@Zendarrun i see the little details that you're talking about and i do appreciate them, knowing how long all those needed littles details takes. But at the same time, i do agree with Hari that the render does seem very...out. It just looks (at least the upper half of it) like it was pasted over and such. I'd suggest smudging or bluring the edges a little. ps. CnC on my 2 which are 3 posts of from this please lol pps. Zendarrun where do you get your renders from/are they from like the same game/which one lol
Here's a second sig ive considered for my SOTW entry, what do you guys think? Better or worse than the previous one? It took me two hours to make the fire in the background without using the smudge tool. There's over 75 shades of yellow, orange, and grey involved. As well as 16 layers. look closely and you can see hot cinders in the fire. A little extra that I added out of boredom. The Render needed some work when I cut it out. I spent over an hour brushing it with dodge and burn effects. I also added some extra flare by darkening certain shadows to simulate fire-like effects without altering the colors. I pulled out all stops for this week, I actually made this incase I wasn't confident about my first entry. What do you think.
This one is much better then the other one. Way better. Things that you need to work on is the border. It may just be me but I think that it's bgiger then it really needs to be. Another thing is the Nod symbol. Maybe you should try it out with other colors?
Awesome Sig! U got those jellies from LordRequiemGFX though. I know that because they were my idea to implement as emoticons! CNC My new Siggy plz.
If you decide to start CnC too, I'll help you guys too. For now, I'm only doing it for the people who are also helping out. @1st one: Font is terrible. I can't truly understand a thing. Did you try blurring it, or something? Idk, it just looks bad. And bad quality render. @2nd: It's a bit better. I like the popping out effect thing, but the background in my opinion needs more stuff. I don't like a lot of white in sigs. The font is better, still a little bit hard to read (the right one), but way better than the first sig. Those are some nice bg effect you got there. or c4ds, or whatever they are. The elite is just a little to dark though, maybe make it a little bit brighter? Overall, pretty nice.
So I'm kinda new to this, but here's my attempt at graphical criticism from Albyhouse's banner on the last page: Author: Albyhouse Response: I'll be honest, this one looks really amaeurish. I can tell exactly where and which filters were used, and as you said, the text is impossibly difficult to read. While the man (don't know who he is) is blended with the background in a very blurry manner, he still seems separate and distinguished from the rest of the graphic. As for the background itself, there is very little detail therein that I can tell. It's very dark, and so lends there to be very little contrast in the image as a whole, making it rather drab and easy to look over. If there is something in the background (which there appears to be), it's hidden behind the ripples effect so that I can't even tell what it is. Balance-wise, there's too much dark on the left and not enough on the right. What I would have like to see would have been more definition surrounding the edges of that man, and some more spice in the background (because as it is, it is horribly plain). I haven't seen your other work, so I have nothing to back my opinions on as relates to your graphical abilities, but I think it's sufficient to say that you've got room to improve upon. Rating: 2/5 Author: Zendarrun Response: Well, I'm going to try avoiding complaints about the aspect ratio of the image being entirely too square-like (I'm off the opinion that banners are supposed to be long rectangles that allow the eye to pass over them quickly), but I can see why you did the render at such an odd resolution. All things considered, the graphic seems very dark (which I think you were probably going for). I also really like the hexagon pattern you've got half-burried in the background layers, because it's not something I see a lot here. The character there is also very well blended with the image as a whole, as it looks like he's right where he belongs. You also used a font that is very appropriate, given the context of the graphic and the message being conveyed. Now onto my criticisms. Again putting aside the fact that I dislike the aspect ratio of the image, there are also some issues that I can see with it. For one, when I first glance at the image, my eye is drawn immediately to the big red splotch on the left where the truncated triangle logo rests. It then follows to the first line of text, and then to the character (this is what Hari was talking about with "flow"). I don't know if you wanted the character there to be the primary focus of the image or not, but he is pretty well hidden in the background, not drawing nearly enough attention