As the name implies, Mike's Sprite Editor is primarily aimed at creating sprites instead of complex photorealistic images.
Sprites are small, simple graphics, and they are typically restricted to a small color palette. Most of the time, they are used for things like toolbar buttons, cursors, and simple icons, though they are also used in simpler video games.
Most users don't need to work with sprites or limited palettes, so graphic editing software has generally moved towards making more detailed images. Those of us who still need this sort of tool are more or less left behind, as it's getting harder and harder for us to find editors that we can use. Hence, I coded my own editor to make things easier for myself, and I decided to release it to the world in case someone else has similar issues.
=== Version History ===
Version 0.13.6
* Bugfix: Stamp tool now properly updates when a selection is turned into the pattern
* Tweak: Optimized new pen system
* Tweak: MSE palette format now supports comments anywhere
Version 0.13.5
* Tweak: Line drawing tools (Pencil / Replace) now use custom "brushes"
* Tweak: Scrollbars can now be dragged
* Bugfix: Loading images works the same way every time now
Version 0.13.4
* Tweak: Double-right clicking the palette allows you to change and set the background color
* Bugfix: Selection sizes display correctly now
* Bugfix: Changing colors correctly adjusts selection transparency
* Bugfix: Scrollbars on subwindows work again
Version 0.13.3
* Bugfix: The image stays within the window when it's resized now
* Bugfix: You're warned about using formats that don't allow transparency again
* Bugifx: You're warned about using PNGs in icons / cursors again
* Bugfix: Saving on exit now works again
Version 0.13.2
* New Feature: A tool to rearrange tiled images has been added
* Bugfix: Controls that are hidden or disabled are no longer treated as tab stops
* Bugfix: Scroll now adjusts when the image is resized
* Bugfix: Selections are now discarded when a new image is created or loaded
* Bugfix: Variable scope is no longer broken after calling a function
* Bugfix: Scripting errors are properly escaped now
Version 0.13.1
* Tweak: Adjusted minimum sizes for selection areas
* Bugfix: ToPalette filter correctly maps colors again.
* Bugfix: A long-standing pixel placement bug has finally been fixed.
Version 0.13
* New feature: Layout customization
* New feature: Floating palette and toolbar windows
* Tweak: Improved resizing of palette slots
* Tweak: You can now control where the thumbnail, palette, and toolbox windows appear.
* Bugfix: The editor's window alls Windows to determine where it belongs.
* Bugfix: The eyedropper tool now properly updates pattern colors.
* Bugfix: Selection boundary is properly calculated now.
* Bugfix: Certain dialogs weren't escaping new lines properly.
* Bugfix: Quoted strings in INI files are escaped properly now.
Version 0.12.2
* Tweak: Palettes no longer have a defined limit.
* Tweak: Limited Unicode support added
* Bugfix: Problems loading palettes doesn't result in error messages about images now.
* Bugfix: Saving palettes doesn't result in "..txt" files anymore.
* Bugfix: Filter preview windows were having trouble when the main image was magnified.
Version 0.12.1
* New feature: Split an image into multiple smaller images.
* Bugfix: Saving icons/cursors won't default to PNG unexpectedly anymore.
* Bugfix: Select tool responds to keyboard shortcuts properly now.
* Bugfix: Dragging images now properly repaints the windows.
Version 0.12
* New feature: HSV color format support
* New tool: Spraycan
* New tool: Stamp
* New widget: Pattern selection
* New filter: Rotate Hues
* Improvement: Shape tool can now create a number of different shapes
* Improvement: Line tool can now leave behind smeared lines - hold CTRL as you draw
* Improvement: Grayscale filter can use saturation or lightness maps instead of just averaging colors
* Bugfix: Palette Manager properly saves changes to the palette now
* Bugfix: Pasting images properly releases resources now
* Tweak: Keyboard shortcuts may now use ALT and SHIFT key combinations
* Tweak: Menus slightly rearranged
* Tweak: Editor now recognizes permission issues instead of treating them as missing files
* Tweak: Hotspot assignment is now done with a special tool instead of a dialog
* Many menu items, dialog options, and messages have been rewritten to be more easily understood
* Several cosmetic changes
* Internals heavily redesigned to prepare for an upcoming feature
Version 0.11.3
* Minor tweaks to lower overall CPU usage.
Version 0.11.2
* bugfix: Icons and Cursors will save properly again.
