How to edit .DDS images?

Age of Empires II: DE II - Modding
1

I notice a lot of images for game are stored as .DDS file format. Is there a reputable and free plug-in for Photoshop that would allow these files to be opened, edited, and saved/exported back to .DDS?

Or, what other options exist? I’ve tried to research in the past, and it seemed like I’d need an nVidia plug-in, which wasn’t free.

2

You can register and download the extension for Photoshop. It’s for free

2 Likes
3

Hey moun109668, when using this tool, which setting to select when exporting for AOE2:DE?

Saved from PS
Saved from PS1387×1001 116 KB

4

Sorry for the late answer… i only edited the background.dds and kept the pre-entered settings, only clicked on “save-button” at the bottm right.

dds
dds1190×804 174 KB

5

Keeping the pre-set parameters didn’t work for me, strange isn’t it? an idea ? I am lost.

6

Here’s how I mod DDS files for the game.

  1. You start with the DDS file you want.
  2. You tell your PC to open it using paint.net (I’ve linked to the site, just install it from the top right)
  3. You then save your DDS file that you opening in paint as a PNG.
  4. You edit your PNG using Photoshop, and save that as a PNG.
  5. You install G ! M P
  6. You open your final PNG in G ! M P.
  7. You export the PNG from G ! M P using the ABGR8 format.
  8. Now you have a functional DDS file again that the game can read.

Note: Remove the spaces from G ! M P, I’m doing it like that because the stupid censor is broken. The ! is actually a capital i as well.

3 Likes