Pixelation
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Helm on September 26, 2006, 07:15:37 am
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Actual expertise, not by a person who is into the editing scene. Just the actual technical knowledge of what constitutes a sprite, where the term comes from. Also I strongly contest for one
Although mixing can be rather simple and easy, it requires more experience, skill, and constructive criticism to master. Since not all sprites are similar, somewhat complex principles are involved, such as proportions, light source (shade), and flow (how well the sprite blends or flows).
Editing is probably the most general term in spriting styles, and the most common. Editing is, quite simply, the art of changing a sprite somehow.
The validity of both of these statements. The relative skill involved in editing a sprite, even editing it good is somewhere under the earth of what it takes to actually sprite. Which is what this is supposed to be about, right? Also 'the art of editing' (sic).
Then it goes on about 'custom spriting'. That should be the default usage of the term, as far as I can tell. Editing and its' lowly subforms should be a minor footnote, no?
As such, so-called "pixel-art comics" use, in reality, the same rules as sprite comics. Despite this, such a title is still a useful term as it tends to distinguish between those comics that are based on video games and those comics that merely use sprites (or pixel art) to tell an original tale.
Is this 'clarification' the result of the Squidi fallout?
For example, a difference can be found in the shading of the sprite. Although it is not as widely used as most outline effects, a method known as overshading may be used to smoothen the shading of a sprite and even make it look more three-dimensional. Overshading consists in increasing the number of shades used on a sprite (usually double the original), such as by mixing two existing shades of a color to create the center shade or by manually creating extreme light and dark shades. Overshading usually goes hand-in-hand with shaded all-color outlines (no black), and it requires good shading skills to be effective. A badly done overshade may cause the sprite to look flat or even pressed down. You can also dither to smooth out a sprite. This is mixing two shades in a checkerboard pattern. This is used more in bigger sprites.
Dispite the awful writing of all this, it's also a crock of shit? How can you turn a bad thing (blanket-shading) into a good thing? You give it a different new fancy name. Awful.
There are also some other minor yet still well-known styles of spriting. These, however, are currently not very popular. In addition, as mentioned above, spriters are constantly creating their own styles, and therefore a complete list is virtually impossible to compile.
Yes, so let's just write a huge paragraph about blanket-shading and leave it at that.
Once all the sprites have been pasted and organized on the sheet, tags, messages or titles may be added to make the sprite sheet look good and pose restrictions on its usage
oh god, why is ripper-subculture etiquette in a wiki article about spriting?
I call for massive wikiediting.
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I second that!
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Is this 'clarification' the result of the Squidi fallout?
I'd say so yes.
Anyway, I agree. Use the discussion feature first, or else stuff like this usually results in edit-wars (and they'll beat us with experience there *flourish*). I don't see myself in a position to contribute much, but I'd love to see some of the people with a professional background or that at least are actually field-tested do that.
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ugh yes. and maybe even some correct grammar & tone (grammatical not graphical) while we are at it?
Hmm it seems to have infected the main sprite article too
Sprite culture
Main article: Spriting
More recently, sprites are edited or created by fans in a process called "spriting". "Spriters" mostly use them to become sprite comic artists, for the purpose of creating a video game-themed comic. It has been continued by Macromedia Flash animators who create sprite cartoons. In these communities, spriting has been made into small sections; recoloring, edits, customs, etc. Sprites can be alternated by using techniques such as the ones above. By doing this, Spriters can create their very own "Sprite character" to use in "Sprite sheets" to show that the sheet was made by that spriter but the spriter must put a "sprite tag" on the sheet saying something like "Please do not steal" or "give credit" or "If you wish to put this on your site, do not remove this tag",etc. Sprites can be edited from any game where sprites are available. Making pictures with sprites is called a "Hoax" which is the sprites in a group or doing certain actions but a "Hoax" is not a true image from a game.
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Hmm it seems to have infected the main sprite article too
That could be easily fixed by changing the subheading to 'Sprite editing culture'.
Should there be a section on real 'Sprite culture'? Or would that be something more appropriate to the 'pixel art' article?
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I am actually appalled at this. One because its a load of shit and secondly, why should there be a wiki for something so pathetic, illegal (normally), people with no artistic talent, and its just ridiculous.
I would gladly help re-write it.
Perhaps we could write our own chunks here on the forum and upload as a big piece?
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Wow - I also would be happy to help with some rewrite, especially for basic principles. Feel free to cannibalize stuff from this old tutorial of mine:
http://www.lastchancemedia.com/tutorials/4bit.html
(There are some inaccuracies in that article still, but I've gotten very positive feedback from beginners about the section on palettes/palette swapping, so maybe that could be of use?)
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Once all the sprites have been pasted and organized on the sheet, tags, messages or titles may be added to make the sprite sheet look good and pose restrictions on its usage
wtf? dunno if i should laugh or cry.
:y: good initiative helm
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I'm shocked really. This has sprite rippers all over it. EWW. It's gross, unprofessional, not well written and an insult to all us real pixel pushers...
Also, I never understood the little "don't use this" copyright tags. You can't just invent your own copyright laws like that. Unless you actually trade mark a design, it's not yours and very hard to hold on to...
