Author Topic: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request  (Read 7778 times)

Spriggan

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Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« on: February 04, 2008, 09:57:46 PM »
I've been trying to get a background image for TWG that looks like old worn paper and haven't ever gotten anything that I like, the current background was made by using clouds and the smudge tool.  What I've been trying to make recently is something like in the last panel of this comic: http://www.robandelliot.cycomics.com/archive.php?id=280 and haven't been able to do so.

I know there are a bunch of people here that know much more then I about this stuff and so if anyone can give some pointers so I can do it (or just make it yourself) that would be much appreciated.  I need to be able to have somethign that can be tiled well and looks old, that's about the only requirements.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2008, 10:04:23 PM by Spriggan »
Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

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Skar

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2008, 11:15:07 PM »
?

"Skar is the kind of bird who, when you try to kill him with a stone, uses it, and the other bird, to take vengeance on you in a swirling melee of death."

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Spriggan

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2008, 12:01:26 AM »
Humm, I worry that it's too intense because of the range of the brightness to darkness.  There's only 2 of the bright spots but any text near them is very hard to read.
Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

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42

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2008, 12:14:04 AM »
1. Get some watercolor paper, make some herbal tea, brush the herbal tea on the paper and let dry.
2. scan tea-brushed paper.
3. Adjust color hua and value in photoshop.
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Spriggan

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2008, 12:20:00 AM »
that's an intresting idea, I could swipe some from work tomorrow.

Skar's doesn't look too bad (not sure what font I want to use), though 42's idea might work out really well.




Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.


Nessa

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2008, 04:46:19 AM »
Actually, I've done stuff like that before, scanned fabric or patterned paper, tweaked it, and used it as backgrounds. It works well, esp for me since I'm not artistically inclined.
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter--'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning."  -  Mark Twain

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White

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2008, 07:33:13 AM »
here's a quick sample I worked up
http://white-tean.deviantart.com/art/Texture-sample-76531719
(didn't know how to insert pictures here)

Um, if you want to use this you can ask me to change things and whatever, it takes no time really. Uh, just stuck in a quick bit of type, haven't put any effort into that but the texture looked sad and lonely without it.
Clyde Bruckman: You know, there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than auto-erotic asphyxiation.
Mulder: Why are you telling *me* that?
Clyde Bruckman: Look, forget I mentioned it. It's none of my business.

Nessa

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2008, 04:30:35 PM »
Oh....wow. That looks really cool, White!
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter--'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning."  -  Mark Twain

Check out my book reviews at http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Skar

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2008, 05:22:29 PM »
Very nice White.  How'd you do it?
"Skar is the kind of bird who, when you try to kill him with a stone, uses it, and the other bird, to take vengeance on you in a swirling melee of death."

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White

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2008, 05:31:32 PM »
Thanks!

Fished out a couple very old books from the bookshelve scanned in both of their blank back pages (having achieved a nice, well aged vintage) as well as scanning in a dyed fabric sample that was all texture-y and rusty.

All the layers at full percentages, with aged paper, with fabric texture (that had been filtered a bit to mellow it out some more) above that set to "soft light" and the other lighter aged paper scan above that set to "darknen" then just a little bit of a colour balance.

Using multiple textures sort of creates a more balanced overall texture some time, they seem to average out eachother to a degree as well as adding a bit more complexity.

But yeah, if you have any oooooooooooooooooolllld books (from like your grandparents or whatever) chances are the blank pages at the back will have aged quite stylishly - plus they often had more interesting paper textures to begin with.
Clyde Bruckman: You know, there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than auto-erotic asphyxiation.
Mulder: Why are you telling *me* that?
Clyde Bruckman: Look, forget I mentioned it. It's none of my business.

Skar

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2008, 06:24:52 PM »
Cool. 

I myself didn't scan anything in because I wanted the pic to repeat well and I didn't have a lot of time to spend on it.  I took Spriggan's original background image, applied a water color filter to give it some texture, gaussian blurred it a bit,  added a bit of noise, lowered the contrast settings, made it about 60% transparent with a white background, and applied the sharpening filter a few times.

In case anybody was interested...
"Skar is the kind of bird who, when you try to kill him with a stone, uses it, and the other bird, to take vengeance on you in a swirling melee of death."

-Fellfrosch

Spriggan

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2008, 06:49:12 PM »
I would love to use that if I could White, thank you.

If I could get that sans-font it would be great.  You can just post that here or e-mail it to me via the address in my profile.
Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.


White

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2008, 08:33:54 AM »
Alright, have emailed it texture & font to your address, if you have any problems just let me know!  ;D
Clyde Bruckman: You know, there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than auto-erotic asphyxiation.
Mulder: Why are you telling *me* that?
Clyde Bruckman: Look, forget I mentioned it. It's none of my business.

Daarian

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2008, 12:12:53 PM »
Didn't know if you were still looking but here you go:

""Don't talk to me about nobleman," Vin said. "And don't say things about people you don't know.  You're no skaa-- you're just nobleman without titles." - Quote from Mistborn

Spriggan

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Re: Attention Photoshoppers: Help request
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2008, 08:13:50 AM »
So ya, I'm liking this texture White so graciously provided but I need to work on the tiling some.  It's almost the exact width I wanted so I really don't want to cube it if I don't have too but I need to work at getting the bottom to look like the top and shrink the filesize down a bit without loosing any more detail (it's 33k, would like to half that).  I need to redo the footers and the login/news box backgrounds too once I get the main background where I want it.

I do appreciate the tiles from Skar and Daarian but I think I'm going to try and make this one work.
Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.