Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Hey! I'm getting close!

This is topic Hey! I'm getting close! in forum Designs, Artwork, & Creativity at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.

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Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

After multiple tries, I seem to have finally created a graphic that has a semi-metallic sheen:

I'm using it at my site for the section formerly labeled "Legalese". If anyone can tell me how to do really decent metallic effects using PSP5, I would be quite grateful.

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It is less important that you agree with me than it is for you to to understand what I'm saying.

http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :

I wish I knew. Ever since I got Photoshop I've gotten more into that than PSP5. How'd you even do that?

Photoshop is God

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Calvin: "I'm a man of few words."
Hobbes: "Maybe if you read more, you'd have a larger vocabulary."
Federation Starship Datalink - Now with a pop-up on every page...damn you Tripod!

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

I did get a not-bad burnished metal effect for one of the logos I tried for my company's website, but didn;t use it in the end. . . grey background, speckle it, then motion blur it.

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

I filled the blank image (using gray tones) with a sunburst, offset to the top and right. Errr... I mean left

Next I did the lettering (selecting "Floating") on top of it, then filled the lettering. Leaving the lettering selected, I changed the brightness by +15%. I then did a 1 pixel drop shadow (black) to the lower right, then did a second (white) to the upper left.

For the rivets, I did a small circle selection on a plain background, filled it, and gave it the same treatment as the lettering. I then copied it onto the image above, placing eight of then as shown.

I heightened the contrast of the picture by 50%, leaving the brightness alone, then colorized the whole thing with a hue of 30 and saturation of 128.

And there you have it.

--Baloo

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It is less important that you agree with me than it is for you to to understand what I'm saying.

http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

[This message has been edited by Baloo (edited November 16, 1999).]

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

What is PSP5? I use Photoshop alot. I get metallic surfaces put placing dark and light diagonal lines over a gradation and then blurring the lines. You can highlight (or shade) edges with thin blurred lines and use the airbrush for those little glints. Do everything on a separate layer first!!

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"Resolve and thou art free."

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

PSP is Paint Shop Pro, which is like Photoshop, but the major problem with it is that it isn't Photoshop.

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Frank's Home Page
"Stuff" - Nobody

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

If Photoshop is the "Ferarri" of paint programs, Paint Shop Pro is the "Corvette". It might not be able to do everything the more expensive one does, but it can do nearly as much for a far smaller cash outlay.

--Baloo

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It is less important that you agree with me than it is for you to to understand what I'm saying.

http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :

I use both Paint Shop Pro 5 (PSP5) and Photoshop 4 (PSD)(I'm about to get Photoshop 5.5) on a regular basis. Although I mostly use PSD for graphics on my website. With PSD I'd easily be able to that Baloo. In fact -shameless plug- if anyone would like any logo art I'd be happy to give it a try.

[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited November 17, 1999).]

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :

Correction: I now have Photoshop 5.5.

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Calvin: "I'm a man of few words."
Hobbes: "Maybe if you read more, you'd have a larger vocabulary."
Federation Starship Datalink - Starship site of the new millennium.

Posted by Black Knight (Member # 134) on :

*join's bandwagon*
I got Photoshop 5.5 last week.
PHOTOSHOP RULES!

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Quark-"Stop. Or I'll disintigrate this hostage."

20th Century General-"With Your Finger?"

Quark-"With my death ray."

20th Century General-"Looks alot like a finger to me."

Posted by Wes (Member # 212) on :

I have Photoshop 5.5 start at startup. Check TechFX for some upcoming tutorials of some effects ive evented. As for the graphic. Use Antialiasing!!!

MUST... ANTIALIAS... EVERYTHING.....!!!!

[This message has been edited by Wes1701E (edited November 18, 1999).]

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

Sorry. Force of habit. Most of the graphics I produce are gifs with transparent backgrounds. Antialiasing screws up the interface between the foreground and the transparent "background", so I don't even think about using them most times.

In fact, I so infrequently use antialiasing, I am not certain I understand what you mean. What effect would this have on the picture?

Please demonstrate.

--Baloo

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It is less important that you agree with me than it is for you to to understand what I'm saying.

http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

[This message has been edited by Baloo (edited November 18, 1999).]

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Baloo: Look at the round edges of the letters. They're rather bitmapped. If you antialias them, the edges will be "blurred" and look more rounded.

