New Software
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: The Lounge
Forum Name: Resources and Support
Forum Discription: Help your fellow pixel artists out with links to good tutorials, other forums, software, fonts, etc. Bugs and support issues should go here as well.
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=889
Printed Date: 09 September 2025 at 4:10pm
Topic: New Software
Posted By: pmprog
Subject: New Software
Date Posted: 25 September 2005 at 2:01am
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Hi, I'm currently writing a new graphics package primarily designed for pixel art. It will be free for anyone to use. What I would like is suggestions for tools/options to include to make pixelling easy. Planned Featues: @ Supported formats: PNG, BMP, GIF, JPG, and PPA (my own format) @ Layers (only saved in my own format) @ Transparancy (in formats which allow) @ Zoom (Quick zoom controlled by mouse wheel) @ Pen @ Fill @ Dither Calculator My Dither Calculator will be a tool where you put your two colours, and how far apart they are, and it will try to work out how many and which colours would look best at dithering between the two. If you have an idea and feel like sharing, please send me any suggestions by PM on PixelJoint, or post a reply to this topic. Thanks, Mark |
Replies:
Posted By: Zoomrix
Date Posted: 25 September 2005 at 1:29pm
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@ A preview window with the 100% zoomed out view. (Like in paint when you go to View > Thumbnail and it shows you the progress at 100% zoom) If you know what I mean. ------------- http://zoomrix.com - My Portfolio |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 25 September 2005 at 2:13pm
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Originally posted by Zoomrix @ A preview window with the 100% zoomed out view. (Like in paint when you go to View > Thumbnail and it shows you the progress at 100% zoom) Added to the ToDo list. Thanks |
Posted By: pangaru
Date Posted: 11 October 2005 at 4:27pm
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Cool idea, how about an eraser? Oh, and maybe something that shows the properties of the picture (like how many colors used, how large it is) ------------- I swear, adjustable waistbands are going to take over the world... |
Posted By: Pixel_Outlaw
Date Posted: 11 October 2005 at 6:19pm
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Well some dithering like the older computers like the black and white pattern dithering. Also a SAVE a Palette unlike paint which never saves your colors. What language are you gonna use? I wish you the best, nobody really liked my palette generator.
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Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 12:08am
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Originally posted by pangaru Cool idea, how about an eraser? Normally I would say just use the background colour of the pen, however, when I add the layers facility, you'll want to be able to remove pixels from the layer rather than painting them a background colour. Added to the ToDo list
Originally posted by pangaru Oh, and maybe something that shows the properties of the picture (like how many colors used, how large it is) Dimensions and colour depth will be shown. Should be able to calc colours used, so I'll add it to the ToDo list.
Originally posted by Pixel_Outlaw Well some dithering like the older computers like the black and white pattern dithering. Also a SAVE a Palette unlike paint which never saves your colors.  It already saves the palette  In my planned features I already had a dither calc, maybe extend it into a brush?
Originally posted by Pixel_Outlaw What language are you gonna use? VB.NET, I wanted to build it quite quickly, and it gave me quick access to various graphic formats etc. It's not too bad, but it'll require the .NET framework to run. Sorry 
Originally posted by Pixel_Outlaw I wish you the best, nobody really liked my palette generator.  Thanks. I wouldn't feel too disheartened, very few people use any of the programs/games I write. But as long as I use them, it will always seem worth while. |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 1:36am
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So when will this thing be up for trial?
If you really want to make it pixel art specific you are going to have to have some sort of animation function. @Pixel_Outlaw: Once you get to a certain level outside programs for generating colours become a hinderance. |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 5:55am
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Originally posted by Akira So when will this thing be up for trial? The palette mode images are giving me some major problems at the moment. I need to re-write that entire section. I will try and get a Alpha version up at the weekend. It will be missing most of it's features, but it will allow you the absolute basic (create new image, load and save images, and draw on them in colours)
Originally posted by Akira If you really want to make it pixel art specific you are going to have to have some sort of animation function. Had thought about this, although I'm not sure if GDI+ can produce animated GIF's... I'll check it out |
Posted By: Filax_666
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 10:09am
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Will it work on mac? cause i rarely have acess to a windows and i would like to try this when its ready... |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 11:31am
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Originally posted by Filax_666 Will it work on mac? cause i barely have acess to a windows and i would like to try this when its ready... You might just be in luck... GDI+ is being a PIA with paletted images  ,
so I'm thinking of switching language to C and using the SDL library,
which means it would be compilable on Windows, Mac, *nix' etc.Unfortunately, this will push back the alpha, but I am seriously considering the change... |
Posted By: Pixel_Outlaw
Date Posted: 12 October 2005 at 8:58pm
When can we see the project? I want screens!!!!!
