(I tried this post once and it went to never-never land because of something I did wrong, so there may be a duplicate somewhere.)I have seen many conflicting posts on this subject elsewhere, but the answers either don't work or the files referred to are not in the locations specified and I can't find them.Can PSP 8.0 be used with the DDS files in FSX for FSX repaints? If so how do I get there?I am only interested in using PSP. I do only minor repaints (Serial Numbers/ fuselage Lettering etc) and even those infrequently, so the price of PhotoShop puts that program out of the cost-effective range for me. Also I have used the various versions of PSP for years and am at least somewhat up the learning curve on it.Thanks for any help.Regards,Thrakete

(I tried this post once and it went to never-never land because of something I did wrong, so there may be a duplicate somewhere.)I have seen many conflicting posts on this subject elsewhere, but the answers either don't work or the files referred to are not in the locations specified and I can't find them.Can PSP 8.0 be used with the DDS files in FSX for FSX repaints? If so how do I get there?I am only interested in using PSP. I do only minor repaints (Serial Numbers/ fuselage Lettering etc) and even those infrequently, so the price of PhotoShop puts that program out of the cost-effective range for me. Also I have used the various versions of PSP for years and am at least somewhat up the learning curve on it.Thanks for any help.Regards,Thrakete

Ahh PSP 8 :( Im pretty sure you need to download a "plugin" so you can open DDS files This is a link to one http://www.the3rdage.net/item-353?addviewBut it has been sooooo long since I used anything like this it may be that Google will be your best friend on this Mark

Mark:Thanks, and I checked to be sure, but that one can now only be installed in PhotoShop. It has been incorporated into an automatic install program that will not allow anything else. From statements that I have Googled up, (and I have to add that none of this is verifiable) the original Plug-In was created by another well-known organization, and when it first came out, you could install it and some .dlls into PSP and it would work. However, the developer then reworked it, apparently to prevent this, and encapsulated it into the install program which will only allow it to be installed in Photoshop.(This sort of irritates me, as I have one of the plug-in developer's more expensive cards in my computer, :<( but of course they have the right to restrict use of the software in any way they desire.) As for Google, I have spent hours on this topic, and the information I found was all either outdated or the sites no longer existed, so I started in on this late. I guess that starting after Microsoft has dropped Flight Sim from their product line could be considered VERY late!I noticed that PhotoShop now has a couple of products at half of what their original version costs. Are you familiar with these, and do you know what the differences are (other than $300.00)?Thanks for the try,Regards,Thrakete

Mark:Thanks, and I checked to be sure, but that one can now only be installed in PhotoShop. It has been incorporated into an automatic install program that will not allow anything else. From statements that I have Googled up, (and I have to add that none of this is verifiable) the original Plug-In was created by another well-known organization, and when it first came out, you could install it and some .dlls into PSP and it would work. However, the developer then reworked it, apparently to prevent this, and encapsulated it into the install program which will only allow it to be installed in Photoshop.(This sort of irritates me, as I have one of the plug-in developer's more expensive cards in my computer, :<( but of course they have the right to restrict use of the software in any way they desire.) As for Google, I have spent hours on this topic, and the information I found was all either outdated or the sites no longer existed, so I started in on this late. I guess that starting after Microsoft has dropped Flight Sim from their product line could be considered VERY late!I noticed that PhotoShop now has a couple of products at half of what their original version costs. Are you familiar with these, and do you know what the differences are (other than $300.00)?Thanks for the try,Regards,Thrakete

Well apart from Coral paintshop Pro X and photoshop CS4 I also have (as it came with the laptop) Photoshop elements 3.0.Now i know it is a stripped down version , but with this you cannot draw bezel curves !!!, so unless your repaint is full of straight lines , your out of luck A couple of options you may have are to try DXTBMP to open your DDS files and send them to your editor , in your case PSP 8.you can then edit the texture and when finished send it back to DXTBMP and save as a DDS format.Another option is to have a look at the free software available , especially if you are only interested in minor edits .Two that spring to mind are Paint.net and The Gimp I have never tried them myself as i am lucky enough to have company supplied software , but I do hear good things about them , and well they are free :( So all you loose is time if they are not what you need Mark

