorer. I notice the difference. In the case that the "file size" says it will be, say, 120.0 KB, over 90% of the time it will actually be a bit over, such as 120.03 or 120.06 KB. My request is to tweak the code slightly so that it is more accurate. Specifically, I think that "file size" should round up to the closest tenth instead of truncate to the tenth or round down. I know what the reader is thinking: What does it matter? Why quibble over something that seems so... frivolous? As I said, disk space is very precious to me. The whole reason I am converting images from PNG to JPG is to save disk space. (I'm certainly not doing so for the image quality! 😆) And I like to keep the image size as close as possible to a multiple of the cluster size. Inspect any file through Windows Explorer and click on Properties. In the Properties window, compare "Size" to "Size on Disk". For example, the Size may be 76.2 KB while the Size on disk might be 80 KB. They differ because files are stored in blocks of discrete size. It may not seem like much, but every KB adds up for my purposes. Also, the difference can vary significantly, depending on partition type and size. A standard NTSF partition is typically formatted with a 4 KB cluster size. But it really depends on the format and how the cluster size was configured. Some partition types and sizes require much larger cluster sizes. For example, a really large FAT-32 partition may require 64 KB clusters. And Windows 10 supports cluster sizes up to 2048 KB.

Sure. Here (from Stack Overflow): change default file format when saving pictures by MS Paint The top answer talks about how to configure MS Paint for this. I've tried this and it actually works. And then, a bit further down, others explain how to set up a keyboard shortcut to activate it on the fly. (Though, I don't want to use MS Paint for my daily needs as it lacks the features and support for image formats in Paint.Net that I use.) The instructions were a bit confusing, but I got it to work by re-reading the instructions several times and following everything the to letter. One of the answers does talk about creating a shortcut on the desktop to start MS Paint. However, while I suppose that alternate solution works, that is not necessary.

Something which I know has been asked for before on more than one occasion is the ability to change which file format Paint.Net saves to as the default. I've read the arguments against allowing this. Yes, there are several very good reasons for making the default PNG (or PDN for multi-layered images) instead of something like, say, JPEG. Granted, using JPEG means our image loses fidelity each time we save it and it is unable to preserve transparency or the layer structure. Granted, PNG is lossless and boasts other features like transparency and support for larger images. However, there are a great many users of Paint.Net today who use it in various ways. Some of us must primarily deal with a certain file format, over and over again, almost exclusively. And I'd point out that even an image editor as archaic and primitive as MS Paint has ways to change and quickly bypass the default file format, include a way to configure a keyboard shortcut to save as a specific file type. Saving in a format other than PNG or PDN may not be recommended for most situations. But is that, by itself, a good enough reason to not implement a way to change the default - even for users who know the pros and cons? Also, Paint.Net will, by default, put the file format an image was loaded from as the default at the top of the 'Save as type' list. So, for example, if a JPEG image was loaded, then JPG will be at the top of that list. However, there are many user-created plugins available which add support for many new image formats. Further, there exists several plugins which are variations of formats that Paint.Net supports natively. For instance, there are plugins for GIF (16 color), GIF (low color), PNG (low color), Tiff (low color), Optimized JPEG and Optimized PNG. Unfortunately, while I often use these plugins, most are nowhere near the top of my 'Save as type' list. Rather, they're around the middle or even near the bottom. I have so many of these plugins installed that my 'Save as type' list is very long - so long that I have to scroll way down to reach the bottom. Also, I find myself needing to load and re-save hundreds of images a day merely to change something, such as to crop, resize and/or change the file format. And, usually, I save them as JPEG because the loss of quality is acceptable for my use. But, while I usually prefer to save it with an alternative format like Optimized JPEG or PNG (low color), the 'Save as type' always defaults to the standard version based on the extension (standard JPG or PNG). Finally, I would point out that there must be other users who routinely default to or repeatedly use a lossless, feature-rich format other than PNG or PDN, such as WebP, DDS, Paintshop Pro or Photoshop. I'm sure other users would appreciate being able to either change the 'Save as type' default or, at least, have an option to make it easier. That is, either configure a keyboard shortcut to save as a certain file type or have an option to give priority to certain file formats so they will appear near the top of the list. If there is no chance of this being implemented as a feature, then: Is it even possible to implement something like this as a plugin?

Nevermind... The tutorial I mentioned was just very difficult to understand. I think the author meant that one needed to set the alpha to transparent or near transparent for a texture to appear matte instead of reflective.

I'm currently working on a mod for a game. And I'm trying to modify a .DDS "diffuse" texture. I found a tutorial on how to create or modify textures for the game. However, it was written under the assumption that the reader is using Photoshop. I was able to modify the texture just fine. However, in-game, it looks very glossy. This is not intended as it is supposed to be a texture for clothes. Finding and reading the tutorial I mentioned explains that to make a texture appear glossy in-game, the alpha channel must be white. And to make a texture appear matte in-game (which is what I need), the alpha channel must be black. Thing is, no matter how I select the options for saving in the .DDS format, it always appears glossy. And I do not find an option to change whether white or black is used as transparent for the alpha channel - either in the menu for saving in the .DDS format or anywhere else. Am I missing something obvious? Is it even possible to use black for the alpha channel in Paint.Net? Is there a plugin to do this? Edit: I got a reply from the author of the tutorial when I asked for clarification: I still don't get it. But then, I haven't used PhotoShop in a long, long time.