[Graphics] Bypassing Watermarks in VX

Why are watermarks a problem in RPG Maker VX?
If you ever want to edit a default monster graphic in RPG Maker VX, if you open your image viewing software it will appear as this. I'll use the Sahagin as my example.

Click to view this example

The image will appear like this. Notice on the right hand side, all the other monster graphics have a similar attribute to them. I call this the watermark. It isn't so obvious on charactersets or battle animations, but it is there.


Person X: "Thats easy, I can just rip the character from the image!"

Copying and pasting the standard way isn't very effective for monster graphics. When copying it retains the watermark when you paste it.

Other annoying factors about watermarked graphics
They are literally uneditable. If you edit a feature on the character, it will looked screwed up in the preview of the maker. In this example, I have flipped an image of the Sahagin. It looks ok in the image viewer, but it looks like this in the RPG VX monster preview...



Now you would have to agree with me, that its pretty messed up. Thats how it will look also in the battles as well, so you can't have something of that standard in your game.


How to bypass the watermarks
There are two methods for doing, but this i find is the better method for doing it.

The Method: Rip monsters via Print Screen in the maker.
This is the best method to rip monster graphics. Use the Print Screen button (Labelled Prt Scr) on the top right of your keyboard from the monster preview window in RPG Maker VX and then paste the result graphic into your image software. Then crop the image so you have only the graphic remaining like this:



Look! No watermark! Ain't that awesome?
But we're not quite done yet. Now we have to manually rip the graphic so we have a single coloured background. Pick a colour for the background that you won't use. I'll use Magenta in this example.


Make sure you save him as a Portable Networks Graphic, thats .PNG and all thats left to be done is importing. You can now flip him, edit him and manipulate him without any watermark to mess him up. Make sure you import him through the import feature in VX so you can set his transparency. Look at the image below if you don't know how to yet.

Click to view how to import graphics


And the end result in the battle viewer...


As you have noticed, he's been flipped with no problems. Gosh, he looks a little happier than usual as well.


Q & A

Q: What is the other method for ripping graphics?
A:Its the same process, but you printscreen the image from the image viewer instead. Make sure when your cropping it you crop it precisely and the size of the image you print screened was 100% or ratio [1:1] Its alot harder to achieve and takes more effort than the above method explained.

Q: Is it possible to rip the monster graphic named 'Evilgod'? Its too big for me to print screen all of it.
A: Its possible, but you have to splice the two images together in this case. But when I was experimenting before writing this tutorial, I already ripped the Evilgod graphic. Enjoy.



Q: What about the shadows on the monsters graphics?
A: Its a little harder to implement, i personally prefer to leave them out since they're not incrediably important.

Q: Will this work for Battle Animations and Charactersets?
A: Most certainly. Give it a go!

So I just noticed this was in the database. It's a nice tutorial and all, but I ask, why do you even use watermarked images? Just get normal ones, they're not like that by any standard.