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Spriting Terminology
Topic Started: Dec 27 2007, 12:57 AM (1,112 Views)
3d
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Chicken Xing
I get confused a lot when people say "You need to add some AA." or "There's too much contrast." so post spriting terminology here with its own definition so people who are new know what you're talking about when you say "There's too much saturation." ;)

Notes:
- This is arranged in alphabetical order.
- Use Ctrl+F To find the meanings for specific terms.
- If you would like to submit edits to a term, please PM me with the original definition and the changes you have made to it. I will then decide which meaning is the best.
- If there is a specific term that you need to know, but it is not in this thread, post here and I or somebody else will search it up and post it as soon as possible.


Spriting Terms

Anti-Alias (AA)- (n.) Sometimes shortened to 'AA', anti-alias is the process of smothering color transitions. In spriting this is often done by adding a mid-colour in between two opposing colours, to help them blend together. For example, if red is in contact with yellow, one may add orange in between them to help soften the contrast.

Base colour (Mid-tone) - (n.) The flat colour of your sprite before shading. The "average" colour, if you like, between highlights and shadows.

Constuctive Criticism (C+C)- (n.) Helpful pointers on how to fix or improve someone's work.

Contrast- (n.) Contrast is the difference (in hue, luminosity, saturation or a combination of these factors) between two colours in juxtaposition.

Credit- (n. or v. depending on usage) When someone requires credit for use of their sprites, it means that you MUST state that who made it whenever you use it (in RPs, fanfics, etc.). However if it is not stated in their topic never assume that you automatically will be able to use it without giving credit. In these cases PM the member and ask for permission to use that sprite. In whatever case, it is normal and respectful to offer credit.

Dithering- (n.) When you alternate between two colors to make a textured transition or to make it look like there is a color between them. Often referred to as checker or checkered shading

Highlights- (n.) Shades above (lighter than) the one used as normal. Opposite to Shadow.

Hue- (n.) One of the 3 dimensions of colour, hue is the position of the colour on the colour wheel. Some common hues are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Indigo, and Magenta.

JPEG (JPG)- (n. or v. depending on usage) A file format used to compress pictures, saving space when sending or using them. However, use of this on sprites or smaller images will distort them and make them blurry.

Light Source- (n.) The direction of origin of the light hitting your sprite. Highlights should face the source and Shadows should oppose it. In official Pokémon sprites the light source comes from the top-left corner.

Line-Art- (n.) This is when you just have an Outline of what you're spriting. You usually make a Line-art of something before you start shading and adding details.

Luminosity- (n.) Luminosity is the 3rd dimension of a colour. It represents the light content of a colour. A colour with no luminosity is absolute black. The higher of a luminosity a colour has, the lighter it is, until reaching absolute white.

Mixing (Fusing) - (v.) Combining the elements of two or more sprites into a single one.

Pillow Shading- (n.) To sprite with a light source coming from the inside of a pixel art. The name is derived from the cushion-like look of the sprite.

Pixel-Over - (n. or v. depending on usage) To create a sprite or large-scale pixel-art out of an existing image

PNG- (n. or v. depending on usage) A file format used to keep images exactly as they were in paint when you upload them, and PNG uses very little space. This is the recommended format for sprites and pixelart.

Recolourvamp - (n. or v. depending on usage) The most basic form of revamp. Simply taking an old sprite and recolouring it with the colours of new sprites.

Revamp - (n. or v. depending on usage) Taking an official sprite and improving it, basically. This normally involves sprites from past generations being made to look like modern sprites through methods such as recolouring them, editing the shading, editing the design to match the current one and resizing (in the case of revamps to DP), although it can involve even new sprites being improved by, for example, having their shading edited.

Saturation - (n.) Saturation is the 2nd of the 3 dimensions of a colour. It is ultimately the intensity or 'brightness' (Not to be confused with 'lightness'). Another way of describing it is how gray the colour is, with a colour with no saturation being absolute grey. The gray scale has no saturation throughout.

