TCG ★ EXCHANGE →challenge three; challenge five←
Icon Banner Tutorial
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
Icon used:
Final Product:
Step One: Determine the size of the banner you wish to make. My "rule of thumb" here is for regular icon banners, make a banner 300x100 pixels big. If the banner is for a LIMS or awards community, I'll make the banner about 350x200 pixels. For this challenge, I decided to make a 300x100 banner.
Open your picture editor program of choice and open the icon file. Select File → New and create a transparent canvas in your desired dimensions (in this case, 300 pixels wide by 100 pixels high).
Step Two: Determine style for the banner. Sometimes an icon will be better presented on a banner that reflects the color scheme, however with most animanga icons, it's more of a challenge for the banner maker to try to emulate the style of the icon, usually with the original image. I decided to use that style for this banner.
Open up the original image file. If the file is large to begin with (with a zoom of 25% or so when first opened), then create a crude crop of the area you want to use in you banner. Usually you want to crop more than you'll use, with the icon's focus the general center for your first crop.
Next, zoom in closer and crop again. Narrow down the focus more, but still leave extra information just in case. Resize the image (usually I like to make the larger dimension 500 pixels first and make a final crop, but that step is optional depending on the image's original size). Make sure you resize your image so that it will fit in a 200x100 space, but as always, resize to a bit larger than that, to give yourself more of the image to work with.
Step Three: Copy and paste both the icon and the cropped original image into your transparent canvas you created in Step One. Move the images around until you are content with the layout. The icon usually should go to either one side or the other completely. Keep in mind that you may end up wanting to rearrange both images later on, but try to get the best combination to begin with (for this particular banner, I started out with the icon on the left side, but ended up moving it to the right: as I had many layers of the original image, I had to move them all together. In Photoshop, you can easily do this by selecting certain layers and "linking" them).
Step Four: Once you've got the base image for your banner, start playing with the coloring, positioning, etc. With this particular icon, as it uses duplication, recreating that effect requires a duplication of the base image layer. Line the images up to match their respective parts in the icon, with the top layer above the bottom one. Because you left extra space in your image, the top layer will cover most of the bottom half, use your eraser tool at 50% opacity to erase the part of the top layer you don't need. Use the solid horizontal line in the icon as a guide for where to stop erasing, as you don't want to get rid of too much.
Step Five: Using the Object tool, create a straight horizontal white line. Use the line in the icon as a guide for the line's height. If your line comes out fuzzy, duplicate the layer, merge the two line layers, and then choose Sharpen Edges (or Sharpen, if that option does not exist in your program).
Step Six: Adjust the color settings for the base. First, merge the two layers of the base image for easier duplication. I use a specific coloring method for most of my icons and banners, seen here in this .psd, but overall try to enhance the colors of the base. Here I used a combination of Select Color, Hue/Saturation, and a Dark Blue Exclusion layer, plus a duplicate of the base image set at Luminosity. This emphasizes the blue and the orange-yellow tones in the image.
Because the icon is black and white, however, I created another base layer and set it to black and white, adjusting the individual color settings to match the coloring in the icon. At this point I noticed that having the icon on the left created an unflattering effect on the icon, so I switched the icon to the other side. I also pasted a horizontally flipped copy of the icon beside it and erased the part of the icon containing Fai, creating the mirror effect. Finally, I lowered the opacity of the b&w layer to 90%, so as to illustrate a difference between the icon itself and the banner.
Step Seven: With the images in place, the first line of text to add is the journal name. This is probably the most important part of the banner, next to the icon itself. After going through countless script fonts, I finally settled on Plain Germanica for the name. What's important in the font selection is 1)easy to read, 2)fits the mood of the icon, and 3)is usually a thick font. Fonts that are too thin or small will not show up well, especially when making an image banner.
Because the font on its own looks flat and gets lost easily in the background image, I suggest playing with Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, and Stroke: for fonts that are in darker colors, you'll want a light colored shadow, bright glow, and light color stroke. As the font in this banner is white, I went with darker colors to contrast it. For the text here, I used a light grey-blue for the drop shadow and a blue for the outer glow (set on color burn). I ended up using the same technique for all the text, though the opacity for each effect differed.
