Trying to repaint an aircraft texture.

Using DXTBMP to load the file, then sending it to paint.net.

I think the problem is in paint.net... I make my changes on paint.net, I make sure any layers are merged into one before I save. Once I'm finished with paint.net, I'll select "reload after edit" on dxtbmp, which will show the edited texture. Then...

I either "save as extended bitmap-888", or "DXT 1" (or 3).

Then I'll drop the edited texture into my aircraft folder, only to see that no changes have been made to the original texture when I run the sim.

Not sure where the problem exists... thoughts?

Dunno about paint.net specifically ... 

DXTBMP sends the image to be edited to a "temp" folder as an "ordinary" bmp, then calls the editing program and tells it to load that temporary image. The assumption is that the editing program will save the edited image to the same place, with the same name, which DXTBMP will then "Reload after edit" for re-saving in the chosen format, with or without alpha as required.

Try a basic test using the default Windows Paint program rather than paint.net ... that should at least work to prove everything else is correct, then you can look into why paint.net isn't saving the edited image as expected.

 

Hmm.

I could try that. I've edited aircraft and AI textures before with paint.net without trouble. And with trouble, though there was some sort of workaround I had to do to get it to work. I forget what it was exactly. The past few times those possible solutions didn't make a difference. One of them caused the aircraft to load with this really weird looking motherboard-looking texture!!

 

Windows paint isn't Microsoft paint is it?? I can't edit with that very well at all.

Edited April 17Apr 17 by TheRedBadger

5 hours ago, TheRedBadger said:

Windows paint isn't Microsoft paint is it?? I can't edit with that very well at all.

Windows Paint is available under Windows Accessories in W10 ... not sure about W11

I wasn't suggesting you should use it as a full-time editor ... it is "limited" ... but as a "go back to basics" test platform it might give you an idea of whether your issues are being caused by the editor you are trying to use or by some other installation/configuration issue. Simply draw a bright red cross (or whatever) on the texture you are wanting to edit, then see if that change finds it's way back into DXTBMP and then onwards to FS2004 ... obviously, make a backup of anything important before you start splashing red paint about the place 😉

Your symptoms may be due to a Windows security update being "over-protective" about what it allows to be written where and by which program, so by using what should be "known good" software you may be able to isolate where your errors are originating and hopefully create a workaround or find an alternative solution.