Pixel Logic

Pixel Logic About the Author Table of contents 0. Introduction chapter What is pixel art? Where to start? What software to use? What hardware to use? Retro hardware Software tools Canvas size Mixels 1. Line Art Intro Lines and curves Lines are everywhere Outlines No outline Black inline Black contour Coloured outline Shaded Outlines End 2. Anti-Aliasing Intro When is it necessary? AA or no AA? How to apply? Flat curves 45° lines Jagged lines Line weight Banding End 3. Colour Intro How to pick colours? Why make palettes? Colour ramps Hue shifting Black tones Using greys Picking colours I Picking colours II Picking colours III Contrast Different limitations Sprites with limited colours Scenes with limited colours Extreme limitation End 4. Readability Intro Size Matters ... ... but pixels matter more! Why every pixel matters I Why every pixel matters II Recognisable features Easy to read symbols Symbols I - Hands Symbols II -Eyes Character design & Proportions Silhouettes Colour design Light & Shadow Spacing Sprites on backgrounds Anti-aliasing & Dithering How to spot readability issues End 5. Dithering Intro When to use dithering? Checkered dithering More patterns Parallel lines Discontinued lines Dents Intertwined dithering Random dithering Stylised dithering More than just gradients Brushes for dithering? Before transparent layers ... Dithering isn't new End 6. Game Perspectives Intro Orthographic projections Side view Top-down view Top view Paraline views Isometric view Making objects Drawing a circle on a horizontal plane Drawing a circle on a vertical plane Finding the tip of a cone/pyramid Converting sprites to an isometric view Terrain 45° Dimetric Oblique True Perspective Clarity Issues Using guidelines Showing scale End 7. Clean-up Intro From rough to clean Adjusting your sprite Cleaner shapes Multiple versions The Selection tool Scaling & Rotating Sharpness Various possible tweaks From start to finish I From start to finish II From start to finish III End 8. Subpixeling Intro When & How Shifting pieels Line weight Split pixels Tricking the eye Selective Outline Animating subpixels Let's get moving Case Study: Capcom Readability Advanced pixel shifts Case Study: Owlboy A few more tips End 9. Animation Intro How to Study Timelines in softwares Animation techniques Squash and Stretch Anticipation Breakdown Easing in and out Smears Overshoots Overlap & Follow-throughs The Four Methods Silhouette Recycling frames Start from Traditional Art Line art Limited frames The Onion skin Line boiling Parallax scrolling End Afterword Guest Artists Bibliography End & Contact