Player Portrait Tutorial by Kevin

[iKe7in]

I might make an html version later, but this will do for now. This is a step-by-step process to add a player portrait into the game, either for missing players, ir ones you have just created.


To successfully complete this tutorial, you will need:
1) EA Graph
2) bigGui
3) FshX
4) FXEDIT
5) An Image Editing program, preferrably PhotoShop, which this tutorial is based on. I don't use Paint Shop Pro, and don't know what changes would need to be made, but hopefully someone can post their findings.
6) Your created player already in the game, with the correct dbf editing done (PLYRPKG, 1D7, ISCREATED, etc.).



Step 1: Open EA Graph. Then open your C:/Program Files/EA Sports/NBA Live 2005/fe/plyrprts.viv file. Extract one of the extisting viv files to a new folder. For this tutorial, I'll use "plyrprts~AAMCKIE.big" Click for example

Step 2: Open bigGui, and open "plyrprts~AAMCKIE.big" Click for example. You should see 4 files, like this

Step 3: Export the 4 files to the new folder you created, which should also contain the "plyrprts~AAMCKIE.big", and your new folder should look like this.

Step 4: Open FshX, and open your "AAMCKIE.fsh" file. It should look like this. Export the pic to your new folder, and name it "1.bmp.' Your folder should look like this.

Step 5: Open Adobe PhotoShop, it doesn't really matter which version, and open your exported "1.bmp' and the pic you will use. Click for example

Step 6: With most of the pics from gettyimages.com, the background is usually pretty defined, and is easy enough to crop. Use the Magic Wand tool, and select the background of the pic you will import. You can go in closer and use either the Quick Mask mode or maybe the Lasso tool to get the best selection.

Step 7: Select the Inverse (Ctrl+I) and Feather the edge. Depending on how high quality the pic you are using is, usually a 1 or 2 pixel feather is good enough. Click for example.

Step 8: Copy and paste the selection from that pic to "1.bmp." Click for example

Step 9: Under the "Layers" window, drag the "Background" layer to the garbage can icon to delete it. Click for example

Step 10: This particular pic of MJ has glowing blue edges, so to get rid of them, use the Lasso Tool to select the areas to fix. Click for example. Adjust the Hue/Saturation/Brightness (Ctrl+U) levels to remove the glow. Click for example. It's not perfect, but because of the size the final will be, you won't notice it.

Step 11: This step is optional. For some pics it imporves it, but for some it makes it look out of place in the game. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen. This will, surprisingly, Sharpen the image. Wow. Click for example

Step 12: Without flattening the image, or doing anything to the transparent background, save the image as "1.png." Click for example. Your new folder, with all of the extracted parts, should now look like this.

Step 13: Delete the file "1.bmp" because you won't need it anymore. You can also now rename the 5 files that contained "AAMCKIE" to "MIJORDA". Click for example.

Step 14: Open FXEDIT. Then open "MIJORDA.ebo" (Click for example) and scroll to the bottom. The very last line/string shoul begin with "aamckie1." Click on the first "a" and go to Edit>Edit String. You can now edit the line, so change it to "mijorda1," but you don't need to type in the one agian. As a matter of fact, don't touch it. DO NOT EDIT THE "1" AT THE END. Click for example. Save and exit.

Step 15: Open FshX again, and open "MIJORDA.fsh" and click import. You won't see the png file in your folder, but you have to type "1.png" into the File Name area. Click for example. The image should look like this.

Step 16: Open bigGui again, and open your newly titled "plyrprts~MIJORDA.big" and delete the 4 files Click for example. Then Import the 4 files with the same extensions, from your new folder. Click for example. The viv file should now look like this. You have to Rebuild the archive a few times until the values in the Offset column stop changing. Click for example.

Step 17: Open Ea Graph again, and open the plyrprts.viv file again, and import the new "plyrprts~MIJORDA.big" into it. Start your game and you are done.

If any of the image links do not work, or you do not understand a step, feel free to post your concerns and I will try to answer your question.

Enjoy, and let the patching begin.

[Micchy_boy]

nice... great job and thanks....

this should be sticky

[Full Surface]

Great job, where can I download some of the tools on there?

[T_DIDDY]

Kevin...Great tutorial. Can u post one for cyberfaces, and adding tatoo's etc.

