halp plz (x-posted on castleparadox)

Lucier · Post by **Lucier** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:19 am

i'm trying to create a large forest (4 to 5 full screen maps) of trees, streams, rock walls and all that good stuff and i am trying to make it look as realistic as possible. what i have so far is the tree above, which isn't even near being done. but that tree alone has taken me several hours, so i am looking for a possible easier way about this. is there maybe a paint program i can use to get the bones of the forest drawn? or maybe some sort of textures i can apply to the trees rather than having to go into the editor and dither in all the textures? all i have right now is custom.exe and mspaint, so my computer is essentially a blank slate ready for everyone's suggestions. i appreciate any help you guys can offer me!

Twinconclusive · Post by **Twinconclusive** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:16 am

The Gimp is a pretty great program for everybody (free too!).
If you want speed, I guess you could just airbrush the proper lighting onto it and then go over it with dithering, if necessary.

Also, remember!
Because each map can support 3 layers and each layer can have its own tilemap, you can essentially link 3 full-screens together in a single map!

Aeth · Post by **Aeth** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:44 am

Deluxe Paint 2.

You'll need Dosbox to run it though if you're running Vista.

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:56 am

I agree with the above Gimpy suggestion.

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:32 pm

There are lots of good suggestions here: <a href="http://gilgamesh.hamsterrepublic.com/wi ... s">Graphic Utilities</a>

Using the Gimp for pixel art feels a whole lot different than using the built-in editor, but it is a good program, and as long as you don't let yourself get overwhelmed by the large number of things it can do, and just focus on what you actually need to do, I think you will be well satisfied.

Lucier · Post by **Lucier** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:54 pm

thanks guys, i've downloaded GIMP like everyone suggested. you're right though James, there is so much i can do with it that it's a little overwhelming! i'll have to explore the program a bit and see what all it can do.

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:25 pm

Lucier wrote:thanks guys, i've downloaded GIMP like everyone suggested. you're right though James, there is so much i can do with it that it's a little overwhelming! i'll have to explore the program a bit and see what all it can do.

My favorite tools when doing pixel-art:

* The Pencil tool with the smallest possible brush
* The Color picker tool

I use these tools so much that while my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand hovers over they keyboard shortcuts to switch between these two.

You should also ask NeoTA (if you can find him) about pixel-art in the Gimp. He is the King of that Topic.

Newbie Newtype · Post by **Newbie Newtype** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:33 am

I recommend Graphics Gale for pixel art. Has the simplicity of MS Paint with other tools (such as easy access to the OHR palette if you are editing maptiles that are exported).

Lucier · Post by **Lucier** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:49 am

hey, i decided to check out graphics gale also since you mentioned the ease of using the OHR palette on it, which i assume GIMP can't do? but anyway, i'm not really sure how to set the OHR palette in gg so if you could help me out that'd be awesome.

Newbie Newtype · Post by **Newbie Newtype** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:10 am

If you export a tileset or backdrop, GraphicsGale should be able to pick it up if you load that .bmp. I find GraphicsGale especially useful for editing palettes since you can just click on a color and you can then change what that color.

which i assume GIMP can't do?

I think it may be able to. I haven't used GIMP in awhile, but it did most things Paint Shop Pro 8 can do.