The Fake Card Resources and Help Thread
Managed by: The PB Faking Community
Managed by: The PB Faking Community
In the beginning...
Maybe you're tired of using those horrible card generators and want to try your hand at quality faking, or maybe you're a seasoned veteran who just saw an awesome new blank that you wanted to try. Whatever the case may be, welcome to the Fake Card Resources and Help thread! Here you'll find all you need to create those perfect fake cards.
To start, you'll need an image editing program. While Photoshop is arguably the best, it costs money and not everyone can afford it. That's okay, too -- GIMP is another (free) option, which can be found here.
Then, you'll be needing the proper fonts. PA! still offers a font download here. Squirtli has also uploaded a font download which can be found here.
Blanking out...
After you've gathered the fonts you'll need and have the right programs to put it all together, you're ready to get some blanks! Blanks can pretty much make or break a card. If they're shoddily done, your fake will likely turn out just as bad. Thankfully, I've assembled a fairly large collection and separated them by TCG-era so you can find whatever you're looking for with ease!
- Classic Era
These blanks are the ones used from the Base Set through the Team Rocket expansions. Pokémon Aaah! offers blanks from the Classic series onward to early RS advanced blanks (credit to Nick15 and Fangking Omega). More recently, aschefield101 has created his own set, available for download here.
--- - Neo Era
Pokémon Gold and Silver Pokémon debuted in the Neo Series. These blanks were used in the TCG from the Neo Genesis through the Neo Destiny expansions. Right now CMP has the most up-to-date Neo blanks, which can be found here. Of note is that these blanks are available in not only the 9 official TCG types, but all 17 types (Poison, Bug, etc.). Also available from CMP is the Classic-Neo trainer blank.
--- - e-Card Era
The release of Expedition saw a drastic change in Pokémon TCG aesthetics. While the jump from Classic to Neo saw only minor changes, the jump to the e-Card series was pretty significant. aschefield101 has a great set of e-Card blanks for download.
--- - EX Series
WIth the release of the third generation came yet another blank change. The first three sets still utilized e-code reading technology, but starting with EX Hidden Legends the blanks ditched e-code usage. A large selection of these blanks (including regular types, EX cards, dual types, Delta Species, etc.) are made by Fangking Omega and can be found right here at Pokébeach. CMP has made a HQ EX-era trainer blank as well as a Team Rocket version trainer blank.
--- - DPPt Series
Another generation, another blank. First seen in the Diamond & Pearl expansion, a return of flavor text and Pokédex information was seen. Once again, aschefield101 has a wonderful selection of these blanks which can be found on his dA account.
Fangking Omega has also created a set of some fantastically high-quality blanks, which can be acquired here.
--- - LEGEND Sets
First seen in the HeartGold SoulSilver expansion, these were covered in gold and silver to reflect the recent remakes of the Pokémon Gold and Silver games. Cascade Gonpory has made his own HGSS blanks which can be found in his scraps on his dA scraps. Flame Claw has made a HGSS trainer blank as well as a HGSS supporter blank. As far as font guides are concerned, Nekoban Ryo has made a font guide for GIMP users!
--- - BW Era
Most recently, Black&White are the newest blanks to be released. Many of our own members have attempted to make their own BW-style blanks! Latios101 has made his own blanks available here; aschefield101 has his Pokémon blanks available here and trainers here, and ShinyBill has made his available here. If you're confused as to proper fonts, Flame Claw has made a font guide available here.
--- - Custom Blanks
We have some amazing fakers in the community who create their own unofficial blanks. Nekoban Ryo offers some here. aschefield101 offers his LunarEclipse blanks and Tempest blanks.
Let's accessorize...
So now that you've got the fonts and blanks, some symbols might help, eh? Your Pokémon sure can't attack without Energy! Let's put some symbols on those cards...
Most everything you'll need can be found here. It contains nearly unlimited resources as far as symbols, icons, etc. are concerned. The majority of the members included so far in this post are active contributors to the deviantART group. One of the more helpful resources is probably this "all-in-one" symbolsheet by HeroOfSinnoh.
You might also notice that some fakers are able to make their fakes holographic. This is pretty easily done, but it easiest in programs which utilize layers (such as GIMP and Photoshop). If you search this thread, you should be able to find a tutorial on how to do so. The #PokemonCardResources group linked to above also contains a great resource of holosheets and textures to make your fakes look even more spiffy.
How about some backgrounds...
Great artists such as Ken Sugimori and Xous don't always include backgrounds in their work, so often fakers need to add a background themselves.
#PokemonCardResources offers an extensive selection of free-use backgrounds. If none of those suit you, though -- don't be discouraged! Flame Claw has whipped up a few tutorials for you including a color wave tutorial and an abstract swirl tutorial. He also offers collections of his own which can be found here and here.
So there you have it, folks. All-in-all, pretty much everything you need to get yourself started. I hope this served some kind of benefit, be you a novice or a pro. The old post was a little disorganized and out-of-date, so I tried to clean it up as best I can. A huge thanks to everyone in the community whose work is posted here! And especially to Flame Claw, the original poster of this thread, who essentially helped lay the groundwork for an all-inclusive thread. Expect this thread to be updated as time goes on. As always, this thread is for anything you may be having trouble with -- someone here will be able to help you!
Let's fake!
-CMP
These are for the little bars in the top right corner of BW-style Trainer's Pokémon cards.
