Creating KAPs is easy they said....

[Daddy's Dream]

I've been attempting to create bsb/kap files of South America. Columbia charts are online in jpeg format.

Using MS Paint to save the jpeg image as a gif file. Easy.
Using mapcal to create a calibration file. Easy
Using mc2bsb to create the header.... Again Seemed easy.

Imagemagick started my nightmares without any luck.
When I enter....
convert 6000_003.jpg -colors 127 6000_003.gif
I get....
convert: unable to open image '6000_003.gif': permission denied @ error/blob.c/OpenBlob/2695

Note: I'm using Win 10 on a 2 yr old Asus gaming laptop with 4 gig ram, running AVG free antivirus. I'm guessing it has something to do with running under Win 10 and installing Imagemagick in the program files folder.


So, after a week of trying many other image editors I still haven't found a way to create a tiff file that works.

Using tiff2bsb most of the files I ended up with left me with:

I type in:
tif2bsb -c 127 6000_003.hdr 6000_003.tif 6000.kap

the response I get is:
No support for TIFF files with PHOTOMETRIC=2 (only images containing color maps supported).

QUESTION:
What is photometric=2??

Yesterday I found an app called imgkap and was able to create a kap file. However, it wouldn't open in seaclear or OCPN either one. I deleted all my results and decided to start all over.

First step is coming here to find out what I'm doing wrong.
IS there a "Creating Kaps for Dummies" thread?? (I feel like I'm taking a Physics class in college with a 1st grade education).

dacust, thank you for the great thread on creating kaps. To bad imagemagick wouldn't work.

[jamhass]

I know this goes against the free open source ethic, but

There is a very nice little program called Chart Aid that makes either photo or bsb charts from Google Earth and other imagery. It is fast and very simple. Free trial, cost about 100 to license. Worth every penny. Written by a cruiser

I have no association with the product just a satisfied user

[Daddy's Dream]

Originally Posted by jamhass

I know this goes against the free open source ethic, but

There is a very nice little program called Chart Aid that makes either photo or bsb charts from Google Earth and other imagery. It is fast and very simple. Free trial, cost about 100 to license. Worth every penny. Written by a cruiser

I have no association with the product just a satisfied user

Will it accept jpegs.
I'll take a look at it.

[conachair]

Tried ge2kap?

I've used it to create Kap files for opencpn of .png tidal chart images.

DownloadÂ*
GE2KAP Help

[Daddy's Dream]

I tried again using MS Paint to save the jpg as a gif and then the gif as a tif.
OCPN.

This is my result.

[IMG][/IMG]

[conachair]

Do you have a link to the Colombia jpg charts online? I could give it a go with the software I used.
There's some tiny bit of a memory about having to run one of the conversions as administrator otherwise it would fail, but maybe false memory...

[Daddy's Dream]

Here's that link.
This page has a lot of maps on it in different formats. Scroll down to Columbia. The first one under Columbia is the one I'm trying for. It includes Panama Bay

https://openseachart.org/doku.php/rnc

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Daddy's Dream

Here's that link.
This page has a lot of maps on it in different formats. Scroll down to Columbia. The first one under Columbia is the one I'm trying for. It includes Panama Bay

https://openseachart.org/doku.php/rnc

Ta, in a Portuguese bar right now so if I don't stay here all night I'll give it a go later

[Daddy's Dream]

Thank you.

[Daddy's Dream]

Finally good news.
I was able to create a working kap file using Imagecal. It works in OCPN, but won't load in Sea Clear. The problem I can't find a way to set the borders with Imagecal which creates an issue with stitching. Hopefully someone here can tell me what I'm missing.

[Franziska]

Google for a program called SASPlanet it makes the whole thing quite easy.

www.ladyrover.com

[phiggins]

What you are missing is GE2KAP. It'll make this a lot easier. The new version gives you step by step instructions:

http://gdayii.ca/Downloads/Test_GE2KAP.V23.0.1.21.exe

[conachair]

Originally Posted by phiggins

What you are missing is GE2KAP. It'll make this a lot easier. The new version gives you step by step instructions:

http://gdayii.ca/Downloads/Test_GE2KAP.V23.0.1.21.exe

+1

I just checked it works..
Don't think I can upload the file here though..

One vital step that's easy to miss, you need to set the number of colours to 64, I used a prog called xnview - XnView Software · Software for reading, organizing and processing images , then used tools|batch convert..

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Daddy's Dream

Finally good news.
I was able to create a working kap file using Imagecal. It works in OCPN, but won't load in Sea Clear. The problem I can't find a way to set the borders with Imagecal which creates an issue with stitching. Hopefully someone here can tell me what I'm missing.

If you go the ge2kap route then when creating the calibration in MapCal_2.exe in seaclear , you can set the border there.

[conachair]

so an overview of ge2kap..

Download here - http://gdayii.ca/Downloads/Test_GE2KAP.V23.0.1.21.exe
You also need seaclear here-
SeaClear GPS Navigation Software
And xnview--
XnView Software · Software for reading, organizing and processing images

1.Download a jpeg chart
2.Open with xnviewMP (press esc to get out of full screen so you can see the menu)
3.Save as (your filename of choice).png
4. In menu Tools|batch convert|actions set colours to 64 and click convert to save
5. Run seaclear program MapCal_2.exe, open up the file you just saved and name it, set projection to mercator
6.Right click to set 4 calibration points, adding lat and long for each one. Click the border tab and click add border to image. Click file|save calibration.
7.Run GE2KAP, set the chart location name to where you want to save the chart file and filename "*\(my chart name of choice).kap". Select the .png file you calibrated in the other overlay chart/... box. Select "create chart from overlay. Do not use google earth". Then click create chart and wait a while....Tadaa!

Point opencpn at it and there you go