[Tutorial] Ripping layers from Kawaks (CPS1/2, Neo Geo)

Kawaks is an emulator for Capcom Play System 1 and 2 and Neo Geo games. Here is a simple guide to ripping layers/backgrounds using the emulator's tools.

Let's say for example that you would like to rip the city middle distance layer from the Neo Geo game Last Resort.



First, set the background colour to anything other than pure black, which could cause transparency issues when you build your layer in FPG Edit. Go to Video->Set background color. I have chosen pink as it makes it easier to spot any problem pixels in your layers.



Now remove the foreground elements such as scores, energy bars etc. by going to Tools->Shot Factory and clicking on the 8x8 button under the Layers section on the right of the Shot Factory window.



Your screen should now look something like this:



You can disable individual layers or sprites by double clicking on any of the ticked boxes. The options are pretty self-explanatory. Once you have isolated the layer you wish to use, click Screenshot (Unfiltered), if you want the image in all it's pixelated glory. If the layer is particularly low-resolution, you can use a filtered screenshot (I prefer pixels ). Screenshots are saved to the Capture folder in your Kawaks directory.



As you can see, you can easily see which areas you need to make pure black for transparency as they are bright pink.

You can download Kawaks here: http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/arcade/kawaks.html