Thoughts and Opinions Thread

First topic message reminder :

This is the thread where members can post their graphics creations for other people to see, and for thoughts and opinions to be given. Consider it a sort of 'showing off' thread, if you like, but also a place where you can receive constructive criticism for aspects of your graphic making.

Here's my latest graphic, just a simple colourisation, which I'm planning to put on the up for grabs section of my graphics site. My biggest problem with it though is, like always, the text. I'm not sure if it overpowers the image.

Lol they're all gorgeous! And I can't make anything of my own till I get my computer back :(

*kicks laptop, wherever it is*

Alll pwetty ^^

lol stream.. I can't make any graphics anymore either :( But I'm putting PSP on my xmas list so I'll be able to make some again after Christmas ^^

Just download it, Marie?

Already did, it expired :P lol

Hopefully mick can send it to you

here are some avatars (on a background) that i made for a challenge where 10 avatars had to be made from the same picture

I think they're brilliant My favourite is the one in the top left, I think.

WOW, those are great elfie!

Wow that's amazing, elfie! They're all stunning.

I've done a H/G banner in the same style as my Mickey/Rose one, for a challenge on CoS forums.



It's pretty much the same as the other one, but I thought I'd show it here anyway lol.

Ooo, that's pretty good Amy! I just don't love that picture of Bonnie.... her face.... I dunno, it kind of creeps me out

EDIT:: I just finished a graphic on PSP X... I'm still getting used to it, so it's not as great as it could be...



Please, suggestions or comments?

I like it, Cookie. It's intriguing...and I think that everyone who knows how to use PSP is a genius. Because quite frankly I've never figured it out. And I don't intend on sitting over it for hours trying to. I'm just not a genius. XD

Ooh it's great cookie, although slightly blurry on the figures - you could run the sharpening tool over them perhaps?

And I think I saw that photoshoot at foto decadent and thought it would be fun to make graphics out of :D

Yeah, it was at Foto Decadent... I thought that the shoot was stunning

THanks for your comments!

Well here's something I just made, using one of my favourite photoshoots from foto decadent (it's the jessica stam circus one). I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, though, as usual, my bugbear is the text.

Very nice, Amy and Cookie. Your use of colour in both of them is awesome :D

And I like the little filligree things you have in yours Amy

Thankies Jimmy :D

I have another one:



I'm in a graphic making mood tonight, and there are loads of pics from that photoshoot...so I'll probably be posting more :D

Lol a bit random but beautiful. I love how you made some of the text sort of blend into the background...

ooo, Amy, I love that photoshoot! It was so pretty and kind of spooky.... right, your graphics are fabulous, as always, but I don't completely love the font you used in your second graphic, in the little poem thing talking about different colour eyes...

But the colour is great, and I really like them

Thanks :D

Yeah, there's no real theme to the graphics I'm making tonight except they're all from the same jessica stam photoshoot lol. Here's a new one:

ooo, I like it! I love the whole picture (cute little doggie! lol) but the part you used is great. *gives you a brownie* Good job!

Thanks

I've moved away from that photoshoot now lol, and made this. Though I'm not sure if I like it.

ooo, I like it! The colouring would be cool if it was more yellows and blues to fit the "Forever Summer" theme, but it's good! Very summery

Edit:: I just finished this, not sure what else I should do with it.... thoughts?

Ooh that's good...

Here's what I would do perhaps:

You could add a texture like this one: https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img284/2080/northernlights1fx.jpg ... set to soft light perhaps?
Then you could create a new raster layer, then flood fill with a bright blue (#0000FF), then set the layer to exclusion at around...30-40% opacity.
And then a tiny text brush just beneath 'lovely' might look good.

The only other thing I would say is that the text is quite difficult to read, maybe add a drop shadow to it so it looks more 'anchored'. Although the exclusion layer would go some way to darkening it...

Anyway, good luck with the graphic!

Edit: I just looked at the graphic again, and the people look slightly over sharpened, so I would suggest getting your blur tool at around 20-30% strength and just run it over their bodies and faces, avoiding the lips and eyes.

EDIT 2: I have another graphic...this time I followed a tutorial, because I had no other inspiration, and this is what I got out of it:



I don't really like it to be honest...there's just something that doesn't work.

Wow, thanks for all the help, Amy! I tried the changes you suggested, and it looks a lot better

No problem

Are you going to show the new version? It'd be great to see it.

Sure! here it is...



and I like your graphic from above... I didn't see it when I posted before It's really good!

Amy - the graphic itself is good, although the Emma on the right - the blending in her right arm and hair is a bit overlappy. Maybe tidy that up and it might seem more defined?

