New sig or wallpaper? show it off here!

[Alhuin]

I'm liking the last three, even if they are unfinished. The Hei one is my favourite by far, but I like the effect the third one has (I'm guessing that's One Piece? I haven't ever watched it). I think you could do more with the Optimus Prime sig. Making his eyes glow bigger with a sort-of darker background seems like it might be pretty cool.

For some reason though, I'm not a fan of the first. I like the text style/position. And the render is cute. But I'm just not feeling it. I can't really place my finger on it.

As for the avatar for DS... I would change the font to whatever font you used for FFVII in the sig. Make it black, maybe lower the opacity slightly so it doesn't stick out too much. I just think the current font looks tacky at the "VII" part.

Anyways... here's my attempt at finishing the Ikaros sig.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Ikaros.jpg

I removed all smudging from on top of the render, but I left it smaller and moved to the right like Bill suggested earlier. If, now without the smudging, it feels like there is too much empty space, I can put the larger render back in and adjust accordingly. I tried something simple with text, so hopefully that serves it purpose. So anyways, comments on this one now.

Also, here is another sig that I had actually been working on before my current set, but just threw the finishing touches on it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/DarkSaber.jpg

Definitely not one of my best, but I kind of like it. The text might be too overpowering though.

[Lucifus]

I'm digging em both! Definitely digging em!

I love what you did for the text in the Ikaros one. It bloody rocks my sox. Lol.

I think the Saber text could do without the lines above and below.
I know, I always try to fit something like that in with mine as well; but I'm not digging it, at least, my personal taste.

Others may think differently.

The Ikaros one is bloody perfect as is imho. It has a weebit of empty space, but nothing anyone can fault it for. Excellent job.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2mdjed3.png

Hows this?

Edit:

Recycled the first one of the last bunch, the sunset colored one.

http://i41.tinypic.com/3469npw.png

http://i39.tinypic.com/io3dkg.png

[Buffalobiian]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Ikaros.jpg.
Nice :)

[shinta|hikari]

After seeing the activity here (and watching Arakawa under the bridge), I just had to pitch in.

I liked how Lucifus explained that if the render itself is good, little else needs to be added, so I tried using that idea and go for a really minimalist sig.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/ninosig3.jpg

Now, before anyone complains about me just being lazy, I had to vector that render from a very blurry and roughly coloured scan, so effort was not spared in making this.

I will use the sig once I manage to make a matching avatar.

[Archangel]

The sig looks fantastic but the avatar's image quality is pretty awful

[shinta|hikari]

True. I am still waiting on a better quality scan, then I will definitely replace it. I am not willing to waste a few hours vectoring such a small image.

[Buffalobiian]

I've yet to watch Arakawa Under The Bridge, and your sig's urging me to press the play button (even if it's out of curiosity to find out what Simply 2-3 means).

[Lucifus]

I dig the avatar. I really do, whats wrong with it?

Its not super shiny or anything, but its chill.

[Archangel]

I dig the avatar. I really do, whats wrong with it?

Its not super shiny or anything, but its chill.
Well if he wanted to go for the grainy look he should have done it uniformly, when it's random like that it just looks bad

[darkshadow]

Guess I'm no longer the guy with the gaara avatar.

[Alhuin]

I'm digging em both! Definitely digging em!

I love what you did for the text in the Ikaros one. It bloody rocks my sox. Lol.

I think the Saber text could do without the lines above and below.
I know, I always try to fit something like that in with mine as well; but I'm not digging it, at least, my personal taste.

Others may think differently.

The Ikaros one is bloody perfect as is imho. It has a weebit of empty space, but nothing anyone can fault it for. Excellent job.

Alright, guess I can upload the Ikaros one to my devart now. The Saber text I'll work on in a bit and repost it. Glad you (and Bill) like them though.

@shinta: I love the sig, but I have to agree the grainy look on the ava throws it off. But, like you said, you have to wait for a better quality scan, so not much you can do.

@Luci: I love them both. However, the Miku render looks like it might have been cut too deep around her hair/arms/shoulder. Maybe try doing what you suggested for one of mine and put a light source behind her or something to kind of blend in the choppiness. And I'm guessing the second one is supposed to be CC? Either way, I really like it. Also, the ava looks much better now, great job.

@DS: Smokin new look now. Much better than cropped Gaara.

EDIT: Just finished this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/ClannadKyouver2.jpg

Edited the black brushing in the bottom left and adjusted the text layers. Should look better now.

Also, here is the update to my Saber sig:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/DarkSaberver2.jpg

[darkshadow]

The saber one is really good IMO.

@lucifus

Don't want to seem ungrateful or anything ( the avatar is great), but could you perhaps make me a raikage one? Seeing how it would be more appropriate for my "location" in my profile.

[Buffalobiian]

The latest versions of Kyou and Saber are good. Can't see anything I'd change.

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

your saber sig tastes like sex on my iris


finally i can stunt my sage-kage! too bad I dont have my computer or I'd make a new one, preferably one with accurate coloring around his sage induced eyes.

[Archangel]

Actually his sage mode is still only shown in the opening...

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

well then i guess its just a fanart piece. "If what happens in the op came to life" ..or better yet, "what he could look like if he masters it"

[Alhuin]

Heh, glad you all like them. Got some more I'll post in awhile.

@Kage: I love it. I was actually just thinking the other day about seeing that sig, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it or who made it. Anyways, as far as any spoilers go... we've seen what his sage eyes look like in the actual episodes, so I think it should be alright.

EDIT: Here's one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/bakemonogatari.jpg

This was my attempt at making a forum sig way back before I even started my Lily Saber (http://alhuin.deviantart.com/art/Lily-Saber-Sunset-version-2-158870688) sig. I eventually couldn't think of anything good, so the render sat on a black-to-purple gradient background until just recently when I decided to finish it. I had to play around with the text for hours, and I'm still not perfectly satisfied... but hopefully it isn't too bad.

[Buffalobiian]

I think the render itself is the issue. It just doesn't capture Senjougahara's aura.

[Lucifus]

Regardless; I think its bloody excellent.

I'll get you that ava DS, eventually... -_-

[Alhuin]

I haven't yet watched Bakemonogatari, and that was the only render I saw of her. I just started reading the thread and saw stapler attack, so I figured she would make a nice character for a sig. Plus, the render just screamed 400x100, which I always have trouble conforming to (wtb 400x125 limit on sigs =X).

Luci, what fonts do you use when you type things in all lowercase? I wanted to do my name in all lowercase, but no matter what font I chose, it didn't look as good.

Here's an idea I had, not sure what anyone else thinks about it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/LilySaber2cropwithtexttest.png

The sig itself is mostly finished, I just did some quick colour balancing to make it a bit darker and threw the text onto the transparent background. Obviously if this is an accepted and likable idea, I will need to review the text as black does not show up on black backgrounds too well... =P...

[Archangel]

MUCH better!

Only thing i think still needs work is the text in the left

[Alhuin]

MUCH better!

Only thing i think still needs work is the text in the left

"Much better" as in... much better work on making a sig? Much better work on text placement? Or much better in coming up with an original idea?

I assume with the text on the left, you mean the F/SN, and not my "name". Like I said, I plan to work on this one still, I just wanted to throw the idea together and see what people thought about it.

[Archangel]

Oh sorry, i was under the impression you had used the same render as you did here

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/068/e/c/Lily_Saber__Sunset__by_Alhuin.jpg

[Alhuin]

Haha. While that render is certainly badass and one of my favourite renders, I chose to use my second favourite of the Lily Sabers. Truthfully I didn't know the second one (which is the one I just used) existed until I saw a wallpaper featuring both (with the one you linked being in the foreground, since it's a frontal shot, and the other being behind it since she is looking back). So I went looking for it cause I wanted to use it in a sig since I had already used the above version.

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

Love this AL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/bakemonogatari.jpg

one idea that immediately came to mind is that you should take a smudge scatter brush to that green thing in her hand and make it scattered/fade/flow into the bg giving the sig 3 dimensions of depth.

[Alhuin]

Glad you like it Kage. I'm not sure what you mean about that suggestion though. Do you mean kinda smudge the green out a bit more so it stands out behind her hand? I can try attempting that later on, but I'm not sure how well it would come out.

Anyways, here's another new one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/BlackRockShooterver3.jpg

I might got back and center the render more. I don't remember why I had it so far to the left. I went back to the smudge background idea. I think this one came out a lot better.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, see how shifting the entire BRS sig to the right more looks. And I agree, the smudge here looks good.

[Alhuin]

Okay, here it is shifted to the right some. I couldn't shift it any further than this, or I would have to try and reposition the text higher, as it would be too close to the border, and would be more on the darker part of the background, making the end hard to read. I didn't want that, and I didn't want to have to reposition as I liked it's current positioning.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/BlackRockShooterver3fixed.jpg

EDIT: Also, if this (or any of my other sigs) appear too dark, it's probably cause my brightness is slightly higher than normal (apparently). Me and Archie figured this out last night, so I've been trying to make things a little lighter on my screen so they seem normal on others.