to himself with the rest of the image being so very bright. While there is contrast there, the character almost feels like an afterthought with this graphic. Oh, and regarding the "fog" - I can't see what you're even talking about. I have no doubt it's there, but as a general rule, if you're going to put that much work into something, make sure it's noticeable. Rating: 3.5/5 Author: knight kninja Response: Ah, the joy of the magenta jellies! I will admit, this signature does have a certain appeal, if only for how absurdly fun it is to look at. For one, it looks like you designed this using vector graphics - something that is more widely used in the professional circuits of graphic design than the raster graphics we see so commonly on the internet. You created one absurdly happy jelly as a conglomeration of shapes plus a gradient background, and then copy-pasted it some twenty or thirty times, adjusting the size and orientation, and then piled them on top of one another in the shape of a banner. Simple, and yet effective. It gives the banner a very distinct shape as well. And then, to add a finishing touch to the banner, you included the word, "JELLIES" as either individual letters or as text along a path with a blend mode on and/or altered opacity, and threw it on top of the whole thing. What you did, you did well. But therein lies the fundamental problem with the graphic: it doesn't look like you really did much with it. While I understand the time it can take to generate a vector graphic like that, the results produced simply don't reflect the time put in (which is why I tend to stray away from vectors if at all possible). There's also the fact that the image gets very old at a very rapid rate. On first glance, you'll look for 20-30 seconds before you've seen all that there is to see out of it, and then your eyes get bored and move on. Second glance is maybe 5 seconds, and after that, you've got the image practically memorized. While it is fun, its simplicity kills it. Next time, try for something a bit more complex. Rating: 3/5 Author: Zendarrun Response: As has been stated, this image is a whole lot better than your last one. For one, the eyes are drawn immediately to the character in this one, who again matches the background perfectly. There's also a lot of work that appears to have gone into that background (though it leads me to question whether or not you actually rendered it yourself - a good thing in my mind). The contrast is also remarkably well implemented, drawing the eyes first to the top right of the image, to the character's shoulder, to his face, and then finally coming to rest on the curve of flames. It just flows a whole lot better than your other one, and seems to me at least to be better thought-out. I only have two real issues with it. First, the text and logo are almost too dark to make out on first glance: there's nothing to draw the eyes to them. The other concern is simply that the curve of flame is distracting. I'm not sure exactly how to make it not so distracting, but it tends to draw what I'd imagine is unwanted attention to it. All things considered, though, this is a great graphic. Rating: 4/5 Author: Hari Response: This is a very curious graphic, to say the least. Titled, "Elite Shadow," it seems rather under-developed in style, and yet leaves a good impression with it. For one, the focal point is very clearly the Elite semi-silhouetted there, and while not entirely easy to make out, he is distinguished from the rest of the image enough to where you can eventually figure out that it's an Elite. The font is also appropriate, given the futuristic, almost ethereal feeling of the banner. But now onto my concerns. First of all, it's clear that the original model of the Elite wore yellow armor with white highlights. Upon close examination, you can make out pretty much everything about him. What's bad about that is that it leaves you horribly open to somone finding your sources, making your graphic rather easy to replicate. In addition to that, the blending mode that you used on the character shows the background very clearly through the light parts of his armor, including the fractal swirl brushes that you used. This just makes it look messy. There is also the fact that you used a 3D render in the background that extends in rays from the center: which you pinned the Elite onto. This isn't bad, but what I'm noticing is that all of the attention is centered around his crotch, making it look like he just let loose the mother of all blue, noxious, exploding farts. My last comment is this: the fractal swirl you have set behind your name distracts too much from the rest of the image, and the fact that the name is solid while the Elite is semi-transparent shows a lack of consistency (note: consistency is good to have in images). Not a horrible graphic, but not great either. Rating: 2.5/5
Take notes people, that's how you criticise sigs! We need more people like you to revew these sigs! ++ Dude.
