Common-Overlays Repo

We now have a git repo specifically for overlays: http://github.com/libretro/common-overlays This means we can be a little more inclusive with user-submitted overlays without unnecessarily bloating the main codebase.

If anyone wants to submit an overlay (including borders and effects, like scanlines), they can now send a pull request to have it merged into the repo. This should also make it easier for people to modify and extend the existing overlays and make their changes available for others.

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Oh, it’s very cool idea to make one place for all overlays. Thanks.

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Hey, can’t add repo for overlays for some reason. Any suggestions?

Edit* error says repository not found

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What do you mean? you have to do git clone https://github.com/libretro/common-overlays.git to access the overlays

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Sorry… New to this. I assumed it meant like a Cydiq repo to add with overlays in in. What is a git clone??

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This is a repository for developers mostly, git ss a version control system (end-users can use it but you need to know git and where to put stuff afterwards, etc)

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@Jkerr86 No worries. If you go to: https://github.com/libretro/common-overlays (same as above, but minus the ‘.git’ part), you can click on the button in the right-hand margin of the page to download the whole repo as a zip file. Decompress it and you’ll have a copy of the entire repo on your local machine.

Hi guys, I’ve tried posting this question on the Retroarch Wii thread but no response so far :frowning: I use the “aspect ratio determined by core” option and i was wondering if I could use an overlay for the cores? I’d like to use the attached overlay for SNES/Genesis etc for example. How does it work? And also, I would like to keep the FULL frame (4:3) on screen without the overlay blocking the image. Could somebody explain to me how to do those things (the overlays) and I can take it from there. I’d like to create my own custom themes for each system but I need to know the basics and how to NOT block the display (don’t want the gameboy screen tiny in the middle for example.) Thanks.

If you have core-specific configs enabled, you can setup the overlay to work with just those cores. That particular overlay is designed for integer scaling, so the viewport isn’t 4:3, IIRC, but you should still be able to use it decently if you just increase the overlay scale to where it lines up with the sides of the game image.

By default, RetroArch should scale up the image to fill the screen unless you have integer or a specific fullscreen size setup in the options. Once that’s how you like it, just go into the overlay settings, navigate to the tv-integer.cfg and then increase the scale until it lines up.

[QUOTE=hunterk;18159]If you have core-specific configs enabled, you can setup the overlay to work with just those cores. That particular overlay is designed for integer scaling, so the viewport isn’t 4:3, IIRC, but you should still be able to use it decently if you just increase the overlay scale to where it lines up with the sides of the game image.

By default, RetroArch should scale up the image to fill the screen unless you have integer or a specific fullscreen size setup in the options. Once that’s how you like it, just go into the overlay settings, navigate to the tv-integer.cfg and then increase the scale until it lines up.[/QUOTE]

Hi, thanks for replying. Could you explain it to me like I’m a 3 year old child? :slight_smile: Perhaps this would be easier to do: http://youtu.be/hZ506Xj5Ao0 Is it possible? How can I do that? I’ve read the wiki and everything but there’s nothing specific regarding dimensions and even where to put the overlay files. BTW, I’m using the Wii Version. I don’t know if that makes any difference… Thanks again.

Since you’re on Wii, I assume you’re running at 480p, so you would make your overlay image with dimensions of 720x480. If you’re using 4:3 aspect ratio (I think that’s the core-specified aspect for NES, SNES and Genesis), you would leave a transparent box 640x480 in the middle and put logos or whatever in the remaining 40 pixels on either side.

You can put the files anywhere you have access to, presumably on your SD card in the RetroArch directory. The cfg files are very simple for borders (like 2 lines) and you can just copy any of the existing borders’ cfg file and just change the file reference therein to match your overlay image.

[QUOTE=hunterk;18174]Since you’re on Wii, I assume you’re running at 480p, so you would make your overlay image with dimensions of 720x480. If you’re using 4:3 aspect ratio (I think that’s the core-specified aspect for NES, SNES and Genesis), you would leave a transparent box 640x480 in the middle and put logos or whatever in the remaining 40 pixels on either side.

