The HyperSpin Project

[zxspecticle]

I could help if help where needed. I created the 3d Creativision boxes in the past. I'd be very interested in helping bringing the ZX Spectrum up to the standard such an historically important system deserves.

[Cruel Moose]

I never said no homebrews at all, I said crappy homebrews were left out (and there are quite a few that fit into this category for NES or any other console), good ones were included of course just like was done for every other system.

If you have a list of homebrews you feel should be added please post it and I'll double check if they are all included.

Sorry for misunderstanding your original post. I'll send you a PM on the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

[Andyman]

+1 on including Crylen's main menu wheels. They are magnificent.

I'm helping the cause all over the place. Heh. Helping with the PSP Art Project is my current focus.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed at least something of value to HyperSpin. This place would be a faint shadow of what it is without everyone's help.

To those who haven't contributed... why not? Even if you have no creative skills at all, there's always TONS of room to help with the databases, artwork sourcing, error checking, etc. etc. Find something that interests you and dive right in! It's great fun and very satisfying.

[serotta33]

My photoshop skills are increasing. I just started contributing to the Game Boy wheel set and it's going great. For an example of my work, see the official Game Boy wheel art thread. How do we officially join the project?

So exciting! This project could open the flood gates!

[brolly]

We can definitely use any help we can get, we already have plenty of stuff done, but there's way too much left to do yet.

So everyone that wants to help, please pm me stating what exactly you want to help with. Wheel makers are especially needed!

Then we can start opening the threads and assigning people to projects to keep things organized so everyone can know who's working in what, we are still in the progress of organizing everything so it will take us a few days until everything in the forums is properly setup.

If you want to help, but not sure with what lmk as well, we will surely be able to find something for you. Remember you are not required to have PS skills at all, things like for example gathering artwork for artists to work with will also be a big help and will take some load off artists since they won't need to be searching for it which we all know can take quite some time.

[Stealthy1]

Hey guys, good to see the project move to here. I will love to help with HyperPause. I feel thats probably the best place for my contribution and then also some videos. Please just let me know.

[brolly]

lank.g01 & Stealthy just let us know what systems you'd like to work on and you can start getting HP assets for them.

Game manuals would be particularly welcomed.

I will need to send you the new dbs so you can rename everything after them.

[Stealthy1]

I will start on what ever system you want. I will happily jump on the Atari Lynx as that was my first ever video game system. Its small, and can help me iron out kinks on things before moving onto bigger systems.

[windowlicker11]

My photoshop skills have slooowly gotten better. I decided to try making some MSX wheels after reading this thread. I probably can't make the more complex wheels, but I think I may be able to contribute some of the easier ones.

Let me know if these are good enough and if I should continue making MSX wheels.

[lank.g01]

lank.g01 & Stealthy just let us know what systems you'd like to work on and you can start getting HP assets for them.

Game manuals would be particularly welcomed.

I will need to send you the new dbs so you can rename everything after them.

To start I would like to continue working on the sega 8bit stuff sg1000, Gamegear and finishing off the Master System media to match the new database

(I can also help out in terms of new databases with the Brazil exclusives that are playable in English if they have not e already been added :-D)

[brolly]

Sounds good lank, you can go ahead and work on those I'll get the dbs to you soon. Don't worry about Brazilian exclusives they are already added. Did you gather any manuals for Master System btw? Because I couldn't find any in the ftp.

windowlicker, the wheels seem good to me so you can keep at it. We don't have a finished MSX db yet (it's in the WIP list), but I guess you can refer to Emumovies videos or the No-Intro sets for the time being, even though the final db will have a lot more games.

[lank.g01]

I gather some manuals but I notice the majority have already been uploaded to the Emumovies FTP, there are a few that are still missing which im still sourcing out, hopefully I can find some SMS collectors to help out with the scans.

If you would like you can PM me the new databases and ill get cracking.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 4

[djvj]

I'm going to try to get the project FTP up tomorrow, long day with the family and bugtesting the next HL update. Way too tired to start now.

I would also like to move some current threads over to the appropriate Project sections, like the PSP and GC wheel thread and the 2600 theme thread. Stuff like that should be absorbed into the Project. I'd like to see everything falling under one umbrella.

[Andyman]

Project FTP? I thought we were moving away from that?

[djvj]

Did you read the first post?

