Holiday Banners Competition '12

[phazer]

okay, i admit this one fails big time. i had to cover shoe with something (the rest of his head is offscreen). wish i knew how to make that "bulletin board/scrapbook" effect. would have gone with that instead. got any tuts for it, people?

Something like a polaroid, so that part of his head missing won't be weird?

I agree, most of the banners shown by new members are pretty much fail and without imagination.

Mine isn't the best but at least not a copycat or anything like it. Most likely because I used a fresh image instead of 3 years old pictures.

Like I said, using the same stock for banners (or sigs for that matter) is pretty common, especially so for themed contests like this, and even more so if you're choosing pictures from a particular show. Besides, I don't see why using the same image would constitute as being a copycat.

[OhCrapBunny]

okay. first banners. please be kind in your comments, i'm only 8 years old. plus ten years more



anime: Guilty Crown
characters: Ouma Shu and Yuzuriha Inori

okay, i admit this one fails big time. i had to cover shoe with something (the rest of his head is offscreen). wish i knew how to make that "bulletin board/scrapbook" effect. would have gone with that instead. got any tuts for it, people?




anime: Toradora
character: Aisaka Taiga

this i'm confident i done well except for the text.


profile: Kyrdua

The Guilty Crown one looks like it's for Valentine's rather then Christmas. ^.^

[Havoc10K]

okay, i admit this one fails big time. i had to cover shoe with something (the rest of his head is offscreen). wish i knew how to make that "bulletin board/scrapbook" effect. would have gone with that instead. got any tuts for it, people?

Something like a polaroid, so that part of his head missing won't be weird?

I agree, most of the banners shown by new members are pretty much fail and without imagination.

Mine isn't the best but at least not a copycat or anything like it. Most likely because I used a fresh image instead of 3 years old pictures.

Like I said, using the same stock for banners (or sigs for that matter) is pretty common, especially so for themed contests like this, and even more so if you're choosing pictures from a particular show. Besides, I don't see why using the same image would constitute as being a copycat.

I kind of don't find user signatures on BBT to have the same image used.
And you aren't very creative in searching if you can't find any more images that fit the winter/holiday theme. Although that requires devotion and concentration, which of course most kids don't have.

[phazer]

I kind of don't find user signatures on BBT to have the same image used.
And you aren't very creative in searching if you can't find any more images that fit the winter/holiday theme. Although that requires devotion and concentration, which of course most kids don't have.

That may be the case, but BBT isn't the only forum on the internet. Sure, there's a lot of anime-related winter/holiday pictures, but it might not be so for a specific series. And I may be making a banner for the site, but I am still the one making it after all, so naturally I would pick a series I like to create a banner for, and on that point, I would also pick a picture that I like or find suitable. Of course, if I had known about the previous entries and that it would be somewhat of a wasted effort I would've picked others.

[Havoc10K]

What's stopping you from checking the last year and previous years entries ?

Seriously, I only browsed for an hour and found dozens of new images from Lucky Star and Toradora, it's not like people make those images because the anime is this year and the next year no one does anything because it doesn't air anymore or something, fans make stuff all the time, you just have to look. Lot of great fanart on the internet.

[PT-Desu]

Grrr, im having a hard time loading Kyrdua banners, anyone else ?
I never had a problem with imgur, i even have an account there.

[Havoc10K]

Me as well, but that's imgur being imgur

[newy]

idiot10k, shut up. I doubt it's you who's going to decide which banners are in the rotation.

[Cashdaxxx]

It's better to kindly point out the mistakes and say what it needs to improve, rather than bash/insult someone's banner. (~slooowly read it)

[kurandoinu]

Here are my previously posted banners, but with adjusted text-size
v1

(click to show/hide)

v2

(click to show/hide)

Looking good. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the branches on the right side of the banner so that they're clear of the text. That or erase a few bits.

[Cashdaxxx]

Here are my previously posted banners, but with adjusted text-size
v1

(click to show/hide)

v2

(click to show/hide)

Looking good. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the branches on the right side of the banner so that they're clear of the text. That or erase a few bits.

The branch highlights the text. Rather, you could use some glow effects instead.

[OhCrapBunny]

It's better to kindly point out the mistakes and say what it needs to improve, rather than bash/insult someone's banner. (~slooowly read it)

I thought I was going insane by not being mean. xDD

[kurandoinu]

Here are my previously posted banners, but with adjusted text-size
v1

(click to show/hide)

v2

(click to show/hide)

Looking good. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the branches on the right side of the banner so that they're clear of the text. That or erase a few bits.

The branch highlights the text. Rather, you could use some glow effects instead.

Not sure how you could count it as highlighting when it only creeps into the end of the text. It just seems to be more of a distraction than anything imo.


And sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

[Savino]

Ikaros, Tomoki Sakurai and Sohara Mitsuki from Sora no Otoshimono.
Profile: http://bakabt.me/user/1079741/Savino.html

[Havoc10K]

Here are my previously posted banners, but with adjusted text-size
v1

(click to show/hide)

v2

(click to show/hide)

Looking good. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the branches on the right side of the banner so that they're clear of the text. That or erase a few bits.

The branch highlights the text. Rather, you could use some glow effects instead.

Actually I would make the text as a separate layer and use 1px white stroke with anti aliasing, save it as a new layer and then 2 px golden glow with AA in.

[laoa]

(click to show/hide)

Here are my previously posted banners, but with adjusted text-size
v1

(click to show/hide)

v2

(click to show/hide)

Looking good. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the branches on the right side of the banner so that they're clear of the text. That or erase a few bits.

The branch highlights the text. Rather, you could use some glow effects instead.

Actually I would make the text as a separate layer and use 1px white stroke with anti aliasing, save it as a new layer and then 2 px golden glow with AA in.

now.. what should I do? 

edit
I tried all the suggestions and in the end I liked removing parts the branches te most

[kurandoinu]

Personally I'd try them all and make your own decision as to what looks good. They're all pretty quick changes.

[Havoc10K]

I usually make several versions, until i do it right.
If not i ask for advice on what to change to make it look liek i want to make it look. Cuz I'm a frigging 30% colorblind and it's pissing me off sometimes

[Lann094]

idiot10k, shut up. I doubt it's you who's going to decide which banners are in the rotation.

+1
I think most of the banners featured here are good. May not fit the rotation of the site, but their makers don't need to be criticised so maliciously in some cases.

[Kyrdua]

I see the C word. 'Snot allowed!

o_o

not sure what you mean, but seriously, critics on my stuff?

@havoc

(click to show/hide)

okay, i admit this one fails big time. i had to cover shoe with something (the rest of his head is offscreen). wish i knew how to make that "bulletin board/scrapbook" effect. would have gone with that instead. got any tuts for it, people?

Something like a polaroid, so that part of his head missing won't be weird?

he got it.

(click to show/hide)

okay. first banners. please be kind in your comments, i'm only 8 years old. plus ten years more



anime: Guilty Crown
characters: Ouma Shu and Yuzuriha Inori

okay, i admit this one fails big time. i had to cover shoe with something (the rest of his head is offscreen). wish i knew how to make that "bulletin board/scrapbook" effect. would have gone with that instead. got any tuts for it, people?




anime: Toradora
character: Aisaka Taiga

this i'm confident i done well except for the text.


profile: Kyrdua

The Guilty Crown one looks like it's for Valentine's rather then Christmas. ^.^

o_o, seems like you've never seen an anime where the characters dated on christmas eve.

Grrr, im having a hard time loading Kyrdua banners, anyone else ?
I never had a problem with imgur, i even have an account there.

probably interlacing.
just tried it out. didn't expect it to have that effect.