Topic awaiting preservation: My Swirl.. (Page 1 of 1)

Now, most of you know how I suck at all things right-brained, but I was messing around in Photoshop and I came up with this:



I got this far, and I seem to have hit a roadblock... I know it needs something, but my code-eating mind won't tell me what..

How can this be improved? Can anything here be improved or is this a total waste of bandwidth?


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PS: Interesting. My personal preference might be to actually have the (swastika?) arms follow the curve of the surrounding circle rather than curve in but the way you've done it seems to work too.

I suppose it depends on what you want it for doesn't it

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Ummm... what is it, what is it for, and what do you want it to look like?

If you don't have a clear vision of what you want, then, well, can't really help you much.

Petskull, I downloaded the PSD, but was unable to open it in PS7 Anyone else get that problem?
Do you know what you are going to "use" it for (if anything)?
Do you want to keep the background?
Any thoughts or examples of how you would like to develop it further?
I think it's great work so far.
Tao
[doh] My initial thoughts are: The overall impression is nicely stylized, I feel that the centre orb does not yet "belong" to the spokes, perhaps less opacity on the horizontal lines, or even a faint, wider spaced, set of horizontal lines on the background, or even the spokes come to think of it.
Pity I can't yet see the PSD to get a better idea. [/doh]



[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 08-23-2003).]

Maybe it needs to spin and/or have a plasma effect in the middle...


~We're not here for long, we're here for fun~

Petskull, I like it.

On the subject of offering suggestions... well.. I need to know what you want to do with it. Is it going to be a sig, wallpaper, web site ?, etc...

Well as far as i see this... it doesn't matter what the purpose for the image is... the fact of the matter is that, yes, it can be improved upon.

I feel like giving a lesson today...

Definition, and attention to subtle detail:

As long as i've been doing graphics on the Web, i've been seeing this same mistake done in what would otherwise be "slick" looking graphics. Lack of definition, and virtually NO detail. You've come this far toward making a nice image, why NOT go that extra few steps and finish up the idea/effect.

Things to bear in mind when creating images with 3 dimensional effect in them:

1) Light Source: your object has a very high contrast appearance to its surface... as well, your background is quite bright... that dictates a strong light source... an object that close to the surface would not have such a blurred shadow. The edges should be sharper.

2) Details: details will actually "force" your image to appear more realistic -- given the details are realistic in nature. They can AND should be subtle in most cases. Look around you... nothing you'll see in the real world is without a few subtle anomolies... be they scratches, dents, dings, smudges, nicks, texture, etc etc... Add a few, you'll see the difference.

>>> What kind of "imperfections" should you add? Well... there's an easy way to decide that... make up a story about your object(s). Where's it been? What's its purpose? What situations/experiences has it been through? Was it built by machine, or by hand?
And then apply the surface characteristics and flaws that would "naturally" result from that history.

3) Definition: This is by far THE most overlooked area of this kind of graphic effect -- losing an object's edge definitions. This example image shows how edge definition gets lost when an object's shading is as dark and the drop/perspective shadow it's casting. By adding just a tiny bit of "ombient" highlighting to the shaded edge of our object(s), we retain the edge definition that helps to drive home the 3D effect we're trying to create. Lack of edge definition results in lack of "depth". Thus, your effect appears part 2D, part 3D. Not a complete looking effect.



Ok class is out... don't loiter in the halls people!

TheGuest,

Thanks for your reply to this post, its the little things that others miss out that help us mere mortals along. Nice bit of advice, many many thanks again.

Hey thx. Happy to be of service.

Here's another example.
Edge highlighting pretty much saves this image.



[This message has been edited by theGuest (edited 08-24-2003).]