Wallpaper Question

[Horendithas]

I would like to ask a question regarding wallpaper submissions. I submitted several today and when they were accepted I realized that one of them I mistakenly submitted it to the wrong category. It is the one with a red border that says Descendants of Darkness along the bottom underneath the picture. I meant to submit it to miscellaneous anime but I accidentally put it in video games as the other wallpapers I submitted were video game backgrounds. I am fairly new here and I do not know how to fix this problem. Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

indifference

[KikyoFan001]

[COLOR=Blue][B]im no expert but i dont think you can do anything i would just submit it to where you really wanted to be and just dont bother with the other one you submited. well that was my advise. :huh: [/B] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=Purple]

ps. not all people really do
help so i thought that i
should try and give you
my advise on your problem. :animeswea [/COLOR]

[Petie]

[color=blue]I'd just contact one of the staff and tell them your mistake. They'd be happy to move it into the appropriate category.[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]You don't have to completely resubmit a wallpaper to change its category. Just go to the page with the wallpaper thumbnail on it, where you can select what resolution you'd want to download it at, and there'll be a bold link that says "Edit Wallpaper" in the Expanded Information section. Click that and you'll be able to change the wallpaper's title and category. I believe it'll have to go through the submission queue again before the changes take effect, but it's still easier than resubmitting the whole thing.[/color]

[Horendithas]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']You don't have to completely resubmit a wallpaper to change its category. Just go to the page with the wallpaper thumbnail on it, where you can select what resolution you'd want to download it at, and there'll be a bold link that says "Edit Wallpaper" in the Expanded Information section. Click that and you'll be able to change the wallpaper's title and category. I believe it'll have to go through the submission queue again before the changes take effect, but it's still easier than resubmitting the whole thing.[/color][/quote]

Thank you for your assistance. I did not realize that you could request that the piece be modified. I have done as you suggested so that it may be put in the proper category. I greatly appreciate it as I did not mean to submit it to the wrong catgory.

indifference

[Petie]

[font=Verdana][color=blue]I've never submitted a wallpaper before so I didn't know that. Heh, that seems like the easiest solution though ^_^[/color][/font]

[Horendithas]

I have another question about wallpapers submissions. I submitted one for approval yesterday and after it was approved and posted I got a notification saying it was deleted as it did not have enough graphic effects done on it. The pm warned that your account can be frozen for such submissions. I am kind of confused as to why such a warning was given.

Unilke some of the members I have met here at myOtaku, my submissions are not automatically posted. Each and every thing I have posted has gone through approval before being posted. I do not mind that it was removed I am just confused why I would be in trouble for something that a moderator approved to be posted. Was it removed by a different moderator who was unaware that a different moderator approved it in the first place?

I am fairly new here and I would hate to have my account frozen over a misunderstanding. Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

indifference

[Semjaza]

[quote name='indifference']I have another question about wallpapers submissions. I submitted one for approval yesterday and after it was approved and posted I got a notification saying it was deleted as it did not have enough graphic effects done on it. The pm warned that your account can be frozen for such submissions. I am kind of confused as to why such a warning was given. [/quote]

That's kind of odd since I've seen a few which were obviously nothing more than a single image on a different color background... Some people like simple things that don't have 90 Photoshop filters applied.

I can't answer your question, but can you post a link to the wallpaper...? I'd like to see what they consider "not enough"

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think it might be a misinterpretation to say that it "doesn't have enough graphic effects done to it".

It's not about how detailed the image is, it's about plagiarism (ie: just cutting and pasting something). It can be a fine line, but I think generally the policy is that if one is going to take an existing image (like official art), it has to be reasonably edited or something.[/font]

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=indifference]I have another question about wallpapers submissions. I submitted one for approval yesterday and after it was approved and posted I got a notification saying it was deleted as it did not have enough graphic effects done on it. The pm warned that your account can be frozen for such submissions. I am kind of confused as to why such a warning was given.

Unilke some of the members I have met here at myOtaku, my submissions are not automatically posted. Each and every thing I have posted has gone through approval before being posted. I do not mind that it was removed I am just confused why I would be in trouble for something that a moderator approved to be posted. Was it removed by a different moderator who was unaware that a different moderator approved it in the first place?

