GAM 120 – Adobe Photoshop Primer (Creating a Game Character)

Begin by creating a new file in Photoshop.

Go to the File menu in the upper left corner and choose “New”.

Then in the pop-up menu, do the following:

1. Name your file. Make it a simple but descriptive name like “GameChar01”2.2. Determine how big your character will be on screen. Consider that many screens are now “HD”

or 1080p. This means that the screens have a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels

Change the Width and Height measurements from Inches to Pixels.

Change the Width and Height numbers to an appropriate size (Example: 200 x 200)

3. Change the Resolution to “72”. (The resolution should only be greater than 72 if you are planning to print out your file.)

4. Make sure the Color Mode is set to RGB (if you are working in color)

After you have changed your settings, click “OK”

Now you have a blank white canvas. Where to begin? One method is to start by creating shapes.

CREATING SHAPES

In the Tool Bar on the left hand side of the Photoshop interface select the Rectangle Tool.

This enables you to LMB click and drag a rectangular shape on your canvas.

(If you LMB click and hold on the Rectangle Tool icon in the Tool Bar, there are other options that appear in a stack formation. LMB click and drag onto a new option to use it.)

When you create a new shape, there are properties that you can adjust. These properties are accessible just below the menus at the top in a horizontal tool bar.

Each shape has two basic components: Fill and Stroke

1. Fill – Equals the color the shape is filled with2. Stroke – Equals the line surrounding the shape

Both of these components can be adjusted in the horizontal tool bar that appears at the top. However, this “shape” tool bar will only appear when the shape is active, or selected.

Each shape can be selected and manipulated with the “Path Selection Tool”, which is accessible from the main Tool Bar. Again, if you LMB click and hold on the Path Selection Tool, you will also have access to the Direct Selection Tool. The Direct Selection Tool allows you to select and manipulate points on the shape to change its form.

UNDO & HISTORYIf you make a mistake, you can always “Undo”, by pressing “Ctrl + z”, or by going to the Edit menu and choosing “Undo”.

In addition, Photoshop also keeps a record of the last 25 steps or commands that you have chosen. It keeps the list in a tab called “History”. You can open this tab by going to the Window menu and choosing “History” or by LMB clicking on the button shown below.

You go back to a previous step by LMB clicking in the History tab and then correct your mistake.

LAYERSWhen you create a new shape, Photoshop automatically places that shape on a new Layer. Photoshop allows you to stack different shapes on top of one another using its layers system.

You can LMB click on a layer to make it active. Make sure you have the correct layer selected before making changes to a particular shape!

Also, make sure to rename your layers logically. You can also change the order of the layers in the stack by LMB clicking and dragging them.

TRANSFORMINGIf you want to rotate, scale, flip, or tweak your shape, you need to “Transform” it. The transform commands are accessible from the Edit menu. Go to the Edit menu and choose “Transform Path” or “Free Transform Path”. Or you can press the hotkey “Ctrl + t”.

This will highlight your selected shape with small handles around the outside. You can manipulate the handles to get various effects. Mouse over the shape and watch how your cursor changes. Mouse-over the outside corners of the object to rotate it. LMB click on the handles to tweak its shape.

Make sure to “Save” your work often! Go to the File menu and choose “ Save As”. DO NOT SAVE OVER THE SAME FILE AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Save incrementally! ( version01, version02, version03, etc).