This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Tile Molester Graphics Ripping Guide v1.0
By FelixWright
Hello, and welcome to (what I believe is) the first Tile Molester Guide.
The main goal of this guide is to teach newbies how to use Tile Molester.
Let's get started.
1. What is Tile Molester?
Tile Molester is a cross-platform graphics viewer for video game files such as SMC's, NDS's, and GBA's. It was created in 2005 by SnowBro.
2. Using Tile Molester
Before we get into the nitty-gritty you should probably learn more about how to actually use this program. For graphics ripping purposes, here's what you will need to know:
________________________________________ + and - Keys | Shift pixels Left/Right| ________________________________________ Arrow keys | Shift columns U/D/L/R | ________________________________________ CTRL + G | Go To Offset | ________________________________________ CTRL + M | Mirror | ________________________________________ CTRL + I | Flip | ________________________________________ CTRL + C | Copy | ________________________________________ CTRL + X | Cut | ________________________________________ CTRL + V | Paste | ________________________________________ CTRL + A | Select All | ________________________________________ CTRL + Z | Undo | ________________________________________ CTRL + Y | Redo | ________________________________________ DEL | Clear Selection | ________________________________________
And now that you know all this stuff let's get into Graphics Ripping.
3. Finding your Graphics
If you're using Tile Molester you probably already know what you're looking for. If you do, use CTRL + G. A window will open for you to enter an offset. If you're using hexadecimal, replace 0x with 00. Otherwise, convert it to decimal, select the decimal option, paste it in and go.
I highly suggest setting the internal window to max size (the ROM window) and increasing gfx width to 32. Not only will this make finding the right graphics easier, but you'll be viewing the graphics in the same way nintendo drew/input them. Shift columns as needed until you get it just right with very little garbage. Shift pixels as needed.
4. Finding your Palette
Compared to finding the Graphics Data, finding Palette Data can be a little trickier. Generally palette data is near the graphics data. Use the arrow keys to shift columns until garbage you think is palette data is at the top left corner. Generally if it's nearby graphics data it will be either before or after the graphics data.
Convert that offset to decimal, select Palette → Import From → This File…, and paste it into the offset box and set size to 9999. The format should be 15bpp BGR (555), and the byte order should be Intel. Click OK, and the palette should have changed. If it's not the correct palette data, rinse and repeat until you find the correct one.
5. Editing the Graphics
So now, you have the correct graphics, and the correct palette. All you need to do is assemble the parts and extract them from the ROM. Use your mouse to select everything you want to extract and press CTRL + C Or select Edit → Copy. Drag the scrollbar down to the bottom of the ROM, and paste it. You've just pasted your graphics into what spriters call the Playground. This area should be completely empty. Use your mouse to select and drag tiles together into usable graphics for other stuff.
6. Extracting Graphics
When you're satisfied with your rip, move it all to the top-left corner, and reduce width and height until it is just your
graphics. Now it's ready to extract. Feel free to change the type of palette format by selecting Palette → Format → yourchoicehere.
Once you have that out of the way it's time you copied it out of the ROM. Select Edit → Copy To…, name your file, set its destination, and save the image. Well done, you have ripped your first set of graphics!