There are a few things i must say in reply to that: #1, You must have alot of time on your hands, #2, You may be new but thats the most in depth and accurate CNC i've ever gotten. #3, The Elite had bluish-cyan armor with black highlights. #4, You are right about the 'fractal fart' shall we call it. #5, You made a good point about the text being solid and the 2nd Fractal removing focus. And finally, I will remake this signature with your comments in mind and repost it here. Thanks alot buddy and plus rep for you! (Thats 101 more rep that you didn't have before)
Heres my new sig,cnc like always @Hari, i like your new sig-very futuristic, you're choice of elite goes well with it. It looks like youve use a lot of C4Ds i don't know if you have or not, but it looks good either way. The only thing i would tell you to improve on would be to make the render just a little less opac.
Do you even know where you got that render from? I do. Its artwork from Starcraft 2. Its a little plain with just solid color on the bottom and middle top as well as the whitish blue completely clashes with the green. Dude, its called the Hue/Saturation tool. I like the quote but the text isn't so good. Slimy? The render is a little too small as well. Overall i say make the render bigger, make a better BG, Get rid of the whitish blue fractals and add some diff. fractals that match the green better, Change the font, but not the quote and put some C4Ds in there to add some flow.
Author: SE7ENS1NS4M Response: ...I'm still trying to figure out just what it is that I'm looking at. You've effectively drawn my eyes to the darkened figure to the right that is breaking apart the line of light. Still I'm having trouble discerning just what it is. Perhaps this is due to the graphic's small size, or perhaps it's due to the distortion that you ran from the thing's face (I want to say it's an Elite or a Hunter, but again, I just can't tell...). In terms of positive, it would appear that you have a good concept of contrast and balance, along with a fairly good notion of how to control the flow of the image. After going to the figure, my eyes follow down the green-ness to the words. It's not the font that I would have chosen, but the fact that you chose a distressed font does point to some effort concerning it beyond merely slapping it on there and calling it a day. By this, I can tell that you've at least some experience in graphics, along with the artistic content. But now onto my criticisms. As I said, the font doesn't seem right for the graphic, and while you did distort it, the distortion makes it look more like the phlegm I was coughing up last week with my headcold. It is a form of creepyness (or is it spelt with an i?), but not quite the creepyness I think you were going for. The "Seven" at the top right also seems like an afterthought in the image and serves to distract from the flow on further viewings. As I already mentioned, it's also too small to distinguish just what the character is, and while I won't count this against you, I think it would be to your benefit to do some experimentation with the border on the image. Rating: 3.5/5 Now, would one (or more) of you be so kind as to cnc this banner/av combo that I recently created for someone on another forum? -
Holy balls. Someone get this kid loyal : D. Seriously, dude thats amazing that you're giving CnC like this. Thanks for mine. I can get where your going, and maybe I'll attempt another one for SOTW. As for yours, Its decent. Is it your first? If so its good. But theres things you can improve upon. The sig's text isn't too good. Default fonts are one of the best ways you can go. Or download simple ones. The sig all around is very low quality, based upon a low quality render/stock, whichever you used. The colors are so-so-ish. Saving as .PNG will make your signature higher quality. It doesn't have much flow. But decent.
