AzureWolf

Haha, that's nice. Yeah, the cropping really hurts the idea, though. Those are some cool effects, but some suffer from the bad cropping. Considering this is from paint, of course it's impressive. I don't like the b&w Elk, though: he's too messy. Everything else is kind of well-executed. I think the program is what held you back from making this any better.

As I went down this thread and looking at each wallpaper, I noticed how your cropping kept improving. It's very nice, but there's always a little white debris. Spend a [I]little[/I] more time cropping to remove those little white things, and your wallpapers will be top-notch. I really liked the Escaflowne, but that white debris around Hitomi at the left was distracting. The Sessomaru (sp?) one is my favorite out of these, because you cropped it well, and the background is just killer. Interesting reflection effect you have at the bottom, might I add. Oh, and for that second wallpaper, I think it would be cooler if you did that reflection thing with the center pic as well (you know, how there's an upside-down version of the side pics). If you aligned it properly, I think it would be a neat effect.

[quote]I've never heard of.... whatever it's a wallpaper of.[/quote] Haha, that's so unexpected to hear from someone who has a banner and avi of Rosette (who is from Chrno Crusade). :) And the difference between the first two is the CC logo's position, shadows on the effects, and sharpness of stock pic. I appreciate everyone's replies (yes, even H.Zero's). Again, this wallpaper is for a contest, so I'd like to address all problems anyone has with it. I tried doing everything everyone suggested, with the exception of getting rid of the fireflies thingy and uncentering the CC logo again (make up your minds) - I didn't bother with those. There wasn't any reasoning behind removing the fireflies ("it's ugly" doesn't cut it: does it conflict with the picture, is it too distracting? How is it ugly?), and I don't see what's so bad about having the logo centered. I liked it the way it was positioned originally too, Baron, but is it [I]THAT[/I] bad centered? Oh, and I tried using only one of the several kinds of snowflakes available instead of the others, but I didn't like it. I'll see how using only one of the other kinds looks when I get a chance. Mimmi, I shifted the background around to so it doesn't look like he's getting sucked into anything. I really can't move him except to either the far right or left. Here's the stock picture, which should also address all picture quality issues: [IMG]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Chrno%20Dec.%20Contest.jpg[/IMG] So yeah, as you can see, it will show where his wings cut off from the picture if I moved him around anymore. I even had to remake some parts of his wings because of the text. I did try what you said, and I like the CC logo placed at the bottom right, but it looks too weird without Chrno shifted to the left as well. Also, if any of you can enhance that picture better than what I've tried, that would be greatly appreciated. :) Alright, I couldn't decide on certain aspects of the picture (and whether or not I made the wallpaper better or worse), so here are four versions. Which one is the best one, the one I should continue improving on? [I] Limited FTP space. All Wallpapers removed as of 12/31.[/I] Again, thanks for the surprising amount of help.

I don't know... I can't think of two anime series or movies that were ultimately similar: I just haven't watched those kinds of anime, I guess. What genre do you see look-alikes in mostly, out of curiousity?

I don't see what's wrong with the [B]firefly things[/B], Hittokiri Zero, especially since you don't mention why they need to go, so I'm going to keep them. I like how they are wrapping around Chrno. :p As for the "Is it Snowing?" quote, that's supposed to be what Chrno is thinking/saying, which was the intention... Any ideas on how to make it seem like he's saying it? I got rid of the shadows as prescribed. Yeah, I did realize they stand out too much, but it looked cool. :D Thanks Haruno Sakura. I took out some of those firefly things as you suggested. It does it look better now, IMO. Hittokiri Zero, thanks for the suggestions too, but, as I said, I can't be held responsible for the quality of the stock picture: it was a given thing that needed to be put in the wallpaper for the contest. And could you clarify what this means? [quote]Possibly move the Chrno Crusade text up some more? As for the "Is it snowing" text it actually looks okay but it's kinda of just "bleh" because of the way the rest of the wallpaper turned out..."[/quote] And Kieko, I fixed the blurriness of the character - I think. So, everyone, are there still problems or did I address what you were talking about? EDIT: Oops, yeah, I forgot: I used a red shade on everything else except the background because the background was blue and I wanted everything else to stand out more. Not a good idea, huh? Should I give everything a blue luster to it, then?

Well, I finally did it! I made a wallpaper! Good God, these are hard to do! The character is from Chrno Crusade, which is also where my avatar, banner, and myOtaku pic are from. As those of you who read my myOtaku know, I can't do depth, so instead of my initial meadow idea, I had to go with an abstract background. Everything else is roughly the same concept, including the quote. Be has critical as possible, as this was made for a CC contest! :) You had to take that stock picture of Chrno holding that head and make a wallpaper. Questions and comments (good and bad) are all welcomed. [I]While I'm at it, I'd appreciate comments about my banner and avi if you have the time.[/I]

Hey! I use Earthlink as well! See? [url]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/[/url] Forget 250free, you've definately got a more reliable FTP space. All you have to do is upload your banner there and you'll be on your way.

