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DocsDictatePic

Docs · studio · dictatepic

Layers, paint, export the sprite.

DictatePic at /studio/image is a GIMP-style raster and sprite editor on a fixed 512 × 512 document: a layer stack with blend modes and opacity, five working paint tools, bounded undo, and one-click transparent PNG export.

512²: px document
5: working tools
8: blend modes
30: undo snapshots

Layers

Stack, blend, fade

Every layer carries a name, visibility and lock flags, opacity from 0.0 to 1.0 (applied as canvas alpha at composite time), and one of 8 blend modes: source-over, multiply, screen, overlay, darken, lighten, color-dodge, color-burn. A 16px checkerboard paints under the stack so transparency reads honestly.

dictatepic — layer stack

512 × 512

☀ highlights · screen · 0.6visible

✏ lineart · multiply · 1.0visible

🎨 flats · source-over · 1.0visible

🔒 sketch · source-over · 0.4locked

Walkthrough

From blank doc to exported sprite

Paint with the five working raster tools, manage the stack as you go, and export. Strokes and layer changes publish interop events (dictate-pic:stroke, dictate-pic:layer-change, dictate-pic:export) on the shared 4weird_interop_bus so other tools can follow along.

Sketch on a locked layer
Add a layer named “sketch”, drop opacity to ~0.4, and rough in the sprite with the pencil. Lock the layer so paint strokes never land on it by accident.
Paint flats, then shade
Add a “flats” layer (source-over, 1.0) and block in color with the brush and bucket. Add a shading layer set to multiply for shadows and a highlights layer set to screen or color-dodge.
Sample and erase precisely
Alt-pick colors with the eyedropper instead of guessing hex codes; clean edges with the eraser. Hidden layers stay hidden — visibility is per-layer, not global.
Undo without fear
History holds the last 30 snapshots per layer, newest first — scribble boldly, step back freely. Snapshots are capped so a huge canvas never eats storage.
Export the PNG
One click exports dictate-pic-512.png: full 512 × 512 with transparency kept, no checkerboard baked in. Ready for GraveGain 2D/3D textures or NewGamePlus assets.

Honest boundaries

Stubs say stub, planned says planned

Not every button paints yet. The UI labels each tool's state so a grayed control is never a mystery — and selection/clone tools are openly deferred past Wave 3.

Worked example

Paint a coin pickup sprite in six passes

Follow this pass order for a clean 512px pickup sprite: sketch, flats, shade, highlight, edge cleanup, export. Each pass lives on its own layer so mistakes stay local.

Pass 1: rough the silhouette
Create a layer named sketch, set opacity near 0.4, lock it, and block in a 200px coin ellipse with the pencil. Keep the shape centered with at least 100px of margin so the export never clips.
Pass 2: block the flats
Add a flats layer at full opacity with source over blending. Fill the coin with the bucket, then switch to the brush for the inner star. Sample the gold with the eyedropper whenever you drift off palette.
Pass 3: shade with multiply
Add a shade layer set to multiply at 0.7 opacity. Paint a crescent along the lower right edge for curvature. Because multiply darkens through, one stroke reads as a full gradient.
Pass 4: pop the highlight
Add a highlights layer set to screen at 0.6 opacity. Dot a small white glint near the upper left rim. Toggle layer visibility to compare with and without the glint before committing.
Pass 5: clean the rim
Zoom close, erase stray pixels outside the ellipse, and re sample edge colors with the eyedropper. Undo steps back through the last 30 snapshots per layer, so scrub aggressively.
Pass 6: export and reuse
Export dictate pic 512 PNG with transparency intact. Drop the file into GraveGain textures or NewGamePlus assets, or submit it with a game mod through the mods browser.

Troubleshooting

Muddy blends, lost strokes, export surprises

Most DictatePic confusion comes from three places: painting on the wrong layer, a blend mode doing exactly what it says, or expecting a stub tool to paint.

Strokes land on the sketch
Unlock check: the sketch layer should stay locked after pass 1. If paint keeps hitting it, select the flats layer explicitly, confirm the lock flag, and retry. Locked layers never accept strokes.
Colors turn muddy or blown out
Read the blend mode. Multiply deepens fast and color dodge blows highlights fast. Drop shade opacity to 0.5 or switch highlights from color dodge to screen for a gentler lift.
A tool button does nothing
Check its badge. Brush, pencil, eraser, bucket, and eyedropper paint today. AI inpaint, AI remove background, slice, marquee, lasso, and clone stamp are marked stub or planned and say so on click.
Export has a checkerboard baked in
It should not. The 16px checkerboard is a viewer aid only. Re export the PNG and open it over a dark background to confirm transparency. If the grid persists, you painted gray squares by hand, so erase them on the flats layer.

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DocsDictatePic

Docs · studio · dictatepic

Layers, paint, export the sprite.