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The stuff about Sprite Sheet is just all ripping and wrong.. :-\
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Power to the pixelartists! :yay:
I'm fully behind getting some proper information onto the page. Possibly also pointing out how pitiful rippers are (although that's possibly not something to be put on the wiki)... heheh. There'll have to be some images put on aswel, to show the uneducated what we're on about. :y:
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I hope someone picks this up.
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If you look now, two templates have been added at the top : needs re-write, needs expert attention. Check out the discussion page, apparently it's being discussed there if you want to chip in.
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If you look now, two templates have been added at the top : needs re-write, needs expert attention. Check out the discussion page, apparently it's being discussed there if you want to chip in.
Those templates weren't showing up. I think I fixed them; anyway they're showing up now.
I'm working on this (on a local copy, since it needs so much rewriting).
Also see my comments in the talk section -- particularly I'd be interested in feedback on what free programs to recommend for sprite creation (currently, GIMP + GIMP-GAP)
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Most definitely it needs us :(
God, that was awful, I can't believe I sat through it all. I'm open for contributions if anyone wants help with the rewrite.
However, it seems that the templates/tags aren't showing up, I wonder if they where removed by someone who felt they were out of place? I checked the page's history tab but it doesn't say anything about that.
At any rate, I'll probably come back later with some suggestions, I may not be the best spriter but I certainly can't do worse that that piece of crap :|
See ya.
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Ai, if you're on this, I can certainly rest easy.
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Most definitely it needs us :(
God, that was awful, I can't believe I sat through it all. I'm open for contributions if anyone wants help with the rewrite.
However, it seems that the templates/tags aren't showing up, I wonder if they where removed by someone who felt they were out of place? I checked the page's history tab but it doesn't say anything about that.
What, still? I thought I fixed it.
Still looks OK to me. Try reloading.
At any rate, I'll probably come back later with some suggestions, I may not be the best spriter but I certainly can't do worse that that piece of crap :|
Okay. Here's some content, presently too many words.
Some of it belongs in the more general 'sprite' article.
Please correct it as much as you can -- I think it should only be applied once we have a quite solid document, to minimize the chance of editwar.
(cut here)
'''Spriting''' is used to refer to the creation of a [[sprites (computer graphics)|sprite]] (EDITING/RIPPING FOOTNOTE MARK HERE?). Sprites are usually also [[pixel art|pixel art]], though this isn't always the case.
Spriting requires the creation of one or many associated [[frames (computer graphics)|frames]]. As 'sprite' refers to the concept of a movable graphic object, a collection of frames (for example, the frames that make up a walk cycle) is still referred to as a sprite. The individual frames are also considered sprites, but this usage of the word is less common.
The most common tool professionals use is Pro Motion (MARK URL), which is designed for creating game art and has many features that are very useful for game art, including sprites.
If you aren't in a position to buy Pro Motion, a fine free alternative is the combination of GIMP and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package). (MARK URL)
For editing static images or getting your feet wet, MTPaint (MARK URL)is a good package.
(cut here)
List of URLs to include as marked:
http://www.gimp.org
http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/
http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/
Some things that may also need addressing:
* Animation
* Colorkey transparency
* A full progress animation, as seen occasionally around here.
At least 8 frames, with a large enough delay so you can see each frame (so, 1.5 - 2.0 seconds between frames)
Is this okay for wikipedia?
* As there a more approachable package than MTPaint that's anywhere near as capable? If so, it should be there instead
* ditto for the GIMP+GIMP-GAP combo.
* anything else? (Keops?)
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is this only to be about spriting, or pixel art as well? (if the latter, then id would touch upon common/popular restrictions, history, sprites as art, and maybe links to basic techniques?)
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is this only to be about spriting, or pixel art as well? (if the latter, then id would touch upon common/popular restrictions, history, sprites as art, and maybe links to basic techniques?)
nah, theres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixelart
which is quite nicely done.
and this spriting page, I wouldnt be surprised if some pixeltendo members or some guys from that advanced pillow shading sonic community wrote it
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Oh and yeah, my bad, I tried reloading the page and the templates did appear. Pretty strange, 'cuz I had already cleaned temp files and all that, but anyway, yes, they are there indeed.
As for the article re-write, so far so good. I see this will be a HUUGE improvement over the current one. I think it's pretty comprehensive so far, but you could probably mention GraphicsGale too, as that application is quite popular and also features competent animation tools. And last but not least I think that even if it's common consensus that Photoshop + ImageReady is overkill you shouldn't forget to mention them, since many people use that to make their pixel art (including me heh). I'll be sure to keep and eye on the progress there, so any other additions I can come up with will be posted in this thread over here.
With our help Wikipedia (and thus, the world heh) will be a better place!
See ya all
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Oh and yeah, my bad, I tried reloading the page and the templates did appear. Pretty strange, 'cuz I had already cleaned temp files and all that, but anyway, yes, they are there indeed.
The answer is, caching is not just on-disk. Firefox, for instance, will continue to cache stuff in memory OK even when it's cache directory is bereft of all sense -- I found this out when I generated a huge hunk of HTML and caused it to totally corrupt the cache dir -- I had 3x 13gb files on a 20gb partition, apparently.. this was due to a 'hole in directory'. Fixed by coying off everything but that dir, reformatting and copying back.