No, not my first by a long shot. I've actually been making graphics for years, and this one was done by request - can't do much about colors and quality when you receive a low quality image to work with (although in its own right, the original image was a really nice piece of artwork). I'll agree that the fonts aren't that great, but I have yet to find a workable cursive font online that retains the fancy look of "script" lettering, and yet has enough weight and presence to be easily seen on distorted backgrounds (something of a personal preference, I guess, wherein most of my works have some sort of noise or simple pattern filtered into them and hidden behind masks and the like). Not the best graphic I've made, but since it's been two weeks since I sent it to the kid who ordered it and he hasn't been seen since then, I thought some feedback would be good. Thanks. ^_^ EDIT: Looks like I missed something... Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: Multi-scan graphic file: not too many of those floating around the internet. Simple font. But aside from that, the graphic does present an interesting image. The facemask reminds me of an Air Force Pilot's for some reason (either that, or of the pilots of the Tie Fighters that you see for a few moments in Star Wars: Episode IV). While the background is simple, it's contrasted in the complexity surrounding the facemask, both in the pink sky-type thing (looks like clouds), and the distortion and noise around the mask. Good use of flow to draw the eyes right to the guy's forehead. I also like the faint border that you have included. Criticisms include that your name seems like an afterthought sitting over there on the right (where if it was, I would have honestly produced a watermark to include instead), and that the blending of the mask with the background seems sloppy in places. Fantastic? No. Horrible? No. Relatively good? Sure, I'll give it that. Rating: 3.5/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: Delving more into the world of more abstract art. This one plays with symmetry and thereby with balance in a very precise manner, making it one of the better graphics on the site at the moment. The complex simplicity (oxymoron much?) of the background, along with its subtler tones yield to a more concentrated focus on the girl in the center, where you have amplified the color to something much warmer. The shading on the image also contributes to its flow, making your eyes follow down, out, up, and back in from the girl's face in the center. My only real complaints about this one are the lack of border/stroke on the outside, and how the yellow brush you used kind of make it look like she's got something streaming out of her mouth (like some kind of zombie or something). Very well done. Rating: 4.5/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: This makes me lawl. Not only does it bring back fond memories for me of, "Locke's in a Box," but it is well executed. The simplicity of the left side is once again balanced by the contrasting complexity on the right side surrounding Locke's head. It's subtle, but everything in the image seems to point back towards the head of John Locke. Being the brightest part of the image, it stands out as the focal point, which draws the eyes from the entire rest of the image. Good font choice, too. Well executed, though I have a couple gripes. For one, it could very easily be argued that John Locke's head is too bright in comparison to the rest of the image. In addition to that, the hue doesn't match, and while the integration of the images is wonderful, it could have been done a little bit better - maybe reducing the glare off of Locke's head so that the contrast isn't quite so remarkable (unless that's the whole point of your image, in which case your poetic and artistic senses are very adept). I can also see the smudge tool being used fairly extensively, and while there's nothing wrong with that, the use of it is slightly sloppy. It's not perfect, but it is a wonderfully amusing graphic. Rating: 3.5/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: Ah, Grido (sp?). Han shot first, I'm sure of it. In either case, there isn't much to say about this graphic. The multi-scan .png file makes it look like an oil painting, which I have a feeling detracted from the quality that you were trying to portray there. It's a very artistic shot, to say the least, and to your credit takes quite a while to digest. But my complaints against the image are thus: while its artisticness is like a breath of fresh air among the usual humdrum of internet graphics, it is, like the Mona Lisa, a good deal smaller than everyone thinks. Because of this, a lot of the detail is lost because of how small it has become. Additionally, there just isn't that much to see with this image. Grido shooting a gun on what looks like finger-smeared clay, and that's it. While well executed, it just doesn't retain its visual appeal. Rating: 3/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: An abstract of color, to be sure. The shapes of the spectrum presented are very clearly defined, which is something easy to neglect when toying with colors. I have no doubt that this was created for the SotW contest of a few weeks back, wherein the theme was vibrant color. Across the graphic, there is a good sense of balance and feeling with the different colors, and the textures applied to them reflect subconscious associations of a sort. It's a very poetic piece, to be sure, and as such is hard to criticize well, but I will present what I can. For one, the border is indistinguishable from the forum background (at least for me, since i'm on the old whitish scheme), which while not a problem on darker backgrounds