I wrote up a little tutorial for someone else after they saw I had created my own colored blade blur on the Nemeth AS350 helicopter. The same principal can be applied to any aircraft I am sure.
OK here goes. I'm not the greatest at explaining, but I'll give it a shot. (NOTE
Different people have different ways and methods to reach the same end results.
Here is a screenshot to use as reference. (Note that the blade is the same default color as the blur so it makes it hard to see. Although you can see the outlines of them.) http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7341/bladestripes.png
1] >>In the main texture folder, open as350_e04_t in DXTBMP.
Then double-click it to open in your graphics program.
2]>>Next open as350_rotor_main_blurred the same way. Then Resize the image to 6" x 6"
3]>>From file as350_e04_t, copy/paste the area for the main rotor blade (top) into as350_rotor_main_blurred as a new layer.
4]>>Place a "guide" cross reference line at 3" vertical, and 3" horizontal so that the crossing point is dead center.
5]>>Resize and align the rotor blade to fit, centered on the line and in full length to 1/2 the width of the square (3")
6]>>Place the color and size of bands with the spacing you will want on that blade.
7]>>Duplicate that layer to create 3 more blades to give you a total of four (in a cross)
8]>>In Adobe Photoshop select the "ellipse" tool and create a solid circle to the inside edge of the inner-most band.
9]>>Duplicate that layer and resize it to the outer most size.
10]>>Rasterize both circles.
11]>>Create copies of each and make them invisible. Move to the bottom of the layer stack so you can use them to create more copies for the additional stripes.
12]>>Using the magic wand, click on the largest circle. Then go to the layers and highlight blue the smaller circle.
13]>>At the top, select "edit", "cut". What that should have just done was cut out everything from the inner stripe line to the center.
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Now is where you need another circle.
Create another copy and move it at the same level in layer order.
Resize the circle to the outer area of the stripe width.
Withe the "magic wand" click on the smaller circle.
Select the layer you want to cut by clicking on the layer to the right.
Goto the top of the program, select "edit", "cut"
What that should have just done was give you a colored band at the size you set it up for.
Repeat all the steps for the remaining bands
Once finished, (completely) resize the image to 1024 x 1024
Flatten image, save as (file name you started with)
================
Now you need the alpha.
Goto the default texture folder and open the main rotorblade file in DXTBMP. Click on "alpha">> "export alpha" to the repaint folder you're working on. Name it accordingly so you know what it is.
Now you need to open the as350_rotor_main_blurred that you created so you can import the alpha you just exported.
Once done, save as, DXT/DDS5 and test.
Make sure before testing in sim that you remove the .BMP duplicate out of the repaint folder.
OK here goes. I'm not the greatest at explaining, but I'll give it a shot. (NOTE
Different people have different ways and methods to reach the same end results.Here is a screenshot to use as reference. (Note that the blade is the same default color as the blur so it makes it hard to see. Although you can see the outlines of them.) http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7341/bladestripes.png
1] >>In the main texture folder, open as350_e04_t in DXTBMP.
Then double-click it to open in your graphics program.
2]>>Next open as350_rotor_main_blurred the same way. Then Resize the image to 6" x 6"
3]>>From file as350_e04_t, copy/paste the area for the main rotor blade (top) into as350_rotor_main_blurred as a new layer.
4]>>Place a "guide" cross reference line at 3" vertical, and 3" horizontal so that the crossing point is dead center.
5]>>Resize and align the rotor blade to fit, centered on the line and in full length to 1/2 the width of the square (3")
6]>>Place the color and size of bands with the spacing you will want on that blade.
7]>>Duplicate that layer to create 3 more blades to give you a total of four (in a cross)
8]>>In Adobe Photoshop select the "ellipse" tool and create a solid circle to the inside edge of the inner-most band.
9]>>Duplicate that layer and resize it to the outer most size.
10]>>Rasterize both circles.
11]>>Create copies of each and make them invisible. Move to the bottom of the layer stack so you can use them to create more copies for the additional stripes.
12]>>Using the magic wand, click on the largest circle. Then go to the layers and highlight blue the smaller circle.
13]>>At the top, select "edit", "cut". What that should have just done was cut out everything from the inner stripe line to the center.
==============================
Now is where you need another circle.
Create another copy and move it at the same level in layer order.
Resize the circle to the outer area of the stripe width.
Withe the "magic wand" click on the smaller circle.
Select the layer you want to cut by clicking on the layer to the right.
Goto the top of the program, select "edit", "cut"
What that should have just done was give you a colored band at the size you set it up for.
Repeat all the steps for the remaining bands
Once finished, (completely) resize the image to 1024 x 1024
Flatten image, save as (file name you started with)
================
Now you need the alpha.
Goto the default texture folder and open the main rotorblade file in DXTBMP. Click on "alpha">> "export alpha" to the repaint folder you're working on. Name it accordingly so you know what it is.
Now you need to open the as350_rotor_main_blurred that you created so you can import the alpha you just exported.
Once done, save as, DXT/DDS5 and test.
Make sure before testing in sim that you remove the .BMP duplicate out of the repaint folder.