~Spriting Faq~

[JoshR691]

Actually, with Microsoft GIF Animator, you don't have to save each sprite as a separate file...I mean, you have to have the Length & Width for each frame already set up, I usually do so by placing each sprite over each other, and creating a Black box around it, then place each frame inside the boxes, and finally copy & paste each into the program...

That's how I turn this: into this(adding in a few extra frames):

Here's the wiki, it's not much help, but it has a decent screenshot of what you'll see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_GIF_Animator
and here's an explanation of the tools that go across the top:
(First set) New, Open, Save, Insert, Save as (Second Set) Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete (the rest) Select All, Move up, move down, Preview, Help. (The Tabs) Options, Animation, Image(Animation & Image aren't shown on the wiki, as you have to have at least one frame in the program to use them)
Most of it's what you would see in Microsoft word. Insert's kind of useless, I always just use the paste...The Tabs need the most explanation, as they're what you'll be focusing on...Even so, It's kind of basic, but it takes a little while to get used to some stuff...

Options Tab:
I have my 'Import Color Palette' set up with 'Optimal Palette' but it sometimes it gets rid of a color(if it's too close to another shade)....To be honest, I don't have a clue what the two check boxes do, so I just ignore them...

Animation Tab:
If you're making a looping animation, place your frames in the program, hit the 'Animation' tab, check 'Looping' and 'Repeat forever.'...If you don't have it looping, it will just go through the frames once, and stop, so 'Repeat Forever' is probably the best option

Image Tab:
To add specifics to your animation, click the 'Image' Tab. 'Duration' & 'Transparency' is what I usually have to use, but the 'Left' & 'Top' options are there if you screwed up and selected less/more pixels than you wanted to...you can adjust them, but the extra space won't become transparent when saved (at least in my experiences).
'Duration' is set in 100'ths of a second(100=1 Second, kind of obvious, but I'm elaborating...) you can't use decimals in there(so no 5.5, set it to either 6 or 5).
'Transparency' confused me when I first downloaded the program, but I got the hang of it...I usually wait until I have every frame in the animation (so I can just hit 'Select all' and do it easily). Anyway, set the 'Undraw Method' to 'Restore Background' then check 'Transparency'...If you have all of the frames selected, you won't be able to see the 'Transparent Color' which automatically selects the color that is used most in every frame (In the case of my example, the light pale green)..If it doesn't select the color you wanted as your transparent one, then click on that color, and it brings the palette up...Select the color you want to be transparent, and it will be set....

Click Preview, and see if the animation needs some tweaking, if it does, spend a few more minutes trying to fix what's wrong, but if it's perfect, just save, and you're done.

...I'm not too good at explaining these kinds of things, but I hope this helped

[Vipershark]

No Gif program will read and understand every sprite from an image and compile it into a gif. such thing has to be done by hand. some more elaborated/complex softwares allows you to select and copy the specific parts of an image and re arrange them as an animation.

yes, as terrible it may be, you have to do it by hand.

not what I'm talking about
I know that there is no such thing as a program that you can open a spritesheet in and it will get the frames for you

I want one where I can copy and paste the individual frames by hand to make an animation
like game maker's animator but better, yanno?

[triptych]

if you're okay with just switching to something other than paint

download graphicsgale from their site and get the keygen by CORE because every other keygen is a trojan or doesn't work.

---

or buy it if you dont want to cheat

[Shawn]

i use gamani's gif movie gear and it allows me to copy and paste frames into it. it also has a sprite editor in it that allows you to change the frames around.

[Shroob2]

No Gif program will read and understand every sprite from an image and compile it into a gif. such thing has to be done by hand. some more elaborated/complex softwares allows you to select and copy the specific parts of an image and re arrange them as an animation.

yes, as terrible it may be, you have to do it by hand.

not what I'm talking about
I know that there is no such thing as a program that you can open a spritesheet in and it will get the frames for you

I want one where I can copy and paste the individual frames by hand to make an animation
like game maker's animator but better, yanno?

Google up Beneton. It's like Microsoft GIF, only easier to use. You just have to do a lot of copypasta, but you don't have to save each sprite individually.

[Torres.]

I have a question for the microsoft gif, i have a 4 frame animation and the frames work just fine, two problems:

1. My sprite's quality and colors have been slightly changed
2. what number should I put for Duration 1/100 of a second, whatever number i do, it goes WAY to fast.

[Cobalt Blue]

10/100 is a somehow standard(my avatar's speed is 10/100). there is no browser currently that can support speeds below 3/100.

some Softwares allow you to set a frame speed for each frame, but most usually set it for every one.

PS: microsoft gif etc. sucks for what i have tired. Animation Shop 3 is exponentially more awesome and free.

[Torres.]

Thanks, but does anyone know about the low quality change, it looks like my sprite is dithered now.

[Cobalt Blue]

Import Method: Solid.

[King of Bad Posters]

Why is anatomy so important in a sprite?

[triptych]

Anatomy is important with every form of art, not just spriting. When someone has a problem with anatomy(like you), it's because they(you) have a refusal to learn anything about anatomy from a real source, and instead stick to making shit up as they(you) go. You need to learn anatomy before you're able to branch off and try less realistic proportions so that you avoid looking you you do in every thread you make ever

[King of Bad Posters]

You didnt answer my question you just basicly said to shut up and learn anatomy.

[triptych]

>Why is anatomy so important in a sprite?

>When someone has a problem with anatomy(like you), it's because they(you) have a refusal to learn anything about anatomy from a real source, and instead stick to making shit up as they(you) go
>implying that anatomy is important because otherwise you end up making shit up as you go and looking fucking retarded as you do


how is that not an answer

[Shroob2]

It was a harsh answer, but an answer.

[Omegakyogre]

Q: What's hue shifting, and how is it helpful?
A: Hue shifting is, strictly speaking, gradually shifting from one color (say, yellow) to another (say, orange). One of its most useful applications applies when it is combined with shading to make a sprite look more interesting. For instance:

1. This is an example of not hue shifting. For the three darker shades, the only thing changed was luminosity (how bright the color is); the hue (the base color) of the colors remained unchanged. Compare this to the other two. This one looks the most flat, and the most boring. This is where hue shifting comes in.
2. For this sprite, luminosity changes are combined with hue shifting towards red: For every darker shade, the color is 'shifted' towards red a little more. This adds depth and it makes the sprite more interesting to look at. Because the two are combined, there is more contrast between the shades than in 1 or 3, giving this sprite the harshest light source of the three. This isn't necessarily worse than 3 - it's a matter of what style you're going for.
3. The outline looks slightly different on this one. For this sprite, the luminosity changes between the shades are significantly reduced, so most of the contrast you see is purely from hue shifting. This does a few things: It gives you the same soft lighting as in the first sprite while adding more depth via contrast, and, like 2, is more interesting to look at.

For colors other than yellow, you typically don't need to use as much hue shifting, but it's still very useful. If your sprite is red, for instance, you may want to shift it towards purple in darker shades - but keep in mind: this will change the overall look of the color of the sprite and may not be what you're looking for. Yellow-green shifts well to dark green, and cyan (blue-green) shifts well to dark blue.