Can these sprite/sheets be created in Photoshop

[John114]

Am nearing the end of this excellent course. I want to redo the course by creating new assets and a player character without using the Pixel style in the course.

Can Photoshop be used to create characters and assets used in this course and will higher res characters like in Diablo 1 if created in photoshop will work with this course. Is there a course or workflow showing how to create gamesprites and spritesheets using Photoshop and not aesprite or other tools.

May be I am wrong but was there a Photoshop course on Gamedev.tv for Games that got retired ?

[John114]

Got 1 course by Jaysen Batchelor on Udemy.
Wished Gamedev.tv had a course for pixel art using Photoshop.

[bixarrio]

Pixel art using Photoshop will certainly not look better than aseprite or even mspaint. Photoshop isn’t made for pixelart. You can definitely make better art, but not pixel art.

There is an older course on here for gameart using Gimp (which is still not photoshop, but it’s close)

2D Game Artist: Learn GIMP For Game Art

There is nothing special about pixel art vs other styles in terms of games. It’s all just images. You can use anything that can create an image to create your game art. You can take a pixel art course and do everything the course says (excluding the pixel art specific stuff) and apply that to a photoshop image. Shading is the same, whether it is done on pixel art, vector art or raster images. Shapes are still shapes. Nothing is really different.

So, to answer the original question; Yes, you can make your art in Photoshop.

[John114]

Thank You.

Wished GameDev.tv had a course for creating Unity GameAssets using Photoshop/Krita/Blender. I’m thinking if Gamedev.tv doesn’t create a course for workflow pipelines using these tools, then who would ?

It might have been easier for non-painterly artists to help them design character 3/4ths using a blocking model in blender exported as PNG sequences and then hand painted in layers in Photoshop/Krita ? Grant Abbit’s monster sculpting course is superb, but wished he showed how to create sprite sequences for 2D game animation.

[Brian_Trotter]

If I recall, several of our blender courses do cover porting models into Unity.

In terms of Photoshop, as @bixarrio pointed out, while you CAN use Photoshop, it may not be the best tool for the job. A bit like using a scalpel to split firewood…

Gimp is better suited for this, and has a fantastic monthly subscription price of nothing.

Photoshop is very good at creating textures for models, but so is Gimp.

For the most part, our courses try to avoid requiring a separate purchase to utilize the course, in this case, a course on Photoshop would require that you have a subscription to Photoshop.

[John114]

Thanks for the Reply.

I was looking into ways to convert Blender Animated 3d models into (hand painted) 2d sprite sheets. Thus its easier to create different poses of characters in blender and then use them as a base for photoshopping in Krita/Gimp/Photoshop. Also it seems its easier to create props in blender and export them as png files.

A few years ago, had seen an animation created in Maya where an NPR asteroid Rock was spinning in all 3 axes. They exported the animation as png sequences and then hand painted variations like rock fracturing and disintegrating into smaller rocks.

For Pixel art, I found this plugin for Blender. https://blendermarket.com/products/alttab-pixel?ref=247
And this tutorial for converting .blend to spritesheets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctJLhgEp3gM

And then finally stumbled upon this tutorial for turning Blender Monsters into 4 direction or 8 direction spritesheets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Io7fLYV4o Wished the techniques of this tutorial was included in Grant Abbit’s Monster sculpting course

[Brian_Trotter]

There actually is a package you import into Unity that would let you record the camera output to a video or to a sequence of images.
This will get you the images for your animation easily enough. Then you need to arrange each image so they are properly arrange in your sprite sheet. You’ll need to math out your canvas size. For best results, always ensure that both your sprite and spritesheet have a resolution that is a power of 2… for example for sprites 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, and for sprite sheets, a multiple of these, preferably a power of 2… so if you had 16 sprites in your animation, you would want a 64x64 sprite sheet. Then each sprite should be applied left to right, top to bottom, and you’ll have a sprite sheet.
This works for much higher resolutions, as well. For example, the same 16 frame sprite sheet would have a 1024x1024 canvas.

[John114]

Can yu update the answer with the name of that package plz

[Brian_Trotter]

[RayMobula]

I switched to Affinity Photo and Designer several years ago. No subscription. Pay once, done.

It’s as good as Photoshop.

[John114]

I would have agreed if Serif had quality training for their products and equivalent tools like in Photoshop. Their Illustrator equivalent has tools that are offered only in third party illustrator plugins. However…There is not much quality training with Affinity products for Game Development. The only one extensive beginner to advanced training available is quite expensive.

