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(DEPRECATED) [Tool] PS2VTF: Photoshop VTF exporter manager
By neodos
PS2VTF is a plugin and panel for Photoshop CC that eases VTF texture creation, managing and exporting, for Team Fortress 2 and CS:GO or other source engine mods/games using the VTF texture format.

You can easily manage and export multiple textures for a material from a single PSD file by organizing the different map types in layer groups, with the map type name as the group to be exported (i.e: color, color_blue, normal, selfillum, exponent, envmask etc).

Select a map type layer group (or a layer inside it) and export to VTF to the materials directory in a single click.

Have the alpha mask automatically be copied from a layer group to the alpha channel when exporting, example: for the "color" map the group named "color_alpha" will be automatically copied to the alpha channel when the group named "color" is exported.

PS2VTF also generates a configuration file for the PSD with the VTF export settings for each map type, such as the export resolution, texture compression type and flags, these settings will automatically be applied when exporting.

Load your model in HLMV through PS2VTF to preview and when exporting the texture, the model viewer will be automatically refreshed to reload and see the texture changes.

When exporting, no need to worry about toggling off the visibility of layers for instance the UVs wireframe or a color palette layer, any layer outside the group that is being exported will have its visibility toggled off before exporting, PS2VTF automatically hides any group(s) or layer(s) that are not meant to be exported.
   
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Created by
neodos
Offline
Category: Modding or Configuration, Workshop
Languages: English
Class: Demoman, Engineer, Heavy, Medic, Pyro, Scout, Soldier, Spy
Posted
Updated
30 Aug, 2019 @ 9:18am
21 Apr, 2022 @ 6:23am
1,282 Unique Visitors
21 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
Installing PS2VTF 
Getting started with PS2VTF 
Creating and exporting different map types 
Video example: basic setup and usage 
Comments
Installing PS2VTF
Click here to download the PS2VTF installer.[www.dropbox.com]

Extract the "PS2VTF_install_beta_x" folder from the zip file, go in the folder and run PS2VTF_installer.exe, a window should show up confirming if the installation was successful or if it failed, you might need to run the installer as administrator.

If you had Photoshop open, close it and restart it, you should now be able to find the PS2VTF panel in "Window > Extensions > PS2VTF".
Getting started with PS2VTF
Here follows an example of how to use a photoshop file(PSD) and the PS2VTF panel to configure how textures will be exported.

  • Start by creating a PSD file with whatever resolution you prefer to work as 1024x1024 or 2048x2048 pixels for instance.

  • Save and name the PSD file as how the material (VMT) will be named.

  • While in the PSD window in photoshop, click on the PS2VTF gear icon

The PS2VTF configuration window should open:


Here you can set the textures export settings for different "map types" (color, normal, selfillum etc)
You can set the exported resolution, compression type and flags for each map, the PS2VTF settings will be saved as a .cfg file in the same folder as the PSD file.

By default PS2VTF will export with DXT compression format.
The "AUTO" format means that PS2VTF will automatically determine if to export as DXT1 (smaller file size) compression format, if there is no alpha channel, or DXT5 if there is an alpha channel to be exported.


Setting the steam and game directories
  • Go to the Settings tab and on the bottom click "detect", the tool will try to find the steam and game folders, and let you chose from TF2 or CS:GO, or if you selected another game/mod it should accept it.

    Setting the texture(s) export folder
  • Now you must set the "material directory", click the button [...] to browse and select the folder where the textures will be exported, it should normally be in Team Fortress 2\tf\materials\models\.... in the same folder where your material VMT file will be located.

  • You can also select an .mdl model file, if you want to easily start the model viewer from PS2VTF to preview the model and texture modifications as you work on your texture and click export to see the texture change in the model viewer automatically reloaded.

Close the window, the settings will be saved in a .cfg file next to your PSD file.


Creating and exporting different map types

Create a layer group named "color", the contents of this group is what will be exported as the "color" map type.

Textures will be exported as a VTF file with the prefix being the PSD name, .psd name + the map type name, in video example the PSD name is "c_scatter_laser" so if we export the "color" group, the exported file will be named c_scatter_laser_color.vtf.

You can also used "color_blue" group for the blue version of the texture.

To export a map, either have a layer inside the group selected, or select the group and click "Export Selected" in the PS2VTF panel.


Exporting alpha channel
You can also have a group for the alpha channel for the color map or normal map, simply by creating a second group named "color_alpha" or "normal_alpha", you don't need to copy paste to the alpha channel, with PS2VTF the contents of the "alpha" groups will be automatically copied to the alpha channel when exporting the group named "color" or "normal".
Video example: basic setup and usage
Here's an example making a PSD work with PS2VTF from scratch.
11 Comments
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neodos  [author] 29 Jan, 2023 @ 10:40am 
Sorry for some reason my dropbox shared links stop working.
Here's the same on google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18cY2AwQ1yRd52km8lVzbyhMrPGAiulFN
pyro 29 Jan, 2023 @ 10:17am 
link died again
neodos  [author] 13 Jan, 2023 @ 7:40pm 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v37rx136fm31vwo/PS2VTF_install_beta_6.zip?dl=1
offtime 13 Jan, 2023 @ 7:31pm 
Hey, I know that you aren't able to update the tool but do you still have the installer somewhere? The provided link is dead unfortunately. Much appreciated!
neodos  [author] 21 Apr, 2022 @ 6:24am 
Disclaimer: I have unfortunately lost the source code to this tool(dead HDD) and can no longer update/fix the tool, I am just leaving it as so for those which the tool will work.

Sorry
erraticsfm 23 Apr, 2021 @ 3:12pm 
Nice tool, I have problems setting it up for SFM though.
Game directory will only accept the "SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\SourceFilmmaker\game" folder and adds the usermod folder at the end of the path, but then it just forgets it (like the issue the guy below had).
The materials still export fine, it's just the hlmv that doesn't even launch (cmd window quickly flashing and then nothing). If you could fix this issue with the game paths it would be fine.

As for the save as option, honestly if you are able to create a VTF plugin like this (https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Photoshop_VTF_Plugin) that will work with the latest versions and 64bit PS, I think you will make many people happy.

Thank you!
neodos  [author] 2 Dec, 2020 @ 7:39pm 
@ Angry Chinese Noodlesalesman
Sorry for the very very late response and the game directory bug, I wasn't much around the computer these last few months.

If you're still interested in trying the tool, for the game directory select the folder "Team Fortress 2" not "tf", that should work, it definitely is an oversight on my part, not handling that path, I'll fix it.

Export should work now that the game directory is set, but don't forget you need to first create a PSD file, save it, then go to the PS2VTF settings aka the white gear icon, to setup the export settings, then you're all set to export.


As for exporting with a "save" button, do you mean having a save button on the PS2VTF panel or in File>Save as?

Depending on what you want I could probably program a separate/different exporter, if its not too much of a hassle time wise.
Angry Chinese Noodlesalesman 23 Jul, 2020 @ 7:49pm 
That thing is entirely broken for PS CC 2019. If I set the Game directory and wanna re-enter the settings, it says that it couldnt find the game directory (in my case Team Fortress 2/tf)

Also, when I press Export... literally nothing happens. No texture gets thrown into the path i selected - nothing

How about just making an exporter with which you can just hit save as and then select vtf? Would be more than just better
ConfederateJoe 29 Jun, 2020 @ 1:59pm 
Ah, excellent! Thank you!
neodos  [author] 29 Jun, 2020 @ 1:57pm 
Sorry about that, this should work. [www.bonkboy.com]