Guide to GH3/A Image Editing for the Wii

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

Thanks to AerialX's help, custom images on GH3/A are now possible! It's a lengthy process that requires hex editing, but it's pretty straightforward. Let's get to it.

EDIT 9/16: Editing nearly ALL images is now possible (with the exception of guitars and characters)! I've had this figured out since July but have been trying to get chars/guitars to work. I was also working on a fully customized GH2, but I can't figure out how to change the dimensions/positions of the menus, so if anyone can figure either of those out, hit me up.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1BKyEqQyYE

REQUIREMENTS: (I recommend putting them all in the same working folder)

- WiiScrubber: http://www.megaupload.com/pt/?d=G52JRUYV
- Key.bin (Use MakeKeyBin.exe from WiiScrubber 1.4 package)
- AerialX's gh3imgdecoder: http://japaneatahand.com/files/misc/gh3imgdecoder.exe
- Summersett's IMG to TPL Converter: http://www.mediafire.com/?dakzjqumooz (a simple batch file using gxtexconv from DevkitPro)
- gdeldago's TPL2NGC: http://pp.bytemaniacos.com/TPL2NGC.exe
- DevkitPro: http://sourceforge.net/projects/devkitpro/
- Queen Bee: http://www.scorehero.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=68765&start=555#1654382
- Hex editor
- GH3/A ISO

After installing DevkitPro, navigate to the "devkitPPC/bin" folder and copy gxtexconv.exe and FreeImage.dll to your working folder.

EXTRACTING THE IMAGE:
Open WiiScrubber and load the ISO (must have key.bin in the same folder)
Right-click and extract the img.ngc file you want to change

OR

Extract a .pak.ngc file (root/pak/...)
Open Queen Bee
Extract the image files inside the pak you want to change

DECODING AND CHANGING THE IMAGE:
Drag the img.ngc file onto AerialX's gh3imgdecoder.exe, it will create a PNG with the same name (requires .NET framework or Mono)

Create a png/bmp/jpg/etc image with the exact same dimensions, or just use the PNG output by gh3imgdecoder
Before saving the image, flip the entire thing vertically
Drag the image onto IMG to TPL Converter, it will create a TPL with the same name

Drag the TPL file onto TPL2NGC.exe and it will convert it to the img.ngc file.

At this point, if you want to make sure everything looks right, you can put your new img.ngc files through AerialX's gh3imgdecoder.exe and view the outputted PNG.

REPLACING THE IMAGE
There are two ways you can go about this. The easiest and fastest way is to use Riivolution (http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Riivolution) to patch the files on-the-fly and see the changes immediately, however it does require that you have the original GH3/A game in the Wii slot.

The slower, more permanent way is to go back to WiiScrubber, right-click on the same img.ngc file and press Replace. Then burn the ISO to a DVD or transfer to your hard drive.

If you used Queen Bee to extract the images from a pak.ngc file:
Go back to Queen Bee
Right-click on the file you want to replace and press Replace File... (you will have to change the drop-down box to All Files *.*)
Close Queen Bee
Reinsert the pak into the ISO with WiiScrubber

Good luck,
Summersett

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

I'm going to use this post to put the locations of some popular images that can be edited. If you think a specific location should be mentioned let me know. A lot of the *.pak.ngc files are pretty self-explanatory and don't need to be mentioned, but if it's a popular one it might be easier to mention here where exactly to find it.

Loading screen to songs:
/images/LoadingScreens/
loading_skull_soldier_animation1.img.ngc
loading_skull_soldier_animation2.img.ngc
loading_skull_soldier_animation3.img.ngc
loading_skull_soldier_animation4.img.ngc
loading_skull_soldier_animation5.img.ngc
loading_skull_soldier_animation6.img.ngc

Album Covers:
/pak/album_covers/album_covers.pak.ngc

The guitars are in tex.zip.ngc files (/models/guitars/)... If you extract them and take off the ngc, you can extract all of the TIF files inside and edit them. However nothing changes in game... I'm guessing because of the .tex.ngc file, or one of the other 5 files (plus maybe the files in /pak/models/guitarists?).

**AerialX** · Joined: 26 Oct 2008 Posts: 178

Great guide!

