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isawfred1st · 12-31-2004, 11:26 PM

Due to popular request, I've decide to start a help thread for avatar makers so we can discuss issues that arise.

Rules:
1) To post in this thread, you must have your own thread in Madam Malkin's.
2) You can bring up topics like stealing work, stealing bandwith, people that request the same thing in multiple threads, etc.
3) Try to help each other out with problems so we won't have to bother the mods about everything.

I was thinking that we could also exchange ideas and sites, as well. It's interesting to know how other people work, and I have no problem with giving tips.

RESOURCES

Our Livejournals (SS username - LJ username)
AndiC - _emotionavenger
Mikaela - _mikaela
~*HermioneGranger*~ - bekindi
HP_Gem54 - dreamergraphix
Hermione_Loves_Ron - ashlienl
HermyOneGranger - hermyonegranger
potterxfan04 - itmakesaspark
Kasia - kasia133
Evy - liquidslyth
Merrick&Rosso - lp_4_me
Kirstie_McGonagall - raspberryundies
scary8511 - scary8511
isawfred1st - shunemo711
emmafreak - willy__wonka
(PM me if you want yours added or deleted)

Our Graphics Journals
hpgraphixmakers: HP_Gem54, isawfred1st, & Hermione_Loves_Ron
(PM me if you want yours in here)

Helpful Livejournal Communities
100x100_brushes: PS/PSP brushes (image packs available)
cap_it: screencaps
everything_lj: layout overrides
fontaddicts: font help
icon_tutorial: tutorials
icongradients: PS/PSP gradients (image packs sometimes available)
iconsnobbery: post rants about trends that you hate
ljstyles: layout overrides
spiralbound_lj: free premade layouts

Tutorials by Us
Johnny Depp by emmafreak
Rita Skeeter by isawfred1st
The Beatle by emmafreak
The Beatles by emmafreak
Aragorn by Kasia
Raining by Mikaela
Statue by Rosanna
London by Merrick&Rosso
Beauty and the Beast by Mikaela
Kelly Clarkson by Merrick&Rosso
Hilary Duff by potterxfan04

Our Contests
gof_stills: HermyOneGranger & isawfred1st
hpactorstills: isawfred1st & emmafreak (inactive at the moment)
hpgraphixmakers: HP_Gem54, isawfred1st, & Hermione_Loves_Ron (icontest coming soon)
hp_hush: emmafreak
hp_ichallenge: TomFeltonLuver
LotA: emmafreak & isawfred1st

emmafreak · 01-01-2005, 10:10 PM

Hehehe, I love to complain! (Don't worry though, I'm not always this mean) Anyway, Homing Hippogriffs, hermione038(some long number) requested this Draco avvy in me and Lu's thread, but you already made it for her so I didn't make it. Ok, just thought you ought to know, cause I saw that you were working hard to get just the right shade for the text (something I find pretty difficult) and well, I don't want to replace your work.

isawfred1st · 01-01-2005, 10:21 PM

Yeah people who do that tick me off. If they're not content with the original, why not ask the same person to remake it? It's rude when they go to someone else; it's outrightly insulting the original artist.

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Hehehe, I love to complain! (Don't worry though, I'm not always this mean) Anyway, Homing Hippogriffs, hermione038(some long number) requested this Draco avvy in me and Lu's thread, but you already made it for her so I didn't make it. Ok, just thought you ought to know, cause I saw that you were working hard to get just the right shade for the text (something I find pretty difficult) and well, I don't want to replace your work.

thanks for not doing that persons request. And also when i had to change the colour for the text i had to use the clone tool to get rid of the text, because all the layers merge after i save the document. then half an hour later, i just put a new text over the old one. lol. and i also hate it when people give you lots of text and you have to make it smaller and legible at the same time.

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 01:12 AM

Yeah, that's a major pet peeve. Also when they want like one little thing changed, but you have to start all over. Oh well. No problem.

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 01:22 AM

My biggest Pet Peeve, is when people give you gigantic pictures, and it takes up all of your limits on broadband (my ISP gives me 1Gb for one month), and then my internet connection goes down to 28.8kbps.

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 01:25 AM

You know what annoys me? When you make whatever, and it looks really really good, but then the person goes and says that they didn't like the way you did it. Argh I like being artistic sometimes, but some people just want really dinky boring ones!

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 01:25 AM

Ouch! This one person always gives us too little pictures. It kind of weird since most people give ones that are too big. But arg! This newbie Chika just spammed in Lu's and my avvy shoppe!! AH.

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 01:27 AM

So what programs does everyone use? Did you upgrade to another program?
Haha, I went from Paint to PrintShop to Adobe Photoshop!

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 01:44 AM

Learning time, kiddies! This is going to expain how to download brushes for PhotoShop et al.

First, go to a good site, like MissM, Echoica, or Indy, where my own immense collection of brushes come from. Brushes made for older versions are compatible with the new version.

Then, you obviously pick out a brush and click on the download link. Depending on how fast your internet connection is, a window should open with the brush file. It might ask you to "unzip" the file, and go ahead and do so, just to be safe.

