TTD graphic design software

[MeusH]

Hello. I'd like to make some graphics (again) - this time, tropical stations and waypoints. I'd like to ask for your help with choosing and using the software.

I'm using Photoshop 7, which is really great application, but it creates transparency wherever it's possible - So I can forget about the lasso tool.
Do you know a way to disable anti-aliasing, please? That would help me a lot.

Szappy's "Sprite editor for TTD" seems to be a good app, but it's missing layers and I'm very confused about the pixel selection - so if you suggest me to forget about Photoshop and take Sprite editor, I'd appreciate help with filling areas of different colours, changing brush size and using the selection - like drawing in selection only.

Or you work with another application? Which one is it?

Thanks in advance

[Purno]

I work with Paint. Mainly because I know all it's possibilities since I work with it for a very long time. It got all the simple tools you need for pixel work. But it hasn't got any layers or sth. (Tho you can draw two seperate things and paste them over each other from time to time. At least, that's how I would do it).

There are multiple tools you can use, use one which you can work with easily.

[lobster]

Purno's right, paint usually does the trick. personally, i always use(d) iMage, which worked fine, although it still was (and is) under construction.

[SAC]

Well, I use PSP7 too and you have this "tool option" available for each task you want to perform. The tool option often have more than one "page" and offers more options depending on what you're doing atm. And yes, there's an option for antialiasing but you need to have an image on the workdesk for it to appear using the lasso tool!

[Hyronymus]

There is a open source successor to paint called Paint.NET. I like it so much that I use it as a replacement for PSP, which I used for years. You can download Paint.NET here.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Sounds like you are using brush tool. You must use pencil tool (lasso tool is in that case applicable). One hint: decone any GRF, open obtained PCX, clear whole image and start from scratch.

[Aegir]

I tend to use The GIMP a hell of a lot. Has good functions, shift+click with the pencil tool is quite handy. I'm quite used to all of the keyboard shortcuts aswell. Handles palettes quite nicely aswell.

Runs like crap under Windows though. In Windows I tend to prefer Adobe Photoshop or MS Paint.

MS Paint is awesomely good for pixel painting, you can be almost guaranteed that it will never crash aswell .

[Dave]

It runs better in other OS?

I like The GIMP even on Windows.

[Aegir]

The GIMP runs fantasticly under linux (ofcourse), but under Windows it is prone to crashing every now and again. I've had that happen waaaay too many times to me over the course of The GIMP's lifetime on the Windows platform (God, I remember, and still have a copy of, the first major release of the Windows port, back in the 1.x.x days).

My sister hasn't complained about The GIMP under MacOSX, so I can't comment so much there.

[Whalker]

Hi.

I wanne give this a try drawing new things in ttd. But how do u realy do it? How do u draw these spriteblocks that GRF Maker wanne use? I tryed using paint and gimp and photoshop. but i don´t know how to do it. Is there any good tutorial for this? Feels like i looked thrue the whole intenet now. but can´t find any good. If i try doing it like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uWnwGfOCJ0&spfreload=1 that dosn´t work. I tryed using one sheet that was 256 by 256. Well it works but the program says i need to pick 8 sprites ( i just used like a blue scware ) I just don´t get it. Making me frustrated
so can any one plz help me before i go mad

[romazoon]

Whalker, check this page i think there should be most of what you need to get started : http://www.tt-wiki.net/wiki/Tutorials

[kamnet]

If you want to draw vehicles (trains, trucks, whatever) it needs to have 8 rotations, these are the 8 graphics that GRF Maker wants to use. I would suggest following Purno's tutorial to learn exactly how to do that and all the things OpenTTD will want in color palette and other things.

http://users.tt-forums.net/purno/PDT/

I will again reiterate my warning on using GRF Maker - it's outdated, it doesn't always work properly on newer OSes, and it's abandoned. If you can't figure it out on your own it is very likely that nobody will be able to assist you in resolving it.

You might be better off using Richard Wheeler's PixelTool to create your sprites: http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=69974

[V453000 :)]

Hello. I'd like to make some graphics (again) - this time, tropical stations and waypoints. I'd like to ask for your help with choosing and using the software.

I'm using Photoshop 7, which is really great application, but it creates transparency wherever it's possible - So I can forget about the lasso tool.
Do you know a way to disable anti-aliasing, please? That would help me a lot.

Thanks in advance

It is a really great idea to try to learn an application before trying to see if it is possible to do in another application. Photoshop works absolutely great for pixel art, I have drawn all of NUTS in photoshop.

Regarding transparency, in 8bpp transparency does not exist and if you have white (insert desired colour), then in 32bpp neither. Which answers anti-aliasing exactly the same way - 8bpp has no way to use antialiasing already. With 32bpp, you might find other tools like M - box selecting tool very useful.

Even though photoshop 7 is kind of old, I am pretty sure those super simple functions work flawlessly there; even though I am using CC2015 myself.

If you want a more modern application than your old photoshop yet do not feel like paying the stupid subscription license (if you are not using photoshop for work then you probably don't), there is Krita which works very similarly to photoshop, but I do not know how does it handle OpenTTD 8bpp palettes and whether we have any such palette available.
GIMP works, many people hate it, many don't ... but you will face the exact same issues, learning to use the application

TLDR ... From personal experience I would recommend to stick with photoshop if you already have it. Even if it is an old version, for 8bpp graphics it should have all the functions you need. GIMP has the advantage of being free, but I doubt anybody would argue that it is actually better than photoshop.

Best of luck!