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Posted on 04/01/08 00:06:40 AM |
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Xiggy
* Posts: 7 Reply |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Happy new year everyone! Quick question from a newbie - The forum won't allow me to post an image larger than 102kb which makes the image really small if I resize the file down to this size. I've noticed that some people post quite big images which would appear to be larger than 102kb - how do you manage this? Anyway, below is a link to the full sized file: http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/xiggy1313/Finished178NewYears.jpg Steve  |
Posted on 04/01/08 03:40:50 AM |
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powerslave
Custom Cobber Posts: 136 Reply |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
To achieve a smaller file size it is not so much about the physical dimensions of the picture but the compression of the JPG image. In Photoshop you can do this by choosing "Save for Web" under the "File" menu and then you can choose the compression either by the drop down box menu or a more accurate number on the right until the file size is under what you want it to be. Such as in the screen shot below.  |
Posted on 04/01/08 09:16:31 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6937 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Hope you all had a great holiday - for me, being away from the computer was the best part of it. But I see some of you have been burning the Photoshop oil late into the night... First up is a dazzling animation from tooquilos, with an ingenious solution to the old sword in the stone problem - what a great piece of work! Love the decorations, too. One small point: the knights are standing behind the table, but their feet are projecting beneath the legs supporting the front half. Oops! A classy piece of work from trev, with many nice touches - the tinsel wound around the mantelpiece supports, the flat screen TV, the can of coke on the floor. Just a couple of issues here: firstly, the two women seem to be looking some way to the left of Santa, as if someone more interesting has just come in behind him. And - you'll kick youself here - the girl in the front needs to be nudged down about 5 pixels! Aristocratic goings-on from brewell: what's the story here? It's like a Fellini movie with added surrealism. Weird! A tremendous party from Neil O, which looks like a great event - so much so that the background is almost entirely obscured. Congratulations on your first year on the Forum, Neil, and thanks for the kind thoughts! A new member just in time for the new year - and JamesB has turned in a magical scene. I like the use of the wallpaper and, especially, the rug - and the new Christmas scene is a great addition (and a great choice from the previous Challenge). When you make a fabric texture for the table top, though, you really need to flatten it a lot to give it a sense of the right perspective. Welcome to the forum, James! Intriguing work from powerslave, with a strong emphasis on optical illusions: a very tasty piece of work, this, with a David Lynch type of eeriness to it. I really enjoyed this one. You have to watch Atomicfog's video two or three times to see all that's gone into it. THe breaking masonry, the flying bricks, the swirling dust, the subtle motion of the wrecking ball - very clever work. Must have taken ages! I don't know what it is about this topic that's brought out the surrealism in so many entries: and james' entry is no exception. I like the way the woman's reflection is the wrong way round - is she slipping through the window? and the change of day effect is impressive, as is the new table (much better than that old wooden thing). Especially like the exploding haggis! My only issue here is with the unnatural blue of the tabletop at the end: watch those oversaturated colours. A beautiful Chinese scene from gaoxiguo, with great perspective on the dolls and a very neat translucent tablecloth. Great extra touches, too, such as the carved fireplace supports and the great wall painting. Very good work! Grisly work from katew = turkeys' revenge, indeed! But how are they going to reach the table, let alone carve? Good to see even turkeys are forced to eat sprouts, though. Like the new wallpaper. A fantastic scene from Steve Mac. All the characters are interacting with each other, the perspective of the people and the things on the table is spot on, and the balloons clustered around the top create a real sense of a ceiling there. Very well chosen additions here, perfectly achieved. Great stuff, Steve - this is faultless. Beautiful work from Deborah Morley, with a reconstruction of Shrek: perfect positioning of the characters, a great roaring fire in the hearth, lovely cartoon steam from the pot and even a reference to a previous challenge over the mantelpiece. Most entertaining! More weird stuff from michael sinclair, with a stone horse whofrankly looks too heavy to hover in mid air, and a cute pair of eyes opening in the ceiling. I know you've never been shy of going off-topic, Michael, but sometimes I worry about the inside of your head... Half a dozen of last year's Friday Challenges combine in josephine harvatt's entry - love the bubble-blowing girl waiting for her kiss! Good to see the crew reunited here! It looks like vibeke's family Christmas transplanted to our new room - with what I imagine is a New Zealand skyline peppered with fireworks. What a great fit to this room and what a great Christmas it must have been. I love al the stuff littering the floor, and the translucent balloons are a great touch. A very neat new year's eve scene from fngirl - great decorations, and those chairs match the table perfectly. A great selection of crockery and candle holder, with very fine shadows on the well drawn tablecloth. Sorry to hear burglars prevented us seeing the 'after' version - hope it wasn't too traumatic for you. There's one hell of a party going on at Elliott's place - a great sense of movement and excitement here. But It would be worth looking at the disparity in those skintones: the dancing woman on the table is a completely different level of saturation to everyone else in the scene. Excellent work from Xiggy, which for me is really made special by the fantastic shading on the tablecloth, giving a real sense of lighting direction. The characters in the scene fit well, although they seem to rise towards the background: remember the horizon/eyeline rule here. Lots of great details, including my mug on the waiter, the pyramid of Ferrero Rocher on the tray, the crest over the mantlepiece, and the great Happy New Year signs. But you need to watch some of your shadows: those behind the balloons are perhaps too dark (and, since they're translucent, should really be the colour of the balloons); and is that a slight shadow from the chocolate fountain on the distant wall? Great work all round - what an enjoyable way for me to start the new year! |
Posted on 04/01/08 09:51:41 AM |
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powerslave
Custom Cobber Posts: 136 Reply |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thanks Steve Holidays are good, pity its as wet as an English Summer here  |
Posted on 04/01/08 10:05:49 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2857 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thank you Steve. I hope you get over your flu. Just remember, drinks lots of water.  |
Posted on 04/01/08 10:19:01 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 678 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thanks Steve! Maybe I should have provided my turkeys with a step to reach the table! |
Posted on 04/01/08 4:22:54 PM |
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Trev
* Posts: 20 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thank You For your coments Steve. So Here we are the start Off what I hope Is another Fine Year for You all |
Posted on 04/01/08 5:38:30 PM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thanks Steve. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. |
Posted on 05/01/08 02:28:56 AM |
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brewell
Pixel Pentagrammarian Posts: 752 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
My take on New Year Resolutions for the rich and famous. What happens next is the lady is taken away and, ironically, heavily sedated. |
Posted on 05/01/08 3:48:18 PM |
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Xiggy
* Posts: 7 Reply |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Powerslave, thanks very much for your advice and the screenshot. That's great, next time I submit an image it will be bigger then a postage stamp! Thanks for your comments Steve. Point taken about the horizon and shadows. I've have a second attempt following your advice and must agree that it does look better: http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/xiggy1313/Newyear178attempt2.jpg |
Posted on 05/01/08 7:29:42 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Many thanks Steve, this was good fun. Won't be able to play for a few weeks. Gordon, all the best for being dragged out of retirement- it didn't last long did it! |
Posted on 06/01/08 4:21:54 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3883 Reply  |
Re: Contest 178: Happy New Year
Thanks Deborah, I'm still asking myself why did I retire when I was fed up with driving around the M25 only to find myself commuting to Sweden?? Gordon |
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