So i'm using gimp, and I was wondering...

Can we use partially transparent colors for anti-aliasing?
If not, why not?

well, in GIMP I aa'd to a white background with a black image but it looks kinda nasty so if I made it partially transparent would it be against any un-written rule?

JAL wrote a huge thread about the no-no of the partial transparencies in this forum. go ahead and search it.

I still don't understand the argument you made way back when. In the case that the BG will be dynamic and can't be predicted or compensated for by hand, it's not laziness, but rather versatility, that drives one to use semitransparency. Now, using semitransparency when you're merging separate pixel art pieces (or multiple layers in a PSD) that won't move over each other dynamically is just f'ed up and definitely lazy. But why is it unacceptable for a piece that will be moving over a lot of other images and could use some antialiasing? Inflating final color count IS a consequence, yes, so is that it?

Edited by Monkey 'o Doom - 11 February 2008 at 8:10pm

I agree with MoD. Limiting transparency is like saying you can't use a component of color. It is like saying that you can't use red. The image background changes with your forum theme. I would think the artist would like their art to look good in all contexts.

Sorry i was talking about generall inner AA, outer PNG translucent AA is definetely a different beast. I would say it was ok though. It would obviously have to be stated, perhaps even what colour was used and what level of opacity. Simply because they had full control over what they were doing and the results expected, on a pixel by pixel level. Simply they'd know a 50% opacity black on a white background would become 50% gray, etc, just as they'd know a pure gray would look greener next to a bright red or whatever.

The problem with the link i gave and the fourth image in that thread is that with good planning you'd never notice a difference and it would look fine and pixel-by-pixel placed. Although that is same with inner AA, and so all we can say is that they should learn how to do it 'normally' as it would improve their skills, but we can't really stop them unless they state they have done it or if they have done it really badly. If they do do it really badly and don't state they have done translucency, then i would take action against them if that was made clear in the rules. But if they do it well and do state they have done it and what they have done, then that should be fine imo. As long as other rules aren't effected, such as high colour counts etc.

Right?

I rambled a bit there so i may have contradicted myself then... but i don't think so.

I made the alpha transparency channel by hand for the glow on this avatar.  I think transparency is just another part of pixel art. After all, I use sprites with handmade alpha transparency in all the games I make now. Also, I would say that every combination of one color with one alpha level would count as another color; what's behind the pixel art shouldn't be taken into thought when judging that sort of thing. The fire on my space ship would look horrible if it faded to black when halfway covering a shiny light gray flying saucer... Same deal with my bullets. Here's an old screenshot that also shows the bullet sprite and alpha mask at the top:


Edited by DeProgrammer - 22 February 2008 at 9:34am