Programs to make BGs and GUI

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MomoiroGirl
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Programs to make BGs and GUI

#1 Post by MomoiroGirl »

I'm sure there have been many topics like this before, but I figured I might as well just try creating one anyway.

I'm not really good with architecture and backgrounds, so I was wondering if there were any free (important, free!) 3D programs that you can build a 3D setting with? That I could then use as an outline for the background or do photo editing on or whatever? Or maybe some of have some tips for what I could do?

Also, I may not be good with backgrounds, but I have NEVER done GUI or logos/"Titles". So, are there specific programs you could use to create those with, again, free? 'Cause I don't really have any idea how to do it... Thanks!

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Limabaen
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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#2 Post by Limabaen »

Sketchup is probably the most popular program because it's fairly easy to use, and there's a free version. It's not very good for inorganic backgrounds though, and you need third party addons if you plan to render. Uncle Mugen has some great background tutorials that use sketchup.

Blender is another option which is free. It's a bit harder to use than sketchup but I think the final results look better. There are tons of tutorials online. Blender also extends beyond buildings and stuff unlike sketchup, so if you ever need pose references or whatever it's pretty good for that too. There's a lot of addons for cities and skies and trees etc. and usually the high quality ones aren't free.

https://floorplanner.com/ is a website good for creating interior backgrounds. It has a overhead blueprint mode and a 3d viewing mode. You have to make an account to use it, and if you don't pay for their premium membership you can only make one thing, but I just keep deleting/editing the one I have. By far the easiest to use, but also the most limited.

Gravit.io is a website that is pretty functional as a logo maker, because it's vector based and has a wide variety of fonts. Once again, you have to make an account but I'm fairly sure it's free.

I've never made a gui before but I'm fairly certain it's doable on any image making program (like gimp), and coding is the more important part of making it work. A vector based program is probably better than a raster based program.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#3 Post by SundownKid »

What I'd recommend for GUI making is Photoshop - you can download Photoshop CS2 free from Adobe, they are basically giving it away as abandonware. It's a little more dated than modern Photoshop but it's still better than GIMP IMO. I guess if you can get used to GIMP's UI you can use that instead.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#4 Post by MomoiroGirl »

Ooh, thanks you two! I didn't realise that Blender was free. I might see if I can get to playing around with some of these in the weekend. Hopefully I can find some good tutorials on Youtube.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#5 Post by rapking84 »

photoshop will do the trick.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#6 Post by LidiaLeeSun »

I do not want to interfere I just saw the article and haven't heard anything similar so I check it in the Adobe Forum in the end it seems CS2 PhotoShop isn't free to download. Check it also for download only a free trial exist. Hope will help others. Best Solution Gimp as far i know.

source:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2277492

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#7 Post by puppetbomb »

Legally, CS2 isn't freeware.

But practically speaking, it makes little sense for Adobe to go after small independent artists when they have companies running on cracked versions of Adobe software (I used to work for one of those companies. It was shady AF).

When I was going to college for my Animation degree, a full cracked version of Adobe Master Suite and Maya was available on the shared server because no one could afford spending thousands of dollars on programs. Everyone I talked to would swear they would eventually buy the programs because no one had the money to do so at that point in our lives.

CS2 may be old, but Photoshop's been an industry standard for so long that being proficient in even a legacy version has more pros than using any other kind of freeware.

Ultimately, it's up to you how to proceed llD

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#8 Post by LateWhiteRabbit »

puppetbomb wrote:Legally, CS2 isn't freeware.

But practically speaking, it makes little sense for Adobe to go after small independent artists when they have companies running on cracked versions of Adobe software (I used to work for one of those companies. It was shady AF).

When I was going to college for my Animation degree, a full cracked version of Adobe Master Suite and Maya was available on the shared server because no one could afford spending thousands of dollars on programs. Everyone I talked to would swear they would eventually buy the programs because no one had the money to do so at that point in our lives.

CS2 may be old, but Photoshop's been an industry standard for so long that being proficient in even a legacy version has more pros than using any other kind of freeware.

Ultimately, it's up to you how to proceed llD
Haha. Same. At least Autodesk was smart enough to eventually GIVE students a free version, since they knew students would pirate it anyway.

But Adobe's move to the Creative Cloud means that pirating their software makes very little sense anymore. You can get Photoshop CC and Illustrator for $19 a month, and if you wait and check back often, you can sometimes catch a special to get Photoshop CC by itself for just $10 a month.

I personally use Clip Studio Paint almost exclusively now for illustration and coloring. It blows every other illustration program I've ever used out of the water. It can be downloaded straight from the Japanese company that makes it for just $50-60 (one time payment). Don't buy it through MicroSmith - they are a third part seller and their program updates lag 6 months or more behind the Japanese developer.

There are still a few functions of Photoshop I can't do without at the moment, so I'm subscribed to the Creative Cloud for it. Clip Studio Paint can save layered PSD files, so moving between the two programs is seamless.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#9 Post by Katy133 »

If you're using Blender or a program that allows you to download .obj files, free3d(dot)com has a lot of building and furniture models from different artists. You'll need to check the copyright/usage agreements with each model. Depending on their usage rules, you can edit the models so they fit with your background design.

I keep an art programs tag on my Tumblr blog. It's several pages long, but I've reblogged lots and lots of links to freeware art programs that will be listed there among those posts.
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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#10 Post by SundownKid »

LidiaLeeSun wrote:I do not want to interfere I just saw the article and haven't heard anything similar so I check it in the Adobe Forum in the end it seems CS2 PhotoShop isn't free to download. Check it also for download only a free trial exist. Hope will help others. Best Solution Gimp as far i know.

source:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2277492
Give me a break, Adobe put a free copy online. If they really thought that people downloading CS2 would endanger their bottom line, they'd take it down. It's for all intents and purposes abandonware, and even if they wanted to enforce the legality of people without licenses getting copies, they never could.

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#11 Post by King-sama »

SundownKid wrote:
Give me a break, Adobe put a free copy online. If they really thought that people downloading CS2 would endanger their bottom line, they'd take it down. It's for all intents and purposes abandonware, and even if they wanted to enforce the legality of people without licenses getting copies, they never could.
Do you know any link where we can download?

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#12 Post by chocoberrie »

Here is a link! You'll need to make an Adobe ID first to download it (which is free). :)

Link: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/ ... d=19SCDRQK (I also found this Google doc with updated links, as it seems the original download page has changed.)

(Btw @King-sama, I sent you a PM a long while back, sorry I disappeared from LSF for such a long time! Graduate school has kept me really busy since I started last August.)

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#13 Post by King-sama »

chocoberrie wrote:Here is a link! You'll need to make an Adobe ID first to download it (which is free). :)

Link: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/ ... d=19SCDRQK (I also found this Google doc with updated links, as it seems the original download page has changed.)

(Btw @King-sama, I sent you a PM a long while back, sorry I disappeared from LSF for such a long time! Graduate school has kept me really busy since I started last August.)
Thanks for the link
and yeah seen it, don't remember what you wrote in it..

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Re: Programs to make BGs and GUI

#14 Post by adeRuZet »

rapking84 wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:27 am photoshop will do the trick.

-----------------------
THIS IS WHAT I'M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW:
-Rapper DaBaby, dude who wears a diaper but can actually rap: www.audiomack.com/album/artist1984/billion-dollar-baby
-R.I.P. prodigy of Mobb Deep, Infamous album on repeat
-4:44 Jay-Z
I recently thought of it. since im too frustrate to make my own BG, i think photoshop could do the magic.
like converting photo scene into something more cartoonal/animated. but i dont know how to make it.
if you know how to do it, mind to teach me some..?

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