Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (Full Version)

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Doubleoh4 -> Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/3/2007 16:32:48)

Doubleoh4’s Guide to making DF Comics
( Also check out my NPC guide)


Introduction

Some of you may know me already, some of you may not, if not i make DF edits, you can find my Gallery by clicking on my signature.

I have had lots of questions asked in the past about how i make my comics, and have been thinking about making a guide to doing it, one that is simple to follow. without further a do, i will begin.

First of all, let me apologies for anything that hasn’t been covered, i tried to remember everything, but as questions are asked, and answered, i will update this main part of the guide for the information that was missing, and hopefully it will get better.

Step 1 - Creating the pieces

Firstly, lets talk about compiling all the pieces to the puzzle we will eventually create (this will be time consuming, but if your thinking about doing lots of comics, it will save you lots of time). the pieces we will need are, backgrounds, characters, and speech bubbles, you can make as many or as little of these as you need. lets talk first about how to get these.
Note:- Save files as Tiff’s, PNG’s or BMP’s, do not save any pieces in JPEG format, or any other compression file types

Step 1a - Backgrounds

First off take a screen shot (Print screen for PC users, or your grab feature for mac users) make sure (if your playing DF) that your character is in a position where they will be easy to remove. see picture below

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/barbersshoparea.jpg[/image]


Then remove your character from the background using your pencil and brush options, to get a result like this:-

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/nocharacter.jpg[/image]


Its as simple as that, different backgrounds have different levels of difficulty when removing your character, if it is too hard to use your brush to remove your character (for example its brick in the background) use your selector to select a similar part of the background elsewhere, copy and paste it over your character, and use the pencil to touch it up, if it needs it. Save your file as “Guardian tower background” for example. so you can find it easily when you need it.
I have made backgrounds for virtually all the areas in DF, it is fairly easy, maybe time consuming, but once you have them, you never need to get them again.

Step 1b - Characters

Firstly, much like the background, you will need to get a screen shot of your character (do this in battle so you can get whatever poses you want, this will also ensure your pictures of your character will always be the same size) and again like the background, try to pic a spot where your characters background can be easily removed (rescue mission, and ice cave are good choices) See pic for an example of a good shot to get.

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/charshot.jpg[/image]


Use your filler tool to fill all the background around your character (you wont be able to get it all with the filler, but you can get the large areas) fill using a color that does not appear on your character (this will help you later) or if your going to be using ms paint fill the background white. After using the filler tool, remove the rest of the background with the brush and pencil tools (be sure to get those areas around the character especially, since later, when you paste them to a background, they will show up and look bad), once youre done, it should look like this:-

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/removed.jpg[/image]


Save these files as “attack” “stance” “stand” “run” for example, so you can easily find what you need for your comic. Again, make as little or as many of these as you think you will ever need for your comics.

Step 1c - Speech bubbles

Use the same methods for this as you would your character, the only other thing you need to do here is erase the name that was in the bubble, and put your characters name in there, you can also change the size of these bubbles to whatever you need, heres a copy of the sheet I use, these sizes seem fit for every occasion, and ive never had to make another sized bubble since:-

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/bubbles.jpg[/image]


Step 2 - Putting together the pieces

Congratulations, the hard work is behind you now, its time for the fun part, and make up some creative/funny/interesting comic stories

Step 2a - Create an idea

The method i find best when creating a comic, is to get a pencil and paper, and make a quick sketch of what i want to do, how many frames it will be, and work out which of the “puzzle pieces” i will need. when you know what you need for your first frame, open up the files (puzzle pieces) and get ready for the next step

Step 2b - Copy and pasting

Now all we need to do is copy our character, speech bubble, and anything else you may have created, onto the background. if you are using paint, simply select all of your characters image, and paste it directly onto the background, be sure transparency is “on” and that your secondary color is set to white (or whatever the color of your background is around your character). if not using paint, use you “color selector tool” (this is why it was advisable to use a color for the background that is not on your character) go ahead and select all of that color, then use the option “invert selection” now all of your character is selected and none of the background, simply copy, and then paste onto the background. like this -

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/copy.jpg[/image]


[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/paste.jpg[/image]


Step 2c - The final touches

Now it is just a case of pasting in more characters (if needed) and your speech bubbles. use you text feature to write in the bubble (i find arial a nice font for edits). See picture

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/bubbletext.jpg[/image]


After that, produce the rest of your frames in the same way, start a new blank document (big enough to fit all your frames in) and then copy and paste those frame in the document, Crop the document, to look like this:-

[image]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/doubleoh4/comicfrmaes.jpg[/image]

(this image is scaled down for convenient viewing)

Make sure this file that your hosting is now saved as a JPEG or a smaller file type, this is the only file we have talked about that should ever be saved in this kind of format.

