Digital Art Gfx Forum Rules and Regulations *BEGINNER GUIDE*

Quoted from my dear friend McFabulous off The Undersquare Forums


FAQ

Q: OMG, teach me how to make a sig.
A: First off, you'll need a program such as Adobe Photoshop or The GIMP.

Adobe Photoshop is one of the more advanced art creation programs out there. It costs a large sum of money. There's a lot you can do with, ranging from things like cropping a picture to making a signature or avatar.
Imageready is an animation program that comes with Photoshop. As in its title, it's basically for putting the finishing touches on your project. Most of the time, you'll use this program when saving your project or making an animation.
30 day free trial here.

The GIMP is, in short, a weaker version of Photoshop. The major attraction is the fact that it's quite possible the best free art program out there. Photoshop is often preferred, assuming you've got the money. Free download here.


Q: Cool! ...how do they work?
A: Open up the program and, if you're just starting, break out some basic tuts. Start with google. Try to find some reliable sites to bookmark that you can go back to once in a while, or try some of the tuts that will be linked at the bottom of this post.


Where I can I put my finished graphics to show them off?
Photobucket - A nice gallery. It has 10gb of storage, 1gb monthly bandwidth, and allows individual images to either be 1mb in size or have 1024x768 dimensions. Upgrading your account to pro allows 2mb images or 2240x1680 dimensions.
Imageshack - Allows you to host individual images, up to 1.5mb in size. Quick and easy.
Once they're uploaded, copy the link given to you and post them in tags as so:

Code:

[img]URL here[/img]

Q: What are all the buttons in Photoshop CS2's nav bar?
A: Glad you asked. I've prepared a little image with a key.


What are .psds, .xcfs, .gifs, etc?
A: The most common formats are here.
.PSD is Photoshop's default format. It saves the whole file (layers, effects, etc.) Its size varies, though is often over 2mb. SUGGESTED USE: Unfinished work, work you plan to edit
.XCF is the same as .PSD, except it's used in the GIMP. Note, however, that the GIMP can also save in .PSD.
.JPG is used for medium/high-quality images without the use of much diskspace, although the colors aren't exact. It is a compressed (lossy) format. SUGGESTED USE: MQ Sigs/avatars
.GIF is used for low/medium-quality images (including sprites & animations themselves). The most colors you can accomplish with .GIF is 256. .GIF also allows the use of transparency and animation. It is very popular for that reason. SUGGESTED USE: Sprites, animations, LQ transparent sigs/avatars
.PNG images are certainly big, but they also are high-quality (mostly higher than .JPG). It also supports transparency in most browsers other than IE6. It is a lossless format. SUGGESTED USE: Sprites, HQ Sigs/avatars, HQ sigs


What are layers?
A: Layers are incredibly important in Photoshop and The GIMP. Layers are the order in which the components of your sig appear. For example, a background layer would be something like a blank white fill. A foreground layer, for example a stock, would appear on top of that background layer. If you ordered the layers so that the background layer were on top of the stock's layer, the stock would be hidden behind the white fill. Once you get into graphics, this is a concept that you'll find much easier to understand.


How do you install new brushes?
A: This is relatively easy.
Photoshop: Download the brush pack you wish to use; make sure it is in .abr format. Now, go to the folder Photoshop is installed in. Go to the folder "presets," then "brushes." Move the .abr into that folder. Next, open Photoshop. Open your brushes dock. Click on the arrow in the upper right and select the brush pack you just installed.
GIMP: Download the brush(es) you wish to use; make sure they/it are/is in .gbr format. Now, go to the folder The GIMP is installed in. Go to the folder "share," then "gimp," then "#.##,"* then "brushes." Move the .gbr(s) into that folder. Next, open The GIMP. Open your brushes dock. Click refresh and the brushes will all automatically load.
*This folder's name depends on the version number you're using. For example, it is called "2.0" in version 2.0.


