Ren'Py Image and resolution

smallparrot53

Newbie
May 28, 2020
93
41
Hey, What is the best image file format for a renpy vn... (using daz studio for character creation)
Also, What is the recommended resolution in renpy?
 

Alboe Interactive

Well-Known Member
Game Developer
Apr 19, 2020
1,137
2,366
Best format and resolution is subjective. If your focus is on good quality renders then I would recommend the webp format in 1080p (1920x1080 standard HD). Webp natively works in Ren'Py, supports transparency, and doesn't lose nearly as much detail compared to jpeg. The file size is also smaller than png which will matter if you plan to have a lot of renders. For example, my VN currently has over 560 images and is just over a 1 GB. Only a handful of images in there are jpeg and png, the rest are webp.

However you don't have to output directly from Daz into the final format for the Ren'Py image folder. What I do is set Daz to output images in tif format which is retains all the details I need. I touch up the tif renders in Photoshop and then I use to convert all the renders into webp. To get a rough idea of the final appearance, in my signature are links to threads for my VN's, one has images in 1080p and the other in 4k (both are jpeg as F95 won't display webp).
 

smallparrot53

Newbie
May 28, 2020
93
41
Hey, Thanks for the answer... What I am worried about is the file size.. I don't want my game to be huge, but I also like high quality. I guess it is the basic struggle of developers... I think I will follow your advice and render it as tif and edit with photoshop.
I have one more question about Daz but I think it is better to make a new thread since it is different prefix. Feel free to answer that too.... I appreciate it
 

megaplayboy10k

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2018
1,522
2,019
852 x 480 is "480p" if doing animation.
1280 x 720 is "720p" and is frequently used in games.
1920 x 1080 is "1080p" or HD.
I don't see much 1440p or 2160p yet in fap games, but I expect to see more of it.

DAZ outputs to png, but .jpg and webp are smaller in size. webp if you really need to save space.
 

hardwire666

Newbie
Apr 12, 2018
86
53
Just to add to above. PNG is great for quality. It's basically bitmap with an alpha channel. JPG Is a compressed bitmap, and webp is like a compressed PNG. This is all horribly a simplified cus I'm lazy. For quality it's best to start with PNG and then go down the line as you need.
 

megaplayboy10k

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2018
1,522
2,019
Just to add to above. PNG is great for quality. It's basically bitmap with an alpha channel. JPG Is a compressed bitmap, and webp is like a compressed PNG. This is all horribly a simplified cus I'm lazy. For quality it's best to start with PNG and then go down the line as you need.
It becomes an issue when you have a really large game with a lot of renders. Most devs strive to get the zipped file below 5GB because that's the capacity of most major d/l sites.
 

hardwire666

Newbie
Apr 12, 2018
86
53
That's why I said you start with PNG, and then go down the line as you need. There are forum posts, white papers and so on that you could spend a lifetime reading on the fight between file size and quality. Optimization is the brass tacks, but always give yourself the most control you possibly can. Render out as a PNG, then use Photoshop or whatnot to get your file sizes down using the appropriate file format and compression. The more control you have the better off you are.

I'd rather render-out a 4K or even 8K image once and then process it down, as opposed to re-rendering over and over again.

That 5GB limit is also why you don't see 4K renders in these types of games.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mika muu