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

I love how you made it so her eye tone would stand alone. I think the darker contrast needs a tuning though. Too much grey areas not even dark/black ones to match her outfit and hair. So i guess just try turning up the contrast on the background.

about my scatter smudge suggestions... just go into deviantart and type 'scatter smudge' into a tutorial search. click the most popular one of course... then find some brushes to go along with it and try it out. once you get it to work right you have a lot more control over the depth to add to your sigs.

[Buffalobiian]

The move to the right was a good one.

[shinta|hikari]

Definitely. It improved the balance of the sig greatly. I will also second Kage's suggestion about raising the BG contrast. It currently looks a little washed out. The text looks great.

[Alhuin]

I have one small issue with adjusting the contrast of the background. I tried it out to see what it would look like, and it gets too dark right around the top right quadrant and the end of the text becomes hard to read (even on my screen brightness). I tried moving the text down a tad bit, but the ER was still sort of dark. The text layer is merged with the star layer so I could actually apply effects (for some reason I couldn't figure out how to complete the star layer after I drew the shape), so changing the font size would require a whole new mock-up. So if there is a suggestion before I take that route...

@Kage: I searched devart's tutorials for scatter smudge and got 3 results... one for Gimp, one for brushing with some abstract brushes then smudging it around with a maple leaf brush or something, and one using the clone stamp on a part of the render and scattering it behind the render to make it look smudged/scattered. None of them really seemed to give off the idea of what you were getting at.

EDIT: Also, you think I should try shrinking that down to 100px and make it my new forum sig? I made about 4 different 400x100 sigs last night/earlier tonight to try and replace my current set, but since they were rushed I wasn't proud of them.

EDIT 2: Okay, I tried adding some more blue smudging (I think part of the washed-out-ness was from the grey/white smuding coming from her jacket up through the text) and slightly repositioned the text. Tell me if it's better or worse.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/BlackRockShooterver4.jpg

EDIT 3: Well, I'm guessing the changes aren't bad then, since no one has said anything =P. I personally think it looks much better with the bluer smudging.

Anyways, here's another sig I've had finished for a bit, but was trying to think of text to put on it. Didn't think of anything, so I gave up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Saber.jpg

[Alhuin]

Bah, double post.
Updated my current set. I'm not good at making ava's... so I could probably use some criticism on that. The sig is just a cropped version of my BRS sig (obviously).

However, I also have these 400x100 sigs that I made in a rush, if someone feels these would be much better.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/MioGotwootTemp.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/BRSGotwootTemp.jpg
(Used the same render as in my ava for this one)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/SaberGotwoot.jpg
(Cropped version of my above posted Saber sig)

I was working on a 400x100 Ikaros sig, but I couldn't get it the way I wanted it, so these 3 (4 if you count what I'm using) are all I have.

[Archangel]

That's Mio? O_o

[Alhuin]

It's a hot Mio fanart that I found and used (render-wise) because it was the only one I had that fit enough onto a sig. If I could find some better ones, I would probably make better Mio sigs.

I guess I'm going to have to learn to render on my own. As I mentioned on IRC, I really want to make an Angel (from Angel Beats) sig now... =P...

[Nadouku]

Heh, nice Black Rock Shooter set you got there. :p

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

wow AL youre just grinding em out now? and theyr all really nice. but this one...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Saber.jpg

Is just sick pro bro! Very nicely done. No text is the best text here.

[Alhuin]

Well, now that I have the time and desire to work in Photoshop again, I'm making as much as possible. Also trying my best to revive this thread! Getting a little stale with my current styles though, so I'm taking some time to look up some more tutorials and learn some more things. I have one more sig I'm working on that uses a basic smudge background, so I'll probably post it in the next couple of days. Glad you like them though, and thanks for the comment about the Saber one.


Heh, nice Black Rock Shooter set you got there. :p

Thanks a lot! Glad you like it. Where have all your wallpaper making skills gone?

[Nadouku]

I stopped due to boredom. Perhaps some motivation will rekindle my interest.

[Alhuin]

I am your motivation! Don't let this thread die again!

Also, do you happen to have any good BRS or Miku renders? I have a couple, but alot of what I have found on the internet has been low quality or bad cuts. I actually really like the one in your current sig, though I think you just cropped a wallpaper for that, didn't you?

[Nadouku]

Indeed, I did. :o

As for renders, I only have like two around on my computer, which are the ones you see in my avatar and signature.

[Alhuin]

Meh, guess I'll look around some more. I'd like to make a Miku sig... and some more BRS ones, since she is definitely one of my favourite characters (even though I know nothing of Vocaloid... >_>).

Anyways, here's the latest one I mentioned a few posts ago:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Blackandpinkgirl.jpg

I really like this one, except for maybe the text. I tried moving it several different places, but this one fit the best. I also tried messing with the opacity/blending, but it either ended up being too hard to read, or stuck out too much. If anyone has a suggestion for it, I'll try it out.

[Buffalobiian]

I like your latest one, and I can't think of anything to change.

Other than that her exposed shoulder/arm is easily mistaken for a boob. :p

[shinta|hikari]

I thought it was a boob.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought it was a boob.

For two whole minutes I thought that too. But then I realised if I "filled in the gaps" that the entire boob would look like the top half of a Coke bottle, I had to take a closer look.

And then it still looked like a boob. :p

[Alhuin]

ROFL... I didn't notice it until you all pointed it out. I guess it didn't occur to me since I know how the original render looks.

So, I updated it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Blackandpinkgirlver2.jpg

Better?

[Buffalobiian]

ROFL... I didn't notice it until you all pointed it out. I guess it didn't occur to me since I know how the original render looks.

So, I updated it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Blackandpinkgirlver2.jpg

Better?


.... lol... not really :P

Just leave it how it was. It added another level of..enjoyment :D

[Archangel]

... how does that look like a boob?

[RyougaZell]

... how does that look like a boob?

Their eyes see boobs everywhere.

(not that I blame them)

[Alhuin]

Well, I'll keep both versions... to please the ones that like misinterpreting a shoulder for a boob, and for those that like ZR... *cough*Yuki*cough*.

Got some more I'm working on, but I'm playing around with some new styles, see what feels good.

I forget, what's the policy on ecchi in sigs?

[Archangel]

Well, I'll keep both versions... to please the ones that like misinterpreting a shoulder for a boob, and for those that like ZR... *cough*Yuki*cough*.

Got some more I'm working on, but I'm playing around with some new styles, see what feels good.

I forget, what's the policy on ecchi in sigs?
Pretty much everything but explicit pics are fair game i think

[Alhuin]

Bill and Shinta's obsession with seeing a boob in my latest sig kinda makes me want to make an ecchi sig just for them. ;)

Started using some brushes again to give some depth/character to some of my recent work... but I have no good ones, and don't feel like browsing DA at the moment. If anyone has some favourites they could recommend me for now, I'll try them out.

Also, for anyone that uses C4D renders in their work... what makes a C4D a good choice? Most of the ones I've attempted to use have been pretty crappy.

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

ones without a lot of thick, bold contours. the lighter ones that dont really look like defined shapes.

[shinta|hikari]

I am experimenting with a rough sketchy style for the sig, one that I usually don't use because of my affinity for minimalist art.

I also tried what Arch mentioned about the avatar not necessarily matching the sig as long as it is able to stand alone. I took it to the extreme and used two almost opposing styles and colour schemes for this set.

[Archangel]

I love the sig, you so have to teach me how to pull that style off

The avatar looks great too, love the simplicity behind it

[RyougaZell]

I love the sig, you so have to teach me how to pull that style off

The avatar looks great too, love the simplicity behind it

Better yet. Lets make Shinta do 2 guides. One for all you experts and one for dummies who still can't understand photoshop and don't know the meaning of half the things you guys mention as pointers (points at himself)

[Archangel]

Better yet. Lets make Shinta do 2 guides. One for all you experts and one for dummies who still can't understand photoshop and don't know the meaning of half the things you guys mention as pointers (points at himself)
Haha, you talk as if we care :o

[Buffalobiian]

It took me a second or two to register that a missing head was intended.

As stand-alones, both sig and avatar look great.

[Alhuin]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the sig. I like the characters... I like the feel... but I'm not feeling the style. It might be because I'm just not a fan of grunge-style in the first place... but I can't really place it. It looks good though, being that it's your first whack at it. Parts of the render look a little choppy though... don't know if that's on purpose to match the "rough and sketchy style".

The avatar is beautiful though. Just the perfect crop of Celty (Selty... whichever one is correct). I'm guessing your stroke is set to either soft light or overlay?

