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    Selecting an Image for your CAW thumbnail -

    EnvebeEnvebe Posts: 5 New Member
    in The Sims 3 Game Tools
    How do you do it? I've found the world description pop-up, but when I search for an image in a location it won't show up - even if it does when I go through it regularly on my computer. Do the images need to be a certain size/format to show up when searching through CAW? Anyone know how to convert the file type? Help would be appreciated! :) thanks.

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      DocsprockDocsprock Posts: 3,869 Member
      edited December 2009
      They must be a .PNG file at 256 x256 pixels.
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      blade1324blade1324 Posts: 138 New Member
      edited December 2009
      i need to know where i can get a thumbnail , i REALLY want to play on my worllldddd!!!!!!!!! how can i get my hands on a picture , so i can expot my world???
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      DocsprockDocsprock Posts: 3,869 Member
      edited December 2009
      blade1324 wrote:
      i need to know where i can get a thumbnail , i REALLY want to play on my worllldddd!!!!!!!!! how can i get my hands on a picture , so i can expot my world???

      You dont 'get' thumbnails, you have to make one. Go to Edit in Game from CAW, zoom way out, and hit 'C' to take a snapshot. Then you must edit the snapshot in MS Paint or something similar to get the right size and save as a .PNG.
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      Somarsh10Somarsh10 Posts: 1
      edited December 2009
      Cn Someone Giv Me A Link To a Thumbnil I Have Looked Every Whare Please Hurry
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      rambohackerrambohacker Posts: 9 New Member
      edited January 2010
      I'm having trouble getting my thumbnail to work, I took the picture in sims 3 edited it Paint & saved it as a 256x256 .png file but create a world says, "Selected file is not a 24-bit color PNG image." I've tried all my photo editing software that I have & they all either do 32-bit or 256 color for .png pictures.
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      mk_wlshmk_wlsh Posts: 1 New Member
      edited September 2010
      I too had trouble with the whole '24bit color .png file' issue. This link is the solution that i found. Personally tested and verified.

      http://builders.forumotion.net/tutorials-f121/24-bit-png-image-creation-with-paintnet-t990.htm?action=cancel_vote

      Basically, the Paint.net tool allows you to both save your image as a png file and to convert (?) it to 24bit color.

      Oh, and the paint.net tool is a free download
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      MEOWWWWMEOWWWW Posts: 243 New Member
      edited September 2010
      I tried downloading the paint thing before, but it says i need WinRAR or whatever, but that costs money. Do you have WinRAR?
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      Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,588 Member
      edited September 2010
      Hi,

      There should be a free version of WinRar. Google and check on downloads. Winrar might bug you about buying the full version but it will keep allowing you to use it.
      Also, 7-zip works for opening winrar. :)

      I use Gimp which is good for pictures, too. If you save from a jpeg to a png make sure to save it under a new name and not over write the picture. That's where it usually messes up. <-with CAW not accepting it. :)
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      MEOWWWWMEOWWWW Posts: 243 New Member
      edited September 2010
      Ok thanks. Now i just need a link for paint.net
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      BSIReginaBSIRegina Posts: 5,110 Member
      edited September 2010
      All you have to do to find Paint.net is do a web search or just type paint.net into your web browser. It will take you to a page that links to where you can download it.

      Also, 7-Zip will extract .rar files and is completely free. Again, doing web searches will take you to all this stuff.
      Thanks to AdBlock: currently blocking 184 annoying animated siggy .gifs ;)
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      katyshewankatyshewan Posts: 2,717 New Member
      edited September 2010
      heres a thumbnail for you guys that need one, its rubbish i know but its the right file and size.
      s6jb0w.png
      i dno if this will work if not tell me!
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      MEOWWWWMEOWWWW Posts: 243 New Member
      edited September 2010
      I did it! Use google, and use that guys link to help you with the paint thingy!
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      BSIReginaBSIRegina Posts: 5,110 Member
      edited September 2010
      Katyshewan, your image would most definitely work fine for a TEMPORARY image, as in just long enough for someone to get their world exported and get a real screenshot of it to use for the permanent thumbnail.

