Art Second banner attempt

[Zephyr]

After a long wait I have finally found the time to finish my second banner. The background is not as dark as the last one, so the pictures do not seem as bright as last time. I also used another version of Photoshop that had more options then the last one.

You may noticed a small border around the corner pictures. For that I used a section of the background and placed it behind the pictures of Aura. This keeps it from having the "pasted over the background" look that the last one had (and gave me a chance to test out a few things).

So, comments and complaints are welcome.


[b]EDIT:[/b] Okay, I have altered the original banner and attachted the new version. Hopefully it will work better.

[b]Double Edit:[/b] Just a small edit this time. I changed the color of the left side text so that it did not seem so dark anymore.

[Meteora]

[color=666666][size=1][i]This is a good banner cept for a few things. One the pics are too blurry. 2 the text is too hard to read. Thats all I can see right now. Fix those and it willlook better. Much better. FOr now the rateing is 5/10.[/color][/size][/i]

[Baron Samedi]

Hhhhmmm. I will be honest.... I don't like it. The picture in the middle is.... not good quality. The text could be improved, the background could be plainer. The layout is good though. I advise a bit of remodelling. Nice try! 4/10

[Guest Magdalena]

Try making everything fit nicely, and not use all the colors of the rainbow. Better quality would be nicer and the light behind the chicky seems kind of corny =/

[Zephyr]

Why does this site insist on making my pictures so much darker when I post them? The entire thing looked perfectly fine on two of my computers, but is way too dark on here.


[QUOTE]This is a good banner cept for a few things. One the pics are too blurry. 2 the text is too hard to read. Thats all I can see right now. Fix those and it willlook better. Much better. FOr now the rateing is 5/10.[/QUOTE]


Hmm, you are right about the blurry pics. I guess I will have to adjust that. As for the text, it would be easy to read if the boards did not make everything so dark when it was attached.


[QUOTE]Hhhhmmm. I will be honest.... I don't like it. The picture in the middle is.... not good quality. The text could be improved, the background could be plainer. The layout is good though. I advise a bit of remodelling. Nice try! 4/10[/QUOTE]


Wish I could do something about the center pic, but that was the best quality I could find. Pictures of Aura from the games are hard to come by, and good ones are even harder. I prefer the background to not be too plain, which is why I chose a pic that had some texture to it. Anyway, I kinda like the effect that the background gives to the pic (even if I am the only one).


[QUOTE]Try making everything fit nicely, and not use all the colors of the rainbow. Better quality would be nicer and the light behind the chicky seems kind of corny =/[/QUOTE]


I hope you will notice though that I kept the colors down to a minimum, and left them darker to add a certain effect to them. As for the lens flare behind the center Aura, that is meant to show that she is an important part of the series she came from. Also, it gives the image that she is pushing back the darkness behind her.

[DemonzDragoon]

Sorry everyone, but my comp. shows it differently.
I think its great. Except for Aura, who is alittle blurry.
For a second banner, I think its pretty good.
Plus, you picked the best phrase for it.
I'll give it....7.5/10

Anyways, if your using paint, or word, theres your problem.
I made a banner like that once, and it was perfectly fine,
until I posted it! Good Job!

[Haze]

honestly. . . i love it. all of you are correct when you said that the pics are blurry but that is fixable. also i like all teh color. the background and the center picture have that amazing thype effect added in. good g.e. i would advise that you change the color of your text. . . i like the quote tho. its very very good. is that only your second banner?? wow. check out my thread. . . i've been makin banners for like 1 1/2 months now and mine still suck. but with work and time i am sure you will turn into another kaola su. (f.y.i. Su is my hero!!! look at all her banners if you would. they rock so much. i wanna be like her! *sighs*)

[Zephyr]

[QUOTE]Sorry everyone, but my comp. shows it differently. I think its great. Except for Aura, who is alittle blurry.[/QUOTE]


That may be because you were viewing the edited version. I have changed the design again, but have still not worked out the problem with the letter at the top being too dark to read. The center Aura is blurry now because of my attempt to take away the grainy look. To be honest the blurry looks better then it would look if I tried to sharpen it (which just returns a grainy look).