I am fairly new here and I would hate to have my account frozen over a misunderstanding. Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

indifference[/QUOTE]

As I actually downloaded the wallpaper before they removed it I'm confused too. It was on a simple white background, but the seven different characters you put on it had a graphic effect where it looked like you had ghosted the image as if they were moving and you still got several of the image outlines of where they were. I thought it was nicely done.

That's odd that one moderator would approve it and then another remove it and send you a pm warning you about submissions. Guess it's a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand had just done.

The moderators here are really good, so I'm sure they won't freeze your account as it sounds like a misunderstanding to me.

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It could either be a misunderstanding or a difference of opinion - one Moderator may have felt that the image wasn't edited enough from its original state. Or they may have received a complaint.

If the wallpaper is gone I'm unable to see it, but perhaps you could upload it here and let me have a look at it.[/font]

[Semjaza]

I honestly think this policy has to be more defined. According to it we're not allowed to use someone else's work. What does that mean? It seems to only include someone else's fan art being placed in one of our images. It doesn't seem to encompass official art.

When I submit something to that site I'm unclear on what's going to happen and if I even went along with the rules. I can go through the Video Game Wallpaper section right now, for example, and point out at least several approved wallpapers that are nothing more than a cut out official image on top of a solid color background. Is that against the rules?

I just find them too vague to even really get a grasp on. I'm just trying to understand this. It doesn't even seem like the site itself knows how it wants to define these things. If official art type things are acceptable, I don't see the issue myself... I don't want an image on some hideous background or one of those lame wallpapers where the same image is repeated behind the main one except slightly transparent. Sometimes simple is best, but from what I'm understanding that isn't really accepted.

I'm confused by this and I'm not even sure if that means my last submitted wallpaper isn't up to what is expected or not... I had submitted it days and days ago, although it never showed up and I never got a response. The uncertainty of submitting things because of all of this is bothersome.

[Horendithas]

[QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium]It could either be a misunderstanding or a difference of opinion - one Moderator may have felt that the image wasn't edited enough from its original state. Or they may have received a complaint.

If the wallpaper is gone I'm unable to see it, but perhaps you could upload it here and let me have a look at it.[/font][/QUOTE]

That would make more sense that there could have been a difference in opinion. As I stated before, removing the wallaper itself does not bother me. I was more concerned about the statement regarding my account being frozen for such submissions. I didn't want to get in trouble when the wallpaper in question had actually been approved. And if one felt it was okay and another felt it needed more done to it I have no problem with working on improving the wallpaper.

I really enjoy being a part of this community and I appreciate you taking the time to asisst me. Here is the background in question, though I plan on making some changes and re-submitting it in the future.

[URL=http://img305.imageshack.us/img305/6682/angelsfeather187bv.jpg]Wallpaper[/URL]

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, I think technically this is very borderline. According to our policy on plagiarism, this may require further changes/editing to make it sufficiently different from the source material. However, this largely does come down to opinion - one Moderator may feel it's enough, another may feel that it's not enough. Unfortunately there's no way around that.

Are you aware that your account has been frozen, or was it just a warning?[/font]

[Horendithas]

[QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, I think technically this is very borderline. According to our policy on plagiarism, this may require further changes/editing to make it sufficiently different from the source material. However, this largely does come down to opinion - one Moderator may feel it's enough, another may feel that it's not enough. Unfortunately there's no way around that.

Are you aware that your account has been frozen, or was it just a warning?[/font][/QUOTE]

The pm said it was only a warning. As it was the first time one of my wallpapers had been removed I was surprised as it had been approved. I just didn't want to get in trouble when I thought the submission was fine. Now that I know it is considered borderline in terms of modifications being made I will make sure to apply more changes before I re-submit it. Thanks again for your assistance.

