Questions about skinning

[The_Smiling_Knight]

I wonder if any of you guys could help me out. I'm trying to make new skins. Here's what I've done.

I unpacked with the unpacker.

I got Alpaco's converter tool and Python.

I got the nVidia tool (but don't really know how to use it).

I open a converted texture (.DDS) in photoshop CS2 and make my changes.

When I go to save the file how should I save it? As a .DDS file? When the nVidia tool pops up, what do I select in it?

Once I have done that, I place that modded file (I tried with the "early_general_england.texture" but it did not change in game) back where I got it.

I got it from M2:TW\data\unit_models\_generals_and_captains\early_generals\textures so I put it back there.

The original I renamed "VAN_early_ge..." but I noticed the size of the original is 342 KB whereas mine is 301 KB. Is that a problem?

Do I have to change the "early_general_england_normal.texture" in photoshop as well?

After all that I created a "skinlaunch.bat" with medieval2.exe --io.file_first in it, then I put [io]
file_first = true in the medieval2.preference.cfg and made it read-only.

Fired up the game with the batch file but no change took place in the game.

I have read the forums but there does not seem to be a resource on exactly what steps to take in order to make this happen.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks!