The Picture Standard

The Picture Standard for BGEE 1 & 2

This mod provides you with higher resolution pics for NPCS and for followers (BG1&2) including (!) for some mods like BG1NPC, Rogue Rebalancing, The White Queen, Tales of the Deep Gardens, Inner Shade, and others. These pics are true to the content. Because some pictures aren't true to lore (I'm looking at you mods) I address this problem with "The Picture - Alternative" which replaces some of the immersion breaking pics and add to overall coherence. In other words: The alternative pack is highly recommended. This mod is or should be the picture standard for BGEE. If you find  something better, then by all means: use that. But don't fall below this standard.

Pics optimized: 500+! Note: ALL companions, BGEE1, SoD, and BGEE2 are downloadable via TPS - Followers. Note to other modders: If you're planning a story with pics, please consider these points:

• []a) Use the right file sizes (see below) []b) Use new pics for characters that haven't been used.
• c) Use same pics for characters that have been used.

Using same pics insures continuity, using new pics for new characters also helps avoid breaking game immersion. If you use pics that are already designated it can ruin the fun of your mod. So what is the point in releasing it in the first place? So for both b) and c) refer to The Picture Standard and see where you stand

So what's the problem?

We start here with a misconception: the ol' BG had three files (L, M, S,). Accordingly you also need to provide three file sizes for BGEE.

WRONG. BGEE can scale any picture size down or up.

Let's say you're playing BGEE on a 1080p monitor like me, you'll realize your eyes start to bleed whenever a npc portrait pops up. That's because BGEE upscales the smallest files to fit the screen resolution, instead  of downscaling larger files. This results into blurry portraits, which can cause, by merely looking at them, permanent eyesight reduction.

What to do?

Not to play BGEE is out of the question. Warriors and barbarians will not mind damaging their eyes, as long as treasure huntin' and fun is to be had. But we're not all warriors. Some are already half-blind like me, and worry that further exposure will lead to the need of a blindman's stick and worst of all, not being able to play games anymore.

So I've taken up the liberty in providing you with higher resolution npc pics and the standard follower pics. Please note that although I did find almost all pictures, some evaded me and therefore I was forced to use an upscalling method in photoshop (including some tweaks). The outcome is better than the original, but not as optimal as I would want  it (which would mean that they had to be perfect...). Check out the difference in the screenshots.

Content

Vanilla: All pics of BGEE & BG2EE have been optimized! Pics of many popular mods have also been optimized! Alternative: Lore-breaking/not character adequate pics have been replaced by new pics majorly improving coherence = BETTER GAMING EXPERIENCE. Since this also is a preference issue (I mean, I'm the one choosing new pics...) some might find the Vanilla actually better for many reasons. But those reasons can't be because of coherence. If you still want to switch back after installing the alternative, just install Vanilla over it again (and then the followers or whatever...). Followers: All vanilla followers lookin nice and crisp. Uto Followers A & B: Some pics are the original ones (like Sky or Dynaheir), some changes are the same in both (like Coran and Kivan), and then there are differences between the two (like Alora and Mazzy). Just look into the folders and see for yourself, switch around or kick em. It's your game after all.

Installation

1. Make a backup of portraits in the override folder. 2. Install The Picture Standard - Vanilla by dropping the pictures from the 'Override'-folder into your 'override'-folder (wherever you installed the game). 3. I recommend installing the TPS - Follower folder also, since you probably don't have seperate pics for all others. Over this you can then install - if you want to - your own party pics. This step makes su