Is editing sprites with GIMP any good?

Look, opinions are opinions, but you guys are just dissing MS Paint without thinking (though maybe you are, but if you are then it might be best if you included reasons other then 'it sucks' or 'it takes a while' or 'no layers' or w/e) and that doesn't help.

We're "dissing" MS Paint without thinking? And how are "it takes a while" (it's slower to use than other programs) and "it has no layers" (it lacks features that other programs have that ease the process of drawing/creating images) invalid reasons?

I think you're the one who's defending MS Paint without thinking it through.

 

ok the secret is



you can make amazing beautiful things with any program if you're good enough
paint.net and other programs have many more tools than ms paint does like what you already stated
plus those programs usually have good support for plugins and afaik ms paint doesn't have anything of the sort

like look at the curve tool for ms paint (7 at least, i can't recall xp's very much but w/e)
you can make curves
basic curvy things
but if you think you want to change the curve a bit or make more complicated curves than ones with two vertices within then you're out of fucking luck
paint.net can make bezier curves
BEZIER
i don't even know what that word means that's how fancy it is

and turning off anti-aliasing? get the fuck out of my house, ms paint replies

 

We're "dissing" MS Paint without thinking?

Yes, yes you are. (And yes, I realize that it's just one post, but everyone's just hopping on the 'MS Paint sucks' bandwagon at this point.)

And how are "it takes a while" (it's slower to use than other programs)

1. To me, how long it takes doesn't mean it's a shit program. MS Paint takes a while to draw something, and SAI takes a while to sprite something. So in that sense, MS Paint is shit for drawing (which it isn't, really) and SAI is shit for spriting (which it sort of is, as it's made for art, but it sort of isn't as well.)

and "it has no layers" (it lacks features that other programs have that ease the process of drawing/creating images)

2. Layers are optional. You could work around it, depending on the situation. I know someone's going to say "then just use layers", but maybe I don't want to open up SAI and open up a new canvas. Maybe I want to quickly open a program and start spriting. Maybe it takes a while to open one program and a few seconds for the other!

I think you're the one who's defending MS Paint without thinking it through.

And how am I not thinking it through? It took time to type that post, it took time to review it a few times, and I obviously thought about what I was typing. Besides, I took time to provide Paints good and bad spots, if anyone wanted to reason them out. As well, I've been working with spriting for nearly a year (as far as I can remember) at this point, as my first mod used Paint for some of its things. (And, obviously, I've improved since then.)

Also, this discussion reminded me that I need to go sprite some things, so I'm no longer going to respond. I would prefer to stay away from pointless banter that doesn't even answer the original question of this thread, which was already answered a little while ago.

 

Yes, yes you are. (And yes, I realize that it's just one post, but everyone's just hopping on the 'MS Paint sucks' bandwagon at this point.)

Everyone's hopping on the "bandwagon" because it's commonly agreed upon, and it's mostly true.

1. To me, how long it takes doesn't mean it's a shit program. MS Paint takes a while to draw something, and SAI takes a while to sprite something. So in that sense, MS Paint is shit for drawing (which it isn't, really) and SAI is shit for spriting (which it sort of is, as it's made for art, but it sort of isn't as well.)

SAI wasn't even one of the programs we were listing for spriting anyway, so why are you using it for comparison?

I think most of us would agree that if you can do something faster with one tool over the other, that makes that tool better suited for that task. By your logic using a computer with Windows ME with should be fine since "speed doesn't matter", because I guess you have all the time in the world.

The problem with MS paint is that for all the things it can do there is more often than not a program that can do it better, whether it be drawing or spriting or anything. The best thing MS paint has going for it is that it's most likely pre-installed on your computer, and that isn't much.

2. Layers are optional. You could work around it, depending on the situation. I know someone's going to say "then just use layers", but maybe I don't want to open up SAI and open up a new canvas. Maybe I want to quickly open a program and start spriting. Maybe it takes a while to open one program and a few seconds for the other!
And how am I not thinking it through? It took time to type that post, it took time to review it a few times, and I obviously thought about what I was typing. Besides, I took time to provide Paints good and bad spots, if anyone wanted to reason them out. As well, I've been working with spriting for nearly a year (as far as I can remember) at this point, as my first mod used Paint for some of its things. (And, obviously, I've improved since then.)

You *could* work around it, but the point is that you don't have to with these other programs? And how hard is it to open up a "new canvas" anyways, like 10 seconds at most if you're going slow? And didn't you just say you didn't care if something was slow, but now that SAI makes you "open a new canvas", you suddenly start complaining about speed? Seems pretty hypocritical to me.

I'm saying you're not thinking it through since you think that we haven't thought our arguments through, which we have. That and all your arguments/points here are shallow at best.

