[WIP] Size Character Guide

[VictorRojo]

Hi, I´m trying to make a great guide for all of various Sizes in a character creation.

I need to improve the palette the design and all that you want or think, I´m waiting your comments ^^

[setz]

Something that doesn't make a lot of sense to me in this, is that they all have heavy outlines except 2 of the larger ones. The smaller you get, the more valuable each pixel gets.

When you get past a certain size (I'll say 16x16 for now), the outlines from a logical standpoint, are absolutely huge in comparison to the scale of the sprite.
From a practical standpoint, I'd push that color and contrast are much more useful at smaller sizes than black outlines. Deformity is going to happen anyway at small sizes, so that should also be taken advantage of.

Here is an example in extremity from a project I'm working on, that may help explain some of my opinions slightly better

[VictorRojo]

Thank you, Setz, now I see this theme more clear. I´m working on it, and thanks for your great great example of the max-min size.
Now I need to work on the contrast...no? ^^U

[VictorRojo]

Thanks, new edit

[Gamer36]

Ok so you might (probably, more like definitely) of seen this before but really if your making pixel art you just GOT to check these tutorials out http://www.petesqbsite.com/sections/tutorials/tuts/tsugumo/default.htm and for sprites in particular go here http://www.petesqbsite.com/sections/tutorials/tuts/tsugumo/chapter8.htm. "But I don't want to read all that!" Well if thats the case then I'll give a short summary on how to make small (16x16) sprites. First of all, if you want to take a massive (like your first one) and make it tiny you got to LOSE the outline (as setz pointed out). Second of all it's a good idea to go SD style (SD stands for "Super Deformed") in a 16x16 sprite you can't have the legs more that 2 px or your head wont have ANY room for detail so it is best to go with a template like FF (Final Fantasy) and SoM (Secret of Mana) witch is the following in pete's words: "Now the first thing you have to know about FF2 sprites, is that they're all divided up in a certain way...This is a 16x16 box that you see above the text...Along the side is a line of orange, yellow, orange. Those lines are a guide of where everything goes. In an FF2 sprite, the waist down is given 3 pixels (the bottom orange guide), the torso from the neck to the waist is given 3 pixels as well (the yellow guide), and the head is given a massive 10 pixels (the top orange guide)." So in my summary, top orange for head and hair and elbow, yellow for torso to neck, bottom orange for torso and down. Of course after seeing this you might just forget ALL about 16x16 sprites and just do bigger
ones. But really if you follow pete's tutorial then your safe (it's failsafe, foolsafe, noobsafe, and pixelnoobsafe! Isn't that amazing?).

[VictorRojo]

Thank you very much, Gamer36, thanks for the link and for the help, and for the links ^^ I´m waiting your comments XD

[setz]

Simply removing outlines from things doesn't really help, if something is designed with outlines in mind, it looks very strange without them, when they are simply removed.

When removing outlines, instead of just removing the line, you should really take advantage of the extra space provided. I did a quick, somewhat sloppy example of a 16x16 toughguy, with and without outlines:


I did the guy on the left first, copied him over and dropped the lines and repixeled on the right. Dropping the lines gave me much more room to define the character, it looked a bit cramped with them, but without it shows just fine. Its not really about outlines looking good or bad, when you get smaller, but more about getting the most value out of your pixels.

I like the RPG sprite size comparison, looks like it'd be good for a game in terms of showing different ages.

[VictorRojo]

Thanks Setz, and sorry for the late response, your help is very useful, thanks.
Now I need to optimize the palette, but I want one desaturated palette and other saturated, is this possible?