Hi Mark:I didn't go away, I am just getting slower in my old age.It looks as though the DXTBMP usage you suggested might work. The only problem immediately obvious is that it is a very long process to find the file I need (with no immediate viewing capability) and go through the necessary transfer/comversion steps. For the small changes I am considering, it could be a solution though. I think that method would be out of the question on a complete repaint hoever.I am still looking at the other possibilities you suggested. The big hang up in anything I consider is the inability to first view the file in PSP, and therefore having to do the "needle in a haystack" search to pin down the DDS file I want to change. This problem of course would go away with a plug-in for PSP that would allow immediate viewing.It's been well over a decade since I made a full repaint, so nothing I learned at the time is applicable now,and I am in effect a novice again.I looked at Gimp, and to be fair did not spend much time on it, but the User Interface completely baffled me. Maybe I am too old for this kind of stuff!I have pretty well convinced myself that there is no workable Plug-In which would allow DDS handling within PSP, but there are several independent file conversion programs available. That would probably still be clumsy compared to a Plug-In. but may be the best solution available. Any time I consider otherwise, I look at the PhotoShop price again, and that inspires me to either keep trying or just forget the whole thing!Thanks for the reply-will let you know if a find a solution.Regards,Thrakete

If finding the right textures is a problem then try FSrepaint .Download the the demo herehttp://www.abacuspub.com/repaint2/rpgallery.htmThe demo is free , though you cant save any changes the point is you can view the textures and identify them .It really is a godsend for identifying the right textures , in fact there is a great sticky at the top of the page about it .Mark

Mark,There is a funny story behind this. I bought FS Repaint a month or so ago, and tried it out. I found out that it's behavior, (with my particular computer/OS/updates/Video Card etc. anyhow), was completely unpredictable. Also, I did not have a very high opinion of it's repaint capabilities. All this fits in with my personal belief that "You get what you pay for" is very optimistic, and it is more accurate to say "You seldom get more than you pay for-usually less".Anyhow, an uninstall/reinstall and re-run attempt produced the same results, and it took a couple of hours to clean up the resulting mess in my airplane folder. I uninstalled it again and cut the disk in half so that I would not forget and try it again at some time in the future. It has now been recycled into the "long half-life" environment of plastics.However, these problems occurred after an attempted texture rework, and using it as a viewer for the unchanged textures just might work out. Since I paid for it once, I feel I am entitled to that. :( I'll give it a try.On the PhotoShop approach, I have found some unbelievable prices on line for the CS4 version that would put it back into consideration, but am a little suspicious of getting a bootleg copy (or nothing) if I order online from some outfit I never heard of before.Thanks, Regards,Thrakete

I am sorry to hear about your woes regarding FSRepaint , the more so as you paid for it :( I must say that the comment you made "You get what you pay for", my be very apt for some of those too good to be true deals on CS4.Have you considered CS3 ?To be honest as far as repainting FS aircraft goes , i really dont see what CS4 has to offer that CS3 cant do just as well .I will admit there are changes in CS4 , but although I have only done one or two repaints using it , I did not do anything that I could not of done in CS3.In fact I still have it installed on my home PC , so the kids can "photochop" their friends .I would actually hazard a guess that most repaints are still done on CS3 , and were it not for the fact my company upgraded to CS4 I would still be happy painting with CS3.Regardless of what you decide to do I hope it works out for you Let us know how you get onMark

Well guys,Some facts:YES FSRepaint has some issues with some systems ( Vista in combination with FSX )Many of the problems caused by the models and NOT by FSRepaint actually.NO FSRepaint never messes up any folder unless the one who actually is working with FSRepaint makes mistakes.**YES, Real time-painting on the model in the viewer only works with the build in editor and NOT with any other editor.Here FSRepaints not really fullfills its promisses.NO, buying FSRepaint is certainly not a waiste of money, because its an excelent viewer wich allows you to make changes and whats more ,determine where lines and matching textures should be made on the texturesheets.These textures edited with FSRepaint can be saved and used as a guiding-mask on our layerfiles while editing the actual repaint.This vital feature is NOT avaiable in the Demo-version.IMPORTANT TIP:**Wich means I never direct FSRepaint to .....Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\AircraftI direct FSrepaint to ...........desktop/Flight Simulator 9\Aircraft.In other words I created a fake directory...........a folder called Flight Simulator 9 only containing the folder AircraftIn this aicraftfolder is just ONE plane .............yes a copy of the one I am painting , nothing else.Wich has the following advantages:Very,very quick starting FSRepaintAbsolutely no chance to mess up things in the real aircraft-folder ( caused by myself NOT caused by FSRepaint as I stated before)Its the same as with a piano , when you do not know how to play it its useless.Thats why I cut my piano in half and threw it out of the window.Ohh yes, and thanks for buying , very many painters all over the world use FSRepaint , many of them just the free demo version and this great tool would not be available anymore when nobody invested a few buck in a copy.Leen de Jager