[pontiacsilverdome]

great tutorial

[nbasky]

well done!
it's very helpful.

[T_DIDDY]

Awesome tutorial...simply awesome...I am in the game finally!

Now all i need is my cyberface and tattoos and im good to go!

[Lenkbron]

great tutorial

[Andrew]

Sorry I didn't sticky this earlier, it's definitely worthy of "stickied" status. Thanks for the tutorial Kevin!

[iKe7in]

My first NLSC sticky.
I am so freakin proud.

[cocobee]

My first NLSC sticky.
I am so freakin proud.

you deserve it

[iKe7in]

Has anyone actually made some yet?

[Full Surface]

I've tried but I just can't make edges of players pictures smooth. Here's a list of players that needed updating (if you're willing to do them):

Carlos Boozer
Gary Payton
Shaquille O'Neal
Jerry Stackhouse
Brent Barry
Jon Barry
Kenyon Martin
Ricky Davis
Darius Miles

..and the missing players of course.

[joslyn23]

when i get to the part of copying and pasting the picture it still shows up with the other guys picture.

does this work with xsh. files?

Can you replace xsh.files with a bmp?

I must be doing something wrong.

[abstractee]

Which EA graph are you using?

I have EA graphic editor 1.04 and can't import *.big file described in step 17.
How do I import it?

[robjv1]

Didn't someone once say there are no dumb questions?

Okay so I followed every step, everything seemed to work snazzy, and then I go to my game, and the portrait for the player is still the standard "rookie/unknown guy" portrait. After doing all this is there some DBF editing to do to get the portrait in the game? This portrait is for a player that I created and then "imported" into my dynasty with DBF editing, so do I need to have a directory for him and a plyrpkg and such to get his potrait into the game? thanks

[robjv1]

to clarify as far as my DBF situatuation - since I had the player already in the game and working well (just with no potrait) my setup was as follows - players.dbf ISCREATED-True - I have the ID7 and plyrpkg fields empty (not needed just to have the guy in the game). Now I tried giving him the ID7 and plyrpkg as HABROME (Harry Bromela is his name heh) and putting all the files I made with your steps in the /SGSM main folder and still no dice. I also named all of the files that I made HABROME.* Anything I'm missing?

[iKe7in]

You have to put his created "plyrprts~HABROME.big" file in the sgsm, not the individual files.
And yes, there are stupid questions. They're the ones that have already beeen asked, answered, asked again, answered again, and answeres repeatedly ignored.

[robjv1]

Well geez... this is the first time I've asked the question, I just wanted a little help. I do have the .big file in the sgsm, along with the other files. I was asking specifically about the DBF editing... I have ID7 as HABROME, I have PLYRPKG as HABROME... I tried it without them... still nothing. All four files and the .BIG are in the SGSM main directory - do they need to be in a sub directory as in previous lives (/render/xplayer/...) ?

[iKe7in]

It may be the first time YOU have asked it, but if you read this whole thread, the installation process and all of the dbf editing has been covered. I would not recommend the customart installation of a portrait, because I haven't tried it. Stick to my version and just import the completed *.big file into the plyrprts.viv file.
If you want to just use custom art, i guess you can, but just follow what I said in my previous post. Only move the completed plyrprts~HABROME.big file into the sgsm folder. You don't need any subdirectories this year, everything in the sgsm folder is considered the custom art installation.

[robjv1]

Okay - I understand that - but I have read through the thread, I didn't ask just to fill up space, I asked because I have followed it and I still don't understand.

I have imported the .big file into the plyrprts.viv file, just as it says in the tutorial. I'm looking at the file now with eagraph, in my plyrprts.viv file... i click on it, and there are four files within it HABROME.apt, .const, .ebo, and .fsh. The only reason i was trying to customart approach was to see if maybe that would work since i was having trouble with this.

[iKe7in]

nope, sounds like its correct

[robjv1]

Okay well then, can you see maybe why I would ask then? I didn't mean to be a pest, I was just trying to figure out why it wasn't working. It still is not, so I will try to start over from scratch and see if I can't get it to work, must be some error along the way that I made, thanks for your help.

[galette]

does it work with nba live 2005 ?

[iKe7in]

does it work with nba live 2005 ?

Of course, thats what it was designed for, read the forum title.