Minimap Image Compression

Hey,

I use a custom 256x256 TGA image file for my minimap image. It is currently at 192 KB. I tried making it 128x128 to save space but it looked to blurry. Any other way to compress it or whatnot?

Sure, lower the resolution. Though that will make it look blurry as well.

Well when I made it 128x128 it was blurry as hell. Is there a way to get the filesize down without a HUGE decrease in quality?

You can always try and save it as paletted tga.
For some things they work, for some things they don't.

In the past I found out that paletted tga works fine for loading screens but doesn't work for icons. I don't know about minimap images.

To do so you'll have to switch the color mode of the image to Indexed Colors in PS/PSP/Gimp.

YOU ARE AMAZING.

Thank you. Shaved off ANOTHER 110 Kb off the map. Holy shit +rep.

how exactly did you go about saving as "paletted" I can't seem to find that option, using Photoshop CS btw

In Photoshop 6 I had to go:
Image -> Mode -> Indexed Colour

Really useful information, Mike :)

110 kb? Now that's an improovement.

I wonder if I can do this with the loadscreen too.

110 kb :O thats alot.
For loading screens you can also just use .blp... but if tha tga quality is higher then you should ofcourse use that.

Yep, especially when you have writing on your loading screen image it will have a better quality as paletted tga.
The jpg compression of blps makes the writing blurry.
As for the size it really depends what kind of image it is. Often paletted tga is smaller than blp.

How do I turn it into a Palleted tga while keeping it at least 24-bits? Wc3 crashes for me when I save it at the default 8-bit (no other options allowed)

Photoshop allows for 32 bits no problem.
Which program are you using?

How do I import .TGA and make it work as a loadscreen? Do I have to use that 4 peice method?

Well, whichever loading screen model you are using can be edited to use .tga as the skin instead of .blp.
Simply convert the model to .mdl and change the texture path or edit the mdx directly with a hex editor.
However the 4-piece model by blizzard uses tga by default if i remember correctly.