How do people deal with texture editing for SE/AE?

[Ghoulz]

Or is it just the norm to painstakingly convert textures to edit, then convert them back?

[audhol]

What is the question you are asking? 

 

Is it about working with .dds?

[Demonwise]

4 hours ago, Ghoulz said:

Or is it just the norm to painstakingly convert textures to edit, then convert them back?

 

There is no difference in the texture format between SE and AE. As for how hard it is to edit... well if you have Photoshop then the Intell DDS plugin is pretty much all you need. IrfanView can also be helpful to tell what kind of compression the dds files are in.

[Kastagir]

4 hours ago, Ghoulz said:

convert textures to edit, then convert them back?

Skyrim SE/AE supports BC7 texture compression in the DDS file format, as well as DXT1 and DXT5 used in LE (it is backward compatible).  Texture compression is only determined when the file is saved because that's when it is compressed.  While it is open in your editing program it is not compressed, though it may have compression artifacts from previously being compressed.  The format of the file (i.e. DDS) is the same.  For SE or AE, use the Intel DDS plugin for Photoshop.  Newer versions of Gimp should have BC7 DDS support built-in.

Edited January 29, 2025 by Kastagir

[Ghoulz]

If I had photoshop I wouldn't be asking this question.

[Kastagir]

6 minutes ago, Ghoulz said:

If I had photoshop I wouldn't be asking this question.

Then use Gimp or Krita.  They're free, so what's the problem?

 

5 hours ago, Ghoulz said:

Or is it just the norm to painstakingly convert textures to edit, then convert them back?

The norm is to use Photoshop or Gimp.

Edited January 29, 2025 by Kastagir

[danna233]

Photoshop does not work with BC7. It does not open such dds. Therefore, either what was listed above or paint

[Ghoulz]

1 hour ago, danna233 said:

Photoshop does not work with BC7. It does not open such dds. Therefore, either what was listed above or paint

I can't open them with GIMP either. Need to know how to convert them back to the original format without loss of quality.

[danna233]

I use Paint. I resave BS7 to BS3. I edit in Photoshop. Then I either leave it in this format or resave it in Paint to BS7 again. I don't notice any loss of quality, maybe it is, but I don't have a 4K monitor. Paint is not very clear for me to work with, I'm used to Photoshop, so I have to do it this way.

Edited January 30, 2025 by danna233

[Ghoulz]

4 hours ago, danna233 said:

I use Paint. I resave BS7 to BS3. I edit in Photoshop. Then I either leave it in this format or resave it in Paint to BS7 again. I don't notice any loss of quality, maybe it is, but I don't have a 4K monitor. Paint is not very clear for me to work with, I'm used to Photoshop, so I have to do it this way.

Talking about the base program or something else because it's not opening dds files.

[danna233]

Paint.NET is a free basic graphic editor. And it opens dds. Another thing is that you need to get used to it. I am used to Photoshop, I have an old, decrepit Photoshop, which does not have many modern functions, but I am attached to it.

[Harvald56]

paint net si really good for this job https://www.getpaint.net/

[Ghoulz]

What settings do you save it as? There's a BC7 linear and RGB option. Generate mipmaps?

 

Does this apply to facegen textures as well? Because I was blackface compressing the facegen with Cathedral. Body textures went through, they were just horrendous quality. 

[danna233]

DXT11+, Generate mipmaps

[Ghoulz]

Think I got it figured out now. Still a pain in the @#$ though.