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Posted By: ex0
Date Posted: 11 November 2005 at 1:45pm
| What might be nice for iso artists is when you use the line tool you can 'lock' it into the perfect iso lines as opposed to only locking it 90 degrees like most graphic editors by holding shift. |
Posted By: KaZoiTeZ
Date Posted: 30 November 2005 at 5:27am
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i wood like it if you coud switch the color by using the mouse wheel. |
Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 10:28am
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Alright... Does anyone have information on this program? I, for one, would love to check this out... A programmer who is actually TALKING WITH THE END USERS...!!! This is amazing, shows alot of initiative... Hell, if it comes anywhere near the level of Graphics Gale? I would pay you for a copy... ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 10:37am
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Originally posted by randomblink Alright... Does anyone have information on this program? I, for one, would love to check this out... A programmer who is actually TALKING WITH THE END USERS...!!! This is amazing, shows alot of initiative... Hell, if it comes anywhere near the level of Graphics Gale? I would pay you for a copy... I'm afraid this program hasn't got very far. Work has become very busy, and my spare time has been spent decorating my house. Don't despair, I will produce something, I just don't know when |
Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 10:50am
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Hey... I haven't installed it yet. But I have .NET developer... I am not that familiar with it? But I have done some extensive programming in VB6. I would happily work with ya, if you could use some help... that is if you will join me in my fight against evil... ahem... seriously tho, I would LOVE to help out... Sounds like fun... Not promising that I would BE much help... But I sure would try... ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |
Posted By: Di0xygen
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 11:48am
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add a control click eyedropper and a wheelclick pan control Those are very usefuls addition to any art programs imo Looks good so far |
Posted By: Shark
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 12:32pm
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a neat thing i use on photoshop is when i press 'd' the foreground
and background colors reset to black and white. 'x' is also used for switching between them. |
Posted By: PixelSnader
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 2:14pm
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it might be a cool idea to have something that will allow add ons, like a module that will alow you to put walking-anim-skelly's in the lowest layer, that will be automatically removed if the file is exported to .gif and EVERY software neads a tutorial for itself =) ------------- ▄▄█ ▄▄█ ▄█▄ ▄█▄ |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 3:08pm
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Okay, a small taster... http://www.pmprog.co.uk/temp/ppaint01.rar - http://www.pmprog.co.uk/temp/ppaint01.rar Let me know first thoughts and opinions, but please remember this is very much work in progress. A couple of things- 1) New, Load and Save works 2) Palette selection works (no palette editor yet) 3) Drawing works ONLY on unzoomed 24bit images. Technically you can draw on zoomed ones, but the drawing won't reflect correctly |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: 08 December 2005 at 7:07pm
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Well i tested each format and most of them come out as expected. The jpg conversion isn't that great (compared with other gfx programs) but then jpgs never are :P.
The pencil tool only draws when the pencil is moved and this is a problem for pixel artists. I couldn't figure out how to zoom (if thats what you meant by drawing on zoomed images). Haven't tried loading yet Great (small) filesize. Thats always a plus. Good job so far and good luck with the project 
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Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 09 December 2005 at 3:36am
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Originally posted by Akira Well i tested each format and most of them come out as expected. The jpg conversion isn't that great (compared with other gfx programs) but then jpgs never are :P. All the save filters are provided by the .NET framework, I'm not sure if the JPG option is configurable (eg. change the compression ratio etc.), but lets face it, why would you not use PNG!??
Originally posted by Akira The pencil tool only draws when the pencil is moved and this is a problem for pixel artists. Yeah, I know about this, this is only temporary. Thanks for the heads up anyway
Originally posted by Akira I couldn't figure out how to zoom (if thats what you meant by drawing on zoomed images). As described in my first post, it's controlled by the mouse wheel. I will add another method of controlling it later on, but for now, it'll do. Originally posted by Akira Haven't tried loading yet It's not THAT exciting Originally posted by Akira Great (small) filesize. Thats always a plus. Application or image size? Originally posted by Akira Good job so far and good luck with the project Thank you, keep an eye out for future versions. I'm always greatful of feedback My thanks once again, hopefully should get a bit more done this weekend |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: 10 December 2005 at 11:33pm
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heh. oh yeah, mouse wheel :P.
