Problem in resizing a sprite

[RowenaTheWitch]

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to make a game based on the Anime series "the Slayers" and I'm already at a good point.
But I have still a major problem: the quality of the sprites of the main character (a girl named Amelia)

I'm using a fan-made sprite (with the permission of the author of course):
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9907/charaameop0.png

But the character is too small for the rest of the objects, backgrounds etc. of my videogame so I'm currently using the same sprites, but resized 150%

normal
resized

As you can see, the character resized 150% doesn't look very good
I used PhotoshopÃ, for resizing it, is there a tool/tecnique/trick to have a better effect?

[MashPotato]

Is this the kind of thing you're thinking of?


process:
1)Image-> Image size
2)choose appropriate size
3)change setting of "Resample Image" from "bicubic" to "nearest neighbour"

You might have to do a little cleaning up, but not much.  Hope this helps ^_^

[RowenaTheWitch]

*slaps forehead* I never noticed the "Resample Image" option.
I will play with the different options and see what's best.
Thanks

[sergiocornaga]

I think it still needs some touching up, but it's a start.

[Cluey]

God this makes me want RPG Maker 2000 again >_<

[Mr Flibble]

If your image editor has a "Pixel Resize" option then thats what I'd use, because it means no distortion.

EDIT: Just realised that Mash probably did the photoshop equivilent and I didn't recognise the name of it.

[jetxl]

Windows paint > Select > Ctrl-W > resize 150%.

[RowenaTheWitch]

Among the different possibilities in "resample image" what do you guys think it's the best?

If I use "smooth bicubic" the picture is prettier,but in the game it's dificult to distinguish the different parts of the char...

I've noticed that the AGS scaling uses nearest neighbour...

[hedgefield]

I'll have to try the resampling thing sometime, but what I usually do with sprites is set the colour palette to Indexed Color instead of the standard RGB. Then you can resize without any quality loss, as long as you make sure to either double the size (in %) when scaling up, and half the size (in %) when scaling down, otherwise the aspect ratio messes up and you get a distorted image(this is also why it blurs in RGB).

[RowenaTheWitch]

I'll have to try the resampling thing sometime, but what I usually do with sprites is set the colour palette to Indexed Color instead of the standard RGB. Then you can resize without any quality loss, as long as you make sure to either double the size (in %) when scaling up, and half the size (in %) when scaling down, otherwise the aspect ratio messes up and you get a distorted image(this is also why it blurs in RGB).

Indexed Color? I'm not sure what are you referring to (I have Photoshop in Italian, and there's a colouring method called "Scala di colori" (=color ladder)Ã,  I think you are referring to this.)

Mmmh...I've tried to use Scala di Colori and a size of 200% and the result is pretty good, while in 150% it's pretty bad :'(...but a 200% char is too big for my videogame :'(

EDIT

Method Scala di Colori (Indexed Color) + 120% scaling + bilinear Resample Image option looks like this:
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8614/amemigliorebb6.png

I've decided that a 120% scaling is better...little Amelia is famous for being short, after all

[Khris]

I'd seriously think about either redrawing the char at a bigger size or making everything else smaller.
It would be a real pity IMO to mess up that fine pixel art.

[RowenaTheWitch]

*sighs* yeah if only that were possible...but I've already a dozen of other character and I don't want to resize them all

I think I should do a bit work on the 120% one (the eyes, for example, look terrible)

[Renal Shutdown]

If it was me doing it, I'd resample it up in any format, and then repaint the thing from scratch using the resized one as a template.  It's a lot more work, but it'll mean that it fits with the rest of your art more.