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Updated:07-25-21 09:46 AM
Created:08-07-13 02:08 AM
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BLP Format Plug-in for Photoshop  Popular! (More than 5000 hits)

Version: 1.1 (Windows) 1.0 (Mac)
by: Digital_Utopia [More]

Introduction

It must've been around the 500th time or so, of converting various BLP files back and forth, when I thought..

Why all this converting nonsense? Why can't I just load up BLP files right into Photoshop, edit them, and save them back to BLP? And then I remembered - because there's no Photoshop plugin for that format.

So I figured I'd try to change that, and I have.

Supported Formats

Windows

x64

  • CS4
  • CS5
  • CS6
  • CC
  • CC 2014

x86 (32-bit)
  • 6.0
  • 7.0
  • CS
  • CS2
  • CS3
  • CS4
  • CS5
  • CS6
  • CC
  • CC 2014

Mac OS X

Mac OS X plugin requires OS X 10.6 (Lion)+

x64
  • CS5
  • CS6
  • CC
  • CC 2014

Installation

Windows
1. Find your Photoshop Folder
a. eg1: (x64) C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64 Bit)\
b. eg2: (32-bit) C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6\

2. From that folder, go to \Plug-ins\File Formats\ (create "File Formats" folder if it doesn't exist)

3. Drop the appropriate plugin (x64 or x86) in that folder.

4. Run Photoshop

OS X
1. Find your Photoshop Folder
eg: /Applications/Photoshop CS6/

2. From that folder, go to \Plug-ins\File Formats\ (create "File Formats" folder if it doesn't exist)

3. Drop BLP.plugin in that folder

4. Run Photoshop

Supported Variants

It was my goal to support every variant of the BLP format that Blizzard uses in WoW - for both opening and saving. The end result is a total of 11 different combinations of compression and transparency. Below is a listing of these.

Alpha Bit Depths
This is the amount of detail allowed in transparency of your image.
  • 0-bit - No transparency at all
  • 1-bit - simple transparency, similar to GIFs. It's either transparent or not.
  • 4-bit - slightly better range of transparency, but will turn smooth fades into visible "steps"
  • 8-bit - This is the same level of transparency you'll ordinarily see in PNG/TGA formats, with 256 levels of transparency.

Compression Types
  • Indexed (256 Color) - Very similar to a GIF, as it uses a palette that can fit up to 256 colors, but BLP files have indipendent transparency. Indexed BLPs can make use of all 4 types of alpha.
  • DXT - This is the defacto compression type used in modern games, with the most popular format that uses this, being .dds. DXT compression gives you a better color range, with a slightly larger size, than indexed. It also supports all 4 levels of transparency.
  • DXT-5 - Would normally be lumped in with the above category, however it's the second DXT type that supports 8-bit alpha. The result is a bit better color, and a slightly larger file size than the 8-bit alpha under the DXT category.
  • Uncompressed - Very much like a Bitmap, with no compression to speak of. It can support either 0-bit or 8-bit alpha. This version is only used by Blizzard for sky textures, where every bit of color detail is necessary.

Known Issues
The Mac Plugin will not properly load DXT compressed BLP files, with its Alpha Depth set to anything but 0, 1, 4, or 8. This means some DXT(5) compressed files that have their Alpha Depth set at 72, will not load correctly. Unfortunately I have lost the source code for the Mac version, as well as access to OS X, so I'm unsure when or if I'll be able to release an update.

As a work around, change the Alpha Depth in such files to "8" - using a hex editor, or an upcoming tool, and they will load correctly.


Questions, Comments, and Other Feedback

Please comment below, especially if you find a bug not already mentioned above. Whether that be a problem loading a WoW BLP file, or saving your own, let me know. If it's a WoW file, let me know the name, and if it's one of your own - I would appreciate linking me (either in the comments or PM) the original image you're trying to convert. If you don't feel comfortable with sending me a PSD file, that's ok too, but whatever the problem is, might get lost in the conversion.

Mac Users, Thank you for your patience!

I never intended on "Soon" rivaling Blizzard's definition, but life has a tendency of interfering with intentions. I hope you find it useful, and if you run into any problems - please let me know.


1.1
Windows[*]Loading a BLP with transparency will now load said transparency in the alpha channel, rather than merging it with the RGB channels. [*]Saving to BLP will now not ignore the alpha channel if it exists. [*]Various oddball Alpha Depth/Alpha Mod values are handled correctly, for full BLP support!

1.0
  • The limitation that prevented saving when a "flattened" Background layer was present in the document, has been solved and subsequently removed.
  • Now that the plugin is "feature-complete", it has shed it's beta...ness.

0.X3a
OS X
Initial Release

0.X3
  • Fixed an issue where Photoshop would hang and/or give a "Disk Error" message when attempting to open a BLP file without mipmaps.
  • In older versions of Photoshop, the Compression Drop-down list in the save options, wouldn't expand all the way. This has been fixed.
0.X2
  • Fixed an issue that was preventing saved BLP files from appearing in game
  • Plugin will now throw an error if you attempt to save an image, with dimensions that are not a power of 2
0.X
Initial Release
Post A Reply Comment Options
Unread 10-01-23, 02:56 AM  
leobolin
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Mac ARM version?

