Sprite Editing!

Hey, how we doing? 

So, I have received some requests to know exactly how I do the banners and sigs I do for the DBOR forums.  Because of this, I have decided to do a small tutorial on sprite editing for those who might want to do this themselves!  Note that this tutorial is specifically for the MMO of DBOR, and while it has uses outside of it, the sprites in use will be directly related to DBOR.  Without further ado, here we go!

1. Find a base sprite.

First off, you're gonna need some basic sprites to work off of!  There are plenty of sprite sheets on the internet available for use, and as long as you edit them decently and don't make profits off of your editing, there's nothing wrong with using them.  Just type in the name of the character you want to work off of as well as sprites, and you should find multiple options for what you're looking for.  What's that, why not just make your own?  The purpose of this guide is for those who CAN'T make your own sprites, and need something a bit easier...otherwise, why are you reading this?

For this tutorial, I will be using sprites of Goku as my base.   I found it under Google Images, as where most sprites will be located.  


2. Open Paint, Turn on Gridlines

This tutorial will also be using Microsoft Paint, as that's what I typically use.  There are better programs out there (supposedly), but Microsoft Paint is a program that everyone has, and it gets the job done.  When you open the file in Paint, go to view and check the box that says "gridlines". This will allow you to see the individual pixels of the drawing once you zoom in.  Feel free to turn it off if you want to see how your work is progressing, but make sure to turn it on again once you go back to work.

3. Zoom In

I recommend going full zoom, as it gives a good view of the individual pixels of the sprite, especially with the addition of the grid.   Doing sprite work can be tedious, and it can be hard to place the pixels where you want them if you're not as zoomed in as can be.  Sometimes you'll need a reference and have to zoom out a little bit to see both, and that's fine.  Just try to keep as zoomed in as possible to avoid uneccessary failure and stress.

4. Tool 1: Paintbucket

The paint bucket is the easiest tool to use in Paint.  It's use to fill in areas of a universal color with a different color.  For example, if his hair is completely blue and you want it red, use the paint pucket tool and you can change all of it with just one simple click.


5. Tool 2: Pencil Left Mouse Button

 This tool is the bread and butter of your editing, as well as the most tedious task.  Left clicking puts a pixel of the color selected at the end of the pencil cursor, so this is what you use to place individual pixels.  You can increase the size of the pencil tool to place 4x4 pixel squares, but I wouldn't ever go higher than that.  This is what you'll use for adding in weapons, accessories, clothing, effects, and pretty much everything the paint bucket can't do.


6. Tool 3: Pencil Right Mouse Button

This tool is the exact opposite of the left click, it removes singular (or 4x4) pixels from the design.  It's pretty much Paint's small equivalent of the eraser. 

And that's about it!  There are other finer details, but these are the basics to editing sprites.  Make sure to save often, as mistakes are quite common, and make sure to pace yourself well.  Making sprites can be incredibly tedious over extended periods of time, so don't work yourself too hard.  Also, if you barely edited the sprite at all, make sure to credit the original designer of the sprite in your image, as making sprites is no easy task.  That's all for now, hope this helps!