02-06-2007, 05:26 PM
Well folks like you are one of the reasons we've come back. I don't know what happened to the graphics tutorial I wrote but I'll see if I can find it for you. Here's what I use and why and how:
Photoshop is the main graphics application I use because I've been using it for a LONG time and it's the best although you can definitely get by with one of the Corel products or Adobe Elements. Edges can be a REAL pain. What I do is get the object core (described below) to a certain state and then use the PS selection tools to:
1. Get rid of all the pixels outside the object and replace them with pure white (255,255,255) or pure aqua (0,255,266) which is what Vern uses to create a transparency map.
2. Invert the selection from 1 and use the Modify Selection->Border... and create a 1 pixel border around the graphic. You don't neccessarily have to use black and sometimes, like on a light background, it makes the graphic look blocky. If it's a level 0 graphic I will use black because that' what sets the transparency with those objects.
3. Use Image->Adjustments->Hue/Saturation... to get an edge that's much darker than the object but still works for your target background. Of all the issues that you have with graphics in MM this is THE toughest to master. Just takes a lot of playing with.
DAZ Studio (www.daz3D.com) is what I use to generate my source graphics. Good news here is it's FREE and there are a TON of free/very cheap object meshes that you can get. JAC is the DAZ Chomper character. I pick an object and get it in the pose I want. I then use the Cartoon Shader to put a dark edge around the object. I play with the background (using white, aqua, black) and the size of the object until it looks good. Then I do the post work in PS as described above. The stormtroopers, probe droids, hover droids, frog droids, turbo lasers, ships and a LOT of the graphics throughout Dominator were all created this way.
I use Bryce for backgrounds and bricks. DAZ bought out Bryce and at one point in time sold Bryce 6 for $6. Yes that's right SIX dollars. As with DAZ Studio you can find tons of content.
I now use 2 resource editors. For graphics I use Resourcerer and Rezilla for sound.
Hope this helps. I'll provide further tips down the road as I have time and questions come my way.
Later
Joe B
Photoshop is the main graphics application I use because I've been using it for a LONG time and it's the best although you can definitely get by with one of the Corel products or Adobe Elements. Edges can be a REAL pain. What I do is get the object core (described below) to a certain state and then use the PS selection tools to:
1. Get rid of all the pixels outside the object and replace them with pure white (255,255,255) or pure aqua (0,255,266) which is what Vern uses to create a transparency map.
2. Invert the selection from 1 and use the Modify Selection->Border... and create a 1 pixel border around the graphic. You don't neccessarily have to use black and sometimes, like on a light background, it makes the graphic look blocky. If it's a level 0 graphic I will use black because that' what sets the transparency with those objects.
3. Use Image->Adjustments->Hue/Saturation... to get an edge that's much darker than the object but still works for your target background. Of all the issues that you have with graphics in MM this is THE toughest to master. Just takes a lot of playing with.
DAZ Studio (www.daz3D.com) is what I use to generate my source graphics. Good news here is it's FREE and there are a TON of free/very cheap object meshes that you can get. JAC is the DAZ Chomper character. I pick an object and get it in the pose I want. I then use the Cartoon Shader to put a dark edge around the object. I play with the background (using white, aqua, black) and the size of the object until it looks good. Then I do the post work in PS as described above. The stormtroopers, probe droids, hover droids, frog droids, turbo lasers, ships and a LOT of the graphics throughout Dominator were all created this way.
I use Bryce for backgrounds and bricks. DAZ bought out Bryce and at one point in time sold Bryce 6 for $6. Yes that's right SIX dollars. As with DAZ Studio you can find tons of content.
I now use 2 resource editors. For graphics I use Resourcerer and Rezilla for sound.
Hope this helps. I'll provide further tips down the road as I have time and questions come my way.
Later
Joe B