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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 10th, 2011, 2:01 pm 
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Caunion cyn Brittania wrote:
@Harthad: Firstly, no, that isn't Tom Welling. It's Cillian Murphy. Anyway, you are starting out so I'll try to be a little nicer. Basically, yeah, you have a lot of work to do. It's a good start, don't get me wrong, but here are some areas that need some work. Blending has a decent foundation but I suggest you try cleaning the different layers with blending. Try different states of brightness and colouring to add a little variety in the graphics as I've noticed they are very monotonous. Also you do know that you've posted the same graphic twice, right? This one hereis my favourite as it is a step in a different direction from the earlier entries and I approve.


Thanks for all your tips/comments. :) What do you mean by 'cleaning the different layers with blending'? I've been meaning to get a new version of Adobe Photoshop (as I have version 6.0) but I don't think I can yet. I will definitely do more of brightness/colouring. And yes, I did see that I posted the same graphic twice, but I just didn't fix it.

Shadowcat wrote:
Harthad: Great start here, you've got a good eye for picture placement/cropping. That's half the battle right there. You're also very good at using text, which I find incredibly difficult to do well. A bit more in the way of coloring and textures would be nice; most of the images look pretty close to their original state, which is fine, but playing with colors and textures really adds a personal touch to them, as well as adding a mood to each piece.
Favorite: http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Tharladen/amyavatar17.jpg


Thanks! Like I said before, I will be playing around with colouring and textures and stuff like that. :) I just figured out how to add textures with Overlay. That probably sounds so newbie-ish. :( However, I would really appreciate it if anyone here could direct me to a good Photoshop tutorial site. But if you could explain some things to me yourselves, that would be great because you've had experience and you're here. Right now. So, yeah. Thanks. :)

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 10th, 2011, 2:14 pm 
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Oh, it took me a year to even figure out it was possible to change the layer setting, so don't worry about that. :P

As for tutorial sites, I absolute adore the Livejournal community Icon Tutorial: http://icon-tutorial.livejournal.com/
You can search for program-specific tutorials, and they make sure that every tutorial that is posted explains each step and why it's necessary, which is very helpful. :)

You can also run a Google search for Icon Tutorial Indexes, and that should lead you to large lists of tutorials. When I was getting started, I found these were very helpful. :yes:

Here's an example: http://weapon-icons.livejournal.com/31940.html
Clicking on any of the icons will lead to a tutorial. Even if you don't follow the steps exactly, you can probably pick up a few ideas. :)

Hope that helps!

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 10th, 2011, 7:12 pm 
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I'm glad everyone enjoyed the cookoff so much! I shall be sending out PMs later to those who are judging for your further instructions. :)

Caunion wrote:
@Nurr: These are rather nice. The texture use is rather well-done as well as the brightness levels and the blending. I know said your brightness levels are good and it is true for the majority of the graphics but some like this one came off a little too bright. But that's just a minor compliant. Favourite.

Shadowcat wrote:
Nurrantiel: It might just be my computer, but a lot of pieces look a little too bright and saturated. I'd love to see what they look like on your screen, or on someone else's, because I can't imagine you'd purposely make them that way. :P Aside from that though, they look great. The cropping is wonderful and you always find unique and interesting pictures to use. Fitting text on icons and having it look good is next to impossible, but you always manage to make it look good.
Favorite: http://s954.photobucket.com/albums/ae23 ... nt=ten.jpg or http://s954.photobucket.com/albums/ae23 ... t=eric.jpg (Love that Lighten blending style :teehee:)


Apparently Brightness and I go hand in hand. :lol: Hehe Frosty, I find it amusing that you say the texture use is well done, because I use textures .03% of the time. Skitty, I think it may have to do with them being all together at once. The color/brightness isn't really any different from my current sig and avvy. You're welcome to peruse them independently here. :teehee:


Comment/Critique

Smaug: You have such a great start and I can see improvement even throughout these few weeks! It's good that you're experimenting so much with colors and texture. I agree with Skitty that you should try using pictures from the same scenes as well. It helps a lot with blending, and then you can allow more of the natural color to shine through instead of having to cover it all up. Also be mindful whenever you resize pictures! Sometimes the images look a little squished or narrow. Favorite - the color and texture are perfect accents, not overwhelming.

