Map-making programs (pc screenshots)

[Damocles]

Are there any programs that will allow me to take multiple screen captures so that I can later combine them (in order to take video game maps)? I would like to map a capture button to my kb/gamepad and just take a bunch while advancing through a level, then later going back and making a composite image.

[GaijinPunch]

Money: Photoshop
Free: Gimp

Either of these will do fine.

[Damocles]

I'm using the automated snapshot feature in Fraps to capture every seven seconds, but can't get Fraps to recognize my X68000 emulators.

As for Photoshop, I'm not able to get it to properly combine images.

[GaijinPunch]

As for Photoshop, I'm not able to get it to properly combine images.

Ah, I see. You want to just click a button. I was talking about manually pasting them. If you want that, then your options is a script in either of the 3 languages Photoshop supports, or Script-Fu for Gimp. With a little bit of patience you could probably stumble through a Javascript for Photoshop.

[Damocles]

Yahyah, I'm a lazy git. For the last few hours I've been tinkering with Photoshop, Fraps, and...*gasp* MS Paint and have found a somewhat intuitive method.



I give myself two days before I say fuck it.

[hermosaguy]

Maybe try out camtasia? It records whatever goes on in the desktop and then from there you can grab individual frames. Might give you more data than what you would want, but I can imagine will get the job done.

[ZOM]

Get Hypersnap DX - best screensnapping app there is. Loads of customization options too.

EDIT: linky: http://www.hyperionics.com/
Just noticed they have version 6 - still using version 5 here. This tool is so good that I actually bought the full version.

[Ixmucane2]

If the screenshots are taken at known positions (i.e. "room" scrolling) GIMP should be perfect: set a suitable grid step and enable snap to grid, load the images as separate layers in a large canvas (all at once with File > Open as Layers) and move them around with the (now comfortably quantized) Move tool.

For a scrolling game and random screenshot positions, avoid the grid and temporarily make those layers half-transparent to align background portions; masking to decide what pixel should come from each overlapped screenshot is a perfect job for the Delete command applied to simple selections and for the Eraser tool with a 1-pixel brush.

[Andi]

Off topic: I think these types of maps are so fucking beautiful. It's a damn shame it's such a massive chore to put them together...

Some of my favorites:

Legacy of the Wizard (NES):

http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/nes/lotw ... full.shtml

Castlequest (NES):

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2 ... equest.htm

[Damocles]

That Castlequest map is friggin awesome.

So far what I've put together is really good. It's just a PITA. It's not too bad for verts that don't pan, but jeezus when they do. Three runs through a level that then have to be synced laterally.

The really fun part comes with games that have black borders. I'm trying to write script for that, but...yeah...