Making avatar parts
From CMC Wiki
This is an article detailing general guidelines on how to create and submit your own avatar parts.
Contents |
File Format
Avatar parts are kept in 60x95 RGBA (supports an alpha or transparency channel) png files.
- 60 pixels width
- 95 pixels height
- 24 or 32 bit color
- RGBA format .png
Instead of manually setting the graphics editor to save the file with these settings, you can simply open an existing avatar part, or the blank template file.
Graphics Editors
GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a popular graphics editor for ad-hoc artwork, because it can be easily and legally obtained for free. It's not a brilliant editor - it's easy to lose parts of the GUI and it crashes frequently, amongst other problems - but then you get what you pay for. It is suitable for making avatar parts, if you don't already have something better.
- Lossless file format: .xcf
- GIMP official download page
- GIMP wikipedia article
Paint Shop Pro
Corel Paint Shop Pro is a (relatively) cheap and popular graphics editor. Version 7 supports alpha channels through the use of masks, but I'm not sure how. Later versions might have better support?
- Lossless file format: .psp
- Paint Shop Pro trial download
- Paint Shop Pro wikipedia article
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the market leader of graphics editors and considered by most who have it to be the best. It's expensive though. Also, I've never used this, so I don't really have a clue about it.
- Lossless file format: .psd
- Photoshop trial download
- Photoshop wikipedia article
MS Paint
MS Paint comes by default with the installation of Windows. It is an incredibly simple and easy to use graphics editor. However, it does not support alpha channels and is therefore mostly unsuitable for making avatar parts. It could theoretically be used for making background type parts, as they don't require transparency - however the limited range of tools available makes it a poor choice still.
- Lossless file format: .bmp
- MS Paint wikipedia article
General Guidelines
Before starting
- Don't go blatantly plagiarising other sources. There's a reason we don't have a Buster Sword and a Darth Vader suit.
- Feel free to take inspiration from more generic ideas though. It's not like anyone holds the copyrights to spiky yellow hair.
- Don't use another person's avatar parts as a basis for your own, unless you have their permission.
- Don't make anything that could be considered offensive.
- Delete your shortcut to MS Paint. Seriously, never use it again.
While making the parts
- Save often (especially if using GIMP - it crashes a lot), in separate files, in case mistakes are made that can't be easily remedied.
- When saving an incomplete avatar part, save in the program's lossless file format. This will keep all layers, vectors, produce no artifacts, and will in general be more easily editable.
- Draw in 2x or 3x size, then do a linear or cubic resize down once you're finished. This will help remove unwanted pixelly edges.
- Try keeping other avatar parts (ie a base body set) on a different layer to use as a guide (delete afterwards).
After you're done
- Don't save the colors of transparent pixels (this should be an option).
- Don't use any compression methods (the filesize is small enough as is). This is very important, as compression can ruin an otherwise great avatar part.
- Don't submit loads of paletteswaps of the same part. One or two is plenty in most cases, unless the part proves hugely popular.
- Don't get annoyed if your submission doesn't get accepted. If you don't feel the reason is obvious, feel free to ask why the part was rejected.
Where to send them
Basically, either C-Mail, e-mail or PM masamunemaniac your submissions. Photobucket can be used as a free host for your images.
Please also mention with your submission the layer the part goes on, a suggestion name, and what your CMC username is (it's not always obvious from your e-mail address).
Categories: CMC | Stub
