runouw.com

Currently, I'm working on a low spec program for pixel artists that I've named Pixel. I have both Visual Studio 2005 and Notepad ++ as my main editing programs as my project.

Pixcell is a program in development specifically made for pixel artists. It is based on MS Paint created by yours truly, ~WickedOreo!

What is going to be in Pixcell?
Planned right now is the ability to have layers in your art (most likely an infinite amount), animations, transparency, non-CPU hogging (between new MS Paint and old MS Paint's sizes) program size, ability to change the background, arrangement of docks, and other preferences, and the ability to import color palettes. This will all be available in the first version.

When will it be released? Will it cost money?
No, currently, this program will not cost any money as of right now. An ability to give donations may be implemented, but otherwise, it it will be free for all.
The projected release of Pixcell Alpha will be Christmas. During the alpha phase of this program, the files will be released to the assistants in the program and the people of the Spriter's Clan in PokéFarm. The beta/meta is expected to be released one or two months after the alpha, which the entire public will be able to try the program. During this time period, beta/meta testers will be urged to report bugs, give suggestions, and otherwise test all aspects of Pixcell.

What are the conditions of using this program?
Pixcell will most likely be for both commercial and non-commercial users alike. The outcome of any pixel project that is made will be exclusively the creators. The program will not be allowed for at-home edit under any circumstances. However, the user may contact ~WickedOreo to ask for a suggestion. Personal copies may require compensation, depending on the difficulty of editing. If this is so, these individual edited programs of Pixcell may not be distributed in anyway, shape or form without the author's consent.

What are the system requirements for Pixcell?
Currently, Windows XP and later. However, there will be a cross-system Pixcell version.

Stages of the project:

-Create menu (IN PROGRESS)
-Create GUI
-Define tool, layer, and other values
-Create GDI
-Alpha release of Pixcell
-Bug fixes of Pixcell α
-Beta/meta release of Pixcell
-Bug fixes of Pixcell β/Meta
-Finalize Pixcell version 1

^ Taken from my deviantArt page.

How would I go about creating a modern, yet functional and lightweight GUI for said program? Is there any tips that you could give me to a new C++ coder? Suggestions are more than welcome. :)
~Oreo

Are you using a windows only library, or a cross platform one? It might not be a bad idea to compile for those as well, less people left out in the cold the better. Also, there are already tons of applications for art, although few are able to support animation, so this might be interesting to see.

Well, I think the visual vocabulary that the industry has adopted thus far, in programs like MSPaint and Photoshop, is going to represent the overall look that you should go for, to maximize usability for the average user, and assure the possibility of good market penetration. Programs like GIMP that went for more unique interfaces eventually were forced to cave to popular pressure, and add the option for a more traditional setup (thus the great debate for them over the single window interface, and its eventual adoption). So, ultimately, there is a great pressure of tradition in the industry, even for one so relatively young.

That being said, there is the possibility for improvements. Certainly supporting multiple open documents, and streamlined menus would be well accepted improvements over MSPaint, and I appreciate the low overhead goal, from a pure programming point of view. If you can make the MSPaint++ (as in the kind of improvement that Notepad++ was for Notepad) that the industry is craving, then I think you will have made a very significant and positive contribution to modern computer use.

Now, I don't know how decided you are on making this in C++, but I actually suggest that Java or PHP might be a good idea to use (and both are similar enough to C++ that migrating shouldn't be too hard), and this is why: Anything written in those languages would be automatically cross-platform. My favorite HTML editor is Arachnophilia, and one of the reasons for this is it's future-proofing and portability created by being written in Java.

Finally, as you have already stated a goodly amount of decision being made on how you want your program handled, I would suggest you look into common freeware licenses like GPL, to see if something like that would fit your needs (as far as I know, there is a limited version that does keep the source code secret). You might also wish to open the project up to the open-source community. It has worked very well for Firefox and a number of other programs out there, and it would make the project much easier to maintain once finished.

Other than all that, I am excited by the prospects of your project, and I wish you all the luck in the world with it. I don't think I can really commit to coding assistance, but I have definite ideas about general software design, and I am more than willing to discuss meta-issues. (Also, on an unrelated note, I think you misspelled the program name in your thread title.)

Good luck!

