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Posted on 18/08/07 11:52:09 AM |
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Paul 2007 thru 2010
Lego Legend Posts: 361 Reply |
Friday Challenge lost direction?
I thought the whole point to Steve's book and the Friday Challenge was to "cheat" in Photoshop. Make things that fool people into thinking they are real situations and not a photo montage. Instead of people concentrating on one image and doing a good job they seem to prefer to spend their time making up animations. There are a few people that still pride themselves on doing excellent work, but not many. I do not class my own Photoshop "skills" as anything more than beginner level, but I find it hard to get inspiration from others' work. |
Posted on 19/08/07 03:12:05 AM |
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dirtdoctor23
Guest Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Sorry to dissapoint you Paul, but there is more to photoshop than just making unreal photos look real. But if thats what your looking for maybe you should find a forum that offers just that. Expressing ones art comes in many forms. Including animations. And art is subjective. What appeals to one may not appeal to another. I think you should learn to take the good with the "bad" as you may consider it. If you can find any inspiration at all in any of the friday challenges then you should be appreciative of it. After all it isn't costing you anything. I think the whole idea here is to learn from each other. Not to condemn those who we may not agree with. (Michael, a little strong on the reply!! huh??) funny though!! lol 
Neil _________________ "I haven't failed.... I've found 10,000 ways that don't work!" Thomas Edison |
Posted on 19/08/07 05:05:28 AM |
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Tom
Texture Technologist Posts: 402 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Hey Paul, You may enjoy reading the chapter, "Making It Move", in Steve's book. |
Posted on 19/08/07 11:22:51 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
From what I remember in the subtitle to the book (I've got 3rd Edition, but have lent it to my daughter), it's about how to make photomontages. These come in all sorts of forms. I find a great deal of inspiration in others' work here, both the static and the animated work. I'm still quite a beginner myself, and I'm in awe of some of the work I see here. _________________ Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up ... |
Posted on 19/08/07 1:22:26 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4033 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
EVERYTHING done in Photoshop is part of a learning curve that makes us all better. So far as animation is concerned I had never done one until the 'London Olympic Logo' Challenge. I learned a lot about that particular aspect of Photoshop from that and I have been using Photoshop since V.4! |
Posted on 20/08/07 07:28:19 AM |
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12noon
* Posts: 13 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
I'm new here, so can't say too much, but i like the photo realistic stills better than the animated pictures. 
As for the London Olympic logo. I loved the one where someone had put the hoops over the new peg shaped building. |
Posted on 27/08/07 11:47:10 AM |
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Tabitha
Feline Foto Fanatic Posts: 221 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Hi Paul Just so that you know, yr not alone. I became a member of this forum far too many years ago, when there were prob only a dozen or so of us registered. If you look back at when the Friday Challenges began you will see they were about using the skills you learnt in the book and constructing something photorealistic... as the title of the book states! I suppose pride was taken in making them and maybe people would submit one.. or maybe two posts max. Feedback was given and we learnt. I discovered my joy at making photorealistic montages again a couple of months ago after family commitments had kept me away for a while and couldnt wait to get back to this site... sadly to discover that the forum has been taken over by Flash!! There is nothing wrong with Flash, with animation etc... when done well they are amazing and a joy to admire, progression is a natural state of mankind and of course they demand a place here! I couldnt help but notice though that there were animations done, purly for the sake of doing an animation! Some well below the capabilities and skills of that person! Seemed that the joke was more important than the quality? Now I feel sure that I will take all sorts of retributions from fellow forum members who lets face it become a little 'precious' about their animations.. but TBH it doesnt matter! This is the first time I have logged into this site for weeks because I was so bored with the blah blah every week... and it has become even worse, so thankyou Paul for starting this thread. At least I know I am not the only one. One last note.... Michael, everyone is entitled to an opinion and Paul has (very bravely) aired his. He could have easily walked away like I did. Bringing that opinion down with childish, schoolboy humour shows a total lack of respect for your fellow members.... A picture tells a thousand words, I dont think a public forum is quite the place to repeat the few that yours brings to mind. _________________ "A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Herm Albright. |
Posted on 27/08/07 1:41:33 PM |
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powerslave
Custom Cobber Posts: 136 Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Anyone can have an opinion but who are they to say that only a few take pride in their work and those doing animations obviously dont? They probably put alot of work into them and enjoy them just as much as the other so called proud people. |
Posted on 27/08/07 4:32:49 PM |
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Tabitha
Feline Foto Fanatic Posts: 221 Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
powerslave, I get your point and TBH what you say is absolutly correct. Any piece that effort and work has been put into is worth it, but as I said in my post, posts are submitted that is well below the skill level of the person who submitted it? If this were a site where the main object is the joke or pun of the image then no probs... but as far as I understood, it isnt. It is about learning from an absolutly amazing and fantastic book the art of creating photorealistic montages.. both still and animated! _________________ "Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." Rich Cook. |
Posted on 28/08/07 00:50:00 AM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Open your minds. There is room for both, and there is nothing wrong with having a little fun while learning. |
Posted on 28/08/07 02:59:47 AM |
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Pierre
Constructional Confabulator Posts: 637 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Been around here for about a year and a half now. I seem to remember a discusison about something of the kind a while back. I must say that I am more going along the lines of Dave.cox. There is room for both animations and images, asthere is in the book (and Tabitha was clearly in agreement here). I must also admit that I am sometimes annoyed by some images OR animations that are made purely for the sake of the joke, without the quality effort that the vast majority of the forum members put into their posts. When you look at people's work after a while, you can see where they are great and where they struggle and get better. I really enjoy those, independently of the skill level. I guess it is the teacher in me (I used to teach in another life). But some of our members sometimes go too far away from the assignment for the sake of a joke and, again, that bugs me. And some do it more then others, in animations or still images. Nonetheless I love this place and we are lucky to be able to express our opinion like this without having a moderator that kills the thread. Keyword here is respect. Respect what the site is for (learning) and respect what others are saying and the opinion they have. Steve does it all the time. _________________ |
Posted on 28/08/07 04:02:09 AM |
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dirtdoctor23
Guest Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Pierre, I agree with you and Dave completely!! Thanks for the comment. Well said! 
