Help on making Sprites. *I'm a first timer*

[DimensionWarped]

Paint and Photoshop over here. I use both about the same.

[Twimfy]

Paint.NET has no Mac version, and if you were running it on your Macbook, it'd probably have to be ran through Parallels, VirtualBox, Fusion, or CrossOver. There's no way you can have Paint.NET running on OS X without some sort of emulation software.

You're right, I got mixed up, I use paintbrush http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/paintbrush.html

I do use Paint.net on my windows installation but I regret having a windows installation in the first place. Just trying to save this guy some unneeded agro that bootcamp can cause.

[Steven M]

How did Damizean help you out?

Know any good tutorials to learn how to sprite?

http://www.derekyu.com/?page_id=218 (general sprite production)

http://www.spriteart.com/pixeltutorial.html (several useful tutorials)

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php (forum for pixel artists - watch and learn)

I'll try and find some more useful links - I know there was one thread somewhere crammed with helpful info.

[Rael0505]

Keep in mind that you don't have to sprite everything yourself. I started by taking pieces from existing Sonic backgrounds, recoloring or editing them, and mixing and matching to create something new. If it's done well, sometimes people won't even notice what you borrowed from.

Look at these:

See anything familiar in the right and bottom compared to the top left (mine)? When I try to make a background, I usually start by looking at existing ones and brainstorm about what I can take from them.

[Blue Emerald]

I should now start looking at the sprites from High Seas Havoc; I see three things I could use from that screenshot.

Also, that's how I go about making my backgrounds, too. For example, the ice-block tiles I had in my ice level were edited from the tiles in Hill Top Zone.

[Shockey Rai]

I sprite using MSPaint, even though i'm just a beginner spriter.

I have PSP7 and Photoshop CS2 but i use those for making comics.

(And i use PSP7 to Palette edit sprites for a base for a character.)

(and i draw art IN MSPaint, PSP7 and Photoshop CS2 also.)

[True Blue]

I should now start looking at the sprites from High Seas Havoc; I see three things I could use from that screenshot.

Like the golden stone, right? Huh? Huh?

Rael, I kind of already tried that (or tried to start that) but never looked at it as a method. And I have never looked at several sprites, gather them together and think of what to do with them. You just gave me a big advice.

Click on the image, and under its Properties, there should be an option called "Ink Effect." You can choose "semi-transparent," "add," and "subtract," and they should all make your object transparent in some way. Under "semi-transparent," you can set the coefficient underneath it to change the amount of transparency.

LOL

That part I know, I'm talking about the transparencies made in the active objects editor. I saw that in a tutorial at Clickteam.

[GSF]

You press the alpha channel tool button. Then you can edit the several channels with shades of gray.

I think that's what you meant.

[True Blue]

You press the alpha channel tool button. Then you can edit the several channels with shades of gray.

I think that's what you meant.

Yes, it's probably that.

[Rael0505]

Oh, I found what I stole borrowed the background from:

and mine for reference again:

So as you can see it's a bunch of cheap stuff recolored, edited, and mixed and match to not look as cheap. This isn't the best example of how I do my stuff though, it's years old and borderline-hideous and most of it will never be used. But that's basically how I got started with making level art. It doesn't have to be completely original, it just has to appear to be original.