      Imagine going to the Exchange and finding a hundred worlds with that image. :lol:
      I did it! Use google, and use that guys link to help you with the paint thingy!
      Yes, I actually prefer Good Search but Google generally works too.
      Thanks to AdBlock: currently blocking 184 annoying animated siggy .gifs ;)
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      katyshewankatyshewan Posts: 2,717 New Member
      edited September 2010
      well yea, :lol:
      but if people are dieing to play there world then heres a temp image!
      but if i find this pic in the exchange im going to...
      well i dno but just dont put this up.

      heres what i did.
      i take a picture of my world with a snipping tool (if you dont have that print screen)
      i save it. then upload it to http://www.picnik.com/
      i resize it and add in some words, if i want to edit it. but i prefer not to edit it cuz thats like cheating!

      so thats what you do, oh when you save it after resizeing it image sure in the drop down menu you save it as .png
      thank you hth :)
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      BSIReginaBSIRegina Posts: 5,110 Member
      edited September 2010
      but if i find this pic in the exchange im going to...
      well i dno but just dont put this up.

      You can do just about anything you want but if someone uploads that image to the Exchange nothing will happen. Someone stole someone else's image long ago and despite it being reported hundreds of times it's still there.

      Um, editing your image isn't cheating at all. In fact, there's no way to use a screenshot for a world thumbnail without editing it. Crop it, it's edited. Resize it, it's edited.

      In my opinion, a thumbnail should be part of a screenshot of the world with the world's name AND name of the creator added in bold text.
      Thanks to AdBlock: currently blocking 184 annoying animated siggy .gifs ;)
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      njiava32njiava32 Posts: 343
      edited September 2010
      hey i haveing trouble with the thumbnail thing too and Ive tried to donload paint.net but my computer wont let me. I dont know what to do
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      crunchies4mecrunchies4me Posts: 30 Member
      Katyshewan thanks!!! The image u posted worked!!!
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      Hawkflight1066Hawkflight1066 Posts: 245 Member
      To be stuck just because of a stupid picture really is the limit. Why did EA make it so difficult? It is NOT user friendly. After all the fighting with the software, the crashing, the error messages - only to find that a picture is the hardest part of all. The EA instruction book makes it sound like a two second job. They did not write those instructions for amateurs and beginners.
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      Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,588 Member
      @Hawkflight1066 wrote: »
      To be stuck just because of a stupid picture really is the limit. Why did EA make it so difficult? It is NOT user friendly. After all the fighting with the software, the crashing, the error messages - only to find that a picture is the hardest part of all. The EA instruction book makes it sound like a two second job. They did not write those instructions for amateurs and beginners.

      The default pictures is located - C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create a World Tool

      It's called defaultWorldThumb.png :)

      It's easy to make on... take a picture, open a photo editing program ( I used Gimp), Start a new project (picture), paste your world picture, resize it to what CAW used- CAW tells you but it's 256x256 (iirc) and save as a .png.

      Don't save over your original picture because I'm betting that picture is a .jpg which will mess up a .png save. Start new and make it a .png. :)

      There is a tutorial in CAW faq sticked on this site. :)
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      Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,588 Member
      edited February 2018

      .... Edited- Took some pictures of making a thumbnail with Windows Paint (which windows paint? 7- they all should work). :)

      1. Take a picture and then go to your game files in Documents, open it in Paint
      72wSqBt.jpg

      2. Select an area to copy for your cover
      uhjq3Zv.jpg


      3. Open a NEW Paint - Very Important. It must be new....
      T3SUdFs.jpg


      4. Paste your copy onto the new
      Pi71e1m.png


      5. Size it up a little by sliding or Cropping it (The bottom will show the size to get them close)
      This is a good time to add a name to the Cover if you want
      NU6oCpZ.jpg



      7. Resize it to 256x256 (if it's off by just a few, unclick the 'Maintain aspect ration' and make them the same.
      fj3sDFo.jpg


      8. Save as .png to your desktop or where you want.
      KOppKPd.jpg


      12. Open your World in CAW, right click on the 1st layer where all the other layers are attached- choose Add/Edit Description
      55aY3w2.jpg


      10. Find your cover picture- where you saved it.


      11. Bam! Plum's your Uncle. ~Don't forget to save before you try and export. =]
      Ltwlywf.jpg

      Post edited by Rflong7 on
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