3. Art Standards

What to preserve and what files to submit.

Original vs Recreated

Original vs recreated artwork

Recovered original Millsberry files are our best references. Some files are only referenced but not recovered. Some live pages use Millsberry Reborn placeholders.

Whenever possible base new work on recovered originals, not our placeholders.

Never overwrite anything inside official-recovered-assets. Those files are archival material and stay exactly as recovered.

File Formats and Layering

File formats and layering

Use whatever software you are comfortable with. Nobody needs Photoshop.

Finished PNG — required

Full quality/lossless, transparent where appropriate, RGB/sRGB, and keep a high-resolution master.

Original layered source — required when applicable

Submit the native layered file you actually worked in: .kra, .clip, .xcf, .procreate, .afdesign, .afphoto, .psd, or whatever your software uses.

Open/interchange copy — optional

OpenRaster .ora is useful when supported. A layered TIFF or PSD export is welcome as an extra but is not required.

Vector art

For logos, icons, buttons and UI, include .svg when possible.

Keep useful parts on sensible layers and work larger than the tiny legacy asset when practical. Engineering can handle SWF/game integration.

Resolution, Layers and File Naming

Resolution, layers and file naming

Work larger than the tiny original

Many Millsberry assets are very small by modern standards. Work at a clean larger master size whenever practical.

We can always shrink a good master down. We cannot turn a tiny flattened 80px image back into a clean editable asset later.

If the original/native size is known, it is great to also export a version at that size.

Keep useful layers

For a character, sensible layers might be:

For buttons/logos/UI:

We do not need hundreds of microscopic layers. The goal is simply to let somebody change a shirt, expression, label, or highlight later without repainting everything.

Simple file names

Use descriptive lowercase names with hyphens when practical:

For states:

No SWF authoring required

The art team does not need to rebuild Flash packaging. Submit the finished art and editable source; development/recovery can handle integration.