[QUOTE]Anyways, if your using paint, or word, theres your problem.[/QUOTE]


Actually, I am using Photoshop. I guess I will just have to learn to keep my banners light so that it compensates for the change on the forums.


[QUOTE]i would advise that you change the color of your text. . . i like the quote tho. its very very good.[/QUOTE]


Yeah, the text color is giving me a headache. Everytime I change it it does not look good enough to see (unless it is just me). I am trying to think of a lighter color that would work, but blue and red are the only ones that seem to fit with the background and characters.


[QUOTE]is that only your second banner?? wow. check out my thread. . . i've been makin banners for like 1 1/2 months now and mine still suck.[/QUOTE]


Just remember to give it time. Once you get the hang of things and find your rhythm it will all fall into place. :)

[Baron Samedi]

It looks better now, it is just a shame about the centre picture. Personally, I prefer plainer backgrounds, but it is still good.

[Guest Magdalena]

Why use bevel and shadow on such a large font? The fonts and colors stick out like a sore thumb...

[Dagger]

Hmm. I like the idea, but the anime and game images don't blend very well. If you can, I would suggest finding a game character sketch, or a less fuzzy image (such as the one in your avatar).

The background is eye-catching and creative, but it would look better if you used a simpler font for your text. The font effects yoru have right now detract a little from the rest of the picture.

Aura is a fairly colorless character (that's a weird way of putting it...), so you might want to consider toning down the background a little, just to see how it looks. Right now, it overwhelms the pictures of her a little bit.

Anyway, great effort. It's a lovely second banner. ^__^

~Dagger~

[Zephyr]

[QUOTE]Why use bevel and shadow on such a large font? The fonts and colors stick out like a sore thumb...[/QUOTE]


Just as a test really. There are still things in Photoshop that I have never tried, so I just play around with things. I was hoping the Bevel/Emboss would look better, but *shrugs*.


[QUOTE]Hmm. I like the idea, but the anime and game images don't blend very well. If you can, I would suggest finding a game character sketch, or a less fuzzy image (such as the one in your avatar). [/QUOTE]


I originally planned on using a character sketch, but since most sketches are just a basic design they do not look quite as good. As for the pic in my avi, I wanted to avoid using that since the original picture (front of .Hack//Infection) had characters blocking the infinity (sideways 8) on Aura's collar. I will do more searching for pics and will hopefully find better sketches for the next banner.


[QUOTE]Aura is a fairly colorless character (that's a weird way of putting it...), so you might want to consider toning down the background a little, just to see how it looks. Right now, it overwhelms the pictures of her a little bit.[/QUOTE]


A weird way to put it, but still and apt description. In truth I am almost worried that the center Aura overwhelms the background due to the brightness of the pic, and the lens flare. I suppose I see things differently then most people though, because I think the background is perfect (then again, I am a bit strange). I will have to consider that for the next one.

[AzureWolf]

My only beef with the banner is the middle picture. I'm guessing the things that the other people were complaining about was addressed in your edits, huh? In any case, I think the background and Aura blend in fine (everything goes with white). However, that middle Aura has issues: she's like anorexic or something, and she's got jaggies. If you can do nothing else, at least blur her, as it will be more friendly to the eyes.

Besides that, very awesome job. Where's the border? ;)

[Zephyr]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by AzureWolf [/i]
[B]My only beef with the banner is the middle picture. I'm guessing the things that the other people were complaining about was addressed in your edits, huh? In any case, I think the background and Aura blend in fine (everything goes with white). However, that middle Aura has issues: she's like anorexic or something, and she's got jaggies. If you can do nothing else, at least blur her, as it will be more friendly to the eyes.

Besides that, very awesome job. Where's the border? ;) [/B][/QUOTE]


Border? I don't need no stinking border!

Erm, back to business. I think that all the pictures of the game Aura are anorexic. Plus, she has no visible arms or legs, so that screws up the dimensions a bit. As for the jagged lines, I am not sure how well blurring would have worked. I think I tried that and it looked no better. I know that I tried a lot of things to get the picture right, but that was the best I could get. :bawl: