The single KiSS document I know is the KiSS General Specifications (KISS-GS.TXT)
translated from Japanese, on
Yav's site. It is included with UltraKiSS, PlayFKiSS and Yav's FKiSS viewer for
X-Windows (see the list of KiSS viewers).
The essentials of KiSS are briefly explained on Tigger's page
under "What is KiSS".
On the PlayFKiSS homepage, Chad's
KiSS .cnf layout,
FKiSS/FKiSS2 command reference, and various PlayFKiSS notes.
This document is slightly outdated (it was written when FKiSS3 was
being defined) and contains inaccuracies. At the
bottom of this document is a link to the proposed FKiSS 3 specs, also
slightly outdated as FKiSS 3 has already been implemented.
All FKiSS syntax and parameters, including the newly
implemented FKiSS 4 commands, can be found in the
FKiSS
reference table, which comes with short general instructions on
how to add FKiSS code to a .cnf file.
Another all-inclusive syntax definition list is the KiSS specifications
section of KisekaeWorld, but
beware: "FKiSS5" is not a standard FKiSS level, it is only supported
by the viewer on that page.
Web documents referring specifically to palettes are:
Emby Quinn's
history of KiSS...
A not too technical and very WSVC-oriented tutorial text file is the
plain text version of the KISSage tutorial, which
can be downloaded from the same page.
On Tigger's page:
the KiSS specs, as in, types of palettes allowed (under "Variants")
Palettes - goes with the
KISSage tutorial.
A quick tutorial about palettes, bitmaps, and color as the author
calls it, in fact an in-depth explanation from a technical and a
practical angle. Goes with Creating KiSS sets with
PlayFKiSS.
See also lesson 7 of Zorro's FKiSS tutorial
Speaks for itself, I think.
tea's
resource documents for KiSS artists and fans
Resulting from discussions over yet another site that had put up KiSS sets without
the makers' permissions: a collection of explanations, definitions and form letters
dealing with copyright, distribution and the rights of KiSS artists.
Tutorials - downloadable
In HTML format, but meant to be printed out: the
Complete Dummy's Worksheet that comes with
Zorro's FKiSS tutorial.
The first two can be found at the old
MKC page. The
next two go with Dawn's How to Kis tutorial and
Zorro's FKiSS tutorial. For the T.E.S.S. sets (three
parts were planned, I've seen parts 1 and 3 finished) you'll have to do a
websearch.
See also Two tutorials by Mars.
FKiSS tutorial
by Zorro.
Updated to include a worksheet to print out, a
practice set to download and a new chapter on palettes and palette
problems, this is a text-only explanation of the whole process of the whole
process of making cels and a cnf, adding simple FKiSS, and going public with
the finished set.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: PlayFKiSS, KiSS Cel Workshop
FKiSS: yes
Illos: no
KiSS TUTORIAL - KiSSing made easyby Kim Gavlas
FKiSS PROGRAMMING TUTORIAL - FKiSSing made easy by Christine Gavlas
Together, these two form the most comprehensive tutorial I have seen.
Each comes with its index, breaking up the process into its component
parts and outlining beforehand what you need and where to find it.
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: Any viewer, WSVC
FKiSS: yes (second tutorial)
Illos: yes
Dawn's
How to Kis tutorial:
An all-inclusive doll-making tutorial which can also be downloaded,
complete with sample illustrations, for offline practice. There's a
list of tools needed and links to the pages where they can be found,
a clear explanation of how to use the popular but hard-to-figure-out
WSVC and a screencap of making a .lzh file in DOS, for the
DOS-illiterates.
OS: Windows 9x/DOS
Tools: Paint Shop Pro 5, WSVC, PlayFKiSS
FKiSS: yes (demonstrated, syntax not explained)
Illos: yes
KiSS the Emby Way
Having been asked by so many people how to make a KiSS doll,
Emby Quinn wrote a short step-by-step explanation of the way she makes
dolls herself, including tips on art and wardrobe.
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: WCel, WSVC
FKiSS: no
Illos: no
Moni-chan's Tutorials
Simple tutorials for each aspect of KiSS, intended for the novice.
Still under construction; the making of cel files and simple FKiSS is
covered, but the howtos of art and making a base doll are as yet only titles.
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: MS Paintbrush, WSVC
FKiSS: yes (sample code for blinking and changing hairstyle)
Illos: no (but that may change when the "How to draw a basic doll" section is finished)
Satori's
KiSS Walk-Through For Windows 3.1 In Plain English
Another tutorial for the novice. Also called (by the author)
"Kisekae for Dummies", this walkthrough is one I could have used when
I first tried out WSVC! It is almost anti-technical, but covers the
basics down to the use of TinyLHA.
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: any art program that does .bmp files, WSVC
FKiSS: no
Illos: no
The
KISSage Tutorial
Of similar simplicity, the HTMLized version of the
KISSage Tutorial text file. See also the
accompanying Palette Tutorial.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: PlayFKiss, WSVC
FKiSS: no
Illos: no
tutorial
An anti-technical five-step walkthrough for the total newbie
explaining how to cel with WSVC, write the basic .cnf,
position with PlayFKiSS and archive with LHA.EXE.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: WSVC, PlayFKiSS
FKiSS: no
Illos: yes
Two tutorials by Mars (who prefers that I link to the
main page,
but the tutorial page is a bit hard to find, hence the direct link)
This is an artist who still does much by hand (and whose site is friendly
to older browsers). Much attention is paid to creating the art, before
tackling cel and cnf production. Most other tutorials include the
compressing of the final set into a "lzh" archive, but this one goes very
deeply into how it's done. (Mars' KiSS tools, which I downloaded ages
ago, also come with a little tutorial included on how to use them.)
