Editing Character artwork

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'''Character artwork''' refers to the official images of the playable ''Smash'' fighters used in-game and in promotional materials such as websites, strategy guides, and posters. In the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', the artwork for the characters are 2D illustrations not seen in the game itself. From ''[[Melee]]'' onward, however, they are rendered from 3D models at a far higher quality than how they appear in gameplay. In ''Melee'', some pieces of character artwork were used in-game, but not all. Starting in ''[[Brawl]]'', cropped versions of the character artwork are used in the [[character selection screen]].  In ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'', each character's main render also serves as the basis of their [[Classic Mode]] [[trophy]]. The character renders in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'' are additionally the basis of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series of [[amiibo]].

Strangely, despite all characters having artwork created for this game, the in-game character select screen instead uses renders based on pre-existing artwork from earlier games. The artwork on the select screen includes 2D and 3D artwork, though all are edited to appear as if they are 3D.<ref>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/20/smash64-css/]</ref>

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*Mario: A render from ''Super Mario 64''.

==''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

[[File:Character Selection - Super Smash Bros. Brawl.png|thumb|250px|left|''Brawl'' is the first game to use the same renders on the character selection screen as the promotional artwork.]]

''Brawl'' was also the first game in the series to use the same renders on the [[character selection screen]] as the official promotional artwork, which was retained in future installments.

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==''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==

The foundation of ''Super Smash Bros. 4''{{'}}s artstyle is similar to ''Brawl'', but relies less on dark shading and realistic textures, instead utilizing brighter primary colors with a vibrant, cartoon-like aesthetic for its visual effects. The 3DS version has exaggerated lighting and thick outlines around the characters (which can be adjusted in the game's settings) to allow for better visibility on the smaller screen, while the Wii U version has no outlines and more subdued lighting in comparison. Some characters also have updated appearances from ''Brawl'', such as {{SSB4|Samus}}, {{SSB4|Marth}}, and {{SSB4|Little Mac}}, who use designs from games released in the interim. Other characters, such as ''The Legend of Zelda'' cast, use the same designs as ''Brawl'' in spite of newer designs being introduced.

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==''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==

[[File:MarioShadingDemonstration2.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Real life photographs of character models were used as lighting reference for ''Ultimate'', as shown in this image of Mario.]]

''Ultimate'''s artstyle was designed as a hybrid of color and detail, to give the characters a unified appearance without having to drastically change each character's design. All characters were made to fit this middle ground: characters like {{SSBU|Mario}} were given a slightly less colorful but more detailed appearance, while characters like {{SSBU|Fox}} were given less detailed appearances to appear more visually similar to Mario and other characters. As with ''SSB4'', some characters were given updated designs ({{SSBU|Link}} appears in his ''Breath of the Wild'' design, and Fox uses his ''Star Fox Zero'' design), while others were not given an update ({{SSBU|Samus}} still uses her ''Other M'' design).

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==References==