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PSD file installation help

hakatrehakatre Posts: 0
edited December 1969 in New Users

I just bought a makeup file for V4 from Renderosity with the .psd extension. The zip file only came with:

1. .psd file
2. Readme file
3. EULA (license agreement)

I thought it was pretty lame of the author to not include installation instructions in the Readme (very lame).
So, I tried to improvise by copying and pasting the .psd into C:\Users\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Library
with no luck. Daz does not see the file.

What can I do to open/install this file?

Version: Daz Studio 4.5

Comments

  • MedzinMedzin Posts: 337
    edited November 2012

    It is not something that you install.
    Anyway, DS cannot read PSD files even if you manually attached them to a shader.
    Try actually reading the readme, renderosity lets you read the readme before purchase

    Post edited by Medzin on
  • BWSmanBWSman Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    .psd files are image overlays and made for 2d graphic editors like PhotoShop or PaintShop Pro. You open your V4 head texture and apply the PSD over the texture by adding it to a new layer.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    You can use them for an 'overlay shader'...but you have to extract each individual layer and save it as a separate image (tif or png, to preserve the transparency).

  • hakatrehakatre Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Thanks folks. I'm starting to understand what a .psd is. It's just how to get Daz 4.5 to apply the contents or app to V4. That's my dilemma. Is it something I can access through Daz' back door somehow (menu options)?

    @ Medzin, the only thing the readme said about the file was ".psd opening program."
    Since the makeup file was sold for V4 and A4, was it not right to assume Daz 4.5 could open it?

  • MedzinMedzin Posts: 337
    edited December 1969

    hakatre said:
    @ Medzin, the only thing the readme said about the file was ".psd opening program."
    Since the makeup file was sold for V4 and A4, was it not right to assume Daz 4.5 could open it?

    No, it was not right to assume that. PSD is not even in the pulldown list of image files that you get when you try to open an image file in DS.

    DS is not the main program people use for V4 and A4.

    I would say there is a larger installed base of Poser users for those figures.
    Poser can directly read PSD in the material room and you can make your adjustments in the program before you save out the final work.

    AFAIK, Carrara (another DAZ product) can use PSD directly.

    Support for a wide variety of file types would be one of the differences between a free program and one that is a paid for product

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited November 2012

    Medzin said:
    hakatre said:
    Support for a wide variety of file types would be one of the differences between a free program and one that is a paid for product

    In this case, though, it may be more of a case of nobody has gotten around to making a 'legit', full fledged Qt imageformat plugin for the psd format.

    Post edited by mjc1016 on
  • hakatrehakatre Posts: 0
    edited November 2012

    Thank you, Medzin! Looks like I might have to purchase Carrara soon. But, before I do, since I already have Bryce and plan on rendering there anyway, will Bryce read the .psd?

    Post edited by hakatre on
  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    HI hakatre :)

    firstly,.. a PSD is an Adobe (PhotoShop document),.. so, it's an image,.. or layered image.

    it's meant to be opened in Photoshop,. or in an image editor which can work with photoshop multilayer PSD files , like G.I.M.P. which is free.

    Poser and Carrara will read and work with native PSD files,. Bryce can also open PSD files but I don't know if you can remap the V4 figure inside Bryce,. I think any textures have to come from DS first.

    Normally, you would use an image editor to add the PSD (makeup file) onto the skin texture, and export out an New image with the skin and make-up combined.

    I believe Daz Studio has a layered image editor (L.I.E) built into it,. which should allow you to select the face texture and edit it to add the PSD, or a PNG version of that,...but I've never used it. so I don't know what it can or can't do.

    Before you buy anything , or download any freebies, it's a good idea to find out what it's for, and how it's used, as not all items for use on 3D figures, or models, are intended to be directly used inside daz studio, or any other 3D program.

    Quite often you'll see "Merchant resources" which can be raw photos of skin, so that the designer can use those (in an image editor) to create a new skin texture for a model.

