18 replies to this topic

[Black Scorpion]

Welcome to the GFX Helpdesk guys.

Working with graphics can be a really rewarding (but sometimes also a very frustrating) way to spend your free time. On the one had you can sometimes get astonishing results, on the other you can sometimes struggle with a certain problem for days on end and just can't get it to look the way you want it to.
Do you like working with graphics, or have you ever wondered how to make a good signature yourself? Maybe you have thought about trying to make something before, but got stuck in the forest of different options your graphical program has?
Or maybe you are already pretty experienced with graphics, but can't really get your head around a certain design? Or maybe you can already do some basic stuff and would like to improve your skills further, but don't know exactly how to?
Then maybe this GFX Help-desk can help you out.

The idea behind it is to have a place where people can put their graphics-related queries, so that others can help them out with tips & tricks and other advice. Every sort of question can be put here. Hopefully, with the help of other people their advice, you will be able to tackle that problem you have been staring at for the last few days, or simply increase your skills.
You don't have to be a top-notch artist to help others out. If you think you have the answer to somebody else's problem, feel free to post your answer. This is how we learn from one another.
As mentioned in the other topic, for now this is going to be one thread where you can ditch all sorts of questions. If there is a need for it, we could look into expanding it in any way later on.
To start out, I will add a couple of general tips. I might update these as they come to mind.


NOTE:
There are a couple popular graphical programs. Most of you will probably know Adobe Photoshop. This has been the benchmark of graphical programs for years now.
The downside is that if you wanna purchase it, it's gonna set you back at least 1000 Euro's for the simplest version.
Personally, I use GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), and also have some experience with Photoshop. GIMP is a 100% free, community-supported graphical program. Although designed by a professional team, a lot of the scripts and plug-ins are designed and freely distributed by the community.
Funny enough, there is almost no difference between Photoshop and GIMP. The layouts, the GUI, filters, scripts, I would say they are about 95% the same. The only thing is that PS and GIMP sometimes have different names for some scripts that do the exact same thing.
I could go on for hours about how much I prefer using GIMP, but in the end it is up to you. In the end it doesn't really matter which one you use. They are so similar, that every problem you might run into can easily be answered by a user of the other program.
(There are other programs for graphical manipulation, but I am not very familiar with them.)

If you want to try either of them, you can get them here:
Adobe Photoshop CS5
GIMP 2.6

Well, I will start off with a couple of general tips I can give you when working with graphics.

• Every graphical artist has started from zero at some point. The best way to learn something is Trial & Error. No matter how challenging something might look, sometimes sitting back and re-addressing the problem using a different approach will often get you there. Reading and practicing a lot of tutorials is an integral part of this.
  Expect disappointments. Not everything will turn out 100% perfect the first time round. Be patient and try again until you get it. If things don't work out the way you want, grab a donut or a cup of coffee and simply try again. As long as you have saved your work, you will get there eventually.
  
• Always save your work as a layered image as you are working on it! (extensions: .psd for Photoshop, .xcf for GIMP) And don't forget to hit the 'save' key every now and then in between. Trust me, nothing is more frustrating than to see hours of hard work go to waste because your computer crashes while you have forgotten to save your work.
  
• Organize your work. As an example, I have a folder called 'GIMP GFX'. It holds a couple of sub-folders for finished work, textures, scripts, filters, brushes, raw material and most importantly, a folder that has all the layered versions of all my work in it.
  
• Take some time to arrange all your tools, windows and tabs in a way that works for you, and don't forget to save your configuration. This will definitely help you next time you are using the program, as you don't have to look for everything.
  
• As with many things, the simplest way to go about something is sometimes the best way. With a filter, script or mask for just about every process, it is easy to think 'to difficult' sometimes. Sometimes, doing something yourself is easier and will get you there quicker. For one thing, doing something manually instead of using a script or a filter will give you more control.
  And personally I think using too many aids takes away from your own creativity.
  
• For every end result, there are often more than 1 ways to accomplish them. This is one of the advantages of all those functions. Every way has its own pre's and con's, it is up to you which you prefer.
  
• When working on any image, I always add a temporary white or black background layer. (or sometimes even one with the exact same color of the forum background) This helps to see more detail, and also helps you spot unwanted parts in your image. These layers are not included to the final result, they are just there as a working aid.
  
• Don't be afraid for too many layers. Having a separate layer for certain processes will enable you to do more with it. You are better off having a couple of layers too many than too few of them. You can always merge them together.
  
