Custom PC & NPC Portraits
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Administrator Posts: 200
This discussion was created from comments split from: LadyRhian's too many pictures for any thread.....
Note: Edited to fix name of thread because of a mistake when merging threads. Apologies.
Note: Edited to fix name of thread because of a mistake when merging threads. Apologies.
Post edited by LadyRhian on
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Thread Rules
1: Respect artists' creations and their right to them. If portrait-makers ask that you not edit their work, don't. If a mistake is made, simply edit your post to remove the image, apologize, forgive and forget.2: Do not share images for which you have not received permission from the artists, when possible.* This is particularly true of art from DeviantArt, which hosts many artists who do not want their work shared elsewhere.
3: If you request that a portrait be made, recognize that the artists in this forum do this simply because they enjoy contributing to the community. Be patient, be respectful and say thank you.
4: Be supportive! Many of the artists here are just beginning to learn how to make portraits. Be positive and constructive in your comments, and avoid pointless negativity.
5: If you are making and posting portraits, state who you used as a model (if applicable), either here or on your website. Understand that this still does not make the likeness your property, and be prepared to remove the image if so requested by the copyright holder.
*Understandably, the source of some older portraits is unknown. If in doubt, go to Google Images and drag the portrait to the search bar. You may find the artist or source through that method. Again refer to Rule 1.
Guide to Using Custom Portraits
Portraits in the enhanced editions use two images in 24-bit bitmap (.bmp) format: 210x330 and 169x266. (The original releases of the games had a third smaller size; this is no longer necessary with the extended editions.)To use custom portraits for your PC:
1: Navigate to your Baldur's Gate directory in (My) Documents.
2: Drop the custom portraits into the Portraits folder.
3: In the game, select Custom when choosing a PC portrait. Alternately, if you have already begun your game, select Customize/Appearance from the character sheet.
To use custom portraits for NPCs:
1: Rename the portrait files to match the NPC whose portraits you want to replace. For example, Jaheira's portraits are named JaheiraL and JaheiraM. There are some portraits in BG1 that do not conform to this, and those in BG2 have their own naming format. Consult this site.
2: Place the portraits in your override folder, located in the directory where you installed the game.
*Note that the games allow custom portraits larger than 210x330 as long as they have the same ratio. I do NOT recommend this if you're trying to match the original portraits as best as possible. The reason for that is because larger portraits will appear more detailed than the others, even if they match the style of the originals exactly. Resizing a single portrait to 210x330 creates a "soft" look that keeps it consistent. It will simply appear a bit blurry when choosing it from the custom portrait gallery in the game.
Artist Links
If you like the portraits you see here or at any of the sites below, leave a comment here or on the artist's website. We love making portraits, and we love hearing how our work enriches your experience.@artastrophe: http://artastrophe.deviantart.com/
@Coutelier: http://coutelier.deviantart.com/
@Enkida: http://enkida.deviantart.com/
@Isandir: I currently took my site down, so you'll have to dig through this site!
@jakaminski: http://jakaminski.deviantart.com/gallery/
Neunerx: http://neunerx.deviantart.com/gallery/
@Nixxi: http://nixxical.deviantart.com/
@Peachplums: http://peachplums.deviantart.com/
@Syntia13: http://syntia13.deviantart.com/
Suggest others whose portrait sites you are familiar with!
I would like to add two more artists to the illustrious list above. Here is a selection of a few cropped portraits I made from their awesome work. Original source pictures and more can be found from their Deviantart webpages.
@Nixxi
Her work is absolutely stunning. As one uninitiated in the mysteries of digital art, I have no idea how these amazing works of art were produced. All I know is that they capture the personality of the characters they depict, and fit well within the "Baldurised" portrait collection. Indeed, in some respects, I think her work even surpasses original BG content.
http://nixxical.deviantart.com/
@Coutelier
I love Aerie, and clearly, so does this great artist!
http://coutelier.deviantart.com/
I'll post the .bmp versions on my website eventually. I'm a bit behind on that...
Hi all! I was wondering if somebody wanted to try their hand at Baldurizing any (or all, if you have the time and interest) of these ladies? Much obliged in advance. (http://file.walagata.com/w/varyar/Leighton_Meester_V.jpg, http://file.walagata.com/w/varyar/Laetitia_Casta_L.jpg, http://file.walagata.com/w/varyar/Jewel_2.jpg, http://www.walagata.com/w/varyar/Morena_Baccarin_B.jpg)
I couldn't completely eliminate the dots from the printing process in the magazine through despeckling and reducing noise, so I went with a more "painterly" look by using some of the artistic filters (angled brush primarily.) Then I erased the background, added a shirt, and tried to make the sweater look more like a cloak by adding a silver chain and button.
I'm reasonably satisfied with what I've managed to do, but any advice on how to improve would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Blue
*gets headache*
:]
Yes, there are still a lot of shadows. However, if you download the BMPs, they're already optimized for the game, so at each size they'll blend in much better. (Note that as I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, that will not be the case if you just use the large one and let the game down-size it.) Feel free to adjust them to your own taste.
Edit: Here's how she looks in the game. Just ignore the fact that she's a blackguard...
(I resized myself though, as i found the smallest version a bit blurry?)
EDIT: btw, for those that do not know, Hexxat's portrait name for the override files is OHHEXX (filename should be e.g. OHHEXXM.bmp for the medium size portrait)
@BlueSorceress: That's actually quite good for "meager" Photoshop skills! If you're looking to improve, it depends on what you're aiming to do. A BG1 style would require raising the contrast heavily and adding shadows across the model's face. You would also raise the contrast a bit for a BG2 style, but also soften many of the details. The best advice I could give would simply be to experiment with Photoshop's tools and try different techniques to see if you like the result.
If you'd like someone else to take a crack at it (I recall another person mentioning liking the photo), simply upload the scan and I'm sure someone will try.
I just looked over some of his other work. He's incredibly talented!