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_editorshttp://www.spriteart.com -- pixelling tutorials ranging from simple to advanced.