By the way, if that is a Celty render, any chance I can get ahold of it?

[shinta|hikari]

While I would like to make a tut, I don't know the first thing on how to go about it, and I don't really have the time to create it. The sig basically uses sketch layers on top of the original image, and I simply played with the opacity a bit. I think the text ties it up as a whole, since it makes it look that all the randomness in the sig actually is part of a whole style.

@Alhuin - While I don't dislike it (I made it after all), I do understand where you are coming from. As I said, I prefer clean and simple art, so your feelings towards grunge and similar styles are familiar to me. While the choppy render is not intentional, it is known, which means I thought it would be fine since it fits with the style so I deemed there is no need to fix it.

I will send you the image via pm.

[shinta|hikari]

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to get some comments. I made a v2 of the sig, with a very small amount of blur and more contrast. Which is better?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/sssigcopy2.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

V1 is better. The lighter contrast and lack of blur keeps the sig's raw, sketchy feel.

[Archangel]

Well then upload me the psd so i can analyze it myself

Pwease? :(

[Alhuin]

If the sig in your post is the v2, I am only slightly able to tell any difference, and it's only around his hair, where it looks slightly darker. However, that could be just my mind making me see something, since you mentioned it was a v2. Either way, I don't think you should try and smooth anything out, else it loses the rough and sketchy style you wanted.

[shinta|hikari]

I will keep v1 then. Thanks for the comments as always.

[Alhuin]

So check this out:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/DestroyerTest2a.jpg

Testament to old school here; a style I could never quite grasp back in the day, but after some experimenting I think I got the basic hang out it. This is just a practice sig; posting for comments and criticism. It's simple, and ultimately takes less time and effort than a sig with a render, but I think the effect is simply amazing nonetheless.

A cookie to anyone that remembers this. :cool:

[Lucifus]

I remember seeing similar styles, just not where. Had to be from these forums I guess, as I used to browse this thread from page 1 before all the links died.

Sexy signature and sexy text by the way! =)

http://i42.tinypic.com/5ufcya.png


Made too versions; with just a slight variation in the lighting. I think the first may be too dark for the forums and the idea I had for it.

Thoughts?


http://i41.tinypic.com/nbtddt.png

[Buffalobiian]

At first the lighter version feels better, simply because it's less difficult to make out the face and foreground. But then on closer inspection, the lightening effect reduces the apparent quality of Saber, kind of like when you oversharpen images, resulting in a grainy pic with too many white lines.

It's a hard pick for me, but I like both of them. :o

[Lucifus]

Ya, I hear ya there. I'm thinking I might take a look at her tomorrow and try to get the lighting in between.

I also did 'slighty' sharpen the entire image in the lighter version, and removed the sharpening by 50%. I felt it needed it, or rather, I wanted to see the outcome.

Still undecided. -_-

Anyway, heres another; I'm tring to get the text right for a project I want to undertake. I dont feel like its there yet.

Anything you guys might add to tell me whats giving me the 'wrong' feeling from this one?

http://i41.tinypic.com/eecuq.png

Thus far, I can only imagine its because of the variation between the curvy G and straight dashed underlining. Contrasting too much? And the variation in the text?

[Alhuin]

Glad you liked it Luci. Even though it's not one of my most elaborate works, it has become one of my favourites. The style (since it's been a few days now and no one seems to have placed it) belonged to anime050. At least here. Back in my first days of PS, everyone pegged a50 as a God of PS because of that style, and his way with text. It was something I always admired, but couldn't figure out at the time. The text in this one is what motivated me to try and recreate the style. Before I had the sig, I had the text, colours, and font choice already picked out. It was at that point I remembered his works.

Anyways, as for your sigs: Personally, I think they both have too much empty space. While the first (set) may be able to get away with it due to the render giving the feeling of being empty and alone, I think the second one could be much better cropped down. Her sword isn't that noticeable, so it's not like we really NEED to see it... if you understand what I mean.

With your first set, I like the first of the two better because it's less sharp, and I like the text better. Well, the Saber text. I think you're name could use a bit of work in relation to placement. Also, I'm not feeling the white border lines on top and bottom... they just don't seem to do anything except shorten the sig, without giving anything beneficial to it. If that makes any sense.

But anyways, a trick I learned going through some tutorials is, if you want the focal point to be a bit sharper (like her face, since Bill mentioned it was a lot easier to make out) is copy the original render layer (or if you touched it up a bit, that layer) and move it above the rest, then Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen, and then, with a soft round brush, erase everything but the focal point... that way you have the main focal sharpened a bit, but the rest doesn't look tacky because of it. Then, of course, play around with opacity and whatnot.

For the second sig, I suggest trying to smooth out the render, in addition to the cropping idea. Parts of her hair and shoulder look really jagged. The text... I don't think the swirly G is bad... I actually think all the text flows decently except for your name. Possibly using all lowercase like you usually do, and then adjusting the placement might make it fit better And thirdly, the white lines again. I think they would look better on a sig with a darker background, so it contrasts, and you can tell that's part of your style. With light backgrounds, you might want to try dark lines.

Phew... Walls of text for the lose. Despite all that criticism, I really like the sigs (mostly because I love Saber =P), and you are still amazing with text. Keep up the good work, and looking forward to seeing any revisions, and more works!

[Alhuin]

Double post for new sig.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Angel.jpg

Finally made an Angel sig. Didn't use a render since I haven't found any Angel renders, and I'm too lazy/inexperienced to cut it myself, so the "sky" type background is part of the actual image. I feel like the focal point should be more on her face, so this isn't one of my best sigs, but I liked the image, and I think I did a nice job with the effects. Hopefully I can find some better Angel pics/renders in the future though.

EDIT: Spent several minutes searching and finally found one Angel render. So promptly began making a sig with it, and this is the outcome.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Angel2.jpg

I previewed this to a few people over IRC and they thought everything looked fine, but I'm afraid the text might be slightly difficult to make out. So I'm posting for comments and criticism to see if I can improve this any more.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't mind the subtle text. It's not like it's camouflaged or anything.

[Alhuin]

Still not entirely happy with that second Angel sig, so I've been playing around. Might even start over from scratch. The render is just too cute/awesome for me to want to leave it half-assed.

Then again, my problem is that I always think something can be better than it is, regardless if how much time and effort I spent on it. Haha...

Anyways, new current, now that Retro Sig week is over. Sig is just an expanded/rebrushed version of the one I posted a few posts above, and the Ava is something to reflect the style. I tried an "out-of-image" text approach for the Ava this time... Doesn't look too bad I don't think.

[Archangel]

So here's something i was working on

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7482/ace2i.jpg

Any ideas or suggestions?

[shinta|hikari]

I already think it is great. I am not sure about the text content, but that is because I stopped reading one piece. If anything, the only thing I will change is the size of your name, just to further distinguish it from the main text.

[Archangel]

Honestly the text IS a spoiler, but a spoiler impossible recognize out of context so I'm thinking it's ok

I still think the left side is a tiny bit too empty though so i was thinking of some ways to add a little more to the text like black bars or something

[shinta|hikari]

Why not try a tribal partial border for the text or sig on that side? Something that matches the tattoo on his arm.

[Archangel]

I got bored with the Ace sig and figured i'd go ahead and make something to cheer up my pal Al :D

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7164/46920188.png

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/204/94646456.jpg

I'm thinking i should add some more contrast to the render. Thoughts?

[Alhuin]

Nice to see I'm thought about. =]

The sig looks amazing... the image is cute, the glow effect is a nice addition (if you did that), and the text looks awesome. The render itself (or, if you didn't render it, her figure in the image) could use some better blending around her hair (tiny blur) and then do the sharpening trick I mentioned to you on IRC around her face. I'm not really sure what else to say about it... the focal is her face, and that's the only part of the sig with those colours... the rest kind-of flow together. I dislike the white border, for personal taste.

The ava... the picture itself was much cuter, and at a bigger resolution, you could actually see the tears. However I disliked the picture initially because of the way they portrayed her bangs and facial features. It's not bad, but it can be better... possibly even a new image altogether for it. Maybe that other teary-eyed pic we found. =P

Good job though, keep up the good work!

[Archangel]

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8963/abava.png

She looks so sad...

I think i'll put the avatar on hold until some new fanarts or renders pop up on the internet

[Alhuin]

I liked Ark's recent enough that I tried copying the style/idea. I originally thought he just maneuvered the stock image and added some effects himself, so I tried doing that as well, but with my own twist. It was for practice, since I'm not used to forming sigs using a stock image and no render. After I completed it and showed it to him, I found out he actually rendered most of Angel himself, and thus I practiced in a way that was not used. Nevertheless, I think my outcome was quite good, and I was able to add my own style to an already excellent sig. The only thing I was not able to imitate was the font for "tenshi".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/AngelArkcopy.jpg

Now that that introduction is over, I took my practice of working with a stock image and applied it to my own creation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/AngelXOtonashi.jpg

I didn't do any erasing/blending that was needed in my practice example, but I did manipulate the image in a number of ways. I can probably go back and do some smudging/erasing to achieve a different blend result, but I like the way this turned out as it is. My name might need a bit of work, or I can just remove it entirely, but I wanted some comments about stock-image sig-making; whether or not these look good or bad.

