DOTP 2012 CUSTOM FRAME & DECK BOX TUTORIAL (photoshop)

[kevlahnota]

Hi, I hope this bring inspiration to DOTP 2012 modders here @ slightlymagic. Sorry if the tutorial is not very detailed.
Anyway lets get started(click the spoilers to open).

DECK BOX Tutorial: | Open

1) Download PSD DECK BOX template (PSD File).

PSD DECK BOX.zip

PSD Deck Box Template

(682.47 KiB) Downloaded 230 times

2) Open it with Photoshop ( I use Photoshop CS5)


3) Now select the layer "PUT IMAGE HERE" and press CTRL + A (the blank image will be selected )


4) Open your desired image (for the deck box) with photoshop (I used gwafa hazid for example), press CTRL + A (select all) and then CTRL + C (for copying the image)


5) Now return back to our PSD Deck Box template and press CTRL + V (to paste our image)


6) Now that the image is pasted inside,you can use resize and move the image to your liking and save it as PNG. It's now ready for converting to TDX file(look at the other tutorials here at the documentation board).

FRAME Tutorial | Open

1)Now for Custom frames, you need the Frame Images from the game and convert it to PNG(I use B.tdx, R.tdx, W.tdx in the example) Open the frame with photoshop(i use the white one).


2)Then I open the black frame, select it and copy pasted it over with the white frame (we now have two layers).


3) Then click the vector mask to make a mask(the little rectangle with a circle inside. now the active layer( black frame will have a white mask, it means it will show the full image of that layer, because black makes it transparent).


4) Now we press ALT + Left mouse click the mask( besides the black frame to show the mask ).


5) Now we need to use gradient tool to use(google some photoshop tutorials for the tools ), right click paint bucket tool if you can't see it.(thats the trick)


6) Click our active layer to see the results (the black frame besides the layer mask).


7 Now with having these technique(masking), we can create custom frames with your desires.

[thefiremind]

Thanks a million, especially for the PSD file. I tried to load it on Paint.NET with a plugin, but the part outside the box doesn't become invisible automatically and the upper part of the box stays white instead of blending with the image... it seems Paint.NET is able to open PSD files with the plugin but doesn't understand them completely. I guess I'll get Photoshop.

EDIT: OK, I made 3 new deck boxes and I must say that I'm satisfied. 2 little advices for the other modders:
1) If you convert the deck images to TDX with Paint.NET+plugin rather than with gibbed tools, the files will be smaller. You'll save some space.
2) If you follow the advice above, you'll get files with extension "tdx". The game is so sensitive that it won't accept them, you'll have to rename the extension with capital letters ("TDX").

[Eglin]

I /suck/ at using paint programs, so I really hate that I didn't find this awesome thread before spending an hour making a couple dozen boxes! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial and masks. The .psd file works great in Gimp, the freely available Photoshop clone, although I did have to add a mask for the "add image here" layer. Here's the Gimp version with the mask already setup for anyone else too cheap to spring for Photoshop:

PSD DECK BOX.zip

Gimp version (.xcf) of Kev's excellent box art masks and frames.

(225.92 KiB) Downloaded 121 times

[Persee]

I made the frame for card RG hybrid and I have a issue with it. The crop image is not displayed :

| Open

I add the PSD version of the frame if someone could convert into a correct TDX version.

Thanks.

[thefiremind]

There's a high chance your problem can be solved with this guide by kev:
viewtopic.php?f=65&t=3821
You have to open the TDX file with a hex editor and change that number 20 to 28.

[Persee]

Thanks a lot, it works perfectly !

I had forgotten that this tutorial was.

[thefiremind]

I started using this guide to make hybrid frames, and I want to add a little advice.
When you create the layer mask for the hybrid frame, you'd like to use the same mask for all the hybrid frames... but when you paste another frame image, it will be on a new layer, so how to use the same mask?
Click on the chain icon that links the old layer with its mask, this will "unchain" the mask. Now you just have to move the mask to the new layer and delete the old one.

[GravitonGamer]

By any chance, does anyone have PSDs for the planeswalker backplates and the planeswalker icons?

[thefiremind]

Kev posted them, too, but I can't seem to find the post where he did it, so I uploaded them myself.

They are still OK also for DotP2013, while the new deck boxes are smaller, but nothing you can't overcome with some resizing inside Photoshop.

[Zambooo]

Does someone have a file for DotP2013 or at least the size the image should have?

[RiiakShiNal]

Does someone have a file for DotP2013 or at least the size the image should have?

There are 2 deck box templates available for 2013 that have been released thus far:
Emashzed's
Riiak Shi Nal's

[Zambooo]

great, I've never noticed them. Thanks