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Creating 'Portrait' pictures for game Chars

Black Bart

Black Bart

Corsair
Storm Modder
Hi, after the thread over in the main mod forum about starting chars and ships etc:

<a href="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8149" target="_blank">http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8149</a>

well i got interested in trying to come up with some new char pics for the new selection menu at game start. A few of the chars i'd like to see in the game(for a wide a variety of player as possible) didnt have those 'portrait' pictures so i've started the process of making them.

Anyway i have got all the main graphics i need now - and am in the process of using the TX converter tool to put the files back into the tga.tx format the games uses. My first attempt hasn't gone very well sadly so i was hoping for some advice on what to do.

ok so once i got my isolated char pic(on a transparant background) in .psd format, whats the next step?

Straight 'save as' .tga? and do i need to 'lock' any transparancy levels?

Looking at the chars when you've converted them from the tga.tx file - they become normal .tga files - with the char on what looks like a white background - what exactly is that background in relation to photoshop?

I tried one time and when i activated the char in the game - his 'portrait' picture did appear in the char selection, but as a complete white background!?(even though that pic was on a transparent one as a .psd file before i converted it to a tga.

I'm probably making a simple mistake - but its got me foxed.

Also when converting from a .tga to the games .tga.tx format - what of the various options are best to use for this?

You seem to have two lots of the same options(one at top and one at bottom - both exactly the same)?

sorry to be a pain graphic gurus - just trying to get a handle on the process. I'm quite pleased with the char model itself(all the sizes are at the correct default to fit), just need help for the steps of getting it back into a format that works in the game?

Hopefuly once i got this worked out - i can offer to make these background pics for other people, and leave them on the ftp for download?
 
Well for one, if you are making new graphics, taken 'in game' to look as realistic to ingame as possible, why are you bothering making them transparent so they end up floating uglyish over that default background pict in the interface?

If you look at the Beatrice images, they are full images, no transparency.

However if you are dead set on that, you need to make a 'mask' for the transparency... you have to look in channels for that, as layers doesnt show the mask.
 
well i did wonder what the actual background pics consisted of - so i converted a whole load of the ones the game uses from .tga.tx to normal .tga - and they were all just the char models on an apparant white background? They seemed to work ok in the game(you could see the deck view behind them), but my whitebackground(which ahd been a transparancy in ps) on the .tga i made didn't work?

lol if any of this is making sense i'm doing well <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

STILL if as i think your hinting - i can just bung my own compositions ontop of that background deck pic - then stick that through the .tga>.tga.tx tool, well that would suit me down to the ground - i've got one finished version already(i was experimenting) - of "hook" - well the guy in game that looks like hooks picture <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Weird that the ones i pulled through the tool to view all had that white(but apparantly transparant in game) background?

oh and i thought that default background 'deck' pic was the medium of choice?(bar the two AoP chars)
 
btw hat, what char do you normaly use at game start - and does it have the relevant background deck graphic? If not i could(try to) make it if you like?
 
We are just talking about the "Begin New Game Character Choice" interface right? With the lower left big full-length view of the character model selected?

As for the "white", that is ignored by the game, because the "Transparency Channel Mask" is set to around the character. That white could be pink, red, blue, fuscia... it won't matter as it wont show in the game because of the mask.

Hard to explain through text, as its usually something that has to be shown directly with the use of photoshop and the two people both staring at the screen <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

So, I say, don't do transparencies, use the actually screenshot's background around the character, as it will look the most realistic for showing the character model selection to the player when they select it.

Right now, it looks like cutout dolls floating over a painted deck picture... NOTHING like you actually see 'in game' while playing. Even the lighting doesnt exist on the character.

I usually use Jack Sparrow.
 
Actually I guess I should be calling it the "Alpha" mask... (old habits to use just 'mask'). Its a black and white (sometimes grayscale) mask of where transparency falls. Black is 100% transparent, white is 0% transparent. Greys in between are shades between.

For instance, here is a possible type of way of doing those images:

<img src="http://swankyplace.com/forumimgs/potc_jacksparrow.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
 
Or if you just want to go with straight from the game shots, here is mongol.

<img src="http://swankyplace.com/forumimgs/potc_mongol.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
 
Thanks for that info hat - i am following you for the most part, and its all been usefull <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

ok well i guess we should determine what background shot we want for those char 'full body potraits'(yeah i'm talking about the same as you hat - that bit on the left of char selection)?

