AGEOD Forums

I have been searching for the portraits of some of the french generals that have not a specific one


I am not an artist at all And I presume that this is a job badly remunerated, but if somebody volunteer to convert these (all or some) pics into decent (similar to the one we already have) portraits for NCP, I will search for more



So here is the first batch E-L, 34 different generals, some with more than one picture. The quality is mixed, perhaps not all are profitable

http://rapidshare.com/files/126840445/French_Generals_E-L.zip.html



Note: I had to upload to rapidshare, I was not able to upload here in rar nor zip format

Artillery General Lariboisière's picture was not good enough, here is another and better one. It is spelled too La Riboisière.


[ATTACH]3200[/ATTACH]



General Ernouf, this is the same portrait already uploaded, but better quality



[ATTACH]3201[/ATTACH]



Just pathetically trying to bring some attention

Good findings....thank you

Do you really think so? Then when I finish the next batch A-D, I will post them.


The questions is, are they useful for something? Pity you have not an artist in your team

Got this one from Krasinki portrait included into NIKEL pack:



BTW, I was not able to add external transparen layer........
Hope someone could at AGEOD team!

jastaV, you are on steroids, thanks!

But if you allow me a positive critic, is it too small? I mean there is a lot of "blank" space around the head?



A little update, both are Fournier, but looks like much much younger on pic2. Perhaps it is related with this

One of his greatest friends was the incomparable General LaSalle, and before that officer's marriage, the two got into many scrapes together in the pursuit of women and drinking exploits.

http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/commanders/c_fournier.html


[ATTACH]3265[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3266[/ATTACH]

Hi JastaV. I got your mail but will answer here. Overall the portrait is good. Perhaps a bit too small though.
I'm zero in graphics, so if you can't add a transparent layer, I can't either. Ask some advices from Jabberwock, he is doing AACW portraits.

By design in NCP, we have portraits only for those generals that can make it to ** or ***. Generals that are only * have generic portraits.

PhilThib wrote:By design in NCP, we have portraits only for those generals that can make it to ** or ***. Generals that are only * have generic portraits.

But you said that to have or not to have a specific portrait in the game was due to have found a portrair or not

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showpost.php?p=90135&postcount=16



But as you said it in french and I used a translator perhaps you did not say that

Enlarged and added some blur effect!

I did my own pathetic try with Bachelu, a general that will come in the next batch A-D.

Here is the result, after a lot of work, not resized and the margen is not elliptical, as I got tired and frustrated. Original on the right


[ATTACH]3280[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3281[/ATTACH]



Just if there was a utility that after loading an image, just clicking a button and the voila, you got a valid portrait

Here it is!



Again I've not been able to create the external transparent layer.....

I'm more skilled in the art of war than in the art of...painting !

PhilThib wrote:By design in NCP, we have portraits only for those generals that can make it to ** or ***. Generals that are only * have generic portraits.

This is a good visual design feature; see a generic 1 star and know he cannot be promoted. Friant and Gudin were Generals de Divison from 1806 on. They are one star and unpromotable through 1812 in these scenarios, unless new models are made.

But with new models, I'd want portraits, so keep up the good work, fellas, focussing on generals you might want to promote.

Yes jastaV, we are not very skilled


Honestly, I think that the game deserves a pro or a semipro artist.


It is not just resize, rename,... You have to paint it! Become a reincarnation of David, Gros or Detaille.

For a decent result you need to use a palette extracted from one of the portraits already available. And that is a nightmare with all of those flesh colour variants


This is the reason I lost interest. After PhilThib post I thought that at least I could upload the portraits I had found



Edit: FM WarB, good job? I think that our portraits will never be included in a patch As I said, better wait for a semi-pro. Probably he will never come though

Your efforts are appreciated!
And sure the result is muuuch better that what i would be able to do
Maybe Jabberwock could give some advice. His work on AACW portraits is outstanding!
Cheers!