As for the article re-write, so far so good. I see this will be a HUUGE improvement over the current one. I think it's pretty comprehensive so far, but you could probably mention GraphicsGale too,
As commercial, okay. I want to keep the main part simple. To present the most useful programs in each field (commercial, free, and experimental) for spriting. All of these were clear cut choices.
Other, secondary choices can be mentioned in a link. I think that a full breakdown should be presented as part of the 'Pixel art' article rather than the spriting article.
If you get to doing that before myself,
http://gilgamesh.hamsterrepublic.com/wiki/ohrrpgce/index.php/Graphics_Utilities will give you some good general info on the value of various paint programs for pixel art.
Possibly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors
should get involved. In any case, that page is conspicously missing info on Pro Motion. I added a mention of Pro Motion in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_raster_graphics_editors
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Just a note: Pro Motion is on the comparison of raster graphics editors page in some of the tables; look for "cosmigo Pro Motion". However, it's not in the "General Information" or "Operating System Support" tables. Someone maybe should edit it in. Also, for consistency, you could change the entry in the List of raster graphics editors to be named "cosmigo Pro Motion" and link to the site linked in the other page.
The new article for sprites looks good; I hope it's accepted onto the page with minimal fuss from other parties.
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nah, theres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixelart
which is quite nicely done.
and this spriting page, I wouldnt be surprised if some pixeltendo members or some guys from that advanced pillow shading sonic community wrote it
i know that somebody from pt made the image of the sprite progress. dont know if he wrote it though.
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advanced pillow shading sonic community
rrgrrgghhhh
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If you aren't in a position to buy Pro Motion, a fine free alternative is the combination of GIMP and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package). (MARK URL)
For editing static images or getting your feet wet, MTPaint (MARK URL)is a good package.
this part sounds a little too informal for my liking. maybe just take out the personal pronouns (you, your, etc.)?
should we also refer to editing and recolouring until they have a seperate topic just to have all parties satisfied? otherwise i foresee editing wars with the other 'spriting' culture.
and Categories: Computer graphics/Computer game design?
EDIT: It seems that 'sprite rip' redirects to spriting... we should get that sorted.
and i agree with .TakaM down there VVVV :D
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this part sounds a little too informal for my liking. maybe just take out the personal pronouns (you, your, etc.)?
should we also refer to editing and recolouring until they have a seperate topic just to have all parties satisfied? otherwise i foresee editing wars with the other 'spriting' culture.
and Categories: Computer graphics/Computer game design?
sprite edits should just get a brief mention or a whole seperate..um.. wiki-page
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TakaM: Am working on that, too --
Looks like it only needs minor editing. I expect to be ready to add the 'Sprite editing' page to Wikipedia in the next few days.
Akira: re informality: Thanks. It is done (locally, still)
The redirect will have to be addressed after the new content for 'spriting' replaces the old.
advanced pillow shading sonic community
Just imagine it with a TV talk show host's voice, and try not to explode laughing.
advanced pillow shading sonic community
:lol:
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I don't think 'sprite editing' is worthy enough to merit a page of it's own. I think it should be added as a small section to the bottom of the main article and written in a righfully and mortifyingly prejudiced manner, eg: "... Often, naive children like to think that crudely editing a sprite is enough to warrant some sort of value, and as such, a whole community of dumbed-down 'sprite editing' has emerged on the internet... etc. etc."
Damn, I just remembered Wikipedia's non POV policy. Well, surely one can put all that across in a sufficiently surreptitious way.
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That page needs to be put up for deletion. It is in violation of Wikipedia's copyright policy. Spriting is not technically a legal activity, and thus the images of the editted mega mans (you can't post copyrighted material without the copyright holder's permission - much less unofficial edits of it) as well as the links to sprite resources which distribute copyrighted material without permission are distinctly in violation. Some of the content of the article - specifically the stuff that talks about pixel art and custom spriting - isn't promoting copyright violations, but then, there's already a page on pixel art, making most of that material redundant.
Go ahead and read through the copyright policies. It's pretty clear on this kind of stuff. Plus, the article is absolutely terrible and written by like a third grader with a reading disorder. Nobody will miss it. Concentrate your time on the pixel art article instead.
I'd do it, but getting anything done on Wikipedia is like pulling teeth, and I tend to return the favor. God, I hate Wikipedia.
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Thank you for your input Sqorgar however we are doing a rewrite to make it relevant which should also remove the copyrighted material :)
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Here's a full dump of the latest draft, including some material about animation, transparency, and progress animations, plus some corrections.
It's still rather note-ish:
{{Cleanup-rewrite|September 2006}}
{{Expert}}
[[Image:Samus sprite.png|thumb||right|Progress of a customly made sprite.]]
'''Spriting''' is used to refer to the creation of a [[sprites (computer graphics)|sprite]] (EDITING/RIPPING FOOTNOTE MARK HERE?). Sprites are usually also [[pixel art|pixel art]], though this isn't always the case.
Spriting requires the creation of one or many associated [[frames (computer graphics)|frames]]. As 'sprite' refers to the concept of a movable graphic object, a collection of frames (for example, the frames that make up a walk cycle) is still referred to as a sprite. The individual frames are also considered sprites, but this usage of the word is less common.
