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TOOL: Genesis Image Ditherer to 16 Colours (and now SNES, too)


smozoma

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Version 1.2 released! Dec 22, 2023

(SNES support added in v1.2)

This program takes a full-colour (24-bit) BMP and converts it to a bunch of 16-colour images.

Choose the 16-colour image you like best, then pass it through the program again to prepare the image for importing into Tile Molester.

There is a detailed README.txt in the package, so please read it.

If after reading the README.txt, you have more question, feel free to ask!

Let me know if there are any problems.
If the program crashes, please give me the error message if there is one.

Unzip, drag and drop your image onto Ditherer.exe.

NOTE: I think the problems with disappearing files, and paths and filenames with spaces in them have been solved in v1.1.

NOTE: For some people, the program will create a new folder in your My Documents and put the files there. (I don't know what the folder is called, CoachMac reported the issue but didn't say the name). 

NOTE 2: Do not put the program in a path with spaces in it, or have spaces in the file name. If you get the problem with "File Size: 0" that is probably the cause.

v1.2.0 - Dec 22, 2023

SmozDitherer_v1.2.0.zip

OLD v1.1.0 - Feb 26, 2023 (had 16 downloads)
GenesisImageDitherer_v1.1.0.zip

OLD v1.0.0 - Jul 8, 2012
GenesisImageDitherer_v100.zip

GenesisImageDitherer_v100.zip
--
Starting image:
post-253-0-45851100-1341723744_thumb.png
--

Dithered image (my favourite from the 48 images generated by the program):
(You need to click it to zoom in and see the dithering/pixelation)
post-253-0-12367500-1341723746_thumb.png
--

Image prepared for importing into Tile Molester (which expects it to be darker than it actually will display as):
(You need to click it to zoom in and see the dithering/pixelation)
post-253-0-05442900-1341723750_thumb.png

Edited by smozoma
v1.2.0
  • Thanks 1
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Hey Smoz. I chose method 1 and I followed your instructions precisely. It took about half an hour to run all the evolutions and randomizations and whatnot; when it finished, it said to press any key to continue (so I did). NOTHING. Where are my 48 images? Aren't they supposed to be in the same directory where I dragged my .bmp image onto the thing?

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They should be in the same directory as the image was that you dragged onto the file. You might need to hit F5 in the explorer window to get windows to refresh the folder and show the pictures.

If not, try the windows search and if your image was named, say, "coverimage7.bmp", search for "coverimage7*.bmp" (note the * before .bmp).

Do either of these work?

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Neither of your suggestions work, unfortunately. I had a theory that maybe the problem was my original .bmp had spaces in the title; therefore, I chose to try the whole thing again.

What I originally used: Claude Giroux NHL 13.bmp

What I tried moments ago: Girouxcover.bmp

Space or no space, I still get the same results. It does all the mutations/randomizations and whatnot, and then it says "Press any key to continue." I press any key and.... NOTHING. I even refresh the folder... nothing. I used the searches (with and without the *).... nothing.

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make sure when you search that you are searching the base drive (C:, D: whatever..), not just the one folder that the source image is in. I'm wondering if it's throwing it in some other unexpected folder (maybe straight on C:\)

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It is my recommendation that this topic be pinned and that Smoz use it to provide any necessary notes to help users with this program of his (unless he decides he wants to create a new topic himself to pin).

To those of you who try Smoz's program: in my experience, I found that I had to make the first color in the palette 0-0-0 and the 16th color in the palette 224-224-224. The remaining colors are the RGB values found in the notepad file that his dithering program provides you. The only mystery that remains in my experience now is wondering why I did not get 48 images... thank you, Smoz, for providing me with the 48 images yourself. Your program did the work for me after that point; however, it boggles my mind that the earlier steps did not work for me.

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The part that really confuses me is that you were apparently able to generate the Giroux-TileMolester.BMP using option 3.

Did you ever try putting your giroux.bmp in the same folder as the executable then use option 1?

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The part that really confuses me is that you were apparently able to generate the Giroux-TileMolester.BMP using option 3.

Did you ever try putting your giroux.bmp in the same folder as the executable then use option 1?

I did have it in the same folder as the executable when using option 1. When you gave me the 48 images, I had the 48 images in a separate folder because I did not feel like having to scroll all the way up to drag my chosen image onto the EXE at all. Once I found the image I wanted to use among the 48, I copied it and then pasted it into the same folder as the EXE, then dragged it to the EXE and was able to successfully do step 3. I find it rather odd that I was unable to have the 48 generated images when I did step 1 with the image in the same folder as the EXE.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi. I just used this to create a title screen for my rom. It seemed to work great. bmp of 256224, Option 1, select best pic, option 3. Great :)

Open tilemolester. Import Internal Pallette (1152422, 64, Motorola). Navigate Offset (1125A6), 32x28 Tiles Size, 4bpp Linear. There's the old title screen.

I then Edit->Paste From... and select the Image Ditherer Option 3 bmp file. I then change the pallette based on the txt file of the Option 3 bmp. All looks great. I save the rom. Load it in Fusion.exe.

hmmmm.... The palette is changed (seemingly correctly) but the old image is still there. Is there something I am doing wrong ? I suspect I'm messing up with TileMoleseter but not sure. Any ideas ? Is Edit->Paste From the normal method to get your ImageDithered bmp into the rom ?

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Splash 1

post-1246-0-11476200-1343204893_thumb.pn

Splash 2

post-1246-0-68060500-1343204898_thumb.pn

This was the image just before I added it to tilemolester.

Title - 256x224-001844-01-fs-squared-TileMolester.bmp

And in game (gens). It looks better in Fusion so who knows what it will look like when it makes its way onto my megadrive.

post-1246-0-44086900-1343204909_thumb.pn

While i have ya :) .... any idea how I change the credits text on the main title screen. The ones that scroll up the screen.

Edited by brianon
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Hm for the last image, you should probably go into an image editor and change the colours of the ads in the background to match the players, so the players don't look so washed out. You only get 16 colours, why waste them on ads :)

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  • 7 months later...

I feel like I'm missing something here...

I generated a TileMolestor-friendly image, pasted it into TM, and edited the palette according to the text file. The problem is that none of the colors match:

Attached are four files: the BMP and TXT generated by Ditherer, a screenshot of TM after the pallette's been edited, and the end result in Fusion.

This is my first attempt at hacking a ROM (a hack based on TheTome's 4v4 ball hockey ROM, since it looked a bit like broomball), but I've managed to modify the banners for each team and remove the center ice logo via TM, so I think I'm doing alright despite this setback.

Thoughts?

29URBAN-articleLarge-020556-02-fs-cubed-TileMolester.bmp

post-7001-0-53606600-1362711379_thumb.pn

post-7001-0-52088000-1362711457_thumb.pn

29URBAN-articleLarge-020556-02-fs-cubed-TileMolester.txt

Edited by gotroot801
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Some ideas:

make sure you have the correct palette loaded (this is different than the image location. see the "palette" menu)

Edit the palette before importing the image. It'll re-process the image with your new palette colours.

Try putting black (0, 0, 0) as the first (top left) colour.

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Thanks for the tips, guys!

I'm getting closer, at least. The colors don't match 100%, but I feel like at this point it's minor tweaks as opposed to "screw it, start over".

Now if only my league had team logos. Oh well; hope my teammates don't mind being the Mighty Ducks...

Edited by gotroot801
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  • 2 months later...

Did you extract the files from the zip package? You can't run it from inside the zip.

Are you running it on a network share? It probably needs to be on a drive (C:\something, D:\something, etc, rather than \\someshare)

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