81 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
81 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Creating Textures
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layout: default
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root: ../..
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idx: 2.2
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description: An introduction to making textures in your editor of choice, an a guide on GIMP.
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redirect_from: /en/chapters/creating_textures.html
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---
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## Introduction
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Being able to create and optimise textures is a very useful skill when
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developing for Minetest.
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There are many techniques relevant to working on pixel art textures,
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and understanding these techniques will greatly improve
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the quality of the textures you create.
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Detailed approaches to creating good pixel art are outside the scope
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of this book, and instead only the most relevant basic techniques
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will be covered.
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There are many [good online tutorials](http://www.photonstorm.com/art/tutorials-art/16x16-pixel-art-tutorial)
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available, which cover pixel art in much more detail.
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* [Learning to Draw](#learning-to-draw)
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* [Techniques](#techniques)
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* [Editors](#editors)
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## Techniques
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### Using the Pencil
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The pencil tool is available in most editors. When set to its lowest size,
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it allows you to edit one pixel at a time without changing any other parts
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of the image. By manipulating the pixels one at a time, you create clear
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and sharp textures without unintended blurring. It also gives you a high
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level of precision and control.
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### Tiling
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Textures used for nodes should generally be designed to tile. This means
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when you place multiple nodes with the same texture together, the edges line
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up correctly.
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<!-- IMAGE NEEDED - cobblestone that tiles correctly -->
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If you fail to match the edges correctly, the result is far less pleasing
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to look at.
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<!-- IMAGE NEEDED - node that doesn't tile correctly -->
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### Transparency
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Transparency is important when creating textures for nearly all craftitems
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and some nodes, such as glass.
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Not all editors support transparency, so make sure you choose an
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editor which is suitable for the textures you wish to create.
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## Editors
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### MS Paint
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MS Paint is a simple editor which can be useful for basic texture
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design; however, it does not support transparency.
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This usually won't matter when making textures for the sides of nodes,
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but if you need transparency in your textures you should choose a
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different editor.
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### GIMP
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GIMP is commonly used in the Minetest community. It has quite a high
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learning curve because many of its features are not immediately
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obvious.
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When using GIMP, the pencil tool can be selected from the Toolbox:
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<figure>
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<img src="{{ page.root }}//static/pixel_art_gimp_pencil.png" alt="Pencil in GIMP">
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</figure>
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It's also advisable to select the Hard edge checkbox for the eraser tool.
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