The most common tool professionals use is Pro Motion (MARK URL), which is designed specifically for creating game art and has many features that are very useful for game art, including sprites.
A fine free alternative is the combination of GIMP and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package). (MARK URL)
For editing static images or getting feet wet, MTPaint (MARK URL)is a good package.
[[More details on these and other paint programs|#Paint program details]]
FIX THE FOLLOWING AS NOTED IN TALK PAGE..
----
A distinction is sometimes made between sprites and pixel-art. Technically, an image is only a sprite once it has been integrated into a larger image, as in a video game. However, the image as it exists independently from the larger context falls into the category of pixel-art. This is essentially the same as the difference between a single drawing and an animation; the larger is a composite of the smaller. There are also restrictions that a sprite has to follow due the limits of the graphical memory. Pixelart are often used as backgrounds in Videogames and thus have a bigger size and memory.
----
=main details=
* Animation. Many sprites will be animated. General [[Animation]] principles apply, and there is also individual pixel movement to consider.. because sprites are made up of relatively few pixels, any 1pixel difference or lack of difference can cause a twitchy appearance. Shapes and flow is somewhat more demanding than it is in anime/cg animations, because you have to attend to the interaction of the individual pixels as well as the shapes that they seem to make up in separate frames.
* Transparency. Sprites almost always have transparent parts. There are two different common methods: index-based (a certain index into the palette represents transparency) and colorkeyed (a certain color represents transparency.) RGB 255, 0, 255 (bright magenta) is the most common colorkey. There is a third option, but it is rarely used for non-special-effect sprites: alpha channel (where the transparency is specified directly).
* Progress animations, while useful for any digital artwork, are particularly simple
and compact to make for sprites.
IMAGE- A full progress animation, as seen occasionally around here.
At least 8 frames, with a large enough delay so you can see each frame (so, 1.5 - 2.0 seconds between frames)
=Paint program details=
gimp gimp-gap
ggale
pshop+imageready
pro motion
{{Uncategorized|September 2006}}
URLS:
http://www.gimp.org
http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/
http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors
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A distinction is sometimes made between sprites and pixel-art. Technically, an image is only a sprite once it has been integrated into a larger image, as in a video game. However, the image as it exists independently from the larger context falls into the category of pixel-art. This is essentially the same as the difference between a single drawing and an animation; the larger is a composite of the smaller. There are also restrictions that a sprite has to follow due the limits of the graphical memory. Pixelart are often used as backgrounds in Videogames and thus have a bigger size and memory.
That is a very confusing paragraph. I think it would be better served with examples:
"The term 'sprite' is frequently confused with 'pixel art', since pixel art was first extensively used and gained popularity through it's use as game sprites. A sprite is a particular usage while pixel art is a form that are by no means related in any way. Sprites can be done with any graphical form, including renderings, scanned images of real people, clay models, and vector graphics. Pixel art can be applied anywhere else other art forms can, like posters, magazine covers, icons, paintings, and even sculpture."
For the record,
renderings - Donkey Kong Country
Scanned people - Mortal Kombat
Clay models - DOOM
Vector graphics - Alien Hominid (or Asteroids)
for pixel art, the paintings I'm specifically thinking that picnic at the lake painting, and for sculptures, stuff like Lite-Brite, LEGOs, or some of those Japanese toys with pixel-based representations of Mario and friends (I can find pictures if needed).
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Squorgar: Thanks for that contribution! I've edited it for brevity and added most of it to my local copy.
"Pixel art can be applied anywhere else other art forms can, like posters, magazine covers, icons, paintings, and even sculpture." is really the sort of statement that might belong in the pixel art page, rather than the 'sprite' or 'spriting' page.
I thought that the clay models for some of the monsters in Doom were only used as references. Do you have a link showing how they were used?
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I thought that the clay models for some of the monsters in Doom were only used as references. Do you have a link showing how they were used?
Afraid not. However, it's not the only game which used clay sprites. Clay Fighter and the platform game sequel. The Neverhood (and it's sequel... had something to do with monkeys I think). Some Wolfenstein 3D clone for kids where you clean up using soap or something.
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According to wikipedia:
"Most of the sprites were drawn by hand, but some of the characters were digitized from sculptures. These were the player character, the Cyberdemon and the Baron of Hell, all done in clay by Adrian Carmack, and the Arch-Vile, the Mancubus, the Spider Mastermind and the Revenant, created in latex and metal by Gregor Punchatz."
Note: this took like 5 seconds to look up btw :P
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According to wikipedia: ...
Note: this took like 5 seconds to look up btw
Wikipedia is the last place I would look for trustworthy information. I mean... have you read the article on "spriting"?
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touche',Sqorqar. :o
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Here's the latest revision! Just a few things to fix and it'll be ready:
- Paintprogram details
- Full progress animation
- A proper link to the paintprogram details subsection
I've previewed it and it looks well. Other than the above, only cosmetic cleanups remain to do.. unless anyone else has a contribution to make before it's committed to wikipedia, which'd be much appreciated!.
