New avatar

[Michiel]

Well, my first avatar on 5MV, actually. I made it myself. What do you think?

And how do I compress it without losing quality? :?

PS: Who here plays Go? I'm a beginner myself (27 kyu, if you care). If you want a game, I know a good Go server.

[taya17]

You made it yourself? AH! I see we have a 3D animator on board! :D

3D animation is fun, but frustrating. I used to dabble in it a little when I was younger (say, between the ages of 14 and 17). I remember the first time we tried animating a vase falling off a table we didn't check our views too carefully, and when we rendered it, it turned out that the vase was falling through the table. Much hilarity ensued.

Ah, the good old days.

~~17, who wants to point out that her avatar is self-made too! :wink:

[Michiel]

Heh. Well, this one wasn't as difficult as a falling vase. :) The two stones just move one unit each frame. I made it with Pov-Ray.

[Vedra]

I think it's neato keen. They actually made a playable version of Go?! I wanna play!!!!!!

(I'm an Andromeda freak,if you hadn't noticed...what do they call us,Droms? lol)

[Michiel]

Hm.. Well, Go is about 4000 years old. Older than chess, even. Visit this server and sign up. http://kiroh.dyndns.org/dragon/

My name is Michiel there. Challenge me to a game. :)

Do they play it in Andromeda? I've seen Trip play it against the cogenitor once. Never seen it in any other show.

And ehm.. You wanna watch those exclamation points around here. ;)

[Vedra]

I thought Go was something they made up in Andromeda,in fact...lol. Silly me.

[taya17]

No no no... Go's an ancient Japanese game, I believe. The Chinese also play it rather well... I can't remeber the Mandarin name for it, though. It's something-qi... was it "xiang qi" or something similar? Agh, cannot remember. I had friends back in Secondary school who were in the Go club... oh wait, I remember! I think it's called "wei qi". Yeah.

Irrelevant facts. ;)

[Zeke]

Go is a great game at which I suck. Try me at chess sometime, though. I'll paste you across the floor.

17, I don't know if you're right about go, but "xiang qi" is Chinese chess. I have two sets at home which I never get to use because I don't know anyone in town who plays.

[Vedra]

Yeah,yeah,I know. I think I remember reading or hearing about Go before,but I thought it was a different game from Andromeda,because they have that weird board,like Star Trek's 3-D chess.

[Nic Corelli]

Well, to get back on topic... How do you folks like my new avatar? :twisted:

[Alexia]

You are insane nic :mrgreen: That's why we love ya! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Michiel]

Try me at chess sometime, though.

I'd like to do that sometime (no worries, I like playing against a superior opponent, which you no doubt are.) But you go finish Season 3 first. 8)

[Draknek]

I used to play Go every once in a while. Not for a long time now, though.

I like the avatar.

[Michiel]

And I like yours. I wish I could make all my hardware work on Linux though... I'm always forced to go back to Windows. :evil:

Anyway, sign in on the server and lets play sometime.

[catalina_marina]

PS: Who here plays Go? I'm a beginner myself (27 kyu, if you care). If you want a game, I know a good Go server.
Deutcherboy, if anyone remembers him, put it on my computer once, but I couldn't figure out a good strategy, or any strategy for that matter, so I threw it off again. :roll:

[Alexia]

Wow. I'm impressed. I have enough trouble with animated gifs!

I was forced to play chess a lot as a child as my dad and brother loved it, but where as they played with strategies i just moved whatever piece i felt like with very little thought. As they had each move planned out well ahead, i invariably lost. A lot. :mrgreen:

As for go...never heard of it :D

[PointyHairedJedi]

I suck at chess, and probably would at Go if I cared to learn it.

In fact come to think of it I suck at most games. Hmm.

By the way, It is a little large Michiel - I'll have a go at making a smaller version for you later.

[Michiel]

I made a smaller version myself. It's my new avatar now. By lowering the colours and removing every other frame.

The original one (http://www.creotex.nl/personal/avatars/ko.gif)

The smaller version (http://www.creotex.nl/personal/avatars/ko_small.gif)

If you can make a better one, please go ahead (no pun intended).

[Alexia]

wow, its a different size...*checks eyes* yup, still one either side of my nose.