Any chance to get a working version for ARM-based Macs? It won't load on newer macs unless you run Photoshop using Rosetta which is extremely slow.
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Unread 01-07-17, 09:41 AM  
Miiru
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Yes, they seem to have changed it back for the release version
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Last edited by Miiru : 01-07-17 at 09:41 AM.
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Unread 11-01-16, 04:58 PM  
sakurakira
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Originally Posted by Miiru
Hello.

My .blp files saved with this plugin will not load anymore at the 7.1 ptr.

Saving them as .png and converting them with blpng works fine, so i guess there must be a problem with the plugin.
I don't know about the PTR, but now that 7.1 is live things seem to be working fine. I have several image replacements made using the plugin that I used pre-7.1 and they're still working with the patch.
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Unread 09-30-16, 03:38 PM  
Miiru
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Hello.

My .blp files saved with this plugin will not load anymore at the 7.1 ptr.

Saving them as .png and converting them with blpng works fine, so i guess there must be a problem with the plugin.
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Unread 01-19-15, 01:34 AM  
Miiru
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Is it possible to add batch compability?

If i try to batch-modify like 10k icons it asks me which format i want to save them in everytime for every single item, like it didnt record the option i choose when creating the batch.
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Last edited by Miiru : 01-19-15 at 01:34 AM.
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Unread 11-01-14, 09:29 AM  
Digital_Utopia
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Originally Posted by sakurakira
Hiya. Thanks so much for making this PS plugin.

I've found that saving them in Indexed (256 color) with 8-bit Alpha provides the best balance between quality and file size, and I've used that in making quite a few image replacements I wasn't able to do before because of the quality limitations of the blp format.
Yes, for most UI graphics, that is the best choice, as you're likely not going to go above 256 colors in a UI element, and unlike DXT, it won't change the colors due to compression. DXT is better saved for model textures, or other photographic like images with tons of different colors. Uncompressed is hardly ever used, except in sky textures.
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Unread 11-01-14, 07:08 AM  
sakurakira
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Hiya. Thanks so much for making this PS plugin.

I've found that saving them in Indexed (256 color) with 8-bit Alpha provides the best balance between quality and file size, and I've used that in making quite a few image replacements I wasn't able to do before because of the quality limitations of the blp format.
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Unread 10-25-14, 05:46 AM  
Digital_Utopia
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Outta Beta

Version 1.0 has been released today. This update removes the "Background" layer limitation, that previously prevented saving if it existed in the document.

Also, confirmed to work with Photoshop CC 2014.
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Last edited by Digital_Utopia : 10-25-14 at 05:47 AM.
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Unread 10-23-14, 02:44 PM  
MoonWitch
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Confirmed Mac version to work with Photoshop CS6 64bit on Yosemite.

Now on a non-tech note.. I love you!!!!
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Unread 10-22-14, 09:21 AM  
Imithat
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youre the best! Thanks a lot!
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Unread 10-21-14, 10:22 PM  
Digital_Utopia
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A long overdue promise fulfilled.

Version 0.X3a has just been released, with the only change being the inclusion of the long overdue Mac version of the plugin. See the info section for currently supported versions of Photoshop.
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Unread 10-21-14, 10:20 PM  
Digital_Utopia
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Originally Posted by Grungra
Trying out your plug-in and get this error each time I try to save a file, no matter what I choose to save it as:

Could not save as "path of file" because of a problem with the file-format module interface.

Used "path of file" cause it doesn't matter location to save file. Using PS CC2014 64bit win8.1.

Files open normal, can do any changes I want to the file etc, it's just when it comes time to save it that error pops up each time, haven't been able to save any of them and tried all the combinations.

File will convert fine with BLPNG converter.

G
At this point I haven't had a chance to check it out using CC2014, so for the time being, that version isn't "officially" supported. I will take a look within the next few days, and see what can be done to address that issue though. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Edit: I *think* I found the problem. But just to make sure we're on the same page, you get this result regardless of what file you attempt to save? Even if it's just resaving an existing BLP file?
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Last edited by Digital_Utopia : 10-22-14 at 01:08 AM.
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Unread 10-21-14, 08:50 PM  
Grungra
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Trying out your plug-in and get this error each time I try to save a file, no matter what I choose to save it as:

Could not save as "path of file" because of a problem with the file-format module interface.

Used "path of file" cause it doesn't matter location to save file. Using PS CC2014 64bit win8.1.

Files open normal, can do any changes I want to the file etc, it's just when it comes time to save it that error pops up each time, haven't been able to save any of them and tried all the combinations.

File will convert fine with BLPNG converter.

G
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Unread 10-19-14, 03:34 PM  
Digital_Utopia
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Please update for WoD Prepatch 6.0.2

Originally Posted by Tonyleila
Uhh sorry did not notice that there was a new version out before the patch. It works fine for the files I uploaded thanks!
Glad to hear it! No reason to apologize though - I'd always rather to make sure, than to just assume. Besides, you deserve some thanks as well. If you didn't bring it up, I probably wouldn't have caught the actual bug in BLPNG Converter. So, thanks for that!
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Unread 10-19-14, 03:09 PM  
Tonyleila
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Please update for WoD Prepatch 6.0.2

Uhh sorry did not notice that there was a new version out before the patch. It works fine for the files I uploaded thanks!
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