 

*ahem*

 

*ahem*

*ahem*

Hi, I'm almost exclusively a pixel artist. If you use MS Paint it's because you lack experience. Doing work fast and efficiently is important, and being able to edit your entire color palette in 10% of the time is a good skill. Along with using layers to experiment and not have to redraw things for time mishaps. If you have the ability to make large changes quickly it gives you more artistic range and room to experiment. Denying yourself that because you "don't need it" will make you a worse artist and the things you make worse as a whole. Microsoft paint is the bare minimum it needs to be in order to be called a image manipulation program, and if your serious then you'll open yourself up to tools that give you more range.

 

you lack experience.

nope

Doing work fast and efficiently is important, and being able to edit your entire color palette in 10% of the time is a good skill.

and what makes you think i can't do work fast and efficiently?

not have to redraw things

ctrl+c ctrl+v

the ability to make large changes quickly

what makes you think i can't make large changes quickly?

Denying yourself that because you "don't need it" will make you a worse artist

again, if i need other features, i use game maker image editor

Microsoft paint is the bare minimum it needs to be in order to be called a image manipulation program, and if your serious then you'll op[en yourself up to tools that give you more range.

nope

 

I say we drop it with the MS Paint worshipping sarcasm and what not.

A tad overdone that joking matter is.

---

From my personal experience, no, GIMP is not that good for editing sprites (unless I'm just completely using it wrong),
My preferred program for sprite work is Paint.net, though I am willing to admit that I have not tried many of the recommended others (sai, graphicsgale) so take that for what it's worth.

I will however give the advice that it's okay to have multible programs with similar uses.
I still use GIMP for when I need animated .gifs or to use its array of effects, and I also use this really, extremely horrible OSX-native program, probably to be honest at the same level as MS Paint or even lower, except that it has a huge option page for palette control specifically.

 

nope
and what makes you think i can't do work fast and efficiently?
ctrl+c ctrl+v
what makes you think i can't make large changes quickly?
again, if i need other features, i use game maker image editor
nope

honestly at this point it's your attitude that is annoying me more than anything else
you are the artist who is incompetent now, and will be incompetent forever, because you can't get over your own ego long enough to try and improve.

"hurrr it's muh style"
"I don't need to learn new tools and techniques everything i already do is perfect and you cant' convince me otherwise"
"dont like dont look"

at this point trying to tell you what you're doing wrong is pointless because you've got your head so far up your own ass you literally can't hear what anybody else is saying

I am willing to admit that I have not tried many of the recommended others (sai, graphicsgale) so take that for what it's worth.

SAI is definitely not worth working with on the pixel level, it's for digital painting, it's called /paint/ tool SAI after all.
GraphicsGale is by far the tool of choice as far as I'm aware and I think a lot of professional spriters use it because it has a lot of features that make it good for this stuff.
Paint.NET is a good all-around program with an easy learning curve for someone coming from MS Paint but without tablet support (as others have noted) it's not too great for other digital artwork.
GIMP is a confusing fuckball of a UI and i wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

 

SAI is definitely not worth working with on the pixel level, it's for digital painting, it's called /paint/ tool SAI after all.
GraphicsGale is by far the tool of choice as far as I'm aware and I think a lot of professional spriters use it because it has a lot of features that make it good for this stuff.
Paint.NET is a good all-around program with an easy learning curve for someone coming from MS Paint but without tablet support (as others have noted) it's not too great for other digital artwork.
GIMP is a confusing fuckball of a UI and i wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Thank you. I may try speaking to my brother again and try to get PdN back, and if that doesn't work i'll try GraphicsGale.

 

Okay Liam I'd like to ask that you listen to reason for a moment. If you're at all serious about art, you should not be content with subpar tools. The fact is, literally everything MSPaint does another program can do better. You don't see professional video editors using Windows Movie Maker, or writers using Notepad. For the same reason, you don't see serious artists making serious art in MS Paint. It is simply objectively inferior to every alternative we've suggested. If you can give legitimate reason as for why it's better (as opposed to just acceptable) then please, enlighten us.

 

I'd just like to point out:

Edit: this doesn't mean I approve of it, it's getting out of hand and starting to fill pages of off-topic discussion.

 

I'd just like to point out:

That's a quote from the character he made (Mr. Triangle) and not from himself.
And if you read his posts I'd say it's pretty clear he's pretty serious about it all. I mean, he could be being sarcastic/trying to pull off a clever troll here, but I think you're *really* giving him the benefit of the doubt if you think that's what he's doing.

 

I would also like to point out that if you need some more advanced image editing features for any reason, that while Gimp has a lot of features it's still just a huge pain in the ass. If you need some of those features and another program is not giving you what you need, you should seriously consider Photoshop. Photoshop now has a monthly fee thing but if you can't afford that you should seriously consider "obtaining" it. Just like everyone else does.

 

MSPaint is really good when I feel like being horribly innefifiecnt
Just use graphicsgale or aseprite or the one pixel uses or pixen if you're on a mac

matt: you lack experience
liam: nope

Judging by what you've put out so far: lmao

 

For the same reason, you don't see serious artists making serious art in MS Paint.

sometimes it happens

 

As the original question has now been answered, I think this thread has done all the good work it's going to.