[RELEASE] PSP 01-12.bmp Split/Merge v1.3

[xmOD]

hey,

a lot of people PM'ed me asking how to split or merge the 01-12.bmp file to create custom backgrounds.. while merging can be done with just 1-2 lines of batch code, the splitting requires some batch experience. Also some people wanted an easier approach to the whole precedure (like me!) and while its nothing great, it still can come in handy.. here it is..

UPDATE:
v1.3 Released: Long awaited file padding added!!



NOTE: Only 60x34 backgrounds can be split or merged using v1.3.... v1.2 can split/merge both 60x34 and hi-res bg's but cannot auto-pad the file for which you will have to hex edit them yourselves. If anyone has the version 1.2 of BG Split/Merge then please PM me the file so i can put it up for download below for people who wanna use hi-res bg's.

If you're running Windows Vista and cant get the app to work, then read the tutorial here (found by en_trance)
Click Here

BG Split/Merge v1.3 by xmOD

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README!
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This app lets you split/merge the 01-12.bmp file on your psp which holds the default backgrounds on your PSP. With this, you can fully customize your default backgrounds.

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Read Release Notes also!
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Procedure
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-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
To split the 01-12.bmp:

RECOMMENDED: Use the original 01-12.bmp included in the archive to make your custom backgrounds.

1. Run the exe file of the program.
2. Click the browse button to find the 01-12.bmp.
3. Hit the Split button to split the file.
4. Go to the same place where your 01-12.bmp is and you will find a folder called "Split 01-12.bmp" which contains the split individual files.
5. You can edit any or all of the 12 backgrounds.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
To Merge the individual files into 01-12.bmp:

1. Click the browse button and locate the split 01-12.bmp folder.
2. Hit Merge button to open up the padding dialog.
3. On the padding dialog, click the file names of the files you have edited to pad them to 6176 bytes so that all backgrounds show on your PSP (i.e Edited + Non-Edited).
4. Click the Merge button near the end to merge all the individual file into 01-12.bmp
5. Now look in the same split files folder for the merged 01-12.bmp
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

NOTE: After editing your files, check that the file size of the files you've edited is 6174 bytes before padding them otherwise they wont show up on your PSP. Also, if you've edited standard 60x34 backgrounds then the file size of the edited files is usually 6174 bytes which can be padded with this app. Hi-Res backgrounds wont show up as of now even after padding.

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WARNING!
Although this software has been tested by me and is working perfectly on my PSP's but i still am NOT responsible for any partial/permanent bricks. Use this on YOUR risk ONLY! YOU are RESPONSIBLE is ANYTHING happens to your PSP!
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Release Notes:
1. Right now i have only tested this with 60x34 backgrounds only.
2. This app is limited by me to split 01-12.bmp of upto 500 kb of size only but you can merge files of any size together. This means you can split only 60x34 pixel backgrounds but can try merging 250x142 pixel(hi-res) backgrounds. Please share the results.
3. FILE PADDING ADDED!!
4. Do you want so that when you connect your psp via USB to your comp then the file should get flashed to your psp? Although if this feature is implemented then as of it'll work only on 3.03 OE-C and above.
5. If you think something more can be added to this app then do PM me on the QJ forums (username: xmOD).

Enjoy! ;-)

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Changelog:
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v1.3
- The long awaited file padding is now added to the app.

v1.2
- Added support for browse function so you dont have to type the full path yourself.
- Added an error check which lets the user know before flashing whether all backgrounds will be displayed or just one.

After this release, there is not much i can think of to add in the future releases but i'm open to suggestions which users can let me know by posting in the release thread or by sending me a PM.

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THE TUTORIAL BELOW IS NOT FOR v1.3 USERS
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If you want to merge Hi-res bg's or are simply using v1.2. heres how to hex edit the files manually. v1.3 Auto-pads the files for you but does'nt work with hi-res bg's..

1. First use only the original 01-12.bmp (linked below) to get the split files..
2. The edit them use any editor you want (eg: Photoshop)..
3. Then Check the file size of the edited file by checking its properties..
In my example i edited the 01.bmp to be black.. now when i checked it properties, the file size was..



This is not the filesize that the PSP accepts.. and if you merge your files with this then you'll only get the first 01.bmp and all others will be blank..

