Construct image editor bugs and PNG transparency suggestion

The image editor in Construct is really buggy. One thing it seems to have trouble with is deleting colors, or making things transparent. This makes importing images very difficult.

When I try to paste a sprite, and remove the green (or white, or other color) background, a lot of weird things happen.

For example, I'll try to set everything to 0 in order to make a transparent color. When I go to the paint bucket and try to fill the green areas to transparent, it fills everything except for a few spots on the outside and inside of the sprite. The previous color still remains except around the outline of the sprite.

Here, this will explain what I mean:

<img src="http://machriderx.googlepages.com/constructbug.gif">

See what I mean?

That wouldn't be so bad if I could just erase the green stuff on the outside (and inside).

In fact, that's what I've tried to do. I've tried both the magic wand and select color tool to select the nasty outside color residue and delete it. But, when I do that, it ends up just fading the color a bit and leaving a slightly less green outline on the outside or smudges the pixels as if it were doing some sort of anti-aliasing (even though there doesn't seem to be an option to turn this off).

I really hope this gets fixed soon, because it's really annoying.

Also, I would like to make a suggestion. I think it would be a good idea if Construct recognized PNG transparency. That way, the sprites I want to import could already have the correct transparencies rather than having me to remove all the transparency color junk myself.

Edit: By the way, if you want to try to reproduce this bug yourself, try importing this file into Construct (although from my experience, any sprite I try does the same thing):

http://machriderx.googlepages.com/triangle.bmp

And then set the color to 0,0,0,0 and use the paint bucket and see what happens.

It does have PNG transparency. But sometimes it imports the files as if they're on a black background, which is somewhat annoying.

It does have PNG transparency. But sometimes it imports the files as if they're on a black background, which is somewhat annoying.

That's probably why I didn't notice. It just shows up as a gray background for me. This needs to be fixed too.

I have been using transparency just fine. As nice as it is to have an image editor in construct, I feel it really shouldn't be expected to carry the whole weight of the job. This program is primarily a programming tool, not an image manipulator.

What I've been doing is using Fireworks (similar to Photoshop), creating my layered and sfx-riddled images (features missing from Construct's image tool - for good enough reason), and THEN saving them to flat PNG 32. Construct loads these perfectly fine on all three machines I have set up here.

Having the original project files also helps me make changes to an image's layers, as opposed to pixel-by-pixel in Construct.

If you do not have a powerful graphics program on hand, may I kindly suggest the open source GIMP.

I have been using transparency just fine. As nice as it is to have an image editor in construct, I feel it really shouldn't be expected to carry the whole weight of the job. This program is primarily a programming tool, not an image manipulator.

What I've been doing is using Fireworks (similar to Photoshop), creating my layered and sfx-riddled images (features missing from Construct's image tool - for good enough reason), and THEN saving them to flat PNG 32. Construct loads these perfectly fine on all three machines I have set up here.

Having the original project files also helps me make changes to an image's layers, as opposed to pixel-by-pixel in Construct.

If you do not have a powerful graphics program on hand, may I kindly suggest the open source GIMP.

I have an image editor on hand (several of them in fact). The problem is importing from that image editor (or ANY image editor I've tried) into Construct. I'm not using the built in editor to draw or manipulate anything. Please read my post again.

That's all fine and good, but your example image is a BMP. This filetype does not support transparency. Try loading a filetype that does, such as PNG 32 or GIF w/trans.

I do see the problem you're having with the way Construct is making its selections. It's either inaccurate, or it's feathering it slightly in an attempt that is generally used to smooth the jagged edges when deleting an area. In either case, work around this (bug? feature?) by providing the transparency information yourself via your import file.

That's all fine and good, but your example image is a BMP. This filetype does not support transparency. Try loading a filetype that does, such as PNG 32 or GIF w/trans.

I do see the problem you're having with the way Construct is making its selections. It's either inaccurate, or it's feathering it slightly in an attempt that is generally used to smooth the jagged edges when deleting an area. In either case, work around this (bug? feature?) by providing the transparency information yourself via your import file.

I know that! I used both formats.

When I copy and pasted the file from Paint where I drew the triangle (or saved it and imported as BMP), Construct gave me the weird behavior I described above.

When I saved it to PNG and set the transparency to green, it imported it with a gray background.

Maybe I should have uploaded that as well, here:

http://machriderx.googlepages.com/triangle.png

Also I am not using the selection tool! I am using the paint bucket tool and filling with the transparent color and it does this. Don't you see something wrong in that?

And believe me, this isn't a feature. This is a huge bug. It may not affect you, but that does not mean that it should go unnoticed.

Calm down, bro. We're all working toward the same end, here.

