VTF files won't open in GIMP [SOLVED]

[Leamas]

I'm trying to edit .vtf files in GIMP, and installed the .vtf plugin (as well as VTFEdit). I've put the files in the .gimp-2.8 folder, and tried switching between the plugins and scripts folders. No matter what I do, GIMP still tells me that it can't read .vtf file. Why is this?

[Marco Skoll]

The first thing to start with is: Which version of GIMP are you trying to use?
If you're trying to use the 2.8 version, then that's out of date* - and if you're trying to use the 2.10 version, then you're trying to install in the wrong place.

* Seriously, the 2.10 version is really cool. It now supports the PFM format, allowing you to edit SFM exports in HDR (which means much higher quality colour correction).

[Pte Jack]

I place the file-vtf.exe and the VTFlib.dll in the following path.

C:\users\{username}\.gimp-2.8\plug-ins and my 2.8 (before update) and now 2.10 (after updating) opens and creates VTFs just fine.

The important thing is the naming conventions and location of the folders (don't forget the dots in naming that (dot)gimp-2(dot)8 folder

[Leamas]

I have the 2.10 version, but I can't find a .gimp-2.10 folder in the directory, only 2.8.

[Pte Jack]

And that is where I put mine
the C:\users\{username}\.gimp-2.8\plug-ins folder

[Leamas]

I've done the same, yet GIMP refuses to recognise .vtf files, even though .vtf files have a GIMP display icon now.

[Pte Jack]

have you tried changing the name of the .gimp-2.8 folder in the folder path to C:\users\{username}\.gimp-2.10\plug-ins

[Marco Skoll]

For the record, in my GIMP 2.10 installation, I have it in the C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins\ folder, rather than trying to install it in any folder in my user area.

[Pte Jack]

Originally posted by Marco Skoll:

For the record, in my GIMP 2.10 installation, I have it in the C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins\ folder, rather than trying to install it in any folder in my user area.

That works too....

[Leamas]

I've also tried moving VTFEdit and VTFlib to the plugins folder in GIMP 2, but I'm still having the same error.

[Leamas]

If I'm making some yuge error please let me know, I've never edited .vtfs before and I need to for a thing I'm working on.

[Pte Jack]

What you might do then is uninstall GIMP and reinstall it after a reboot...

[Leamas]

My average broadband speed is 0.3Mbps so anything to avoid reinstalling would've been best, but it's cool, I've solved the problem now. Instead of using VTFLib, I've found that I can edit .vtf files in a slightly lengthier way with VTFEdit. Thanks for all the advice though, it helped me troubleshoot a little.

[NinjoyXD]

For anyone searching this in the future, I found that you must rename the extracted folder with the exe in it to "file-vtf" for it to work properly. sorry for necropost

[Batman]

thank you NinjoyXD, for being there for us future folks.

[Broke_boy200]

We love you NinjoyXD