The A2A Simulations Community

I read that there are several A2A customers that would like help in learning how to use the repaint files published in the forum. I am one of those and have approached some with a help request. So far, no one has stepped forward and I suspect that may be a daunting task for some of those that have provided us with some great work so far. I know that not all the repainters use the same programs to use and publish the files. In fact, I know of one pilot that actually makes his own repaint files and techniques and suspect others do as well.
I am an experienced Adobe Photoshop user and although I can open the files, I am not sure what to do from there.
I am openly soliciting anyone that uses Photoshop to contact me via PM to open a dialog in hopes of providing some guidance on their use. I am willing to spend some long distance telephone time or could even video chat for communication. I am in Mountain Standard Time in the USA.

Please drop me a PM if you would like to discuss further.

Thanks!!!

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

Although the site looks like it might be closing down soon, here is the best resource for any new repainter;

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/

Sources/colour charts/tutorials/community. Photoshop users will also want this plugin so everything can be opened/saved in photoshop;
http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-text ... -photoshop

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I looked over and read several of the tutorials, and they just were not specific enough for me.

I have downloaded and installed these plug-ins.

Thanks!

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

I also wish I knew how to repaint. I wouldn't have to check these forums every day to see if someone is doing a repaint of one of my favorites.

I know the basics of Photoshop. I have CS5. I understand the paintkit, and how it's all layered...I just don't know how to move forward. How does someone draw the checkerboard for the nose so perfectly, and conform it to the model? How does someone match the nose font? All I know how to do is go in there and very meticulously go over each pixel along the edges of things...I don't know. I feel like I've got it all wrong.

It's like wanting to know how to land a plane without any experience. First I'd need to go to ground school...then watch my instructor do it a few times...then I can make an attempt.

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My Guide On How To Fix Your X-52's Rudder!

I am not sure why no one has come forward, either on the forum or as a PM to offer assistance. There is plenty of repaint work for anyone that can do this.

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

636Castle Try here; http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/forums/

You will get the basics of weathering, panel lines, texturing and photoshop in general fro the tutorials


Fragmentum, which part do you need help on if the simmerspaintshop tutorials are not specific enough?

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Lewis and 636Castle, I have started a dialog with a fairly well known painter of A/C going back through some earlier flight sims and to date. Thankfully he has taken me 'under wing' and apparently has some teaching background as he is teaching me the basics first. There are rules about repainting that I did not take into account, and these are not spelled out at simmers paint shop in the beginning tutorials that I watched. Not everyone's computer use skills are the same, nor would their use of graphics programs be the same, so there has to be a starting point for any of us that wish to learn and use the skills needed for successful repainting endeavors.
Yes, he is a member of A2A Simulations forums and has expressed a desire to create some sort of teaching program/web site for this purpose. I am sure there are techniques I can learn at simmers paint shop, provided the site actually survives, but what I WANTED was someone to step forward and show me how to use the current WOP III P-51 paint files. What I am GETTING is what I NEEDED first, and that is the starting rules required to successfully understand and utilize ALL painting software and BASIC use of the software needed. I have new information now that will allow me to learn more, proceed at my own pace till I understand each step, and keep me from screwing up my flight sim in the learning process and still FLY!

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

Just backup sources you are editing and play around, I believe thats how most of us learnt. I remember my first repaint for EAW was done using MS PAINT, a batch convertor for the conversion and consisited of me painting numbers on the generic 109's hehe.

Would it be worth me seeing about getting a repaint forum?

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I think that would be a worthy endeavor. I expressed interest in a group of Air National Guard repaints and then those that would fly them from the various states could form a flying group. True, the ANG repaints are not the most famous of the war time theater planes, but would tie in several flight sim enthusiasts.

Thanks Lewis!

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

Cannot promise but will certainly look into it for you. It would be a repainting sub forum, just the one to cover texture skills in general with its main focus around MSFS and FSX at present.

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I, and possibly others, would appreciate your effort to begin a repaint thread. I know that some descriptions of tasks may differ between paint programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Gimp for example, so choosing a specific software or multiple software (ie: Photoshop and DXTBmp) may be necessary. Since Gimp is a free software compared to Adobe Photoshop at $600+, that may be the right software to base the instruction on. I personally use Photoshop CS3 at the present time but would download and learn Gimp to follow along with the class.
Initial emphasis on which software is needed, how and where to create working folders and what files to place in those folders, what programs to open which .psd files, how to save your changes and test your changes, etc..

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i5-2600K SB, 8GB Mushkin Redline, ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, GTX 560 2GB, Saitek X52. Etch-A-Sketch hard wired to Speak-N-Spell backup system. Everything maxed and I see it ALL!

Hello,

we have opened the forum here;
viewforum.php?f=98

it may take a little while to get going but hopefully will become a cool little resource for budding repainters.

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