You can put the files anywhere you have access to, presumably on your SD card in the RetroArch directory. The cfg files are very simple for borders (like 2 lines) and you can just copy any of the existing borders’ cfg file and just change the file reference therein to match your overlay image.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Well, actually I’m running it on vWii (Virtual Wii on WiiU) And I ASSUME it’s running in 480p upscaled to 1080p on the WiiU itself. I THINK Wii’s widescreen resolution is more like 854x480… Do I still have to make the overlay 720x480? And one last question: What about Gameboy, gameboy advance and Game Gear? Do you happen to know their resolutions? Thanks for all the help.

UPDATE: Overlays are not working apparently on the latest version of RA on Wii. Just to be sure it wasn’t MY overlay that wasn’t working I tried the ones that come by default with RA and none of them worked… Is it a bug or something? The screen just displayed a garbled mess when trying to apply one.

[QUOTE=hunterk;18174]Since you’re on Wii, I assume you’re running at 480p, so you would make your overlay image with dimensions of 720x480. If you’re using 4:3 aspect ratio (I think that’s the core-specified aspect for NES, SNES and Genesis), you would leave a transparent box 640x480 in the middle and put logos or whatever in the remaining 40 pixels on either side.

You can put the files anywhere you have access to, presumably on your SD card in the RetroArch directory. The cfg files are very simple for borders (like 2 lines) and you can just copy any of the existing borders’ cfg file and just change the file reference therein to match your overlay image.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Well, actually I’m running it on vWii (Virtual Wii on WiiU) And I ASSUME it’s running in 480p upscaled to 1080p on the WiiU itself. I THINK Wii’s widescreen resolution is more like 854x480… Do I still have to make the overlay 720x480? And one last question: What about Gameboy, gameboy advance and Game Gear? Do you happen to know their resolutions? Thanks for all the help.

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Wii version of RA doesn’t support full screen overlays and only uses 640 active pixels, the 720x480 overlay would just be scaled to (and distorted) the game’s current viewport instead of the console’s res.

That makes sense. Would you happen to know if they’re working on “fixing” it ?(cause I’m guessing it has to do more with a bug than with a planned feature) I was testing some overlays I made on the PC version of RA and they were almost TOO easy to get them to work. Basically you make the overlay (with the correct AR etc) and adjust it in-game. That would be much simpler than the procedure you describe on your other reply. Thanks.

[QUOTE=sideskroll;18193]That makes sense. Would you happen to know if they’re working on “fixing” it ?(cause I’m guessing it has to do more with a bug than with a planned feature)[/QUOTE]

No idea but the devs are aware of it is all I know.

Hello, I made some scanline and aperture grill overlays for 720p and 1080p displays, but I can’t figure out how to add them to the repository. I’m not familiar with how github works; can someone help me out?

You need to have commit rights to the repo to add things to it. I meant to check on those that you uploaded awhile back but haven’t had a chance. If they work here, too, I’ll replace the old scanlines with them, since those aren’t working for me anymore, either.

I just create custom nes overlay in photoshop for 16x10 resolution on my 1680x1050 pc monitor. When in game set aspect ratio index to 4x3 turn on integer scale, apply shaders i recommend easy crt shader and overlay scale to 0.93 or 1.00 i prefer overlay scale 1.00 ,opacity 1.00. Here is link http://screenshot.net/kn7gvcz. Rename the uploaded PNG image from screenshot.net to nes.png and here is nes cfg nes (2).zip (171 Bytes) Put nes.png and nes.cfg in retroarch overlays borders folder.

Here is another overlay for 1680x1050 for snes, settings same as above, aspect ratio 4x3 integer scale on opacity 1.00 overlay scale 1.00 http://screenshot.net/ov72wc2 and here is snes cfg snes.zip (174 Bytes)