Bitmap Files Changing Unwantedly

[1239the]

I'm currently using the Beta 2 (Paint.NET.3.30.2993.Beta2) of Paint.NET.

I want to use Paint.NET to help create sprite art for a game named Cortex Command. The sprites used in this game are 8-bit.

However, when I use Paint.NET to open then save this file (using 8-bit as in the save dialogue), it corrupts the file in a way unbeknownst to me. It looks fine in Paint.NET's editor, but in-game it is read improperly and appears alien, with lines rudding through it.

I know this is a problem with the program, Paint.NET, because when I tried the same thing using MS Paint, it was not corrupted.

[Bob]

In which file format are you trying to save it?

BMP, PNG, TGA?

[1239the]

.BMP. Apparently the problem is that Paint.NET can't save .BMP files in 256-colour mode.

[Rick Brewster]

Apparently the problem is that Paint.NET can't save .BMP files in 256-colour mode.

Yes it can. It's a new feature for 3.30. I just confirmed that Photoshop CS3 has no trouble opening an 8-bit BMP saved with Paint.NET.

Can you post a screenshot of how it looks in your other program? And which program is it?

[1239the]

Okay, well.

Here is how the cannon looks in game, unmodified.

Here is how it looks in game, after opening the .BMP file in Paint.NET, making no modifications, then saving in 8-bit with a dithering level of 7.

Here is the unmodified .BMP image

Here is the .BMP image, opened in Paint.NET and saved with no modifications.

[Rick Brewster]

I'm betting that you're trying to use the same palette across all of your 8-bit images? If so, then Paint.NET may not be well suited for what you're doing. It will load your 8-bit image, convert it to 32-bit in memory, and then when you go to re-save at 8-bit it will generate a brand new palette based on the pixel colors. In other words, it does not keep track of the "incoming" palette and try to correlate that with the "outgoing" palette. Even if that palette contains the same colors that you're expecting (which will be the case if you are using 256 or fewer colors), they will probably be stored in a different order.

[Mike Ryan]

And a good solution to try out is download Curtis's plugin pack and identify all 8 colors in the original and from there use Curtis's Selective Pallette using only the colors you identified. I cant gurantee this will work.