AuthorTopic: FAQ  (Read 87435 times)

FAQ

  • Guest

FAQ

on: June 13, 2007, 03:49:27 pm
Pixelation FAQ

Overview



Privacy & Ownership Policy

We cannot verify the security of any content you provide to the forum, including but not limited to pixel works, personal information, and comments. We appreciate the desire most people have for privacy, thus we will not sell any information you provide to the forum or give that information to any profiteering external entities. However, we do conduct activities in which works may be used to promote or support this forum. The staff shall clarify beforehand when such vents occur and to what extent use is permitted, or otherwise request to use material from a member individually.

We enjoy an open and collaborative environment, but it's prudent to declare the origins of work that you post. All works you post are technically considered published material, and presumes that you are the rightful owner or author of said works, unless otherwise noted.


NB: Due to the technical problems we have been experiencing over the last couple of weeks we cannot get the single links to open in the same window, so please resort to the search function of your browser (Ctrl+F for Internet Explorer and Firefox), which is easy to use with the consecutively numbered posts.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2008, 07:53:17 pm by miascugh »

FAQ

  • Guest

#01 What is this place all about?

Reply #1 on: June 13, 2007, 03:51:53 pm

What is this place all about?

Pixelation is a message board about pixel art, first and foremost. Its role is to provide a setting in which people may sharpen their skills by posting work and receiving critique from others, and to offer critique when others request it.

FAQ

  • Guest

#02 Why should I register?

Reply #2 on: June 13, 2007, 03:52:45 pm

Why should I register?

If you wish to post on the board, you must register, simple as that. When you register, you must provide a valid e-mail address. If you do not wish to have your E-Mail address visible to the public, you may select the appropriate option during registration, or access and modify your profile settings at any time later on. The Pixelation staff despises unsolicited E-Mail and spam posting with the burning passion of 10,000 suns, so rest assured that we will work diligently to eliminate such activity from the forums. Pixelation respects your privacy.

FAQ

  • Guest

#03 What are the rules?

Reply #3 on: June 13, 2007, 03:53:33 pm

What are the rules?

The Pixelation Rules document contains the basics. Our primary rule is don't be an ass. Common sense prevails on this forum. Avoid unconstructive criticism, misrepresentation of yourself or works you provide, and any other behavior becoming of a miscreant.

FAQ

  • Guest

#04 What are these board sections?

Reply #4 on: June 13, 2007, 03:54:17 pm
What are these board sections?

General
Things of Importance and Interest contains many important bits of information regarding forum usage, image posting tips and conduct as well as the Pixelation FAQ, which you're reading right now!
General Discussion is for posting about anything related to Pixel Art, Gaming, or Coding. If you wish to ask a question, first look in the FAQ or Rules before posting; such courtesy is appreciated. DO NOT POST A WELCOME THREAD: Use the Introduction Thread in the section above for greetings and the Official Pixelation Off-Topic thread for personal messages and chit-chat. The Official Pixelation OT Creativity Thread is for posting your paintings, sketches, music compositions, links to software, poetry, writing, etc...

Art
Pixel Art is a place to post your works and receive critique, or comment on the works of others. The Feature Chest child-board is located here: When a thread of exemplary stature is spotted, chances are that it will be featured in the Feature Chest. After a thread becomes inactive, it may be retired here, and a link from the news box shall be published. The act of highlighting great threads serves as an incentive for others to post great art and outstanding critique so that they too may see their deeds recognized.
Low Spec Art is for art and graphics geared towards hand-held devices or applications with similar specifications that are not Pixel Art.
Challenges & Activities is a place for people to participate in various group activities. Most of these activities are non-competitive as the focus at this forum is primarily educational. Commercial Critiques are used as a means to discuss commercial games and Challenges test one's understanding of the Pixel Arts by setting certain goals and limitations.

Work
Job offers is a place to advertise projects or jobs.  Unpaid Work offers go here.
Portfolios can be posted here.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2008, 08:13:07 pm by miascugh »

FAQ

  • Guest

#05 What exactly is Pixel Art?

Reply #5 on: June 13, 2007, 03:55:08 pm

What exactly is Pixel Art?

Pixel Art is a discipline by which images are created with pixel-level intent or precision. It is more than an end product - It is a methodology focusing on techniques such as hand drawn dithering, anti-aliasing, shading, animation, geometry, and some color theory. Here on this forum, people develop these skills and in turn teach them to others.

When you post work that focuses on these methods, you will receive useful feedback that will help you to improve. While there's no static law that says something IS or IS NOT Pixel Art, some works can certainly be more in line with what is discussed here. For example, Oekaki, a web based drawing phenomenon, does not consistently represent the methods. Also, just because a game uses a sprite, that does not immediately qualify it as pixel art since some games have been known to convert 3D rendered models into sprite stills. Posting works like this is not encouraged.

Members at this forum are interested in many subjects and artistic mediums, and we do offer places on the forum more appropriate for the posting of non-pixel work. If you're posting reference images for pixel work, this is an exceptional case. Blatant disregard for the purposes of the forum will not be tolerated.

FAQ

  • Guest

#06 What about hand-drawn art?

Reply #6 on: June 13, 2007, 03:55:39 pm
What about hand-drawn art? I drew this cool ninja and airbrushed it in Photoshop. I want some feedback!

If the majority of the work isn't even done using the methods described above, post it to the Official OT Creativity Thread. If you want to learn to be a good digital illustrator in general, try one of the other art forums out there. Again, this forum is not just about cool art, it's about learning the Pixel Art methods. Check the General Discussion section for the Official OT Creativity Thread.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2007, 08:33:21 pm by FAQ »

FAQ

  • Guest

#07 What is a sprite, or a tile? Isometric?

Reply #7 on: June 13, 2007, 03:56:27 pm

What is a sprite, or a tile? What is this Isometric thing the kids are raving about?

Sprites and tiles are terms often used for video games. A sprite is typically a character or enemy, made to move around on the screen or animate depending on how the game is coded. Tiles are typically used as background elements, and can be laid out to create a larger scene or image. Isometric refers to both the Pixel Art style and a way of coding a game to create the illusion of three dimensional play using 2D art. Rise of Nations or even Sim City have been known to implement Isometric 'perspective' in their games.

FAQ

  • Guest

#08 I can't do it, somebody help me!

Reply #8 on: June 13, 2007, 03:57:01 pm

How do I draw a water tile? How do I animate a sword slash? I can't do it, somebody help me!

Try. If you post a message asking for help without posting any work, no one will be able to truly help you except to give you vague replies such as "uhh, use blue and click the mouse button to place pixels where you want them until it looks like water." If you TRY first, and even if you TOTALLY and COMPLETELY suck at it, people will at least be able to give you advice on what direction to take and tell you what to watch out for so you can improve. This can't happen if you don't post anything, and if you don't post anything, you're probably going to be ignored or your thread could be locked.

FAQ

  • Guest

#09 C64? ZX-Spectrum? Demoscene?

Reply #9 on: June 13, 2007, 03:57:39 pm

I hear a lot of people talking about the c64-palette or ZX-Spectrum restrictions, or the 'demoscene'. What's that?

C64 (Commodore 64) and the ZX-Spectrum are popular computer systems from the '80s with relatively limited pixel-count and color limitations compared to modern systems that use powerful graphics cards able to render 3D, support millions of colors, and offer high pixel-count resolution options. For more information on these particular systems, try Wikipedia or use the forum’s search engine.