Before you mention it, yes, I do know there is a tutorials thread for this (2D spriting), but I don't know which one to check out (and I need a 2D-specific list). Any help would be appreciated to perhaps make sprites like the ones from the following game: Breath of Fire I & II Final Fantasy IV, V, & VI Tales Of Phantasia Chrono Trigger (Battle sprites too, if possible, and the avatars/portraits that go with the characters). I have the following programs: -MSPaint -Photoshop 7.0 Many thanks in advance!

Just as a side note, one thing that really helps to create sprites in the style you mention, is to have the right tool for the job.
The problem with something like Photoshop is that it's not designed for pixel perfect drawing (i.e. you never really modify one pixel at a time in Photoshop). Consequently, it's bloody hard to try and practice the lessons given in the most common tutorials about pixel art.
Your best bet is to find a tool designed with the pixel artist in mind. Something like the good old Deluxe Paint. I know there are more recent tools in the same spirit, so you could look that up. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the program)

It's also a reason so many people seem to do their pixel art with MSPaint, which is quite a drag cos the zoom on this program is just frustratingly useless...

Also some classic links (shame on you for not googling them [wink])
A Russian pixel artist with nice tutorials
Tsugumo's classic tutorial. A masterpiece, IMO!
About.com has quite a few links, in fact...

Hope this helps !

I beg to differ....Photoshop is a perfect tool for creating pixel art...I've been working as a professional pixel artist for over two years, and I (and most of my colleages) use Photoshop. If you try using the paintbrush tool to do it, you'll add a shitload of colours, through auto-AA, but the 1x1 pencil tool works the same as in any other graphics editing program. Plus, you have the added benefit of being able to do things like adusting contrast, hue, and other things, which give a lot more control over your images.

I don't think you'll be able to find a tutorial specifically designed to making sprites exactly like the ones from those games...I'd suggest practicing, and using those sprites as a reference point for drawing you own. Just zoom in and look at the colours they use, their shading, selective outline, and anti'aliasing techniques, and then try them on your own. Unless you're doing edits *shudder* your sprites will only reflect your own ability, so practice is the key....

Graphics Gale is awesome and well worth the $20 it cost. It is made for this kind of stuff and is perfect for creating sprites and tiles like the ones in the games you are talking about. Give it a google. You can use the program for free for a while. It has layers which can be helpful and frames that show how the sprite will move while you are making it. Then you can export that as a gif to show off or as seperate images for a game sprite. I did this with it and I love the program. It is a japanese program, but they recently made an english version. I hope this helps.

-Jake

P.S. This is my 200th post! YAY!

There is also Paint.NET
I've not really used it much but it looks promising.