[Archangel]

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7469/angelbeatssig2.jpg

More Tenshi goodness

I actually had a whole lot planned for this sig but i decided that in this case less was more

[Buffalobiian]

My bone to pick has more to do with the actual drawing more than anything. The expression doesn't look like her. :S

[Alhuin]

I'm not going to lie, Arch... I don't like it. In addition to Bill's comment about the drawing itself (with the expression not resembling a typical Kanade expression), I also don't like the lens flare effect. It probably stems from comments about the use of lens flare being a typical "noob"/overused filter, so it was looked down upon when I started working in PS. I was criticized pretty harshly for using it in something (though I have since lost whatever it was... probably wasn't that good anyways).

However, I do like the idea of "less is more", and, if the drawing was better suited to her personality, alongside the removal of lens-flare (in favour of maybe "rendering" the butterfly, then duplicating/blurring/filtering it so it has more of a glow effect like you were trying to do), then I think the sig would be great. I'd probably even add in some more "glowing orbs".

Glad to see you becoming more active in PS though =P.

[shinta|hikari]

New set.

Needless to say, it is a style not really used much here.

[Buffalobiian]

Humorous. I had a good chuckle at that.

Where did the avatar shot come from? And is that another man's hand she's holding onto?!

[shinta|hikari]

Oh, she is holding her knee in the original image. I got it from what I think is official art.

[Buffalobiian]

Oh, she is holding her knee in the original image. I got it from what I think is official art.

/lowers fist

[Archangel]

It's Tenshimania on gotwoot \o/

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7699/angelbeatssig22.jpg

Too many glowing orbs?

[Buffalobiian]

It's Tenshimania on gotwoot \o/

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7699/angelbeatssig22.jpg

Too many glowing orbs?

Yeah, especially in the foreground.

Have you tried transparent orbs?

[Alhuin]

@shinta: Where or how did you get the style for your sig. I had something in mind one day with using the Angel Beats logo, but couldn't find a transparent "render" of one to use, and had no idea how to make it myself.

@Arch: Your glowing orbs are too... round... and don't fade into the background well... I'm not sure how to explain it. But take a soft round brush.... probably around 13-15px, set it to white, and then just click once, and you will see a difference in the way it blends. The ones in the top right look decent, close to vertical edge. The orbs going over her are fine, in my opinion, but the ones on the left need to be smaller, and spaced out a bit more. You want the butterfly to be the main focal for the glowing.

[shinta|hikari]

I just used a screenshot logo of angel beats and edited it a bit. I could not find the exact font they used, so I had to make the text myself. Luckily, a lot of the letters in angel beats are also in my handle.

[shinta|hikari]

Sorry for the double post.

New set, my current as usual.

For those who are wondering, she is Naoto from Dogs.

Again, I went with the contrasting styles and colour themes for the avatar and sig. The avatar has a simple vectored look, while the sig has a rough noisy finish.

The Japanese on the sig says Naoto and Blade Maiden.

EDIT: Just viewed this at my work computer, and realized that the noise I added on the black text is quite excessive. It didn't show on my home PC because it has a darker display compared to most monitors. I will reduce the noise later.

EDIT2: Here are two new versions.

This one has less noise on the text.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/naotosig4copy.jpg

This one has no noise on the text, and the image has been slightly blurred to remove most of the noise in the entire thing.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/naotosig5copy.jpg

Which of the 3, including my current sig, looks best?

[Alhuin]

I definitely like no noise on the text... but I don't think the person should be blurred (the background blurred is fine). Other than that, I really like it, even though I haven't seen that anime.

[Buffalobiian]

I like either "less noise" or "default noise", it gives the image its rough look.

I had to look down from an elevated angle to see the noise though... so I might have a monitor that's more like Shinta's home one, though I don't consider it to be "dark" myself.

[shinta|hikari]

I changed it to the less noise version. I like the one without noise too, but I was originally going for the rough look so I will stick with it. Thanks for the input.

[Alhuin]

Well, you haven't posted here about it yet, but I like your current shinta. The only thing I'm sketchy on is the quality of the image in the sig. It might not hurt to try some "image enhancing" techniques in PS, if you want. I like the contrast of "cuteness" and "badassness" though.

[shinta|hikari]

The reason why I didn't post about it is because I didn't really do much aside from cropping the images and placing them.

[Archangel]

The sig image is pretty low quality, you could have filtered it a bit better

[Alhuin]

Haven't posted any sigs for awhile, so I'll throw up one I messed around with earlier.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/Asukainprogress.jpg

It's a work in progress, but I haven't spent too much time in PS recently, so it might not be finished anytime soon.

EDIT: Realized after I posted that shinta's new one is Asuka as well. Thought that was funny =].

Also, I forgot to add a border, but if I ever finish it, there will be one.

[Archangel]

I don't want to be overly negative or anything but i'm not a fan of either Azuka sig :(

Edit: Shinta's latest edit made it look a whole lot better though

[shinta|hikari]

Thanks, just read your edit now. I really was getting lazy with the first version. Thanks for kicking me in the ass.

Here is a new wallpaper (this is a new sig OR wallpaper thread after all) I just made.

Might not be work safe? No actual exposure, but sure close to it.

Four of a kind (http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/pokerwall.jpg)

[Penner]

Sexiness! i like it ^^

[Lucifus]

Now Shinta. I approve. I approve wholeheartedly.

Now tell me, who are those two on the right?

[Archangel]

Now Shinta. I approve. I approve wholeheartedly.

Now tell me, who are those two on the right?
Senjougahara from Bakemonogatari on top and... some elf on the bottom

[Buffalobiian]

Thanks, just read your edit now. I really was getting lazy with the first version. Thanks for kicking me in the ass.

Here is a new wallpaper (this is a new sig OR wallpaper thread after all) I just made.

Might not be work safe? No actual exposure, but sure close to it.

Four of a kind (http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/pokerwall.jpg)

Ah.. 4 Queens and a King.

Very apt.

[shinta|hikari]

The elf looking girl at the bottom is Lamhirh (pronounced Lafiel) from Crest of the Stars and its sequel Banner of the Stars.

You guys have to see it if you haven't yet. Just endure the crappy art, since it lasts for most of the show. The animation really only improves in the final installment, but it is still one of my favorite anime series ever.

[Lucifus]

Yea, I noticed that too Bill. Well done Shinta, well done.

I find myself feeling ashamed to have not recognized Senjougahara. The art style is a tad bit different, but I should have noticed.

And I've heard of those two series far too often, and now with your recommendation, I have to go watch.

Edit: That may be your wallpaper, but I'ma gonna replace the elf girl with Otonashi Saya, and now, its my wallpaper. =)

[Buffalobiian]

Yea, I noticed that too Bill. Well done Shinta, well done.

I find myself feeling ashamed to have not recognized Senjougahara. The art style is a tad bit different, but I should have noticed.

And I've heard of those two series far too often, and now with your recommendation, I have to go watch.

Edit: That may be your wallpaper, but I'ma gonna replace the elf girl with Otonashi Saya, and now, its my wallpaper. =)

Make sure you fudge out all those "<3 Shinta" chips with your own - you'll come down with major depression or something.

[AlbinoFury]

Was reading reviews about how bad the new Last Airbender movie was going to be, and then remembered I made an Avatar wallpaper awhile back. Anywho, here goes http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/4955/classicappa.jpg

[Archangel]

Was reading reviews about how bad the new Last Airbender movie was going to be, and then remembered I made an Avatar wallpaper awhile back. Anywho, here goes http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/4955/classicappa.jpg
Love the concept but i'm not really feeling the blur filter, i think it would look way better without it

[shinta|hikari]

New set (my current) from the new gotwoot fansubs project.

[Archangel]

The render for the sig is pretty low res, but i love the concept

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

I know this is an all things anime forum but I don't go to any graphics ones anymore. And I'd like some clean and clear and under control honest opinions I know you guys will give me.

Been working on getting myself back into the graphic scene considering studying it. Here's some (mostly) band and music inspired works of mine. Trying to see if I'm on the right track or if I need to rethink my approach.


jerrygarcia (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/RockLee89/jerry.jpg)
sloan from entourage (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/RockLee89/sloan.jpg)
tom petty (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/RockLee89/tompetty.jpg)
come together one more time.. the ground tells us so (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/RockLee89/johnny.jpg)

[Archangel]

Inb4 Shinta

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4774/yk9v98l2.jpg

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/1460/hsod.jpg

Not sure about the sig, what do you guys think?

