Liontamer's Open Discussion Graphics Thread

[Linsolv]

To answer your question, I found when I was making my promotion's logo that I prefer vector graphics editors, specifically Inkscape, but a comparable program would be CorelDRAW. Which sorta makes a number of the things you said moot points -- for instance, I don't have to save in stages, because if I need to, say, resize my side plates, then I just change the size and move them. Advantages of .svg files.

 

Incidentally, the boston crab in the middle is the same graphic as I used in my promotion logo (see avatar -- it's tiny, I know...) in the most literal sense -- I copy-pasted it.

 

Then I export them as a .png and bam! Finished. Except that I need to convert them to jpg for the game. Which is usually around the point GIMP comes in.

 

---

 

Gonna spend a few minutes seeing if I can't find a good tutorial on Inkscape metal gradients, then (hopefully) I'll have a "version 2.0" up in under an hour.

[liontamer]

here's an example of how much a simple lighting effect can add. (I just applied the lighting from the TNA belt without adjusting it and look what it does for your belt)

 

http://iplxha.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p6ABLxCZ9kEuLMk7xtxIqaymGD_0AttwSB-Gj7kiKq1Oq290YhoH0wshfy9rBNqDiMgQK8LDeYjIv-5xAfcWCOC_GNzKMLE9_/SSWFeedback.png

 

I'd probably move the right light more to the right so the whole right half of the main plate and belt to the side of it would be dark and it would create a fold appearance in the belt (between the main and right side plate)

 

I also used payne's video which I found in reaps 08 thread.

[ReapeR]

Ok, not sure if this will work, so bare with me. I've uploaded a few title PSD's to include the main belt straps that I use. If it works, feel free to download and have at it.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W7PHL5YM

 

Please let me know if it works. If it does, I start uploading more of my work for everyone's use.

 

R

[Day_Dreamer]

Awesome job liontamer, professional graphic designers have nothing on you.

 

And one request, feel free to turn it down if you don't have the time or inclination.

 

I was planning on starting a game on Gaz's 89 mod where I wanna take Stampede to global and rub Vince's nose in it. Anyway, I was hoping to make a Stampede Wrestling World Championship, only my skills on photoshop are as bad as Khali's mat wrestling skills. If itsn't too much work, can you please make me one? I like bigger face plates and big belts ala the current WHC belt. Also, if possible can you make a Stampede TV Logo as well?

 

Thanks in advance.

[liontamer]

Awesome job liontamer, professional graphic designers have nothing on you.

 

And one request, feel free to turn it down if you don't have the time or inclination.

 

I was planning on starting a game on Gaz's 89 mod where I wanna take Stampede to global and rub Vince's nose in it. Anyway, I was hoping to make a Stampede Wrestling World Championship, only my skills on photoshop are as bad as Khali's mat wrestling skills. If itsn't too much work, can you please make me one? I like bigger face plates and big belts ala the current WHC belt. Also, if possible can you make a Stampede TV Logo as well?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

it'll probably be a while. Can you find and add some pics of some of the other titles so I have an idea of what their look is. I know of them and the connect ot the hart's, but that's it.

[Day_Dreamer]

Here are some of their belts, I apologize for the size, I got them off of kayfabe commentaries site

 

North American Heavyweight Belt circa 1987:

http://www.kayfabememories.com/BeltGallery/stampede/stampedenamhvy.jpg

 

International Tag Team Belts circa 1970:

http://www.kayfabememories.com/BeltGallery/stampede/stampedetag70.jpg

 

International Tag Team Belts circa 1986:

http://www.kayfabememories.com/BeltGallery/stampede/stampedeintltag.jpg

 

British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Belt circa 1980:

http://www.kayfabememories.com/BeltGallery/stampede/midheavy1980.jpg

[Linsolv]

Has it been an hour yet?

 

http://i45.tinypic.com/b84k86.png

http://i46.tinypic.com/1217fpg.png

[liontamer]

the stitching looks great.

 

the lighting looks good, but I'd probably tone it down a little, particularly on the main plate because it whited out all of your sliver (and I like it, but my gut is Reap is going to say it looks too yellow now as well. We seem to differ a little on our threshold of what's gold and what's yellow). Oddly, the lighting also reverses the way my eyes interperet your bevel, unless you changed that. Before it looked like the plate was inward compared to the edges, now it looks the opposite.

 

If you adjust, I really like the way the lighting is on the bottom of the main plate. I'd try to keep that similar.

 

One thing to keep an eye on is the effect of the lighting on the belt as well. On this belt I think you're cutting it close, but still ok in regards to it almost washing out the belt too much (referring the brightness in the middle). If that ever happens you can save the belt as one layer, the plates as another and adjust the intensity of the belt lighting so it's lower and the belt is darker. Or just ajust the brightness of the belt layer when you're done.