[SunfallE]

[quote name='indifference']The pm said it was only a warning. As it was the first time one of my wallpapers had been removed I was surprised as it had been approved. I just didn't want to get in trouble when I thought the submission was fine. Now that I know it is considered borderline in terms of modifications being made I will make sure to apply more changes before I re-submit it. Thanks again for your assistance.[/quote]

That's what's so nice about this place as all the moderators and people who run this place always help you out when you need it. ^_^ I wouldn't worry too much seeing that it appears to be a misunderstanding. Besides, even if it wasn't a misunderstanding if it's your first time they have actually removed one, I doubt they would instantly freeze your account. I suspect they would only do that if you continued to submit wallpapers that need more done to them after being told you need to change them more.

[Ozymandius Jones]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Alrighty then, down to work.

[B]indifference[/B], I was skimming through the recent submissions last night, and had just deleted pictures that were horribly cropped; or just pasted onto a background with no effort to turn the two things - the background and the source image - into one, nice work of art. Now that I look at yours, I see that you did put work into it. I deleted it in haste, and I apologize. Feel free to resubmit it, and please accept my humble apologies. *bows*

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']That's kind of odd since I've seen a few which were obviously nothing more than a single image on a different color background... Some people like simple things that don't have 90 Photoshop filters applied.[/quote]

Generally, those images come down to how clear the picture is, and how well the artist blended the two. I delete more "collage" and "cut and paste" work for being of poor quality than for plagarism, because most of the time it looks like the artist took 2 minutes to make the wallpaper, and the effect is garish and tacky. If the wallpaper looks like it could be an original peice of work, or [i]almost[/i] be original, it means the person who made it put some [i]time[/i] into making it, and thus deserves to be showcased. If it has hard edges, or is fuzzy, distorted, or has a jagged, rough edge, it goes.

[quote name='James']It could either be a misunderstanding or a difference of opinion - one Moderator may have felt that the image wasn't edited enough from its original state. Or they may have received a complaint.[/quote]

This happens quite a lot. The person who approves wallpapers generally approves hundreds a day, and sometimes things "slip through," another problem is with members who have submitted enough quality work to become a "senior artist" and then their quality takes a nosedive because it no longer needs approval to be seen on the site.

I hope I've answered any questions... [/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I think another problem is that, when it comes to using official art in wallpapers, a moderator may not be familiar with the source material. So when they see the wallpaper, they won't really know how much it's been edited, and thus can't make an accurate judgement about it.

Take my [url=http://wallpapers.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=22318][u]Chobits wallpaper[/u][/url] for example. At first glance, it just looks like a cut-and-paste of some official art. (And in fact, it was removed once for that very reason after it had already been approved and posted for a number of months.) But, if you're familiar with the original piece of art (see attachment), you can tell that it took some extensive editing to make it fit the 1024x768 dimensions.[/color]

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=Ozymandius Jones][COLOR=DarkOrange]This happens quite a lot. The person who approves wallpapers generally approves hundreds a day, and sometimes things "slip through," another problem is with members who have submitted enough quality work to become a "senior artist" and then their quality takes a nosedive because it no longer needs approval to be seen on the site.

I hope I've answered any questions... [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I would have to agree with this statement. I had to remove around 32 wallpapers and re-do them as the modifications I made were too simple. If you don't have to wait for approval it can be easy to not put as much effort into making your wallpapers. Though since I had to remove some I've made sure to put more effort into making them. Though it helps that I went and got a better software program so I could do more to them. ^_~

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]I think another problem is that, when it comes to using official art in wallpapers, a moderator may not be familiar with the source material. So when they see the wallpaper, they won't really know how much it's been edited, and thus can't make an accurate judgement about it.
[/color][/QUOTE]

I agree with this statement too. I have a number of Magic Knight Rayearth backgrounds that I have done from Offical Art. At first glance they appear to just be the picture, but almost eveyone of them had huge black borders that I removed. I then had to make adjustments on the actual photo so it would look good at 1024 x 768. It's also true of some character sketchs I did of Sailor Moon. At first glance they look like a simple scan of the art book. But they were actually two pages that were scanned seperately, put back together and then repaired enough to look good. Though if you are really curious I have posted the orginal pictures I used in a gallery I provided a link to on myOtaku page.

There is so much anime out there it can be hard for a moderator to know what is offical and what has been modified.

[Horendithas]

Thank you everyone for your kind assistance. The longer I am a member of this community, the more I am impressed by how well run this place is. I feel more reassured as I now realize that the moderators here would not just freeze your account but would work with you to resolve the issue.

