Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Hey guys. I have finally finished my new high quality redemption card template. Below are three versions of it, each a different size.

Full Size (926 x 1402 ... 400 DPI resolution)
Medium Size (495 x 750)
Small Size (330 x 500)

Samples have been added a few posts down.

How to use:

I tried to make this template as easy to use as possible. Under the layers window, you will see four main folders I will go over what is inside of each of them.

Text
Within this folder, you will see four folders for different card borders. This is due to slight changes between the cards I scanned, as well as a few additional things, such as the shadows on ultra rare titles. Each folder is named after the frame it is suited for. Inside of each folder you will find four text box layers. These are the Title, Special Ability, Identifiers, and Verse box. Simply make that whole folder visible, and begin to edit the text boxes.


Icon Box + Numbers
This is the most complicated folder. Inside you will see quite a few folders, labeled by card type, as well as a layer called "Standard Icon Frame" and a folder called "Brigade Color." The other folders are pretty easy to use. Just reveal the folder for the card type you wish to use, open the folder, and find the appropriate graphic. Card types that have ability numbers (*/*) will have a text box layer within their folder.

For ALL card icons except for curses and covenants, leave the "Standard Icon Frame" layer visible. This is the blue border that goes around the top right box. However, curses and covenants have different sized borders. If you intend to make a curse of covenant, turn "Standard Icon Frame" off, and simply turn on either the curse or covenant folder.

Finally, for brigade colors, I did not pre-make a set of brigade colors. Instead, I allow you to paint your own brigades (allowing for split brigade cards or new brigade colors). To do this, Open the "Brigade Color" folder. Inside you will see four layers. Color References is a palette of all of the current brigade colors. Use the eyedropper tool on these colors for an accurate brigade color. Next, you will see two layers: "Paint Brigade Here" and "Clipping Mask." DO NOT touch the clipping mask layer, as it is there to prevent brigade colors from spilling outside of the icon box. Paint all of your brigade colors into the "Paint Brigade Here" layer. Accuracy is not needed due to the clipping mask layer, so splat that color anywhere you like! Finally, I have included a template for dual brigade cards, if you wish to have a perfect split.

*EDIT*

Additionally, If you wish to make a lost soul card, simply turn off the icon box layer. This only works with the standard frames.

Frames
This folder is simple. Simply reveal the frame you wish to use. Remember to pay attention to which frame you are using, as you may need to use a different text folder. The first 12 frames (Red Frame through Orange Frame) are considered "Standard."

Special Note: While I have included a dual card frame, You will need to use some Photoshop knowledge here, as I did not duplicate the icon box folder or the text. If enough people request it, I can make a separate template specifically for dual brigades (special abilities will still be funky). I wanted to keep the file size down, and not many people create dual sided cards.

Place Image Here
The simplest folder of all! This currently contains a blue background. Copy your card image here on it's own layer. Move it around, rotate it, or do whatever you want to it here, and it will always stay under your frame, and you don't have to worry about ruining the white line around the image box!

*NOTES*
If the fonts are not showing up correctly, then you will need to find a copy of "Lucian BT." Unfortunately, I am not sure where to find this. The Identifiers are using Arial (this should be Veranda, I will fix this at some point), which I would be shocked if someone didn't have.

GIMP users: I have opened this file in GIMP, and there are some issues. First, ALL of the text boxes are rasterized, so you cannot edit them. Make your own text boxes and use the old ones as a guide. Additionally, the Paint Brigade Here / Clipping Mask layers seem to have issues. I am not familiar with this program at all, so you may be able to make this work again. Other than that, all of the layers work properly.

And that is all there is to it. If you notice anything that I missed, or need to fix, send me a PM and I'll update the template as soon as I can.

You did a great job with this. It's easy enough to use as long as you have any experience working with layers, and it comes out very professional looking.

The image software I use, PhotoImpact, has the same issues you report with GIMP, both text and icon box color. But both are minor issues that are easily worked around.

I do have a few very minor nitpicks though:
1. The "good enhancement with abilities" icon seems to be positioned a bit too far to the left.
2. The artist isn't always "unknown", and it would be nice to get to change that if we wanted. (For reference, you can use the font CG Omega.)
3. The identifier font hasn't been Arial since Kings/AW era. Nowadays it's Verdana.

But like I said, overall, a great resource for those who like making cards but want higher quality than other options out there. Very nicely done.

I believe these are the official fonts used on Redemption cards but they may be difficult to find. The ones Tim suggests are a good substitute.

Card Title - Grail Light 12pt
*/* - Grail Light 10pt
Special Ability- Grail Light 11pt
Identifier - Veranda 5pt
Scripture & Ref - Grail Light 7pt
Artist Credit - Optane Extra Bold 6pt
Cactus Copyright - Optane Extra Bold 5pt

when I loaded it I didn't get any folders

KingLeo

What did you use to open it?

May I make a request here? I am terrible with Photoshop when making cards (and probably because I have only used the demo and can't afford the full thing) and it's kinda hard to make the cards on Gimp. Is it possible for you to make this a plugin template for the Magic Set Editor program? I've been requesting it over there for years. And it makes really nice, good looking cards whenever you use it.