 

Another thing I have done that is worth mentioning here is at times I change the color of the lighting on the layers as well. For example I really liked the gold color in the original pic, so I may use a similar lighting to try to keep that color. What I would do is keep the belt layer lighting white, the gold layer the gold color and then make the silver it's own layer and due either a white or grey/silver lighting to avoid turning that gold (like I accidentally did with the silver stars on the TNA belt).

 

I can't figure out what it is, but there's something about the shape of the strap that catches my eye wierd on the small version, but it looks fine on the large. Maybe reaper can put a finger on it.

 

If you have it as an option, I'd add maybe a 5 pixel downward drop shadow to the plates and 5-8 pixel shadow to the belt. should be a little to the right as well since the lighting is coming from the left.

[Linsolv]

The emboss I had before got deleted by accident. Oops! Good eye! I toned down the "overall" light that you said was in danger of whiting out the belt itself, reinstated my embossing, toned down the white on the silver, and dropped some shadows.

 

http://i45.tinypic.com/kd66pv.png

http://i50.tinypic.com/2j4zk8m.png

 

I'll have a look at maybe getting back to that "Gold" (literally, I just searched for Gold on wikipedia's list of colors, before) tomorrow, but I'm tired, so that's all for tonight.

 

EDIT: Yeah, I added an emboss the the UK flag. I did it by accident, and then when I went to fix it I decided I liked it better. Also, the silver is now greyed out! But I fixed it on my computer -- so, no, I didn't miss that.

[liontamer]

looks good to me.

 

if you want the gold back, just load the original and use the dropper tool. it copies whatever color you put it over

[Linsolv]

Well, see the thing is, what I changed was the gradient, from "random gradient I made up" in the very first one to one I'd found on the web. (here)

 

So working in a 'browner' gold would mean changing the other parts to match, at least in magic Linsolv world where nothing is challenging or time consuming.

 

Relatedly, I'm posting the same belt over and over again, and I feel silly having like, 6 versions of my midcard belt posted. I've got another one to do for SSW, so I'll put this one on hold and apply my NEW LEARNING to the next one.

[ReapeR]

Linsolv...

 

How did you do the stitching? Is it already on the strap or did you do it by hand?

 

R

[Linsolv]

Neither! Through the magic of vector editing, I set the "stroke" (as in fill and stroke) value to do it for me!

 

EDIT: Um... I'm almost beginning to think that a video tutorial is in order here. What do you cool kids use to record your computer screen again?

[liontamer]

Well, see the thing is, what I changed was the gradient, from "random gradient I made up" in the very first one to one I'd found on the web. (here)

 

So working in a 'browner' gold would mean changing the other parts to match, at least in magic Linsolv world where nothing is challenging or time consuming.

 

Relatedly, I'm posting the same belt over and over again, and I feel silly having like, 6 versions of my midcard belt posted. I've got another one to do for SSW, so I'll put this one on hold and apply my NEW LEARNING to the next one.

 

I'm fine with posting the same one over and over with minor changes. That's partly the point of the thread, to share tips and show work in progress. It's as much about the process as the product. If you delete the old ones it won't make sense to people that read through here later. If you get a nice collection going maybe I'll add a space or link to a post on the front page where you can put your finished products on display for greater ease of viewing.

[fullMETAL]

I'm using Fireworks to make custom belts, and I capped using CaptureWizard (I was gonna try Fraps, but it required a hotkey to start, and I ran out of usable keystrokes).

I put it together in Windows Movie Maker.

 

I use Photoshop to make my "Beltensteins", where I cut together actual belt plate pictures on actual leather pictures to make belts (mostly for e-feds).

 

Any special shape manipulation I want to do gets done in Illustrator.

 

I'm also trying to become a legit belt designer (like with Top Rope Belts or Parks-Millican-Mann), which is why I practice, practice, practice.

[Linsolv]

I decided to indeed make a series of videos which basically are just recording me at work/play in Inkscape. Then, in an afterthought, I recorded some commentary; I'm not explaining how the tools work, but that's easy to figure out. On the other hand, I am trying to explain what I'm doing and why, which is nice enough I guess.

 

Got 2 videos (I ended up deciding to make a video for each of what I'd consider the "Major parts") up so far, detailing the center plate and the strap; the 3rd is still in the process of uploading. I'd probably have gone farther, but to be honest I've been trying to get some ideas first, since that's about as far as I had planned out.

 

Just kidding. Got all 3 (so far) up now. Started recording a fourth part, but I've found that I'm having some trouble deciding what to do with the parts I've brought in thus far.

 

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0D5C37717E27F55C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL

[ReapeR]

Have to say, after watching that, I feel extremely stupid. I only wish I knew how to work with a vector program. I create my titles with cut and paste and tweaking of pics I can find online. The plates themselves I create usually, but that is with a lot of trial and error.

