Nintendo DS / Colors! – Setup Tutorial

**skrubbles** · November 15th, 2007, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Vhan Juju

HEY! didn't someone say that the red DSs had issues with running colors!?

If so I'll have to trade it in for another color... but I don't uderstand why it wouldn't work. Maybe the person trying colors had a certain slot-1 card that just didn't run colors properly? I didn't think nintendo did any tinkering around in the new crimson/black ds but just provided a different casing for it. Meh, I'll find out in a few days when my R4 card arrives.

**Ashrumm** · November 16th, 2007, 07:03 PM

I'm with you scrubbles, I just got back from purchasing the red ds, and i'm and just recently read about problems with the red one? Can anyone provide a little more data?

**Jabo** · November 16th, 2007, 07:39 PM

Why don't you just try using your R4/M3 and run the app? Tell us if it works, if it doesn't, tell us what happens.

**skrubbles** · November 17th, 2007, 01:14 AM

My crimson/black DS is running colors just fine. Make sure after you start Colors that you calibrate your stylus in the program... you may need to do it a few times in order to get the pressure sensitivity just right. The only thing that is slightly annoying is that the pressure sensitivity is a bit weak/wonky on the left and right borders of the canvas, but you can easily pan your canvas over to those areas and get the pressure sensitivity where you need it. I don't know if that's an issue with the crimson/black ds touchscreens or if that's common on all ds's. All-in-all I'm lovin' my sexy new ds and colors!

**Dose206** · November 17th, 2007, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by skrubbles

My crimson/black DS is running colors just fine. Make sure after you start Colors that you calibrate your stylus in the program... you may need to do it a few times in order to get the pressure sensitivity just right. The only thing that is slightly annoying is that the pressure sensitivity is a bit weak/wonky on the left and right borders of the canvas, but you can easily pan your canvas over to those areas and get the pressure sensitivity where you need it. I don't know if that's an issue with the crimson/black ds touchscreens or if that's common on all ds's. All-in-all I'm lovin' my sexy new ds and colors!

On my DS the pressure sensitivity is weak in the middle of the screen and I have to pan over to the edges to get what i want. interesting. Oh yeah, I've got a pearly white DS.

**Jabo** · November 18th, 2007, 08:57 AM

Re-calibrate. Otherwise, I'd say your touchscreen is broken. It's weak at the edges, never in the middle.

**Maestro Andres** · November 18th, 2007, 11:40 AM

Hey Jabo, just wanted to thank you for posting this awesome thread. If it wasn't for this, I will never have find out about this application for the DS.
Actually, I bought a Black DS Lite for my brother and couldn't help to get the stuff to try this out. It is really practical and portable to use. You can go as much loose as you want and take as much risks since there is no undo button

. Kinda reminds me to the Graffiti application on the Facebook, but this one is more stable and have plenty more options.

I have experience some of the problems already mentioned here like jumping cursor (which is usually when you have your finger and stylus touching the screen at the same time) as well as low pressure sensitivity on the edges. Although, they are not major problems at all.

As I have barely played a DS before, I don't get used to hold the DS with my left hand in the traditional way and it becomes uncomfortable. That's why I hold in the following manner to have access to all the functions, with my index finger pressing the L button for color picker. It also allows me to physically rotate the canvas easily. Any thoughts about it?

Here is some stuff as well, I did yesterday on it. If somehow this becomes big in the community it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to the artwork done in it

**Ashrumm** · November 18th, 2007, 01:19 PM

I would also like to thank jabo for posting this thread, to have the option to paint virtually anywhere is pretty awesome. I'm currently waiting for my r4 ac.

**Dose206** · November 19th, 2007, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by Jabo

Re-calibrate. Otherwise, I'd say your touchscreen is broken. It's weak at the edges, never in the middle.

Yeah, I guess I need to try that, but I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing when I calibrate it. On the press hard part, am I just pressing the hardest I'm likely to press while painting or am I really putting pressure on it?

I hope my touchscreen isn't broken, Colors is the whole reason I bought the DS and I'd hate for it to be wonky. Anyhoo I'm starting to get used to scrolling over to the edges so maybe it's not too bad.

**Jabo** · November 19th, 2007, 05:57 AM

The calibration button is experimentation. I tried several times until I found a setting that comes closest to my WACOM. As by now, I actually reverted the amounts of pressure (pushed hard on the low-button and vice versa). This gives me a very nice pressure sensitivity.

**Dose206** · November 23rd, 2007, 01:54 AM

hm, I'll have to give it a shot

**RogerAdams** · November 23rd, 2007, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by Jabo

The calibration button is experimentation. I tried several times until I found a setting that comes closest to my WACOM. As by now, I actually reverted the amounts of pressure (pushed hard on the low-button and vice versa). This gives me a very nice pressure sensitivity.