Enno: Yay! You haff graphics! :teehee: I really love the way you did the LotR icons. The texture and the sepia-ness and placement and text and just everything really combine to make it look so nice. Are you going to keep going, maybe make a theme? All the movies? :innocent: Your 9, 10, and 11 banner are brilliant! (I really really love the Eleven one, because I adore that picture of him looking down like that.) Don't be afraid of text! Play around with it a lot. Often some great banners are detracted from by text. This and this are both nice text usage ones. =) And don't be afraid to sharpen your images more. Favorite.

Skitty: :notworthy: I really, really appreciate the effort you made to have not all of them be the one color. Theoden and Legolas blends, and the Day 5 challenge and group riding to Edoras banner are all excellent! They have your style still, just a new look to them. The blending on your Lothlorien poster is phenomenal. I challenge you to try more with colors! And also along the lines of your Pippin avatar. Favorite. The GREEN.

Harthad: Great beginnings! Your blending is very good. Your placement is also great. Now it's time to move on. :) Play around with color and contrast and texture. Gradients are a lot of fun and channel mixers are really nice to have around. In some of your later ones you did more with this, which is good. Favorite.

Lembas: I wish I could have seen more! Your coloring is really great. I agree with both Skitty and Caunion in that I would have liked to see more of your work use blending. Everything is beautiful, but it's also very simple. Not always bad, but I enjoy seeing more complexity - even interactions between backgrounds and foreground or a picture duplicated can do a lot. One favorite and the other.

Me: You need to branch out more. You rely to much on coloring. Experiment more with texture and brushes.

Tur: Nice stuff! A little too dark for my taste, but then again I'm a brightness person. Your wallies are great - I especially like the Colin one. I would advise that you play around more with your text. New fonts and trying things like overlays with it. Also try some more with light and color! :) Favorite.

ManEru: You've got great stuff! I like your coloring and your variety. I'd like to see you do more with text - make it so that you don't need an outline to make it pop. Your Theoden blend is really nice. Favorite - they have an almost seamless flow that makes it look like a promotional picture or something.

Caunion: You certainly churn them out, don't you? :teehee: Your work is all so nice and clean! I'd like to see you try new things with it though. Try out some crazy angles, different textures, or gradient maps. Play around and see what new things you can come up with. I like the way you did this one and the Aragorn challenge banner. And I like the contrasts with this one.

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 10th, 2011, 7:54 pm 
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ManEru: You've got great stuff! I like your coloring and your variety. I'd like to see you do more with text - make it so that you don't need an outline to make it pop. Your Theoden blend is really nice. Favorite - they have an almost seamless flow that makes it look like a promotional picture or something.

really? thank you :D
I ussually like the text that needs an outline but the text itself doesn't show much or at all, is my style but I do try the other ways if the graphic fits haha.

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 10th, 2011, 8:00 pm 
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Maneth: The bright colors really make your graphics pop, which I like; they're very unique. This can get a bit tricky with skin, though, since higher saturation can make skin look too red or too yellow. What I'd recommend, if your program allows it, is going to the Saturation menu and lowering the saturation of the reds only. This will keep the blues, greens, purples, etc. bright and noticeable, but the skin looking natural and healthy. :P If you want me to explain this in more detail, drop me a PM and I can give you a screencap of my program and show you what I mean, or maybe I could write up a guide to using the Saturation tool. :) The text looks pretty good placement-wise, but maybe go easy on the Overlay setting -- it's a bit too bright in cases. I recommend Normal set to a lower opacity, and sometimes Difference set to a very low opacity can have an interesting effect. :)
Favorite: http://s1020.photobucket.com/albums/af3 ... t=mtgb.png

I've seen a few poeple complain about the brightness, might be because of the setting of my monitor(?), is LCD and took me a while to configurate in a way I could see depth when I work with graphics, especially dark pics, but might work against me in brightness, I don't know haha, is also the setting that allows my mom to work with her stuff.
thanks for the tip on natural skin colour, I do that actually, try to anyway haha, to make it look as natural as possible even if is saturated, not in all graphics though, sometimes I play with that and leave it that way :P
and I'm a fan of overlay text, as you can tell :P

