Photoshop

Photoshop is the industry standard for serious texture work. To open the file types League uses, you'll need two plugins: one for .dds and one for .tex.

RitoTex|

Adds native .tex and .dds support to Photoshop. Formerly the Photoshop TEX Plugin.

RitoTex releases

View Photoshop Plans

---

DDS Plugin Options

There are three popular plugins for working with DDS files in Photoshop:

---

Intel Texture Works

A versatile DDS plugin that works regardless of your graphics card manufacturer.

Download

1. Visit the Intel Texture Works page
2. Click the download link at the top
3. On the redirect page, select the ZIP option

Installation

1. Close Photoshop completely

2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file

3. Locate the plugin file based on your system:

   • 64-bit: IntelTextureWorks_1.0.4/Plugins/x64/IntelTextureWorks.8bi
   • 32-bit: IntelTextureWorks_1.0.4/Plugins/Win32/IntelTextureWorks.8bi

4. Copy the .8bi file to your Photoshop plugins folder:

   C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [VERSION]\Required\Plug-Ins\File Formats

5. (Optional) For cubemap support, copy the scripts from PhotoshopScripts/ to:

   C:\Program Files\Adobe Photoshop [VERSION]\Presets\Scripts

Exporting DDS Files

1. Go to File > Save As
2. Select Intel Texture Works (*.DDS) as the file type
3. Choose your save location and filename
4. In the plugin dialog, configure:
   • Texture Type: Color + Alpha
   • Compression: BC3 8bpp (Linear)
   • Mip Maps: None
5. Save these as a preset for quick access
6. Click OK to export

---

NVIDIA Texture Tools

An advanced DDS plugin optimized for NVIDIA graphics cards.

Note: Requires an NVIDIA GPU and a free developer account.

Download

1. Go to the NVIDIA Texture Tools page
2. Scroll down and download the Photoshop extension
3. Create a developer account if prompted (free)

Installation

1. Close Photoshop
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts
3. The installer auto-detects your Photoshop installation
4. Reopen Photoshop when complete

Exporting DDS Files

1. Go to File > Save As (or Ctrl+Shift+S)
2. Select DDS - NVIDIA Texture Tools Exporter (*.DDS)
3. Configure the export settings:
   • Format: BC3 RGBA 8bpp | DXT5 (interpolated alpha)
   • Compression Quality: Highest
   • Leave other settings as default
4. Click Save

Tip: Always check your specific guide for recommended export settings, as some textures may require different compression formats.

Simple DDS Plugin

Exporting DDS Files with Simple DDS

1. Go to File > Save As
2. Select DDS (*.DDS) as the file type
3. Choose your save location and filename
4. In the dialog, set Format to DXT5
5. Click OK

Advantage: This plugin doesn't require confirmation dialogs, making it faster for batch exports.

---

Recommended Export Settings

For most League of Legends textures, use these settings:

---