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[empyreanlc]

I'd like to change the character portraits of NPC's for this game. I noticed this website has downloadable alternative NPC portraits, but as far as I can tell it just replaces them with a set rather than allowing them to be edited. I searched this website (and google) for a while, and have not found any way to change NPC character portraits. How did the modders with the alternative NPC portraits do it? Have I just missed it while searching?

[SixOfSpades]

If it's editing a portrait that you want, any program that will edit bitmaps will work--even Paintbrush will do the trick. I use a program called MGI PhotoSuite II SE, largely because it came free with my mom's scanner, while others might go whole-hog and use Photoshop or Adobe or whatnot.

 

If you want to replace the portrait of a specific NPC, however, all you have to do is take the portraits (both the small and large versions) you want the NPC to have, give them the same name of the files that the NPC currently uses, and drop them into your Override file. For example, Imoen's BG2 portrait doesn't resemble her BG1 portrait in the least: If you wanted to fix that, you could take her BG1 small and large portraits, name them NImoenS.bmp and NImoenM.bmp, respectively, and put them in your Override. From then on, Imoen will use the new picture. If you want to change back, just remove those files from your Override.

[empyreanlc]

thanks for the speedy reply!

 

I have Baldur's Gate 1, I assume it works the same as in II?

 

so Imoen's is NImoenS.bmp for her small, so...

 

is it NxxxxxS.bmp (xxxx being NPC name) to change portraits, placed in Override folder?

[Evilyn]

(xxxx being NPC name)

Usually, but not always. The xxxx part cannot be more than 7 characters long (and then plus the S or M partat the end), so a character with a longer name than that will have a truncated name. Imoen is just lucky to have such a short name.

 

Sorry if that causes confusion.

[Lemernis]

Instead of placing your custom NPCs portraits in the Override folder you can also put them in the Portraits folder and edit them into individual games via Gatekeeper for BG1 and Shadowkeeper for BG2. Just make an archived (named) save of your game, and open that game, and with the editor change the L and S portraits.

 

http://www.mud-master.com/shadowkeeper/

[Evilyn]

Just to confuse matters further, I'm going to tell you that you can have different pictures as the large and small ones, as long as they're named the same.

 

So my WHOEVERS.bmp can feature Jack Nicholson while my WHOEVERM.bmp can feature Angelina Jolie.

[empyreanlc]

this is BG1

 

 

I put the NImoenS.bmp into Override, but nothing changed

 

also, Gatekeeper doesn't let me change character portraits

[SixOfSpades]

To clarify: The 'N' prefix at the start of the filename is for BG2 only--I assume it stands for "New Imoen medium" and "New Imoen small." For BG1, just use ImoenM and ImoenS.

 

Gatekeeper and Shadowkeeper are almost identical in function, but each has certain features that the other does not. For example, Shadowkeeper won't let you teleport your party to any general area of any specific map, as Gatekeeper does.

[empyreanlc]

thanks, I got it working.

 

SixofSpades, for BG1 xxxM didn't work, but xxxL did.

[Lemernis]

Sorry, it's been long long by now that I've been playing Tutu instead of vanilla BG that I completely forgot Gatekeeper doesn't allow you to change portraits as Shadowkeeper does.

 

It's been a long time since I used it, but I think the "portrait manager" on this page http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG/index_editors.php performs the same function for BG1 saved games as the similar feature included in Shadowkeeper.

[SixOfSpades]

SixofSpades, for BG1 xxxM didn't work, but xxxL did.

Yet another sign that I'm very BG2-centric these days.

 

In BG1, the portrait at the right of the screen is your Small, and the one in your Record sheet is your Large.

In BG2, the portrait at the right of the screen is your Small, but the one in your Record sheet is actually your Medium: You only actually see the Large versions at the very start of the game, during Character Creation, and at the very end of the game, when each NPC who was in your party during the final battle gets their own Epilogue.

[cmorgan]

ummm.... just checking here. I have

BG1

AJANTISL.BMP

AJANTISS.BMP

 

Tutu:(these I know work, because I installed them in override)

_JANTISL.BMP

_JANTISS.BMP

 

and now to double-check, both BG2 and BGT should use the format

NAJANTIL.BMP

NAJANTIM.BMP

NAJANTIS.BMP

 

I ask because I am trying to get this all clear in this post here... http://forums.pocketplane.net/index.php/to....html#msg293767