I suppose I should've uploaded the decoder to a more permanent address, one with a less ugly name... Here: http://japaneatahand.com/files/misc/gh3imgdecoder.exe

Also, just a note: You can make the process slightly simpler if you use the decoder first to decode the image, then edit it from there. The decoder will spit out the image with the proper size, then you just need to edit it as you like, flip it, then use the IMG to TPL converter.
Basically, using the decoder saves you from looking up the width/height and gives you a base image to start with.
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**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

Good points. I edited the guide to use that link and go about it how you said; It's dumb to look at the hex editor to find the width/length when running it through your program will have it ready 10x faster and you can edit it straight away.

**t12icky0** · Joined: 21 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

Edit""" ok i got the TPl thing working but im not sure how to do the hex edit thing. im not sure how to find the ox40 offset thing?

i have a hex editor called just hexedit. it asks to find something like hex, Octall, ASCll.

should i search the hex part and look up 0x00000040? or what. thanks for your help in advance.

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

Sorry for the wait, I've been on vacation.

The first box is 0x20 and the second is 0x40. You can usually tell pretty easily because the data is in a different order at that address. (like at 0x20 in the picture)

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

ENABLE PRE-EXISTING ALBUM COVERS:

Apparently Neversoft put some of the album covers in the game but left them only to show the generic bonus song image.

Open qb.pak.ngc AND dbg.pak.ngc in Queen Bee
Open store_data.qb.ngc
Scroll down to the "Bonus_Songs_Info" SectionArray
Find the songs by the items listed below
Change the album_cover StructItemQbKey from "store_song_default" to what is listed below

item: bellyofashark
album_cover: TheGallowsOrchestraofWoles

item: mauvaisgarcon
album_cover: NaastAntichambre

item: minuscelsius
album_cover: BackyardBabiesStockholmSyndrome

item: prayeroftherefugee
album_cover: RiseAgainstTheSuffererAndTheWitness

item: radiosong
album_cover: SuperbusPopnGum

item: takethislife
album_cover: InFlamesComeClarity

Close Queen Bee
Replace qb.pak.ngc with WiiScrubber

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

ADD NEW ALBUM COVERS:

Want to get rid of the generic bonus song image on the remaining songs in the store? Add your own album art.

Extract album_covers.pak.ngc (root\pak\album_covers\) with WiiScrubber
Open album_covers.pak.ngc in Queen Bee
Extract any img with "Length" 8224 (these are the album covers)
Follow the guide in the first post to create a 128x128 image and remake it into an .img file
In Queen Bee, right-click and press "Add File..."
Path and filename: (EX) \images\menuScreens\store\albums\KillswitchEngageAsDaylightDies.img
Type: Image
Close Queen Bee

Open qb.pak.ngc in Queen Bee
Open store_data.qb.ngc
Scroll down to the "Bonus_Songs_Info" SectionArray
Find the song you want to add the album cover to and type the .img name (without the extension) for the "album_cover" (the same filename as you added to album_covers.pak.ngc)
Close Queen Bee

Replace qb.pak.ngc and album_covers.pak.ngc with WiiScrubber

**Dophin98** · Joined: 25 Jul 2010 Posts: 6

**Summersett** · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 311 Location: Michigan, USA

**Dophin98** · Joined: 25 Jul 2010 Posts: 6

what I did okay I took a video of what i did notice at the end the images is moved over 1 or 2 spaces to the right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQkoS629hdw

**legendkiller236** · Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 3

ok i got to as far as moving the PNG to the IMG to TPL converter.bat, once i move the PNG to the .bat it shows a black box for a split second then dissapears, and no TPL file comes up, is there anything im doing wrong?

**ComicBookGuru** · Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 1678

Huh. I'ma try and get either the Warriors of Rock or the GH2 note gems in the game.

I wonder if the new PC mod for a WoR highway can be applied to GH3?
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**alexchan** · Joined: 26 Jul 2008 Posts: 15

The app Convertidor de Summersett - IMG TPL don't work me, I drag the image but not create any archive... I need Help

You can make a video-tutorial??
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**gdeldago** · Joined: 18 Jan 2011 Posts: 2