{{Cleanup-rewrite|September 2006}}
{{Expert}}
[[Image:Samus sprite.png|thumb||right|Progress of a customly made sprite.]]
'''Spriting''' is used to refer to the creation of a [[sprites (computer graphics)|sprite]] (EDITING/RIPPING FOOTNOTE MARK HERE?).
The term '[[Sprite]]' is frequently confused with 'pixel art', since pixel art was first extensively used and gained popularity through it's use as game sprites. A sprite is a particular usage while pixel art is a form of art. Sprites can be created by any method that you can turn into a 2d, partially transparent image; The most common art form used for sprites is pixel art (seen in GBA or mobile phone games); The second most common is 3d-rendering (seen in real-time-strategy games and RPGs (eg Diablo)). Another noteworthy technique (which you can see in the games 'Flashback' and 'Out of This World' by Delphine software) is rotoscoping -- the realistic movement of the main character is due to that technique.
Other methods sometimes used for sprite creation include scanned people (Mortal Kombat),
clay models (DOOM) and vector graphics (Alien Hominid)
Spriting requires the creation of one or many associated [[Film_frame|frames]]. As 'sprite' refers to the concept of a movable graphic object, a collection of frames (for example, the frames that make up a walk cycle) is still referred to as a sprite. The individual frames are also considered sprites, but this usage of the word is less common.
Certain limitations may be imposed on sprites (15 colors + 1 mask color per sprite is a common limitation, seen on GBA for example. restrictions on dimensions are also very common (8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64 are common limitations)) These limitations may be imposed to make the sprite fit with the technical limitations of the target system, but they may also be imposed to achieve a certain aesthetic/control, or to speed up the drawing process.
The most common tool professionals use is [http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/ Pro Motion] , which is designed specifically for creating game art and has many features that are very useful for game art, including sprites.
A fine free alternative is the combination of [http://www.gimp.org GIMP] and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package).
For editing static images or getting feet wet, [http://mtpaint.sf.net MTPaint] is a good package.
BROKEN:
[[More details on these and other paint programs|#Paint program details]]
=Main details=
* Animation. Many sprites will be animated. General [[Animation]] principles apply, and there is also individual pixel movement to consider.. because sprites are made up of relatively few pixels, any 1pixel difference or lack of difference can cause a twitchy appearance. Shapes and flow is somewhat more demanding than it is in anime/cg/cartoon animations, because you have to attend to the interaction of the individual pixels as well as the shapes that they seem to make up in separate frames.
* Transparency. Sprites almost always have transparent parts. There are two different common methods: index-based (a certain index into the palette represents transparency) and colorkeyed (a certain color represents transparency.) RGB 255, 0, 255 (bright magenta) is the most common colorkey. There is a third option, but it is rarely used for non-special-effect sprites: alpha channel (where the transparency is specified directly).
* Progress animations, while useful for any digital artwork, are particularly simple
and compact to make for sprites.
DODO:
IMAGE- A full progress animation, as seen occasionally around here.
At least 8 frames, with a large enough delay so you can see each frame (so, 1.5 - 2.0 seconds between frames)
=Paint program details=
DODO:
gimp gimp-gap
ggale
pshop+imageready
pro motion
{{Uncategorized|September 2006}}
URLS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors
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I'm sorry AI...I was trying to preview your version but I accidentally edited it in :D put it back the way it was...I bet the whole sonic spriting/sprite comic-ers crowd wouldnt be too happy to see this :lol:
Main point I think should be added, is that not only sprites will often be animated, that's their main purpose! also, I think in the introduction area you should define sprite a little better (2d computer graphic), since the main sprite article is so focused on the 3d-billboarding version and the term spriting has got nothing to do with that.
...I'm cauzilo at wiki, and I'm probably gonna be watching this....so if u want comments or anything feel free to message me here or there.
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I'm sorry AI...I was trying to preview your version but I accidentally edited it in :D put it back the way it was...I bet the whole sonic spriting/sprite comic-ers crowd wouldnt be too happy to see this :lol:
Main point I think should be added, is that not only sprites will often be animated, that's their main purpose! also, I think in the introduction area you should define sprite a little better (2d computer graphic),
Of course it is their main purpose. I don't know the correct comparison, though -- the only comparison I think to make is to 'spritely' or 'spirit' (I think 'spirit' might be the origin of the term). You might be batter qualified to write that part.
Here's the updated text re: animation
{{Cleanup-rewrite|September 2006}}
{{Expert}}
[[Image:Samus sprite.png|thumb||right|Progress of a customly made sprite.]]
'''Spriting''' is used to refer to the creation of a [[sprites (computer graphics)|sprite]] (EDITING/RIPPING FOOTNOTE MARK HERE?).
The term '[[Sprite]]' is frequently confused with 'pixel art', since pixel art was first extensively used and gained popularity through it's use as game sprites. A sprite is a particular usage while pixel art is a form of art. A sprite is a (usually animated) 2d computer graphic, thus sprites can be created by any method that you can turn into such a graphic. Sprites almost always have some parts that are transparent so the background can show through. The most common art form used for sprites is pixel art (seen in GBA or mobile phone games); The second most common is 3d-rendering (seen in real-time-strategy games and RPGs (eg Diablo)). Another noteworthy technique (which you can see in the games 'Flashback' and 'Out of This World' by Delphine software) is rotoscoping -- the realistic movement of the main character is due to that technique.
