Here's what I'm trying to do. I would like to sample a color (say the dark green of the SE5) and paint with that color.

Can anyone demo how to do that (meaning screenshots of the steps)? Or point me to a tutorial that answers my question. I can select the eye dropper and that's as far as I can get.

I use Photoshop and have no idea of GIMP, but you should see through the tools
if you can find one with the icon of a little pipette. With this tool you can
usually take up a colour. It might then appear in a colour field, and you should
be able to paint with it now.

Here is the huge "skinning tutorials & help" forum from Combat Ace times -
a lot of helpful stuff - but also a lot to read...

http://combatace.com/forum/212-off-woff-photoshop-and-paint-shop-help-for-skinning-and-3d-modeling/

PS: you'll find lots of tutorials on YOUTUBE - just enter searchwords and GIMP there, and you'll see.

Like Olham, I'm much more familiar with Photoshop, although I do have and have used GIMP.

I found this tutorial, which seems to be what you're looking for.

https://www.hscripts.com/tutorials/gimp/color-picker-tool.html

That looks like what I need. It's those last couple steps, saving it to the palette I couldn't figure out. Much obliged.

Oh I did that...trying to separate the wheat from the chaff (finding something that answers my question) is problematic. Much obliged.

Busdriver, when you select the dropper, make sure you are on the layer the color you want is on, probably the background. If you can't see your layers, go up to the windows dropdown at the top and go into "dockable windows" and select "layers". Then make sure you are on the right layer and use the eyedropper to pick the color. It should then show up in the color window at #5 below.

Let me know if that works for you!

Jeez, a lot of people can answer in the time it took me to do that! I started right after Olham's post!

You sir, are a genius. I kept using it on the top layer, where I was trying to touch up the edges of the artwork. As Homer Simpson would say, "D'oh..."

Thank you for taking the time to add your reply.

I can not tell you how many times I have done the same thing!

Bus. Some advice.

If you are planning on painting a part of the plane, since you have only 1 main layer to work with (the .DDS file), copy and paste that part into a new window, thus starting with a new part... now remove the color with a 'desaturate' command. GIMP should have it, most paint programs do.

From here, you make a new layer on top of it and add your color to it. Now it gets fun...

Select some effects like 'overlay' or 'hard light' or 'soft light' and let the color pass into the part.

Now go back to the part layer and work with the brightness and contrast until the part fades out, or sharpens to a better look, as if the part is really painted, not just a color layer over something.

Keep working the part layer... then try some shading, with blur.. etc.

Once you are happy with it... merge all the layer (flatten layers works too)... then add the part back into the DDS skin. And tweak the saturation to fit the look of the skin.

I hope that helps a little.

OvS

I'm trying to sample from the base layer. I've tried both Sample Average and Sample Merged with "Add to palette" checked. When I click on some area, the Palette Editor pops up BUT the color is NOT added to the palette.

The circle to the left of the palette editor is where I tried sampling. Suggestions or do you see what I'm doing wrong?

OvS, you're giving me graduate level instruction when I can barely find my keester with both hands. I would love to be able to do what you suggest, but right now I can't find the correct colors. Reminds me when I started using an airbrush to paint plastic kits...way back when. You sir are an ARTIST, and at the moment I'm a six year old kid trying to open a bottle of Testor's model paint.

busdriver, I've never tried to edit the palette, I just keep going back and re-dropping, you can add colors to the history though:

Thanks, that's what I wound up doing by trial and error...lots of error. Thank you kindly.

!!!! That's hysterical! I'm sorry, I went a little overboard there. Believe me, like flying, you just gotta get in the chair. Before you know it, it all becomes easier.

I've never used GIMP, I hear it's a little challenging, but very good one you learn it.