Step 3 - Hosting

Now all you need to do is host this image on say “image shack” it is straight forward, and once you follow the instructions they will give you at where your hosting, simply copy the link address they give you, and paste it into the body of your response here on the forum.

Step 4 - Congratulate yourself on a job well done


Closing Statement

Be sure to message me any adjustments i could make to this guide, and any questions you may have about comic making that are not covered here, or maybe they are covered, but either dont make sense, or are not detailed enough

Thanks for reading, and good luck editing

-Doubleoh4-




Amoeba -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/3/2007 16:44:38)

though i dont personaly like edits, this tutorial is quite good :D




creepers -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/4/2007 7:00:47)

004,tut is okay because yor images are jpg.try bitmap next time




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/4/2007 8:04:48)

i made them jpegs on the page cos not evryone here has cable internet, BMP would make this page load really reeeaalllyyyy slow

sorry for the quality, but seeing them at all is better than not [;)]




Gardex -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/4/2007 8:21:33)

Meh. This would be a usefull guide to all the new DF Editors.




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/5/2007 10:27:44)

i had so many PMs asking me how i do edits, (as im sure you have too Gardex) so i thought id make this, and if i get PMed again, i can send them here, instead of explaining it over and over, i know this guide is basic, but thats kind of the point... plus most of the more advanced stuff can be found in guides already, but i think some people dont know where to start, and that was the idea of this guide, i hope it encourages people to edit [:)]

-Doubleoh4-




Gardex -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/5/2007 14:20:02)

Yes i do. If i wouldn't get all those questions then maybe i didn't have to delete 5-10 pms each day(So my inbox doesn't get full). :P

You should also make a guide for more advanced editing too.




Anoril -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/5/2007 14:25:34)

Brilliant Guide. Although i'm not an editor, nor plan to be any time soon i feel that after reading this i could be and editor if i actually put my mind to it. [:D] Nice Work.




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/5/2007 15:02:15)

thanks [:)], i hope it does encourage those people who want to edit, to take that step and make a start. when i first started, i found it quite difficult, but after a while, you get used to it, and do bigger and better things (well some people do, i just keep making the usual...... stuff lol)




Magzone -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/5/2007 16:01:03)

well, i think i should start editing, but i am soon starting make minigames...




kire10 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/8/2007 3:01:38)

I have now started making comics thanks to this guide thankyou 00




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/8/2007 6:20:53)

your welcome, to see people editing as a result of this guide is thanks enough! hope you have fun with it

-Doubleoh4-




creepers -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/8/2007 7:54:17)

o man,i don't need to make one speechbubble but getone.




kire10 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/9/2007 3:57:13)

Ive hit a stump Im using paint and Im trying to put my character into my background but it wont work how do I just select the caracter and not the area around him?




creepers -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/9/2007 9:46:02)

enable the transparency on!!




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (2/9/2007 11:10:17)

yes, creepers is right, also make sure your secondary colour in paint is set to the same colour that the background is around your character (if its white, have you secondary as white, if yellow, the secondary as yellow, make sure the colour is IDENTICLE, even a little off and it wont be transparent) if you still have trouble, PM me [:)]




NarutoUzumaki -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/10/2007 11:10:42)

i cant get transparent, where do you find it on paint?




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 1:43:28)

under your tools there are two boxes with shapes in them, and what looks like a selection tool around them, each of those boxes can be clicked on, one is transparency, and the other is not, try clicking the one that is not usually selected, and that will be your transparency option. hope this helps




Master Magic Mage -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 4:07:50)

thats a cool guide 004. might actually start doing editing. what program do you use?




Myhos -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 12:56:56)

good job on the guide, i never knew you used a mac n_n (i use one too)




Master Magic Mage -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 14:24:26)

kk found out how to start, how do you remove a picture from a picture? like removing the chara on dragonfable or the bits around the game screen.




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 16:00:28)

the program i use is called 'compositor' its a very very basic program lol, what i wouldnt do for a copy of photoshop [:D]

Master Magic Mage - try following step 1b, to remove the background away from your character, if you have further trouble, feel free to PM me, and ill do what i can (removing backgrounds from your character can be quite tricky and involved, dont be discouraged [:)])




Master Magic Mage -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 16:57:43)

kk, i have a problem, when i fill the background of chara up, it does it bit by bit, and most of it i cant turn white. whats wrong?




Doubleoh4 -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/12/2007 20:26:02)

follow the steps, try to take a screenshot where the background is not very complex, like in the example. it will take time, dont expect instant results, any more problems, and please PM me




venifcus -> RE: Doubleoh4's Basic Guide For DF Edits/Comics (3/17/2007 5:40:39)

thank you so much for this




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