Some Tips on Designing Graphics in MS Paint

[2006TTD]

It might not be exactly technical, but I think this forum is the most appropriate to post.
Somehow I found that there are some useful functions in paint that can help your graphics design at
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/tutorial/mspaint

Summary of skills which are the most useful:
Enlarge/Shrink Sprites

Select/highlight a region, then press Ctrl+Plus to enlarge it or Ctrl-Minus to shrink it.

Usefulness: This scales sprites in a way that keeps the right proportions.

Colour Replacement

Select the eraser tool.
In the primary color box, select the color that you want to erase.
In the secondary color box, select the color you want to replace with.
Then hold right click and sweep with the eraser tool over the ugly color.
If your drawing is large, scale the eraser brush as needed.

Usefulness: Recolouring sprites with another set of colours (such as toyland tiles in OpenGFX, which I should have realized this skill earlier ) or recolour sprites which did not have company colours with them.

Grid Tool

Press Ctrl-G to toggle the grid, zoom in the image for a smaller grid.

Usefulness: Sprites can be drawn precisely.

More on the website mentioned. I hope this can help everyone to draw sprites easier.
I tested with Paint in Windows 7 and all worked, it should also work in other versions (please check for 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista).

[Roujin]

Additional Tips for how to use MS Paint for graphics stuff:

1) Close MS Paint.
2) Download a free alternative that does not suck as hard. example 1, example 2
3) Install and start the software you downloaded.
4) ???
5) Profit!

Note: This post is based on facts. MS Paint (at least up to the one they ship with XP, haven't tried any newer ones) is really really bad for doing anything more than doodles.

[Lord Aro]

In windoze 7 they've given it the 'ribbon' which at least shows that there are features and they might even have added some
My current image editor of choice remains GIMP, or fireworks if i can get it

[2006TTD]

I tried GIMP and Paint.NET before but I still cannot get the hang of it, do you have any recommendations on those tutorials? I would like to learn how to make better use of the program.
For example, how do you draw an oval/ellipse in GIMP?
And how do you set the colour tolerance in Paint.NET, so that I could recolour pixels at once without brushing on the same area many times?

Well, everyone has their choice of tools. MS Paint is alright for me, and often I don't expect high standards for the accompanied applications from any OS, or at least Windows, how about you?

[cmoiromain]

I am also fond of MS Paint, and I knew all these "hidden" techniques. I never managed to to anything with Gimp; I try to use Paint.NET, but I also find it way too complicated. I only use it when I need transparency (Basically, I load my PNG, select all white with 0% tolerance, hit delete, and save).
I recently learned to use Photoshop (just a couple of basic features). But when it comes to drawing pixels/bitmaps (which is the case of TTD sprites), I am better off with paint. Photoshop is only useful to none-90° rotations.

To add to the list, let's remind that holding s*** while drawing a line makes it vertical/horizontal/ 45° angled. With the rectangle tool, it makes a square. With the Elipse tool, you get a circle.
Another feature (only in older versions, win95 until winXP): you can get a hidden x10 zoom by clicking the bottom line of the frame of the zoom menu. Don't even remember how I discovered this one, but it is pretty handy.

[Emperor Jake]

I use KolourPaint, which is very similar to MSpaint with the interface and tools, but it adds a few extra features that make it so much better. For example, it has a customisable palette, transparency, colour similarity and even a few basic effects. (although I use GIMP for photo work, but KolourPaint is much easier to use for sprites)

Oh, and it opens and saves PCX files.

[supermop]

To add to the list, let's remind that holding s*** while drawing a line makes it vertical/horizontal/ 45° angled.

Hmm,

no thanks,

[Purno]

Additional Tips for how to use MS Paint for graphics stuff:

1) Close MS Paint.
2) Download a free alternative that does not suck as hard. example 1, example 2
3) Install and start the software you downloaded.
4) ???
5) Profit!

Note: This post is based on facts. MS Paint (at least up to the one they ship with XP, haven't tried any newer ones) is really really bad for doing anything more than doodles.