Scratch Spriting - (v.) Making your sprites entirely from scratch rather than using any bases.

Shades- (n.) Different levels on a same color scale.

Shading- (v.) The act of giving your sprite shades, used to give the sprite depth and shape.

Shadow- (n.) Shades below (darker than) the one used as normal. Opposite to Highlight.

Substitute Spriting (SubSpriting) - (v.) Spriting using official or readymade sprites as a base, such as recolouring, mixing by drawing new parts onto a base or mixing by copying and pasting parts of one sprite onto another.


-------------

For some terms, examples are applicable for further explanation. Any posted examples will be arranged here.

Examples
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Ilex
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Hillary '08!
Hue- One of the 3 dimensions of colour, hue is the position of the colour on the colour wheel. Some common hues are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Indigo, and Magenta.

Saturation- Saturation is the 2nd of the 3 dimensions of a colour. It is ultimately the intensity or 'brightness' (Not to be confused with 'lightness'). Another way of describing it is how gray the colour is, with a colour with no saturation being absolute grey.

Luminosity- Luminosity is the 3rd dimension of a colour. It represents the light content of a colour. A colour with no luminosity is absolute black. The higher of a luminosity a colour has, the lighter it is, until reaching absolute white.
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Ilex
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Hillary '08!
Anti-Alias- Sometimes shortened to 'AA', anti-alias is the process of adding a midcolour in between two opposing colours, to help them blend together. For example, if red is in contact with yellow, one may add orange in between to help soften the contrast.
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Ilex
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Hillary '08!
Contrast- Contrast is the difference between two colours.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Pillow Shading- To sprite with a light source coming from the inside of a pixelart.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Dithering- When you alternate between two colors to make a textured transition or to make it look like there is a color between them.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Credit- When someone requires credit for use of their sprites, it means that you MUST state that they made it whenever you use it in RPs, fanfics, ect. However if it is not stated in their topic never assume that you automatically will be able to use it without giving credit. In these cases PM the member and ask for permission to use that sprite.
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Shed
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Don't go in the Shed!
I'll edit some of those to be more specific, clear, and exact.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Kk, I'm making examples for some of them right now and will be posted soon.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Shade- A darker shade of a color.
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Shed
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Don't go in the Shed!
A shade is actually a specific level on a color scale... A Shadow is a darker shade. So I fixed Shade and added Shadow and Highlight.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Ok, I thought it was Shade and tint, lol.

Light Source- Where the light is hitting your sprite. In Pokemon sprites the light source comes from the top-left corner and that is where your highlight should be. And where it doesn't hit it you should have a shadow.
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Shed
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Don't go in the Shed!
Added Shading and put up parts of speech.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
This is coming along pretty fast... o_O

Line-Art- This is when you just have a Line-art of what you're spriting. You usually make a Line-art of something before you start shading and adding details.
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Shed
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Don't go in the Shed!
3d, never define a word using itself! I'll fix that, lol.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
That's why I'm failing English. Actually, I have an A+

Constuctive Criticism (C+C)- To give helpful pointers on how to fix someones work.
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Neurogenesis
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say nothing and i wont kill you
Do we need defs on the different types of spriting, like devamp and scratching and things? If so, I can do those.
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3d
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Chicken Xing
Any definitions that are related to Spriting would be helpful. =)
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Quate
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RUN HE IS BESIDE YOU
Pixel-Over- (depending on usage, n. or v.) To shrink an image previously not sprite-sized and tracing over it, creating an entirely new sprite
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Kameshugener
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Shop and Drop: Your #1 source of suicide since 2008.
JPGed

JPGed means that the sprite or piece of pixelart (POXELART PIZELART) has been saved as a JPG. This makes it look blurry.

PNGed

Like JPGed, only it's been saved as a PNG. PNG is the universally accepted way to save your sprite.
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