Tool for converting pictures into NES format: pattern tables, nametables, attribute tables and palettes.

When developing applications and games for NES you have to perform a lot of routine. To display images you need to split each image into tiles, combine tiles into nametables, select colors so that they do not go beyond the limits of the NES, and then convert all this into a format understandable for NES. This tool at least partially helps to automate this process.

This application can accept multiple images as input, the main point is to use single set of palettes (and tiles if required) for all of them, so it's possible to switch CHR banks and base nametable on a certain line, in the middle of rendering process. You can't change palettes while image renders, so palette set must be the same for all images.

Of course, the ideal result will be achieved only in the case of properly prepared images that do not go beyond the limitations of NES. But it's possible to do lossy conversion too.

Check Examples directory for examples.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

• Load available NES colors from JSON or PAL file and their indices.

• Load images, crop/split them if need

• Change every pixel of each image, so it's matches most similar color from available NES colors

• Calculate desired number of palettes to fit every image or at least trying to do it

• Generate attribute table for each image, assign palette index for each tiles set

• Change colors of every tile to match assigned palette index (if need)

• Create set of tiles, trying to fit them into 256, grouping same tiles into one

• Save pattern table and nametable of each image to file, so it's easy to include them to NES ROM and show the image (NES has non-square pixels, so image is stretched)

Usage: nestiler.exe <options>

Available options:
-i<#> --in-<#> <filename>[:offset[:height]]     input filename number #, optionally cropped vertically
-c    --colors <filename>                       JSON or PAL file with the list of available colors
                                                (default - nestiler-colors.json)
-m    --mode bg|sprites8x8|sprites8x16          mode: backgrounds, 8x8 sprites or 8x16 sprites (default - bg)
-b    --bg-color <color>                        background color in HTML color format (default - auto)
-e    --enable-palettes <palettes>              zero-based comma separated list of palette numbers to use
                                                (default - 0,1,2,3)
-p<#> --palette-<#> <colors>                    comma separated list of colors to use in palette number #
                                                (default - auto)
-o<#> --pattern-offset-<#> <tile_index>         first tile index for pattern table for file number # (default - 0)
-y<#> --attribute-table-y-offset-<#> <pixels>   vertical offset for attribute table in pixels (default - 0)
-s    --share-pattern-table                     share pattern table between input images
-r<#> --no-group-tiles-<#>                      do not group similar tiles in pattern table
-l    --lossy <level>                           lossy level: 0-3, defines how many color distortion is allowed
                                                without throwing an error (default - 2)
-v<#> --out-preview-<#> <filename.png>          output filename for preview of image number #
-t<#> --out-palette-<#> <filename>              output filename for palette number #
-n<#> --out-pattern-table-<#> <filename>        output filename for pattern table of image number #
-a<#> --out-name-table-<#> <filename>           output filename for nametable of image number #
-u<#> --out-attribute-table-<#> <filename>      output filename for attribute table of image number #
-z    --out-tiles-csv <filename.csv>            output filename for tiles info in CSV format
-x    --out-palettes-csv <filename.csv>         output filename for palettes info in CSV format
-g    --out-colors-table <filename.png>         output filename for graphical table of available colors
                                                (from "--colors" option)
-q    --quiet                                   suppress console output

Option to specify input images filenames. You need to replace # with image index (any number), so you can specify multiple images. Index will be used to identify output filenames.

Examples:

• nestiler -i0 image1.png -i1 image2.png -i2 image3.png ...
• nestiler --in-0 image1.png --in-1 image2.png --in-2 image3.png ...

Also, you can load image partially - split them horizontally, just add offset and height after colon. So if you need to split 256x240 image into two images:

• nestiler -i0 image.png:0:128 -i1 image.png:128:112

It's useful if you need to show single image on screen but you want to split it into two 256-tiles pattern tables and switch them on specific line in the middle of rendering process.

Option to specify file with available colors and indices. This file can be in JSON format (see nestiler-colors.json) or binary PAL format (used by emulators).

Examples:

• nestiler -c nestiler-colors.json ...
• nestiler --colors nestiler-colors.json ...

Please note that some colors have caveats surrounding their usage on NES. 0x0D ("blacker than black") is forbidden and will be ignored. Also be aware that 0x1D (black) is affected by emphasis bits when other black colors 0xXE-0xXF are not.

Option to specify processing mode: backgrounds, 8x8 sprites or 8x16 sprites. Default is backgrounds mode.

Examples:

• nestiler -m bg ...
• nestiler --mode sprites8x8 ...

Background color in HTML format. Optional for background mode (will be set automatically) and required for sprite modes.

Examples:

• nestiler -b #C4C4C4 ...
• nestiler --bg-color #000000 ...

List of palette numbers (4-color combinations) to use, zero-based, comma separated: from 0 to 3. Useful when you need to fit image into limited amount of palettes (when lossy level = 3) or get error if you can't fit in them (when lossy level < 2, see below). Default value is all - 0,1,2,3.