[Buffalobiian]

The avatar looks fine, but you need to make Saeko more identifiable in the foreground.

Try to make the background less eye-catching.

I'd be interested to know how darkening the background would affect it.

[Archangel]

Was this what you had in mind?

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1460/hsod.jpg

I don't want to take away too much attention from the bg, i want the zombie parts and the blood to remain noticeable

[Buffalobiian]

The BG in my head was darkened a lot more, but that would conflict with your idea of keeping the zombie noticeable.

One other thing that I think is stealing a lot more focus than it should is the blood on her hair and the "thing" in the lower right corner.

The blood "streaks" look like they're smeared on the camera, if you will, but the larger patch of blood looks like it's on her hair (which I'm sure you wanted it to be). Overall, it creates something visually.. mismatching?

[Archangel]

Different version

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1460/hsod.jpg

Or

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1460/hsod.jpg

Better, worse?

Avatars

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/7649/coalguyshighschoolofthe.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6835/r47bs1rc.jpg

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

The blood doesn't look like its meant to be there. Mess with the darkness and contrast. The white outline is really distracting from the whole thing. If youre using cs5 there's another thing other than feathering that works well in conjunction with it, cant remember what its called.

Background and everything else looks nice tho

[Ryllharu]

Not sure about the sig, what do you guys think?
Needs more negative space :p

------------------------

In all seriousness, the sig is just far too busy. That's why I think Bill had the right idea darkening it a lot more. They can be visible, but I think it would add to the effect a lot more if you really had to look for them, like when you set the gamma properly first booting up a horror game (Fatal Frame, etc.). Then you would need the white outline as much, Busujima would stand out on her own.

[Buffalobiian]

Ark, the white outline makes the render look LQ.

[Archangel]

The render IS LQ and the white stroke came with it

How about this?

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1460/hsod.jpg

[shinta|hikari]

I love the avatar. A very nice choice, since it specifies the character without showing too much. The smile is also a great way to show her personality.

I think the sig needs more negative space, like Ryll said. :)

[Buffalobiian]

The render IS LQ and the white stroke came with it

How about this?

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1460/hsod.jpg

The blood on her face does not look good at all Ark.

[Lucifus]

Its far too busy man. Simply as that.

Kill the zombie's and parts and blood and retry er is what I'd recommend.

There's no central focus at all, when there's so much going on, it's like your looking at a block of something. Negative Space is a must in this case.

Avatar's perfect though, like someone said above, captures and shows her personality.

[Kagemane_no_Jutsu]

I like the jumbled chaotic feeling the zombies give in the background. I think if you gave the blood some shadows or just tried erasing parts of it on lowered opacity, and made it smaller on her face. AND did something about that outline, I know its tedious but if you could get rid of it that would be cool.

Try the ctrl-clicking of the layer she's on to select her outline. Then right click with the marquee tool and try to feather and stuff that might work too. Since I see the left side doesn't have much white outline that wouldn't work for the whole thing. if you I think hold shift and select the left side where you dont want to feather it should subtract that from the selection. Maybe its ctrl or alt tho

[Lucifus]

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8013/ichigom.png

Got a new mouse and had to test er in photoshop.

[Archangel]

Lol, Hollow Ichigo looking at the horizon

Not a fan of the font though

[darkshadow]

Didn't know the sky is also called the horizon >_>.

Try removing the text all together.

[Lucifus]

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/6775/aizenc.png


http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/3966/aizen.png

I'm honestly really unsure of what to do with the text in this one; but thankfully I decided to leave out "Just as Aizen planned"


And another:

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3051/darkangeljt.png

[Buffalobiian]

I think the top one looks better.

[Lucifus]

Gratzy. I'm leaning towards the bottoms text though; I do agree with top choice, but I think I dropped wee bit too much color balancing on the bottom one.

Here's another, and I know I seriously killed this one, but after all the time I put into it, I'ma post it anyway.

I dropped a good hour into this one, but...I just couldn't place a goal as to what I wanted and sharpened/contrasted er way too much.

The initial finish was incredibly light.

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/4894/mikuo.png

This is one I actually did a bit back, but never finished. I was excited for the second season of Darker Than Black I think.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3685/heiv.png


http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5709/randomfw.png

Random Render

[gos27]

Made a sig on another forum that i use, the dimensions are bigger than here so i hope you don't mind me posting it here and asking what you guys think of it!

http://i37.tinypic.com/25ptppu.png

[Archangel]

Walpaper tiem

http://a.imageshack.us/img718/3317/41818496.th.png (http://img718.imageshack.us/i/41818496.png/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

It's in rotation though, just wanted to show off the little gotwoot icon i made

[shinta|hikari]

After ages of not posting here, I finally made a new set. It is my current, from Ika musume.

[Archangel]

You fucked up the render's lines when you resized, might want to try some selective blur or to resize it again using other settings

Also, i'm looking for some good The World God Only Knows pics, can anyone help me out? Something featuring Keima would be nice.

[Lucifus]

The only lines obvious to me are of her shoulder, otherwise I'd say its fine unless we're looking for absolute perfection.

Great job shinta! Simple and clean wins the cake. ^^

[shinta|hikari]

Updated it. The slightly cleaner one is my current. This is the older one for comparison.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/ikasig2.jpg

[Archangel]

Nailed it, looks much better now. The arrows are still a tad edgy, nothing to be concerned about but i'd suggest some redrawing if you're a perfectionist

Also like the blue gradient you added to the avatar, very subtle

[Ryllharu]

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4200/ryllsigreadit.jpg

A work in progress. Sadly, the concept just doesn't work when I have to resize down to the sig dimensions. Tedious rework on the left would fix that part, but I can only increase the size of the text on the third panel so much.

[Archangel]

Hmmm... i see what you're trying to do der

If it was me I'd either summarize the joke to a single panel or would use symmetrical divisions for each one

[Ryllharu]

I think I know what you're getting at, I'll try something like that when I have some free time later.

[shinta|hikari]

What manga is that from?

[Ryllharu]

Koi wo Suru no ga Shigoto Desu (http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=24033). Warning: It is borderline hentai.

It's a short but cute series about a working couple.


I'll be working up a couple of variants on the formatting like Arch suggested. His suggestions gave me a few different ideas on how it could work.

[Archangel]

My new set sucks, need to find some renders >_>

How's this?

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4684/sig2sm.jpg

Not happy about the text at all, any ideas?

[enkoujin]

Koi wo Suru no ga Shigoto Desu (http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=24033). Warning: It is borderline hentai.

It is a hentai.


My new set sucks, need to find some renders >_>

How's this?

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4684/sig2sm.jpg

Not happy about the text at all, any ideas?

Do you even need that text? I think it diverts attention away from the main set of the picture (the one you have right now is fine)!

Here are some more pictures I've found of Keima:

http://oreno.imouto.org/post?page=1&tags=katsuragi_keima

[Buffalobiian]

It is a hentai.



Do you even need that text? I think it diverts attention away from the main set of the picture (the one you have right now is fine)!

Here are some more pictures I've found of Keima:

http://oreno.imouto.org/post?page=1&tags=katsuragi_keima

Leaving the text comments aside, the white sig does appear sharper than the coloured one. While I'll lean towards the coloured one, the blur makes me uncomfortable.

[Archangel]

I had to get creative, it's a screencap

The old picture feel goes along with the divinity of the image, i think it turned out pretty well but i sure wish i had it in 1080p

[Ryllharu]

It is a hentai.
Says you. The focus is not on sex, it is on the story. That makes it an adult/mature title, not a hentai. You wouldn't call Berserk a hentai, you wouldn't call Koibana Onsen (http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=9974) a hentai, nor would you call Peridot (http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=133) a hentai. Is Seikon no Qwaser a hentai? Is Battle Royale?

Just because they have sex in them, that doesn't mean it is a hentai series.

[Ryllharu]

Another round, I need another critique!

Susukihotaru from Zakuro. Fell in love during episode 4.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9370/susukihotaru1smr.jpg

and full size uncropped:
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/912/susukihotaru1.th.jpg (http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/912/susukihotaru1.jpg)

[shinta|hikari]

It needs a border and some sharpening, but I like it.

Susukihotaru is great.

[Ryllharu]

Added border, sharpened a bit, hopefully not too harshly.

[shinta|hikari]

Much better I think.

[shinta|hikari]

New set from Ikamusume.

[shinta|hikari]

So no one really gives a damn about the shrimp, even outside of the show.

New set featuring Kon from Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru.

[shinta|hikari]

No one really gives a damn, but new avatar.

[Archangel]

I'm starting to give a damn about the attention whoring though...

