What to use for graphics for my app?

Getting Started Newbie Questions
#1

I’ve been making quite a few text based apps since I can’t find anything to make graphics and characters for games, but now I want to start making actual games. What do you guys use for making characters and graphics for your apps? I would also love it if it was open source!

#2

The best open source Photoshop-like package I recommend is Gimp (http://gimp.org).

If you have a Mac and have a few - but not a lot - of $$$'s… Affinity Designer is the best Illustrator clone and you really can’t go wrong with investing in Pixelmator. Both apps have had really solid updates with new features and are straightforward to pick up and use.

There’s also some pretty good icons and sprite characters available for cheap at themeforest.com. $5 to $20 buys you everything you need to knock together a quick game or two.

#3

thanks for the suggestions, I’ve also never made graphics before so would I basically just make a picture, save it, then add it to my app?

#4

There is a free vector drawing tool called InkScape which quite a few people use. 

Rob

#5

Thanks so much! so basically I do what I said before, just make the graphics then add them to the code using

local image = display.newImage(“filename.png”)

I could then do what ever I want with it right?

#6

Personally I always use:

local image = display.newImageRect("filename.png", width, height)

So that I can set the image size to exactly what I need it to be on screen. If you need an image to be 2% smaller it’s much easier to change the width and height values in your code than changing the original image and exporting again (IMO).

#7

I find this thread interesting as I’m also looking for gfx that can be bought to use in my games. Unfortunately if you have any hope of actaully making money on your games $20 won’t get you far - at least not with companies like graphicriver.net / themeforest.com, 123rf.com etc.

Typically a simple gfx object like the car below is sold for $5:

pv_80.jpg

http://graphicriver.net/item/car-top-view/8975091?WT.oss_phrase=car%20top%20view&WT.oss_rank=1&WT.z_author=macrovector&WT.ac=search_thumb

But this is a “regular licence”. If you want to use it for a commercial project (something you can make money on), the price skyrocket to $75 for this simple object!

I have bought a bunch of gfx from 123rf and used in my projects and was quite satisfied that I had done everything by the book. But then I found out about these extended licencing rules…

So instead of using maybe $50 on gfx for a simple game I could end up using $750… Not very tempting when the odds of making a “hit” is somewhere between non-existent and slim  :stuck_out_tongue:

So - are there any other good sources for game gfx that is not in the price range as the example above? Another weakness with 123rf is that they do not have clip art with transparency.

#8

Thanks inkscape is exactly what I was looking for the only problem I’m having with it is, how do I export my image so it’s not in a box? I’m trying to make a cookie but whenever I add it to my game it has a white box making the cookie a square do you know how I could get rid of or hide the box?

#9

Select the graphic with selection tool. Then go  to File/ Export Bitmap. Under Export Area, choose Selection. Under Filename, choose your folder where you want to export to. Check the box that says Hide All Except Selected. Click Export button and you are done.
You should have a PNG file with alpha transparency. 

#10

Exactly what I needed thanks! 

#11

The best open source Photoshop-like package I recommend is Gimp (http://gimp.org).

If you have a Mac and have a few - but not a lot - of $$$'s… Affinity Designer is the best Illustrator clone and you really can’t go wrong with investing in Pixelmator. Both apps have had really solid updates with new features and are straightforward to pick up and use.

There’s also some pretty good icons and sprite characters available for cheap at themeforest.com. $5 to $20 buys you everything you need to knock together a quick game or two.

#12

thanks for the suggestions, I’ve also never made graphics before so would I basically just make a picture, save it, then add it to my app?

#13

There is a free vector drawing tool called InkScape which quite a few people use. 

Rob

#14

Thanks so much! so basically I do what I said before, just make the graphics then add them to the code using

local image = display.newImage(“filename.png”)

I could then do what ever I want with it right?

#15

Personally I always use:

local image = display.newImageRect("filename.png", width, height)

So that I can set the image size to exactly what I need it to be on screen. If you need an image to be 2% smaller it’s much easier to change the width and height values in your code than changing the original image and exporting again (IMO).

#16

I find this thread interesting as I’m also looking for gfx that can be bought to use in my games. Unfortunately if you have any hope of actaully making money on your games $20 won’t get you far - at least not with companies like graphicriver.net / themeforest.com, 123rf.com etc.

Typically a simple gfx object like the car below is sold for $5:

pv_80.jpg

http://graphicriver.net/item/car-top-view/8975091?WT.oss_phrase=car%20top%20view&WT.oss_rank=1&WT.z_author=macrovector&WT.ac=search_thumb

But this is a “regular licence”. If you want to use it for a commercial project (something you can make money on), the price skyrocket to $75 for this simple object!

I have bought a bunch of gfx from 123rf and used in my projects and was quite satisfied that I had done everything by the book. But then I found out about these extended licencing rules…

So instead of using maybe $50 on gfx for a simple game I could end up using $750… Not very tempting when the odds of making a “hit” is somewhere between non-existent and slim  :stuck_out_tongue:

So - are there any other good sources for game gfx that is not in the price range as the example above? Another weakness with 123rf is that they do not have clip art with transparency.

#17

Thanks inkscape is exactly what I was looking for the only problem I’m having with it is, how do I export my image so it’s not in a box? I’m trying to make a cookie but whenever I add it to my game it has a white box making the cookie a square do you know how I could get rid of or hide the box?

#18

Select the graphic with selection tool. Then go  to File/ Export Bitmap. Under Export Area, choose Selection. Under Filename, choose your folder where you want to export to. Check the box that says Hide All Except Selected. Click Export button and you are done.
You should have a PNG file with alpha transparency. 

#19

Exactly what I needed thanks!