how do i get and make pixels?

[Mattbeastmaster]

how do i make pixels and what software(free to download) is best? also i dont want it to slow down my comp so is there a really good pixel program out there? and how do i post it onto my forum topics?

[Auicroa]

the best pixel program out there is the one and only Paint! just practice dood and quer skull has a tutorial somewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for the fourms

 

 

 

imageshack.us

 

 

 

copy and paste the first link.

[misterxman]

If you mean pixel sigs, MSpaint is all you will really need. There are other programs like Graphics Gale but I don't know how they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSpaint should be in your PC already if you have Windows OS. Just open it and draw with the pencil tool, experiment and try all the buttons until you have a good feel for it. A recommendation is to not post your first works until you think you made some work worthy of CC and enjoyment. :)

[Wutchagonnado]

The common program that pixels sigs are made in is MS Paint. Everyone has MS paint installed in their computer provided you have a Windows OS. Its located at Start > Programs >Accessories > "Paint" and thats the progam they use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heres a few tutorials that I have bookmarked offhand that you might enjoy sifting through

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?t=207080

 

 

 

http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?t=217937

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope ya enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Joe

[Pureleader18]

A. Photoshop: This is the industry leader, and with good reason. It has the best layer support in the industry, and special effect filters or add in programs for just about any need. It has many ways to select items, and supports all of your major file types. It is not for beginners though ,and has few hand-holding wizards. Plan on reading a lot of tutorials if you are new this type of a program. Luckily there are a lot of tutorials out there for it, probably more than any of the other such programs in this article. Like the other products in the pro segment of the market Photoshop is now incorporating web tools, vector drawing capabilities, art tools, and a whole host of other features. If you can get this program it is worth it, but the price is the limiting factor, with the program costing from $500-$600, or about $300 with your student discount. Even older versions retain their value to an amazing degree. Another option that gives you many of the features but less cost is Photoshop elements 2.0. This gives you most of the main stream tools, more wizards and strips out the power user stuff. It sells for $70-$100 dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B. Corel Photopaint; This is perhaps the only program that has even close to the sheer number of features of Photoshop, which it matches fairly evenly. It does not have near the number of users. It has a lot of power, and a fairly good interface. Like Photoshop it has layer support (called objects in this program), supports all major file types, has a whole bunch of filters and effects and can use the vast majority of Photoshop filters, though not always with as much control as with Adobe. It includes all usual ways of selecting things. It's layer support is not as great as photoshop, you cannot lock or nest into layers, but most likely you will never use all of its features either. This program also has a steep learning curve, but has fewer tutorials on line, etc. The cost varies. It can be bought on its own or more commonly as a package with Corel Draw (A vector image editor, see below). It is not cheap either way, the full Corel Draw package sells for around $300. Corel has just now come out with a program, Coreldraw essentials, which is there version of photoshop elements. It is probably a poor deal as it is based on the previous version of Corel technology and you can still pick up earlier versions of Corel Draw for fairly cheap. I got version 9, the whole package for $50. If you want power but less price, and less help, this is a good option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C. Jasc Paint Shop Pro: This very popular program is technically in a class just below Photoshop and Corel Photopaint, but in reality many find that it does just about all that is needed, and at a very reasonable price. You can also find a good number of tutorials online to make learning this program easier. the new version does have a fair number of interface changes though, so some of the older tutorials might be confusing. It has long been a shareware program which means you can try it out before buying. It too supports your standard file types, selection tools, layers, special effect filters (it supports most photoshop plug-ins) etc. It retails at about $99 and you can at times find it a bit cheaper. A tremendous value. It was just recently bought out by Corel. Who knows where they will go with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F. You can get many consumer level programs that will edit photos...but they are generally not worth it. However, there some free options out there that might perform ably enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The GIMP is an open-source port from Linux. It is fairly stable, has a fair array of features. Photoshop it is not. But it is probably the best free option out there. http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html

 

 

 