Hmmm, PHJ has considerably better eyesight than i do! Although, my contact lenses are drying out in this heat wave (which will probably last till friday so i get all hot at work this week, then rain/snow at the weekend knowning this country), so i blame that!

[Michiel]

Smaller in file-size. As in less KB's. I still have to link to it, though. I doubt I'm ever gonna get it below 34KB.

And for those that are interested: this (http://playgo.to/interactive/index.html) is an excellent Go tutorial. Requires java.

[Alexia]

~~17, who wants to point out that her avatar is self-made too! :wink:

17 your avatar is also really cool, actually, all your avvys are. I like the style of them and especially the text, which you and nan both seem to use. What program/effects do you use to make them? Mine always end up as either a badly cropped googled pic or a badly cropped googled pic with bad text pasted on top. Oh, and then they get all fuzzy when i save them :mrgreen:

[Draknek]

You could try having each new layer only be as large as the space needed to cover the change - most of the image is the same in every single frame.

Aside: what hardware problems did you have with Linux? My (ridiculously out-of-date) release of Mandrake seems to play nicely with everything except my speakers, and they're apparently going to work when I install a newer version.

[Michiel]

Yes, I haven't been able to make that 'only save the change' thing work. When it does, it will drastically reduce the file in size.

And I had trouble with my printer, webcam (built in to the laptop screen) and a lot of other things. I alsy tried Mandrake first. I'm going to try Slackware next, but I heard laptops aren't ideal candidates for Linux.

[Michiel]

Woohoo! 38.6KB! I made the 'only save the change' thing work! Plus the deletion of every other frame plus the reduction in colours.

[Michiel]

Down to 28KB. I never would have imagined. I never even lowered the amount of colours this time. It's 256. But Pov-Ray uses random dithering in its renders. That means there are insignificant changes in each frame. Now that I turned that off, much smaller fractions were saved. :D

[Nan]

What program/effects do you use to make them?

I use Adobe Photoshop 5.5. The font is call 04b_03b, and it needs to be all in caps. The text layer needs the layer effect "outer glow", blurred to 1 pixel, at full strength, black, normal mode (instead of screen).

Only Adobe 5 and later have layer effects.

The single pixel border is done by hitting Select All, then Edit > Stroke > Width= 1px (or however big you want), Location= inside, opacity=100%, mode=normal.

Tada. :)

[PointyHairedJedi]

See, there's another thing I can do with Photoshop (I have version & I think). I can't use ImageReady to save my life though.

[NAHTMMM]

I like the avatar, Michiel! Thought it was Othello (or even Pente) at first though ;)



Try me at chess sometime, though. I'll paste you across the floor.

Oooooo... :twisted:

[Katy Jane]

Try me at chess sometime, though. I'll paste you across the floor.

Oooooo... :twisted:

This i would love to see. :D I never thought of my self as being BAD at chess untill NAH beat me in 4 moves. :roll: :oops:

[NAHTMMM]

Never EVER leave your KBP hanging out to dry in the opening, folks ;)

[Alexia]

:shock: 4 moves? *wishes there was a jaw drop smilie*

Thanks for that Nan, I'll give it a go in my next free time gap *wonders when that will be* :lol:

I've always sucked with photoshop, give up in frustration then, in anger, delete the program from my PC. Then, feeling stupid, load it back on, to have the whole sorry saga repeat itself :mrgreen:

But, now i have a vague idea of what affect i'm going for, and how to do it, I will try again :D

[taya17]

The single pixel border is done by hitting Select All, then Edit > Stroke > Width= 1px (or however big you want), Location= inside, opacity=100%, mode=normal.

Oh hey, I didn't know that! What I do is to manually use the selection tool to draw a box one pixel across and fill it in for each border. That's how come some of my avvies have three-pixel thick border with the middle pixel being of a different color or on overlay... I didn't know there was a faster way to do it.

/me is Photoshop moron

[PointyHairedJedi]

Wow.

People who are worse at Photoshop than I am.

*Falls off chair*

[taya17]

*hopes PHJ noticed that she planted three-inch iron nails, pointy side up all around his chair before he fell off it*

Pointy side up, get it? BWAAHA.

[Draknek]

Your puns hurt me with the pain of a thousand axes.


No, wait, that's just your axes.

[PointyHairedJedi]

A thousand? I thought that there were just the three.