[quote]The music has sort of a tribe feel to it. I especially like the beginning and ending theme songs. Mostly the ending theme song because I love it so much. The tribe like sound effects and music was odd at first, but that's what makes Naruto, Naruto.[/quote] Haha, that's cute. It's actually closer to Traditional Japanese music, which was the intention. I say "closer to" because they use more modern instruments in some of the songs. Besides that, the styling is Tradition Japanese.

Well, unless the shape is different, I dont' see why not. Imported games always worked before the days of the CD, so I think it's safe to say that you can play imports with GBA.

That's certainly one of your best works. It's very interesting. That grey blob thingy in the front seems pointless, though. The background is certainly the main attraction: it's very... groovy?

Blasphemy! You are going the way of the Senny! Anyway, I think you are getting better, and shouldn't be discouraged that there's tons of room for improvement. Keep experimenting with PS and you'll do fine. Always experiment with effects and tools and think to yourself, "What can I do with this?" I still find most of the PS stuff useless, so I'm still learning. :D Besides that, I have a different problem with the pictures: they are too small. I don't even get the quote, haha. Also, why is the middle picture half-cut?

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hack Helba [/i] [B][size=1]Wow you all said that the making out was disturbing and people shouldnt have to see that but, would you think so if you were the ones doing it? I never see my girlfriend outside of school, so schools the only place we can do anything.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] Interesting... You ever wonder why you never see her outside school, as if this relationship could be serving as only a distraction from school? I'm sorry to sound rude, but "see each other only at school" makes your relationship seem pretty shallow. There's very little reason not to see her after school, or even treat her to a dinner once in a while, if she's really important to you. If you are making out "only at school," I highly suggest you take a good look at your life and get your goals in order.

What service do you guys use? There are a ton of ISPs that give each user a 2 MB FTP space, so you should check if your ISP does too. I've never had a problem with that FTP space either.

Yes, it would be very "smurfin'" if we all did. I don't know which school you go to, but here in NJ, pretty much anything goes. It's not that people are so accepting, just that we prefer to see how stupid people can get. I mean, women's clothing on a guy is pretty disturbing when you first see it, but you get a good laugh from it later. Any attire that doesn't reek of "I'm an idiot and I want to express things that other people would prefer not to know about" is ok in my book. You can wear 60s clothing for all I care - that's ok with me, but if you like to wear women's clothing...

Sometimes (rarely), I see members who have "unregistered" as their title. Who are these members? I thought we couldn't post until registering. Also, I could have sworn that I've seen "guest" as a title. I'm asking publicly because I bet other people are wondering as well.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hittokiri Zero [/i] [B]Oh yes then there are other shows that you watch the beginning and think hey this might be good then they drag on forever and ever XD. *Has flashback to 5th grade when he liked Pokemon and DBZ* :P. [/B][/QUOTE] Yes, well, you've ever heard of the phrase, "All good things must come to an end?" Unfortunately, Pokemon, DBZ, and Yugioh never figured that out...

Sophomore year in high school, playing baseball. Teacher kept saying to "bend yer knees, bend yer knees." Well, I bent my knees to catch the ball that was going to go past my legs, and bent a little too much... My friends said I lost all color on my face for a good 15 minutes. The teacher let me go when she saw I had some red back in my cheeks. Even worse, I was late for class, and the teacher was laughing at me when I entered. She said, "your classmates told me what happened. hahahaha!" -_-

Yeah, Boba Fett is right, IMO. Why bother coming to school if you aren't going for the education? Really, just get a room. I find it ridiculous that people are going to SCHOOL to do this nonsense. It's S-C-H-O-O-L, not M-O-T-E-L. If that's your reason for going to school, then by all means, you deserve any course of action they give you. It's no different than making out with someone while making a presentation or during a job interview. There's a time and a place for these things, and it's certainly not in front of other people. I'm fine with the hug or kiss on the cheek before parting, though. Making out, though, that's taking it too far.

[quote]And I was thinking, if you need a banner, you go to a place where they can customize them or make you a new one, not the other way around.[/quote] That's exactly what [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=59]this place[/url] is for, is it not? And aren't you contradicting yourself, since you made this thread that is, in your own words, "the other way around?"

