Pixel Art Rain

Tutorial: Pixel Art; Rain

PhotoImpact v.8

Could be done in any version

Easy

Tools: Main tool; Paint Brush, Transparency.

Description: Learn how to add rain to your scene and using the transparency option for your object.

Extra needed: lots of patient.

By: Acadie

Before you begin, make sure that you have done the Tutorial " Pixel Art Tools In PhotoImpact " and knows all the setting, cause they are always the same and save them in your Easy Palette for a fast access and also the previous projects, they build up from previous one. Remember, no soft edge, none whatsoever.

	If you don't have an image to work on, you could download this one for practice, right click and save as on your hard drive. Once you have download it, open it in PI and convert to RGB color since this one is a gif format. Ok, Here I have a day scene, and I want a rainy day. The color of the sky isn't appropriate for it. So, let's choose the magic wand from the select tools and with the search connect pixels uncheck, click on the color sky.
	Now click on the fill bucket and choose your color. Once you have your new sky color, fill with you bucket by clicking inside of your selection. You should get something like the image on the left here. This is a fast way to recolor a sky or when you want to change a specific color in your scene or in your objects.
	How the rain is done. Straight vertical line, I have use a very light grey for the rain. You are going to draw them in mode. Below I'm showing you example of splash, when rain hits the ground. Try to make them as well. But do this all in mode.

As you could see, all the splash are different, try to do them different too, cause in nature nothing is the same, they all have a little difference too.
	Ok, let's look at our scene again, zoom in at actual view. Click out of mode if you haven't done so, and if your rain is not select, select it. Since Rain is water and water is transparent, we are going to make our rain look more natural.
	We are going to set our transparency at 50, it could be higher or smaller, depending of the effect you would like to use and the color of your scene.
	As you could see on the example on the left, we do see the background through it. Pretty cool hey. Once satisfied with your transparency, merge all and save your image as a gif format.
	This is our new scene on a rainy day. This technique could be apply to any scene with other elements, like a rainbow, soap bubbles, windows, glass etc. Important this cannot be done on transparent object gif format, since it doesn't save the transparency. This is only for background and on top of an object and not on the edge of it. Experiment with it and have fun, you have lots of possibilities with this.
If you want some help or critic, please use the critics Icon and post as well a screen shot of a zoom, so I could see better your work and help you out. It won't be possible for me every time to download your work and open in PI to zoom on it. Thanks. Don't forget to show what you have done in the Pixels Art Workshop forum. at PhotoImpact International Board. If you are not a member, you just have to register, it is free. Don't forget to grab your award.