Examples:

• nestiler -e 0,1,2,3 ...
• nestiler --enable-palettes 0,1 ...

Comma separated list of colors to use in palette number # (0-3). Using this option you can manually specify palettes to use (three color sets), HTML format, comma separated. Three colors instead of four because background color shared between all palettes. Useful if you need fixed palette for other purposes, it can be shared with your image.

Examples:

• nestiler -p0 #747474,#A40000,#004400 -p2 #8000F0,#D82800,#FCFCFC ...
• nestiler --palette-0 #5C94FC,#FC7460,#FC9838 --palette-1 #80D010,#58F898,#787878 ...

Please note that index here is palette number, not input file number.

Using this option you can set first tile index to use with image number #. Useful if you need to reserve some space in the begining of pattern table. Default valus is 0.

Examples:

• nestiler -o1 32 ...
• nestiler --pattern-offset-5 100 ...

# number is ignored when the "--share-pattern-table" option is used (see below), you can write just "--pattern-offset".

One attribute table byte stores four palette indices for 16 tiles (4x4 square). It can cause problems if your image should be displayed on lines whose numbers are not divisible by 32. Using this option you can set vertical image offset for image number # - amount of pixels divisible by 8. Default value is 0. Please note that you need to care about unused bits manually.

Examples:

• nestiler -y1 32 ...
• nestiler --attribute-table-y-offset-0 16 ...

Use this option if you need to share single pattern table between all input images. Useful if you need to scroll screen horizontally.

Examples:

• nestiler -s ...
• nestiler --share-pattern-table ...

By default, NesTiles groups the same tiles into one. You can use this option to disable this behavior. It's useful, especially when you need to keep the order of tiles. This is particularly important for tiles with characters such as letters or digits, for example.

Examples:

• nestiler -r1 ...
• nestiler --no-group-tiles-0 ...

Lossy level: 0-3, defines how many color distortion is allowed without throwing an error.

• 0 - throw error even if any pixel of any input image is not from NES colors (from file specified by --colors option)
• 1 - ignore errors from level 0 by replacing every pixel color with most similar NES color, but throw error if any input image contains tile with more than four colors
• 2 - ignore errors from levels 0 and 1 by replacing unwanted colors with most similar available, but throw error if there are more than 4 (or less if --enable-palettes option is used)
• 3 - ignore all color ploblems by replacing unwanted colors with most similar available

Default value is 2.

Examples:

• nestiler -l 0 ...
• nestiler --lossy 3 ...

Option to save preview for input image number #. Stored as PNG file. Useful if you need to preview result without compiling ROM. Preview is not saved if option is not specified.

Examples:

• nestiler -v0 preview.png -v1 preview2.png ...
• nestiler --out-preview-1 image.png --out-preview-2 image2.png ...

Option to save generated palette number #. Just four bytes with color indices. Not saved if option is not specified.

Examples:

• nestiler -t0 palette0.bin -t0 palette2.bin ...
• nestiler --out-palette-1 palette1.bin --out-palette-2 palette2.bin ...

Please note that index here is palette number, not input file number.

Option to save generated pattern table for image number #. 16 bytes per tile, 960 bytes per full screen image. Not saved if option is not specified.

# number is ignored when the "--share-pattern-table" option is used (see below), you can write just "--out-pattern-table".

Examples:

• nestiler -n0 pattern0.bin -n1 pattern1.bin ...
• nestiler --out-pattern-table-2 out.bin --out-pattern-table-3 out2.bin ...

Option to save generated nametable for image number #. 16 bytes per tile, 960 bytes per full screen image. Not saved if option is not specified.

Examples:

• nestiler -a2 nt2.bin -a3 nt3.bin ...
• nestiler --out-name-table-1 nametable.bin --out-name-table-2 nametable2.bin ...

Option to save generated attribute table for image number #. 1 byte per 16 tiles. 64 bytes per full screen image. Not saved if option is not specified. Can't be used in sprite modes.

Examples:

• nestiler -u0 attr_a.bin -u1 attr_b.bin ...
• nestiler --out-attribute-table-1 attrtable1.bin --out-attribute-table-2 attrtable2.bin ...

Option to save CSV file with tiles information for all input images: indices, used palettes, etc. Not saved if option is not specified.

Examples:

• nestiler -z tiles.csv ...
• nestiler --out-tiles-csv tiles.csv ...

Option to save CSV file with palettes data: indices and colors.

Examples:

• nestiler -x palettes.csv ...
• nestiler --out-palettes-csv palettes.csv ...

Option to generate PNG file with table of available NES colors (from --colors option). Useful for reference when drawing. This option can be used without any input images.

Examples:

• nestiler -g colors.png
• nestiler --out-colors-table colors.png

Just option to suppress console output.

Examples:

• nestiler -q
• nestiler -quiet ...

You can always download latest version at https://github.com/ClusterM/NesTiler/releases.

Also, you can download automatic interim builds: http://clusterm.github.io/NesTiler/.

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