Using GIMP for .tga textures and for Skins

I tried to use GIMP to make a .tga file as a texture for an article of clothing. The 'Alpha' transparancy came out pink, and the file image 'flipped' horizontally.

I think I solved the alpha problem, but I would still like some advice on that. As far as the image flipping, is anyone else having this problem, and what might I do about it that wouldn't cost me a ton of linden in uploading and testing?

Hi there and welcome to Secondlife!
I use GIMP and have not seen the flipping problem. The alpha .tga issue though yes. Here's what ya do; When ya start a new file immediately save it to gimp format i.e. .xcf
Then do your work and when done save again then save as .tga. Let it export and voila.
Also, when uploading you should be getting a preview before you actually say yes upload this. Take a closer look next time you go to upload, it should preview each and every texture for you unless you're doing a bulk upload I believe.

Do remember that the RLE Compression box is on by default to start with when you export to TGA from the Gimp - you need to uncheck that. I don't know exactly what RLE compression is doing, but it might be causing a problem.

Thanks, guys, that might be the issue, the compression. As for flipping. hmm, I guess I'll have to work on that, and see if it happens again... And how to fix it. As you can align a texture on a prim it's no problem, but for clothing and skins, it can get to be a hassle.

I guess GIMP automagically uses the highest bit .tgs for it's files?

I'm not sure if it does it automagically. I remember setting it somewhere in options. You'll need 32 bit tga.

With the gimp if the image has transparency and the file format supports alpha it is automatic

I'm still having problems, though. The area I want transparent shows up as pink. Can anyone help me with step by step? I'm trying to put a cut (marqueed) image in the correct place on an undershirt to leave the rest of the texture transparent.
So from having the images in the clipboard, what do I do?

PS: sorry for being a pain about this, but it is confusing.

Anything that is somewhat seethrough is transparent. You may want areas that are 100% transparent, or invisible. Sometimes a colour to alpha doesn't eliminate an entire background. For example, I may colour white to alpha thinking that I am thereby going to make the area around a pictured object be 100% transparent; after all, it looks like the background is white. However, I may find that there are risidual colours my eye didn't pick up (such as pink or green or blue, etc.)

Also, I have read before that one shouldn't compress the files when one formats to tga, so I always uncheck that. I have read somewhere I think that that can make the 100% transparent area cloudy. I hope that was helpful. (oh, nvm about the compression, I see someone answered that part already.)

http://members.home.nl/m.weisbeek/gimp/

and i use the compression, it effects how the image is encoded not the image itself

I have seen results come out upside down when I start with a GIF file. Gimp takes that in as indexed. If I forget to change the mode to RGB, I get the upside down flip on export to tga. (GIMP docs say that not all operations work on inxeded mode.) My practice is to change the mode, add alpha, select what I want transparent and erase it (ctl-k). Seems to work all the time if I do it that way. TM

gif is indexed

rgb non indexed is 16m+ colors

gif is 256 colors

dont use gif, gif sux in 1995 it was too big to be usefull and in 2005 its to crappy