The title is pretty self explanatory. I heard that it allegedly could be done, but I'm a technological boomer and IT retarded and cannot work a non-user friendly program to save my life. So is there anyone who could help me out with this?

In particular, if I have an object downloaded and in my mod folder as a package file, and I open the file with S3PE, and I want to change that object's color, which is the tag (or whatever category that's relevant) that I need to edit?

My screenshot attached.

If the object isn't recolourable ingame with Create a Style, you'll want to click on each _IMG and check the preview until you see the one that is the main colour texture and export it to make your changes in an image editor like GIMP or Photoshop.
If it IS recolourable and you want to change the presets themselves, they're usually in an _XML resource- but those you'd likely want to tweak in TSRW in order to preview the changes.

fwiw, I think S3PE can be very user-friendly, it just has a bit of a learning curve to the interface if you're brand new to modding It's more the nature of gutting an object into its loose parts that makes it intimidating to know what it all does.

Is there a program that I should use to "check preview"? Where would I find the "_IMG" if not through S3PE?

Sorry for the confusion, all of the instructions were for S3PE.
The right-hand pane in S3PE is a preview window. When you click on each resource, it will show there- so when you click on resources with the _IMG tag, you will be able to see what they look like.
Many objects contain more than one texture, so it's helpful to look at each one in the preview to find the one you're looking for.

So you know... This was an object that I made recolorable a while ago. I saw similar post on another site, and directed OP to my dl.

Yes, thank you for that. Though with all due respect, the texture seems to be different from the original; I was able to get the color I want with yours, but I was hoping to also see if I can get the shiny texture of the original.

There is a bit to objects that is very different from garments. I have learned to manipulate much, regarding garments, but not so much with objects. To make that piece recolorable, I had to clone an object that was already recolorable, then change the script. Not sure what I cloned from, as most older work is on thumbdrive... if not lost.

So what do I do after I click on the "_IMG" tag? And how do I edit the colors from it (if it is not recolorable ingame & I created a new Img)?


How exactly do I "export" it?

Right click the _IMG and choose Export > To file..., which will prompt where to save the individual image(s).
It will most likely be in the .dds format, a type of texture that can be edited in GIMP or Photoshop (or some other image editors, but those are the common choices).

OK, so I've done that, & I think I changed the color of the shade of that image. So how do I apply it back to the package file of that object?

You right-click the same _IMG resource and this time choose Replace, and choose the modified file.

One other thing to note is the settings when saving a .dds are important too.
Very generally, you want to use DXT5 compression for images that have transparency and DXT1 for everything else. (5 can also be used for higher quality). In S3PE's preview at the top of the window, you can see what level the original used.
And you'll want the option to Generate Mipmaps to be on.

Good luck

IF this is the object I made recolorable for KW, and is found on the site where I now upload, there are 3 img files, light gray (multiplier), dark gray (specular) and red (1 color mask). Export all 3, so you have back ups. In s3pe, right click the dark gray, then click "replace". Select the light gray you have saved, and see if that is shiny enough for you. If not, import one of the gray textures to GIMP or PS and increase brightness to a lighter gray scale. You may need to adjust and test several times to get the shine you want. The reason I made the specular darker is to better match skin.

Great! I think it worked. Thanks for the help.

Now I need to do is to change the objects color in the thumbnail of my object's package file. Is it the same process?


Thanks for the advice

Yes, you can edit it directly if you want. It will be in .png format, so no need to worry about .dds stuff.

If the object is CC, you can also just delete the thumbnails from the package and the game itself will generate new ones for you.

Sorry, very unfortunate I need to ask this question, but after that time I downloaded then uninstalled Adobe Photoshop, I for some reason unable to re-download Adobe Photoshop again.

I am trying to change the color of the .dds texture via a specific RGB shade, but when I tried using Gimp to change the color of the .dds texture, Gimp’s color changing function seems to be more of adding a colored filter (of the color I am trying to change to) over the original .dds texture rather than changing the actual color of the texture.

Do you have any other recommendation of photo editing programs to use? I asked my IRL computer savvy friend & that IRL friend recommends Affinity as a “Photoshop alternative”. Would you (or anyone here) happen to know if Affinity would be able to change the actual .dds texture color by specific RGB as you could with Adobe Photoshop?

Thanks for the help.