Image quality problem.

patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
in Working with GS (Mac)
Hello!

I've got big problem with the retina display. I thought I made everything correctly, but I was really suprised when I saw my game on ipad.

Here is the source file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wfe90tkavi23vcu/5_bg.jpg
And here is the screenshot from the game:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6d938p54h83hxdc/zdjęcie (2).PNG

Is there anything I could do to improve graphic's quality in the gamesalad? Should everything be saved as PNG?

It looks horrible right now.

Comments

  • DuesDues Member Posts: 1,159
    @patrykadas

    Have you saved your image in 72 dpi? If not, that might be the problem.
  • patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
    Yep, 72dpi straight from the photoshop. Background and the earth layer are saved as jpgs, as they do not contain any transparent elements.

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited April 2013
    @patrykadas

    First up, don't save stuff as JPEGs, JPEG is a lossy format (caveats accepted).

    To solve the banding issue:

    1) In Photoshop make sure your image is a layer (double click 'background' to make it 'Layer 0')
    2) Using the marque tool select a single pixel (in a corner - out of the way is good).
    3) Select the eraser tool.
    4) Set the eraser tool to low value, 10% will do for now.
    5) Using the eraser tool, erase within your marque selection - so you remove a little of the opacity of this one pixel.
    6) Save as a .PSD file
    7) Import into GameSalad and use as normal.


    Result - banding gone ! :)
  • patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
    @Socks

    I haven't known that you can import .psd files, good to know!

    Anyway, PNGs or PSD are not an option for backgrounds, as their weight is something around 5mbs, I will simply noise them a lot. I thought at first that there is some kind of magic switch in gamesalad, as these are my beginnings with that program.

    Thanks anyway!
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited April 2013
    @patrykadas

    When you import PSD files GameSalad converts them to PNG.
    When you import JPEG files GameSalad converts them to PNG.
    When you import PNG files GameSalad imports them as PNG.

    So, you won't be saving anything in that regard as whatever you import it will just end up as a PNG.

    When you add noise to an image expect its file size to increase - depending on the nature of your starting image this can be as much as a ten fold increase ! (x10!) - flatter, more graphic images suffer the worst, complex, busy images less so - unfortunately it's the flatter more graphic images that tend to show banding.

    Plus adding noise makes your image look grainy, which you might not want.

    The trick in my post above forces the iOS device to read your file as 24bit - without an alpha channel (even if unneeded) all the noise adding and resolution changing in the world won't help the fact that the iOS device thinks it's working with an 8bit file.



    tl;dr

    Adding noise = noisy image + large file size + some banding.
    Force 24bit trick = clean image + smaller size + no banding.
  • patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
    edited April 2013
    @Socks
    Wow. I haven't known that.

    You mean - with the alpha channel? I make one px of the image transparent.

    It's good that I am at the beginning of my project.


  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited April 2013
    You mean - with the alpha channel? I make one px of the image transparent.
    My post above walks you through the process step by step, if you are stuck on any particular stage post a question . . .

    :)>-
  • patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
    @Socks

    Yep, just that solution is something new for me. Just to be sure:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/apyukjn3hwe64hs/pixel.jpg

    Have I understood it correctly? Make one pixel within the image 90% opacity.
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    Have I understood it correctly? Make one pixel within the image 90% opacity.
    It doesn't have to be 90%, it could be 99% or 23%, anything you want.

  • patrykadaspatrykadas Member Posts: 24
    Just to make it something different than 100% opacity layer.

    Thank you, once again.

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    Just to make it something different than 100% opacity layer.
    @patrykadas

    Don't change the opacity of the layer, just a single pixel.
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025