tekelili: Noob stuff for TGT Ceremony

[tekelili]

Original Post:

Spoiler:

Never thought about open a thread "about art" because I know how talentless I am, but I have discovered I can be quite obsesive with small tasks and have some decent results, suppling with lot of time my lack of skill.

I am currently trying to animate a darven village for my scenario. I have the animation working in wesnoth with a macro, but I would like be able to post it in GIF to get feedback. So here are my 2 first noob questions:

- Is there any free program to allow me post an animation? (I tried to download GIMP but got scared when they asked my phone number for installation)

- Is there any free program to allow me work with trasparence? (I did my animation with paint cutting an opaque section, because paint told me I would lost trasparence when saving)

Edited:
This thread welcome all critique and hints. Quality level aimed is a vague "acceptable" (something like, it looks good enougth to be used for UMC). If you are UMC author, please let me know if you "could use my stuff" or "No, it looks too bad for be used", so I can get an idea of where I am.

I attach TGT Ceremony scenario, where there is currently all my stuff. Things UMC authors could find interesting in it:
- Animated Forge
- Animated Scenery Flag
- Some items (weapons) of my own, and several others "stolen" and fixed to have right image size and decent shadow.
- A way to have an animated brazier that can be lighted off and on.

[perseo]

Did you download gimp from their official page??? I use it in ubuntu and considering the kin of programme what you're saying 'bout the phone number sounds like a fake download you did.
See ya!

[tekelili]

Thanks a lot perseo, I got GIMP (I guess my question was a little dumb, but you helped me )
While I try to learn its basics, I post macro and images of animation. I am very sure macro can be improved because I am newbi using [terrain_graffics] tag. If someone want take a look to animation before I learn use gift files, it could also help, in case I should save work of paste images because whole animation should be redone (but understand I am looking for an "acceptable" level, no mainlain quality).

Code: Select all

#define FORGE_IMAGE_PATH
data/add-ons/TGT_Ceremony/Images/Forge/#enddef

#define FORGE_FRAME NUMBER
{FORGE_IMAGE_PATH}forge.png~BLIT({FORGE_IMAGE_PATH}forgefire{NUMBER}.png,53,29)~BLIT({FORGE_IMAGE_PATH}forge_wall_{NUMBER}.png,37,25)#enddef

#define ANIMATED_FORGE X Y
    # Place an animated forge on (x+1,y)
    # Embed this at scenario toplevel, not within an event.
    # Note that it will freeze while dialogue popups are onscreen.
    [terrain_graphics]
        map="
, *
* , *
, *
* , *
, *"
        x,y={X},{Y}
        [tile]
            x,y=0,0
        [/tile]
        [image]
            layer=0
            center=83,71
                name="../{FORGE_FRAME 1}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 2}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 3}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 4}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 5}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 6}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 7}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 8}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 9}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 10}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 11}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 12}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 13}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 14}:120"
        [/image]
    [/terrain_graphics]
#enddef

[tekelili]

forge.gif (4.86 KiB) Viewed 6440 times

I did a gif, not sure I did all steps well (indexation confussed me), but here is.
Edit: Meh, I just checked I lost traparences while exporting to gif
Edit2: When I discover how work with trasparences I would like twitch a litlle ground shadow and add a little smoke on chimeny, would appreciate any hint about how do it (I know there is something called halo, but no idea how it works and if is best way to do smoke. But maybe GIMP is already what I need.)

[Valkier]

Snapfiles.com has a free copy of Photoshop CS2 for download. Been playing with it on my new windows machine. I don't recall if it does anything with animation, but it does work with transparency.

[perseo]

Wow... it's a simple but effective animation... I like it Good job there pal!
See ya!

[Crow_T]

Gimp supports transparency just fine, the file format .gif only supports either no transparency or 100%, nothing in between, which is why Wesnoth uses .png in game, because png supports partial trans. as well. BUT, gif supports self contained animation while png does not, which is why we use it on the web.

[tekelili]

I have added smoke, but is a trasparence and looks horrible in gif, so I better attach a replay. Also attach images file.
Macro:

Spoiler:

Code: Select all

#define FORGE_IMAGE_PATH
data/add-ons/TGT_Ceremony/Images/Forge/#enddef

#define FORGE_FRAME NUMBER
{FORGE_IMAGE_PATH}forge-{NUMBER}.png#enddef

#define ANIMATED_FORGE X Y
    # Place an animated forge on (x+1,y)
    # Embed this at scenario toplevel, not within an event.
    # Note that it will freeze while dialogue popups are onscreen.
    [terrain_graphics]
        map="
, *
* , *
, *
* , *
, *"
        x,y={X},{Y}
        [tile]
            x,y=0,0
        [/tile]
        [image]
            layer=0
            center=83,76
                name="../{FORGE_FRAME 1}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 2}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 3}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 4}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 5}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 6}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 7}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 8}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 9}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 10}:140,../{FORGE_FRAME 11}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 12}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 13}:120,../{FORGE_FRAME 14}:120"
        [/image]
    [/terrain_graphics]
#enddef

Edit: Replaced with a larger somke path version.
Edit2: I realized I am not getting a good looking animation with smoke and it is better discard it. I could try it again.

[tekelili]

I realized our brain and eye are smarter than me, and they need very little stuff to realize there is smoke. So I have redone smoke animation with a minimal amount: enougth to see smoke, but not enougth to distract eye, imo. I did also a very small modification of ground shadow. I guess I rely on feedback from now to know if it looks "acceptable".
Edit: I added a background to show in an acceptable way the smoke animation.

forge_animation.gif (12.43 KiB) Viewed 6162 times

[tekelili]

I need for my scenario thunderstick and net items, and also a decorative flag. I did these frankesteins: not sure if they are acceptable, but I tried my best with my lack of skill.

2TeamColor_Flag.gif (2.29 KiB) Viewed 6139 times

net.png (3.42 KiB) Viewed 6139 times

thunderstick.png (1.41 KiB) Viewed 6062 times

thunderstick-m.png (1.46 KiB) Viewed 6046 times

Edit: I have replaced thunderstick image, wasnt happy with 1st one. Also did a small variant, wich I am unsure about it.

[Crow_T]

pretty nice stuff, only crit is to make the net less symmetrical