I agree they look a little out of place on the current backgrounds - but thought we would be sticking with that format as most are done like this?
If people come up with better ideas(like the ones you posted in the tutorial ships cabin) then we should atleast make it consistent - or is that maybe not a requirement?

One thing about the ships cabin background as in those examples hat - it is a little murky....i imagine 33_affrica might be hard to see!

So if not the current ships deck background - where do people think it best to have these char selection body shots taken against? somewhere a little lighter than the cabin(although that could be adjusted in ps i suspect?)maybe?

Opinions/thoughts?

I'll start the ball rolling:

1.On the warf at Oxbay with the sea in the background/or the town in the background?

or

2. in the cabin as hat posted(it does look nice and atmospheric) but with a little higher light level so we can see all the chars better?

hmmm i do like the cabin shots best actualy - they have a certain something <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
yeah i agree - the more i've looked at hats pics - the more i like them, they look 100 times better than what we use currently. So i'm definately in the atmospheric cabin camp <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> - maybe a little brightness adjustment for the darker chars would be good?

actualy mongol looks great - i think i'm going to 'borrow' that shot if you dont mind hat? it will go in my game whatever route is chosen for all this <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

<img src="http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p199/BlackBart06/Hook4.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />

thats what i came up with for a 'hook' type char using the current background. while i'm pretty happy with the result(compared to how the others look in game in the same situ) - i think it's quite easy to see that the pics hat posted just look much better, even if a little murky(which adds to the charm). They look much more polished imho.
 
My take on the notion is that the background and shot can be anything and whatever makes that particular character stand out, fit in, look right.

I had a shot of mongol standing in front of all the swords in the cabin, as he seemed like the 'swords on the wall' kind of guy. But I posted up the other I had of him standing there with a larger depth of field behind him.

The jack sparrow one was 'altered' slightly with an alpha mask and Lense Blurr effect that added a Depth of Field (like I took the shot with an actual camera). Its not too difficult once you get the hang of how that works.

None of those shots were 'bodies placed on a common background image' (like the current in game character chooser screen does).

The commonality of the images is that they would ALL be images from ingame of the actual character in the environment. Now, where each character is standing could be totally different.

I can even see like Aubry shot being taken while standing in the redmond town hall (with the governor offscreen so he's not in the shot). Some of the women could be shot on some of the more scenic shores, and the huge black guy could fit in a nice 'dusk' setting in a jungle pass, maybe near the waterfall.

See, everyone could be setup where they look great. Thus making each character have character (*chuckle*).

Anyhow, thats my idea about how they should be setup. Any of that make sense?

Oh... plus it helps to run the game in 4xQ or higher antialiasing when you take the shots... as it naturally smoothens out the edges of the character.
 
ever tried making a picture with the character having it's sword unsheathed? see how that looks.
 
Exactly my idea about the background! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=172582:date=Nov 19 2006, 09:10 PM:name=IncredibleHat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IncredibleHat @ Nov 19 2006, 09:10 PM) [snapback]172582[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
...
See, everyone could be setup where they look great. Thus making each character have character (*chuckle*).

Anyhow, thats my idea about how they should be setup. Any of that make sense?
........
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Yep perfect sense and great idea <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> - now would we go for continuity of these 'body portrait' shots with all the head shots that get used in the games various interfaces? Not all of those head shots have actual backgrounds currently and i guess it would be 'quicker' work to just work from the bigger body shot?(cut+paste it to the smaller size kinda thing) which would also maintain that continuity of character....for the character? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

hmm although clarity of the character might be an issue depending on the backdrop used for the main body pic(thinking in particular about the Head shots used for your active party icon(bottom left of screen) as this is the smallest head icon used in game i believe?).
 
All characters have "3" portraits. 64, 128, and 256.

The 64 is used for the iconic view of any character (officer icons in bottom left, you too).

The 128 is used for any 'list views' in interfaces. Things like passenger list, viewing the head shot of a captain of a boat, people you are stealing from in item transfer, those square shots that are not icons.

The 256 is only seen in the character sheet (left side of stats). And currently only officers or potential officers are ever shown on the character sheet (including you).

I personally would like to see all the small 64 icons be remade in the same sort of style (same background, same face size, same lighting used etc etc). Right now, its a hodge podge of some good images, and some downright disgusting ones. Same goes for the 128's it seems. Ah hell, they all need redoing as some of the large portraits are barf on a hot plate!!! LOL.

*pant*pant* ... I am just a really pixel-picky person as my life has been based around design and esthetics, so I get worked up when I start thinking about graphics.

