Why are my PNG pic NOT SAVING as png files when I upload them?

[Beauty Haramori]

I want my $190 Linden back!!!! my PNG pics did NOT upload as png. Why did SL convert my file/pic?  give me my Linden back and delete the pics I uploaded the last two days from my inventory.  If they are not PNG they are not freaking use to me!!!!  Whose bright idea was it to change the way png files are uploaded and NOT GIVE ANY KIND OF WARNIG THAT THEY ARE CHANGED BEFORE UPLOADING?  They should be fired.  Give me my linden back.

[Madelaine McMasters]

Hi Beauty,

We're all residents here, just like you. Lindens never visit the Answers forum.

Here's the SL Wiki page for "Uploading Assets"...

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Uploading-assets/ta-p/700165

In which you'll find this...

 

Supported image formats

Second Life supports TGA (32-bit supports alpha channel), PNG (24-bit supports alpha channel), and BMP. When you upload an image, the Viewer internally converts it to JPG2000 for optimized future transmission. For best quality, try to avoid uploading JPGs; their already-compressed quality degrades further because of the double conversion.

 

I've no idea why the internal format of SL images is of importance to you. It is of importance to Linden Lab, as they provide the infrastructure upon which SL runs. If SL stored images as PNG, texture download times would be so long that nobody would tolerate it.

Now, if what you're really complaining about is that you had alpha textures on your computer, and they did not upload as alpha, I suggest you make sure you saved your images as 32 bit PNG or TGA and enabled the alpha channel for output. Both of those image formats have 24 bit versions that contain no alpha channel and some image editors default to flushing the alpha channel to opaque when saving as 32 bit.

[Dwaina]

Hey there there must be somthing wrong with you png file i'm unable to tell you from not seing it at first but mine are alwais working as thay should. i might be able to tell you whats wrong when i see it.

 

Here is a tip to safe your L$ on failed uploads though use local texture before uploading in the texture tab you should have the oprion there when you klick the texture space where you select the texture you want to use.

this safes me a lot of L$ each poject i work on.

[Rolig Loon]

No matter what format your images may be in on your hard drive, they are always converted to JPEG2000 format as they are uploaded to the servers.  That's the way SL has always operated since day One. 

If you mean that you have lost an alpha channel, the chances are pretty good that you saved your PNG files without it, either intenionally or unintentionally.  The Save For Web option for PNG in Photoshop, for example, will save your PNG files as 24 bit images.

There's no way that you will get a refund of the L$ you spent on uploading, unfortunately.  Linden Lab doesn't offer refunds (it says that in the TOS).  Luckily, all you lost was about 75 cents.  There are no Lindens here in any case.  We are all SL residents like you, and we don't offer refunds either.  For future peace of mind, I suggest that you get in the habit of using the LOCAL textures option for free trial uploads of textures before you spend L$10 apiece to upload them permanently.

[Madelaine McMasters]

I keep forgetting about local textures, which are a fantastic time and money saver.

[Beauty Haramori]

You may be trying to be helpful madelaine McMasters, but I can't get past your sarcastic tone... " I've no idea why the internal format of SL images is of importance to you. It is of importance to Linden Lab, as they provide the infrastructure upon which SL runs. If SL stored images as PNG, texture download times would be so long that nobody would tolerate it" First, I have saved and uploaded many png files before to SecondLife, so this is not anything I'm not familiar with. If the pic uploaded as a png before, why would it automatically start to NOT do it. I didn't change anything, so it is on the part of Linden Labs. Secondly, if you read my comment correctly, I wanted to know WHY my png files were converted FROM a PNG. I had png pic, uploaded as a png and they didn't show as a png. It's not like I haven't done this before.

[Beauty Haramori]

Thank you so much Rolig Loon. I wonder why I never had to do anything to my png when uploading before now? Thank you for the link to Local textures too. The pic tutorial is helpful too - - best, clearest response I've gotten so far. Thank you.

[Rolig Loon]

PNG can be tricky that way. Some software -- Photoshop in particular -- can change your PNG file from 32 bit to 24 bit (or vice versa) without telling you, so it's possible to lose an alpha channel or gain one that you don't want. That's one reason why I have almost always preferred using TGA. Photoshop forces you to choose 32 bit or 24 bit when you save TGA, so you can't get screwed accidentally. There are other good reasons for using TGA, but that's a biggie.