The Correct file size should be 6176 Bytes.

4. To fix the file size, open up a hex edit (eg: Hex Workshop) and insert the amount of bytes needed to make the filesize 6176.

BEFORE



AFTER

to insert bytes.. scroll down to the end of the file and click after the last dot. the cursor should be at the end now.
Right click on the cursor and click Insert.



The when the insert window opens, check the filesize in the small window below and insert the corresponding no. of bytes to make it 6176 bytes.



Now after inserting the corresponding no. of bytes, check the file size again and it should now be 6176 bytes. Save the file and then continue this with any other file you've edited.

5. After you've done this with all the files you edited, merge the files the normal way and flash it to your PSP. It should now show all the backgrounds perfectly.

NOTE:
6. If the file size of your edited file increases beyond 6176 bytes then reduce the amount of graphics you've put into the file so that the file size is equal to or below than 6176 bytes.

Please share your results!!!

Download:
BG Split/Merge v1.3
.NET Framework 2.0
The Original 01-12.bmp file

[HeaD_ShOt]

nice!!!
great release
dling

[xmOD]

Originally Posted by HeaD_ShOt

nice!!!
great release
dling

thx man! am looking for results and suggesstions!

[HeaD_ShOt]

its works flawlessly
i just dont understand y more ppl arent coming to dl it

[xmOD]

cause its not yet on the frontpage.. hahahaha! lol! .. actually i've noticed that with my other 2 apps also.. when they were not on PSPU FP, i got like 5-6 comments the whole day and then suddenly a whole bunch of comments flowed in bringing it to 3-4 pages..lol.. although most of em were flames..lol

and also even if some people download, they dont take the pain to leave a comment..

[requiem957]

I must say I'm seriously impressed. I, being the ever "Wow, will it do this?" junkie, decided "Hey! Why don't I take one of the BGs I just made (normal PSP paper size) and see if it'll join it into the 1-12.bmp?"

Any guesses one what happened?

Well it made it. <whipes head>

But... OMG the size was 2.5 megs! Did my psp have the room for that?

Weeell yes and no.

I only had 400+ on there. Well, that's where Flash Agent came in. I deleted those "useless" font files (which aren't really useless... <sniffles> I miss japanese) and lo-and-behold I had enough space! FLASH TIME! Well I at this poit was like "Meh, gonna brick" so I let it do it anyways.

...

...

...

It didn't brick o_o

Well, now I have almost no ram left, and 1 custom full sized bg on there. want a screen shot of a custom BG + wave? Here's one showing I'm using 3.03OEC! (note: I had to black out my MAC address. Hope ya don't mind XP)



Now the downsides. As seen in the following screencaps,

[IMG][/IMG]

From what I can tell, Internet Browser, Saved Data Utility, Location Free Player and PSP update have trouble. For the Update and saved Data utility I think it MAY have something to do with how their glow thingies work... as for the other icons... well I flashed custom so either that is why those two don't work, or those two don't work anyways, it's up for you're own experimentation.



Well, as I said. This is the coolest thing I've seen in ages and if someone really wants that one special BG on their PSP and waves at the same time, it may be worth freeing up all that Flash0 space. But until you can get a redirection of 1-12.bmp to the memory card, I don't see why you'd use this to make a full theme of full sized's.

If I haven't directly said it yet... xmOD, you are awesome..

[Xanvier]

this is great. was looking for a way to do just what your program does. many thanx.

[xmOD]

THANKYOU!!! i'm glad you are happy..as for the redirection part.. well as i said earlier it can only be effectively used with 60x34 pixel images.. if you use hi-res images then its gonna take a lotta flash space..

also, you can redirect the 01-12.bmp to load form your memstick, its not hard.. you have to edit a line i guess in decrypted vshmain.prx located in flash0:\vsh\nodule ... and thx for the long comment.. appreciate it..

[requiem957]

Really? Sweet! Come to think of it I think I've seen 1-12 redirection as part of one of the flasher programs so I guess I'll see which one it is and what file it edits. Thanks for the heads up. Keep up the good work.

[bmfgeorgin2]

Sweet

[xmOD]

i am open for suggesstions guys.. any thing i left and which could be added?

[InhumanElmo]

What was this application written in? Can you release the source code? O and you should have an OpenFileDialog Box instead of the whole type in the path thing (Just so its noob friendly).

