Halo 3 Webcomics

Of course, if you use GIMP or Photoshop or any sort of editing software… which is like… required. I don’t even need a similie to impose how important image-editing software is these days. Anyway, if you use GIMP or Photoshop, you’ll figure “Hey, I can just put in filters and make the comic look cool!”

But then there are some effects that you are probably unable to achieve due to the fact that you are not a master of Photoshop or GIMP. Lets face it, nobody is. I don’t even think any of the developers of either know the full potential of those applications. That’s how complex they are, and that’s the beauty of them.

My point is this: you’re probably going to run into a situation in your story where you just can’t conjour up filters to add the effect you want, or you just want to use the filters you can place in Halo 3… which is limited to Ghost Town, Avalanche, Black Out, and Cold Storage (there’s the Mythic Map Pack as well, but that’s irrelevant.)

What is the Mythic Map Pack irrelevant to? The subject that brought you to this guide addition in the first place: Halo 3 Filters.

For any tips on how to manage filters to make some really cool effect for a wicked niiiiice screenshot, all I really have for you is “experiment experiment experiment!” There are some out there who realise that there are many filters you can add, and don’t have any visual on how the filters would affect a shot.

For those doing that, I recommend re-creating the scene with the characters, and then add the filters. Wait five seconds every time you put on one, and once you’re done, check the film via Theatre Mode.

For those too lazy to do THAT, this is a guide definitely for you. It (hopefully) will give you a visual on how filters would make characters and environment look.

Now you see these next few screenshots and you’ll think “Oh great, HolyJunkie’s back to his dimwitted failures again,” and those who are more observant will think “Hey, this is HolyJunkie (the fool) standing on a watchtower in Ghost Town! Who suddenly changes his armor color from white to red!”

Yes, this is Ghost Town, which I find has the most diversity in terms of lighting for filters. It’s got bright areas and dark areas in the same place, so that allows me to see the full spectrum whenever I place a filter orb in the map. That area I based this guide in particular was the most diverse, I found.

Anyway, for those requiring a general visual on how filters will look, check this out. It may not work in other maps or in other areas you plan to put filters up, but it will no-doubt inspire you to try out some more.
—- SINGULAR

Pen & Ink (This filter always reminds me of the cover design of the first Silent Hill.)

Old Timey

Nova

Colorblind

Gloomy

Juicy

—- COMBINATIONS

Old Timey + Juicy

Old Timey + Colorblind (Note the greater presence of gray)

Nova + Pen & Ink (... Yes, that actually is the same subject as the other pictures. I found that it looks cool.)

Nova + Old-Timey

Nova + Gloomy… or was it Colorblind? I can’t really determine. It all sort of looks the same.

Gloomy + Juicy

Colorblind + Gloomy (I call it “DEAD”, fir inside joke reasons)

Colorblind + Juicy

Pen & Ink + Juicy (I call it “Dreamstate”)

Gloomy + Colorblind + Juicy (I call this “Realism” or “the cooler Gears of War” filter.)

—-

You may notice that this isn’t every possible combination there is out there. That’s because almost any combination including Nova or Pen & Ink will usually result in very blurry, hardly depict-able stuff. Either that, or they look like forced blam! quality pictures. In Cold Storage, the combination of all filters except Nova and Pen & Ink tends to give you a dark, abandoned Area 51-like effect. I based an infection variant I made off of those filters, actually.

You may also notice that I seem to be writing very trivial guides. My response is that “You never know when someone actually needs this sort of knowledge for making Halo 3 Webcomics.”

Anyway, the real purpose of this guide is to inspire you future comic artists to try out the filters built into Halo 3. It would also work for Machinima artists, except the Old Timey filter has a flickering effect, which I couldn’t capture into a single screenshot. Go out there and experiment!

HJ’s signing off… again… rofl and stuff.

-HolyJunkie.