However as for the portraits for this discussion, those can be 'unique' as they are only for those 12 characters allowed to immediately select.
 
I really like your guys ideas about how to setup the shots. Though like Aubrey, I could almost see his shot being something on the deck of his ship or something.

But either way, you guys have some great ideas and are coming up with some incredible character shots. Good going, BB & Hat!

Cap'n Drow
 
<!--quoteo(post=172611:date=Nov 19 2006, 11:46 PM:name=IncredibleHat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IncredibleHat @ Nov 19 2006, 11:46 PM) [snapback]172611[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
.........

I personally would like to see all the small 64 icons be remade in the same sort of style (same background, same face size, same lighting used etc etc). Right now, its a hodge podge of some good images, and some downright disgusting ones. Same goes for the 128's it seems. Ah hell, they all need redoing as some of the large portraits are barf on a hot plate!!! LOL.

*pant*pant* ... I am just a really pixel-picky person as my life has been based around design and esthetics, so I get worked up when I start thinking about graphics.

However as for the portraits for this discussion, those can be 'unique' as they are only for those 12 characters allowed to immediately select.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

So does that mean creating, for example, shots of all the chars like you have done above - then cutting them up to fit the 64/128 format also? As you mention only making those 'full shots' for the 12 selectable game start chars then that confuses me a little, as we should actualy do it for ALL chars - to get the continuity for the 64/128 shots?

I terms of the build at any one time, we would only need the full shots for those starting 12 in that build, but the 'spare' full shots could be stuck on the ftp - for people to put in their games if they so wish? Is that what you mean?

<!--quoteo(post=172611:date=Nov 19 2006, 11:46 PM:name=Cap'n Drow)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cap'n Drow @ Nov 19 2006, 11:46 PM) [snapback]172611[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
.......But either way, you guys have some great ideas and are coming up with some incredible character shots. Good going, BB & Hat!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

well as long as your not including me in the great char shots of the equation! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Still i've had ps for years now - and only ever really used it for graphic file conversions, oh and doing that potato-head tutorial thing. Seeing the work done here by guys like Kaziete/Petros/Gedscho and now hat(whom i had thought was just a pure coder guy!) and your good self also - well its inspired me to get my arse in gear and learn to use these darn tools i have <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Ideas i have a plenty and a good eye for aesthetics and design(i studied graphical design before computers were heavily used in this area), while not being a great technical artist - i've never been good at drawing people for example(but landscapes i'm not bad at); i feel with something like ps i can get decent results once i've learnt the skills.
So PotC is going to be my test bed unfortunatly! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=172611:date=Nov 19 2006, 05:46 PM:name=IncredibleHat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IncredibleHat @ Nov 19 2006, 05:46 PM) [snapback]172611[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
...I personally would like to see all the small 64 icons be remade in the same sort of style (same background, same face size, same lighting used etc etc). Right now, its a hodge podge of some good images, and some downright disgusting ones. Same goes for the 128's it seems. ...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
As those portraits are so small and low res, a plain background is probably best for easy identification of the character.
The stock portraits used the blue background and some of us who have added characters have used the identical "stock" background.

However, many characters, including all the military ones, were given different backgrounds, I guess in an effort to reflect the town/nation they belonged to.

I think giving all characters Stock blue backgrounds for the 64 and 128 dpi portraits would be best.
 
No bart, I didnt mean to make the 128/64 out of the new-game-screen portraits (which are 256x512). I meant the 128/64 need to be redone to all be the same format to each other for continuity.

Like Petros said, all headshots should be on a common gradiented blue background (like the stock ones were), and the headshot itself taken more clearly with ingame lighting effects. Some of them look almost like the texture file itself just cut and pasted horribly on top of a solid color.

The idea of putting 'extras' on the ftp is a good one. However putting them on THAT ftp is a bad idea as its a swimming sea of incoherant project files <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> The 'extras' would be better off posted on a web page.

So, to sum up:

64 & 128 should be like to each other in format and style (the 64 could even be the 128 shrunk down).

256 should be unique to the character as its a 'portrait'. This ~could~ be a cutdown from the larger one.

256x512 should be unique to the character as well.


Crazy interface ini files. The new-game-screen portrait is actually shrunk to "128x258" ... (258 !??!?!? thats not even a proper reduction!!!). The character screen for the 256 portrait reduces that one to "252x252" ... what, they COULDNT fit that to size?
 
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