512²: px document
5: working tools
8: blend modes
30: undo snapshots

Layers

Stack, blend, fade

dictatepic — layer stack

512 × 512

☀ highlights · screen · 0.6visible

✏ lineart · multiply · 1.0visible

🎨 flats · source-over · 1.0visible

🔒 sketch · source-over · 0.4locked

Walkthrough

From blank doc to exported sprite

Sketch on a locked layer
Add a layer named “sketch”, drop opacity to ~0.4, and rough in the sprite with the pencil. Lock the layer so paint strokes never land on it by accident.
Paint flats, then shade
Add a “flats” layer (source-over, 1.0) and block in color with the brush and bucket. Add a shading layer set to multiply for shadows and a highlights layer set to screen or color-dodge.
Sample and erase precisely
Alt-pick colors with the eyedropper instead of guessing hex codes; clean edges with the eraser. Hidden layers stay hidden — visibility is per-layer, not global.
Undo without fear
History holds the last 30 snapshots per layer, newest first — scribble boldly, step back freely. Snapshots are capped so a huge canvas never eats storage.
Export the PNG
One click exports dictate-pic-512.png: full 512 × 512 with transparency kept, no checkerboard baked in. Ready for GraveGain 2D/3D textures or NewGamePlus assets.

Honest boundaries

Stubs say stub, planned says planned

Not every button paints yet. The UI labels each tool's state so a grayed control is never a mystery — and selection/clone tools are openly deferred past Wave 3.

Worked example

Paint a coin pickup sprite in six passes

Follow this pass order for a clean 512px pickup sprite: sketch, flats, shade, highlight, edge cleanup, export. Each pass lives on its own layer so mistakes stay local.

Pass 1: rough the silhouette
Create a layer named sketch, set opacity near 0.4, lock it, and block in a 200px coin ellipse with the pencil. Keep the shape centered with at least 100px of margin so the export never clips.
Pass 2: block the flats
Add a flats layer at full opacity with source over blending. Fill the coin with the bucket, then switch to the brush for the inner star. Sample the gold with the eyedropper whenever you drift off palette.
Pass 3: shade with multiply
Add a shade layer set to multiply at 0.7 opacity. Paint a crescent along the lower right edge for curvature. Because multiply darkens through, one stroke reads as a full gradient.
Pass 4: pop the highlight
Add a highlights layer set to screen at 0.6 opacity. Dot a small white glint near the upper left rim. Toggle layer visibility to compare with and without the glint before committing.
Pass 5: clean the rim
Zoom close, erase stray pixels outside the ellipse, and re sample edge colors with the eyedropper. Undo steps back through the last 30 snapshots per layer, so scrub aggressively.
Pass 6: export and reuse
Export dictate pic 512 PNG with transparency intact. Drop the file into GraveGain textures or NewGamePlus assets, or submit it with a game mod through the mods browser.

Troubleshooting

Muddy blends, lost strokes, export surprises

Most DictatePic confusion comes from three places: painting on the wrong layer, a blend mode doing exactly what it says, or expecting a stub tool to paint.

Strokes land on the sketch
Unlock check: the sketch layer should stay locked after pass 1. If paint keeps hitting it, select the flats layer explicitly, confirm the lock flag, and retry. Locked layers never accept strokes.
Colors turn muddy or blown out
Read the blend mode. Multiply deepens fast and color dodge blows highlights fast. Drop shade opacity to 0.5 or switch highlights from color dodge to screen for a gentler lift.
A tool button does nothing
Check its badge. Brush, pencil, eraser, bucket, and eyedropper paint today. AI inpaint, AI remove background, slice, marquee, lasso, and clone stamp are marked stub or planned and say so on click.
Export has a checkerboard baked in
It should not. The 16px checkerboard is a viewer aid only. Re export the PNG and open it over a dark background to confirm transparency. If the grid persists, you painted gray squares by hand, so erase them on the flats layer.

Layers, paint, export the sprite.

Stack, blend, fade

From blank doc to exported sprite

Sketch on a locked layer

Paint flats, then shade

Sample and erase precisely

Undo without fear

Export the PNG

Stubs say stub, planned says planned

Paint a coin pickup sprite in six passes

Pass 1: rough the silhouette

Pass 2: block the flats

Pass 3: shade with multiply

Pass 4: pop the highlight

Pass 5: clean the rim

Pass 6: export and reuse

Muddy blends, lost strokes, export surprises

Strokes land on the sketch

Colors turn muddy or blown out

A tool button does nothing

Export has a checkerboard baked in

Layers, paint, export the sprite.

Stack, blend, fade

From blank doc to exported sprite

Sketch on a locked layer

Paint flats, then shade

Sample and erase precisely

Undo without fear

Export the PNG

Stubs say stub, planned says planned

Paint a coin pickup sprite in six passes

Pass 1: rough the silhouette

Pass 2: block the flats

Pass 3: shade with multiply

Pass 4: pop the highlight

Pass 5: clean the rim

Pass 6: export and reuse

Muddy blends, lost strokes, export surprises

Strokes land on the sketch

Colors turn muddy or blown out

A tool button does nothing

Export has a checkerboard baked in