* bugfix: If you loaded an image when starting the editor, the window caption now displays the file name.
* bugfix: Scripts now abort (rather than crash) if the file ends unexpectedly.
* New feature: Blur Foreground Color filter added.
* New feature: Sharpen filter added.
* New feature: You can now repeat the last filter you used via keyboard shortcut or menu option.
* Tweak: Export menu added. This allows you to save images with custom options, regardless of preference settings.
* Tweak: Text edit fields now select their text when you navigate to them.
* Tweak: Adjusted the threshold used to determine how to handle transparency values.
* Tweak: REDO is now bound to CTRL+Y, like the documentation has said it was.
Version 0.11.1
* bugfix: Filter dialogs now properly report their values to the preview window and their assigned filter.
Version 0.11
* bugfix: Canceling a filter's dialog no longer makes the program think the image was modified.
* bugfix: Saving a palette properly appends the .txt extension if an extension is not present.
* bugfix: You can move a selection with the down arrow again.
* bugfix: The window shouldn't randomly let go when you're dragging the image around.
* bugfix: Changing the background color to transparent doesn't alter the foreground color anymore.
* bugfix: Dialogs correctly link to their parent windows now.
* bugfix: Line and Curve tools now properly clear the area around them.
* bugfix: The Grow Foreground filter won't crash the program now.
* bugfix: Scripting engine tweaked so that it matches the documentation.
* New feature: A built-in debugging tool has been added.
* New feature: You can now export your image as Text or HTML.
* New feature: You can save your image with custom options, such as a specific type of compression.
* New feature: Shift RGB Channel filter added.
* New feature: Cycle Palette filter added.
* New feature: Darken Every Other Row filter added.
* New feature: Added three tools for working with sprite sheets.
* New feature: Grid can be resized and configured to be shown at the magnification of your choice.
* New feature: You can also change how much the grid contrasts with the image.
* New feature: Additional configuration options.
* New feature: There's an option to check for updates in the Help menu now.
* Tweak: New scripting commands have been added for the new filters.
* Tweak: View menu split into submenus to keep things neat.
* Tweak: Enable Grid menu item is now checked or unchecked, depending on the grid's state.
* Tweak: Scripts may now use any plain text character.
* Tweak: Negative numbers may now be used directly in scripts.
* Tweak: The BUMP/MERGE commands now draw bottom up, like you'd expect, not top down.
Version 0.10.4
* bugfix: The palette manager allows all 48 slots again.
* bugfix: Closing a dialog should properly return the focus to its parent.
* bugfix: Using a filter on a selection properly updates it now.
* bugfix: Adjusted the previous bugfix regarding rotating or flipping a selection.
* bugfix: Arrow keys can move the selection again.
Version 0.10.3
* bugfix: Double clicking the palette lets you change colors again.
* bugfix: Flipping or Rotating the selection "lifts" it, erasing the area below it.
* bugfix: Cropping to a selection resets the current zoom and scroll positions, allowing you to see what you did.
* bugfix: Canceling drawing with the Replace tool doesn't crash the program anymore.
Version 0.10.2
* New feature: Support for .ICO and .CUR formats has been added!
* Custom cursors are now used in various places.
* bugfix: Dragging the image should be smooth again.
* bugfix: The Eyedropper tool works properly again.
* bugfix: Restricting colors to the current palette works properly again.
* bugfix: You can open images by dragging files onto the editor window again.
* bugfix: The Line and Pen tools follow the cursor more accurately now.
* bugfix: You can save BMP files again.
* bugfix: PNGs can be transparent again.
* bugfix: Selections properly wipe the area below them now.
* bugfix: Saving previously saved/loaded images works properly again.
* bugfix: Resizing and Scaling images now respects transparency.
Version 0.10.1
* bugfix: Closing the program with a selection active no longer crashes the program.
* tweak: The selection's rectangle now becomes wider as the magnification increases.
Version 0.10.0
* The project's entire codebase was redone from scratch in an attempt to clean it up and standardize everything.
* bugfix: Add Margins works as expected now.
* bugfix: The RGB Min/Max filter has been retouched, and now behaves more like you'd expect.
* bugfix: The preview window can now properly scroll images that are smaller than the preview area.
* bugfix: "Drawing" outside of the image shouldn't mark the image as modified anymore.
* bugfix: The Blur filter doesn't affect transparent pixels anymore.