If you want comments do something a little more intricate, there's nothing to discuss about your latest works. That's not to say they're bad, just plain.

[shinta|hikari]

If you mean attention whoring as in trying to get this thread more attention, then your right.

This thread has been dead for a while now. It's almost like people don't want to post here at all since even those asking about the characters in my sets do it via pm.

And I would think that doing simple stuff would have encouraged more people to comment on ways to improve them (this is not my intent though, I just liked them as they were).

[KrayZ33]

Instead of having loads of individual threads with ppl posting random sigs they made, its a lot more sensible to jst have 1 thread for it. i know there is an avatar rating thread in general discussion, but thats not really to do with showing off a sig uve jst made and its not in the fanart section

whats wrong with posting sigs u've just made in a thread for sigs u've just made again?

[Lucifus]

I'ma have to stand behind Shinta and Kray on this one. If it bothers you Arch, make your own and post it so Shinta doesn't have to double post.

This section needs all the help it can get, at this point, I'd even recommend the mods just take away the fanart section all together.

[shinta|hikari]

New set. Kuroneko from Ore no Imouto wa konna ni kawaii wake ga nai.

[Archangel]

Isn't her real name a spoiler right now? And lol, with the forum as broken as it is you can really get away with any giant sig you want.

I like the sig, the avatar not so much

[shinta|hikari]

I wonder how many people get the wordplay and reference.

@Arch - Removed it just in case.

[KrayZ33]

found a wallpaper with the girl I use for my sig
didn't do it myself but I use it atm and it looks pretty neat
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6773/1291699625087.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/1291699625087.jpg/)

[Lucifus]

Uh, who is that, because she looks fairly epic. Nice wall.

[KrayZ33]

I don't know either, its probably a random character

[darkshadow]

Who is the girl in your avatar?

[KrayZ33]

thats a picture drawn by a darn good artist (I believe its not a anime-character), forgot his name though but 4chan can surely help you there, I have laround 30 pictures of him, most of them are truely awesome
he draws ecchi-stuff too

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/4792/1289747922582.th.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/1289747922582.jpg/)
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6273/1289748028353.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/1289748028353.jpg/)
for example

surely good wallpaper/avatar/sig material if you ask me, but I'm to lazy atm :/

[Alhuin]

I've been out of touch with PS for awhile now. Some of you may remember my situation early in the year that caused me to "disappear".

I felt the urge to create something a few days ago, so I decided to try and refresh my skills and maybe advance further with them this time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Alhuin/Sigs/BRS.jpg

It's a quick, simple, lackluster sig... but I was merely focused on reusing the techniques I was familiar with to jog my memory. I finally saw the BRS OVA a few days ago, and to it I owe my motivation to return to PS.

Feel free to point out any likes or dislikes... though I know very well this is nowhere close to my best work.

[Lucifus]

Don't mean to criticize too much, as I've had this little problem happen to me before after long breaks.

And I know it isn't as blatantly obvious to you as it is to the rest of us, but you totally destroyed the lighting!

I've done the same after many long breaks too though, heh.

The light in the upper right is just so overpowering. If you just fixed its intensity, you'd have a balling sig.

Didn't want to criticize it too much, but I figure it's better to post this than to not post at all. Man, I can't believe how dead this thread has become.

[shinta|hikari]

I wanted to comment, but I couldn't see the sig. I then realized photobucket is blocked in my office. I will comment later when I get home, or if you can, please post it from a different hosting site.

[Alhuin]

I played around with the lighting in the upper right and was able to come up with something less powerful, but it definitely wasn't enough to make the sig a masterpiece. I won't worry about posting it... I was simply trying to remember where I left off. Thanks for pointing something out though, it helps me determine what I need to work on.

@shinta: Take your time. I don't have any other image hosting accounts, besides DA, and I didn't really feel like uploading it there. Although, if Photobucket is blocked, wouldn't Imageshack or anything else be blocked as well?

[shinta|hikari]

It's actually weird because I also use photobucket but it doesn't seem to be blocked.

The only one I can't see is yours.

[shinta|hikari]

New sig and avatar set.

Kurisu Makise from Steins Gate. The anime is coming this spring, and obviously I can't wait.

[Buffalobiian]

I like the distinctive texture the colouring has, as well as the font.

Not familiar with Steins Gate, so can't comment on character representation. Seems like a darker series set in older times, so I guess I'll check out some promos.

edit@below: ho, is that right? Didn't see that coming.

[shinta|hikari]

It's actually mystery/sci-fi with time travel.

[Archangel]

Holy fuck, that is the best set you have ever made... ever!

Mind = blown

[RyougaZell]

New sig and avatar set.

Kurisu Makise from Steins Gate. The anime is coming this spring, and obviously I can't wait.

Do remind me to watch the series when it airs... your amazing signature alone has made me want to see it.

[shinta|hikari]

Thanks! I didn't do much though. The images were really good from the start.

[Archangel]

I take it back then, you're a failure

Nah, the text alone is awesome

[Alhuin]

I really like your current shinta, even if you say you didn't do much. I'm not really a fan of the different font (or at least, different style) of the "H" though. I think it makes it stick out too much. But maybe that's what you were going for. It's definitely a series I was interested in checking out as well, which is how it is for a lot of the stuff you make, ironically.

I decided to take a break from banners and work on some sigs. This is the first one I finished.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8610/blackrockshooter2.jpg

I tried some completely new things, and abandoned most of the other techniques I was familiar with. I'm not too happy with the text/font, as I've never been good with it... So I'm definitely looking for criticism on that. If I can get that fixed though, I'd say this would be one of the best I've ever done, and as such, I'm really proud of the outcome.

[Buffalobiian]

I really like your current shinta, even if you say you didn't do much. I'm not really a fan of the different font (or at least, different style) of the "H" though. I think it makes it stick out too much. But maybe that's what you were going for. It's definitely a series I was interested in checking out as well, which is how it is for a lot of the stuff you make, ironically.

I decided to take a break from banners and work on some sigs. This is the first one I finished.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8610/blackrockshooter2.jpg

I tried some completely new things, and abandoned most of the other techniques I was familiar with. I'm not too happy with the text/font, as I've never been good with it... So I'm definitely looking for criticism on that. If I can get that fixed though, I'd say this would be one of the best I've ever done, and as such, I'm really proud of the outcome.

It's definitely a good one. Only thing really "wrong" with the font to me is that it's erring on the subtle side, but that's the overall feel of your sig anyway.

[Alhuin]

Yeah, I was definitely going for a more dark and gritty image. I don't think I did too bad doing that. After some playing around, I decided I wasn't too happy with the colour either. So I've been experimenting with some gradient maps, and I came up with two versions that I really like. Still working on the text though, so when I finalize that I'll post my revisions.

[Alhuin]

Apologies for the double post, but I wanted the thread to appear updated now that I finished the revisions.

As mentioned above, I decided on two versions. A blue toned version:

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7341/blackrockshooter2ver2a.jpg

And a more neutral tone version:

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2158/blackrockshooter2ver2b.jpg

The text could probably still use some slight tweaking, but I'm more or less satisfied with the results now.

[Buffalobiian]

I like the neutral version.

The blue one to me looks like the sig consists of blue and black only, while the second one has shades of other colours. It reveals more details such as the b ackground and her clothing, as well as puts emphasis on her blue eye, now that the whole sig isn't blue.

The only real drawback is that the words area again not as prominent, but that's alright I think.

[Archangel]

They're both awesome, i'd go with an image rotator and load those 2 in there

[shinta|hikari]

I like the blue one better. It gives off the effect that the blue flame from her eye illuminates the sig.

[Alhuin]

I'm glad you all liked them. I made the two versions specifically for the reasons that both shinta and Bill pointed out regarding each one. I'm still not happy with the text, now that I've had a day to clear my mind... but if I make any more changes to it, it will just be reflected in the actual sig, if I decide to use the image rotation idea (I assume you have a site in mind Arch?).

I was trying to make an ava, for a set, but I wasn't sure if I should use the same render/cut out a 100x100 section of the sig, or if I should use a different render and throw something together real quick. What do you all think?

[shinta|hikari]

A different render is better. It shows that you put more effort in instead of simply cutting and pasting. It also provides more balance especially if the render is facing one side. Still, a similar colour theme and style is better. I've tried really contrasting sets before, and while comments said that they worked well alone, very few if any recognized any value in their extreme contrast.

[Archangel]

Use the one Zell is using

[KitKat]

I made a quick set using some modifications of some Guild Wars screenshots to showcase my new necromancer armor that cost me pretty much all of my in-game life savings. I know, the text has issues...grrr text... any suggestions?

[Buffalobiian]

I made a quick set using some modifications of some Guild Wars screenshots to showcase my new necromancer armor that cost me pretty much all of my in-game life savings. I know, the text has issues...grrr text... any suggestions?