May be I am biased cuz I was trained in Photoshop 7 back during college days and an avid collector of Photoshop Magazines. Would have switched to Gimp if they had a better UI like Photoshop or Affinity Photo. God only knows why these FOSS software folks cannot cooperate with each other and make a unified responsive User Interface like in Blender.

[John114]

@RayMobula

Do you know about any tutorials using Serif products for creating Game Assets ?

[RayMobula]

Have you checked Master Affinity apps with our official learning resources (serif.com)

Maybe this helps. It’s a bit older, but could be a good starting point.

Quick Sprite Sheets // Affinity Photo Tutorial (youtube.com)

[John114]

Thank you so much for rekindling the spirit of Affinity designer.
It seems to be the best tool for creating Pixel art using Vector tools.

Am not biased to Photoshop anymore. I have switched to Affinity Suite.

Now that you gave me the link, my youtube AI is suggesting more tutorials for game assets with Affinity tools.

[RayMobula]

Ask Google’s Gemini to explain things.

simple prompt - maybe a bit too basic

How would I use affinity suite to make game characters for a 2.5D game, like the RPG game Diabolo 1. Please create a step by step guide, in the form of a bullet list. This should include setting up the software, using layers, color pallets, style guides, etc.

Gemini

Creating Game Characters for a 2.5D Game with Affinity Suite (Inspired by Diablo 1)
Here’s a step-by-step guide using Affinity Designer, which is best suited for vector illustrations in Affinity Suite:
Preparation:

• Software Setup:
• Download and install the latest version of Affinity Suite (https://affinity.serif.com/)
• Launch Affinity Designer and familiarize yourself with the workspace. This includes the Toolbar on the left, Layers panel, and Document window.

Inspiration & Reference:

• Collect reference images of characters from Diablo 1 or similar 2.5D RPG games. Pay close attention to details like clothing style, armor design, and pose.
• Consider creating a style guide to maintain consistency throughout your character designs. This can include a color palette for hair, skin, clothing etc.

Character Creation:

• New Document:
• File > New Document
• Set the document size based on your game’s resolution. Common resolutions for 2.5D games are 640x480 or 800x600 pixels.
• Set the Document Background to transparent (uncheck “Transparent Background”).

Basic Shapes:

• Use the Pen Tool (P) from the Toolbar to create the basic shapes for your character’s body parts. Start with foundational shapes like circles for the head and torso, rectangles for legs, and triangles for arms.
• Affinity Designer is a vector graphics software, so don’t worry about pixel-perfect precision at this stage. You can always adjust the shapes later.

Layering:

• Organize your character elements into separate layers for easier editing.
• Right-click on the Layers panel (usually on the right) and choose “New Layer” to create new layers for the head, torso, legs, arms, and any other elements.
• This allows you to isolate and modify specific parts of your character without affecting others.

Refine Shapes & Details:

• Use the Node Tool (A) to adjust the anchor points and curves of your basic shapes, creating a more refined look for your character.
• For facial features, use circles and ellipses for eyes, and smaller shapes for the nose and mouth.

Color Palettes:

• Use the Swatches panel (usually on the right) to create and manage your color palette.
• Refer to your reference materials and style guide to create a consistent color scheme for your character.
• You can define colors for skin, hair, clothing, and armor. Affinity Designer allows you to save and reuse palettes for future characters.

Style & Shading:

• Use the Fill Tool (G) to apply colors from your palette to different parts of your character.
• Experiment with the Pen Tool (P) to create shading and highlights for a more three-dimensional look. You can achieve this by using darker tones for shadows and lighter tones for highlights on separate layers.
• Exporting:
• Once you’re happy with your character design, export it as a PNG file with transparent background.
• File > Export
• Choose PNG format and ensure “Transparent Background” is checked.

Additional Tips:

• Use reference images as a guide, but don’t be afraid to add your own creative touches to your characters.
• Take advantage of Affinity Designer’s vector capabilities. You can scale your characters up or down without losing quality, making them suitable for different in-game resolutions.
• Consider creating multiple poses for your characters to show them standing, walking, or attacking.
• Affinity Designer offers tutorials and resources within the application itself. You can access them from the Help menu.

Remember, this is a basic guide. As you create more characters, you’ll develop your workflow and explore the features of Affinity Designer in more depth.