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 12th, 2011, 11:57 am 
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Thanks for all of the comments guys, re-lack of graphics and blending. TBH I'm a lazy graphics maker, and I usually like to work to a challenge and make something that I or someone else wants- which is probably why, with free reign I defaulted to making easy stuff with lots and lots of colouring (cause that's my favourite part)

I hope that Con Crit isn't just reserved to the judges, cause I have some thoughts too :). if it's judges only, please ignore me :)

Smaug I've said it before, your blending skills are great, I second Nurr's comment that you are really good at blending "unrelated" images together like this, I wish I had the guts and the skill to do the same :D. I do like the variety of colours you use, and sometimes your colouring looks really really effective - like this one & This one. I think you are really good at using textures too, especially here. However, whilst your blending is good some of your images get "lost" in all the effects for example inthis one the bottom most pippin is too faint over the grey area. I also second what was said about using "related images" -e.g. whilst I love how the images are put together here the fact that the 3rd eowyn is in a different dress looks a little odd :). And finally I would suggest that you play around with more colours in your colouring, rather than Blue, Green, red and Pink, maybe fiddle with blend modes and see what effects you get
Favourite: This one
I love the colours, textures and blending. But I like This One too


Enno Your colouring is exactly the type I love, hazy blues and bright bright reds, it looks so pretty, most of all [ur;=http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i447/sparklayy/GMC%202011/Icons/i-mr10.jpg]here[/url]. I really really like this whole set of icons as the use of texture and text is very very good, and on the whole I really love your use of gradients Here and here. However, frequently when you use textures you cover up or obscure parts of the subject- like this, I would suggest using the eraser tool on a low transparency to bring the focus onto the subject not the texture. I also think that your colouring could be made even better by increasing the contrast of your base images this one and the rest of the LotR ones with the same colouring would really pop with a little more contrast. And Finally, I think sharpening your images before you start, or after you finish will really crisp up the end result, as some of your graphics look a little fuzzy
Favourite: This One I really really like the colour and the way you placed the images... and the Bradley-ness *may* have swayed my decision

Skitty You are definitely the hardest one for me to CC :D Your blending blows my mind- I could literally stare at this for hours and still not know how you'd managed to merge those 2 images!! I also love how original your blending and composition is- especially here All too often I get hung up on trying to make the blend look like a believable foreground/background image, but I just love how you just let the images fade into one another. I am also a little bit very much in love with the contrast of your images- always spot on and always so dramatic... Let me in on your secrets pllllleeeeeeeeeease!!!! However, I think sometimes your use of texture is a bit too much- namely on this icon where the texture detracts from the image and makes pippin look a bit "cartoony". Your colouring is very good, but doesn't quite work here as everything looks a little too brown, and finally I'd have liked to see you use this and this sort of colouring a little bit more because it looks gorgeous
Favourite: This it blow my mind and makes me feel like a useless graphics maker in comparison because of how good it is :)

Harthad You really are very good for a beginner, I think your blending and composition skills are pretty fab considering how long (or should I say short :P) you've been graphic making. I love how you play around with text as it is always very bold and very fun- I especially like the text here. I love how you've used gradients too- it looks really really pretty here. I agree on the other comments to try out some colouring or texture effects as this will really improve your graphics. I would also suggest to try pressing Shift as you re-size images as some like this one and this one look as though the images are a bit squashed. Finally try and play with contrast a bit, as some of your images could do with brightening up, especially this one- play around with Levels or the Brightness contrast features on photoshop :)
Favourite:This one I love the text & cropping and colours :)

Nurr Your cropping skills are gorgeous, I especially love this one, this one and this one. Everyone else seems to comment on your text in icons and I have to agree, but your use of text is also very good and I like how original it can be. I love your colouring too, especially on this one. Though I will say on colouring, be careful it doesn't look too red/blue splotchy like on Legolas here- maybe a layer of blur to smooth his skin out would have solved the problem :). I understand how hard it is to find pics of West End actors, let alone HQ ones, but some of your icons look a bit "noisy" like this one and this one- I would suggest duplicating your base and sharpening the 2nd layer then lowering the transparency, and saving as a .png file- as JPG's can effect the outcome. And finally (cause I'm being really nitpicky and stuggling to find 3 points of CC!) I'd have love to have seen you do the text on this one like this as what is below the text looks so pretty:
Favourite: This one because it is as close to icon perfection as I could ever dream of!

