[TUTORIAL]multiple full rez images in your 01-12.bmp

[BioToxxx]

This tut will walk you through making a 01-12.bmp with any combo of small, normal, images and as many high rez images you can fit. I’ll be using Photoshop CS2 and HHD Free Hex Editor for this tut.

First here is a little chart showing where in the original 01-12.bmp each image is located, its color tint on the psp, and how many k to each slot.

01:00000000 - tint = gray - start of file
02:00001820 - tint = yellow - 6.176k in
03:00003040 - tint = light green - 12.352k in
04:00004860 - tint = pink - 18.528k in
05:00006080 - tint = dark green - 24.704k in
06:000078a0 - tint = purple - 30.880k in
07:000090c0 - tint = teal - 37.056k in
08:0000a8e0 - tint = light blue - 43.232k in
09:0000c100 - tint = dark purple - 49.408k in
10:0000d920 - tint = orange - 55.584k in
11:0000f140 - tint = brown - 61.760k in
12:00010960 - tint = red - 67.936k in

Now the starting slots are fixed so those are our only real restrictions here. An image must start at one of the set points or you will get a dead theme slot in that spot. When using an image larger than 6.176k it will bleed over into the next, for example I have a 17k 480x272 image and place it at the first point (00000000) it will be first in my theme list, work fine, but it will kill the next two slots. So my next image will have to start at the next available start point, slot 04 which is 18.528k in. There is no need to pad out a 480x272 image to fit a span of slots perfectly, since it is at the full screen rez the psp wont get a chance to display any garbage left between the image end and the next start point.

Okay enough of my talking lets make our file. =)

*note* full 480x272 background images will make white boxes out of default xmb icons. To use a full 480x272 bg without white boxes you'll have to have a custom topmenu_plugin on that includes all the subicons too. To keep original icons/subicons with no white boxes the biggest you can make a bg image is 460x261.

In photoshop open your choice 480x272 image (keep things simple for full rez ones that will go in slots 01 – 11, save your most complex detailed image for slot 12 since it can have a large filesize and you don’t have to worry about it killing slots after it). Edit to your liking and choose file > save for web.



Choose filetype > jpeg in the drop down list. Note the filesize in the bottom left, now start lowering quality to get the filesize as small as possible while keeping it visually pleasing.

Note the chart up at the start while you do this so you know how many slots that image will be taking up and remember actual size after a save is always a little larger than the displayed size. My image in the screen is 17.62k (18,039k actual after save) so I know it will take up three slots in the theme list since the 4th starts at 18.528k.



Now rinse and repeat as many times as you like. Edit your 480x272 images, save for web as jpeg and lower the quality to get things as small as possible yet still visually pleasing.

Finally take your fav, most detailed 480x272 and save for web as jpeg at high quality. This will be your 12th slot image and it’s size doesn’t matter so go big and fancy.

Okay so I made 3 images under 18.528k, knowing that each would take up 3 slots a piece from the chart up there. So “metal” will be in slot 1 taking up slots 1-3, “boobs” will be in slot 4 taking up slots 4-6, and “ghost” will be in slot 7 taking up slots 7-9. I know “quins” will be my 12 since it is the largest filesize so I just grabbed two normal size 6.176k images for the available 10 and 11 spots. Now that I know all my spots are filled as efficiently as possible it’s time to compile them together.





We copy and paste an original 01-12.bmp (or any normal size compiled one) into our folder.

Open it in your hex editor.

Be sure overwrite mode is turned on so it overwrites the existing stuff rather than just shoving things around, here's a screen of the button in HHD free hex editor, I imagine it's an available option in any editor.



Refer to the chart at the start for easy reference to the image start lines.

Open your first image in your hex editor, select all and copy

Back in the original 01-12 hex with the first “42” @ 00000000 selected



paste in the copied jpg hex.



Find the end of the jpg you just pasted in, note what line you are on, and use the chart to find the next image start point.

Open your next image in your hex editor, select all and copy.

Back in the 01-12 at the next available start point select the “42” at the start of the line and paste in the next image.

Rinse and repeat pasting in images at the starts of the preset starting lines. When you’re all done choose file > save as and name it 01-12.bmp

Drop it on your psp and you’re good =)



sometimes when you go to change theme's the psp will dump a white screen on ya even though a valid image is selected. Just choose the slot you want and then choose theme again and it will load the image.

Making one with 11 normal size ones (6.176k each) and one high rez is a little quicker. Compile your 01-12 with 12 normal size ones like normal and then just hex edit in your high rez jpg right into spot 12 and save as 01-12.bmp and you're done.