Ouchie, by the way.

[Draknek]

I'm confident that in her hands, 3 axes could feel like a thousand.

[taya17]

You flatter me. Be realistic, though... I might be able to manage that with four or five. Three though? I think that's stretching it juuust a little bit. ;)

[Nan]

See, this is why I prefer the flanged mace. :D

[PointyHairedJedi]

Meh. I'm more of a puntbow man myself.

Oh yeah, that felt gooood... :D

[Alexia]

My 1st effort in Photoshop (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/omg4.jpg) (Don't laugh!)

Ok, not all that fantastic, in fact its #?*!, err, bad. But it did take me all day! Yes, when I said I hadn't used it before, I really wasn't kidding...

I'm having problems with putting a thin border around the edge, in as much as I can't do it! :evil: :lol: Oh boy...:mrgreen: This is gonna be a LONG project for me! :shock:

[catalina_marina]

You flatter me. Be realistic, though... I might be able to manage that with four or five. Three though? I think that's stretching it juuust a little bit. ;)
Well as long as you can wield four or five at the same time... :wink:

[PointyHairedJedi]

My 1st effort in Photoshop (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/omg4.jpg) (Don't laugh!)

Ok, not all that fantastic, in fact its #?*!, err, bad. But it did take me all day! Yes, when I said I hadn't used it before, I really wasn't kidding...
That's not at all bad. I really can't do much more myself, actually.

[Alexia]

Thanks. One "Get out of THWAP" free card for you. Only from me, mind. And I'm way down on your Thwapping list! :D

[PointyHairedJedi]

Just as long as you don't even think of writing any PHJ/C 'shipper fanfic, 'cause then you'd shoot up the list very quickly indeed. :twisted:

[Alexia]

Awww...spoil sport :wink: I'll think about it :mrgreen:

[Nan]

I'm having problems with putting a thin border around the edge, in as much as I can't do it! :evil: :lol: Oh boy...:mrgreen: This is gonna be a LONG project for me! :shock:

It may be that you're trying to stroke a text layer. Text is vector information, not raster. Raster is what you're working with: pixels of different colours. (The text layers should have a T on the Layer Pallette label)

Whatcha do is create a new transparent layer overtop of all your other layers (topmost, that is), select all (CTRL A), then do the stroke.

What version of PS are you working with?

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Try me at chess sometime, though. I'll paste you across the floor.


You're on, Zeke. You'll have to provide the set, though.

[Michiel]

I'm registered here: http://gameknot.com/

I'd enjoy playing against one of you. Or watching a match between you. :)

I'm not REAL good, but then, I'm not sure how good you guys are.

[NAHTMMM]

Looks like a nice place. I'm already reg'ed on Yahoo! myself ;)



My 1st effort in Photoshop (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/omg4.jpg) (Don't laugh!)

Ok, not all that fantastic, in fact its #?*!, err, bad. But it did take me all day! Yes, when I said I hadn't used it before, I really wasn't kidding...


It looks good to me :) Simple isn't automatically bad!

I'm having problems with putting a thin border around the edge, in as much as I can't do it!
Create a new document as big as the avatar. Then trim the avatar's height and length each by the same small even number of pixels. Pick the color you want for the border and flood-fill the blank document. Then select the entire avatar and paste it onto the previously blank document and center it. There you go. ;)

[Nan]

My way's easier, Nah. ;)

There's also the Select > Modify > Border option, where you can use a flood fill.

[NAHTMMM]

My way doesn't require Alexia to battle the giggles over that funny "raster" word ;) ;)

[Nan]

Raster raster raster raster.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Torpedo away! Torpedo away!

The layer effects thingy really is very easy to use once you know what you're doing with it. Forget all the stuff about rasters and vectors - just as long as you know how to use the layers you're laughing.

[Alexia]

...once you know what you're doing with it.

And there lies the exact problem!

Thanks for all the advice :roll: and also, the word "rasters" :lol: Gonna try all those methods out tomorrow, starting with Nan's for several reasons, mainly, she just rocks :mrgreen:, especially with Photoshop!

I am using v6.0 photoshop, well, I say "using"... :lol:

[PointyHairedJedi]

^ Well, all you have to get the hang of really is being able to put things on new layers so that you can apply effects to just that layer. As for the layer effects themselves it's just a matter of fiddling with them until you see something you like.

