What do you use to create PC Engine graphics?

[soop]

I'm guessing you could use just about anything, but if there's something more appropriate?

I'd be interested particularly in a program that can take a jpeg or a bitmap and convert it to the closest approximation of the PC Engine's palette.  Plus, as I'm currently using a netbook with a pointy nub or a desktop connected to a TV with a wireless keyboard, it would be nice to get something specifically designed for pixel art.

[djcouchycouch]

I'm working on a Genesis game project (Goplanes) and I've been using Graphics Gale (http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/) for my pixel art/animation needs. It supports bitmaps with 16 color palettes. It supports importing and exporting palettes. It should also be able to support importing bitmaps and/or jpegs.

ps: As there are 32 available palettes on the Turbografx, and each color's depth is 9bit (3 bits for red, green and blue) and configurable, there is no "one" TG16 palette.

[Arkhan]

I use NeoPaint and Grafx2, since they have proper PCX support.

[soop]

I use NeoPaint and Grafx2, since they have proper PCX support.

Ah, that's interesting.  I wanted to have a look at those tutorial PCX's and couldn't open them, I completely forgot that.

[Arkhan]

Yeah, if you want maximum painting powarrrrr, I suggest NeoPaint and Grafx2.

Screw all that expensive horsejive.

[sunteam_paul]

I use Photoshop because I've used it for years and am very comfortable with it, but I guess any other paint software that allows layers is just as handy for stuff like this. I find pixel art is much easier with a mouse. I have a Wacom pad but only use that for drawing other stuff.

[Nando]

Just started doing pixel art, but I've been using Photoshop for quite a long time as well. If you have any tool that you are comfortable with already and it lets you do pixel lvl work, then just go with that. Learning curves can be a bitch if you want to churn out artwork NOW!

Also, if I recall correctly, Paul said that GIMP saves color the the PCX files in the format expected by the machine, and photoshop saves it backwards.  I think. Paul?

[Arkhan]

He probably said that.

Photoshop saves PCX file palettes upside down.  GIMP has a way to flip them back to non-upside downy.

[Keranu]

Tile Studio - simple, yet powerful. Animation is a breeze, you can flip through frames and play loops instantly.

[soop]

I'll try them all out, but I have to say, I grew up with Deluxe Paint, so I'm very comfortable with it.  Looks like Grafx is the favorite so far.  But as Paul says, I might need to wait until I get a mouse.

[Arkhan]

I'll try them all out, but I have to say, I grew up with Deluxe Paint, so I'm very comfortable with it.  Looks like Grafx is the favorite so far.  But as Paul says, I might need to wait until I get a mouse.

I'll try them all out, but I have to say, I grew up with Deluxe Paint, so I'm very comfortable with it.  Looks like Grafx is the favorite so far.  But as Paul says, I might need to wait until I get a mouse.

Grafx2 was made by AmigaDemoPeople

so, if you like DPaint, Grafx2 is going to make you hard in the pants.

[Black Tiger]

I use RGB2PCE to convert images to PCE colors and everything digital I do in Photoshop 7. Once I got comfortable touching up graphics and doing pixel art, I began to just convert to PCE colors and then redraw pixel by pixel on a new layer. Before that, I would convert sections of a screenshot that are at least one sixteenth of the screen size down to around 15- 19 colors tops, but as low as I could go without losing too much detail and shading. Then I would touch everything up.

For original artwork, I draw everything on animation paper, scan in a clean lined drawing at 600dpi, paint it using only PCE colors, balance thd composition proportionate to PCE res, resize down to actual PCE res and then convert/touch up.

[SignOfZeta]

Do any (all?) of these "pixel art"-specific programs easily accommodate working from scanned original line art? I'd really like to get into this sort of thing but I about as far as possible from those dudes that can draw with a mouse.

I want to do this "Capcom 1995" style.

[Arkhan]

Do any (all?) of these "pixel art"-specific programs easily accommodate working from scanned original line art? I'd really like to get into this sort of thing but I about as far as possible from those dudes that can draw with a mouse.

I want to do this "Capcom 1995" style.

I used Grafx2 for this.

I scanned in some crap, resized to 800x600 res (was for an RPG I was goofing with when I was 12), and colored them in Grafx2.

NeoPaint is great for this as well.  Those other programs (graphics gale, and shit), will do the same.


I'm all about using PaintPrograms that are free, or <100$


If you don't need proper PCX support, the sky is the limit.   For good PCX support, I suggest NeoPaint or Grafx2.

[Nando]

Do any (all?) of these "pixel art"-specific programs easily accommodate working from scanned original line art? I'd really like to get into this sort of thing but I about as far as possible from those dudes that can draw with a mouse.

I want to do this "Capcom 1995" style.

Gimp, if you want to go the free route, and it's a good program. Just a bit of a learning curve.