Here is the dialog you will see. —choosing the wrong compression will ruin your texture. The Golden Rules of Compression | If you are making... | Choose this format... | Why? | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Diffuse/Albedo (Color map) | BC1 (DXT1) | Small file size, sharp colors. Use for opaque surfaces. | | Diffuse with Transparency | BC3 (DXT5) | Handles soft edges and alpha channels (glass, hair, foliage). | | Normal Map (Bumpy surfaces) | BC5 (3Dc / ATI2) | Stores X and Y vectors without color artifacts. | | High Quality (Modern games) | BC7 | Best quality, no banding. (Requires newer GPU support). |
If you have ever tried to mod a video game, create a custom skin for Minecraft , or edit textures for Skyrim , you have likely run into the dreaded .dds file . dds gimp plugin
Enter and its lifesaving DDS Plugin .
sudo apt install gimp-plugin-dds # Debian/Ubuntu sudo dnf install gimp-dds-plugin # Fedora Alternatively, compile it from source via git clone and make . You will likely need to use Homebrew : Here is the dialog you will see
Enjoyed this tutorial? Subscribe to our newsletter for more GIMP, Krita, and Blender modding guides. | Choose this format
Here is everything you need to know about installing, using, and mastering the DDS plugin for GIMP. Unlike Photoshop (which often requires an Intel plugin) or Paint.NET (which has native support), the open-source standard GIMP does not ship with DDS support out of the box.