Turr You've got a really good grasp of cropping, I really like it here & here. I love how you use gradients too, especially on this one as they make your graphics very bright. You have very good blending skills too and I love how here you tied two images from difference scenes to make it looks like they came from the same scene. However, try saving your images, especially your icons as .PNG files, as this one and this one have noticeable been eaten by the JPG monster and the quality has been affected. I think sharpening your images either before you start to add effects or when you've finished your graphic will aloo help :). Try playing around with text (says me who does everything in Dauhpenh lol!) as you seem to always use black or white- try blend modes and different colours or putting the text below a texture and finally I second what the others have said about the darkness of your image, be careful with contrast as it can come out quite dark or too bright. I suggest taking your base image, duplicating it twice setting one layer to soft light and one to screen- then fiddle around with the transparencies- as this usually makes your images bright and contrasty enough before adding textures etc :)
Favourite: This One You've got the contrast spot on here, it looks really dramatic and I love the text!

Maneth I Like your colouring, it's very bold and bright and pretty, especially on this one. Your use of text is also good- The green glow on Here looks awesome and the text here. I also love your use of images, gradients and textures to add effects, the white tree here is really effective and the gradient here is really really pretty. For improvement I would say that you sometimes get carried away with using layer styles- the Bevel as a border Here doesn't really work. I would also suggest that if you use glow like here try using the eraser on a very low transparency to bring out the details as sometimes they get lost in the glow, and it makes it hard to see what the focus of the graphic is. Finally some of your graphics, like this one would look better for being sharpened, as it just crisps up the base image. Keep at it though!!
Favourite: This One The sepia colour scheme is gorgeous, and the blending is really good and I love the compostion.

Caunion You have very distinct styles that looks very clean and sleek. I particularly like the way you use composition, especially here & Here. Your blending is great more often than not, and I love how effortlessly some of your images merge together. Your Icons are also superbly cropped this one most of all. However, I would suggest that you pick higher quality images- as it can occasionally affect the standard of the final outcome. Sometimes your images are over contrasted like here Where Jamie Bell, The guy below him and The guy above NCW all look a bit too Red,Yellow and Black, whilst sometimes I feel that more contrast would really bring the graphic to life. I also agree on what Nurr & Skitty said that I'd love to see you do something different, my advice would be to try and use a more multi-tonal colouring style Like you did here bringing out the orangey and purpley colours on more of your graphics as some like this look a bit monochromatic.
Favourite: This One brilliant text, flawless blending & beautiful colouring.

I hope I didn't sound too mean or harsh :/ I tried to pick put 3 really good things and 3 things that needed improvement for everyone :D

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 12th, 2011, 10:09 pm 
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Judging - Smaug


Best use of text

One: What I like about this one is the simplicity. There’s only one word, but it’s enough, and it doesn’t clutter up the banner. Another thing that I love is the placement of the word ‘mirror;’ it’s right in between Galadriel’s face and the sparkling flowing water, and it pulls them together and adds more meaning. Genius composition and a clear case of text working with a graphic rather than overpowering it.

Two: I like how there’s two very different fonts here, but they still manage to work together. The way the colors on the top match the blend looks very nice. I like how the grungy font matches the dwarves while the script font fits more with the elves, it complements the graphic very well.

Three: The font here really matches the images, especially the giant swirl on the G. I also really like how the colors of the text match the colors of the blend. The one thing I would suggest is making the border slightly lighter: it stands out too much, since there isn’t any black anywhere else in the blend.


Best use of texture

One: The grungy-yet-pretty texture suits this blend really well. It’s not the first thing I notice about the blend either, which I like; it’s subtle, but it adds a really pretty effect that ties the whole thing together. Very well done.

Two: The texture blends in really well with the trees in this one, which of course suits Legolas quite well. It looks like the texture also helped blend the images together smoothly. What I like better about this one (as opposed to Three) is that the texture interferes less with Legolas’s face than it does Triana’s in the other one, although a bit of erasing might’ve been beneficial.

