Alliedassault - View Single Post

Magnum · 03-01-2004, 11:13 PM

A few comments:

[quote:8c9a7]Understanding the ballance , and how you should aprouch the basic questions about where the text should go , how the picture should be altered I will also try to show you guys but alot of that is instinct. [/quote:8c9a7]
Yes, dear god, yes.

[quote:8c9a7]How can I use this picture and NOTHING else and make it stand out?[/quote:8c9a7]
I agree kinda. A good sig is based on strong source images. But don't limit yourself with the "NOTHING else" bit.

[quote:8c9a7]You could also have a new sig created for the picture , or just crop it to the desired size. [/quote:8c9a7]
No. Always start with a blank canvas the size you want. That lets you adjust much more. If you want to change the size, don't crop it, just adjust the canvas size. In general, if you can avoid doing something destructive, it's a good idea. That way you can adjust it later. Instead of erasing, use layer masks. Instead of colorizing, use a color adjustment layer. Stuff like that makes things so much more versatile.

[quote:8c9a7]Click the brush tool , and select a small non-fuzzy brush.
Now make your color white and add a few little dots to your 2nd layer. [/quote:8c9a7]
If you have PS7, the brush palette is EXTREMELY powerful. To do this sig for example, you can put on some size jitter, and it will make different size dots automatically.

[quote:8c9a7]A little list apears , select outer glow and play with that until you see a similar look to that of my sig.[/quote:8c9a7]
Don't abuse outer glow. That and inner bevelling are used way too often. Also, DO NOT use the default outer glow settings unless you are absolutely sure that the yellowish color actually works in your sig. Note that a lot of my outer glow uses are a color based on the sig, set to color/linear burn.

[quote:8c9a7]Chose something that will show up well , and that can be seen without having to add a glow or stoke to bring it out.[/quote:8c9a7]
Yes and no. Font choice is extremely important. Don't use Arial, or the Halo font, or that shitty pirate thing, because they look like crap, and they never match the sig they are on. The font should stand alone, and fit the theme. However, subtle use of layer effects and other things to enhance, or create a style are good.

[quote:8c9a7]Ballance...
Background , or source picture...
Creativity...
[/quote:8c9a7]
Yes, yes, and yes. Extremely important. A good note on filters is that they do have some excellent uses. Those uses are usually not applying them to source images (except blur, etc.). The good uses are making things from scratch like a wood texture, the snow I made in a sig a while back, etc.

	(#3)
Magnum is Offline Senior Member Posts: 2,735 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Perpetual Photoshopping	03-01-2004, 11:13 PM A few comments: [quote:8c9a7]Understanding the ballance , and how you should aprouch the basic questions about where the text should go , how the picture should be altered I will also try to show you guys but alot of that is instinct. [/quote:8c9a7] Yes, dear god, yes. [quote:8c9a7]How can I use this picture and NOTHING else and make it stand out?[/quote:8c9a7] I agree kinda. A good sig is based on strong source images. But don't limit yourself with the "NOTHING else" bit. [quote:8c9a7]You could also have a new sig created for the picture , or just crop it to the desired size. [/quote:8c9a7] No. Always start with a blank canvas the size you want. That lets you adjust much more. If you want to change the size, don't crop it, just adjust the canvas size. In general, if you can avoid doing something destructive, it's a good idea. That way you can adjust it later. Instead of erasing, use layer masks. Instead of colorizing, use a color adjustment layer. Stuff like that makes things so much more versatile. [quote:8c9a7]Click the brush tool , and select a small non-fuzzy brush. Now make your color white and add a few little dots to your 2nd layer. [/quote:8c9a7] If you have PS7, the brush palette is EXTREMELY powerful. To do this sig for example, you can put on some size jitter, and it will make different size dots automatically. [quote:8c9a7]A little list apears , select outer glow and play with that until you see a similar look to that of my sig.[/quote:8c9a7] Don't abuse outer glow. That and inner bevelling are used way too often. Also, DO NOT use the default outer glow settings unless you are absolutely sure that the yellowish color actually works in your sig. Note that a lot of my outer glow uses are a color based on the sig, set to color/linear burn. [quote:8c9a7]Chose something that will show up well , and that can be seen without having to add a glow or stoke to bring it out.[/quote:8c9a7] Yes and no. Font choice is extremely important. Don't use Arial, or the Halo font, or that shitty pirate thing, because they look like crap, and they never match the sig they are on. The font should stand alone, and fit the theme. However, subtle use of layer effects and other things to enhance, or create a style are good. [quote:8c9a7]Ballance... Background , or source picture... Creativity... [/quote:8c9a7] Yes, yes, and yes. Extremely important. A good note on filters is that they do have some excellent uses. Those uses are usually not applying them to source images (except blur, etc.). The good uses are making things from scratch like a wood texture, the snow I made in a sig a while back, etc.