Other than that, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

Alright, I've been working on this one for about and hour (long time for me... ) and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out...



The picture is from the fabulous Alfred Hitchcock-themed photoshoot... Thoughts or help or suggestions to make it better, please?

That's good cookie, I like how you've coloured her eyes, and the way you've added a reddish tint to the picture. The only thing that bothers me is the blue coloured brush that runs over her hands...it looks a little strange. You could perhaps erase that, although keep the red brushes, they look good.

Here's something I just did:



I know, I know, those Jessica Stam images are WAY overused, but oh well :D

That's good, Elfie! The only thing I have to say is that in the fourth avatar, the text running over Harry's face is a little oddly placed... could you maybe move it so it isn't running over his face? I dunno, it just looks.... odd

But great job on the others!

Here's the background I've just done ^^ lol

https://2img.net/h/i50.photobucket.com/albums/f306/mariec2006/Graphics/AvariceBackground.jpg

Wow, that's really pretty, Marie! I love that picture you used

EDIT:: I just finished this... I'm rather happy with it...



Thoughts?

I love the Rock on one cookie.. is that beyonce? wow

anyways heres one:

They both look great I especially like the vibrant colours on that one cookie.

I decided it was time to revamp my HPFF author page by remaking all my banners (except for my most recent fic lol.)

I've done four tonight (all quite sombre, actually), and here they are:









My author page looks so odd now...I have some good banners (the ones I just made), then some baaad banners (that I made a while ago). I'm going to update the rest of them tomorrow though, hopefully.

(And if the banners have piqued your interest on the stories, I've made them into links to the fics :D)

oooh amy prettiful banners ^^


here's another background I made lol

https://2img.net/h/i50.photobucket.com/albums/f306/mariec2006/Graphics/PrideBackground.jpg

Ooh nice

I have two more banners done, though they took me forever...I'm struggling lol.

ooo, awesomeness to both of you! That's a really pretty background, Marie, and I love all of your banners, Amy!

*gives both of you brownies*

Marie, I lvoe that style of that background and that other...goldy kind of one. they're really cool.

I have just made this... nto sure if I like it or not yet



I dunno, I just think that something is wrong with it.... thoughts?

lol, nothing to say about my banners elly? I'm offended :p

And that's good cookie, although somehow I don't think the font fits...it's a little, for lack of a better word, 'fat'. If you made it a bit thinner, it wouldn't bleed into the girls arm.

Perhaps also an exclusion layer of #000040 over the top of everything would give it sort of 'vintage' colouring.

Here are some more banners of mine lol:





I've almost finished revamping my author page lol.

Thanks for you help, Amy! But I couldn't fix the font... darn my habit of not saving un-merged copies

Well, I've made kind of a set thing... one avatar and one banner based on one of the pictures from the "Alice in Wonderland" shoot at Foto Decadent that I love ever so much



So yeah.... thoughts?

That looks great Although...again, I would say it's the text that's a little bit of a problem. I know how troublesome text is...I hate trying to find somewhere to put it, and the font to put it on, and I know I'm no expert at it myself...

I think again, perhaps a 'skinnier' font would look better, but I think the placement is good.

Perhaps this tutorial would be of use? It helped me somewhat:

http://www.misplaced.co.uk/uglybusiness/tut_typo.php

I think after reading through that my text placement/font choice got better...at least I hope so anyway :D

THanks for that, Amy! I know, text/font choice and placement has always been my weak point

So here's my newest graphic... I think the text is a little bit better this time



THoughts?

Hmm...besides for the fact that this either matches or horribly clashes with the site colors, which I hadn't considered when I was making it, whaddaya think? Based off the book 'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld. I'll probably get around to making 'Pretties' and 'Specials' sometime soon.

ooo, that's really pretty, Streamy! Good Job! The only thing I have to say is that there's quite a bit of green there... could you make the girl's face more like the flowers' colour?

But I do really like it! *gives you brownie*

Thanks! I see what you mean...but for the first time in ages I haven't saved an unmerged copy. Hm I might do it over sometime just to see how it'd look that way.

I'm likign it....I think my friend wanted me to read that book, she ahs eyt to lend it me...anyhu, as cookie said thereisrather alot of green...so mabye youcouldtry doign teh font a different colour? As I liek the way the girlsface merges with the background. Justsuggesting, thoughI'm rubbish at making graphics so you know, don;t take my advice seriously

OK, I just did my first colourisation, and here's the results.

Original image: https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img172/4364/ch491ic6.jpg

My colourisation: https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img119/712/colourisationai9.png

What do you think?

Wow, Amy, you did an uber uber great job on that! It looks great!