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"Alright, so it's impossible. How long will it take?"
-Commander Adams, Forbidden Planet

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

How I envy you guys! I'm running an ambitious website, but the graphics are, well, crap. Let's assume I'm getting Photoshop right now, how long will it take until I can do really reasonable effects such as metallic gloss?

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"When diplomacy fails, there's only one alternative - violence. Force must be applied without apology. It's the Starfleet way."
A somewhat different Janeway in VOY: "Living Witness"
Ex Astris Scientia

Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :

Are you saying that the ASDB graphics are crap, Bernd? They're great schematics, yes, but images... Well, they're pretty good. But not crap. Certainly not crap.

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"Waaawhooo! Lookie here ma, I caught me a lightnin' bug!"
-Jetstorm

Posted by Black Knight (Member # 134) on :

Well, I also like Bernd's graphics. I don't think that you will have too many problems learning Photoshop. (little hint--Filters rock!) I personally don't have much use for them. But they're still cool.

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Quark-"Stop. Or I'll disintigrate this hostage."

20th Century General-"With Your Finger?"

Quark-"With my death ray."

20th Century General-"Looks alot like a finger to me."

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

If you're just getting Photoshop and haven't ever used it before, expect it to take while before you can do the killer stuff. It took me about a year of relatively constant use to really get to know the program inside and out. The first half was at school. I'd suggest taking a class or having someone that knows the program well sit down with you alot.

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"Resolve and thou art free."

Posted by TerraZ on :

Bernd: How dare you say your images are crappy! I'd give anything to be able to draw this well on a computer. I don't have a good program and I really suck at computer drawing. That's why the only ship I've designed until now will never ever reach this board (unless I scan it). You should be proud of your work, your schematics are clean and very good.

Some people have it all, and they still complain...

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-If you ask me, I think continuity is highly overrated...
*Brannon Braga*

-Give me Good Trek or give me Death!
*Me*

-Where were you when the brains were handed out?
*Sonic the Hedgehog*

Posted by Vlad the Impaler on :

Hello, this is psp5 but it might help (psp might still be on free trial) : http://gethighforums.com/Forum7/HTML/000124.html ..where the the si-fi people go...

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Oi Keef, you wanna try this gear ?

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

???

I thought I said I was using PSP5, not Photoshop?

I tried redoing the graphic using antialiasing, but it didn't look enough different to warrant switching the new graphic for the old. It made a difference, but not as much as the description sounded like it should.

I'll go check out that forum, though. Sometimes you read a description of how to do something and it doesn't make sense until several months later when you learned how to do some other things.

--Baloo

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It is less important that you agree with me than it is for you to to understand what I'm saying.

http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :

You know Baloo, you're title for this topic is somewhat interesting. Just don't say it if you ever visit West Hollywood, CA...

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I don't care who you are, where you're from
What you did, as long as you love me.
Who you are, where you're from
What you did, as long as you love me.

-Backstreet Boys

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

Thanks for encouraging me

More specifically, I can handle simple technical diagrams with Photopaint, and photos are no problem either, but illustrations are hard to do.

What I need (and what everyone needs to create good web illustrations) is:
- a good "stamp" effect to create raised letters as on the "boiler plate". Photopaint has such an effect, but it doesn't keep the original colors, and it's not crisp enough. My title letters were done in this way, and they could be way crisper.
- a "shadow" effect, suggesting that text is floating above the image.
- metal gloss to apply to the raised structures.
- semi-transparency to create collages.
- an "equalizing" effect that prevents part of my image to get more purple and part more turquoise when I change the gamma value. I'm drawing my starships with exactly matched HLS colors in the vector drawing, but when I make any changes to the converted bitmap (the bitmap filters are also crap, BTW), the color scheme is completely messed up.

I wonder why there are no suited filters, whereas any conceivable kind of "artistic" distortion and other crap filters I won't ever need in my life are available.

BTW, does anyone have a newer version of Micrografx Picture Publisher (7 or higher)? Version 6 is absolute crap, I don't use it anymore, it doesn't even get the palette right: If I convert a mainly white image (RGB 255,255,255) to let's say 32 colors, a palette without white is generated!

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

Thinks he gets michael_T's joke...

"I'm Free!"

ohhhh too much "Are you being served?"

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Ralph: Um, Miss Hoover? There's a dog in the vent.
Hoover: Ralph, remember the time you said Snagglepuss was outside?
Ralph: He was going to the bathroom.

[This message has been edited by AndrewR (edited November 24, 1999).]