    Hope it helps :)

  • BWSmanBWSman Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    3DAGE said:
    HI hakatre :)

    firstly,.. a PSD is an Adobe (PhotoShop document),.. so, it's an image,.. or layered image.

    it's meant to be opened in Photoshop,. or in an image editor which can work with photoshop multilayer PSD files , like G.I.M.P. which is free.

    Poser and Carrara will read and work with native PSD files,. Bryce can also open PSD files but I don't know if you can remap the V4 figure inside Bryce,. I think any textures have to come from DS first.

    Normally, you would use an image editor to add the PSD (makeup file) onto the skin texture, and export out an New image with the skin and make-up combined.

    I believe Daz Studio has a layered image editor (L.I.E) built into it,. which should allow you to select the face texture and edit it to add the PSD, or a PNG version of that,...but I've never used it. so I don't know what it can or can't do.

    Before you buy anything , or download any freebies, it's a good idea to find out what it's for, and how it's used, as not all items for use on 3D figures, or models, are intended to be directly used inside daz studio, or any other 3D program.

    Quite often you'll see "Merchant resources" which can be raw photos of skin, so that the designer can use those (in an image editor) to create a new skin texture for a model.

    Hope it helps :)


    The Layered Image Editor can do as you stated; but cannot work with PSDs The file has to be converted to PNG format first & if there are multiple layers in the PDS; each layer has to be saved separately.
  • hakatrehakatre Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    3DAGE, BWSman... Thank you both. That was helpful. I don't have photoshop (Corel Paint Shop Pro instead v.XI) but not sure if it'll work with (PSP). So, it looks like it might be a bit of trial and error on my part. It's a makeup file so, I what I'm hearing from you (3DAGE) is that I will have to "layer" the V4 .jpg face of my choice with the .psd - but since the file claims to have like 8 or more options, I'm confused. Since I'm pretty new at all this stuff, that's to be expected. Nice to know there are so many awesome, seasoned 3D/CG veterans here.

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited November 2012

    hakatre said:
    Thank you, Medzin! Looks like I might have to purchase Carrara soon. But, before I do, since I already have Bryce and plan on rendering there anyway, will Bryce read the .psd?


    Bryce will indeed read a PSD, but only the layer that is "visible" when the PSD is opened in an image editor. It will not read any of the other layers that are hidden beneath the topmost layer that is visible. It will also not read any alpha maps associated with a PSD layer. SO a multi layered PSD, which is presumably what you have, will not be read correctly by Bryce.

    I prefer to save my texture maps as PNG, as Bryce will read the alpha channel of a PNG

    I have to admit I have never bothered saving a single layer PSD with alpha channels, so cannot say if the format would work correctly if saved in this manner, but most PSDs that are sold will be mutli layered ones, giving you several different options in the one file.
    Post edited by Chohole on
  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    HI :)

    The good news is that you can use Paint shop pro, it'll open PSD files as multilayer images, (each image is in a separate layer) and each of the layers can be made visible or invisible, depending on what you want to do.

    Each new raster layer you create will have a little (Eye) Icon, which allows you to make it visible or invisible.

    only visible layers will be saved out as an image, such as JPG

    So, the basic process is as you say,. load the models face texture map in Paint shop Pro, then add the layer you want from the PSD file, and export as a New named file.
    then jump into Daz Studio,. load the model, go to the surfaces tab and edit the face texture shader to load your newly created texture map.
    then you should be able to save that as a material preset.

    :)

    BWSman :)

    Thanks for the info,..

    learning all the time

    :)

  • hakatrehakatre Posts: 0
    edited November 2012

    Awesome! Thanks chohole and 3DAGE for your input. I think I know what to do now. Looks like GIMP is the way to go and it has some cool features as well.

    I am officially hooked on Daz Studio based on the great support from the community alone. Very excited about it all now. YOU GUYS (and gals) ROCK!!! ^_^

    I'll let you know has it all works with the .psd and makeup options soon. Might take a few days.

    Post edited by hakatre on
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