Hi, I'm JEFF...aka "aazard", A pleasure to "chat" with you on this matter (Its hard to get "mid skill level" help)
I got stuck (by choice) needing to learn "Raster Image editing", odd "not for the average user" image formats and "color types" (who knew?), "markdown language" (**where** _we_ #write ##like ###this, and make lines like *** that or boxes like |---|... its NUTS) then this "VisualStudio2019" (I know nothing and I can make working "DLL's", its seriously WRONG!)
I fix desktops, laptops and mobile phones for work.. so "cowboy learning" is like my thing... I'm not "slow" and for my area of work, I'm considered friendly and sociable (aka "neurotypical"). But this is almost getting "out of hand" lol
I make textures and normal/etc maps for "Unity games" namely "Kerbal Space Program" for which I make/maintain the mod "HumanStuff"
I was using Paint.net a ton, but NOW I'm into using EXR & other HRD images as masters (the max support in this unity version, for pixel size, is 16383x16383 as it cant do 16384x16384, so "THE golden" size we see as ideal is 16380x16380, its fully divisible by 4 (so no padding), and it resized "down" well to "true resolutions" like 10240x10240, 8096x8096, 6144x6144 and 4096x4096 (the most common "package" sizes used in texture mods for the game).
I'm after: Sorry to seem needy. I'm just "getting ok" with this digital art stuff lol
DDS: A8 & L8 formats, plus DXT1, DXT1a, DXT5-BC3, DXT5-BC3n BC6h & BC7, RGB 16/24/48 bit, RGBA32 & RGBA-Half. < I use Compressinator & Nvidia tool to encode so its mostly for detailed pixel "size" & mipmap level viewing
Why DDS encoded images? RAM use basically, if your not aware. Graphics cards are freed from "on the fly" compression of other formats to dds (with makes things far more efficent, at best ratios of file/image, size:quality:computer resource usage
EXR: This is the format typical used for LARGE HDR images (like the "sky")
TIFF: AS ADVANCED AS POSSIBLE
WebP: My "distribution" format to secondary editors, MUST FULLY SUPPORT ALPHA, TRANSPARENCY, TRANSLUCENCY & ANIMATION
GIF/APGN/JPG/BNG/HEIC/HEIF/AV1/JXR/JPEG2000 are used seldom (only in "special cases" as a "distribution" format), BUT when used the idea is normally as "optimally" compressed with minimal quality loss (like I even have to mention that). So plugins that "tweak out compression options" are GREAT
PDN (paint.net) PDS (photoshop), and then if possible something that allows similar function to xNormal and/or Normal-Maps-Online
Blender files? nodes? Producural texture generation? <<--- dreams (my skill level isnt there yet)
BATCH FILE OPERATIONS!: namely bulk (5000 images) mass resize, format conversion, "vertical mirroring". <<-- this must be as reliable as possible
I'm currently stitching together about 3 raster image editors, 3 viewers (a "github"made tool, Irfanview64, XnView Classic), and mostly use XnConvert & Caesium Image Compressor for "advanced" stuff. BUT XnConvert is not so great after 100 200mb images load up (it sometime causes BAD alpha artifacts or odd "semi-clamp/mirror" doubling <- you'd have to see it, words cant explain in english)