zoom fuction is nice though when you zoom in alot or load images that are too big for the window, the scroll bars and stuff appear outside another set of scroll bars (hope that made sense, i could do a screenshot if you need it) which is a bit of a pain. how does the framework save gifs? are they automatically indexed or what? for now though loading and saving works fine, just when you get to a more finalized version jpg compression and gif transparency/indexing would be nice. |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 11 December 2005 at 2:30am
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Originally posted by Akira heh. oh yeah, mouse wheel :P. zoom fuction is nice though when you zoom in alot or load images that are too big for the window, the scroll bars and stuff appear outside another set of scroll bars (hope that made sense, i could do a screenshot if you need it) which is a bit of a pain. I know what this is, I just need to modify my window resize calculations. The image scrollbars belong to the image, while the other set are the MDI (Multi-Document Interface) scrollbars, which appear when a window breaches it's boarders. This will get fixed. As for the fileformats, I need to see what the framework can offer. I'm pretty certain I'll be able to enable transparancy on GIFs and PNGs. Hell, if I can't, there's no point using .NET |
Posted By: Souly
Date Posted: 31 December 2005 at 10:15pm
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How about an auto pallet? Creates a pallet with the colors you've used as far. |
Posted By: inkspot
Date Posted: 02 January 2006 at 5:18am
| I would like it to have a money transfering option. |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 02 January 2006 at 6:30am
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Originally posted by inkspot I would like it to have a money transfering option. Money Transfer? in a graphics package? Just so you all know, I'm thinking of ditching this project. I'm pretty happy with Paint Shop Pro 5  Sorry |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 12:05am
| dang. I thought it had alot of potential. |
Posted By: Pixel_Outlaw
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 7:40am
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Well i for one am dissapointed. ------------- http://www.shmup-dev.com/forum/"> 
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Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 7:43am
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I am a complete newb at VB.NET But not with VB in general. I have 10+ years exp. with VB, and pmprog has passed the torch to me. I will be attempting to learn VB.NET as I work on this Graphics Program. My thoughts are to use Pixeljoint as a test-base while I work on this. So, don't be completely disappointed... I don't know how well I will be doing on this, but I will try my best... Peace out ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 8:54am
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Good luck (you'll probably need it with the code I sent you ), and we (or at least I) look forward to what you make out of it... Originally posted by randomblink
I am a complete newb at VB.NET But not with VB in general. I have 10+ years exp. with VB, and pmprog has passed the torch to me. I will be attempting to learn VB.NET as I work on this Graphics Program. My thoughts are to use Pixeljoint as a test-base while I work on this. So, don't be completely disappointed... I don't know how well I will be doing on this, but I will try my best... Peace out |
Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 10:21am
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I'm itching to start work on it... Thanks alot man... ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |
Posted By: Shark
Date Posted: 04 January 2006 at 11:26pm
| Good luck random, i will have to vacate to a pc one day to use it. |
Posted By: EvilBoogiemanX
Date Posted: 09 January 2006 at 3:54pm
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gl random, hope it turns out good. I found a glitch too that you might want to try fixing while you are creating this program. When you draw the pixels, if you zoom in the picture is big but when you click and drag with the mouse to add color, the pixels are super small....it is hard to explain it...ill give a S/N when i get a chance. |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: 10 January 2006 at 2:46pm
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yeah the original developer knows about that... now i just hope that these guys will get to work
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Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 10 January 2006 at 2:55pm
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chuckle I took a look at the program, I can tell you RIGHT now... This is NOT gonna be easy... I have to start picking up VB.NET, and that isn't as easy as I thought it might be... I am impressed at what he has put together tho... And I want to have a program that does what "I" want it to do... So I will not give up... ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |
Posted By: pmprog
Date Posted: 10 January 2006 at 3:07pm
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Blink, Sorry I didn't have the last code of the version I released (fk knows what I did with it), but the way I did it was to draw on the unzoomed version, then refresh the screen, rather than drawing on both. If you have any questions or get stuck, please email me (you have my email address), and I'll answer as best as I can remember (which ain't a whole lot lately ) |
Posted By: randomblink
Date Posted: 10 January 2006 at 3:44pm
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Thx man... Sweet little proggie bro... ------------- www.randomblink.com I am me... no! Really! |