 

Using the nodes would be extremely helpfull for me. There are probably some plate designs that I would try to create if I was able to manipulate curves better.

 

All in all, very nice. Looking forward to the finished product.

 

R

[Linsolv]

Well, see, those videos are REALLY me experimenting in front of a camera. For the first belt, I started with a rectangle for the strap (before I even got around to the plates) and then the plate design was an octagon that I modified by hand. So to be honest a lot of that is cool new stuff to me too.

 

NB: I'm not a vector graphics expert. For the most part, it's just little things that add up together, along with my willingness to google just about anything.

 

The 4th, which I've finished taping and now I'm trying to get the footage down to a reasonable length, is where the hard part starts, and it's definitely the part where I feel like you guys have me beat -- I added the main text and a central design. The entire video ended up being almost 20 minutes, but it was so full of mistakes where I'd be completely wrong on how to do it and have to undo 30 steps, that I've been able to cut a lot.

 

fourth video up

[ReapeR]

I can definately understand the whole, trial and error thing. I've found it easier to start with the belt strap, then create the plates with the strap in the background. Gives me points of reference on what the finished product will look like and if the plate is too big or small.

 

For example, here is the main strap that I use for most of my belts.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n230/jhall2129/BeltStrap_alt7.jpg

 

Maybe that'll help.

 

R

[liontamer]

And we discussed this in Reaps 08 thread, but I'll put it here too....

 

I'm pretty much the opposite of reaper in how I put the belts together. First I come up the main plate shape. Then I put the main plate together. Then I come up with the side plates in the same fashion.

 

Once I have that I take a vector rectangle that is solid back and paste it onto the background and stretch it to the appropriate proportions (meaning a little wider than the side plates top-bottom) and warp it to the shae I want. Usually I only have to warp it onec. For the TNA one the main plates was so much bigger I warped it three times and then hand drew part of it.

 

For titles with plates of odd shapes (like the APW world) I selct the whole plate, expand maybe 10-15 pixels. then keeping this selection area I move down to the belt layer and fill it in black so it goes nicely around all of the odd curves

 

Then I add texture (if colorize the belt if needed), stitching, and finally do the lighting.

 

And I just kicked myself typing this because I realized that with pro photo X2 I could probably save a lot of time using mesh warp to go around the main plate when it's so much bigger. I'll have to try that next time. I used the mesh warp to do the wording on the eagle for the TNA belt and for everything on the contenders title - going for the tapout look.

[Linsolv]

Well, I admit, I didn't record all of it, but it was nothing hard, so I can with little difficulty take it back to where I was before and do it again on camera.

 

http://i48.tinypic.com/w15glg.png

http://i46.tinypic.com/24q705f.png

 

And that's my first try at my main event title. (Suck on that, World Level Wrestling! Even if I am a backyard promotion, someone has the cahones to have a Pure Wrestling Title as their Main Event title!)

 

EDIT: The gradient seems kinda off to me. In addition to the fact that the left plate had some funny glitch happen to it, the dark circle JUST catches the "Submission" text and makes it hard to read in the smaller one. Gonna try fixing that.

 

http://i48.tinypic.com/972l1s.png

http://i49.tinypic.com/2qlvdl3.png

 

Didn't fix it. Still quite illegible.

 

Also, while I've got the floor (sorta...), any tips for making show logos? I doubt I could get very creative with promotions either, but luckily I'm happy with my promotion's logo as it is.

 

But I wanted to do logos for the annual shows, and it usually turns out looking really amateurish. Rather like that first try at a belt, come to think of it. And so, again, any tips?

[fullMETAL]

I whipped this up in homage to a classic belt...

 

WWWF Intercontinental Championship (2nd version)

(My version) ====== (Top Rope Belts version) ====== (Original version)

http://i46.tinypic.com/efewt0.jpg based on http://i47.tinypic.com/mc9jsn.jpg based on http://i48.tinypic.com/ioi45g.jpg

[Linsolv]

Thats a cool background, METAL. Your laurels seem a little small compared to the first two, but that's your call to make.

 

Out of curiosity, what did you do to get that texture on the leather strap?

[gazwefc83]

some i did awhile ago for something else, but somebody may get some use out of them

 

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/9632/wwfworld.jpg

 

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/882/wwfic.jpg

[Linsolv]

Since I added that request for event logo tips, I figured I'd just make something quick and easy and throw it out. Got a list of event names, but few ideas for logos. So this was the first one I had.

 

http://i45.tinypic.com/2wf3a1j.png

http://i45.tinypic.com/fasykg.png

 

The boston crab logo doesn't "mesh" well with the rest of it, but I thought having a promotion logo somewhere was smart, and I couldn't think of a better way to put it in.