Windows and how to clean them

last update 23rd September 2001

We need to clean up the windows and remember to keep saving your PSP format file every time.

Let's open up our old friend crj-mid0.psp and get back to work. Very simply we will be painting our windows back the way they were before we painted over them. Take a window, any window that is complete. i.e. not on the extreme edge of the texture. Let's take the one second from the top as shown by the arrow

Zoom right into it so you have a nice big window to deal with. Just like the one on the right here. For the first time ever I now want you to select the background layer. If the other layers are in you way just make them invisible. Remember though that they may be invisible but you still have to select the layer you are working on. Go to the selection wand and click it inside the window and you should be looking at an image exactly like this one below. This is on the background image Remember Copy this as we are going to be using it as a stamp to change all our windows.

By now, I am not using images for steps already covered. So, I want you to all create a layer called windows. Points to note: Make visible all the layers in the layers palette and select the windows layer to paint on. Go into the layers palette and you should see it in the list. Make sure it is highlighted and we will start pasting our windows back. Press CTRL+E and the window image you copied earlier will now be under your cursor. Position it directly over any one of your windows and left click your mouse to "stick it down".

Do this for all the windows on both sides. You can even paste it on the windows that are not fully drawn. Namely the ones at the top of the texture, just make sure you drag it far enough up over the edge of the texture and stamp it down as before.

You could have copied the whole window - including the blinds - but I don't want the window frame grey so I just selected the window

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Why do we need a separate layer for the windows?

You could have chosen to paint directly on the paint layer but because we are using the multiply method of blending it would not have shown up the correct colour. This way you can have the windows sitting on top of all the other layers. I could have changed the colours but as Barry is using night lighting on the windows I don't want to be changing anything here at this time. If you don't mind experimenting you could change the window colour if you wish.

 

Your texture looks like this one

If it does great. If not then check to see you have followed all the steps exactly. Either I didn't explain it properly and missed a step or a simple mistake was made and we can sort that out can't we?

I have placed below another image of the layers palette for you to look at. Do you see that we have all four layers visible and the windows layer is above the paint layer with the text sitting on top of it all.

By now you are probably sick of my ramblings and ready for the night textures. So am I come to think of it. As promised the next stage in our painting will be night lighting.

One thing I should add is that I am not going to be painting the entire aircraft in this tutorial. Once you have completed this texture, added the night lighting you are ready to move on. As far as the remaining textures are concerned just follow each step and repaint each texture the way you want.

Today's surprise is

Click this link crj-mid0.zip and you can download the PSP image we have been working on. I was going to put it at the top but I wanted you to work through the tutorial first. It should match your own texture and palette layers. If not and you need a bit of extra help then this should do it for you.

I have gone on a lot about layers. I paint all my aircraft like this now. Each part of the aircraft texture has its own layer. Paint, text, windows, night lighting, grime, panel lines and so on.

Part 7 of the tutorial will probably be the most rewarding. The first time I added night lighting was to Barrys' version 4 of the CRJ200-LR. I could not believe how easy it was and how little time it all took.