Wierd. I had to do that too.

**jim b** · November 23rd, 2007, 04:35 PM

ok, im sold. from what ive read, i should get a nintendo ds LITE as opposed to a regular ds, and i should avoid the red model?
thanks jabo

**Jabo** · November 23rd, 2007, 05:05 PM

Yeah. Not sure about the red one. In some cases, it causes trouble, most of the time it's working. The white one looks good as well, especially when you have a MacBook like me. Looks funny having them sit side-by-side on my desk. Don't get the original DS. The screen is aweful, not bright enough to work in daylight.

**seth1** · November 23rd, 2007, 11:59 PM

Haha! I am totally lost! I just went and baught myself one tonight! you guys are are killing my bankaccount with all these nifty tools! Do i need to have the R4 card first befor i can get colors or is it possible to get colors on there without it for now.

**Maestro Andres** · November 24th, 2007, 12:28 AM

Hey seth1,
The thing is that you need a way that the DS can read the Colors program. In order to do so, you transfer it into a MicroSD card and that one is inserted into the R4, which makes the microSD to be readed as DS game. That's how it works, so you need the whole package for it. It is tons of fun once you tried it out!

Jabo's explanation on the first post is very straightforward on how to set it up.

**seth1** · November 24th, 2007, 12:30 AM

Thanks man! I thought so! i will be getting the r4 card right away then..

**El Ruco** · December 4th, 2007, 12:13 AM

I have a 64MB microSD card which came with my cellphone. Would that be enough to carry the colors program? Also, how large are the .drw or .png files? I'm wondering if I should get a bigger microSD.

**Ashrumm** · December 4th, 2007, 01:15 AM

64mb is more than enough memory to transfer the colors program to your ds the application is something like 3.3mb. You will be fine.

**wesburt** · December 4th, 2007, 09:51 AM

ive been playing aruond with noxs and sam browns DS's..super fun! can't wait to get my own going

is there a DS speed^paint thread going on anywhere on the forums right now? i might have a couple to add

**SgtDirtbag** · December 4th, 2007, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by wesburt

ive been playing aruond with noxs and sam browns DS's..super fun! can't wait to get my own going

is there a DS speed^paint thread going on anywhere on the forums right now? i might have a couple to add

Just put them in the regular speed painting thread. : )

**viran** · December 4th, 2007, 10:21 AM

wow this is soo cool !thnx for hooking me up with this

**Jabo** · December 4th, 2007, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by wesburt

ive been playing aruond with noxs and sam browns DS's..super fun! can't wait to get my own going

is there a DS speed^paint thread going on anywhere on the forums right now? i might have a couple to add

You can visit the official Gallery for pictures. Lots of pro mofos hanging around there to kick some manga ass.

http://colors.brombra.net/

**donkeyslayer** · December 4th, 2007, 06:03 PM

I like the idea of a DS speedpaint thread.

**Ashrumm** · December 6th, 2007, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Jabo

Yeah. Not sure about the red one. In some cases, it causes trouble, most of the time it's working. The white one looks good as well, especially when you have a MacBook like me. Looks funny having them sit side-by-side on my desk. Don't get the original DS. The screen is aweful, not bright enough to work in daylight.

I have the red one and it works great, but just to make sure you don't have any problems, i would probably avoid the red ds, unless you are absolutely mad about the red one.

**Darktwin** · December 7th, 2007, 06:38 PM

My DS is working perfectly, thanks everyone who contributed to getting colors working and all the steps that contributed to it. A great way to experiment with colors and everything else. Long Live CA

**aussiedeza** · December 9th, 2007, 08:06 AM

Hi people, just have a quick question i purchased a second hand DS Lite and got the whole setup and colors working, but there is a issue on the touch pad in the majority of the middle area there seems to be a spot where it isn't as sensitive as the rest and the cursor is not directly under the stylus it is like 3 -4 mm to left or right , is this a defect? . If i went down the street bought a new one would i still have this problem? any help would be great cheers.
Dan

**Jabo** · December 9th, 2007, 11:51 AM

We got that discussed already. It seems like the sensitive panel is rather jaggy. Mine doesn't have sensitivity in the corners of the screen, while other have problems in the middle area, like you. It's trial and error I guess.

**PeggyChung** · December 11th, 2007, 02:54 PM

thanks!

**erlingingi** · December 16th, 2007, 06:02 PM

Thank you for posting this thread... I went out and bought one and everything works great. I had to patch the program, I used program called DLDI drop before I put it on the micro sd. I've already done one "plein air" sketch. I feel like I'm part of a new art movement of mobile digital painters with this thing. Like when impressionists started painting outdoors thanks to the technology of paint in tubes.