Other methods sometimes used for sprite creation include scanned people (Mortal Kombat),
clay models (DOOM) and vector graphics (Alien Hominid)
Spriting requires the creation of one or many associated [[Film_frame|frames]]. As 'sprite' refers to the concept of a movable, usually animated graphic object, a collection of frames (for example, the frames that make up a walk cycle) is still referred to as a sprite. The individual frames are also considered sprites, but this usage of the word is less common.
Certain limitations may be imposed on sprites (15 colors + 1 mask color per sprite is a common limitation, seen on GBA for example. restrictions on dimensions are also very common (8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64 are common limitations)) These limitations may be imposed to make the sprite fit with the technical limitations of the target system, but they may also be imposed to achieve a certain aesthetic/control, or to speed up the drawing process.
The most common tool professionals use is [http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/ Pro Motion] , which is designed specifically for creating game art and has many features that are very useful for game art, including sprites.
A fine free alternative is the combination of [http://www.gimp.org GIMP] and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package).
For editing static images or getting feet wet, [http://mtpaint.sf.net MTPaint] is a good package.
BROKEN:
[[More details on these and other paint programs|#Paint program details]]
=Main details=
* Animation. Most sprites will be animated. General [[Animation]] principles apply, and there is also individual pixel movement to consider.. because sprites are made up of relatively few pixels, any 1pixel difference or lack of difference can cause a twitchy appearance. Shapes and flow is somewhat more demanding than it is in anime/cg/cartoon animations, because you have to attend to the interaction of the individual pixels as well as the shapes that they seem to make up in separate frames.
* Transparency. Sprites almost always have transparent parts. There are two different common methods: index-based (a certain index into the palette represents transparency) and colorkeyed (a certain color represents transparency.) RGB 255, 0, 255 (bright magenta) is the most common colorkey. There is a third option, but it is rarely used for non-special-effect sprites: alpha channel (where the transparency is specified directly).
* Progress animations, while useful for any digital artwork, are particularly simple
and compact to make for sprites.
DODO:
IMAGE- A full progress animation, as seen occasionally around here.
At least 8 frames, with a large enough delay so you can see each frame (so, 1.5 - 2.0 seconds between frames)
=Paint program details=
DODO:
gimp gimp-gap
ggale
pshop+imageready
pro motion
{{Uncategorized|September 2006}}
URLS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors
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I intended to edit this in, but it seems I have been banned as a side effect of someone else's banning.
If someone could replace the current text with this, we can go from there:
{{Expert}}
[[Image:Samus sprite.png|thumb||right|Progress of a customly made sprite.]]
'''Spriting''' is used to refer to the creation of a [[sprites (computer graphics)|sprite]] (EDITING/RIPPING FOOTNOTE MARK HERE?).
The term '[[Sprite]]' is frequently confused with 'pixel art', since pixel art was first extensively used and gained popularity through it's use as game sprites. A sprite is a particular usage while pixel art is a form of art. A sprite is a (usually animated) 2d computer graphic, thus sprites can be created by any method that you can turn into such a graphic. Sprites almost always have some parts that are transparent so the background can show through. The most common art form used for sprites is pixel art (seen in GBA or mobile phone games); The second most common is 3d-rendering (seen in real-time-strategy games and RPGs (eg Diablo)). Another noteworthy technique (which you can see in the games 'Flashback' and 'Out of This World' by Delphine software) is rotoscoping -- the realistic movement of the main character is due to that technique.
Other methods sometimes used for sprite creation include scanned people (Mortal Kombat),
clay models (DOOM) and vector graphics (Alien Hominid)
Spriting requires the creation of one or many associated [[Film_frame|frames]]. As 'sprite' refers to the concept of a movable, usually animated graphic object, a collection of frames (for example, the frames that make up a walk cycle) is still referred to as a sprite. The individual frames are also considered sprites, but this usage of the word is less common.
Certain limitations may be imposed on sprites (15 colors + 1 mask color per sprite is a common limitation, seen on GBA for example. restrictions on dimensions are also very common (8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64 are common limitations)) These limitations may be imposed to make the sprite fit with the technical limitations of the target system, but they may also be imposed to achieve a certain aesthetic/control, or to speed up the drawing process.
The most common tool professionals use is [http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/ Pro Motion] , which is designed specifically for creating game art and has many features that are very useful for game art, including sprites.
A fine free alternative is the combination of [http://www.gimp.org GIMP] and GIMP-GAP(GIMP Animation Package).
For editing static images or getting feet wet, [http://mtpaint.sf.net MTPaint] is a good package.
(what is the correct way to specify a link like the below? This form isn't correct.)
[[More details on these and other paint programs|#Paint program details]]
=Main details=
* Animation. Most sprites will be animated. General [[Animation]] principles apply, and there is also individual pixel movement to consider.. because sprites are made up of relatively few pixels, any 1pixel difference or lack of difference can cause a twitchy appearance. Shapes and flow is somewhat more demanding than it is in anime/cg/cartoon animations, because you have to attend to the interaction of the individual pixels as well as the shapes that they seem to make up in separate frames.
