The Clipart Batting Cages

[Cricket2]

I have created this thread to be a warm up area for those who want to learn more about clipart creation beyond that of "Thank you, I can see it now". With a possible clipart contest coming up, some people may wish to improve on their skills ahead of time.

If you have ever wondered "How did they do that?" or "Why does what I did, look different from what you did?" or any other graphical dillemma that has kept you from sleeping nights.

There is a whole lot of talented people here that can show others how to do some pretty simple things that you may have thought were difficult to do. Remember, everyone has had to ask the question that you are thinking of at one time or another, so why should you be any different?

So put in a quarter and swing away! The Clipart Batting Cages are open.

(Don't forget to put on your helmet!)

 

[Cricket2]

Here's a tip:

I have well over 400 good True Type fonts that I use and I am always looking for more. A font can make your graphic go from blah to beautiful in seconds.

Anyone else have tips?

JC

 

[BobBrazeal]

Bumping this up so it doesn't get lost either. I think this is a good idea and once I get a bit of time either tomorrow night or over the weekend, I'm going to post a couple of things I've learned along the way.

 

[Cricket2]

Here is another tip.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Do you get the point?

Save your work after every step with a different file name. I just add a number at the end. This way, if you make a change that you dont want/like, you can revert back to whatever step the problem started at. The first time you forget to save your work is the time your PC will lock up or your dog will bump your arm and put a big slash through your picture.

Also, never edit your original!!!!! Always use a working copy of an image.



JC

 

[BobBrazeal]

Well I didn't get to this over the weekend as I was busy with the Code Red II worm. I wasn't infected, thank goodness, but I was getting a lot of attacks on my system which I was watching carefully and tracing to find the sources of the attacks.

So now I have a load of clothes in the dryer and thought I'd post a few images to show how quick and easy it is to get interesting effects using even relatively inexpensive editing software. This package cost me $79.

Experiment with the different effects that are available in whatever software you have. Here are a few examples of different effects that can be applied in minutes. I've got more examples but have put them on a web page with a link below. I took one image and applied several different effects. Remember that you aren't limited to using these effects strickly on a picture. They could, for example, be combined and used with the fonts that JC talked about above.

<center>

<b>Original Clipart - Jazz Man</b>
<br>

<b>Neon Lights</b>
<br>

<b>Oil Painting</b>
</center>
<br>
More Effects Examples
<br>
<br>
Experiment and have fun.

 

[Wishydoo]

Great tips guys. JC...good helpful thread... THANKS!

Bob, I have Adobe Photo Deluxe. It came with my computer. It never occured to me that the effects would work on anything other than photos.
After reading your post, I tried it on gifs....and they worked! So thanks for that.

<img src="http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/wishydoo/mornin.gif">
<img src="http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/wishydoo/mornin2.gif">


There are also alot of good free downloadable graphics programs on the net.

 

[Cricket2]

Good clipart can always be made better:

Original:

Altered:

JC