Jellonator wrote:Are you using a windows only library, or a cross platform one? It might not be a bad idea to compile for those as well, less people left out in the cold the better. Also, there are already tons of applications for art, although few are able to support animation, so this might be interesting to see.

I was hoping to do it cross-platform at one point, especially since I know Shad would want to download the finished product, and he dual boots Win7 and Ubuntu. Issue is, I believe C++ is for Windows only, so I will probably have to use PHP/Java to make it cross-platform. However, C++ is extremely specific, and, if coded correctly, will probably not break.

In all actuality, with C++, I have direct help from someone besides Doram, but there's also the issue of non-MS-DOS related potential users. Since Mac OS and Linux/Ubuntu are extremely different from MS-DOS (though Mac is falling into that trap), I would imagine I would have to make two versions of Pixcell.

Take all this with a grain of salt, because I haven't seriously looked into traditional programming languages in over a decade, but...

As far as I know, as long as there aren't Windows-only libraries that you are relying on, all you need to do is bring the source code to the target platform, and then compile it with C++ there. It will automatically make an executable meant for the processor it is compiled on. It is at least a little cross-platform that way. I don't know a ton about how the language is structured, but if you have a book, or proper expert advice, you should be able to steer away from the things that will pin it to a single operating system. In that case, the only thing is that you will need to have access to the platforms you want to compile it for (as far as I know. That may have changed as well...). (There's also a problem, though it's an old one, and I'm not sure how much it is still troublesome, but I remember reading that the compiled source code in traditional languages are actually processor specific as well as operating system specific. It is likely that they've managed to fix that weakness in the last 15 years of computer language evolution, but I would check into it for any queries into cross-platform issues with C++, just in case.)

WickedOreo wrote:

Jellonator wrote:Are you using a windows only library, or a cross platform one? It might not be a bad idea to compile for those as well, less people left out in the cold the better. Also, there are already tons of applications for art, although few are able to support animation, so this might be interesting to see.

I was hoping to do it cross-platform at one point, especially since I know Shad would want to download the finished product, and he dual boots Win7 and Ubuntu. Issue is, I believe C++ is for Windows only, so I will probably have to use PHP/Java to make it cross-platform. However, C++ is extremely specific, and, if coded correctly, will probably not break.

In all actuality, with C++, I have direct help from someone besides Doram, but there's also the issue of non-MS-DOS related potential users. Since Mac OS and Linux/Ubuntu are extremely different from MS-DOS (though Mac is falling into that trap), I would imagine I would have to make two versions of Pixcell.

C++ is cross platform, but it's hard to compile for Mac on Windows, Windows on Linux, etc.(I've heard it's illegal to compile for Mac on non-Apple computers, though that might just be an Urban legend or something), so Java/PHP might not be a bad idea. But if you do plan on using C++, there are several libraries that make it easier to compile without having pre-prossessor code scattered everywhere, e.g. SDL, SFML, GLFW, GLEW, GLUT, etc.

Also, I was just reading an article on good Pixel Art practices, and I realized that the palette should definitely be something that is always available, or really easily available, perhaps even on a shortcut menu. That is probably one of the only ways that MSPaint is BETTER than the competition in terms of the UI (the palette is always sitting there in the status bar). You could also make sure that tools for changing the palette are easily available too (I know that stuff is buried 2-3 levels down on most painting programs I have used).

Just some thoughts...

You're always pretty amazing for ideas, Doram. Thanks for all the suggestions, I will definitely implement those.

I was already thinking of adding a set color palette, but I was thinking more actual user-made palettes. For example, someone makes a... .PNG image of a greyscale palette. I wanted to be able to import/export these files, potentially in their own file format, to be able to choose between color palettes, you name it.

I want to base Pixcell on the new MS Paint interface, minus the ribbon interface. I personally prefer the small CPU usage the old MS Paint uses, and I guarantee you that 90% of serious pixel artists will agree with me, though the accessibility is something I more used to in MS Paint. As time goes on and I finish the beta, I will definitely try to make both issues addressed, add more, remove obsolete stuff, ect.

Whoa, total necropost out of the blue. D:

I'll actually be putting this little project of mine to use once I finish my C++ and programming courses online. This will really began to pick up around August.