Automatic texture upscaling - transfers details from high-resolution to low-resolution textures

This GIMP script allows you to automatically upgrade low-fidelity textures using high-fidelity templates. Useful when you find multiple retextures for an object, and you like the detail of the color of one but not another.

This is a GIMP script I developed to transfer details from a high fidelity texture to another lower quality texture. It's useful when you like the detail of one texture but prefer the color of another.

To be clear, it's not magic, it only works if the textures have the same basic layout. Even in these cases, your mileage will vary.

I find it very useful for creature textures, where the remastered HD texture always has a very similar shape to the original low texture. Many people have made alternative color recreations using low-quality vanilla textures, while few have given the textures a high-fidelity overhaul. I'm using this script to transfer high-fidelity effects to all low-fidelity color variants. You'll see it in my upcoming Diverse Trolls Collection, as well as the next major release of the Diverse Dragons Collection.

Disclaimer: Obviously, you may not publish other people's works or derivatives of their works without their express permission. You absolutely cannot publish textures made with this tool without obtaining permission from BOTH the high-fidelity author and the low-fidelity author. That said, if you don't publish them, there's nothing stopping you from using them in your personal Skyrim.

illustrate

For those who are not familiar with GIMP, I will try to explain it in detail.

Install

• Install GIMP2:
• Install the DDS import/export plug-in:

2a) Here is a tutorial for installing and using the DDS plugin: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/? id=816839147

• Optional: Install the Fast Fourier Transform plugin from here: http://registry.gimp.org/node/19596
• Find the scripts folder by going to Edit > Preferences > Folders > Scripts in GIMP. If v1.0 is installed, delete the old script before installing the new one. The file name has been changed so it will not be overwritten.
• Copy my script into this folder.
• If GIMP is currently open, you will need to go to Filters > Script-Fu > Refresh Scripts before you see my scripts appear. Otherwise it will appear as soon as you open GIMP.

Prepare to run script

Load two or more textures into the same window in Gimp as separate layers. Make sure the high-fidelity template is the first layer (top layer). You can load multiple low-fidelity color sources simultaneously - the script will handle them all. I usually open High Fidelity as a new image and drag other images from the file browser window. Don't worry about any "mipmap" layers, they will be removed automatically.

run script

• Go to opusGlass -> Transfer Fidelity (Blur-Unsharpen).
• I recommend using the default options first. You can try adjusting the threshold and other options later to see if they improve the results.
• To try different options, press Ctrl + Z once and wait a moment. This will undo the script, you can try different options or a different version of the script (if you have the FFT plugin). If you just press Ctrl+Z once, it will not undo the image scaling step, which will save you time running it again. But if you press Ctrl+Z twice, it will undo everything. I recommend that you copy the results to another file before hitting undo.

organize

Export to DDS. Select "BC3/DXT5" for compression (or "BC1/DXT1" if there is no alpha/transparency) and check the "Generate mipmap" checkbox. (If you have multiple low-fidelity sources loaded, you may want to separate each source into its own window before exporting - use Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste.)

notes

As mentioned above, this is not magic. If there is a deviation in layout between the two textures, you may see strange effects. In the example image, you can see that there are places where the vanilla troll doesn't have fur, but the Kajuan troll doesn't. Therefore, in the final result, the fur in these se …