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NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!) (Read 2139 times)

Started by #Shaun, September 24, 2007, 05:46:20 pm
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#Shaun

NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!)
#1  September 24, 2007, 05:46:20 pm
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Well this is the deal...I'm using Adobe Photoshop CS...and I need help making NES chars for mugen using it, but all I see is love for Paint Shop Pro.  I don't have it, no time to download it, and hate it overall......and before any veteran of the forum flames me about this, NO, I DID NOT SEE A TUTORIAL BASED ON CHAR CREATION using photoshop.

ANYWAY, the tutorial that comes with WinMugen is out of date (they go by photoshop 5.0).  I'm ripping sprites from Kung Fu and the arcade version of Karate Champ (hell yeah).  They're already cleaned up.

These are the steps I follow that are frickin' me up
===================================
- Save snapshot of char (using the FCEUltra emulator). Saves as .png
- Open ALL images in Adobe Photoshop CS
- Take the img out of "Index" and into RGB color
- Double click on the img in the dialog box, changing it into "Layer 0"
- Use crop tool and crop out all the unwanted stuff, focusing only on the chars actions
- Erase all the unwanted graphics (if there are some)
- Click on mode->index color
- select "Master Adaptive" (to obtain all the colors in all the crop images)
- have "Transparency" option checked
- Click ok, then proceed to color table
- click the transparency box (note that only about 6 colors show up. this includes the transparency box), change color to hot pink.
- save palette, then click ok.
- save img as .pcx
- repeat process for all imgs

Importing into Fighter Factory
=====================
- load up palette first
- load all PCX files
- get a bunch of bullshit that looks nothing like I wanted to.  Instead, they appear in their afterimage-like colors.

I know I should've posted pics of this but I was in a rush, and like I stated before, I'm walkin 10+ blks going and leaving the library.

Does any of this make sense? Can someone help, or just provide me a easy-as-hell tutorial on palette/char creation for Photoshop CS?  I don't have this problem with KOF chars because they have enough chars to fill the palette....meh

Bastard Mami

Re: NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!)
#2  September 24, 2007, 05:56:48 pm
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if you know what you are doing, it does not matter which version or even which program are you using, so don't disregard already existing tutorials for some differences on that.

#Shaun

Re: NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!)
#3  September 24, 2007, 06:01:33 pm
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I have to disregard tutorials that use Paint Shop Pro.  Their menu interfaces and the options are completely different from Photoshop CS.  The theory is the same, but not the execution.

...i have a feeling once I'm done with lucky, I'll be taking a break for a while.  If anyone knows of a decent Photoshop CS tutorial, post a link.  Until then:

:::searches guild for tutorials I can understand:::

gia

Re: NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!)
#4  September 24, 2007, 11:40:49 pm
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I got cs2. This is my way, do it whatever you want...

Do your work whatever way you want. I use a single photoshop file with all the sprites each on separate layers, and grouped in layer folders per anim.

1. Compile a sprite sheet, like those you download, a single image with all the sprites on it, the sheet doesn't HAVE to have all sprites, just have all the ones you think have different colors. Pick any of your sprites colors and paint the background with that color.

2. Change the image mode. Look for the option Image->Mode->Indexed (in case the names are different, theres Grayscale, CMYK, RGB, etc options there). This mode allows only 256 colors, like gif images.

It will ask you how it should choose those 256 colors, use "Exact" and uncheck "transparent". There will a number below, thats the number of colors it found by using your settings, if there's more than 256 colors if will automatically change "Exact" to another setting that gets 256 colors like "Adaptative". You want 255 at most because you are going to add green/pink/whatever later for transparency. And you want it to be Exact because the other options modify your colors.

3. After you set the image mode go to Image->Mode-> again but this time look for "Color Table". It will open the palette it currently is using. Change the 256th color (bottom right) to green. All the colors that "weren't set" turn black.

Choose Save palette on that screen and save your palette.



Now go back to your separate sprites and start saving them in separate files, you can save each as pcx, or save them as psd and later run a batch that automatically applies the palettes and saves as pcx.

First: Theres two color boxes on your tool bar, the front color and the background color, change the background color to green (or pink or whatever you set the 256th color to be). Now every file your create will have that color as background.


1.Manually save as pcx.
Create file, paste single sprite.

a.Change image mode to RGB if it isn't RGB.
b.Then go back again and change to "Indexed".
b.Now instead of "Exact" use "Personalize/Custom", and load your palette file.
b.Then use "Save As" and save as a PCX file.


After the first time you don't have to load your palette again and again because the conversion setting will change to "Previous" which means use the previous custom palette you just used. So just enter the menu and press enter. And you don't have to select PCX again because it will remember you just saved as PCX, you just use save as type the name and save.


2. Batch
Save all your sprites (in different files) on the folder/s they are going to be.
Open one of them, Look for the window "Actions". Theres a big record button at the bottom of that window, push it to start recording a batch action. Now everything you do will be recorded, do what you did in 1. ^^^ and push the Stop recording button. You can check the detail of the actions you recorded just open the tree menu, give it a name you can remember easily.

Now in the Files menu (the first menu where you have "Open Save Save As"), look for the option that lets you execute batches, dont recall the name, it asks for the Action to execute, the folder to use (it will load all images on the folder and execute the action you recorded and selected on them), if it should also include images in subfolders etc, configure the stuff there, just make sure it doesn't save them to the same filename. Depending on what you record and the configuration: In the best case it will automatically save as pcx with different names, worst case all the different sprites will be saved under the same filename so it wont work (they overwrite each other), in an bleh case it will open the save dialog for each file, so you can type the correct name and make sure its saving as pcx but you'll have to do that for each file.


After that I compile the ssf with a .bat file and load the char in FF and it loads the ssf fine. If FF could do this for me I didn't know.

#Shaun

Re: NES Character Creation Question (yes, yet another question...sorry!)
#5  September 25, 2007, 04:25:43 pm
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..and the savior comes in!  Thanks man.
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