What would "KitKat" look like centred between the sun and the right end of the sig instead? I see that it's symetrical at the moment, with Kitkat on one side, the sun in the middle, and the girl on the other.. but it's what came to mind.

I think a large part of that is because the girl is staring off into the distance, and when following that gaze we would expect something further away (not good at explaining here...).

It's an idea, but not sure how it'll turn out. :S

[Alhuin]

@Kit: I think it looks amazing. The background is beautiful. I second Bill's idea about the text placement though... seems like it would fit much better, and be easier to read. Congrats on your gear, as well.

@Arch: Use Zell's current what... Ava? The last time I saw it, it was some purple skull-dude thingy.... I'm not sure how that relates to BRS... =P
Also, give me a link to that image rotation site you were talking about.

@shinta: I've messed around with several different ava's over the past few days, but I haven't been able to come up with anything that I like. The closest I've gotten is one I made today, but it was with a stock photo, and the background was too light to match the style of the sigs, so I probably won't use it. Thanks for the recommendations regarding ava's though.

[David75]

I have no artistic gift that I know of, or that people could praise.
It is questionable wether I have good taste in anything.

Here's the old sig, I never really liked it, but it was the only one I was able to prepare with the 400*100 format at the time. It only involved some croping and resizing, so the difficult part was to find a picture that would fit the transformation and still mean something.
http://david.deals.free.fr/davbell.jpg

For the new one, same technique, better result? It's already in the sig, right after this message.

[Archangel]

I meant use the website Zell uses, he's currently rotating something like 10+ sigs

[Alhuin]

Haha, I fail at life then. I totally didn't realize that's what you were referring to... >_>

Edit: Also, @David: It looks beautiful. Personally, I suggest adding a border, even just a 1px black. It looks fine regardless, I'm just a border person =P

[Buffalobiian]

The new sig definitely looks different David, though the only difference i can put my finger on is that it seems softened compared to the original. Did you do anything else to it that I didn't pick up?

[shinta|hikari]

I know my previous set was pretty new, but I couldn't resist making a new set for the new sig and avatar restrictions. I've always wanted a larger canvass for my sigs and avatars.

My current, Kurisu Makise from Stein's;Gate again.

[Buffalobiian]

Roughly the same opinion as before shinta, though i think the stylised font you had on the other sig gave it a much more mysterious feel. Not exactly suited to the current one however.

[David75]

Buff:
The old sig? Well for a few hours I tried a bigger version with a different crop/resize that had a 25% zoom effect compared to the one showed in my former message
The original for the new one is on animegallery.net. Just crop/resize but it's possible that model was already a mod from another source.

Regarding the border, well I'll try and see result.

[gos27]

Some of the sigs you guys make are crazy!! The textures on some of them are very nice. shinta|hikari, ArcAngel and Alhuin, how did you guys do those grid style kind of textures?

[Alhuin]

@shinta: Honestly, I like the new set better than the old. Colour scheme grabs my attention more. And the chip stands out... it's just beautiful. What type of filtering do you do to your backgrounds? It almost looks like cross-hatch, but I can't really tell...

@gos27: I assume by "grid like textures" you're referring to what I just pointed out with shinta's sig? If that's the case, then I only vaguely have an idea. But if it's something else you were wondering about, would you mind linking an example... :p

I finally sat down and tried to dish out some BRS avatars to go with my sig (that I should hopefully get up soon)...

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2865/brsava1.jpg http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9707/brsava2.jpg
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8023/brsava3.jpg http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/6618/brsava4.jpg

I personally really like the two on the right, but the top one may be too "light" to go with the sigs... and the bottom... well, the pose may be too similar to the one from the sigs (minus the sword of course).

[shinta|hikari]

Darken the top right a bit. It's the best out of the 4.

Unfortunately, I didn't do the textures on the sig myself. They were already there on the image. I just rearranged and redrew some parts to make it fit in the sig space well.

Film grain+Cross hatch filters should produce a similar effect though.

[Buffalobiian]

Darken the top right a bit. It's the best out of the 4.

Ditto. Avatars that convey expression, emotion and/or atmosphere are the best.

Also why the bottom right comes in second.

[gos27]

@Alhuin : For example in your current avatar and sig, there is a grid effect over the blue flowery thing, what did you do to make this? Sorry if im not making sense :p

EDIT : Those 4 avatars are cool btw, how did you make the eye blue and the rest Black and White? Or was it already like that?

Sorry for all the Q's, i love learning new stuff on Photoshop :D

[Alhuin]

@shinta and Bill: That's the problem I had with the top right... I can't darken it (I assume you mean the background). I was unsuccessful in creating anything decent, with the few renders I have, so I resorted to using original images. While the expression of that one is amazing, the background around her was very light. I tried "cutting" around her and making a darker background several times, but it never turned out decent. That's why I was leaning towards the bottom right, even though the top right has the best expression.

@gos: In my current set, the only thing I did was use do some brushing (which is the "blue flowery thing" you are talking about), and then use diagonal "scanlines" (as we call them) on a new layer, then set the opacity to a very low number so the lines are slightly visible, but not overpowering. The way to create the scanlines involves defining a pattern in PS... You make a new canvas, and set the size to 3x3 pixels, or 9x9 pixels... depending on if you want the lines close to each other, or spread apart. Example, in my set, that pattern was made on a 3x3 canvas, while, if you look at some of the GW banners I created that have scanlines, those were made on a 9x9 canvas. Anyways, once you have to canvas created, zoom in all the way. Grab the black, 1px pencil. From here, it depends on how you want the scanlines. Diagonal, just make a diagonal line from one corner of the canvas, to the other. Just click in the corner, move up a diagonal square, click again, etc. For horizontal or vertical, same thing. On a 3x3 canvas, you make one line in the middle of the canvas. On a 9x9, you make two lines... top and middle, or bottom and middle. That's how I made each pattern myself, at least. Anyone else is free to recommend their process.

[shinta|hikari]

@Al - Just turn down the brightness and up contrast a little for the avatar.

[gos27]

@Alhuin : Ohhh yeah, i made those patterns a while back, didn't think you could get that cool of an effect off them, must use them more! :)

Have a load of sigs and a few avatars made from ages ago, haven't been making good sigs in a while though :( Also started making Youtube backgrounds which is hard, and sometimes frustrating :p

[Alhuin]

How's this:
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6889/brsava2ver2.jpg

Lowered the opacity on the light source too.

[shinta|hikari]

I was thinking of something like this.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/brsava2edit.jpg

Still, my home PC monitor is not calibrated properly, so it might not appear as I want it in other displays. It usually appears too bright and with too much contrast. I still like the newer version you posted compared to the old one though.

[Buffalobiian]

How about making the lighting more eerie to match the sig, or to keep a more similar style to the current one, more like moonlight?

It'll help darken it, but allow you to keep the lighting that makes it so dynamic.

[Alhuin]

Honestly shinta... the only difference I can see between the version you did and the new one I changed is that you left the light source stronger, and the contrast is slightly higher... I bumped mine up to 50, so I'm guessing you did yours at 75? It doesn't look bad, but when it's bumped that high, it makes it look choppy, at least on my screen. Which, like you said about yours, mine is probably calibrated differently than most other peoples (I actually think Arch commented on that a year ago). I might go back and re-include the lighting, but I don't think I want to up the contrast any more.

@Bill: I can try some stuff, but I'm not particularly confident I can produce what you are suggesting. Would you happen to know a colour code that is close to what moonlight would look like?

All this hard work on this one is making me just want to scratch it and use the bottom right one from above instead... >_>

[Buffalobiian]

@Bill: I can try some stuff, but I'm not particularly confident I can produce what you are suggesting. Would you happen to know a colour code that is close to what moonlight would look like?

Haha, no idea man. You're talking to a complete noob here.

[shinta|hikari]

I didn't mean that my suggestion was better, just that it was what I meant in my previous post.

I think what you have is already more than good enough, so keep it.

[Alhuin]

I didn't mean that my suggestion was better, just that it was what I meant in my previous post.

I think what you have is already more than good enough, so keep it.

Apologies if I implied that I thought you meant that... I know you were just exampling the idea you had. I was simply pointing out that, on my screen, I couldn't tell much of a difference between the two, except what I mentioned.... so I was just saying that I used your recommendation, just tried to tone it down a bit. Hope that makes sense... >_>

I think I'm just going to keep what I have. I tried some "moonlight" effects, but it didn't really make any change. I may eventually switch it to the other one we were talking about... the more I look at it, the more I like it.

Anyways, here's a recent one I finished. Well, everything but the text. I wasn't quite sure what to put... I don't want to put "Black Rock Shooter" on three lines again like in my current, but it's too long leaving it as one line. I'm thinking no text might be a viable option.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5318/blackrockshooter3.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

How about shortening it to "BRS" with the star instead then?

