Ripping Sprites

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Depending on what system, what game, and how the game stores its files, ripping sprites may be different between each console. There are many different formats that store images, and many different ways to extract those images from the format.

ROM Extraction

Every system has a different way of storing graphics data, and often times there exist many, many alternative graphics encoding formats even on the same console.

For systems like Atari 5200, NES, Game Boy/Game Boy Color, Master System/Game Gear graphics can be viewed alongside the ROM data in a tile viewer such as Tile Molester, YY-CHR or TiledGGD. For disc based systems, it would be looking at an ISO or a BIN file. Tiles may appear to be missing as they are reused and arranging them is like a puzzle or a jigsaw.

Downside to this is that many games have compression or have an unusual way of storing the sprites meaning that it may or may not be possible to rip. Genesis games in particular have this issue.

Savestates

A variation of the above using savestates or snapshots from an emulator. Some systems such as the Amiga, it is more successful ripping from savestates via Maptapper rather than ripping from an .adf or a WHDLoad file, the same with Commodore 64 and Commodore 16 where ripping tools are designed around savestates than tapes, disks or cartridges.

Downside is that ripping from a savestate may not display all the graphics in the game and may need to make multiple savestates. This is more of an issue regarding systems such as Genesis, SNES, Game Boy Advance where a savestate may only hold one character frame or only what is on screen at the time of making the savestate.

File Extraction

More advanced systems like Wii, GameCube, DS, and 3DS as well as PC and Mobile in general, the game files are stored specifically as a filesystem. These filesystems can be extracted with certain programs, such as Dolphin (GameCube) and Tinkle (DS), to reveal files like texture.BFRES. For PC, the filesystem is instead a folder based structure unless the game only as an .exe file.

Some of these file extensions / formats are heavily documented and in the cases of PC and Mobile may also be in a PNG or BMP file, already supported in image editors. Some file types are unknown and are not able to be easily extracted without reverse-engineering the file format. Try searching for the file format first. As warning, some files may have a common filename such as BIN but would not be the same format.

Mobile games may also require the Internet running to download additional data/updates as the .apk may only have the basics required to open the game.

Graphics Viewers in an Emulator

Some systems have emulators that include tile viewers, sprite viewers, background viewers, palette viewers. This is a more simpler way of ripping from older consoles. Emulators such as BizHawk cover multiple systems.

Depending on system, these may not be strictly a tile/sprite based viewer. Computers such as ZX Spectrum does not have any sprites at all and graphics are stored via bitplanes.

Editors

In some cases, an editor can be used to rip graphics. Examples include LunarMagic for Super Mario World and KiddEd for Alex Kidd in Miracle World.

Places such as Romhacking.net can be used to search for game based editors.

Tools

Some games require an external tool to rip. This also include games that have compression where a decompressor can be used so it can be viewed in a tile viewer.

Try searching for the game online to see if there is a ripping tool, often the tool or the source code would be found on GitHub or similar sites. Some programming knowledge might be needed to either rip or able to use the tool. Python or Lua scripting may also be required to learn.

In rare cases, a tool may have to be paid for.

Texture Dumping

A few emulators, notably Dolphin for GameCube and Wii or PPSSPP for PSP, have features to dump textures in PNG format into a folder as the game uses them. For title screens, image based text and any 2D based element such as menus and HUD is suitable for The Spriters Resource while 3D textures (from character models and surroundings) are for The Textures Resource.

Screenshots

This was the traditional way of sprite ripping aka capturing. Programs such as ScreenGet and AnimGet automatically take screenshots and using an image editor crop sprites out of them. Early rips used this method and it is best if the background layers are removed with a background color that does not clash with the sprite.

Downside to screenshot ripping is there is no guarantee that all the sprites are shown in game, some may also be cut off that would be shown in full using another method. Early rips may also be edited to remove the background, this may not match the sprite and may have leftovers or removed too much of the sprite.

In rare cases, screenshotting might still be the easiest way of ripping especially if the file format is unknown, cannot be viewed in a tile viewer at all, no tool exists and the emulator has no ripping features.

After Ripping

In a majority of cases, an image editor is required whether it is taken from a sprite viewer via an emulator, tiles extracted from a tile viewer or screenshots. This is so the sprites can be sheeted.

Some rippers use MSPaint, but some say its colors are not always accurate and instead recommend programs like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, GraphicsGale and Paint.net. Further, some rippers use SpriteSheeter, SpriteTracer or other tools specialized for sprite sheets.