Editing Face Graphics

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'''This guide assumes you are using Paint Dot Net. You may find it easily and for free by searching with your favorite search engine.'''

This page's purpose is to host guides, tips, and tricks on how to edit SRPG Studio's Run Time Package (RTP) Face Graphics. It may seem daunting at first, but stick with it and you can learn to manipulate them into different expressions that suit your project.

Preparations
In order to edit a face, you must first obtain the face from the engine. We will discuss how to do that and a little more here.


 * 1) Download the stock expression format sheet. It can be found here.
 * 2) Open an SRPG Studio project and hit CTRL+SHIFT+G.
 * 3) Under Runtime, expand the Face section.
 * 4) Search through for the face you wish to edit. Once found, hit "Save to File".

This will save the entire sheet of faces. To pull out just one face, we'll have to select a small section and copy it out. Follow the next steps very carefully.


 * 1) Open the stock expression format sheet in PDN. To do this, right click > open with > Paint Dot Net.
 * 2) Open the set of faces you saved from SRPG Studio the same way.
 * 3) Zoom in on the faces to about 300%.
 * 4) Hit S on your keyboard to select the Square Selection tool.
 * 5) Find the edge of the face, where it meets another face graphic. Select from that corner to the opposite corner. It should measure 96x96 pixels, shown in the lower left.
 * 6) Hit CTRL + C and tab over to the stock expression sheet.
 * 7) Hit CTRL + V and move your face graphic to where you want.
 * 8) Press Escape to end selection.

You have successfully finished preparing to edit the face graphic. Congratulations!

Editing: The Smile
Now that we've obtained the specific face graphic we want, it's time to make them smile if they aren't already. If they are, it's time to make that smile wider! Copy and paste the face graphic one more time, and put it into the Smile slot. Then follow these helpful tips!


 * To create a closed-mouth smile:
 * Using the Color Picker, selected with K, choose a dark pixel from the face's current mouth. Make sure to both right and left click.
 * Put it off to the side in a blank space with the Pencil tool, selected by pressing P.
 * Select a flesh tone pixel near the mouth and overwrite the mouth itself with it. This cleans the slate to draw the new mouth.
 * Select the Line/Curve tool with O. In the upper bar of the program, make sure Antialiasing is enabled, which it is by default.
 * Also in the upper bar, set your brush width to 1 and select the Curve version of the tool in the upper left.
 * Thirdly in the upper bar, set your Fill to Percent 05.
 * Select the dark pixel from before and make a flat line roughly where the mouth used to be.
 * Curve the ends of the line up. The more gentle the curve, the more natural the smile, as a general rule.
 * Remake, lighten, and/or darken the new mouth until you are happy with how it appears at 1:1 zoom (CTRL+0).
 * To create an open-mouth smile:
 * Using the Color Picker as before, select a dark pixel. However, you may wish to select one slightly lighter than before.
 * Press B to select the Brush tool. In the upper bar of the program, make sure Antialiasing is enabled, which it is by default.
 * In the upper bar of the program, set the "Fill" setting to Percent 05.
 * Draw in a rough raindrop shape. The fat end of the raindrop should face whichever side of the face has more available area.
 * Using the Color Picker, select white as your primary (left click) and secondary (right click) colors.
 * Swap back to the brush. Fill in the raindrop gently with white.
 * Using the Color Picker, grab flesh tones from near the mouth for your primary and secondary colors.
 * Using the brush tool, gently color near but not on the outer line of the new mouth's thinner end.
 * Using the Color Picker, grab a pair of newly lightened grays from the outer line of the mouth.
 * Using the brush tool, gently sweep over the teeth so they aren't pure white. It gives them some implication of realism from the zoom the engine uses.