You will need to download two files. First you need the Gtk environment. This is a file that enables the other to run. Then you need the Gimp itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.Satori Photo xl is a rather helpful freeware program that allows for layers, a fair array of selection tools, Photoshop Plug-in support, and some of your most popular file formats, with the glaring exception of GIF's. This may have to do with some licensing issues. You can download it at http://www.tucows.com in shareware version. Then you get the cd key on the satori site to convert it to freeware. I am not sure why they bother with this cumbersome process (probably to sign you up on their email list).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Gifworks.com is a web app (you work within the web page) that allows basic editing and optimization of .gif images...pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. MSPaint....comes free on windows...While it is limited in nearly every way this program is still a mainstay because it is on every system. It does support jpeg and gif but strangely you have to OPEN one of those types of files before it will offer the option of saving images in these formats in certain versions....strange. Its biggest flaw is lack of layer support or filters. However, it is a great program for pixel work etc. which need no filters, transparency, etc. If you are into Pixel work you might also try out Graphicsgale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other programs or resources that aid sig production

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Other drawing tools. There are several other types of drawing tools besides paint programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A. Artistic Media Tools. These programs try to mimic traditional art media (oil paints, water colors, etc.) The most well known of these is Painter, originally by fractal, metacreations, now Corel. It is a great program for creative work. You can simulate water paints, oils, air brushing, whatever you need. If you want to incorporate original art into your sigs, this program is great, but again expensive. .It also uses Photoshop filters, etc. It retails around $300-$400. If you want a much cheaper version, Ebay often caries Painter classic, built on version 5, for about ten bucks or so. However, the classic version does not support layers...almost enough to kill it right there. I bought version 7 for 30 bucks on ebay though. Well worth the money! Another program of this type is Deep Paint by Right Hemisphere ($249), which is superior in one sense, in that it allows 3d effects by adding a bump or texture and shine or luminance to every stroke. This creates depth. Deep paint is actually designed to augment painter type programs, but does stand-alone work as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are some other free programs of this sort. Open Canvas is free in the first version of the program. Simply do a web search. A program called "project dog waffle" (I kid you not) also does recreation of traditional media, but does not support layers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B. Vector Drawing tools (Illustration Tools). Vector files are much more scalable, and not made up of pixels (as are RASERIZED images.) Vector graphics are used for illustration. They have perhaps less detail, but are smoother, scalable, clean looking. They are especially good for layout, print media, etc. A common vector format is wmf.....Windows Metafile. The most used is probably .EPS. Cartoonists etc. might use vector tools. Adobe Illustrator is probably the king here for some time, though Corel Draw was first to market perhaps and has a big following as well. Macromedia makes Freehand, another vector package. I find vector packages great for doing the actual layout of the sig because everything can be moved, text laid out perfectly, anything is scalable...it is just easier. Finished products can be converted back to raster images. A big application lately for vector work is FLASH intros etc. Flash is also by macromedia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. 3d programs. Quite a few sig makers use 3d modeling programs to enhance their sigs. You create models, then place textures on the models, rotate them to the desired angel and take still shots of them. This has two advantages over traditional 2d media. First it uses a good deal of transparency effects that produce some of the best images. Secondly it allows for much greater perspective. Some make backgrounds in 3d programs, then ported to another program for finishing. Few do models of actual items, as it is very time consuming, but those that do produce great results, and we are starting to see more around here! Most just do transparent blobs or streaks etc...but hey it is a cool effect nonetheless. As for the software, 3dstudio max by Discreet, Maya, Lightwave, Cinema 4d, Z brush, etc. are players here. Also try gmax, a free game module creator that does much of what people use 3ds max for, at least for sigs. One note though, there is no way to export still images, so you have to get creative here and port it to another program for that or just do a screen capture and crop. To say that these programs are expensive is an understatement. Plan to pay THOUSANDS of dollars for the big boys. (With a student discount Lightwave almost gets affordable...a relative term meaning somewhere around $300), Bryce, Poser, etc. Blender, anim8or and openfx are all free 3dstudios. They each have their pros and cons. Blender is a very capable program, with a fairly clunky interface, (though openfx is worse), but no undo! I can't stand not having an undo....but it is capable of professional results. Openfx was developed as a commercial program and has better support for 3ds models. Anim8tor is just fun, and maybe a bit easier. Do a web search to find their sites. For painting 3d textures, Painter 3d is good, but out of print. Check ebay. Maxon's Body Paint or Deep Paint with Texture Weapons will also do the trick. Remember, again expensive, but you knew that didn't you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Animation tools: Most of your paint programs will have some animation tools. Still there are programs that you can buy especially for this. One free tool that you might consider is by Jans freeware and is called Movies 12. http://www.jansfreeware.com/jfgraphics.htm This program allows you to make animations from jpegs, gifs or avi movies. It also adds some special transitions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Web tools: If you want to optimize your web images, Photoshop and others have some tools, but perhaps the best in this area is Macromedia Dreamweaver Suite. It is expensive, so don't get it just for sigs, but if you do a lot of web creation is worth it...course then you would probably already know about it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Fonts.There are tons of fonts out there, just type free fonts into your web browser...but be warned most sites make you wade through tons of ads to look at the actual fonts. For the really brave you can find obscure programs that allow you to make your own true type fonts, or you can use Corel Draw, and perhaps other vector tools to make them too. I found the process for making true type fonts a bit cumbersome in Corel Draw, but it is possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Considerations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The primary tool for any sig maker is your "paint" program. This is a program for creating or editing images in two dimensional space (think, not 3d). Other programs can add creative elements to your work, but your paint program makes it all come together.