How do you make patterns?
A: Photoshop: Make a new document. Fill it with whatever you want - this will be your pattern, which is automatically tiled when used. Go to "Edit" and "Define Pattern." Name your pattern and click okay. Now, you've got yourself a custom pattern!
The GIMP: (I run this program on Linux; I dual boot though, so I'm using Windows right now which only has Photoshop; if someone could write this for me, that would be great.)


What are C4Ds?
(to be answered)


I have another question(s) that you haven't answered! Should I just make a new thread(s) here?
A: NO! Rather than have regulars dig through the help topics to give advice to each individual person, please pm someone such as I with the question and it will soon be answered and posted here. I'm aware only a few questions have been answered here.


Etiquette/Rules

Although these are not official rules, there are a number of a things people in this forum should _not_ do, as you will lose points with the graphics vets and be looked down upon. A short list is as follows. The staff will personally be enforcing these rules.

Take critique with stride.
We don't hate you, we don't want you to leave. We just want to you to get better so we can stop looking at your crappy graphics and move on to seeing you make some pretty cool graphics. When people tell you to do something to your sig or not do something, listen to them. Don't assume they're just bashing you because of some prejudice.

Don't hotlink/quote images.
Hotlinking: Don't hotlink - it's very simple. When someone completes a request for you or you ask to use a sig, rehost it so you don't leech their bandwith. It takes two seconds and really can mean a lot to a person. If you've made a thousand posts at forum x and a thousand people see even half of those thousand posts, http://www.theundersquare.com/forums/index...showtopic=6514#
Complete Editthat means the image has likely been loaded 500,000 times and will drain bandwith from the host. So be nice - rehost images.
Quoting images: I'm sick of seeing this, especially when it's an entire update's worth of images. When you quote a post, remove the tags! It's not hard and can also save a bit of bandwith.

Don't steal images / use without proper credit.
Very simple as well. When someone completes a request for you, have the decency to let people know who made it by putting a "thanks to person x for this image" or so on in your sig space. It's rude to do otherwise and can be seen as outright arrogant or selfish.
On the same token, these sigs are NOT free for you to use anywhere you want. You must always ask before using an image (unless it was requested) and be clear on where you'll be using it. If you plan on using the image somewhere other than TUS, tell the person who made the image.
Also, if you see a person's image being used elsewhere and don't see any credit in the user's sigspace, it can be assumed that user has taken the image without permission. Please reports these issues to me via pm and don't make new topics in the forum when this happens.

Rules by Tree

Don't Player Hate.
So there you were, having a good ol' time. You made a request on someone's thread and you're happy because it's a great artist who is taking requests, and a piece of art of your favorite anime character has just been released to the public, and you're looking to be the first person on the Net wearing a customized signature of it! Fantastic! Until the artist drops a bombshell on you and denies your request because of lack of time, interest, or whatever else. Do not get in a huff over denied requests. Nobody has to make you anything, so don't pout if they don't want to; it's not their responsibility. Throwing a tantrum over them denying your request will result in a Warning. Along similar lines, if someone does take your request, if you aren't particularly fond of the end result, don't cry about it. Be happy they dedicated their time and talent to you in the first place.


Tuts

These are a few of TUS's best tutorials, made by the respective credited members. These are highly suggested to read, as they teach you some basic Photoshop motor skills.

What's a render and how do I make one?
Renders are, in short, stocks or pics with transparent backgrounds. They're the main focus of your sigs.
CS2: Three-Shot Render (Tree)
(Teaches you how to basic render using the polygonal lasso tool, found in both The GIMP and Photoshop.)

How do I put videos in my sigs?
Requires Imageready:
CS2: Video Sigs (master_me)
(Teaches you how to put a video into your sig using Imageready.)

How do I make/save animations?
Requires Imageready:
CS2: Basic Animating (Commie)
(Teaches you some basic, though useful, skills for animation in Imageready.)

Signature Tutorials

Advanced
CS2: Advanced Signature (Composer of Requiems)
A fantastic tut made by the amazing CoR. Even if you can't pull this off, it's still worth a look.

