"We do what we must because we can"

July 31, 2011 7:16 PM

Where can I find Portal 2 posters?

I'm looking for the kind of safety propaganda posters that were featured in Portal 2, or anything similar you think I would like.

I already know about the products on Valve's site, but the only good one seems to be the "My boss is a robot!" one. The collage one is just that...a collage. I'd want each poster featured in the collage individually, for obvious aesthetic reasons.

I've also found this flickr image, which while I'm not sure it was actually featured in Portal 2, still looks pretty damn awesome.

Does anyone know of any other poster options, especially the safety ones like those featured above, out there for the Aperture Science fan? Even ones that are conceptual art pieces or otherwise based on Portal?

Thanks!

posted by DisreputableDog to media & arts (6 answers total)

Do you know about these ones that the Valve Store is selling from Portal 1?
posted by EmGeeJay at 7:21 PM on July 31, 2011

Also, you could try cutting up the collage poster. The dimensions are 3 feet by two feet, so clipping out the bottom image, for instance, would still measure a respectable 2-by-1-foot.
posted by EmGeeJay at 7:24 PM on July 31, 2011

A hi-res collection of the warning posters of Aperture Science. If you Google around a bunch of people have done hi-res versions of these images that are perfectly suitable for screening/printing etc.
posted by GilloD at 8:09 PM on July 31, 2011

I used to make all sorts of printables from the TF2 files. It's a lot of fun to explore Valve's GCF files, which are the libraries that compile all of the program assets. They're organized quite well and, with a little effort, you can find all sorts of neat stuff. (Sometimes including half-finished models and test textures.)

Anyway, if you are the DIY sort, you can do the following:

1) Download GCFScape, which allows you to look at and extract the contents of Valve game files. If you're on windows, the Portal2 assets file is called "portal content.gcf" and is located in your Steam/SteamApps folder.

2) Open your file in GCFScape and browse to the "root/portal/materials" folder. This is where all the graphical goodies live. Treat the folder like a folder within a zip file and extract it somewhere onto your PC for easy browsing.

3) Valve texture files end in the extension .vtf. (The companion .vmt file describes *how* the texture should be applied to the model - lighting effects and all that.) You can look at them using the VTF Plugin for Photoshop/PaintShopPro. Note: If you have CS4, it will only work in the 32bit version, not 64 bit.

4) Since the files are at 72dpi, retrace them or use something like Vector Magic to help you enlarge. You'll have to do some photo editing magic to get any weathered effects at print resolution. This is pretty much the method fans use to make high-res art, custom sprays, etc.

(side note: you can use a similar method to extract sounds from the GCF files -- same content file, navigate to the "root/portal/sound" folder. Everything is in .wav format.
posted by Wossname at 8:34 PM on July 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

Ah... actually, hang on a moment on my instructions, I was looking at the Portal1 files. Let me see where the Portal2 stuff is, it's a little different.
posted by Wossname at 8:42 PM on July 31, 2011

Ah, there it is. Search your computer for a file called "pak01_dir.vpk". It's a little less obvious this time around, but still able to be opened in GCFScape.

Evidently, the vtf files are a little tricky due to their version. There is a workaround here.
posted by Wossname at 8:49 PM on July 31, 2011 [1 favorite]