Neil _________________ "I haven't failed.... I've found 10,000 ways that don't work!" Thomas Edison |
Posted on 28/08/07 08:13:21 AM |
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Whaler
Visual Viking Posts: 330 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
You're right about that, Pierre. I, for one, was part of that discussion at the time. But enough about that. I have a suggestion that might solve the matter and that would be to branch out the Friday Challenge to have one branch for animations and one for still images. The challenges could still have the same topic for both branches but anyone interested in either could have their own dedicated challenge. This way, those more interested in animations could look at their branch and those more interested in still images could look at their's. Still, all entries would be there for all to see. I don't think this involves more work for Steve to comment on all the entries as long as the members refrained from (or were not allowed to) enter in both branches the same week. Would this solution make everybody happy?  _________________ Only in my brightest moments I understand myself |
Posted on 28/08/07 12:51:33 PM |
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Wayne
Printer’s Devil Posts: 312 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Just a belated two penn'orth, as I was away on holiday when this thread started. Of course Paul has the right to air his opinion on animations. In fact I, too, prefer the photo-realistic still images. But that is just my choice. And until Steve sets a challenge that says we MUST use animation, I probably will never do one! But I still check out all the other member's posts every week, whether they are still or animated. I appreciate the skill and imagination that went into the creation of the animations, and some of them are hilarious! If the animations offend, then it's easy to just skip over them (even easier when there's a link, just don't click it). Whaler, that's a great idea if it could be set up. Finally, Tabitha, it would be a shame if you didn't post any more. From what I've seen of your work you have a lot to offer the forum. Staying away would be a bit like not turning up at work because you believed another person wasn't doing their job as well as you could! |
Posted on 28/08/07 2:35:13 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Well, this has been an interesting thread. (Michael, I removed your submission, as the initial observation deserves more serious consideration.) While the Friday Challenge was, indeed, intended to be a way for forum members to extend their Photoshop skills, I never wanted to create a straitjacket. As long as everyone's enjoying using Photoshop and stretching their abilities, then that's as it should be: and we've certainly seen some huge improvements in technique from many members. I recognize that many of you don't like the animations, and see them as being frivolous and off-topic. Well, perhaps that's so; but it takes skill and ingenuity to create these, and as we've seen from tooquilos' recent entries, a great deal of effort and imagination has gone into them. But yes, the Friday Challenge has recently taken a turn towards the purely imaginative, at the expense of pure Photoshop technique. So I'm going to attempt to alternate the themes from now on, mixing in more technical challenges along with the purely creative ones. This week's contest, on creating water reflections, is more old-school, and should appeal more to those who want to stretch their abilities in this way. But if anyone wants to explore the more imaginative side of it at the same time, I certainly wouldn't discourage them from doing so. Whaler's suggestion is a good one, but I'm not sure it's practical. So I think we'll continue with the Friday Challenge as it is, with more pure technique stuff as well as the purely creative. Thanks for starting this debate off, Paul. But as dave cox says: there is room for both. |
Posted on 29/08/07 01:04:37 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2902 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Thank you Steve for clarifying and hopefully putting an end to this Lazarian thread that just keeps resurrecting periodically.
Ill reiterate my previous comments from other posts and thank you again for providing such a wonderful forum and the opportunity to learn from extremely skilled and talented people. Regardless of whether they create jpegs or gifs. Take a bit from both and learn. This is a place of fun and education. Lets treasure it and keep it as such. Anna  |
Posted on 29/08/07 9:59:52 PM |
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Paul 2007 thru 2010
Lego Legend Posts: 361 Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
I am sorry if my opinion upset anyone. That was not the intention. I think because I am not very creative, I used to prefer the more technical challenges. Animations by their nature require a more creative mind than that needed just pushing pixels about. My favorite challenge was the Matrix one. Making up an image from zeros and ones in a grid but keeping each digit wholly one colour. That really stretched my mind and made me learn some photoshop techniques I'd not tried before. A challenge very much more technical than arty. The object of my post was not for Steve to say "Yes you are right, from now on GIFS are banned". Of course not. I was just saying what I thought, as we all are entitled to. An interesting adult discussion arose from it so it was a positive result. |
Posted on 30/08/07 08:46:47 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
Yes, indeed. I'm particularly pleased that you brought this issue up, rather than simply abandoning the forum. But was this week's Challenge not to your taste? |
Posted on 30/08/07 10:32:31 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
I like this idea, Steve. I'm trying to get a business going for restoring and repairing photos, so the technical ones will be right up my street. But I do enjoy doing the more 'creative' ones as well, so alternating them seems good to me. |
Posted on 30/08/07 4:47:49 PM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply  |
Re: Friday Challenge lost direction?
More technical challenges works for me too! _________________ Steve Mac |