Go troll somewhere else. Paint does the job fine. If Paint doesn't do your job, it's a limitation of you, not Paint.

[coalroads artist]

I don't really get involved here anymore but I just had to say that I would usually find myself going back to MS paint to do my graphics and I had the gimp and PSP on my machine. Simple, was easy to use and with a sample of the colour palette pasted in, I had no worries

[2006TTD]

I'm glad to see that you agree too, sometimes the simpler is better, as long as you can do your task.
On the other hand, I would like to learn about using other programs, but there aren't any full/all around tutorials. The learning curve is quite steep.

Go troll somewhere else. Paint does the job fine. If Paint doesn't do your job, it's a limitation of you, not Paint.

That's where I learn how to draw sprites, from Purno's Drawing Tutorials, and Purno is using MS Paint too.

See, Roujin? Suit yourself.

Note: This post is based on facts. MS Paint (at least from Windows 98, Me, XP and 7, haven't tried the other ones) is really really good for drawing other than doodles.

[Zephyris]

FYI my normal work flow is to create basic sub-sprites (e.g. the cargo graphics) then copy them across into paint.net to take advantage of the layers there to align the various sub sprites and create the final sprite. That way you can take of the good pixel art tools of paint (because it is just a 1990s program in disguise ) and the more powerful layer tools of paint.net.

Paint.net also isn't bad for pixelling, though tools like the line tool are a bit more clumsy. If you do want to try out pixelling in paint.net make sure you find the anti-aliasing on/off button for the line, pencil and brush tools, otherwise it is impossible. Similarly you will want to (for most purposes) set the fill tolerance to zero. Also try pressing shift when using the fill tool, then it fills all pixels in the layer with that colour, and you can control which regions are affected using the various selection tools.

[2006TTD]

Thanks for the tip Zephyris, I'll try to explore deeper into it later.

[Roujin]

Go troll somewhere else. Paint does the job fine. If Paint doesn't do your job, it's a limitation of you, not Paint.

Heya Purno,
I'm sorry that you consider my post "trolling".
I respect all of your work, and if windows paint is your tool of choice you used for all your sprites I am impressed.

As a little experiment, I just started the version of Paint that ships with win7. I found that this version is already much more usable than what I remember from WinXP. Hovewer I still find no option to set/edit a palette, have multiple layers etc., which I would call a limitation of paint, not myself.

Maybe I should have formulated my above post more carefully, I didn't want to hurt any feelings; but still I say that MS Paint is - in my opinion - lacking in a lot of places, and one should rather use any of the alternatives. If you don't share my opinion and MS Paint suits your purposes fine, then so be it.

[Purno]

First of all, Win7 Paint is annoying, it adds too many tools not made for pixel-art.

Secondly, indeed, MS Paint doesn't have many advanced features, but if you know how, you can work around them pretty well.

Most 'alternative' tools I've tried, have too many buttons, too many tools, and too many stuff to get lost in, while the main thing you need is a simple one-pixel-pencil.

[audigex]

I stick with Paint, I just can't get the hang of the others. The lack of a 100% thumbnail for example, and they just have too many features

Layering can be very useful for drawing liveries: you draw the base sprite, then go over it in a new layer. However you often have to change the base slightly and I find it's often more of a hindrance than a help.

Pixen is great for OSX, but I have pallatte issues with it.

[DanMacK]

I've tried to use other graphics programs as well, but seeing as how I tend to do most of my spriting at work, Paint is my only option. I've been using it for drawing for over 8 years now, first with train gifs as seen in my sig, and now with TTD Sprites.

There are many more advanced programs out there, but for sheer versatility, and robustness, nothing beats MSPaint IMHO.

[Drury]

I use Paint.NET for drawing, I.Mage for pallete stuff and because it supports pcx palletes and MSPaint for texture stuff (copypasting tiles next to each other to see how it'll look in-game).

One MSPaint tip - hold shift while resizing, it will keep proportions.