Are there any extremely minimalistic and simple pixel art programs out there for a newbie artist like me? I’m talking something like Pixitracker but for art. Something amazingly simple but gets the job done. So, is there any?
This is the all-time number 1 top post on /r/gamedev: (or was before the King Candy Saga thing)
http://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/18e38t/pocketknives_for_game_developers/ and has a list of many nifty things, including graphics stuff, although it focuses on web-app type stuff.
Personally I just use Paint.NET. Pick your poison.
A lot of people swear by Aseprite http://www.aseprite.org/
Personally though, forget “simple” and just go for the mack daddy and use Photoshop or Gimp. There’s no logical reason to use a “simple” program. Once you get knee deep in pixel are you’ll want more advanced, less clunky tools.
Really both GIMP and Photoshop are really easy for pixel art, just use their pencil tools (not the brush), zoom in really close and go nuts. I’ll even give you one of my pixel art’s PSD files if you’re curious on my process and why I think using Photoshop is actually easier.
Please use the search bar.
Photoshop CS2 is free to download. Go get it and become a pro.
Really?
Heh, that is a powerful piece of software lol.
Yup, here’s the direct link adobe.com
It’s a bit outdated but has every feature you will need for gamedev.
You know they’re not giving it away, right? Downloading that without already having a CS2 license is pretty much pirating, and Adobe has said so: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2013/01/07/download-adobe-cs2-applications-for-free/
If you are going to anyway, you might as well pick up a cracked CS6 or whatever is most recent.
No I didn’t know. But that’s pretty stupid to allow to download for free, provide a serial number and telling to not to take it. :
Ok I will return my Photoshop to Adobe.
I won’t.
Until they make their products more accessible for everyone, I shall continue to rob them.
Photoshop CC is a lot more affordable for “us regular types” now. It’s $20/month, instead of a flat few hundred dollars. Downside is obvious though, you stop paying, you don’t own it anymore.
Also, promo going on, $10/month for Photoshop and Lightroom CC:
guess what I’m trying to say is, if you want to go legit, it’s actually affordable now. As for the CS2 thing, I was under the impression it was free too? Although I own CS6 Extended and I have a subscription to the entire CC suite so I never really cared. >_>
Either way, like all of you I used to … “acquire” copies of Photoshop when I was young, but ever since I could afford it I’ve bought it.
I mean come on guys, we’re all programmers here. Do you want people stealing your games if you ever got any of them published? Of course not! Why disrespect someone else’s software/hardwork the same way? 
Well of course not but while trying my best to not get into this, companies like Adobe are the reason people like “us” can not break into the market due to lack of capital. I ain’t exactly wealthy but I am not skint all the time either, kind of in between.
I’ve not had a legit copy of Windows since I was 13, running on a bootleg copy the now. Simply because I bought a £1500 laptop that “came with a copy” of windows that I have no right to own, according to PC world. They can go suck it.
Well, I can understand not wanting to get into it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a gun hoe “BURN ALL THE PIRATES” person at all, I’m just saying… if you can afford it (and “I just don’t want to pay for it” doesn’t count) you’re ethically obligated to pay for it in my opinion.
I think Adobe has realize that their price model is hurting them though, I’m pretty sure only 1 out of every 100 copies people are using is an actual legit copy, I’m probably one maybe a small handful of “regulars” here who actually owns it.
But I think that’s why they’ve started up this subscription service, it opens the door for regular people who are serious about it to buy it now. If you add up the price, assuming you bought a brand new copy of Photoshop every time one was released, paying the subscription service for CC is a bit cheaper than buying CS6. But, instead of plopping down several hundred dollars all at once you can pay about the same as going out for Pizza once a month. So in the end, they still get their money, but now it’s more accessible for average Joes.
Personally, the $20/month I pay for the entire creative suite (I’m a student, so I get a discount, it’s normally $50/month for the entire suite) is such a small drop in the bucket for me I don’t even list it on my “bills”. 
But even at $50/month, I’m ok with that because I enjoy having direct access to all of the adobe line, for example I almost never use Illustrator. But a few days ago I needed a vector art program for a side project, so I just loaded up Creative Cloud, logged in and installed it, did what I needed, and uninstalled it. Seriously, going legit is worth it now, it’s very nice having direct access to the latest and greatest of the entire product line. 
…gah, I sound like a salesmen now. >_>
Plugging in for Android users:
For spriting on the go, I recommend Pixel Touch by uZodiac for Android.
Most spriting apps out there either cost money, or don’t have a lot of features available. Pixel Touch is a compromise of the two.
It’s free. It supports alpha transparency (when I tried it). It is simple. It’s just that it’s better on a tablet.
But seriously, as a programmer, why transparency must always be used with percentage and not hex value?