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Anexenaumoon, posted Sat Jan 13, 2018 3:56 am (31494)

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Hey guys, I don't know who can help me (most likely Acewell can get me started, I don't really know xD), but I'm interested in learning how to reverse 2-d image formats. Does anyone have any pointers on where I can start learning how to/examples to trace of how it's done? I have a basic understanding in archives, and I'm looking to expand my knowledge into textures/image formats. Can anyone offer up some advice for a noobie like me?

TheUkrainianBard, posted Sat Jan 13, 2018 10:58 am (31504)

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It depends on engine used and platform it was developed for but I'd say it starts with data and visual patterns.
There aren't that many de-facto used compression schemes for textures with BC (Block Compression, aka DXTC or S3TC) being the most ubiquitous.

Acewell, posted Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:04 am (31522)

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i have about a hundred scripts in their simplest form floating around you can reference along with samples provided in the same threads.
you can apply same steps you know from archive extraction to figuring out image formats.
in the headers i look for any combination of width, height, some kind of format ID and datasize.
i usually start with opening samples in TextureFinder to see if anything displays on a common format,
then if no satisfying results i will use Noesis built-in format functionality to identify anything exotic.
and from there just start forming a script and let the tools do the work, not a whole lot to it.