Leen If I came across as critisizing FSRepaint then that was not my intention !I have used FSRepaint from Ver 1.18 and I love it The fact that I was able to map the windows on the PSS Airbus paintkit made it worth its price alone :( As I stated to the OP I pointed out that there was a demo version , not knowing that he already had bought it .The fact that there is a demo version , I think shows the confidence of the developer that you will try and buy , I did!!Also the sticky that you and others contributed to goes to show that FSRepaint is an essential piece of software to own if you want to do repaintsAnd lets be honest if you are willing to spend serious money on CS3 , CS4 or PSPX2 what is

Leen If I came across as critisizing FSRepaint then that was not my intention !IMark

No Mark , you did not.My reaction was more generally and especially for those ,burning down and throwing away stuff , of wich they do not know how to use.I really think the demo should work only for a month or so.The demo gives to much for a demo.Many guys only use the demo and I think thats not good for the productSales generate funds to invest in updating and developing the software in future.No sales = no future.Little sales = humble futureI fully agree with you only

Info Item to readers of the string: YES, I operate with Vista SP1 and and FSX SP1/SP2 (and even the ultimate Evil, the "Speed" add-on), and YES, I could therefore expect some of what are currently euphemistically referred to as "issues" with products that are not fully compatible with the last FSX changes. :( -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mark, thanks again for your help. There was absolutely nothing wrong with your post, so I am sorry I got you into that exchange. Actually, I think it was the perceived criticism of a commercial product by yours truly that provoked the rage, not your comments, so you do not owe apologies to anyone. My own opinion is that nothing I said should have provoked that kind of an outburst of personal criticism aimed at me either, but then I am a dinosaur from another age and frequently get surprises on the internet.Re the CS3 version of PhotoShop, I did look at it, and the discount from CS4 at the sources I checked is so small it is not worth considering. I guess that if there was a sizable gap in prices, everyone who wanted PhotoShop would buy CS3 and then get the huge "up-grade" discount if they wanted CS4.I think I will forget this whole thing and take up needle-pointing. :( My wife is already proficient at that, and is very patient when teaching me anything.Take Care, and best wishes Mark. Regards,Thrakete

No Mark , you did not.My reaction was more generally and especially for those ,burning down and throwing away stuff , of wich they do not know how to use.I really think the demo should work only for a month or so.The demo gives to much for a demo.Many guys only use the demo and I think thats not good for the productSales generate funds to invest in updating and developing the software in future.No sales = no future.Little sales = humble futureI fully agree with you only

Mark:Thanks again for your help, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with your post! My intended humorous comment about cutting the disk in half was true, but probably ill-advised, and that, nothing you did, I am sure was what provoked the outburst of rage and the personal attack that was the result. The personal criticism tantrum was aimed at me, not you, by the way. (Even though I really did play piano.) I certainly took longer to learn the piano than I would be willing to spend on the program in question.Considering the ease of unintentionally offending someone, I think it is time we dropped this whole subject.I have been thinking of taking up needlepoint for a new hobby since Microsoft dropped Flight Sim from its' product line anyhow. My wife already has that down pat an is a very patient teacher. :(Just kidding. I will probably keep simming as long as FSX keeps working.Take care and hope to talk to you again without getting you on someone's bad guy listRegards,Thrakete.

Mark:Take care and hope to talk to you again without getting you on someone's bad guy listRegards,Thrakete.

To be clear, I did not place anybody an a bad guy list. ( there was no "attack" at all ,nor criticism tantrum)There was some criticism , yes , you may call it " defending the tool " if you want.The only thing I did was explaining some thing about FSR and I pointed out why I think its worth to invest some time in really studying a great tool as FSR instead of bashing it.I fully agree with Mark AND I sincerly hope you will find the time to study FSR and realy enjoy the program and get all benefits of it.A cannot see any bad guy at this topic.My best regards to both of you,Leen de Jager