/v/ - Video Games

Depends on which console you're trying to emulate.

SNES sprites, widely considered to be the best looking sprites, are 32x32 pixels on average, and tilesets consist of numerous 32x32 tiles. Its max resolution was 256x224, and it had a maximum of 16 colors per sprite.

Now you can play around with that, but generally it's better to consider that lower resolutions are usually for NES-style games, and on the NES you could only have around four colors per sprite (not counting black).

Keeping graphic limitations in mind for the console you're trying to emulate will actually make you produce better-looking pixel art. If you don't have a console and its limitations in mind, you will produce very shitty pixel art. Try to work within the feasibility of a retro system.

It depends more on the color palette than pixel size imo. NES games usually had 16x16 characters, but could only choose three colors to employ. A more modern game character like Cave Story's protag is still 16x16, but with the more unlimited color options offered now + a wise use of color, his small sprite still pops pretty well.

I'd say choose whatever size works best you, but mind your colors. A color palette can really make or break a character imo.

>>14626917

There's a right way to do pixel art and there's a wrong way. Devs that are incompetent usually do it the wrong way (like pic related - too low resolution to make out any character details, single pixel limbs, totally unable to tell what the character actually looks like).

The problem is exacerbated by born-after-2001 assholes like you who don't know how to tell the difference between bad and good pixel art and just see it all as the same thing.

>>14626843

cheat

>>14626878

because OP is a fucking fag, here

>>14627000

Nice isn't it. don't get too reliant on it though:

A) the artstyle is notably…off….(because the artsyle literally doesn't exist) so anything above 128px just looks like a shitty low qual picture- I would personally recommend working off 64px maximum. The program is amazing to get hang of the ropes with for your first few games. Later if/when you gots the experience, I'd use it to cut out the chaff from bigger projects (because no fucking body wants to draw 10 unique beds, stoves, benches and chairs for a shitty side village with 5 mins of story content). It's great for props and the such because its just different enough that it feels unique, but they aren't stared at long enough for somebody to notice them to be ….off….

B) Unique objects and characters need to be homemade (thats' a given).

C) backgrounds are hit and miss, but I find it's best to scale 4-5 of them to the size you want, then use them as a base to work off. also make sure your cheatobjects don't clash. Last thing you need is a toon field and an …off looking… cart/tree

In the end if you play your cards right you can make a background, add your base buildings/features, drop in your unique characters/props then fill the entire screen with cheat props and make it nice. You'll never get something to the extent of the 256px example, but you can make a damn fucking fine scene and replicate a similar quality in under half an hour- an hour for each new scene (instead 7 hours per fucking house). And for the final time, make sure it isn't too fucking obvious.

>>14627000

also checked, nice one

>>14627240

By cheating I was literally referring to downscaling with a specified program, not flat out ripping character bases (usually that shit one with the 50/50 head body that looks anime with the 2/3 pupil pixel eyes) and other props, changing a few pixels on the nose, stretching the head and calling it my own. God I fucking hate that RPGmaker-tier shite.

>>14627249

I know, see >>14627179

>>14627179

>that gif

I'd recognize those glorious Neo Geo sprites anywhere, anon. Excellent tastes.

>>14627310

damn fucking straight, a fellow patrician I see

>>14626843

Like what >>14626897 says. Pick a graphics architecture and hold your self to it. Alternately invent your own, as if it were a real old console or home computer, and then stick to that.

Consistency is the most important thing.

>>14626897

>Now you can play around with that, but generally it's better to consider that lower resolutions are usually for NES-style games, and on the NES you could only have around four colors per sprite (not counting black).

It's also important to consider that what we think of as a sprite isn't necessarily what the processor considered a sprite.

For example Mega Man looks like a single sprite but he's actually five. Four for the body (which is typical for the NES due to hardware limits) and a fifth additional one for the face which lets you get past the 4 color limit.

Another way to "cheat" the 4 color limit is to not waste a color on an outline for your sprite like in Adventure Island.

>>14626920

>Mine

They look like Touhou faces.

<How to Pixel Art

have you ever shit pixels?

>>14628358

sorry to disappoint.

>>14628189

Limitations are important in art in general, but specifically in pixel art.

Pixelshit throws limitations out the windows and just does whatever size and color amount they want and they end up with something that just looks like a mess.

It takes a good bit of artistic skill to pick up something like a limited palette and limited size and make them work. Which forces people to get creative since you got to make more with less so you'll do shit like leaving empty space so a background can give the sprite a color or get good at using optical illusions to make it look like more colors are in use.