USING....

Use the File menu to Load Images in Targa or Bmp format. The Main image
will be displayed in the main part of the window. If any Alpha channel is found
this will be displayed in the smaller thumbnail to the right of the window.

Edit the main image by either selecting "Send Main Image to Editor" from the
Image menu or just Double-click on the Image. This will send it to the currently
selected editing program (initial default MSPaint). Once finished editing Save (not
Save As) from the Editing program then use "Reload after Edit" from the Image
menu to import the edited version of the image.

Follow a similar process to edit the Alpha channel.

SAVING

Using Save from the File menu will let you save a new Targa version of the
Image (with Alpha if present).

EXPORTING

The Export menu gives options to save a Bmp version of the image.

ADDING ALPHA

Many images do not have an alpha channel. If, as part of the editing process,
you wish to add an alpha channel so that transparencies can be included then
you can use the buttonsunder the Alpha thumbnail to create the alpha channel.

"Create Alpha Channel" will create a blank (fully opaque) alpha channel which
you can then edit to add transparent areas.

"Create Alpha Template" will create an alpha channel as a greyscale copy of
the main image. This will make it easier to see exactly where you want to apply
the transparency. Once the transparent areas have been painted in black you
will need to paint over the non-transparent areas in white.

EDITING ALPHA

When you send the alpha channel to your paint program for editing you should
think of it as a transparency map that is applied to the actual pixels in the main
image. Each point on the alpha will correspond to the same point on the main
image and the grey level will decide how much transparency is applied to the
main image at that point. Black will give fully-transparent. White will give fully
opaque and any shade of grey inbetween will give a partial transparency based
on what level it is between White and Black.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Registering TgaTool with Windows
-----------------------------------------------------------

You may if you wish set it so that Windows will use TgaTool as the default
program for opening TGA Files. This can be done from the Prefs menu where
there are 2 options. One to Register TGA to TgaTool and the other to delete
the association.
This will remove any existing association for TGA so you may not wish to do this.

-----------------------------------------------------------
You can get this program here