Step Eight: Now that you have the name on the icon, you need to find a matching font that will not overshadow the font used for the name. Usually a more simple font (such as Times New Roman, Trajan Pro, etc) will go well with fonts like Plain Germanica. I'll usually create the placement (i.e. "First Place", "Mod's Choice") text next. This also should be well seen; while using the plainer font, it's usually a good idea to keep the text about the same size as the name. Sometimes making the first letter(s) of the placement text in the same font as used for the name can link the text as a whole.
Lastly, include the week and the community name in which the icon placed. This should be in the more simple font and be about half the size of the rest of the text. It should be easy to read at a glance, however.
Step Nine: Add any extra effects or textures that may enhance the banner or emulate the icon style. I chose not to use any extra textures on this banner. Don't forget to save the .psd file when you're done! The last thing you want to do is save the banner and close the file only to realize you spelled the journal name wrong.
Fanfiction
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
★ CONTEST 5 ★
→share tactics←
→license←
→h←
→expectation←
→the better housewife←
→yellow←
★ WORD COUNT ★ →1909← not including notes
Beginner's Guide to TCG
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
HOW TO SUCCEED IN TCG EXCHANGE WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Dear reader, this little guide is designed to explain everything you need to know about the science of getting ahead in tcg_exchange. Now let us assume you are friendly, eager, interested, and have plenty of spare time, prepared to collect and trade cards and anxious to master decks as you rise up the levels. You can! All you have to do is to follow the simple suggestions outlined below.
So, you are looking to join Livejournal's TCG Exchange! Before you begin, you must decide where you wish to keep your cards. Most keep their card post in their personal journal, though some choose to create a community aimed specifically at keeping their tcg_exchange posts together. Remember, if you plan on playing the game for a while, you'll want to have a system in mind beforehand. Whichever way you decide to use, make sure it's one that you will be able to easily keep organized.
Now that you've created your post, you are ready to select your first two decks. The decks you choose here are most likely going to be the ones you complete first, so choose wisely. If a number of new decks were recently released, do not go after them. You'll get a chance to go after them later, but for now you want to pick decks that at most one other person is collecting. You may want to check exchange_trade's tag list to make sure six other people aren't also accepting those cards. You're the newbie, after all, and it may take other players some time to realize that you want those cards too. (And Reader, a warning now: do not select a CLAMP deck unless you are absolutely certain you must have that deck or have checked to make sure only one other person is looking for that deck. And steer clear of ise).
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
Icon used:
Final Product:
Step One: Determine the size of the banner you wish to make. My "rule of thumb" here is for regular icon banners, make a banner 300x100 pixels big. If the banner is for a LIMS or awards community, I'll make the banner about 350x200 pixels. For this challenge, I decided to make a 300x100 banner.
Open your picture editor program of choice and open the icon file. Select File → New and create a transparent canvas in your desired dimensions (in this case, 300 pixels wide by 100 pixels high).
Step Two: Determine style for the banner. Sometimes an icon will be better presented on a banner that reflects the color scheme, however with most animanga icons, it's more of a challenge for the banner maker to try to emulate the style of the icon, usually with the original image. I decided to use that style for this banner.
Open up the original image file. If the file is large to begin with (with a zoom of 25% or so when first opened), then create a crude crop of the area you want to use in you banner. Usually you want to crop more than you'll use, with the icon's focus the general center for your first crop.
Next, zoom in closer and crop again. Narrow down the focus more, but still leave extra information just in case. Resize the image (usually I like to make the larger dimension 500 pixels first and make a final crop, but that step is optional depending on the image's original size). Make sure you resize your image so that it will fit in a 200x100 space, but as always, resize to a bit larger than that, to give yourself more of the image to work with.
Step Three: Copy and paste both the icon and the cropped original image into your transparent canvas you created in Step One. Move the images around until you are content with the layout. The icon usually should go to either one side or the other completely. Keep in mind that you may end up wanting to rearrange both images later on, but try to get the best combination to begin with (for this particular banner, I started out with the icon on the left side, but ended up moving it to the right: as I had many layers of the original image, I had to move them all together. In Photoshop, you can easily do this by selecting certain layers and "linking" them).
Step Four: Once you've got the base image for your banner, start playing with the coloring, positioning, etc. With this particular icon, as it uses duplication, recreating that effect requires a duplication of the base image layer. Line the images up to match their respective parts in the icon, with the top layer above the bottom one. Because you left extra space in your image, the top layer will cover most of the bottom half, use your eraser tool at 50% opacity to erase the part of the top layer you don't need. Use the solid horizontal line in the icon as a guide for where to stop erasing, as you don't want to get rid of too much.
