Learning to make own resources

[Lt. Ulquiorra]

Hi! I plan to make games once MV is released (obviously ) and I want to learn how to make my own resources (music, spritesets, portraits, and facesets, maybe backgrounds). Where do I start? I have some background on drawing if that helps, I used to draw manga-style. Also, what programs should I use? (No paid please. I plan to get photoshop, but that won't be in a few more months.) Thanks!

 

[Andar]

The help file will give you the resource specifications (how many pixels and which formats to use), and usually you can export the default resources as guides and basis for edits (don't know how that will work in MV yet, but probably over the resource manager as well).


Then you can use any program to edit the pictures as you want, it only has to support transparency (and layer support would help in the working process).


People who can't afford photoshop often use GIMP, paint.net or special tablet software (pleas no MS Paint, it doesn't support transparency).


For audio there is a free program called audacity that is used even by professionals (there are more powerfull programs of course, but those aren't free)


After that, it depends on your talent and creativity...

 

[Sharm]

I've moved this thread to Art, Literature, and Music. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

To be honest I don't know if this is the best place for this question either, but the resource section is for sharing resources, not talking about how to make them.  I think General Discussion would have worked too.  Possibly Program and Utility discussion, though what your asking about is a little broader in scope than just what program to use.

I'm currently using Pyxel Edit, GIMP, and Krita when I make tiles.  Not all at once, I use different programs depending on what I'm making.  The version of Pyxel Edit I use is not free, but it is cheap and if you're doing pixel tiles it is worth much more than the asking price.  There is an earlier version available for free but it is missing a few things and is very buggy.  Still very much worth using anyway, just be sure to save often.  GIMP and Krita are both free.  GIMP is a good editing program, good for arranging tiles and adjusting hues and such.  I personally find it difficult to work with so I don't do any creation in that program.  Krita is a painting program.  It's got a canvas wrap feature that makes it much, much easier to make seamless repeating tiles.  I'm still getting used to it.  I mostly use pixel art to do my work and Krita isn't suited for it.

I use Clip Studio Paint for character art, but it is not free.  Krita will work well in this situation.

I use Pyxel Edit to create my sprite and other pixel animation, but the free version won't work in this case.  Before that I used Graphics Gale.  There's a free version and a pay version but the free version works just fine.

Krita will be exactly what you need to make backgrounds.  It was made for stuff like that.

 

I don't think you'll have to get Photoshop at all.  It's been losing footing as an industry standard, and depending on what you want to create you may find a better program in the cheaper options.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

As a non-artist who is trying to rise from her limitations, I'd like to suggest that you begin by working with character sprites and editing existing backgrounds and looping/editing music.


That kept me busy for years, so it might be a good starting place.


If you are super good at drawing then put some MV Resource style drawings in the WIP or art threads.


My ignorant two bits.

 

[Sharm]

I absolutely agree.  People underestimate just how much art is in a game.  I highly recommend editing or making more resources in the same style as existing resources to expand instead of starting from scratch.  You can always go back later and replace the things that aren't original if you still have drive, but you don't want to start something new and run out of motivation before you get to the point of having enough to be usable.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

If you already have a solid understanding of music theory and composition, this link from my signature contains all of my recommendations for free and cheap applications and resources. http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/35039-my-recommendations-for-free-music-making-resources/#entry345510

However, if you do not have an understanding of music that's not to say there aren't other options. I have never used audio loops, but I do know that softwares like Magix Music Maker essentially come with pre-written chunks of music that be stuck together. While what you make in these programs won't be exactly written by you, it will still be made by you and is likely still able to be edited and personalized even further with a number of plugins and effects. 

Audacity, Reaper, and LMMS are some pretty inexpensive DAWs, in fact Audacity and LMMS are completely free. This would be where you edit, apply effects, and loop your music. I also really love all of these options for the fact that they all have a large community of people who produce tutorials and make additional effects.

 

[Sharm]

Okay, so I'm a bit curious about making music, where would be the best place to go for tutorials and help making good music?  I don't mean the technical side of it, I mean the theory parts that explain why certain musical themes sound scary vs tense and stuff like that.  When I go looking all I can find is the technical stuff.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Honest to God, my first music theory book was "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory," and I still think it's pretty decent. It starts out at the absolute basics like how to read a staff. Other books I love on the topic of music composition and appreciation are Stanley Sadie's "Music Guide: an Introduction." If you pick up an older edition these are both very, very inexpensive. While many can learn and play music with just their ears I'm very, very visual so staves and notation have always just clicked with me. Khan Academy also has some good free lessons for beginners. Once a foundation of reading notes and rhythms is established, I think the stuff like chord construction, chord progression, ect come a lot easier. I'll try and search for some more material since the Khan Academy mostly cover rhythm. 

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/music

I'm very interested in making music education games, actually! 

 

[Sharm]

*saves link*  I'm kind of surprised that there isn't more stuff for people who aren't beginners with music, just beginners with composing.  I've played piano and sung in a lot of performances so I'm not new to music structure at all, but writing it is a whole different thing.  I can't be the only one with that type of experience who wants to try composing.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Sharm, I'll try very hard to put some stuff together for that very reason then. For a long while I only performed music, too. If you can read music than the links I posted may be too easy, but I'm now very interested in making a list of video resources and book recommendations on this topic. But, I also want to find and even make some materials for those who are starting out at absolute square one as well.

 

[Lt. Ulquiorra]

Hmmm... So for the art part, I should start with making remakes or editing the RTP resources? That's a good idea. I mean, I have experience with pencil drawing along with some digital coloring (I used Paint Tool SAI but I'm not that good) but other than that no. I have one experience with making sprites since I made my own sprites for my game production class (it was more like a three color sprite lol) but that's it.

For music, well I do play guitar and I know some of the basics of music theory and I am learning piano right now, so it shouldn't be that hard. Maybe composing a bgm with my guitar (an acoustic one for some sad themed maps). Would that be good?

So I guess learning how to recreate the RTP resources is a good idea to start. Maybe I'll start once I have access to their resources when MV gets released.