Three: I love the way the texture adds color to this one. The pictures themselves aren’t the most colourful, but the fuchsia really makes this blend interesting. The one thing is, as I mentioned, that it looks a little strange where it interferes with her face, but a bit of blurring/smudging or erasing should fix that in the future.


Best color

One: This one has the best contrast out of all your graphics. What I like is that it’s dark blue instead of black, but it’s still dark enough that it looks natural. Really pleasant look to this icon.

Two: I love that color green, and the way it blends so seamlessly is gorgeous. A little more contrast might have been nice, but overall, really lovely effect.

Three: The blue works really well here, it makes the snow look that much colder and Gandalf look that much Grayer. :P


Best cropping/placement

One: The way the circle and the woman’s head are placed is wonderful. It’s interesting, there’s negative space to balance everything out, and overall there’s great balance. I kept coming back to look at this one; I think it’s that circle. Very eye-catching.

Two: The way the light explodes out of the top looks wonderful, and the way Shadowfax is placed on the side is just right. I really like the way this one looks; the stripes of sky, mountain, and ground also give it an interesting striped look, which is brilliant.

Three: I love the way the two main images are positioned, they complement one another very well. This would’ve been first if it weren’t for the blurry figure in the background; it’s somewhat distracting, and doesn’t fit with the other two crystal-clear images that are the main focus. Overall, though, I like the way this blend is arranged.


Best overall graphic

One: There’s a lot of things that work really well in this blend. The coloring, blending, and textures all work together and create a strong and interesting piece. I also like the lack of text; I don’t think there’s any space to fit words onto it, and I’m glad you didn’t try to force them. Well done on this one.

Two: Wonderful sense of movement, great cropping, and subtle yet lovely coloring.

Three: The text and images work really well together and are blended well. Also, it has this wonderful almost parchment-y look that makes it look old, and obviously that fits with the history of the Rings theme of the banner. This one has stood out to me since you posted it.



Up just in time. :) There were a lot of lovely graphics to pick from, but these were the ones that stood out to me.

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 14th, 2011, 8:54 pm 
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I so didn’t say tomorrow and then take almost a week *cough*

I’m not so good at the whole constructive criticism thing, and the majority of what I was thinking has been said more clearly by others so this is more just favourites/possible occasional comments. I’ll try and do one main thing that sticks out for me.

Replies/comments;

Harthad – Thank you :D Seriously? Aha, go ahead :P & I’ll do my best as soon as I’ve got more time if you still want that wallpaper :)

I think you’ve definitely improved throughout the cookoff, but what I would say to do next is experiment more with different colourings/textures etc. If you use photoshop, selective colouring can be really good to change things about/experiment with. Even just colour fills/gradients with a different layer mode set can really help improve an image. It’s all about experimenting and trying different things. Other than that, your blending’s good, and I love the variety in your text. Favourite with this just missing out.

Smaug – Thank you :D I quite like that series, complete accident when I was barely awake and turned some layers off randomly. :teehee:

I love the progression your graphics show from the first ones you posted, to the last ones. Your use of colour is very good, I like the variety and your style overall really. I don’t really have much else to add to what’s been said, so favourite. The colours, images, text, everything :)


Caunion – Thank you for the comments, it’s really helpful to hear/read that sort of thing. I agree with most of the comments, the brightness thing I’ve had problems with before :eyeroll: but I’m glad it’s not too much of them. I’ll definitely work on the textures/brightness and thank you again for the critique :)

Again, I don’t really have anything to add to what’s been said. I love your style, but seeing something totally different would be interesting. Other than that, I really like what you’ve done. Not helpful, I’m sure, but others have offered more coherent suggestions than the ones that would come from me at this time of night. Favourite. And this.