* tweak: The "Swap Fg/Bg" option has been renamed "Change Fg to Bg" to avoid confusion
* tweak: Scripts may now use the _ character. This also allows the FILTER.TO_PALETTE command to be used as intended.
* tweak: The command COLOR.NEW can now create a color from a single hexadecimal number.
* tweak: The slots in the Palette Manager window don't change unless you click "UPDATE" now.
Version 0.9.7
* The "Paste" menu entry is now able to detect the clipboard state, and disables itself as needed.
* Thumbnail window now shows a special cursor to hint that the image can be dragged with the left mouse button.
* Thumbnail window can now be closed by middle-clicking on it.
* Thumbnail window resized slightly, reducing it to 320x240px.
* Thumbnail window now uses the main window's location when deciding where to appear.
* bugfix: Manipulating the selection using filters or edit menu options doesn't corrupt the selection anymore.
* bugfix: Manipulating the selection using filters or edit menu options lifts the selection now.
* bugfix: Thumbnail window properly monitors the mouse now.
* bugfix: Thumbnail window is now drawn properly.
* bugfix: Cropping to selection should work properly now. Again. (previous bugfix didn't actually work!)
* bugfix: Eyedropper reports hexadecimal values of colors correctly once again.
* bugfix: Line and Curved Line tools won't leave artifacts behind anymore.
* bugfix: mikese_con now reports the correct version number and homepage. Whoops.
* bugfix: Selecting an area that isn't on the image won't crash the editor anymore.
Version 0.9.6
* Image boundary is now shown using a black border.
* Selection highlight is now the same size regardless of zoom.
* Recolor Image filter added.
* Slight adjustment to how palettes are displayed
* bugfix: Fill tool doesn't get confused by mirrored color values anymore.
* bugfix: Select tool handles transparent areas of your image correctly now.
* bugfix: Cropping images doesn't turn the background color transparent anymore.
* bugfix: Resizing a selection now repaints the drawing area properly.
* bugfix: Undo/Redo now clear the selection like you'd expect them to.
* bugfix: Creating new image, opening an image, or reverting an image also removes the selection.
* bugfix: Clearing or cutting the selected area removes the selected area.
* bugfix: Blur filter reaches the edges now.
* bugfix: Grid is now limited to the image boundary.
* bugfix: Replace tool uses colors in a more intuitive way now.
Version 0.9.5
* About messagebox is now a proper window.
* Preference Manager dialog added.
* Default image size, fill, and palette can now be customized.
* Keyboard shortcuts can now be customized.
* Palette Manager dialog added.
* Palettes can now hold up to 48 colors.
* Slightly reordered the Effects Menu; items are now in alphabetical order.
* Scale and Resize image dialogs have been redone.
* Add Margins dialog added.
* bugfix: Window caption now correctly displays the name of a loaded file.
* bugfix: Hexadecimal conversion should now work properly.
* bugfix: Saving palettes works properly now.
* bugfix: When the current brush is 1x1, it is now shown using the foreground color.
Version 0.9.4
* Website and Documentation moved to SourceForge.
* Dropping image files on the editor's window now opens them.
* Two example scripts are provided to demonstrate the scripting features.
* bugfix: Filters don't wrap around the edges of the image anymore.
* bugfix: Pixels that were part of an image pasted from the clipboard now behave normally.
Version 0.9.3
* A mouse "cursor" has been added for some tools (eg, pencil).
* Console-enabled version of the program is now available.
* Command line parameter system added.
* Batch scripting system introduced.
* bugfix: Dragging the image with the middle mouse button now properly responds to the user releasing the mouse button outside of the window.
* bugfix: Fixed an obscure bug when resizing images.
Version 0.9.2
* Open and Save Dialogs are a little more user friendly.
* Optimized drawing area, preventing lag when the window is large.
* Added Blur filter
* Added Grow Fg Area filter
* Added Pixelate filter
* Added placeholder code for the planned Batch Scripting feature.
* bugfix: Curved Line Tool can cancel properly now.
Version 0.9.1
* Scrollbars have been replaced with a custom solution.
* You can now drag the entire image using the middle mouse button.
* The editor can now be resized, and defaults to 1280x768.
* bugfix: Clipboard operations should work correctly now.
* bugfix: Attempting to fill areas outside of the image no longer crashes the program.
* bugfix: Exporting a selection to JPG or BMP works as expected now.
Version 0.9
* Initial release.
Download Latest Version
mikese_0_13_6.zip (681.0 kB)