• Remember that the bigger your canvas, the more computer memory it takes to apply filters and scripts. Some processes take more memory (and time) than others, and this increases with the canvas size.
  As a general rule you could say that anything above 1000 x 1000 pixels will drastically slow down your computer performance.

Well, I hope this will help getting you started. Feel free to drop any sort of question or problem in here, and help out other people with their problems.

Let's do some GFX!

[THE CONTRACTOR]

What can be said, nothing except a great thank you, Scorpion

TC

[Black Scorpion]

Seeing I don't use Photoshop, I am not sure what masks do exactly. They are probably the equal of what a filter, script or plug-in in GIMP would be, but I can't be sure.
Could you post a screenshot of just before you are going to apply that mask?

[Black Scorpion]

I think I know what it is now, it's called 'layer masks' in GIMP. It is not so much an image by itself, it is something you can put over a layer that has an image on it. If I'm right, what you have to do is activate the layer you want to apply this mask to, add a layer mask to that layer and drag this mask into the layer mask. The image will then only show through the parts that are transparent in this mask.

If it works the same as in GIMP:
- Right click on the layer you want to apply the mask to
- Click 'add layer mask'
- Click on that mask you downloaded, then copy
- Click on the layer mask you just created, and paste. Don't forget to anchor.

Let me know if it works out like this.

[Black Scorpion]

No problem m8, you have done most of the work yourself. This is what I meant with trial and error, very well done m8.
And can I say the result looks very cool!
By the way thanks for adding an image of the final result so other people can see how it turned out.

[Black Scorpion]

A couple of other general tips.

A lot of the really cool looking stuff you see in some GFX projects, is done by using brushes, patterns, filters or other stuff. You can get them in all sorts and sizes, and the things you can do with them are really endless. It all comes down to how you combine them and how you apply them.

You can get these kinds of plug-ins all over, but here's a couple of good sites to get brushes:
DeviantArt
TechZilo
Noupe
But there's a lot of other places you can get them, just Google 'GIMP brushes' (or 'Photoshop brushes' if you use PS).

How does it work? Well, that's easy.
(For GIMP users:)
Download the brushes/patterns/whatever you want and unzip the file. then move it to C:/Documents and Settings/[your user name]/Gimp 2.x/Brushes (or whatever the appropriate folder is)
Then reboot your GIMP or refresh the brushes and voilá, your new brushes are ready to use.

The use of brushes can really uplift any image and make it look more sophisticated. What kind of result you get out of your brush depends on how you apply it and how you combine it with other elements in your project. There are a zillion different types of brushes, for every style one.
And you can make your own brushes. It's very simple, create the image you want to use for the brush, then right-click and copy. Now the image is on your clipboard and it will show up in your brushes window as the first brush. Now right click on it and click 'save brush'. Now you can give it a name and you have made a new brush.


EDIT:
There are so many possible things you can do with brushes and other plug-ins (actually with any function in a decent graphical program) that I wouldn't know where to start explaining. The best way to figure it out is to try it yourself. Be creative, change colors, layer modes, layer arrangement, combine with other effects, play around. This is how you learn new stuff and how you get results.

Working with brushes and other plug-ins can also be a little bit confusing sometimes. So if there are any questions, let me know.

Edited by Black Scorpion, 26 May 2010 - 08:42 PM.

[WildSurfer]

Dear Scorp,

I got GIMP 2.6, but I didn't succeed in getting the plug-in for doing an animated GIF, can you help me and also explain me the installing mode for plug-in.

Thank you per advance

WS

[Black Scorpion]

I'm sorry to say I know nothing about animations. All my work is static, I have never even tried any animations before. So I'm afraid I can't help you out. Try one of the community forums, I'm sure there is an answer for you there.

[Ragflow998]

Slow down the time period between images, really too fast.

[Ragflow998]

Yes, i used Easy GIF Animator, really easy to use, you can add some effects as well but it will make your sig weight really huge to upload on forum.

[WildSurfer]

Hi all designers,

Is that better with this sig, can't do it better than 1sec per frame speed

WS

[Ragflow998]

If you use Easy gif animator, you'll find a menu "Frame properties", type 200 instead of 100, it will slow down the frame rate (2 seconds).



2 seconds is rather good, it depends after that if your images have a lot of text, symbol, etc.

[WildSurfer]

And what about this one

[Ragflow998]

Nice effect you added, a little bit fast though but if you're fine with it, keep it.