[Swamp_Thing]

I need help figuring something out. I want to make a see-through texture, using a previouslly made texture.
Here´s an example:
Using this texture,


i want to transform the black portions of this texture into a transparent, slightly tinted, see-through texture. Is there a way i can select all the black areas, and then swap the color for a transparent one? Or select all the black areas and change their  opacity?
This is supposed to be used on a console, where the guy manning it can look at the computer screen and see the data on it, and yet still be able to see past it.
I have Photoshop, so every tip should be made with photoshop in mind.
The texture is supposed to be used here:



Notice how the screens are transparent, but the texture is not. What i want is that texture to highly visible, yet transparent. The red and orange parts will be bright and almost completelly opac, while the black areas would be totally transparent.

So, how can i do this to this texture in particular? If i was making a texture from scratch, i would know how to do it, but i want to use this particular texture.
Anyone can help me?

[aldo_14]

I'd suggest just copying the image, grayscaling it, and using it as an alpha channel.  Twiddle with the contrast and brightness a bit (to get the right balance of light versus dark in terms of opacity), and roberts your fathers brother.

[Swamp_Thing]

Originally posted by aldo_14
and roberts your fathers brother.

Say what?

[Goober5000]

Bob's your uncle.

[kasperl]

Anyone care to explain the etymology here?

[StratComm]

Not particularly, no

[aldo_14]

http://tafkac.org/language/etymology/bobs_your_uncle.html

[Grug]

Hehe should update that saying to "Bush is your father".

[Taristin]

ST; since you're using TrueSpace, this is how you do transparency;

Edit: Step one is to right click that...

[Grug]

"Raa's 30 second tips."
Hehehe, nice.

[Taristin]

Well, I *could* have explained it, but I find this way to be clearer.

[Unknown Target]

Oops...I was supposed to make that

[Grug]

Aye Raa, I find visual aids are often 100x better than words.

BTW, the subject matter. I wonder, is that supposed to be the Options section of the FS2 Main Hall?

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by Grug
Aye Raa, I find visual aids are often 100x better than words.

You're one order of magnitude off.  They're 1000x better.

[Swamp_Thing]

Yeah, but too bad that´s not what i want. I already know how to make it in TS, i want a texture i can export to Unreal.
Besides, using that technique would make the whole texture transparent, and i just want the black parts done, not the red parts.
EDIT: After trying it, it doesn´t even get transparent, so that doesn´t work with this texture.

PS: I spy with my little eye, my shuttle in the background!!

[aldo_14]

Alpha channel in Photoshop, then save as TGA.

[Taristin]

Originally posted by Swamp_Thing
Yeah, but too bad that´s not what i want. I already know how to make it in TS, i want a texture i can export to Unreal.
Besides, using that technique would make the whole texture transparent, and i just want the black parts done, not the red parts.
EDIT: After trying it, it doesn´t even get transparent, so that doesn´t work with this texture.

PS: I spy with my little eye, my shuttle in the background!!

So, then use the filter that looks like the sobek tiles, and use the map as the guide for what is transparent. (That'd work for TS.) For Unreal, I can't help you.

And yes, that is your shuttle; TS loaded it by itself. It must have been the last thing I looked at in TS all those months ago.