To get the brush into your program's presets, open the following in a seperate window from your desktop(if you have Windows):
-My Computer
-C Drive
-Program Files
-Adobe
-PhotoShop (v.whatever)
-Presets
-Brushes

Right-click the downloaded brush in the first pop-up window, then hit Copy. Paste it into the Brushes folder for your program. If you want to rename it, click it twice (slowly, don't doubleclick), and type in an appropriate name.

For your brush to be activated, you must close your program first, then open it up again.

If you have PainShop Pro, I'm sure it works the same way, except for the fact that you'd have to look up PSP brushes in Google, and find the appropriate folder in Program Files (maybe JASC Software?).

Hope this was helpful, and feel free to share more tuturials!

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 01:50 AM

Ignorant newbs are annoying!

Quote:

So what programs does everyone use? Did you upgrade to another program?
Haha, I went from Paint to PrintShop to Adobe Photoshop!

I started out with ArcSoft PhotoStudio (came with my scanner) and I loved it, I must say. Moving onto Photoshop proved difficult; I knew all the same stuff was there, but it was hard finding it all...I still use PhotoStudio for blends because it's much more straight-forward. I also find PhotoStudio's navigation panel more convenient than PhotoShop's. Adobe does have its pros, though. It gives you a wider selection of filters and brushes and downloadable supplements, plus it animates!

Question: Does anyone know how to take screencaps from a media player? Everytime I try to save one, it opens up as a black block.

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 02:09 AM

I use ArcSoft Photostudio, and Adobe Photodeluxe. I just got photostudio 2 weeks ago, and im kind of familiar with the simple things, but not others.

I usually get screen caps from a website. Why dont you 'print screen' and trim the part you want?

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 02:13 AM

I use prtscr, but it doesn't resize or anything, it just shows up and stays the same. There must be some way to convert it to a valid image file.

Oh and PhotoBucket's down.

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 02:16 AM

Photobucket is currently working for me, i just added some requests.

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homing Hippogriffs

I usually get screen caps from a website. Why dont you 'print screen' and trim the part you want?

That usually works for Quicktime. When I want a screencap from that I just pause and drag to where I want. (To make a moving one, I go to the first frame and click the little right arrow on the right side to get to the next frame. CAUTION: Very tedious work.)

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 02:17 AM

actually, it isnt working anymore.

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 02:19 AM

Bites, doesn't it? You can't play DVDs on Quicktime if you've got the free player version.

HermyOneGranger · 01-02-2005, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emmafreak

So what programs does everyone use? Did you upgrade to another program?
Haha, I went from Paint to PrintShop to Adobe Photoshop!

I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 I still learn new things to do with it everyday. There are sooo many things that you can do with it that Icurrently do not know how to do yet.

And it bugs me when someone posts a rquest in your thread and the same or very similiar request in another thread. Somtime I think they must think we don't have lives otehr than to make their requests. But don't get me wrong, I LOVe making avatars and banners. It is my PASSION>

btw, I am looking for Rita Skeeter images if anyone can help me out that would be great.

EDIT: I found the pic of Rita in the news. Thanks!

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 03:07 AM

Photoshops working for me. I just use the picture that's posted on the news, but I put some effects and brushes on to twist it up. Sorry for being less than helpful.

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 03:07 AM

Yes, exactly. We have homework and/or jobs and social lives, yet I think I'm right in saying that it's a favorite hobby for all of us here. It's so fun being creative and not making a big mess with other media, like pencils and pastels. Also, it's easier to show off this way, lol.

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 03:11 AM

hahaha making avatars and whatnot is very fun! I love it when I make a good avatar so people can see it. (I'm the most modest person in town) It is easier to create an avatar masterpiece than actually drawing something good (at least for me..Lu has a knack for drawing!)

HermyOneGranger · 01-02-2005, 07:00 AM

Yes. It is a lot easier than drawing(which btw I have no talent at). Go Lu with your wonderful artistic talent with drawing utensils as well.

~*HermioneGranger*~ · 01-02-2005, 09:56 AM

oooo good idea for athread!

What programs are the best to use do you all think? I have photoshop 7 and ulead gif animator (cos I cant figure out how 2 animate on photoshop :/ ) but I would liek to get a better one if there is. *coughillegalsoftwarecough*

For dvd's use Power DVD, it's the best program, you just press "c" and it captures the image

...unless you've already tried that and i'm being stupid...

Homing Hippogriffs · 01-02-2005, 11:15 AM

What in everyones opinion is the best software to use? I feel that photostudio is abit limited in what you can do.

emmafreak · 01-02-2005, 05:22 PM

Lu and I have Adobe Photostudio, and well I love it! You can't do tons of cool animation, but it has some awesome effects for the pictures. I think we're getting photoshop or something soon since I just got a laptop and can't move the program. (It belongs to another friend of ours)

isawfred1st · 01-02-2005, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HermyOneGranger

Yes. It is a lot easier than drawing(which btw I h

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