[NAHTMMM]

^ Well, all you have to get the hang of really is being able to put things on new layers so that you can apply effects to just that layer.
And so you still have the original behind all the stuff you added ;) That can be awfully useful at times :oops:

[Nan]

You've got that right.

This one (http://www.deviantart.com/view/8767736/) took, like, 7 or so layers. And about 4-5 hours total.

When you split the line art, flat colours, highlights, and shadows onto separate layers, it'll save you hours and hours of fixing mistakes.

(It's not talent, it's practice. ;))

[Alexia]

Wow. :shock:

8 years you say...? Well, 7 years, 364 days to go till i can do that then :wink:

[Alexia]

And speaking of avvys, has Neo changed his just so there is a spoon? :lol: :mrgreen:

[Nan]

I dunno. I'm decently confident after 6 months. :)

[Alexia]

6 months, huh? Hmmm...*Must...Not...Use...Paint...*

Does anyone miss the old paintbrush? I do... :cry: but then again, i enjoy the game minesweaper, so what do I know! I completed it on expert on my friends PC and ever since then she has been trying to beat me! :mrgreen: She hasn't... :D and neither has her brother :lol:

[Nan]

Photoshop lets you make your own brushes. :)

[danieldoof]

6 months, huh? Hmmm...*Must...Not...Use...Paint...*

Does anyone miss the old paintbrush? I do... :cry: but then again, i enjoy the game minesweaper, so what do I know! I completed it on expert on my friends PC and ever since then she has been trying to beat me! :mrgreen: She hasn't... :D and neither has her brother :lol:

yeah minesweeper rocks :mrgreen:
I completed it in expert mode only once
I dunno why not more time
when I go towards the last mine I have two similar possibilities of clicking
and you know what: I clicked the wrong one :cry:

[Nic Corelli]

6 months, huh? Hmmm...*Must...Not...Use...Paint...*

Does anyone miss the old paintbrush? I do... :cry:

AAAAH! Me too! It was so neat and cool! I adored it, created about 300 Paintbrush files, :D I grew up painting in Paintbrush, :)


PAIIINTBRUUUUUUUUSH!

[NAHTMMM]

Photoshop lets you make your own brushes. :)

Do they allow irregularly shaped ones yet?

[Nan]

Haven't tried to make irregularly shaped ones.

However, other brushes people have made that come in shapes work fine.

However, 5.5 has crappy representation. X(

Edit: I just made a complete brush set. It's easy as pie. :D

[Alexia]

OK...photoshop, effort #2. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/coffetime.gif) I found a few more options now. Still pulling my hair out though (and I will not mention how long it took; far too embarasing!) :mrgreen: Opinions, oh great ones?

[Nan]

<thumbsup>

[Alexia]

Thanks!

I'm getting better I think. Did this one (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/oval2.gif) MUCH quicker this morning

[catalina_marina]

Heh. I like it. 8)

[Alexia]

And this... (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/broughttoyou.gif)

This, my friends, is the start of a be-a-uuuu-tiful friendship between myself and PS. Alexia, who will now stop bugging you with random images :P

[Alexia]

Alexia, who cannot resit one last image (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/turnip.gif) :wink: I have this thing about ovals...and the turnip thing? I wouldn't worry about that too much :lol:

[NAHTMMM]

Heeheehee :D

[Alexia]

<-- Now showing to your left, my newest creation in photoshop. It's amazing what a bit of time and effort to learn a program can do. *compares to previous avvys* :lol: *laughs hyserically

[catalina_marina]

Looks good. :D

[NAHTMMM]

Verrry nice. :mrgreen:

[Xeroc]

Yes! Excellent job!

[PointyHairedJedi]

Heh, see, I don't know if I could manage that much. You're getting the hang of it I think Alexia.

[Alexia]

Wow, thanks PHJ :D I am rather proud of myself :mrgreen: Most of the credit goes to having a few very good (and very patient) teachers, the main one being Nan, without whom none of this would have been made possible. Many thanks oh great master *bows head*

If nothing else, she and 17 continued to make such great avatars that mine made me feel quite inadequate! Which made me want to learn and become better at it. And I'm having way too much fun :mrgreen:

[Alexia]

Good news guys...my latest creation isn't an avatar :lol: So, it isn't changing again :wink: It's a wallpaper (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/wallpaper3.jpg). Thought I'd try out something a bit bigger :mrgreen:

[Alexia]

Oh, a note. That isn't the full size version...photobucket smallerised it.

