| Just out of curiosity, I downloaded and installed the Xan mod. I didn't have any trouble changing Xan's portrait (but I do have a bit more skill at that sort of thing than a beginner).
First of all, I investigated the installation directory just to see what was in it. It appears that the mod uses existing portraits and animations instead of adding any new ones. A quick look at Xan's .CRE files revealed that he uses the default portrait of Xan from BG1, which is stored inside a file called PORTRAITS.BIF located in the main /DATA directory. (The game automatically extracts the portrait when called upon to use it.) I did a quick Google search for an alternative Xan portrait and downloaded the first one I came across. (It's a nice one based on Jared Leto.) I renamed it to XANM.JPG and then used Microsoft Paint to convert it to a .BMP file called XANM.BMP just to make sure the .JPG format wouldn't cause any problems. Then I copied it to a new file called XANS.BMP and used Paint to shrink it to 35% of the original size. Then I put both files in the /PORTRAITS directory (not the /OVERRIDE directory) and started the game. I "teleported" to the Government District, found Xan, and added him to my party with CTRL-Q. (I'm not ready to meet him yet if I ever decide to play a game with him in my party, so I didn't want to see any of his dialogue.) His new portraits (large and small) appeared on my screen just like I wanted them to. I don't see why it wouldn't work in your game.
I hope this helps.  |