We use one now and it works fine. Don't confuse a public FTP what HS uses with the project one. More details later. I need to see what I can work with first.

[Andyman]

Yes, sorry, missed the "private" part of that. Thanks for clarifying.

[Polemicist]

Will that umbrella require a new tier from Platinum to cover costs on the new hardware setup for the system?

Also I stupidly put my hand up to look at the Gameboy and Gameboy color wheels. Worth a shot. I'll be old and grey by the time I'm finished but hey why not.

[serotta33]

I'm already old and grey... Well kinda... I'm with you on the Game Boy. Monochrome needs love too!!!

[hiorik]

yesterday i say: "ohhh finally, i only have to setup xpadder profiles and then i´m done"

xD!

i send a pm to brolly.

[Polemicist]

I'm already old and grey... Well kinda... I'm with you on the Game Boy. Monochrome needs love too!!!

It's a handheld in played as a kid. I still have this:

Dammit it needs new batteries. And I still love my PSP 2000 but my old Nintendo Gameboys have gone to that big scrap pile in the sky.

yesterday i say: "ohhh finally, i only have to setup xpadder profiles and then i´m done".

Done??? LOL. That's funny. Tell me another joke.

[brolly]

yesterday i say: "ohhh finally, i only have to setup xpadder profiles and then i´m done"

Wrap this around your head, you will never be done so don't try fooling yourself.

I think soon enough Game & Watch will need some love too eheh

[zomboided]

This is a great project, thanks for kicking it off brolly.

I'd like to do a ZX Spectrum theme...I did a main menu theme ages ago (it was like my 3rd theme ever!), but I can do a default theme too. What are the guidelines for doing a default theme? What are the different artwork layers typically used for?

[THK]

For people trying to get better at Photoshop I really recommend the Lynda .com one-on-one CS6 training/tutorial dvd's (Get it at [PB mirror]/search/lynda%20com%20one%20on%20one%20cs6/0/99/0) Especially the chapter on the Pen-Tool is essential.

Other than that, practice is the best way to get better, don't know how to do something, look up those tutorial vids, google or ask one of our theme/wheel creators here on the forum.

Some important tools to know/learn

Image > Adjustments > Levels: Often the better way to adjust brightness & contrast

Image > Adjustments > Vibrance: Adjust vibrance & saturation

Image > Adjustments > Color Balance: Add or subtract colors

Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer: As name implies

Image > Adjustments > Selective Color: Change cyan/magenta/yellow/black levels on red/yellow/blue/magenta/white/neutral/black

Image > Adjustments > Replace Color: Change hue on a color/color range

Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map: Applies a gradient by using the lightness and darkness values in the image as a map for how the gradient colors are applied

Layer > Matting > Defringe / Remove Black Matte / Remove White Matte: Remove fringes/matting/halos from the outside of a anti-aliased image

Select > Refine Edge: Lets you edit the selection by smoothing/feathering the selection and shift the selection up to 50 pixels (good for selection that need to be smoothed or a gradual/blurry transition into transparency, like hair)

Edit > Fill (Content-Aware): Fill a selection and PS will guesstimate what should've been there and fill the selection with that. Great for clearing objects, text etc from larger surfaces like skies or grass

Filter > Blur > Blur: As name implies

Filter > Blur > Motion Blur / Radial Blur: Create illusion of movement (often best applied on a duplicate layer on top of the original one)

Filter > Blur > Surface Blur: Blur the surface to get rid of noise (don't overdo it)

Filter > Noise > Add Noise: Add noise for a grainy (texture) effect

Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise: Reduce (color) noise (I prefer this over Surface Blur, also don't overdo it)

Tools > Pen Tool: Learn it, love it! It's the most essential tool to learn for making cuts/selections

Tools > Magic Wand: Only use this for (high res) images with a high contrast between the art and the background, preferably a solid background. If not, use the Pen-Tool! (it's the easy way out tool, but with more complex images you might end up spending more time refining the cut/edges than using the pen-tool)

Tools > Quick Selection Tool: "THE tool to deep-etch image parts like a game title over a background"

Tools > Healing / Patch / Clone Stamp Tool: Very handy for cleaning away lines, text, all sorts of things from box art for example

Tools > Shape Tools: Don't underestimate the shape tools, with fill you can use them to build up clean shapes (I use them for vid border in stead of simple strokes that tend to pixilate on corners) or with/without a fill to make a selection (Layer window > Path tab > right click path > Make selection)

Layer Panel > Opacity: Self explanatory

Layer Panel > Fill: Especially handy to only show the Layer Style/Blending Options when set to 0% (you could for instance give art a drop shadow, convert only the drop shadow into a smart object and give it a gradient overlay)

Layer Panel > Blend Mode: (next to Opacity, standard set to Normal) Lets you blend images into underlying layers in different ways. Duplicate an artwork layer edit it and then blend or blend it into the background. Make sure you merge the layers that need to blend together into one layer or a smart object.

