Creating Sprites

[Jest24]

Hi I'm new here! i wanted to get started on creating sprites for my game. I would like to know which program i should use to make sprites. Would it be better if i stick with the game maker studios tools for sprite making or should i use something else? Any tutorials with the programs recommended as well would be great.

 

[Jacob]

Well it kinda depends on what kind of graphic you want to make. But the tool in gamemaker usually does the job pretty well for simple graphics.

 

[Freedom2Fight]

If you want a little bit more power try aseprite. My signature is made using aseprite.

 

[Jest24]

If you want a little bit more power try aseprite. My signature is made using aseprite.

wow that looks real good any tutorials for that one, i do want to test a few out before i commit to buying it.

 

[Freedom2Fight]

There are tutorials at their website www.aseprite.org.

 

[Yal]

IMO what tool you're using doesn't matter too much as long as you're comfortable with it... advanced tools might let you do some things easier, but if you don't know how to apply advanced techniques properly you won't get too far. I personally use the GMS sprite editor for most pixelart graphics work and GIMP when I need to manage pencil art or photos... the GMS editor might have a bunch of bugs and shortcomings, but it's really neat when you're doing small-scale pixel art since it's basically made for it and is directly tied into GMS.

 

[Jest24]

IMO what tool you're using doesn't matter too much as long as you're comfortable with it... advanced tools might let you do some things easier, but if you don't know how to apply advanced techniques properly you won't get too far. I personally use the GMS sprite editor for most pixelart graphics work and GIMP when I need to manage pencil art or photos... the GMS editor might have a bunch of bugs and shortcomings, but it's really neat when you're doing small-scale pixel art since it's basically made for it and is directly tied into GMS.

i do want to incorporate some handrawn things and pencil art in there, I'm going to try to stick to the GMS editor first to get a flow of it. Thanks other recommendations would be great, also for the GMS editor any great tutorials?

 

[HayManMarc]

I use GIMP, but I've been using it a long time. It's free, powerful, and has a large userbase and an abundance of tutorials and help docs.

 

[Yal]

Yeah, you really need to spend time to learn using GIMP before it actually helps... it's powerful but kinda hard to use. One thing I'd recommend learning as soon as possible is the hotkeys to change tools - not having to move your mouse over to the tool palette every ten seconds does wonders to your workflow feeling more like a flow. You should also check out all built-in filters and see what they do, some have handy side-effects (like the Cartoon filter boosting outlines being really useful when you want to turn an image into monochrome black/white) and knowing how to use them will be necessary to unlock TRUE POWER.

 

[Vxss57]

Not sure if helpful but a graphic tablet can be very useful when it comes to drawing, and you can pick up cheap ones on ebay. Since its pixel, you dont have to worry about pressure sensitivity.

 

[JasonTomLee]

Aseprite ftw!! But you should honestly use the original Gamemaker sprite editor first~ Get used to all the basic functions & tools, then you can start dabbing around with layering& other stuff on Aseprite !

 

[gamedev4life]

def go w photoshop if you can, if you cant then use gimp and or mypaint