Pixel Cars

"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
09/23/2013 at 21:17 • Filed to: None

Anybody else love them as much as I do? I've made a ton for my friends, customizing them to look like their personal cars.

My cars:

Friends' Cars:

DISCUSSION (23)

shinsen > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 21:29

I have always wanted one for my car!

Is there a tutorial that you'd recommend online?

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > shinsen
09/23/2013 at 21:31

I can point you to some sites that have a bunch of stock cars on them. As for modifying them I just use my very basic skills with Photoshop

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 21:46

And how much would it cost to have mine done?

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
09/23/2013 at 21:48

People have told me I should charge to do it, but I always felt weird about it. Shoot me pictures of the front/side/rear of your car and I'll see if I can find some time to do it.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 21:52

You really should. And nah, it's fine, thanks though.

You could seriously make some money off of that, I bet. Just for signatures on forums (I'm sure just about anyone on VWVortex would pay up to have a detail-specific pixelated replica of their exact car), profile pictures, etc etc.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
09/23/2013 at 21:55

I made the mistake of posting them up on MR2OC and I had like 100 people asking for them. It kinda burnt me out on making them for like a year.

Burrito de EJ25 > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 21:56

Point us!

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 21:56

Yeah, I could see how that would happen. Definitely a cool and unique talent though

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Burrito de EJ25
09/23/2013 at 22:00

http://database.mangacars.fr/index.php

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/psih-arno…

Basically I take stock cars from there and modify them. For example, the Cressida Wagon didn't exist, so I used pieces from a Cressida, Volvo 240, and some old Mitsubishi wagon to get the shape right. The rest is pixel-by-pixel modification by hand (mouse/trackpad) in photoshop

Burrito de EJ25 > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 22:02

You take any commissions? I'd love a pixel art version of my '13 WRX Sedan. I need a new Twitter and Jalopnik avatar.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Burrito de EJ25
09/23/2013 at 22:03

I mean sure. People have been telling me to do it on commission for a while now, I just always felt awkward about it. Shoot me an email and we can figure something out. SkylineJeeTeeAre

gmail

dot

com

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 22:14

I'm a bit into it, I replicated my father's old Jetta off of a Bora base, and it is my signature on some forums. I made the bike and snowboard by myself.

Kinja'd!!!

EDIT: I thought I opened a new thread.. whoops.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
09/23/2013 at 22:16

Awesome work!

Kake Bake > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 22:36

Well shit, man.

I know when I've been beat.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Kake Bake
09/23/2013 at 22:57

Do what now?

Kake Bake > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 23:05

That comment was made in reference to my poor attempts at automotive pixilation.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Kake Bake
09/23/2013 at 23:19

Are you building those from scratch?

Also, those are much bigger pictures than mine, and therefore require much more detail.

Kake Bake > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 23:39

My ego wants to say I do make them from scratch, but I've actually been using Tamiya model kit instruction manual illustrations. Weird place to go, right?

You say you use photoshop to make yours. I'm not trying to steal your secret sauce, but what's your process? I use Illustrator and its grid overlay to make large versions, then I shrink them by a factor of nine (the lines of the grid are nine pixels apart) to get clear, small (relatively) final images.

Your images are way more lifelike (as much as a small car can be) than mine. I take the easy way out and settle on more graphic representations with flat colors, no light modeling and bold outlines. Yours look much smoother and achieve very fine gradients of color. HOW?

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Kake Bake
09/23/2013 at 23:47

I get the stock car from places online and modify it. Usually I just alter the color balances to make it the color I want, which usually isn't perfect, but I use a LOT of the eyedropper/pencil back and forth on the pixel-by-pixel level and just make sure it looks right.

Kake Bake > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/23/2013 at 23:53

Pixel-by-pixel? I admire you, but I don't envy you.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Kake Bake
09/23/2013 at 23:59

My lack of skill with Photoshop makes it harder than it needs to be. I'm sure there are better/easier ways to do things I do, but I just do the brute force method. It works, but it takes a while.

SatriaFanboy > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/24/2013 at 07:20

Kinja'd!!!

i love em'

Kugelblitz > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
09/24/2013 at 10:44

Image > Adjustments > Posterize,

Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen More are good starts to reducing the color complexities toward an 8-bit look.