I too can only dabble in graphics, as I'm no expert....My first project when I get around to it will be artillery. I want to instantly see if a battery is 12 lb, 6-9lb or 3-4 lb.

As jastaV has sent me privately some of his test. I have felt obliged to make another try. I think that the result, though not perfect and unfinished, is not that bad But really this is a badly remunerated job


This is our friend Friant. He is in the place of Gouvion saint Cyr in one of my savegames of the PW, just to see how he looked like in the game. As you can see it is not centered, the neck is hidden by the name, and the blue colour of the french is missing (transparent layer jastaV was talking about?), but overall is decent. Perhaps the face a bit uncolored, I tried to add some rouge in the cheeks as other portraits in the game, but looked like a joker



[ATTACH]3338[/ATTACH]



PD: you will not notice it, but I put him some nice green eyes

Here are some guidelines for General portrait editing.

I've been addressed by Jabberwock to use paint.net program.

download it from:
http://paint.net/

Notes:
paint.net is a freeware program.
Jabberwock is an experienced AACW General portraits editor: his works are available from AACW forums.

Now some routine-indications.

You can windows paint for editing, although paint.NET is an improved tool, and so it's recommended.

- Get the portrait.
You can design it ex-novo or rework a paint, picture or photo downloaded from the net.
Apply the default light brown/kaki background.
Save it as, or convert it to PNG file.

- Resize the portrait to 81x81 PNG, if needed.
Use XnView or paint.NET to that aim.
With paint.NET look for resizing options under Image drop down menu, (CTRL+R)

- Creating the external transparent layer
It's quite simple indeed .......Once you have catched the way!

Start with the 81x81 PNG portrait over light brown/kaki background uploaded into paint.NET program

In paint.NET instruments table, (as default, up left corner) select elliptic selector/drawer.
1. Draw, the ellipse around your portrait-image.
2. Go to Modify drop down menu, and activate "reverse selection", (CTRL+I).
3. Into Modify drop down menu enable "cut", (CTRL+X).

Execute 1, 2, 3, in straight order without any other command or mouse click in the middle!!!!!!!

Here we are!

Probably you have till to refine some details nearby ellipse inner border using !
paint.NET paint and colours table.

REMERBER TO SAVE YOUR WORKS!

Enjoy!

Thanks jastaV and Jabberwock for the hints and the link, I did not know that software


I have a pair of doubts:


Which is the simplest and fastest way to do the brown foreground?

When creating the transparent layer, is it possible to set first the size of the ellipse? I have noticed it is around 65 x 75 pixels



In the meantime I have made another two tests, Ernouf (as Gouvion Saint Cyr) and Fournier (as Duhesme), Ernouf already includes the transparent layer


[ATTACH]3345[/ATTACH]

They look great.

jastaV wrote:1. Draw, the ellipse around your portrait-image.
2. Go to Modify drop down menu, and activate "reverse selection", (CTRL+I).
3. Into Modify drop down menu enable "cut", (CTRL+X).

Hi -

Sorry I didn't reply to your latest email right away. It wil speed things and make portraits more uniform if you save and use several pre-built layers.

1. khaki background ellipse.
2. white border for backgroud ellipse.
3. A mask for trimming the portrait (after it's colorized). This is basically a reverse of the background ellipse shape (with maybe a one pixel overlap to make sure everything fits completely under the border. The ellipse shape is transparent. Everything else is filled in with a high contrast color. You paste it as a new layer in your picture, select the everything else, switch to the portrait layer, and hit delete. Then put the background ellipse under it, and the border on top.

Some more suggestions, do all your drawing and editing at 3x resolution (so 243x243 pixels.) when you're done, paint.net should have an option to resize the image to 81x81.

If there is a sharpen filter, try using it before you resize, and only on the portrait layer.

Would this transperent layer be the grey checkerboard I see when opening an artillery png with the Gimp or the mass of wierd colors in Windows Paint?
I've been trying to figure out how to deal with it.