Shadowcat – Really happy about the colouring comment as I focused mainly on improving that during the cookoff :D Thanks for the advice about the textures. I’ll keep that in mind when I eventually get photoshop open again :P

I adore your colouring so much. Seeing it vary now and then would be nice, but at the same time I’ve tried so many times to get that sort of colouring working for me and have never managed it :P Your blending and texture use is also absolutely wonderful.. I really have nothing to suggest improvement on. Different colouring occasionally I guess, but that’s been said. Favourites; One. Two. Three… and this. Couldn’t choose :P

Nurr – I do! :P Aha, I just may do that. They were kind of accidents but I like how they turned out :D Text is my enemy :karate: I’ve always had a problem with text, I end up overusing certain fonts/positions etc but I shall definitely try to play about with more :yes: More to come when I’ve got time to properly judge you. But favourite. Also, this. I could go on, but I’ll save it for the proper judging when I get around to it :D


Lembas – Really? Again, really happy about the colouring comments :D And the fact that you love my colouring, when yours is amazing, is just awesome :teehee: Again, with the textures, I’m taking everything on board. I’m not going to say it’s just because of the cookoff, because I’ve done it before I’m fairly sure, but I tend to work faster and not look over/worry about graphics too much when working like this. Texture use shall be worked on though :yes: Thank you for the comments :D I tend to blur more than sharpen but I’ll keep that in mind as I do love the way your graphics end up, and the one you pointed out for the fuzzyness I will say that I actually did sharpen, before deleting the layer because the images were really low quality and it just pixelated really badly, but when working with better images I shall :D

I have nothing really extra to add to other comments about your work either, just that it’s amazing. I love your colouring, text, image placement. Possibly more experimentation with blending different images, but you manage to make single images work in a brilliant way. So whilst experimentation is good, your style is good as it is. I would love to see what happens when you change it up a bit though, just for my own curiosity. :P Favourite. And this. And a lot more :teehee:


Maneth – I like your colouring, the majority is very bright and shiny which I like. Changing it up a bit occasionally would be good, especially on some of the graphics just to give them a different feel, but overall I like it. Changing the text up a bit would be another way to experiment some more as a lot of it is very similar, but I do quite like your stuff on the whole :) Favourite – the colours, image placement, text. I feel everything works really well on this one.

Turwaithiel – Your blending and general image placement is good, in some of them a little adjustment would be really helpful in making the graphic better I think, but overall everything fits well and goes nicely together. You’ve got a very dark/almost grungey style that I like, but trying different colourings/brightness etc could really help expand your work. You’ve done that one some of them, and it looks good, so I’m sure you could do it more easily enough. I do like your general style though, I just think it’s good for everyone to experiment outside of what they usually do :D Favourite or this one.


Oooh. That was hard. So much amazing stuff to look though <3 Hopefully I haven’t missed anything/anyone out, or messed up the links etc. Thank you in general to the comments/advice/tips etc about my graphics, everything has been very helpful and shall be used in the future :yes: Proper judging shall come later.

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 15th, 2011, 4:01 pm 
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I just have to say to Nurr that I'm on a different computer (didn't think I'd get internet, but I've got it) and your graphics look wonderfully bright and sharp. As I suspected. :P It's my usual computer that makes them look too bright. Which is, of course, annoying, but I'm having a great time looking at everything in a new light right now. :P

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 15th, 2011, 9:59 pm 
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^Ahaha. Well, I'm glad you get the chance to enjoy it afresh. :teehee:

Judging - Shadowcat

Best use of Text
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1) The font is excellent for the scene and graphic. Your use of color gives it an almost antique feel, which makes the text really feel like the epitaph that it is.
2) Such a dichotomy! The "hope" in large letters, making it something that you expect to be hopeful. And then the rest of the graphic is so not-hopeful.
3) "Evil" being larger than the others, just enough but not too much - I love it! It gives a creepy, unsettling feeling to the whole thing that is fascinating. And the choice of color is great, white or brown would not have made it stand out as much.

Best use of Texture
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1) The texture makes this image. Your style is such that it's usually sleek and clear. That would NOT work for this scene, so the grunge of the texture really gives it an atmosphere.
2) It's so subtle, but it really adds the dreamy effect. The texture becomes almost a haze that you have to look through to see Lothlorien. It's magical.
3) Where negative space could have been quite plain and boring, the texture allows it to hold its own in the image. I especially like the left hand side of it.