What's not to make sense in that, Kent? Haha, it's a very coherent comment. Anyway, yes, "first impressions are lasting." For anime, this fact stands out even more. Why? Because it's hard to find an unbiased review/outlook on an anime. Anime has just not gotten that kind of coverage. You will always find someone shocked that Website X gave a score higher for NEW_ANIME_HERE than Cowboy Bebop or EVA, and to "correct" the score, that person gives an extraordinarily low score to the series. The most blatant (and my favorite) example is currently down, or else I'd give you a link... :( Until everyone can accept that the "golden age of anime" is not in the past, but possibly in the future (or even present), I don't think reviews are a reliable source for anime recommendations. In short, I'm one of the few who believes that the anime classics will be the anime we are watching now, or will watch in the future. Boy, what a tangent. The point is, reviews are useless for anime, so you have to fall back on something else. You can't watch every anime all the way through (although my best friend begs to differ), so you gotta go with the ones that [B]immediately[/B] say to you, "I'm a bloody classic, watch me." For example, I was a little skeptical about the concept of "nuns with guns" for Chrno Crusade, but the first episode blew me away. Awesome art and animation, magnificent presentation (the opening and ending are beautiful), dynamic and amiable characters, perfect soundtrack, and a story that captures your interest from the get-go. Although the series' comical edge is changing to a more serious atmosphere, it's still one of the best anime series I've seen, and I can say that with only 5 episodes released. I also do watch a series because I've liked what the studio has been doing, as is the case with Avenger. It's a disappointment, but it's gotten better as I've watched more - not great, but still improving. Unlike their previous works of .hack//SIGN and Noir, Bee Train's Avenger does not have an entrancing first episode. Still, it's Bee Train, so I'm going to follow the series all the way to it's ending - luckily being only the 12th or 13th episode. :) Additionally, having friends who have similar tastes and watch more than you is also a good reference. Nonetheless, the first episode is probably the most important factor to an anime. It introduces you to a variety of things. First off, it introduces you to the concept. Let's use Naruto as an example. You figure out from the first five minutes that the series is about a ninja village who has a michieveous ninja Naruto, who is also the kid who has a demon sealed inside him. I love ninjas, so it's a shoo-in for me already. Second, it introduces you to the characters. If you don't like the characters, you probably aren't going to like the series. Finally, the first episode also shows you the angle/presentation/that special thing of the series that makes it special, unique, or interesting. Naruto has that "magic," and the first episode abused it successfully. I'd say what it is, but I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't started watching the series yet (and it's [B]not[/B] Naruto's "special" technique). Man, it's been so long since there's been anything to discuss, so forgive my long, drawn-out, off-topic post. :o

[quote]And why dont you like Sasuke?[/quote] Well, I might have to rescind my statement about Sasuke soon, but I didn't like him initially because he was so conceited. Also, his actions and intentions make you wonder why he's considered "a genius." As for Neji, I hate him for the same reason you do. You just don't do that to innocence: that's the epitome of wrong. And yes, Hinata's awesome because of the reason you mentioned. [quote] How old are Gaara, Sasuke, and Kakashi supposed to be?[/quote] Kakashi's an enigma, as far as I know. I guess his age is yet another mystery. The most we know about him is that any girl will instantly fall in love with him if she saw his face. :) Gaara and Sasuke are 12/13 (they become thirteen at one point in the Chuunin exam). We know Sasuke's age because he's as old as Naruto, and [I]"12 years ago, the navel of a [B]newborn[/B] baby was used to seal the nine-tails demon."[/I] We know Gaara's age because of a similar story-telling (I don't think you are up to that part, though).

My initial plan was to get into John Hopkins U. and high-tail it out of New Jersey. That didn't go as well as I planned, so I'm just trying my best not to screw up when it counts (which is now). Heh, I think people can do anything they want. Everyone's a "genius," but people just have varying degrees of laziness. That's what separates the successful from the failures. Whatever you do, I urge you to not to get lazy or rest during the schooltime. I did that during my first school year in college, and I became what I always feared: a B student. From my experience, you are lazier when you live in a dorm than when you commute. Thought I'd put that in there since I can't really comment on the topic directly. Wow I sound old...

You, an expert artist, is asking me? :therock: Well, what else is there to save it as except .jpg and .png? Both of those support 256+ colors.

I know exactly what the problem is: those three letters at the end of the filename. It's lost a lot of its aesthetic appeal as a GIF, I would say. Why did you save it as so? I don't think 256 colors is enough for this wallpaper. Besides that, I don't see any problem.

Whoa... Ryu_Sakura, what's with the big disclaimer? Haha, no one is going to kill you! :) I can't say I've ever seen a "Merry Christmas" that didn't involve presents, so I'm going to have to go with the Dexter's Lab answer and say it's all about the presents. If you're a person who has truly enjoyed one Christmas without any material items, I MIGHT believe another meaning to define this hollow holiday.