Saved DDS producing square shield

[Jagger]

Thanks for all the feedback.

First, Samnite, "I always export the alpha when starting a new texture and import it everytime I save a new one." Are you separating the alpha from the TGA before starting work on the TGA with the paint program? Are you saving the alpha separately by exporting and then once the work is done, you import the original alpha back to the TGA?

If I understand correctly, I may be able to go to the original TGA and save the alpha. Then I could import the alpha into my completed TGA. Which would revert the alpha back to the original.

Second, Taamati, "Firstly make sure you have an alpha channel, and make sure you only have 1." This is going to sound dumb but how do make sure you have an alpha channel and how to you determine if you only have one?

Thanks again.

[Taamati]

I'm not sure where it is in pantshop but in photoshop there is a channels tab next to the layers tab just click that and you get the RGB, R, G ,B and Alpha. it works just like a layer.

Now don't forget when you paint on the alpha it's in grey scale and the White areas show the texture and the Black is transparent, shaded of grey are partial transparency. your going o have to paint that black corner on the shield black on the alpha channel so you don't see it

[AmbrosiusAurelianus]

What I do is take the original dds file, and draw what I want on to another, second, temporary dds file (remember to back up), then make the background on the second bright green, and erase everything else. Then cut out a layer round your shield, drag it on to the first, where it will be a new layer; position it over the shield, and erase all the green. If you save it properly, you should have changed just the painted part of the shield over the original and not tampered with the surroundings, which seems to be the trouble. This is a bit of a slapdash method, so feel free to laugh, but it has worked for me on occasion. Just thought I would mention it.