More on PSP Image Sequencing
If you are reading this, you will probably want to read a newer post on the same topic here.
Here are some things we've learned recently by talking to folks at Sony (thanks, guys!) and through a fair bit of experimentation. This is probably only of interest to you if you are creating re-mixed or translated versions of NYC2123, or if you are creating your own sequence-based content for the PSP.
1. As you probably already know, the PSP organizes images by create date from earliest to most recent. Which means if you are creating sequential content (like comics) you need to save the images in the order they are to be viewed (save 01.jpg, first, then 02.jpg, 03.jpg, etc.).
2. Unfortunately, some unzippers (certain versions of Windows' built in archive tool for example) will give the files new create/modified dates when uncompressing the files (this is ridiculously stupid, but true). So if the files are zipped using WinZip, and unzipped using Windows, you might have problems. Here's why: When WinZip and other archiving tools add files to an archive, they order the files internally in way that is not necessarily human-friendly. In other words, WinZip does not order the files in the archive according to filename or create/modified date. However, this doesn't matter in most cases -- a file zipped with WinZip and unzipped with WinZip will preserve the create date and write out the unzipped files with their original create dates, which will allow you to view them in the proper sequence on your PSP assuming you followed Step 1.
3. But... when Windows uncompresses the Zip file, it pulls the image files out in the order in which they are stored in the archive. And because Windows (at least in some versions of XP) will give the files new create/modified dates to files as it's pulling them out of the archive, you'll end up with files that don't have your original create dates. The files will have create dates that match the order in which they were stored in the Zip archive, which as I mentioned above is is not by name or date created/modified if you are using WinZip, WinRAR or others to create the archive. This means that those files won't be in the proper sequence when transferred to your PSP.
4. So, to avoid tools like Windows reorganizing the images we recommend using the built in Windows archive tool to create the Zip file. If you use Windows to create the Zip file the JPG files will remain in the correct order when uncompressed with the Windows archive tool, WinZip or any other unzipper that we've tested.
5. However... there is a very specific way in which you need to use the Windows archive tool in order to achieve the desired effect. First, view the files in Windows Explorer. Next, select all the files you want to Zip and then, from the File menu choose "Send To> Compressed (zipped) Folder." If you simply select a bunch of images and the right click on them to Zip them up, Windows will sometimes order them with whatever specific image you happened to have right clicked on first. If you do all of this right, then an archive uncompressed with Windows will pull the files out of the archive in the correct order, so even if it modifies the create date, it will do so in the proper sequence. And since WinZip and other tools will extract the files and preserve the original create date, you'll have no problems there as well. In short: Don't use the right-click context menu to Zip your files in Windows -- do it from the "File" menu.
So the overall summary is that you should save the JPG files out in sequential order and then use Windows archive tool From the File menu in Windows Explorer to create the Zip file. This is basically a huge work-around for the fact that some versions of the Windows unzip utility modify the create dates of files as it unzips them. (Thanks, Bill!)
Obviously, this advice is useless to you if you don't have access the Windows XP compression utility, but it's the only bulletproof method we've found. We haven't had time to figure this out for Mac or other platforms, and there are undoubtedly scenarios even on Windows that we are overlooking.
In the end, you're going to want to thoroughly test the decompression of your Zip archive using a number of different unzip tools to make sure that whatever your readers are using will do the right thing when it comes to sequencing the images for viewing on the PSP. This should be vastly more simple, but it isn't.
Any insight, advice, corrections or additional information on this topic is welcomed.
Here are some things we've learned recently by talking to folks at Sony (thanks, guys!) and through a fair bit of experimentation. This is probably only of interest to you if you are creating re-mixed or translated versions of NYC2123, or if you are creating your own sequence-based content for the PSP.
1. As you probably already know, the PSP organizes images by create date from earliest to most recent. Which means if you are creating sequential content (like comics) you need to save the images in the order they are to be viewed (save 01.jpg, first, then 02.jpg, 03.jpg, etc.).
2. Unfortunately, some unzippers (certain versions of Windows' built in archive tool for example) will give the files new create/modified dates when uncompressing the files (this is ridiculously stupid, but true). So if the files are zipped using WinZip, and unzipped using Windows, you might have problems. Here's why: When WinZip and other archiving tools add files to an archive, they order the files internally in way that is not necessarily human-friendly. In other words, WinZip does not order the files in the archive according to filename or create/modified date. However, this doesn't matter in most cases -- a file zipped with WinZip and unzipped with WinZip will preserve the create date and write out the unzipped files with their original create dates, which will allow you to view them in the proper sequence on your PSP assuming you followed Step 1.
3. But... when Windows uncompresses the Zip file, it pulls the image files out in the order in which they are stored in the archive. And because Windows (at least in some versions of XP) will give the files new create/modified dates to files as it's pulling them out of the archive, you'll end up with files that don't have your original create dates. The files will have create dates that match the order in which they were stored in the Zip archive, which as I mentioned above is is not by name or date created/modified if you are using WinZip, WinRAR or others to create the archive. This means that those files won't be in the proper sequence when transferred to your PSP.
4. So, to avoid tools like Windows reorganizing the images we recommend using the built in Windows archive tool to create the Zip file. If you use Windows to create the Zip file the JPG files will remain in the correct order when uncompressed with the Windows archive tool, WinZip or any other unzipper that we've tested.
5. However... there is a very specific way in which you need to use the Windows archive tool in order to achieve the desired effect. First, view the files in Windows Explorer. Next, select all the files you want to Zip and then, from the File menu choose "Send To> Compressed (zipped) Folder." If you simply select a bunch of images and the right click on them to Zip them up, Windows will sometimes order them with whatever specific image you happened to have right clicked on first. If you do all of this right, then an archive uncompressed with Windows will pull the files out of the archive in the correct order, so even if it modifies the create date, it will do so in the proper sequence. And since WinZip and other tools will extract the files and preserve the original create date, you'll have no problems there as well. In short: Don't use the right-click context menu to Zip your files in Windows -- do it from the "File" menu.
So the overall summary is that you should save the JPG files out in sequential order and then use Windows archive tool From the File menu in Windows Explorer to create the Zip file. This is basically a huge work-around for the fact that some versions of the Windows unzip utility modify the create dates of files as it unzips them. (Thanks, Bill!)
Obviously, this advice is useless to you if you don't have access the Windows XP compression utility, but it's the only bulletproof method we've found. We haven't had time to figure this out for Mac or other platforms, and there are undoubtedly scenarios even on Windows that we are overlooking.
In the end, you're going to want to thoroughly test the decompression of your Zip archive using a number of different unzip tools to make sure that whatever your readers are using will do the right thing when it comes to sequencing the images for viewing on the PSP. This should be vastly more simple, but it isn't.
Any insight, advice, corrections or additional information on this topic is welcomed.
3 Comments:
How very interesting... and frightening at the same time. I haven't ever given this any thought before. How did you guys come across this dilemma. As a fellow PSP content creator, it's good to share this kind of information. Mind if I share this in my own work-blog? (http://zipper-manga.blogspot.com)
For those interested... disabling Windows XP's built-in support for ZIP files
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-202
its just as bad if you use a Mac. I couldnt find any other work arounds either.
I found it out only after I had finished my complete 20 pages and found two were transposed in order. It took me an hour to solve it and it was so frustrating that the naming convention was NOT going to work without chronological also.
you can see the result here
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