Intermediate
CS2: In Motion (master_me)
A semi-advanced C4D scatter smudge tut. This is a great start for people who have no idea what a C4D is or where/how to put one in a sig.

Beginner
CS2: Scatter Smudge (master_me)
If you can't scatter smudge, this'll teach you how to.

CS2: Brush Sig (Paradox of Twilight)
If you sucks with brushes, read this. Please.

Misc. tuts:
CS2: Polaroids! (master_me)
A funky tutorial that teaches you how to make a badass-lookin' polaroid. This is a crowd favorite.

If you have a tutorial you want to add, send a PM to me.


Resources

Tutorialized.com
Probably the most jam-packed tutorial site, currently with over 5,000 tutorials. Learn everything from how to make a ball in Photoshop to constructing an entire room in Cinema4D!

Planet Renders.net
Game Renders.com
If you're too lazy to cut renders yourself, you've found home.



Did you find this informative and want to share it with other people? Put this in your sigspace, here or on other forums!




Please ask any other questions you have here!


Good luck!
Last edited 11/22/07 by
Tree - Two new rules added, fixed broken links.
SplitOverload - Edited to fit forum guidelines, posted with permission.

 

ugh what the hell am I doing

Rewritten by Shade Tail. Thanks for the clean up!

1. I want to make a sig, what program should I use?
I’d recommend Photoshop. Don't want to buy it? Use GIMP instead.
Get a trial of Photoshop here: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/
Get GIMP here: http://www.gimp.org/

2. I have my program, how do I start?
Firstly, you’ll need a render image.
www.planetrenders.net is a good place to get some good ones (You’ll have to register first)
A render is usually the cut out of a character from an anime or game.
Renders can also be game sprites, people, cars, etc.

Make sure you save it before you use it, as copying can lead to a huge black area around your render, which is unwanted and can sometimes make the render unusable.
Open the render in the photo editing program you use instead, and just simply copy the whole thing.

Remember you CAN use more than one render.

When you’ve picked out a render, make a new file in Photoshop or GIMP. You can set the size to be whatever you want, but most sigs tend to be around 400 pixels wide & 110 pixels high

3. What do I do now that I have my render?
Renders are generally used to create a focus point for your sig.
When you have your render play around with the positioning until you find a place where you think it works best.
The positioning of your render plays a much bigger role than you might think.

4. I’ve positioned my render, what now?
You will want to start off with the background behind your render.
Create a new layer, and move it ‘below’ your render.
Now just chose a color that suit’s the render that you’ve chosen.

For this, the creator chose orange, maybe due to Donald’s beak being orange or that pumpkins are orange, linking it to Halloween.


5. It still looks kinda dull, what should I do?
Well, most sigs have a background, middle ground and a foreground. (Foreground likely being your render)
As you can see in the sig above, the creator used some curvy lines in the middle ground using a darker shade of orange to decorate it, and made it so it’s not so plain.
Being able to use these effectively can help make a good sig.

6. Anything else I should know?
You’ll want to make sure your background, middle ground and foreground flow nicely together by using different depths.
What do I mean by this?


Firstly, look at the render. Now look at the large things to her immediate right and the left.
Notice a difference? The render to the right is rather sharp, but the one to the left is blurry. This is called depth.
By doing this, you can create a bigger focus on the main render rather than the effects. Remember, effects aren't the main component of the tag.
Effects in a sig are used to give the render support to make it look good

7. People say to make my sig “blend well.” What does this mean?
Blending is so that the stock doesn't overly contrast the colors of the background, middle ground or foreground.
What they’re basically saying is that you should make the render ‘blend’ into the background, but not so much that you lose your focal point

Color and blending work together. You will want a color that supports your render, but not to the point where everything is one color and looks dull.


If you take a look at this sig again, you can see that although the main color is a pastel yellow, it's not the only color. There's purple, some pink and blue.
The bright yellow and dark blue contrast each other so that it looks nicer.