I think I understand better why more modifications are necessary as not only does it increase the quality of wallpapers being produced, but helps to reduce plagerism if simple cut and paste wallpapers aren't allowed. I had another wallpaper I submitted that had what appeared to be a simple white background. Until this wallpaper was removed It had not occured to me that blending the pictures to fit on a simple white background would make it look like a simple paste and cut job.

I actually modified 7 pictures and saved them seperately before putting them together on the white background. I had to use graphic effects to make it look like the pictures were fading out around the edges so there wouldn't be the harsh line of where the orginal picture cut off. I also added the effect to make it look like there was mirror images layered on top of each other. Though now I can see how the simple white background could give the impression that it was just a copy and paste job.

I think I will re-do this one and the other one that was turned down now that I understand better. Thank you again everyone for your kind assistance.

indifference

EDIT: I re-submitted the wallpaper after working on it to give it some color and a border. I hope it fits the guidelines better this time. And again, thank you everyone.

indifference

[Semjaza]

Well, I'm glad that worked out. I still want to bring up my issue from before, however, because I don't really think it has been answered at all.

The fact that a lot of this is obviously up to the mods themselves makes it even more necessary, in my opinion, to really flesh out the submission rules. They're still too vague as far as I'm concerned.

The idea of "the mod doesn't know if it is original and might not be familar with the piece" is an understandable one. However, in this case, why in the world are comments not allowed on wallpapers from the so-called creators when they submit? If I was able to explain what I did to make a wallpaper half of the concerns would be answered right there.

I submitted one about a week ago and I don't know what's going on with it. I've not gotten PMs, but it still hasn't appeared. It looks like a simple image I just popped in there, but I scanned together a two page spread, got rid of the creases and page marks and did other general clean-up. It was a decent amount of work, but it wouldn't be obvious to anyone because I didn't put weird water ripples and other odd things all over it. In many situations, the official art is so gorgeous that I don't see a reason to alter it... but then in that case, is that not enough? I mean, I don't even know considering this seems so arbitrary.

Yet, it's nothing I can put down anywhere because there's nothing on the submission page except a title and a file upload. There really needs to be more there than this, I think. I am hoping that something like this might be a concern for future versions of the site, honestly. I'm certainly not faulting the mods because they're human beings, not robots, but I think an extra text box would be a godsend in many cases.

[Panda]

First things first, accidents happen. The moderators are only human and mistakes happen. People need to understand literally hundreds of wallpapers a day are submitted to the site and some slip through the cracks. I personally spend hours daily on the site solely on submissions. Of these submissions some are obviously stolen with watermarks from other websites still in place or they are multiple submissions from people who submit the exact same wallpaper 4 or 5 times in one day. I've seen several of my own wallpapers be re-submitted to the site with my name still at the bottom! It really is a lot of work keeping on top of what wallpapers have already been submitted and by who...plus knowing what wallpapers are out on the web that people might want to steal as their own work. Not to mention the different styles of official art work...photo real, chibi, super deformed...that each series seems to have licensed.

Added to these submissions are the honest submissions by people who have taken the time to scan art books or gather their own screen captures to create something unique. I do not feel that a wallpaper needs to have every single Photoshop effect to be considered "good enough" for the site. I prefer simple backgrounds with a nice focal point. It doesn't need lense flares, embossing, swirly backgrounds along with dozens of layered images with tons of filters and enough text overlaying the image to make War and Peace look like a fortune cookie. I know some people like wallpapers like that but there are just as many who like the types of wallpapers I like which are the simple, clean single image focal point kind of wallpapers.

Each situation needs to be looked at individually. If there is a particular issue you can always PM myself or the moderators taking care of that section. If your wallpaper(s) don't show up in 48 hours re-submit it after double checking. Spelling is very important. Many people don't seem to understand the difference between "You're" and "Your" for example. Other times it is just a simple typo. Make sure text is easy to read. Using white text over a white background is not a good thing.

