==== Before you start ====

  * Choose a tool for Image Manipulation - **Paint 3D** is standard on windows, **GIMP** is more advanced
  * setup **GIMP** - you'll be needing this for colour reduction
  * setup **PNGgauntlet** - you'll be needing this for filesize reduction
  * setup **Emage** - a PNG optimized file, can be further compressed using Emage 
  * setup a directory for downloads & intial image creation, a directory for GIMP exports, a directory for PNG optimized files.  This way your work follows a logical flow, and you don't accidentally mix up or upload files from previous steps

==== Steps for creating an image ====

  - [[contribute:findmaterial|Find the material]]
  - [[contribute:resizeitems|Resize the different items]], and save to workdirectory 
  - Create a blank 800 x 800 canvas
  - Insert and [[contribute:centeritems|Center]] the different resized items
  - Open GIMP - [[contribute:reducecolours|reduce colours and export]] the image to GIMP directory
  - Open PNGgauntlet - reduce filesize and export to PNG directory
  - Open Emage - reduce filesize and replace file in PNG directory