* Transparency. Sprites almost always have transparent parts. There are two different common methods: index-based (a certain index into the palette represents transparency) and colorkeyed (a certain color represents transparency.) RGB 255, 0, 255 (bright magenta) is the most common colorkey. There is a third option, but it is rarely used for non-special-effect sprites: alpha channel (where the transparency is specified directly).
* Progress animations, while useful for any digital artwork, are particularly simple
and compact to make for sprites.
DODO:
IMAGE- A full progress animation, as seen occasionally around here.
At least 8 frames, with a large enough delay so you can see each frame (so, 1.5 - 2.0 seconds between frames)
=Paint program details=
(this section might compare the key merits of different programs that can be used for pixeling.)
PROGRAMS/COMBOS:
gimp + gimp-gap
ggale
pshop + imageready
pro motion
=Placeholder - Color picking=
(This section should cover the aspects of color picking that are specific to spriting --
for example, minimizing # of colors)
(someone should fill this out)
=Placeholder - dithering=
(refer to main 'dithering' article WRT basic pattern-dithering)
(describe the use of stylistic dithering)
=Placeholder - Antialiasing=
(compare spriting AA with 'AA in general' -- ref to wikipedia's antialiasing )
=Placeholder - Shading=
(compare different shading styles that have salient points specifically relevant to spriting. Ultra-smooth (amiga), Celshaded, (anything else?))
=Placeholder - Editing=
(someone else will have to decide what should happen here)
{{Uncategorized|September 2006}}
URLS (should be moved into appropriate places in main text):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors
http://www.spriteart.com -- pixelling tutorials ranging from simple to advanced.
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What would be nice is to have a little mini Wiki right here on the site. Is that possible to set up? An editable system open only be registered users, and with the option to lock entries or roll back in case of vandalism.
- Adam
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There was one for a while, but it went down in all the server changes. I think it will be reinstated eventually, but I haven't heard when it will be back up.
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Yes, there was a pixel-arts wiki. I don't recall whether it defined spriting at all, though. It did a fine job of documenting many technical aspects of pixel art.
Could someone please commit my changes above to wikipedia? As i stated, I cannot do it, as someone else's IP-ban has incidentally banned my ip -- therefore I cannot edit, and I cannot create an account so that I can edit.
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hey
I will try and register an account at wikipedia, and apply your edit.
Have things been explained on the discussion page? I only quickly looked over it, and don't know who is who? I think I should leave a message on it, saying I have updated this on behalf of yourself, which has been written in collaboration, and based on the thoughts and opinions of many here. Should I provide a link to this thread? I think I should, as what's true is true :).
Anyhows, I think you all have done a great job on this, congrats.
edit
I have now updated it, please check it HERE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spriting). I hope I have done it correctly? I have also left a message in the discussion page, which I hope you all approve of?
cyas
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Thank you :)
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Sorry about the bump guys, but I thought I should probably mention the wiki-page has been changed back into it's confused, stupid state. :huh:
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Well at this point as long as wiki has a link to us, that's the most I can hope for.
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there is none :-X
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*sigh*
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Hehe. After the edit, this cropped up: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spriting&oldid=84454277
It's been reverted for goddamn ever, by the way. It was changed back automatically by a bot because it was flagged as a work in progress (due to placeholders), and after 2 days without edits the revertion was done by el autobot.
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lmao...quite honestly I couldnt care less right now
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He's a weeaboo, I found him: http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/3818.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/72.138.30.45
I'll see if my people can raid him later, though they're not fond of being anyone's personal army. I'm ready to help remake this article.
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bengoshia: Sorry for the off-topic post, but, really. 4chan exists on its own as its own thing for a reason. Why are you posting that sort of junk here?
On-topic: Why does the Pixel Art (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_art) article link to eboy? I know it's technically pixel art, but it's hardly worth mention, especially considering the overall bland cookie-cutter style they're known for. Maybe I'm alone in this sort of opinion? I'm not a wiki guy, so maybe one of you could fix that up with some proper resource links.
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Khris: Rules 1 and 2, also 4baums is terrible now(I now go to 7baums), that and I figured you'd guys would wanna know who you know, vandalized it.
Also, I think eboy is a link because people tend to think of pixel art as well, looking like uh, Habbo and stuff.
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I was referring to the tone of the post, not so much the content. Though, was it really necessary to post his high school?
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Good point, though you can just find it through his edited articles on his IP page, I took it off now, so yeah.
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You guys and your 4chans. Leave the dude alone.
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may I just ask what the hell that first and second rule is anyway?
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You guys and your 4chans.
(http://pbfcomics.com/archive/0PBF61009BC-Weeaboo.jpg)
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What does that even mean?
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Well supposedly "weeaboo" means someone who is obsessed with Japan, relating to 4chan. I may be wrong though. I think I should study up on my internets more.
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I think it's from a word filter where, when you would type "wapanese," you would get "weeaboo" instead. Not sure if it's directly inspired by that comic or not. The rules refer to some dorky set similar to Fight Club. Rules 1 & 2 being 'do not talk about /b/.' The weird part is that /b/ doesn't actually have rules, so it's interesting that people think user-created ones are supposed to be followed.
but oh snap, I guess I should brace for some sort of epic raid of some sort.