To address Tony's suggestion I have brought that issue to Adam's attention. I would love to see an area for people to explain how they created their work. This for the wallpapers and a section specifically for explaining how fan art was created. I know some people, myself included, use the comment area but not everyone explains how their work was created. We are about 100 wallpapers shy of having 30,000 on the site and over 60,000 pieces of fan art. I was told that this would be a major undertaking to add this due to the submissions that have already been approved.

I am always happy to answer questions dealing with the submissions. Just be polite. I have been called some pretty nasty names by people who didn't like the fact I warned them about submitting stolen work as their own. This includes flaming left in the guest book of myO. Myself, as with all the moderators, work very hard on the site to make sure it retains a high level of quality. If there is a particular issue with any submissions please feel free to contact us directly, the contact information can be found on the staff page.

I hope this made some sense. I haven't been feeling well lately but wanted to post in this thread so everyone knew that we do take their concerns seriously and are working on making theOtaku network the best on the web.

[Horendithas]

I can?t even begin to imagine how hard the moderators who run this place work. As it is the best-run site I have found on the Internet, and considering how many members there are, I am beyond impressed that my issue was so quickly answered. Not to mention how nice and polite everyone was to me.

I had barely joined when there was an article about cracking down on plagiarism. At the time I had only been a member for a few days, but now that I?ve been here longer it is mind-boggling just how big of an issue it really is.

Take the original anime sections for example, I found quite a few wallpapers and e-cards that were from anime art books and from video games. Yet the person who submitted it was claiming they had created it instead of placing it in the proper category. I reported the one?s that I knew what they were from, but as there is so much stuff out there I can?t imagine that a single moderator would be familiar with everything.

It is sad that others would claim someone else?s work is their own. I have already run across some of the wallpapers I submitted here on other sites and they still had my name on the bottom too! Kind of sad since a fair number of mine had promotional words on them as they were scanned off of art books and covers so I spent a fair amount of time removing the words and then repairing the picture underneath so it looked like there never had been any lettering on it.

I too think it would be a good idea to have a small box where you could explain how a fan art was done or a wallpaper was made when you are submitting it. Especially when you have to wait for approval and it?s not possible to explain unless it?s been posted already.

indifference

[Horendithas]

I have yet another question regarding wallpapers. In the past few weeks I have noticed that a lot of wallpapers are misplaced and in the wrong category. Yet when you go to report this fact there is not a choice for reporting a wallpaper in the wrong category.

Is there another way to report wallpapers that are misplaced? Or should I not worry about such mistakes? I have seen quite a few of them and I think it would be a good idea to be able to report them as it would help improve our wallpaper section by fixing such errors. At least that is what I think.

Also I have noticed several wallpapers that are a crossover of an anime and a video game. The ones in question have been placed in the anime section and I was wondering if such submissions belong in crossover anime. Or do we need a hub for anime crossed over with video games? Either way I would appreciate clarification on this matter. Till later.

indifference

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=indifference]I have yet another question regarding wallpapers. In the past few weeks I have noticed that a lot of wallpapers are misplaced and in the wrong category. Yet when you go to report this fact there is not a choice for reporting a wallpaper in the wrong category.

Is there another way to report wallpapers that are misplaced? Or should I not worry about such mistakes? I have seen quite a few of them and I think it would be a good idea to be able to report them as it would help improve our wallpaper section by fixing such errors. At least that is what I think.

Also I have noticed several wallpapers that are a crossover of an anime and a video game. The ones in question have been placed in the anime section and I was wondering if such submissions belong in crossover anime. Or do we need a hub for anime crossed over with video games? Either way I would appreciate clarification on this matter. Till later.

indifference[/QUOTE]

I too have noticed a lot of wallpapers that are misplaced. Personally I think the addition of being able to choose wrong category when reporting a wallpaper would greatly help reduce mistakes in the wallpaper sections if we could help by reporting them to the moderators. I can easily think of at least 10 that I know of that are in the wrong category.

I also had wondered about the anime crossed with a video game as I've seen a few of them too. Should they be put in crossover anime? Or since we don't have a hub for it should we not submit that type of wallpaper at all as it kind of defeats the purpose of having a hub if you add things to it that do not belong there. Anyway, I'd love some clarification on this issue too. Thanks ^_^