 

 

 

The following is a list of suggested requirements for a solid paint package:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Layer Support: You are simply cheating yourself if your program does not support layers. The concept works like this: when you are working on your image, you can start a new layer that goes on top of, or below, your current work which adds to it, but does not change the original layer. In other words, if you don't like what you do in the new layer, just delete it and your original work is still there. Not only that but you can add different kinds of layers...ones that only change the color, or only darken, or ones that dissolve. You can also adjust the TRANSPARENCY of the layers, allowing you to see through objects, to the degree that you set the level of transparency. Layers are a must and set apart the really good programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. File Format support: There are different "types" of images that you can display on the scape board. JPEG, GIF, PNG (see above). Not all paint programs support all formats. (Need I say it, MSPAINT doesn't). You really want a program that supports JPEG and GIF at the least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Advanced selection and masking tools: Selection tools allow you to work on just one part of your image at once. Most packages allow you to select using common shapes....circles, ellipses, rectangles, etc. They also provide for selecting by a color. The better ones also allow you to select through a variety of other means such as drawing an outline (lasso tool), painting on a mask, etc. This becomes important when you want to make one portion of your drawing larger or change the color, or erase a particular section without altering the whole image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Special Effect Filters: Another area where better programs stand out is the area of special effects. These are pre-made effects that you can apply to your images, backgrounds, etc. In general, overuse of these makes a WORSE IMAGE. But judicious use of them can make quick work of some othewise tedious tasks. Keep in mind that those who use these programs often will recognize the more common filters, and will not be impressed by putting say 3 lens flares in your design....so use these sparingly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are numerous paint type programs on the market. Here is a listing of some of the features of some of the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: as you look at the programs above you will recognize that they are costly. This does not give you the right to use pirated copies. If you cannot afford the more expensive programs, then go for a cheaper one or try a free one. Using pirated copies is illegal and unethical. Do not post information that could be used to obtain illegal copies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

prolly all the info you need :shock:

[random_hero]

If you mean pixel sigs, MSpaint is all you will really need. There are other programs like Graphics Gale but I don't know how they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSpaint should be in your PC already if you have Windows OS. Just open it and draw with the pencil tool, experiment and try all the buttons until you have a good feel for it. A recommendation is to not post your first works until you think you made some work worthy of CC and enjoyment. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you heard it from the master