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: DpixEd, Photoshop, Mars' KiSS tools
FKiSS: no
Illos: yes (mostly photographs)
Creating KiSS sets with PlayFKiSS (topmost link on the page)
The maker of PlayFKiSS explains how to use his viewer/editor as a
cel/cnf editor. One important bug this tutorial doesn't mention (so
I'll just mention it here :) ) is that you can't save a cnf with
transparent cels in the older versions. There are two beta versions
of PlayFKiSS 2, the new viewer with Import Wizard and other features, which
probably doesn't have this bug. There is also a page explaining the
nitty-gritty of palettes and the kcf file (see
Documents-palettes).
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: PlayFKiSS
FKiSS: some; code that PlayFKiSS inserts into the cnf
Illos: yes
a beginner's tutorial for mac by tea (or click
here for a direct link)
A second Mac tutorial has seen the light, this one specifically written
to instruct the artist in the use of what tools Mac owners have at their
disposal. This means: step-by-step instructions on how to draw, save and
make a palette in Adobe Photoshop (taking advantage of the layering
feature), save the images to cels (this is the only thing that's
easier on a Mac than on a PC!), use the Mac viewer to write the cnf, and
compress everything with MacLHA in such a way that non-Macs can read the
archive.
OS: MacOS
Tools: Graphic Converter, Photoshop, John Stiles' Mac viewer
FKiSS: no
Illos: no
Frames
Gilbert Roulot's
How to KiSS and
Comment creer des Kiss (French):
Oddly, this writer of a Linux FKiSS viewer has written a tutorial
for Windows and the PC! Very detailed and with a high cuteness factor,
one flaw being that it doesn't show how to combine cels into an
object, but assigns a different object number to each cel.
OS: Windows 3.x/9x (screencaps from W95)
Tools: WSVC, WKiSS
FKiSS: no
Illos: yes
Fauzia's French tutorial
One of the oldest KiSS tutorials on the 'net. A
text-only explanation of simple KiSS, warning that PlayFKiSS
may crash on European computers (would that mean non-US versions
of Windows 95?). The author seems confused on terminology, calling
CKiSS a more advanced version of FKiSS, although that may be a typo.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: PlayFKiSS
FKiSS: no
Illos: no
Frames
HAGAMOS NUESTRO PROPIO KISS - a Spanish KiSS tutorial
A strictly KiSS tutorial that includes instructions to make lzh
archives. This page uses frames in a slightly unusual way. A short,
terse tutorial, with screencaps of celling in WSVC and sample cnf
code and cel images from an existing set.
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: WSVC
FKiSS: no
Illos: yes
Frames
Vaughamm Homepage - KiSS (Kisekae Set System) (Spanish)
Finally - a tutorial on how to use PlayFKiSS 2's Import
Bitmap Wizard, which allows the user to cel, name and layer
the images all at once. The editing features of the older
PlayFKiSS are also demonstrated. This is in KiSS tutorial 1,
"How to make a KiSS set the simple way" (rough translation).
KiSS tutorial 2, "Making a set step by step", does it
the old-fashioned way, celling with KiSS Cel Workshop, positioning
with PlayFKiSS and archiving with LHA.exe. Very clear illustartions,
especially the one showing the structure of the .cnf file.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: PlayFKiSS, EditFKiSS (PlayFKiSS 2), KiSS Cel Workshop
FKiSS: yes
Illos: yes
A
tutorial in Japanese
I'd be able to say more about this page if I could read Japanese. It
starts with a table of KiSS-making tools, not all of which are
familiar to me. (I owe this link to Bloodstone's links list - wouldn't
have found it otherwise.)
OS: Windows 3.x
Tools: WSVC (although others are listed)
FKiSS: doesn't look like it
Illos: a few
A tutorial in Japanese (MARUMU COLOR KiSS)
(This link points to the actual URL in the KiSS section of the Links page.)
Another tutorial that's 100% Japanese, although I can follow it by looking
at the illustrations. Beautiful screen caps of the doll and its clothes
separated into layers. On the main page, there are three links under each
other; these are chapters 1, 2 and 3 of the tutorial. (Of course, speakers
of Japanese don't need these directions.)
OS: Windows 9.xx
Tools: Photoshop, TCLK (cel plugin for Photoshop)
FKiSS: yes
Illos: yes
Kurs Pen Candy
(originally by Cal Callisto)
The old tutorial seems gone for good, but here I found a translation in
what I presume to be Polish, linking back to the author's now nonexistent site.
This tutorial is mainly about producing
and celling images using Photoshop; the illustrations include making a scan
of pencil artwork and replacing the sketched lines with pixel lines.
The animated gif that was used to show how FKiSS can be used for animation
is now accompanied by example drawings and an explanation of the FKiSS code
used.
OS: Windows 9x
Tools: Photoshop, PSD2CEL.EXE
FKiSS: yes
Illos: yes
tea's
advanced tutorials
FKiSS examples and explanations
to show the KiSS artist how to program simple FKiSS effects that go
beyond the usual blinking and smiling.
Much like the above, the
advanced tutorials in the
KiSS Town's Library.
Still under construction: the
Tools and
tips page, probably intended as a step-by-step tutorial, but so far
a list of KiSS tools and where to find them, as the "How to" section
hasn't been written yet.
Disclaimer: I try to be as accurate as I can, but it's not always clear from
the tutorial what operating system or version it's aimed at, URLs change, and
several tutorials are unfinished or have a sequel planned. To report inaccuracies
and/or broken links, please mail to
calezane@xs4all.nl,
and remember to put either "gatch" or "kiss" in the subject line to get past
the spam filter.
