Tools and documentation are currently in beta testing.

Step 1: Select and prepare a fish profile photo

Create a new folder (someplace other than in your RWFF game folder) to work in. Copy the contents of the Fish Species Creation Kit zip file (fsck.zip) into the new folder. For all the steps you'll do, save your images and other files in this new folder.

First you'll need a clear, high-resolution photography of the fish species you want to add. Make sure to use a photo of your own, or a photo for which you own the rights to publish. The photo should show the fish in a straight profile, without any parts of the fish obscured. By going through your collection of fish photos you'll probably find that they usually show the fish curved, in a net, at an angle, partially obscured by the hands of the person holding them, by a net, etc. If you can't find the perfect profile shot, you may be able to retouch one or more fish photos to build your profile image. If you've got several photos of one fish you may be able to assemble a composite forming a straight and complete profile. The amount and type of editing you'll need to do will depend mostly on your original photo.

Here's a sample photo of a rock bass:

The image is sharp, the fish is straight and in profile. Unfortunately the thumb is in the way. By using a clone tool in Picture Publisher we can copy some of the body over the thumb. With a little careful blending we can complete the body of the fish:

Next we're going to close the fish's mouth, at least most of the way. We'll cut out the jaw, rotate it and paste it back on in a closed pose.

We'll copy the lower jaw and some background below it:

Now we'll mask the area where the lower jaw may be visible to avoid overlapping the upper jaw with it:

And we paste in the jaw:

And clean up the jutting edge on the bottom. The result isn't perfect, but keep in mind you won't see these fish up close and in great detail in the game.

Next we'll rotate the image to get the fish perfectly horizontal, cut out the background, and crop down to the edges of the fish. If your fish is facing to the right, mirror the image so the fish faces left. Here's our sample at this point:

We've got some issues with fingers showing through the fins, but we'll worry about fins later. For now, save a copy of this image for later editing.

Next - Step 2: Make skin.bmp - the body texture image