Problem with BIF files

[Dead Moroz]

Some strange black spots appears in bif files that I created by myself. They only appears in the game. In Bifreader and Photoshop pictures looks fine.
What do I do wrong? I just open bif file in Bifreader, extract frame as bmp and edit bmp in Photoshop. Than I create new bif in Bifreader and import edited bmp. Save this new bif file and use it in game. And then that black spots appear Always on the right side of pic.
I've made an experiment. I opened bif, extracted frame as bmp, didn't change it, just created new bif and imported bmp. The result was the same (see lower pic).
Can anybody advice me how to solve this problem?

http://www.ruslan-com.ru/zotov/scots/scot.jpg

http://www.ruslan-com.ru/zotov/scots/scot2.jpg

[flip]

Hi, I have that problem also, no way to get that extra pixels out
http://filipeabranches.no.sapo.pt/MTW/Units/update4.jpg

[Re Berengario I]

It's bifreader the problem. It doesn't save bif icons in a correct format. The animations are fine, icons display black dots instead that the transparent color.

Here is the solution I found after hours of "trial and error". You must download the CA image tools available at the org site, the program you need is called Purplegrab.exe.

I made a save of the screen and I examined the image in the review panel. The dots are where there are just 1 or 2 pixels of the transparent color. They're correctly displayed in readbif though but I guess the game doesn't use exactly the same conversion routine that the program uses and reads those pixels as "non transparent" and thereby they're displayed with color the stored in the position 0 of the palette (black for the bif created with readbif).

I then exported the bif to bmp, loaded it in a paint proggy, corrected the position 0 of the palette to pink (255 0 255), convert the image to 24 bit color, save as uncompressed 24 bit tga, drag the tga file into CA's purplegrab to create a bif. That bif displays in the game without black dots.

I converted all the bifs I made in this way, I think you can use any other paint program if it can save the image in uncompressed 24 bit color tga and provided you have fill all the transparent areas of your image with pink color.

[Dead Moroz]

Re Berengario I, are you sure the required program is Purplegrab.exe and it's situated on the org site? I can't find it here.

[Re Berengario I]

Quote[/b] (Dead Moroz @ Dec. 10 2003,14:27)]Re Berengario I, are you sure the required program is Purplegrab.exe and it's situated on the org site? I can't find it here.
Purpgrab.exe is in the file CA_BIF_BUF_Utils.zip.