[requiem957]

I don't know how realistic this is of a suggestion, but would it be possible to have it so that you choose the files you want from locations and then the program renames and merges them instead of needing to put them all in one folder, possibly rename them yourself and then give the absolute path of where you want to put them/split them? (even with split/merging of proper sized bmps renaming them can be annoying and typing that full path in for people who use some versions of windows can suck)

Just an idea in the form of a question XP.

[xmOD]

@InhumanElmo : Yes very good suggestion.. that i'm gonna include in the next release...this is written in .NET .. as of now i dont intend on releasing the code.. but i may later on..i actually made all of it in like an hour max so din do much.. just the basic things so that it gets the work done..

@requiem957 : that suggesstion is wonderful.. you can expect that in the next release.. :-)

am gonna go to sleep now.. its 4:30 AM here in my country and i need some sleep.. see you guys in the morning..

[vgmasterx]

can you post a link to the original 01-12 file? i cant find mine cus i have ben using a Custom BG

[requiem957]

Well I'll look forward to you're next release... although I won't be able to enjoy it. <sigh> My 3.03OE-C PSP just mysteriously fully and totally bricked (battery light comes on, stays on and NOTHING HAPPENS even when R is held down) so umm... Yeah, good luck with the next version and hopefully sometime when I can fully afford a new psp I'll use it.

[The_Kills]

OH this is gr8!!

[Aizer]

works on 3.10 oe-a... had same icon glitch as requiem957 on 480x272 bmp
-= Double Post =-
lot less of icon glitching with 250x142 but still some in network icons

[PSPduh]

Awesome.
BTW, I'm curious, what were those two lines of batch code?

[NIGathan]

hey nice app i was really wanting something like this so i wouldnt have all those white backgrounds underneath my plain black background but there is something that you could do to make it a lot better for long loading times and low flash space is make it compress the merged file

[firedragon_jing]

Originally Posted by xmOD

THANKYOU!!! i'm glad you are happy..as for the redirection part.. well as i said earlier it can only be effectively used with 60x34 pixel images.. if you use hi-res images then its gonna take a lotta flash space..

also, you can redirect the 01-12.bmp to load form your memstick, its not hard.. you have to edit a line i guess in decrypted vshmain.prx located in flash0:\vsh\module ... and thx for the long comment.. appreciate it..

can you edit the vshmain, and post it?

[xmOD]

Originally Posted by firedragon_jing

can you edit the vshmain, and post it?

no i cant post the edited vshmain.prx as its not legal.. you'll have to find one yourself..

[Yami86]

awesome release, man.

[froggie22]

Is there a size limit to the images? and can u have different sized images all in one? i tryed flashing a few of them but it only showd one picture, that was my first plain black one which was 60x32 in size and none of the rest showed. the file size was much bigger than just the black one by itself so im pretty sure it made the file?

[xmOD]

Originally Posted by froggie22

Is there a size limit to the images? and can u have different sized images all in one? i tryed flashing a few of them but it only showd one picture, that was my first plain black one which was 60x32 in size and none of the rest showed. the file size was much bigger than just the black one by itself so im pretty sure it made the file?

All the images should be 60x32 size. The merged file size can be anything and there is no size limit to the files being merged. The only limit is on the file being split which should not be more than 500 kilobytes in size.

You can merge/flash hi-res backgrounds also but as of now only the first background shows up like in your case. This issue is being researched upon by other devs.

[syncmaster]

My thanks to you

[froggie22]

ok thanks for the help. i really want to flash a few full size ones on there since i have alot of flash space left from deleting that font with flashagent

[xmOD]

well you can go ahead and create hi-res backgrounds in photoshop and name them in the same way like 01.bmp, 02.bmp....12.bmp and put em in a folder and merge them.. although i should warn you that the file size will be large and if anything happens to your psp then you're responsible for it..

share your results..

[ZereoX]

Can someone post one with all colors and one of them switch with Black theme.

[xmOD]

Originally Posted by ZereoX

Can someone post one with all colors and one of them switch with Black theme.

the main purpose of releasing this app was so that people could do this themselves and still u're asking other people to do it for you?!!

anywayz.. heres the file.. i've replaced the first theme with the black background..

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ibqxyw