I loaded your PNG into Construct and reproduced the gray background error. I then loaded the same PNG into Multimedia Fusion, and produced the same results.

So I loaded the PNG into Fireworks, and resaved it as PNG making sure it was 32 bits.

I loaded this 32-bit PNG into Construct, and Construct retained the transparency. I was also able to fill any color I wanted in and around the triangle.

SO, the problem is with your PNG image. I can't tell from here, but I don't think it's being saved as 32-bits. It's saving transparency, and Windows and FIreworks notices it, but both the infant Construct and the closed source giant MMF either misread it or, as if by law, fill the transparency with gray.

I want to be double sure that you know I'm not putting you or your bug report down, and I'm not at all calling you stupid. I've verified your claim, and suggested a feasible work-around. The problem seems to be inherent with the way PNG is decoded across the board, not necessarily a bug within Construct. I'm no programmer, so perhaps Ashley could better explain this behavior when non-32-bit PNGs are loaded.

Calm down, bro. We're all working toward the same end, here.

I loaded your PNG into Construct and reproduced the gray background error. I then loaded the same PNG into Multimedia Fusion, and produced the same results.

So I loaded the PNG into Fireworks, and resaved it as PNG making sure it was 32 bits.

I loaded this 32-bit PNG into Construct, and Construct retained the transparency. I was also able to fill any color I wanted in and around the triangle.

SO, the problem is with your PNG image. I can't tell from here, but I don't think it's being saved as 32-bits. It's saving transparency, and Windows and FIreworks notices it, but both the infant Construct and the closed source giant MMF either misread it or, as if by law, fill the transparency with gray.

I want to be double sure that you know I'm not putting you or your bug report down, and I'm not at all calling you stupid. I've verified your claim, and suggested a feasible work-around. The problem seems to be inherent with the way PNG is decoded across the board, not necessarily a bug within Construct. I'm no programmer, so perhaps Ashley could better explain this behavior when non-32-bit PNGs are loaded.

Okay, sorry. I edited my post, I did sound a bit angry there for a second but I realized that it was for no good reason and changed it, probably before you posted this, but sorry anyway. I see you're trying to help, that's good. I shouldn't have automatically assumed otherwise. However, people have been shooting down bug and feature requests recently due to some sort of feeling that Construct won't have x support if Ashley fixes or adds y. But, you don't seem like one of those people.

Hmm.. the type of PNG image is the problem then. I guess I need to save it to 32-bit then. I think it should be able to read non 32 bit PNGs as well though.

However, that still leaves the problem with the paint bucket in Construct. I know, maybe I should flat out not use it at all, but sometimes for last minute adjustments to things, I think built in image editors come in handy. I don't think its me using it wrong, I know its a bug because I've never seen any other program act like this when using a paint bucket tool.

Use this file and see if the paint bucket tool now works.

http://www.strouperman.com/Special/triangle2.png

If the paint bucket tool doesn't work for you when it works for me, using this 32-bit PNG, then you've found a bug with the way the tool operates.

If it works just fine for you, then maybe the non-32-bit PNG is becoming lossy in its transition to Construct, as a separate side effect from the gray back ground.

I'll keep my F5 key primed...

Speaking of image editor bugs i found one, when using the square selection tool construct gives an error.

Use this file and see if the paint bucket tool now works.

http://www.strouperman.com/Special/triangle2.png

If the paint bucket tool doesn't work for you when it works for me, using this 32-bit PNG, then you've found a bug with the way the tool operates.

If it works just fine for you, then maybe the non-32-bit PNG is becoming lossy in its transition to Construct, as a separate side effect from the gray back ground.

I'll keep my F5 key primed...

Well, in that file. The transparency is already there. I don't need to use the bucket.

OH WAIT, hold on a second. I just found a bug. If I fill in the outside with say blue, it does the same thing I said in the first post.

<img src="http://machriderx.googlepages.com/Clipboard01.gif">

Bingo!

Okay, I did a couple of tests then. As I suspected, the sub-32 PNG is lossy when imported. Copy/pasted into Fireworks so I could compare the gray area around the triangle. They are very slightly different shades of gray, the reason why the bucket will not fill it all in.

Hey, at least we have a work-around. Just use the highest quality PNG, and Construct has no issue. The fact that this replicates in MMF as well tells me it's something to do with PNG, not Construct anyway.

Doppel: The square selection tool doesn't work at all for me. Screen shots, steps, and reliability of reproduction (happens every time?) would help the devs improve this system.

O RLY? Yes, we have found a major bug with the paint bucket tool.

Do you want to file it on SourceForge or shall I?

O RLY? Yes, we have found a major bug with the paint bucket tool.

Do you want to file it on SourceForge or shall I?

I'm.. no good with these things. If you want to, that would be nice.

Thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate it.