Best use of Color
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1) I have to say it's really the eyes that did it for me. Just the way you got the blue to pop out of the image is amazing. And I have no idea how you did it, but everything is both subtle and extremely vibrant. It gives such an amazing, and rather dreamlike (perfect for Arwen), quality.
2) I could gush about this graphic for a long time. But. The way you did the green and earth tones together is phenomenal. His eyes matching the cloak matching the trees, and then his skin matching the bark matching the fallen leaves. It just is perfect together.
3) I think what really did it for me in this one is the little flare of red over Weathertop. It adds just enough color to merge the two images together, and the brown tones really give it this worn feeling. Your color here really adds to the "crownless" text, because it evokes loneliness and outdoors and such.

Best Cropping/Placement
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1) Okay, seriously. Somehow you placed these and blended these so perfectly that it looks like they're conjoined twins or something. I don't know how you managed it, but it is done perfectly. Also just in general, the way you chose to do it - Pippin looking up, and over Merry, who's looking down - just works so well.
2) You show just enough of the scene that we know who's in it and what's going on, but not so much that we are lost in the scenery. It also is placed just right that we get a nice contrast of the white and grey.
3) The faint Theoden! It is amazing. It is almost part of the background, but is there enough to be almost a shadow of Theoden. That really, really adds to the piece.

Best Overall Graphic
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1) The blending is flawless. The coloring is gorgeous. The text is perfectly placed. The texture is beautiful. Like, seriously. What can I say about this graphic? It is just stunning.
2) They way you worked with the texture here is great. I like that you blended the image in so that the texture came through and it didn't just feel like something slapped on. The text is done so well, with the alternating font and how it travels across the image. It continues the idea of them walking and really adds some flow and movement.
3) Again, this graphic. Gorgeous! The coloring is beautiful, the text is so well done....I have not mentioned the blending yet. The way his face fits perfectly into the area of the trees is great. It keeps him in the dark and really adds to the "evil, ominous" -ness. And then the other face being right there and all "oh I'm scared and a little weirded out at the voices in my head" just adds so much more. And claustrophobia too. I'm just so glad you went the route you did instead of keeping the Frodo pictures in the context of their original backgrounds.

Great job, m'dear! :D :notworthy:

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 21st, 2011, 5:29 pm 
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To the judges, please try and get things up as soon as you can! :)

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: August 25th, 2011, 12:14 am 
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Judging: Turwaithiel Rochben


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3. Simple and effective, the font choice sends a clear bold message.
2. Once more incredibly simple and I love the positioning of it between the pictures of Lurtz.
1. Not only is the text here really simple but it has a sense of elegance. It neatly captures that scene.

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3. Something about the rainbow texture really works here. I love how bold and striking it is.
2. I think I remember this texture from somewhere but I don't know where. Anyway I love how it highlights Eomer and Wormtongue while casting the rest in shadows. Great effect.
1. Like the Eomer/Wormtongue wallpaper, I really love how the subject is highlighted. The subtle colouring really stops it from being monotonous and it looks great.

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3. Out of the different versions of this banner you have, this one definitely had the best colour. The darkness and the boldness of the red really brings out the carnage going on.
2. JENSEN ACKLES :swoon: Anyway........I love the green texture or gradient that you used and how it brings out his eyes. His gorgeous eyes....
1. Magnificent colours, especially the hellish orange and black clashing with each other. The contrast with the bright and the dark is really awesome.

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3. Once more, Jensen's eyes! I love how it's just those eyes and nothing more. Great job.
2. I love Robert Downey, Junior in the shadows behind Jude Law. Right where he belongs, lol! All jest aside, great positioning and blending.
1. How can I mention placement without putting this up there. I really really love the roses near Peter Jackson's really curly black hair. And not to mention the placement of the pictures. Great.

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3. Although a little murky and dark, I love the portraits in the clouds. That effect really worked really well.
2. Great job with this one. Really simple but the slight blue highlights really help capture the emotionality of the scene.
1. Wow. Just wow. I didn't put this one in any of the categories because really it would sweep everything away. Everything is great: the positioning and the placement, the colour or lack of, the text. It all helps convey the utter depression and darkness of the series. Great work.

It was a hard time choosing through all this. It was really and I'm sorry this is soooo late.

