image editors / graphics programs

[moriarty]

after failing at craft-weapon-icon creation again because I was using the GIMP, I thought we could collect a list of graphics programs that can or cannot be safely used for editing openxcom resources...

good list:
Photoshop https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
 - costly, but apparently it works 

Aseprite https://www.aseprite.org/
 - free to try or compile, 10 US$ for a license. haven't used it myself, but reportedly it's good

LibreSprite https://libresprite.github.io/
- free version of Aseprite

mtPaint http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/
 - GNU general public license, pixel editor

Evilpixie http://evilpixie.scumways.com/
 - free open source, Windows and Linux, reportedly working fine

GrafX2 http://grafx2.chez.com/
 - free open source, many operating systems, reportedly working fine

GraphicsGale https://graphicsgale.com/us/
 - free, windows only, latest version reportedly working fine

voidsprite https://cntrpl.itch.io/voidsprite
 - free open source, windows only, more platforms coming later

bad list:
The GIMP https://www.gimp.org/ but also as a portable app
 - while it is a brilliant image editor, it will screw up your indexed palette. I've been there several times now, and it's inevitable.

paint.NET https://www.getpaint.net/index.html
 - another very good image manipulator, free for use, unfortunately it will "optimize" the palette, removing necessary unused colors. not good for openxcom.

[Falko]

ohh aseprite changed its licence? i still have 0.95 with "donate" no mention of trial/buy software

i took a look at the portable version of icofx and run into issues: how do you edit larger files >256x256 (like ufopaedia entries, spritesheets) and i did not find the "palette load/edit" function there (perhaps i downloaded a wrong version?)


Edit:
old version (0.95) is still available here https://code.google.com/p/aseprite/downloads/list

[moriarty]

ohh aseprite changed its licence? i still have 0.95 with "donate" no mention of trial/buy software

apparently... I didn't even try it, because it says on the download site that it will stop functioning after trial...

i took a look at the portable version of icofx and run into issues: how do you edit larger files >256x256 (like ufopaedia entries, spritesheets) and i did not find the "palette load/edit" function there (perhaps i downloaded a wrong version?)

while IcoFX won't create icon files larger than 256x256, it will load, edit and export larger images just fine
the palette load function is in the "colors" sub-window... when I first started IcoFX, that sub-window was just outside the visible part of the main window, on the right-hand side. weird, but eventually I found it.

[Falko]

this https://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ is also worth a look

[Yankes]

https://code.google.com/p/grafx2/
Interface have bit old feel, like Amiga Deluxe Paint.

[yrizoud]

Just a precision : The freeware version of ASEprite is fully functional. The author continues further development as commercial in order to try earn something for his continuing efforts, but when you run ASEprite v0.x, you run a program which has been developed and improved for several years.

Oh and if people have trouble using GrafX2, don't hesitate to ask me for support, I... have been coding it from 2009 to 2012.

[jStuffer]

Hello, using GIMP on Linux.
I've found that you can reuse a palette from existing valid graphic files. Just open a good image in GIMP, delete/hide the original layer, resize as needed and paste into it your own graphics; the palette should remain from the previous image and apply to your new layer.
This has produced working sprites for me.

[moriarty]

Hello, using GIMP on Linux.
I've found that you can reuse a palette from existing valid graphic files. Just open a good image in GIMP, delete/hide the original layer, resize as needed and paste into it your own graphics; the palette should remain from the previous image and apply to your new layer.
This has produced working sprites for me.

I'm pretty sure that it won't work unless your final image contains every color in the palette (or at least the first and the last color), else the palette will be truncated. and sometimes shifted.

I assume it might work if you keep a full-palette image as an invisible layer, which forces the GIMP to keep all colors in the palette... but I don't know what happens in the export function. if this actually works, it would be really cool, because I love the GIMP.

[niculinux]

Hey, any info about the whole serie of ms paint (shipped with windows) and pinta? (for both win and linux, and its freee!)

[luke83]

For what its worth,  i have used gimp on all of my mods...

[yrizoud]

Hey, any info about the whole serie of ms paint (shipped with windows) and pinta? (for both win and linux, and its freee!)

Just tested, nope.
Pinta can load GIF transparency but loses the palette. It can save PNG but loses transparency on save, and it can't save GIF at all.

MSPaint loses the palette AND the transparency on loading a GIF. (tested on XP)

[KingMob4313]

I also have used gimp for all my mod work so far...

I have to use the 'palette' map and sometimes things stop working without reason (black boxes in all my views!?!), but it can be used.

[yrizoud]

Here are two sample images, to test painting programs :
"15" is written in color 15, "255" is written in color 255, and the background is color 0.
It's the battlescape palette, so those three colors are black.
The first image has color#0 tagged transparent so you'll see the digits on your browser, but they are otherwise identical (OpenXcom doesn't care if your color zero is tagged transparent or not) If your painting program can open these image, save them, reload them and STILL has 3 distinct black colors in the right indexes, it should be ok for OpenXcom modding.

Edit: You can also add Evilpixie to the "Good" list. If you want something simple and straight to the point, it's it. Paint with two mouse buttons, mouse wheel to zoom (and third button to drag view), keyboard shortcuts for every tool.

[Arthanor]

Man! That EvilPixie program sounded like exactly what I am looking for from your description, and the penguin made me really hopeful, but it's another Windows only program

Anything good for Linux? Or a good tutorial for using gimp for OpenXCom?
(gimp doesn't strike me as simple, and apparently has issues with OXC, so.. I'm hesitant to get into it by myself.)

[Falko]

If your painting program can open these image, save them, reload them and STILL has 3 distinct black colors in the right indexes, it should be ok for OpenXcom modding.

see image the size of the image should also be a hint

Anything good for Linux? Or a good tutorial for using gimp for OpenXCom?
(gimp doesn't strike me as simple, and apparently has issues with OXC, so.. I'm hesitant to get into it by myself.)

After creating a optimized palette with only 2 colors (converting RGBand back to index in gimp) i could easily fix the image with https://falkooxc.pythonanywhere.com/palconvert -> upload [From: == To: - Palette ; more details-> [ x ] try to fix palette colors]
Can you try if that works for you with gimp if this screws the palette?