presents an issue of it looking like there's no border there at all (had to squint and tilt my LCD screen to see it). Additionally, because of just how poetic it is, I feel your inclusion of the word, "Color," distracts from the meaning of the piece and interrupts its natural flow. I honestly would have put it in solid white lettering in a different font in a black bar along the bottom, but that's just me. When dealing with poetic pieces, it's sometimes just better to leave the words out entirely. Rating: 3.5/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: Good use of the concept of symmetry and contrast here - the curves of light in the opposing top left and bottom right corners do a good job of balancing the image against the off-centered blazing background. Conceptually, this is a fantastic piece, even though I'm not entirely sure how to interpret it. Like your other pieces, though, it seems rather simple, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (as it points to how efficiently you can take a render and turn it into graphical gold). I also like how defined your color scheme is. Complaints are how the name is hidden within the blaze. Honestly, I would have liked to see it off to the right in the black field there, breaking the blank space so you know just whose signature it is without having to hunt the background (though a good choice of font). I'm also still trying to decide if I like the offset screen layer. It adds an element of chaos to the whole thing: similar to the effect they do in video games and movies to demonstrate the disorientation of someone being struck over the head. A good graphic, in any case. Rating: 4/5 Author: IxGUNxSLINGERxI Response: It looks like another person decided to venture into the realm of vector graphics. At least in the background, the rays you have extending outward draw attention from the bottom right to the top left. While they are very clean lines, the image of the woman overlaying them disrupts the flow and draws attention to her. There is no border on this image, which was probably wise considering how conflicted the lines would be with one another. Of all of the images you've presented, though, this is the one with which I have the most complaints. First of all, the background and the foreground have nothing to do with one another besides sharing color scheme. I also disagree with your having the woman interrupt the flow of the image from right to left and steal attention, specifically because the cut-out looks to have been very sloppily done (almost as though you used the extract tool or something). Having multiple focal points makes this deceptively simple image chaotic, as my eyes don't know where they're supposed to settle. There's also the issue of lighting with the girl and the background. While she is very well-lit, the background is not, and while this was probably done to increase contrast, I must again point out consistency. You have the light of a setting sun behind her which, presumably, is supposed to be illuminating her. While it does help to bring more attention to her (despite the dual focal points), at the same time, if the sun were behind her, she would not be so well-illuminated from the front. There is also the fact that the very top of her head was cut of, which makes me wish there were a border in place to more uniformly signal the eyes that the end of the image is there. Definitely not your best graphic, but bonus points for using vectors. Rating: 2.5/5
My final version, I think. I want to know what you guys think, and how it can be improved. Go hard on me.
Fragman: I'm not sure I saw your first one, but ill give this one a go. First off i would like to say that it all goes well, colourwise as well as the flow. The light shining is nicely mirrored by the sun spots, blue on the body near them, and the rainbow(subtle but very nice). I like the brush or render(curving lines) that you have in, and the wall in the back goes well with the school girl theme. One thing i'd say is that the font is slightly too small, and i having difficulty reading the words. If you don't want to make them any bigger, i would try spacing the individual letters apart more. The only other complaint(not so big, but still), it seems like the only colour in the sig is the yellow headband and the rainbow, both of which aren't very vibrant. While it goes well together(and because it's sunny, its a little dulled out, which makes sense), i think you could just tweak some colours ever so slightly. If you make a v2, try that out, i might even like this one more, the colour was just a suggestion, and i'd like to see what happens. It's not my taste as far as sigs go, but thats not a problem just a personal opinion. Nice sig... 3.5/5 ps. i know that sig's render is artwork from SC2, it just appealed to me.
Author: Frag Man Response: I remember offering my advice on this one to you earlier today in the shoutbox, and from the original, this is a fantastic improvement. About the image, I will say that I am a great fan of how evenly the image is split. The third on the left with the glare at the top, the middle with the characer, and then the third on the right with the text and light glare at the bottom. It is this evenness that contributes to the flow and balance of the image, which while simple, is well done. Due to its simple concept there isn't very much I can point to as being wrong with this graphic. The font is definitely too thin, although it fits the graphic well. The cut-out of the character from her original location looks kind of sloppy as well, and although there was probably nothing you could do about it, the top left of her head is absurdly blurry. Not bad, but there is room for improvement. Rating: 3/5