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 Post subject: Re: Graphic Makers Cookoff 2011 [COMMENTS]
PostPosted: September 14th, 2011, 3:48 pm 
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I'm not even going to go into the many reasons why this has been so delayed, and you shall be getting awards, but I just wanted to get this up. Awards to come at a later date :) Hopefully this makes some sense. I can judge, but explaining why.. not so much :P

Judging - Nurrantiel Mashiara

Best use of Text
Three - I like the font, I tend to go with swirly ones a lot, but I do like the simpler ones, and I think it works perfectly with the rest of the graphic. I also think it's positioned perfectly to balance out the texture and the image.
Two - Again, the font goes really well, and the slight glow [on my screen at least, I'm never sure with these things] makes the text noticeable but doesn't overpower the image. That and the positioning, with the image actually blocking out some of the text works brilliantly - I would never have thought of that, and I think it just adds a little extra to the icon.
One -The simplicity is perfect, in fact, everything is. From the font, to the positioning. The slightly decorated H, and then the 'adley' underneath just balances the text more than it all being together, and it breaks up the blackness underneath. Without it, I think the black would overpower everything too much.

Best use of Texture
Three - The fact that the green of the texture matches up with the images makes everything fit a lot nicer, it just goes really well together. It's like the texture is meant to be there rather than just dumped on top/behind. I also think the large green space sort of leads you into the images and is a nice contrast from the black.
Two - Simple, but extremely effective. I think the texture works by itself without needing any extra text/colouring/a lot of pictures. I love the way that he's out of the frame at the top - it just works really well with the texture/positioning.
One - Perfect. The texture fits really well with the images/theme of the graphic. I love the frayed edges and the storybook/paper feel that it gives off.

Best use of Colour
Three - The bright yellows and blues, the overall light and intensity of the colours is perfect for the scene. The colours are bright and shiny without being neon/overly glowy. Very nice.
Two - The pale blue background along with the darker blue shirt and the slight flash of yellow - they compliment each other very well without being too over the top. The strong colour in his face, especially the eye is very well done. Again, not neon, but you can see it clearly and it adds to the overall effect of it seeming like he's staring at you. The pale background and then the sharpness of the eye colour, and the rest of the face just draws your focus to him immediately.
One - This is first because of the strong red and yellow, and the way it all works together. The red at the side is just enough and the fact that it overlaps the first image on that side slightly focuses your eye and draws you into the rest of the images. The strong yellow text works well because there's bits of yellow in the second coloured image so they work well together. Also because of the lack of colour, in the desaturated images. It just adds a slightly different feel to the graphic as a whole and works really well.

Best Cropping/Placement
Three - I especially don't know what exactly to say on cropping/placement, but I think the position of the image, and the amount we get to see works really well for the icon. I think because the smile is only just completely visible is perfect because it makes the text work a lot more than it would if more of his face was visible.
Two - The sizes, and the fact that they're looking in opposite directions work really well. The hair merges ever so slightly which brings the images together without making them join too much. The little bit of space on the right hand side is perfect, it just balances out the larger space on the left, so that there isn't too much.
One - The fact that the black and white image is in the centre, and the two smaller upside down ones are slightly off centre means that they balance each other out and almost mirror each other. Where they've been placed with the texture just works really well and I just like the overall look of it.

Best Overall Graphic
Three - I do like the desaturated image in the background - I like that most of the time when it's done well - and I think it draws more attention on the people, and who they are within one main picture as opposed to several different ones of the same sort of thing if that makes sense. The colours stand out without being glaring and also work well against the black and white, and the text is simple and compliments the image without distracting from it too much.
Two - The placement of the image, the bright red at the top and around them, and the text just above and slightly off-centre... everything works really well together here. It was fighting for 1st. The bright red.. texture? I know you don't use textures a lot, but the red bit :P frames the people nicely and brings your eye to them and the text. The text is nice and simple again but perfect for the image, and is particularly well placed. I can't exactly say why, I think without it the red would be too close to the people, or it wouldn't be framed as well, but my point is - awesome. :)
One, - I was really trying not to use this again, but why I think the colours are good I've said above, I think the placement of the images is perfect, the text/fonts work well in the graphic and against each other, the texture is good because without it I think the colouring wouldn't work as well, and there would be too much negative space... My new favourite after looking at everything properly on both a judging point of view, looking at all the aspects, and just a general point of view, looking at the people/subject matter.

Away from trying to be a proper judge and make sense; I love your graphics, I think they're amazing :happy:

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