Layer Panel > Layer Style (or Blending Options, double or right click layer): Here you'll find everything to fancy up a layer, here again, a blend mode can be chosen for the particular effect. (the order of the effects are how they are stacked on top of each other)

Layer Panel > Bevel & Emboss

Layer Panel > Stroke

Layer Panel > Inner Shadow

Layer Panel > Inner Glow

Layer Panel > Satin

Layer Panel > Color Overlay

Layer Panel > Gradient Overlay

Layer Panel > Pattern Overlay

Layer Panel > Outer Glow

Layer Panel > Drop Shadow

Layer Panel > (You can save a Layer Style and apply it to any layer afterwards)

If you get the hang of things and start using the Pen-Tool to actually redraw things, I really recommend watching the tutorial dvd's for Illustrator as well. Yes AI seems daunting, but if you're any good at PS, you will learn quickly (I think it took me a few days of messing around before I got good enough to make good use of the program and starting to redraw stuff)

HyperSpin standards

- Save settings below as a preset in Photoshop called something like "Wheel" & "Theme", so you don't accidentally cock it up and end up wondering what made HS/HT act out

- Before cutting or touching up artwork, increase the image size something like 400%+ to be able to do more detailed work and resize it back afterwards

- When placing/pasting art that needs sizing down, make it a Smart Object, this will ensure the original information/detail won't be lost so you can increase it's size again without losing detail. (for most editing the smart object needs to be rasterized again, so it's best to either do it before sizing down or make a backup of the smart object before rasterizing)

- Make sure the file extensions are lower cased!

Wheels

- 400x175 px

- 72 dpi

- 8bit

- RGB

- png (interlaced)

- When adding stokes/shadows/glow, make sure it doesn't get cut off by the canvas size, so apply before sizing down or make it a smart object and resize to fit canvas

Themes

- 1024x768 px

- 72 dpi

- 8bit

- RGB

- psd (to import into HT)

- All artwork layers can be larger than the canvas size except the background!, which needs to be exactly 1024x768

- When adding/replacing art or the xml on a zipped theme, make sure you set 7zip/WinRar to store & add and replace files

Some tips for searching artwork

- Start your way at large images and work your way down to any size

- Start with png's and then repeat the process with any filetype (for png's: add filetype : png without the spaces to your search query)

- For Japanese games, look up their Japanese name and search for that as well and search for both the English and Japanese names on Google.jp, set to japanese sites only

- For new games, look up their official website, there's often nice art to rip (I use firefox for this, right click page > page info > media tab, let's you browse through all non-flash art and download it)

- For new games, search for a Press Kit on the developers/publishers/official game site

- Look up a game's (or game series) wikia (not to be confused with wiki), there's sometimes some good art to be found

Some sites I use for art (plz add your own)

- http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/ (Arcade flyers)

- http://www.coinopart.com (Arcade, requires membership)

- http://www.arcadeartwork.org (Arcade)

- http://arcadeartlibrary.com (Arcade)

- http://www.arcade-gear.com (Arcade)

- http://gamesdbase.com/ (All, not too good art, but usable for redraw source)

- http://www.giantbomb.com/ (mostly for PC games)

- http://fenixware.net/fab/ (Fighting games)

- http://fightersgeneration.com/ (Fighting games)

[brownvim]

.

[THK]

This is a great project, thanks for kicking it off brolly.

I'd like to do a ZX Spectrum theme...I did a main menu theme ages ago (it was like my 3rd theme ever!), but I can do a default theme too. What are the guidelines for doing a default theme? What are the different artwork layers typically used for?

As far as I know, leave a slot open for box art and if possible on for cart art (and set a placement & animation in HT). As I can recall there's no set artwork slot for either, so whatever works best.