Media Standards

[adamg]

Hey guys I had an idea this weekend when trying to go through my artwork for use on another project that I am working on.

 

We have 2D and 3D artworks that people have graciously made throughout the years but as games are added, protos are made, or games are translated it is often hard to find those additions in carts or box artworks.  What I would like to purpose is that everyone make all artwork in 2D and add a photoshop file that one could use to make the 3D versions.  This future proofs collections and allows us to add things in the future if needed.  I have some amazing NES 3D carts that I have collected over the years but they are from about 4 different media makers and therefore do not match.  If we worked from 2D layouts instead of everyone having their own psd files, we could use the base artwork to create whatever style 3D we wanted.

 

I know that kind of takes away from the artist's creativity but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh what is lost.  Additionally, with the inclusion of the template, artists could still have their own flair included but also allow for additions to be made in the future.

 

In line with this, does anyone know if it would be possible to alter files that exist now to be flat 2D images?

 

For instance, could I take this image: 

 

And flatten it and not lose any of the artwork to stretching?

[thatman84]

Lots of people have highlighted this over the few years I have been here......but still people just love to make 3D boxes. Even saying they just discarding their 2D sources when done with the 3D sets. 

Being a non creator I can’t complain but sometimes it’s hard to understand the logic lol

Just need to keep spreading the word and keep hold of/share the elusive 2D artwork and Hi Res sources

[wallmachine]

2D for the win!

[diskmach]

11 hours ago, adamg said:

Hey guys I had an idea this weekend when trying to go through my artwork for use on another project that I am working on.

 

We have 2D and 3D artworks that people have graciously made throughout the years but as games are added, protos are made, or games are translated it is often hard to find those additions in carts or box artworks.  What I would like to purpose is that everyone make all artwork in 2D and add a photoshop file that one could use to make the 3D versions.  This future proofs collections and allows us to add things in the future if needed.  I have some amazing NES 3D carts that I have collected over the years but they are from about 4 different media makers and therefore do not match.  If we worked from 2D layouts instead of everyone having their own psd files, we could use the base artwork to create whatever style 3D we wanted.

 

I know that kind of takes away from the artist's creativity but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh what is lost.  Additionally, with the inclusion of the template, artists could still have their own flair included but also allow for additions to be made in the future.

 

In line with this, does anyone know if it would be possible to alter files that exist now to be flat 2D images?

 

For instance, could I take this image: 

 

And flatten it and not lose any of the artwork to stretching?

 

To me the 2D box front set IS the Box set, and 3D is a custom project. There is also many that prefer to have just the 2D set. As there is a hundred ways to do 3D, I would leave it to ppl wanting 3D to do the template. Maybe just have a central place where templates could be saved.

A problem might be with the spines, as they are harder to come by. Often you have to fake some of them, especially for lesser known systems. And it might be difficult to motivate ppl doing 2D box sets to try to find those as well.

If you're talking carts, then the sensible thing would be to post the 2D label together with the finished 2D cart. Then you can use that png rather than ppl having to use PSD's.

As some of the boxes and cart labels you might be looking for can only be found as photos on ebay and such, I tilt, skew and warp those all the time, it's quite easy to do if you get used to it. But you should know that the more tilted something is to start out with, the more image information you lose. And if the original is warped in different directions, it might be harder to work with. Your example is a bit too tilted and small, will come out blurry.

[adamg]

That is kind of the point I was trying to get across Disk, you just did a much better job haha.  Yeah totally think 2D should be the standard and 3D should be the custom.  For many systems I can only find the 3D versions.  I was hoping to convert them to 2D if it were possible.  Any guides you could recommend?

 

For the 3D versions I was thinking of something like this:

 

We would come up with a standard layout and piece together parts as they are found for every game.  So for instance int he above image, if say we did not have the sides of the boxes, the image would exist in the standard layout with all pieces that we have and wait for someone to find the side pieces.  This would allow us to keep up with true renditions of every game cart and box so as to preserve every aspect of it.  Now I know that is a crazy endeavor but I would really like something like that and would work towards it if there were any interest.

 

I am currently collection 2D versions of cart images for every system as they seem to be easier to find most of the time.  I want to move on to 3D boxes like the one above eventually and thought it would be a great idea to get that out there to garner any interest that there may be.

 

My end goal is a collection of artwork that could be added to 3D versions if desired but would only exist in a 2d layout if that makes any sense.

 

To that end I would really like 2D carts without the carts but have the edge like the box image above so that one could 'fold' into a 3d layout.

[Andyman]

To convert 3D boxes to 2D (box front only), I use Paint Shop Pro's Perspective Correction tool. I'm sure that Photoshop has a similar tool, though.