Step Five: Using the Object tool, create a straight horizontal white line. Use the line in the icon as a guide for the line's height. If your line comes out fuzzy, duplicate the layer, merge the two line layers, and then choose Sharpen Edges (or Sharpen, if that option does not exist in your program).
Step Six: Adjust the color settings for the base. First, merge the two layers of the base image for easier duplication. I use a specific coloring method for most of my icons and banners, seen here in this .psd, but overall try to enhance the colors of the base. Here I used a combination of Select Color, Hue/Saturation, and a Dark Blue Exclusion layer, plus a duplicate of the base image set at Luminosity. This emphasizes the blue and the orange-yellow tones in the image.
Because the icon is black and white, however, I created another base layer and set it to black and white, adjusting the individual color settings to match the coloring in the icon. At this point I noticed that having the icon on the left created an unflattering effect on the icon, so I switched the icon to the other side. I also pasted a horizontally flipped copy of the icon beside it and erased the part of the icon containing Fai, creating the mirror effect. Finally, I lowered the opacity of the b&w layer to 90%, so as to illustrate a difference between the icon itself and the banner.
Step Seven: With the images in place, the first line of text to add is the journal name. This is probably the most important part of the banner, next to the icon itself. After going through countless script fonts, I finally settled on Plain Germanica for the name. What's important in the font selection is 1)easy to read, 2)fits the mood of the icon, and 3)is usually a thick font. Fonts that are too thin or small will not show up well, especially when making an image banner.
Because the font on its own looks flat and gets lost easily in the background image, I suggest playing with Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, and Stroke: for fonts that are in darker colors, you'll want a light colored shadow, bright glow, and light color stroke. As the font in this banner is white, I went with darker colors to contrast it. For the text here, I used a light grey-blue for the drop shadow and a blue for the outer glow (set on color burn). I ended up using the same technique for all the text, though the opacity for each effect differed.
Step Eight: Now that you have the name on the icon, you need to find a matching font that will not overshadow the font used for the name. Usually a more simple font (such as Times New Roman, Trajan Pro, etc) will go well with fonts like Plain Germanica. I'll usually create the placement (i.e. "First Place", "Mod's Choice") text next. This also should be well seen; while using the plainer font, it's usually a good idea to keep the text about the same size as the name. Sometimes making the first letter(s) of the placement text in the same font as used for the name can link the text as a whole.
Lastly, include the week and the community name in which the icon placed. This should be in the more simple font and be about half the size of the rest of the text. It should be easy to read at a glance, however.
Step Nine: Add any extra effects or textures that may enhance the banner or emulate the icon style. I chose not to use any extra textures on this banner. Don't forget to save the .psd file when you're done! The last thing you want to do is save the banner and close the file only to realize you spelled the journal name wrong.
Fanfiction
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
★ CONTEST 5 ★
→share tactics←
→license←
→h←
→expectation←
→the better housewife←
→yellow←
★ WORD COUNT ★ →1909← not including notes
Beginner's Guide to TCG
Submission by terza_teabeef [posted by alternate journal]
HOW TO SUCCEED IN TCG EXCHANGE WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Dear reader, this little guide is designed to explain everything you need to know about the science of getting ahead in tcg_exchange. Now let us assume you are friendly, eager, interested, and have plenty of spare time, prepared to collect and trade cards and anxious to master decks as you rise up the levels. You can! All you have to do is to follow the simple suggestions outlined below.
So, you are looking to join Livejournal's TCG Exchange! Before you begin, you must decide where you wish to keep your cards. Most keep their card post in their personal journal, though some choose to create a community aimed specifically at keeping their tcg_exchange posts together. Remember, if you plan on playing the game for a while, you'll want to have a system in mind beforehand. Whichever way you decide to use, make sure it's one that you will be able to easily keep organized.
Now that you've created your post, you are ready to select your first two decks. The decks you choose here are most likely going to be the ones you complete first, so choose wisely. If a number of new decks were recently released, do not go after them. You'll get a chance to go after them later, but for now you want to pick decks that at most one other person is collecting. You may want to check exchange_trade's tag list to make sure six other people aren't also accepting those cards. You're the newbie, after all, and it may take other players some time to realize that you want those cards too. (And Reader, a warning now: do not select a CLAMP deck unless you are absolutely certain you must have that deck or have checked to make sure only one other person is looking for that deck. And steer clear of ise).