Editing Pictures
#1 23-06-2012 
I love to take pictures in my sims game, and a lot of the time I only create things as an excuse to go take pictures of it Big Grin

I am usually pretty pleased with my pictures, but I like to add some "extras" in photoshop. Sadly, I am quite crap at photoshop, so all I manage to do is add a border and a bit of text and then save for web.

I use photoshop7 and free fonts that I find on the web.

What editing software (if any) do other leefishers use? Do you have any cool tips on how to get a good looking picture for uploads (especially a thumbnail picture)?

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#2 23-06-2012 
I love to play around with pics, when I have time, quite often my pics have something added to them, especially lots...just for fun.

I do have photoshop, I know how to open it...that's about the extent of my Photoshop knowledge. I use GIMP for just about everything, for frames I use PhotoFiltre or make my own.

The only tip I can give is when taking pics in game use a plain background, makes floodfilling backgrounds or making transparent backgrounds easier.

As for thumbnail pics I suck at them especially if I add a text to them.

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You can find more of my work at Mod The Sims and Plumb Bob Keep.

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#3 23-06-2012 
I love editing pictures! Just like Lee, most of the times my main motivation to make something is to be able take pretty pictures of it finished Big Grin

I use Photoshop CS5, but I normally don't edit my upload pictures too much. Most of my editing includes making a collage (because I take way too many pictures, and I want to show as much of them as possible at the same time, LOL), adding borders, text, and infamous lens flare if I'm going for a more artsy-fartsy look Tongue

For taking pictures of sims or clothing, I use the animation painting by Aikea and other animation boxes. Plain background is always a good idea, except if you're taking additional pictures that you want to be more lively and interesting. Taking pictures at more interesting angles is also something I like to do for additional upload pics - it can make the pics look more fun. I've attached some of my favorite collages Smile

I often find it hard to make a good thumbnail, because many times the cropped pic won't look as good as the full-sized one. Sometimes it's tough just to figure out which part to crop. I just keep trying out pictures I like, cropping them, resizing, until I find the one that looks good as a thumbnail.

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Misty, proud to be a member of Leefish since Feb 2011.

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#4 26-06-2012 
I edit in Photoshop CS4 but for screen shots I don't like to edit any more than just cropping and pasting together so that I provide an accurate representation. I was using FRAPs for all my screen captures but apparently Game Booster does it too, so I'll have to try that and compare the results.

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#5 26-06-2012 
Photoshop CS2 and Gadwin for screenshots. Smile I don't really do too much to my screenshots besides crop them- sometimes I have to adjust the contrast, that's about it. I can't stand when lens flare (obvious, in your face, not subtle like Misty's pic above) and things like that are added to screenshots so I don't do it myself.

I'm like Misty- I tend to take oodles of screenshots. I don't really like to collage them, believe it or not. Yes! I know I do collages! That's because I get told to! Seriously, I do. My sets tend to be larger and at MTS you're only allowed the 12 screenshots. I think I've included enough and the mod disagrees. So I get told to make collages for some of them to add more views of my objects. And I do like to include a numbered swatch- I hate coming up with texture names unless it's something easy..like MMDarkWood. I see pink flowers on a green background with purple dots and have no idea what it should be called besides pinkflowersgreenbackgrdpurpdots, which is ridiculously long.

One thing I've started doing to my main screenshot that I really like? Adding a very slight lighting effect like I did to my main park screenshot. And a frame..and text. I like the way frames look and the text is only to tell you what a set is. I do add text to other screenshots- usually to point something out since people don't always READ the main text. But they do look at screenshots (I do, lol)- so if there's something they need to know they can read it on the screenshot. Smile

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#6 26-06-2012 
I use Paintshop Pro 7 and Sim-Camera for my pictures. I don't think I've ever made thumbnails. Generally pictures for downloads - I take for my own site - and I'm not that strict. Big Grin

Pictures I take for my stories though... now that's a different kettle of fish! I take millions.

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#7 26-06-2012 
I use paint shop pro 6 and cutout 3 to edit pics. A good way to make thumbnails quickly is with a thumbnail maker like EZ Thumbnail Maker.
RebaLynn1960, proud to be a member of LeeFish since Apr 2012.

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#8 26-06-2012 
RebaLynn1960;14744 Wrote:A good way to make thumbnails quickly is with a thumbnail maker like EZ Thumbnail Maker.

Yes, that is a nice way to make a thumbnail picture in terms of size etc (I have the thumbnails built in on leefish - we use GD image thingy) but it was more the actual picture content rather than it's size.

I am ok at the big "money shot" (I think) and I know how to show an object in use and so on so the downloader knows what they are getting, but a punchy thumb that grabs attention often eludes me.

Ok - you thought "money shot"? Is she selling stuff? Well, not exactly, but I have a theory about upload posts Big Grin

I think that there are three kinds of pictures in an upload - presentational, informational and look at ME. The thumb is the look at me. The presentational is the big shot at the top of the post - the one that makes the user read the post. The informational is to show them what they are getting.

I always do my posts the same way. I have a line or so of brief yadda yadda and then I have the money shot with the room/street whatever all decorated up, then some actual useful information and then in the gallery I have the rest of the pictures.

Leefish is actually set up for that kind of post layout.
The site don't jive? PRESS F5 Flower

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#9 26-06-2012 
That's a really good way of putting Lee. My site is full of informational - and hardly any of the other sort.

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#10 26-06-2012 
Well, I am picture mad - so leefish is full of pics Big Grin Some actual threads/posts would be good too I suspect....
The site don't jive? PRESS F5 Flower

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