Replace default SL bump files?

Is it possible to edit/replace the bump map TGA files in the client character folder? I want to replace the face wrinkle bump file with an edited version.

I opened the default file in Photoshop, edited it, and saved it with the same name. But this causes SL to crash. I notice that the saved file is bigger than the original (252K vs 25K). I'm saving with the default TGA settings in Photoshop 5.

Anyone know what I might be doing wrong?

last time I checked the bump function in SL is fixed. That is no user config changes are available at this time.

However the workaround I use for this is to create your picture or texture then render it in a program with a decent renderer.
Such as Poser or Daz or any other 3d program with a rendering system that lets you choose your bump map.

Daz is one of the easier ones if your not familiar with 3d programs. You can put your model
in a scene and either using a diffuse texture or not insert a bump map into the bump section
adjust the settings to the heavy side and you get a pretty good bump effect.
I think these actually look better than the SL bump effect.

Then in SL you would not use the bump option as it would already be on your texture.

For best effect you may need to place a light or two at different angles so the shadows show the bump.

Also you can use any pic that is in a compatible format to achieve a bump effect.
However the recommended maps are degrees of black white and gray.

Regarding your actions with PS and those files I am not really sure what your referring to.

I'm talking about the files in the SL client folder that are used in the avatar appearance sliders, such as wrinkles, etc. Not bump files for prim textures.

I think you can and i see no reason to not try just save a copy of the files in case you mess up and of course remember if you upgrade the viewer in an update they possibly might get replaced with the default ones again

They are just TGA files ... make copies and see what happens when you put your own in.

Wrinkles do not work at the moment. They have been borked for quite a while. When they did work the layering was incorrect (set below the color layer).

Most of the client character folder TGA files CAN'T be changed without crashing the client. The few that can be edited without crashing the client include the color layers (24bit TGA files), the eye white, skin grain, head alpha, and finger nail alpha. There are others, but it's been a while since I have tested them. Also, certian combinations of editable textures that don't crash the client by themselves will crash the client when edited in combination with others. It gets complicated and unpredictable at this point because results vary from one client system to another.

The important editable and stable files are obviously the 24 bit files (eyewhite.tga, head_color.tga, upperbody_color.tga, and lowerbody_color.tga). Those cover the entire body, and just about any texture and baking effect can be added in that way to any client configuration without crashing. I sold over 1000 skins as client side installers on the color layers back about 2 years ago and I think 2-3 people reported issues with the early ones that came with an extra skin grain and modified freckle alpha. I stopped selling the extra alpha textures early on and never got a complaint after that.

I suspected as much - thanks for saving me a lot of time and frustration.