Many graphics programs display transparency as a gray or pink checkerboard while editing. There is usually an options or preferences setting to control how it is displayed. I don't know what you are seeing in Paint. It might be remnants of masking layers left over from editing in another program. Paint can't handle transparency.

Jabberwock wrote:Hi -

Sorry I didn't reply to your latest email right away. It wil speed things and make portraits more uniform if you save and use several pre-built layers.

1. khaki background ellipse.
2. white border for backgroud ellipse.
3. A mask for trimming the portrait (after it's colorized). This is basically a reverse of the background ellipse shape (with maybe a one pixel overlap to make sure everything fits completely under the border. The ellipse shape is transparent. Everything else is filled in with a high contrast color. You paste it as a new layer in your picture, select the everything else, switch to the portrait layer, and hit delete. Then put the background ellipse under it, and the border on top.

Some more suggestions, do all your drawing and editing at 3x resolution (so 243x243 pixels.) when you're done, paint.net should have an option to resize the image to 81x81.

If there is a sharpen filter, try using it before you resize, and only on the portrait layer.

I thank you very much for suggestion and support provided.
...Paint.NEt is a great tool!

JastaV

It could be nice and useful joining forces!

I already sent my portraits to Nikel.

JastaV

jastaV wrote:It could be nice and useful joining forces!

I already sent my portraits to Nikel.

JastaV

JastaV, as I already said, I am not an artist. So I need some time, you are very fast! First I want to make some tests and learn how to do it, see the time it takes,... When I have finished 1 portrait completely I will send it to you, promised


FM WarB, yes the checkerboard is the transparency layer, it is around the portrait and so the game will display a colour according to the nation, for example blue for the french


Jabberwock, I have problems with the layers. I still do not know how to do a khaki background ellipse, that can be used for all the portraits. I have painted one, but in my testing general, Foy, that has a "complex" hair so the borders are difficult and time consuming. Is there an easy easy to do it? Step by step as JastaV did with the transparent layer.
About the white border for backgroud ellipse, I suppose this is only for AACW, I think that in NCP it is not necessary?


Edit: Here is Foy (the name of the file is not right), so you understand What I mean about the hair and the background

[ATTACH]3348[/ATTACH]

Nikel wrote:JastaV, as I already said, I am not an artist. So I need some time, you are very fast! First I want to make some tests and learn how to do it, see the time it takes,... When I have finished 1 portrait completely I will send it to you, promised


FM WarB, yes the checkerboard is the transparency layer, it is around the portrait and so the game will display a colour according to the nation, for example blue for the french


Jabberwock, I have problems with the layers. I still do not know how to do a khaki background ellipse, that can be used for all the portraits. I have painted one, but in my testing general, Foy, that has a "complex" hair so the borders are difficult and time consuming. Is there an easy easy to do it? Step by step as JastaV did with the transparent layer.
About the white border for backgroud ellipse, I suppose this is only for AACW, I think that in NCP it is not necessary?


Edit: Here is Foy (the name of the file is not right), so you understand What I mean about the hair and the background

[ATTACH]3348[/ATTACH]

Nikel, check your e-mail box for void ellipse background files!

Wellinghton Army Calvary Officers WANTED!

Having portraits for any of enlisted Calvary "Generals", we could try to attach leader to respective units in Brigade-command.
Of course a profile, with ratings for any general is to be edited......So, some biographic notes could be or interest too!


MG. Somerset
MG. Ponsonby
MG. Dornberg
MG. Vandeleur
MG. Grant
MG. Vivian
Col. von Arentsschildt
Col. von Estorff

Thanks for any support

JastaV

actually, looking at the arty, the arty is the transparency, and I'll need more experimentation to be able to confidently work with it in Gimp. May hafta try paint.net.

As was clarified in imbedding officers in bdes thread, the program will not allow it.