[Alhuin]

I was thinking that... but I haven't been able to figure out how to make a star yet. I googled it about two weeks ago, to put in my current, and the only thing I found was using the shape tool... which, there is a star in that, but... if you remember the BRS sig I did almost a year ago, that had just the smudging, blueish background... the star I used on it is from the shape tool... it's too.... I want to say.... "bubbly" for the sig I just posted. That probably doesn't make any sense... But if I can find a way to make a better star, or find a star render, that's definitely an idea I had in mind.

[gos27]

Im sure you could get a brush set that has some stars in it!?

[RyougaZell]

I meant use the website Zell uses, he's currently rotating something like 10+ sigs

No, I'm not.

[Archangel]

Oh, so you aren't...

When did that happen? When they changed the layout?

[RyougaZell]

Oh, so you aren't...

When did that happen? When they changed the layout?

About 4 months ago.
Though I'm craving for a new To Aru signature of Mikoto and Itsuwa (since I can't ask for un-shown characters)

[Archangel]

Mikoto and Itsuwa don't go together... though if you found 2 good renders i might make a matching set and you could rotate between the 2.

Edit: In other news, new set. What do you think of the text in the sig? And the avatar, is it too empty?

[Buffalobiian]

Avatar does feel a bit empty. Any way of enlarging it on the guy?

The text on the sig doesn't show up well with the light background. Perhaps increasing the prominence of the lines of the font would do the trick? I'm not a fan of the background much, actually.

[shinta|hikari]

I think the issue with the background is the colours. Try using darker shades that match the lighting of the render. Blood red instead of pink or something like that.

[Archangel]

I darkened the render myself with the intent of making her stand out from the colorful world around her

[Alhuin]

I like the text itself, just not the style of it. And I don't really think it (along with the render) fits with the background. The darker shade of the render, and the feeling the text implies, just seems like it would fit better on a darker/gloomier sig, than a bright and cheerful one. If that makes sense. I also think the text needs to be slightly smaller, so as to not draw all the attention away from the render.

I really like the ava though... I don't think the negative space on it is anything to worry about. The white border is hard to make out, however. What would it look like with a pink one, the same colour as her/his/its hair?

[Archangel]

You haven't watched Madoka yet have you Al? The text, colors and overall feel of the sig probably feel very confusing out of context. I feel you in the smaller font though, any other effects you think i should add to it or is simplicity the way to go here?

[Alhuin]

You have a point, I haven't seen the series.

For the text, I think a black outline instead of a white outline would fit more with the render. If you think of it in terms of matching the style... the face of the render could be considered the "white" part of the text... then the hair and clothing could be the "goldish" part of the text... then you throw on the black outline to match the black outline of the render. That explanation may seem confusing, but it makes sense to me! >_>

I'm also a fan of ellipses... as you can tell from all of my posts. So, something like "In the end... we're all alone..." just feels better to me. That's just a personal opinion though. Most people might not share that sentiment, so keep it however you want it.

How would it look with the render centered and one part of the text on the top left, and the other on the bottom right? Just throwing out an idea...

All in all, I just think making it smaller and with maybe a black outline, would give it all it needs.

I'd get some opinions from others as well though.

[Buffalobiian]

Actually Ark, the series depicts the background in a much more darker and sinister manner. The light background plus dark shadow over Mami gives the impression that something's looming over her - which is both fitting and non-fitting depending on how you look at it. ;)

[shinta|hikari]

I think Arch is trying to depict how Mami herself views the world and her place int it. While I like that idea of contrast, I am not a fan of the colours chosen for the BG. Maybe a different hue (still bright) would work, or some kind of outline/aura on Mami to indicate separation from the BG.

I also agree with the smaller text. That should make it look more refined, which I think is the effect you are going for with the font.

[Ryllharu]

That Mami render is horrible. The expression alone is bad enough. The concept is fine, but there is just something terribly wrong with her face. It isn't stylized enough to go with the font you're using for the text, but it also barely looks like her (if not for the clothes).

The proportions of her face are off.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't think the art style for that render is the same as the anime (which is using the Hidamari Sketch style from Shaft). Other than that, I don't think its bad at all. While I am not a fan of the facial expression, that is what the concept demands.

[Ryllharu]

A dazed expression of someone who just starting to smell a fart?

Now that I've tainted it forever, I'm assuming it's meant to look like resignment of one's fate, but its caught somewhere between that, relief (of said foul odor), and just being sleepy. It doesn't work and looks...off. In the end, it just isn't good artwork.

Edit: Pixiv has some much better choices.

Edit2: ...she's gotten quite popular recently. I wonder why? :3

A brief selection:

The artwork on this one is only okay, but I think this is a better expression.
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3631/16176221.th.jpg (http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3631/16176221.jpg)

This one is subtle.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7338/16160936.th.png (http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7338/16160936.png)

Different art style, a bit like Soul Eater, but I think it's got what Arch is looking to do.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4947/16196475.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4947/16196475.jpg)

One with some good detail, but a different expression.
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/418/16205928.th.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/418/16205928.jpg)


This one has nothing to do with Arch's sig, I just think it is really badass.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1966/16206676.th.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1966/16206676.jpg)

[Buffalobiian]

A dazed expression of someone who just starting to smell a fart?

Now that I've tainted it forever, I'm assuming it's meant to look like resignment of one's fate, but its caught somewhere between that, relief (of said foul odor), and just being sleepy. It doesn't work and looks...off. In the end, it just isn't good artwork.

Edit: Pixiv has some much better choices.

Edit2: ...she's gotten quite popular recently. I wonder why? :3

A brief selection:

The artwork on this one is only okay, but I think this is a better expression.
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3631/16176221.th.jpg (http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3631/16176221.jpg)

This one is subtle.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7338/16160936.th.png (http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7338/16160936.png)

Different art style, a bit like Soul Eater, but I think it's got what Arch is looking to do.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4947/16196475.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4947/16196475.jpg)

One with some good detail, but a different expression.
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/418/16205928.th.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/418/16205928.jpg)


This one has nothing to do with Arch's sig, I just think it is really badass.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1966/16206676.th.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1966/16206676.jpg)

I like I,II and IV.

[shinta|hikari]

I will keep 3 for myself then.

If episode 4 permits, then I may use it as a sig. It is of the style I use recently.

[Alhuin]

I like all of them. I still haven't watched any of the series, but I'm starting to develop an attraction to her, based solely on what I've seen here... >_>

The fifth one is badass indeed... but I'd probably use the 4th one if anything. The second one seems like it would make an amazing ava though.

[shinta|hikari]

New set from GOSICK.

[Archangel]

Personally i'd get rid of the sig text entirely, not only is it hard to read it doesn't meld with the image at all

[Buffalobiian]

Personally i'd get rid of the sig text entirely, not only is it hard to read it doesn't meld with the image at all

I tend to agree with this. Just for kicks, how would vertical text look? It wouldn't be entirely out of place as there are all these vertical spines of the books in the sig to match with it.

I like the contrasting bored vs interested Victoriques.

Ark: ever considered using your profile picture as your avatar instead? I like it better.

[Archangel]

I like it how you need to dig deeper to see my avatar's true form

[shinta|hikari]

How about this? I removed the text, and equalized the shadows in the BG to make her stand out more and give the sig an overall better balance.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/victoriquesig-1.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

That looks good.

[Archangel]

I'd go for a bottom diagonal shadow on the right side but other than that it looks pretty sweet

[shinta|hikari]

I'll be using the v2 then.

I also made a new profile pic, one I think I'll be keeping for a long while (unlike my sigs and avas that change almost every week.)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/ccprofpiccopy.jpg

[Alhuin]

@shinta: The ava is amazing. I love the feel... the lighting, and the pose. The sig is great as well, except I can't help but feel like the render is disproportionate; like the top and bottom were scrunched, or the sides were widened. Around her head, at least. I didn't see it with text, but I still agree it looks best without any. Your profile pic, however... while I enjoy the humour, I'm just not fond of the idea of Pedobear touching CC.... >_>

[shinta|hikari]

The avatar is mostly thanks to Buff. I did a bit of editing to make it look like that, but it was his image recommendation that made it possible.

The character image in the sig was never transformed. It was originally like that. I actually can't see the issue to which you are referring. I think it is mainly because the art style is different from the anime and the avatar, with her chin and face more pointed than usual.

About the profile pic, that isn't just any pedo bear. That's me inside a pedo bear suit, so I obviously have no qualms about any touching that may or may not be happening.

[Archangel]

Implying that's a suit and not how you look like irl!!!

[shinta|hikari]

Here is my current wallpaper.

Bear meets girl (http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/comicwallcopy-2.jpg)

[Buffalobiian]

So what colour was it, Mr. Pedo-Bear?