Rate the Signatures and Avatars Above, Professional Version

There's a very old thread like this in the graphics lounge, and that's probably where this should go, but let's face it, no one goes in that section.

I won't say this thread is for graphics makers only, because I don't think that's fair, but I will say this is for quality critique with reference to the techniques and work put into each piece. (So, no rating a sig high just because there's a hot chick in it, or because you like the anime a stock came from).

I would like to see people rate more than just the set above them, when possible, because there is post count in this section, so I'd prefer to see more to the posts than we see in the version of this in the Member Lounge. And feel free to just post any sig or avy (that you've made) that you'd like critiqued- it doesn't have to be the ones you're using now.

And please be honest- no one improves when everyone just says their work is perfect.

I'll start this off by asking for critique on my current signature and avatar. I'm quite proud of my avatar; the colors turned out nicer than I expected. The signature I also like, though I may go back and edit the text, because I'm thinking it looks blurry. And the texture I used at the end left that blackish line down the right side, and I'm thinking about going in and covering that up. Comments?

Edit: And you can critique this one, too. The more I look at it, the more I can't decide if I like it or not.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by dark spots. Can you explain? The base layer of the background is made from smudging the stock image, and it turned out a little darker behind her head than beside her arms. I'm not sure how I could go back and change that now, if that's what you're referring to.

Like what? I personally like the pink, but I suppose a blue or a peachy orange might not look too bad. I'm more worried about the look of the text than the color. I still think it looks blurry, and I'm not sure if it's because I layered the text and it made this imperfect shadow effect, or if I erased too much over the text after I sharpened the sig at the end. If I have time today, I'm probably going to go back and fix that.

It is a little dark on both sides (because I got lazy when it came to lighting and just added a soft omni lighting effect at the end), but I placed it right in the middle so I don't see why one side would look much darker than the other. That green thing looks weird anyway, doesn't it? I don't know what the hell that is- it was a part of the original stock. Some kind of column, I'm guessing.

Hmm, I see your point, but I prefer giving points out of 10, because it gives me more room to choose a score. But to each his own; I'm not even concerned so much about a number score, I'd rather get the critique.

As far as your signature goes, I kind of already addressed it in the Member Lounge rating thread. I think the render is too small and not well placed. I know you mentioned that you had to put the render to that side because the hair was cut off at the end, but at that point, I probably would have chosen a different image, or made the render bigger so it took up more room in the sig. There's a lot of empty space right in the middle of the sig where the render really ought to be. And the effects look flat. I'm not sure how else to describe it. Just keep experimenting with trying new things, and I really can't help but recommend looking at some tutorials. You don't have to follow them slavishly, but I really have found them incredibly helpful over the years. And even some of the ones made for photoshop could give you ideas, even if the steps might not transfer completely to gimp (which is what you're still using, yes?). I think I rated this in that other thread a 4.5/10, and I stand by that, even though it probably seems harsh.

 

I didn't mean for you to think that I thought you had cut out the render. Sometimes the images just cut off like that. But that's the difference between a low quality render and a high quality one. If it were the only version of the stock that I could find, I would have tried to make the best of it, but really, choosing the right image goes a long way in defining the quality of the overall sig.

That is a part of the stock (you can see it here in this terrible quality version of the image). I probably should have tried to cover it up, or duplicate it on the other side, because it is a little distracting, but eh, laziness. I rarely use renders- I prefer to start with a background in place and build on it, though in this case I didn't add too many effects because I wanted a vintage photo sort of look. I see what you mean about the area at Rinoa's back. I may go back and edit that if I can; it does stand out too much.

As you can tell from the stock image I included above, there are no renders, and so no blending. But I agree that the image quality isn't the best. It was surprisingly difficult to find a good quality cap of this scene- the site I got the stock from for the original sig went down years ago, so I was forced to look elsewhere for this cap. Which just goes to show how important it is to find the highest quality image possible.

It's actually part of a texture I used to add some grit to the sig (I made a version without using it, too, but it didn't look as good to me). I think I am going to try and cover that up, though, because I didn't care for it myself when I made it, and no one else seems to, either.

That's always what I do, though. Hmm.

Thanks! I do think this turned out really well. It helped that the image was already really good quality and had nice lighting to it- as seen here. I just added the coloring.

Thanks for all your comments. I'm not sure if you want your signature critiqued or not, but since I'm here...

I think this looks pretty good. It doesn't quite catch my eye, but I like the simplicity to it. The stock placement is good and I like the font, though I don't know that I care for the 3d look to it. I'd probably give it a 6 or a 6.5/10, because it's decent but it's not what I consider amazing.

 

Agreed. It looks like Emma Frost in her diamond form, except a little splotchy. XD

Even disregarding that effect, though, the render's quality isn't the best. It looks like it's been sharpened too much, maybe.

I think you're making a good decision by not fooling around with creating a background from scratch for an avatar. I think they look nicer anyway if you use what's been given and just change the color effects. And it's quicker that way, too.

 

So, made some crap the other day. Haven't made anything in almost a year and a half, and am having to learn a new program, too, but I'd still like some comments.



and



There's a lot of stuff I haven't been able to figure out how to do with gimp yet, so that's why no text and no a lot of things. But yeah, trying to get back with it.