Also: /b/ refers to the 'random' image boards on the *chan sites.
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what the fuck i dont remember editing the wiki to say that D:
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"Ryudo/Shawn! You have some 'splainin' to do!!"
. . .
not that I care for the article anyhow.
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but oh snap, I guess I should brace for some sort of epic raid of some sort.
Are we playing WoW or something? Epic raid?
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Haha, WoW. Sorry for the lack of clarification, I guess.
Usually when people break the 'rules,' they get their online and personal information posted up for users to harass, or 'raid.' However, even most users see this as pointless and don't bother with petty individuals and therefore state in response, "not your personal army." That's what bengoshia was referring to earlier.
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I hope this doesn't happen.
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Rules 1 and 2: Do not talk about you know....(This rule is mainly used to disguise ourselves in raids, though it does contradict itself)
Anonymous hates weeaboos, they're anime losers obsessed with Japan, so am_pm is right.
Usually we raid people for two reasons:
1) The lulz, we do it for the lulz, we might not even have anything against the person but we did it for some lulz(lulz is a corruption of L O L, which means laugh out loud)
2) Because they were asking for it, for instance, Hal Turner was a white surpremacist that deserved to be raided because he was actually black. Tom Green was asking for it because he fails at comedy.
People who sage(You reply to a topic without bumping it) /i/nvasion threads on /b/ tend to be newfags(This is a term we call our "n00bs"), since the raids usually have potential.
Epic raids are epic, epic wins are epic, epic fails are epic, epic canadian milk in bags is epic. Epic = Epic.
Remember: We do own the internet, so don't mess with us, you might want to get a dog and some curtains.
Also, one last thing, here is a link explaining ebaums world into more detail: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
I have to go now, I'm gonna go hang out with Candle Jack and we'll proba
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Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy some of the humor produced on 4chan, but I prefer lurking and observing than actually taking part in the emulation of mass conformity. Not that I'm any less of a conformist, but, it's interesting to watch it. What confuses me the most is the promotion of groupthink. Why is a 'random' group of people sticking to a single pattern of thought? For example, bengoshia, you just stated that anonymous hates 'weeaboos.' The irony of this is the actual amount of anime nerds on these sites.
I mostly have a problem with the way this sort of thinking spills over into spots that it generally doesn't belong. I can have 'epic lulz' with friends that are in on it, but otherwise I think it's silly to bring it somewhere outside of 4chan, or 7chan, or whatever other one. They're mostly the same despite trying to state otherwise.
Requesting a possible topic split? Seems that this could become something of an interesting discussion on such a thing, not sure.
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Usually we raid people for two reasons
You include yourself on an internet group whose basis of existing rests on being internet bullies?
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i really have NO IDEA what's going on here, all i can tell is either this system is childish nonsense, criminal harassment, or a combination of both, depending on how far it's taken.
What exactly is the POINT of all this?
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Its best to stop talking about this and get back to the topic on hand, when I originally said I was gonna get my people to raid him, I meant I was kidding. Also come on, don't take the internet seriously, the worst we do is spam to be perfectly honest, perhaps kill some bandwidth(This depends on what happens though, for instance, somebody stole one of our memes, his name is longcat, the guy was the owner of subeta and he was making a profit off of it, so we basically killed off 99% of his fan sites and almost destroyed his, he gave up though, you have to note, we're not this strong anymore). To respond to what Khris(Seriously Khris, lurk moar) said, weeaboos hang out on the /a/ board(anime board), if you see any 'weeaboos' on e/b/aums, they're actually 'trolls'. Now on about this whole conversation making a "Ebaums World" topic, do not do so, just trust me on this.
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The things you're saying sound somewhat ridiculous. Perhaps you should channel more of your free time and energy as a young person into more creative persuits.
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Or I can go to ebaums world, I mean come on, this is lulzy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7WAGYAkf98
Back on topic nao, srsly, this all resulted from me making a simple joke.
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Communication in this particular board is very important, "we" new guys came here to learn right? That's why you have to take things in consideration and courtesy. You can't just say "don't take internet seriously"
You might think "oh this guy is being a tight ass, loosen up moar", but for all the invaluable information and knowledge exchanged here, as an active member, ask yourself.. is it hard to keep myself a bit in control? Are you even serious to become as a better artist?
Please take note that I said this without malice bengoshia.
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Well, okay Froli, if you want to take the internet srsly, then go ahead, though its not gonna help you any if you do. Why are you talking about how I feel about art in a topic about editing a wikipedia article(Which at the moment I'm trying to get us back on track)? Tell me Froli, what valuable art information has been shared in this topic, if any, we're not LEARNING in this topic, we're TEACHING by making this wikipedia article better. When it comes to pixel art and myself, I do take crits I get seriously and the crits I give I take seriously aswell. Also Froli, seriously, the motivational speeches on me are flattering but PM me if you really wanna talk to me about this stuff. Back on topic, srsly, how can we make this article better?
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I'm talking about your overall attitude here not just this particular thread.
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This thread has ran its course, the wikipedia discussion has ran its course, and if you want to talk about something else go to the OT thread.