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[William Broom]

I started making a game in game maker for the first time recently. I've just been using the in-built graphics editor to draw everything. In the game maker graphics editor, I have two options to get a lower-resolution look. I can painstakingly draw a box of similar pixels that will look like a larger pixel in the finished product, or I can draw at normal size and then resize the image, which produces a horrible blurring effect.
What is a good graphics program to use that can draw at low resolution and scale up without blurring?

[Radnom]

Using Game Maker you can change the quality to 'poor' when stretching, it shouldn't blur.

[Corpus]

Just for the sake of derailing the thread (a noble endeavour if ever there was one), I have a question: does anyone know how to create a scaled pixels effect in SDL? Would I just have to store the resize scale as a variable and multiply all of my window definitions and drawing calculations by 2? (Related, at least.)

[deadeye]

What is a good graphics program to use that can draw at low resolution and scale up without blurring?

Photoshop.

[Baltirow]

Using Game Maker you can change the quality to 'poor' when stretching, it shouldn't blur.

Seconded.

I usually use IDraw3 for the actual spriting, upload it in GM using 'make from strip'  (ctrl-I, I forget the actual name of the function) and then use the method Radnom mentioned to retroscale the sprite. I mainly use IDraw3 since its pixel friendly and its easy to draw zoomed in and quickly make viewable animations on different zoom settings.

Check this thread for more pixel tools, check here for IDraw3 in that topic. GM's built in editor is all right, but the fact you only have one undo step alone is enough reason to look for a better one

[William Broom]

Thanks for your help everyone

What is a good graphics program to use that can draw at low resolution and scale up without blurring?

Photoshop.

Yes... in a perfect world, that's what I would choose. And by perfect world, I mean a world where I have a job

[Gravious]

Just for the sake of derailing the thread (a noble endeavour if ever there was one), I have a question: does anyone know how to create a scaled pixels effect in SDL? Would I just have to store the resize scale as a variable and multiply all of my window definitions and drawing calculations by 2? (Related, at least.)

I think this does: http://www.ferzkopp.net/joomla/content/view/19/14

I'm looking to solve the same issue

[Pencil_In_Pain]

Thanks for your help everyone

What is a good graphics program to use that can draw at low resolution and scale up without blurring?

Photoshop.

Yes... in a perfect world, that's what I would choose. And by perfect world, I mean a world where I have a job

Then you're looking for GIMP.
www.gimp.org

But I warn you, scaling things up or down (specially up) is generally a bad idea. When you scale things up, the computer has to invent some pixels, hence the blur. If there's no other way out, make sure you set your color mode to "indexed color" before scaling.
 

[Alex May]

Game Maker can't do nearest neighbour scaling? Are you sure?

Photoshop really sucks for scaling as it will blur your stuff. I recommend doing it at the program end and just having 1:1 graphics. There must be a scaling option in Game Maker for this. edit: just read the thread properly. sorry, didn't realise it had been resolved.

[mjau]

Just for the sake of derailing the thread (a noble endeavour if ever there was one), I have a question: does anyone know how to create a scaled pixels effect in SDL? Would I just have to store the resize scale as a variable and multiply all of my window definitions and drawing calculations by 2? (Related, at least.)

I sometimes use SDL_SoftStretch when I need that.  It's part of the core SDL so you won't need any extra libs, it's an undocumented function though so ymmv.  Anyway, you call it just like SDL_BlitSurface.  It stretches the source rect to fill the target rect completely (no aspect correction), doing a 'nearest' stretch, no filtering.  Also, the two surfaces must have exactly the same pixel format, or it won't work correctly.

But I warn you, scaling things up or down (specially up) is generally a bad idea. When you scale things up, the computer has to invent some pixels, hence the blur. If there's no other way out, make sure you set your color mode to "indexed color" before scaling.

Do a nearest scale and stick with integer values (2x, 3x, etc).

[GP Lackey]

Photoshop won't blur when you scale an image as long as you do it through 'image size' and have it set to nearest neighbour resampling, the same applies to the GIMP.  Make sure to scale up by proportionally of course.

Personally I use GraphicsGale for my pixel art because of its palette tools, and because it's geared for it so it doesn't take any mucking around.  The trial version is free you just can't export as GIF.

[Hideous]

If this is game maker, use views.

[jcromartie]

I know the OP is using Game Maker, but I thought I would share my OpenGL technique.

When you want to use GL for things like rotation and scaling, but want a really accurate low-res look on a hi-res window or monitor, you can't just scale everything up when you are doing the initial drawing.  You have to draw the scene at 1x (no scaling), and then copy the low-res region to a texture, and then slap that across your viewport.  So, in a nutshell:

draw to a small area (like 320 x 240)
copy the small area to a texture
render a quad with that texture across the entire screen (say, 640 x 480)

The same approach works in SDL by drawing everything to a small surface and then scaling that single surface up to the screen/window size.

If you scale everything up without the above technique, and try to use rotation or scaling on individual sprites, then they will be "off the grid" so to speak.  It's hard to explain... so here's an example:

scale, then draw:



draw, then scale:



Disclaimer: That's an ugly example, and not one I'd use in a real game.  If you think "but the first one looks better" then, well, you don't get it.

[moi]

Well, the first one is "Off the grid" but IMHO it looks more "retro" than the second one. Even if it is just a wrong feeling.

[Corpus]

You're right, I don't get it. I thought you were going for the first look...

[deadeye]

scale, then draw:



draw, then scale:



If you think "but the first one looks better" then, well, you don't get it.

No, the first one does look better.  It's pixel art.  Pixel art should always be as crisp as you can get it.  The second method is destroying the pixels.

If you want to scale hi-res art, use the second method.  The first would destroy hi-res art.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

I suggest just setting the resolution to 320x240 or (at most) 640x480 if you want a retro look, instead of creating small sprites and scaling up.

(Though why everyone is so in love with retro looks, I don't understand.)

[deadeye]

I suggest just setting the resolution to 320x240 or (at most) 640x480 if you want a retro look.

A lot of people can't run 320x240 at fullscreen.

(Though why everyone is so in love with retro looks, I don't understand.)

Says the person with a pixel-art avatar.

[Gnarf]

2nd picture there will look the same in full-screen 320x240 and in full-screen 640x480, which I'd suspect is what he meant by "really accurate low-res look".

Squares several pixels large still look a bit like pixels and it's easier to make them out in the first picture, quite possibly (at least partly) because of different filtering modes, which I suppose makes it look more retro.

[jcromartie]

No, the first one does look better.  It's pixel art.  Pixel art should always be as crisp as you can get it.  The second method is destroying the pixels.

If you want to scale hi-res art, use the second method.  The first would destroy hi-res art.

And that's why I say it's a bad example, because I would never want to do that to a character sprite in practice.  It's really just for special effects.