[diskmach]

I have seen sites that has that kind of foldout, yeah, I suppose they're meant for printing out boxes.  So that should be possible technically.  But I believe we would have to get a lot more serious about doing our art to accomplish anything in that direction. If you have a box, fold it out and scan it, fine. But piecing together stuff..

There would be different resolutions , different colors, different BW levels, we would have to start getting better at correcting things like that for it to be at all possible and meaningful.

Never really thought about batch processing 3D boxes. That would mean two-ways image quality loss.  But I guess if there's all there is as a set, which certainly can be the case. 

Well, if the sources are close to the pixel alike, then you could just record your actions in Photoshop as you use the Transform commands, etc, but you have to be really precise, and then batch process it in PS.

[Kondorito]

For the SNES 3D box pack we did with @SupraKarma we had to find and trim all the +900 scans for the front an side/bottom spines from different sources, and made PSD templates with them (I think Supra uploaded them in the pack). I agree sharing the source material is great so content creators can use in their different projects (this was the original idea for Hypervault some years ago).

Having opened boxes scans like you posted above for all the systems would be a dream come true for creators (at least for me); with just a simple action in PS we could make 3d boxes in a matter of mere minutes. But the sources are very scarce (I always end up looking for stuff in ebay pics and manipulating it to get bits of good material).

2D covers are easy to get nowadays (I am amazed on how this changed in the past few years; we had to scavenge like hell before). The adventure starts when trying to find box spines...

 

 

[adamg]

Yes Kondorito I have that set and it is amazing.  Definitely a good start.  And you make a good point about different sources and what not but what is the method now?  Brute force it until you have them all, then release?  I feel like we have lost several projects to that in the past where people burn out and never release their stuff so all of that time is wasted for the group at large.  Hopefully something more curated in regards to what is missing like a box layout with missing artwork for the different sides may be a better solution for the long run.  Perhaps alot more work but I guess I am just being hopeful that we could be that avenue to reproduce  the artwork.

 

And to the printing thing, I would hope our removal of TM and © would keep people from using them as reproduction boxes.

[diskmach]

7 hours ago, adamg said:

Yes Kondorito I have that set and it is amazing.  Definitely a good start.  And you make a good point about different sources and what not but what is the method now?  Brute force it until you have them all, then release?  I feel like we have lost several projects to that in the past where people burn out and never release their stuff so all of that time is wasted for the group at large.  Hopefully something more curated in regards to what is missing like a box layout with missing artwork for the different sides may be a better solution for the long run.  Perhaps alot more work but I guess I am just being hopeful that we could be that avenue to reproduce  the artwork.

 

And to the printing thing, I would hope our removal of TM and © would keep people from using them as reproduction boxes.

The standard we're working to is to remove TM and C from logos only. On carts and boxes we keep them. But let people do whatever they want with the art...

As you're working on a project, you're supposed to put your WIP in the Vault, so (theoretically at least) your work shouldn't be lost if you abandon a project. But certainly some stuff never appear.

You have a valid point about that brute force thing. Ideal would be if it would be more of a collective effort, you'd upload the finished art you made without worrying too much about when it gets released, the progress sheet will tell you when it's time for that.

I believe the main problem right now is that there are too few people working on art. So burnout is more of a risk. And organizing things in the best way doesn't happen due to not enough available manpower.  Hopefully there will be a surge again soon.

[wallmachine]

2 hours ago, diskmach said:

As you're working on a project, you're supposed to put your WIP in the Vault, so (theoretically at least) your work shouldn't be lost if you abandon a project. But certainly some stuff never appear.

hypervault is only for the creators? so it doesn't benefit the community?

[diskmach]

1 hour ago, wallmachine said:

hypervault is only for the creators? so it doesn't benefit the community?

It is storage for WIP projects for creators. I would say that it hugely benefits the community, it´s the first step to a set being released?

[Andyman]

Not to sidetrack  the OP, but this is the first I've heard of HyperVault, and I've been here nearly 10 years. Also, maybe I need glasses, but I don't see a link to HyperVault anywhere. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to the community if we all knew about it?

[thatman84]

Hypervault has been around for a long time for official level artworks.....but like diskmach said manpower is limited so some things never get finished.

A few guys keep it organised but many people involved have moved away from the scene or hyperspin. 

With the ftp here read only I dont see an easy way for people to collaborate other than in threads like normal.

I really like AdamG's idea and hope a structure gets setup and gains weight. I will point any art creators to it. 

[diskmach]

Well, the Vault is not really a secret, there's a whole Announcement section on it.

https://hyperspin-fe.com/forums/forum/360-hypervault/

It's not open for all, you have to be a creator and ask for access. As I said it's for uploading WIP, if you're looking for individual art items, they are supposed to be posted to threads as a project progresses.