Probably obvious, but my friend just went "Isn't that a little small for a wallpaper?"

head :wink:

[Saxamaphone]

I love the wallpaper - I used to dabble in photoshop a while ago, but I just got confused. But, I can see you have a lot of success with it. So, good for you...um, yes.

[catalina_marina]

Oh, a note. That isn't the full size version...photobucket smallerised it.
How big is it, originally, then?

[Alexia]

Thanks sax. My 1st every time making something is PS was :backreads thread: Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:34 pm :mrgreen: so, I'm pleased with my efforts!

Cat, I think it's 800x600...whatever size it is, it is desktop size :D My desktop at least :wink:

[catalina_marina]

It's a shame. If it was 1280x1024 or anywhere near it, I probably would have put it up. :wink:

[Katy Jane]

Well the smallerized verison streches nicely to my desktop :)

[Nic Corelli]

Look what I created! :D :mrgreen:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/nic_corelli/Jake4.jpg

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Alexia]

:roll: HAaaaaahahahaha! Bwaaaaaaaaawahhahhahaha. Hahahaa. Hee. I don't get it :wink: Probably just me though :wink: Who is it?

Also, Deanna Troi? :shock:

[Alexia]

:roll: *thinks* Oh? Is it Jake Sisco? Still don't get it... :wink:

Well the smallerized verison streches nicely to my desktop :)

Hey cool! Number of people using my wallpaper = 2 :mrgreen: It should do that on all size desktops I think without messing the picture up...although, I don't really follow the whole size things.

Have a go cat! It might work... :D

[catalina_marina]

Hm... Perhaps. I'll try it later, but in my size it would probably be much better. (Hint hint) ;)

[Nic Corelli]

Yes, Alexia, it IS Jake Sisko. You mean to tell me you haven`t watched all 176 episodes of DS9, at least several times? GASP!

This is when he was possessed by what seems like an evil fire ghost but is actually a highly evolved non-corporeal lifeform known as the Pah`Wraith. :mrgreen: Season 6, episode "The Reckoning". He had lovely demonic red eyes, but that doesn`t show quite in the picture, :(

And yes, Deanna! Mwahahahaha!

[catalina_marina]

I like my new wallpaper. :D

Well, I just put it in the middle, because it really doesn't look good stretched to 1280x1024. :roll:

[Alexia]

:roll: I thought you said it looked fine :wink:

[catalina_marina]

It does look fine. But not stretched. :wink:

[Alexia]

I have a new avatar. Yes, again :wink: But it has been a little while, so, forgive me? Please? :mrgreen:

But I feel I need to explain it, as both people I showed didn't get it right off.

Basically, the word "Alexia" has 3 of the same letters of the word "evil", making it three quarters of evil.

Get it now? Ok good :wink: :twisted:

When I explained it to my friend James he said, "You think too much." :mrgreen:

[danieldoof]

it reminds me a little bit of zeke's member titles :wink:

very nice avvy again

maybe I will make one myself soon.....

[Anonymous]

Oh, three/quarters evil! I was trying to find the evil quarters in your av. SIlly me.

[Saxamaphone]

That was me btw - I just forgot to sign in :P

[PointyHairedJedi]

*Rubs eyes*

Dammit, giant bananas? And I thought these pills were working so well too...

[Alexia]

It's better than seeing bananaphones... (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/bananaphone.jpg)

[PointyHairedJedi]

Ahh, Bananaphone, my old firend....

I think I may have to incorporate that song into my world domination plan, you know.

[catalina_marina]

Okay, forgot what I said in the other thread... If you do that, I might betray you after all. :roll:

[PointyHairedJedi]

It'll just be part of the plan - I haven't mentioned the Magical Trevor bit yet...

[catalina_marina]

Ooh! Fine, you're forgiven. :D

[Xeroc]

Cat just forgave PHJ!

Wait ... that's not right ... this isn't the Person Above You thread!

What was I reading?

It's better than seeing bananaphones... (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Alexia47/bananaphone.jpg)
Hee :D