Member Photoshop Contest: Forum Backgrounds and Sharing; Show Off Your Talent!

Inspired by our collection of 17 new backgrounds rotating behind the new site home page, and this thread by Bybyots, it makes sense to consider a representative background for each forum. Especially with the new system we've integrated for social sharing... where I've created "Open Graph" images from the backgrounds. The problem is, I just don't have the time to create all the images necessary for such an idea.

So we're asking our members to lend a hand.

Here's how one of the current backgrounds relates to the open graph image for social sharing...

Background:


Open Graph image:


The smaller 800x400 image is used whenever someone shares an ATS link on social media.


So fire up your Photoshop (or whatever else you have) and submit your suggestions for backgrounds/sharing images for each of our forums.

Here are the requirements...


Image Sizes

Forum Background: It must be 2,000 pixels wide by 1,500 pixels tall, and hold up well when compressed down into the zone of an 80k JPEG.

Social Sharing: it must be an 800 by 400 pixel rectangle either scaled-down from your background, or cropped from an interesting area of your background.


Image Sources

The source images you use must be free to use.

Do not search for source material on Google Images unless you specifically search using the "free to use, share or modify, even commercially" option in the advanced search. See the example below:


Flickr creative commons search is one of the best sources to use. www.flickr.com/creativecommons Make sure you select "Commercial use & mods allowed" in the license drop-down, as seen below.


commons.wikimedia.org is another good source of images for which you would be allowed to use and modify.

Make sure you keep track of the image(s) you use, as credit to the original creators will be included.


General Guidelines

Keep it simple. Clear, clean, non-noisy images will work best.

Keep any text in the image to a minimum -- no text is best.

Make sure there is something interesting in the far-left and far-right edges of your background image.


Who Judges?

Post your images in this thread for our members to comment on. I will select from those that get the best feedback, combined with what I think will work best on the site.

If selected, I'll be asking you to email me the original, so I can compress it down to use as a site background.


What You Get

Officially, not much more than a hearty thank you so much.

But you'll have the option of using your real-name or your ATS pseudonym on the image as the artist's credit.

And you'll be able to bask in the glorious admiration of your peers here on ATS for the fantastic job you've done.

This sounds like fun

*Powers up Photoshop*

Looks like I'll be busy for the next several hours.

When does this contest end?

originally posted by: Ghost147
When does this contest end?

When we have images for the all the 104 forums.

Or at least the one's that aren't represented by a gray icon here: Board Home (74).

Ok I like KISS

2000X1500


files.abovetopsecret.com...

800X400


files.abovetopsecret.com...

Good luck everbody

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I am posting to follow thread................this could get interesting.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Should members submit forum specific images?

That could be fun.

a reply to: Trillium

What forum is that for? Fragile Earth?

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
Should members submit forum specific images?

Yes. You should indicate which forum your image is intended for... as well as the source of your artwork (the original artist when we have the rights to use it, or yourself).

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
a reply to: Trillium

What forum is that for? Fragile Earth?

Ya that sound good to me

Or best fit
and that from my NIKON D7100 last month

I want to submit this photo from Wiki.

en.wikipedia.org...

For the political madness forum.

Since politics is an endless pit of hell from which there is no escape, and it seems to drag everything in around it.

I'd like to hand draw something specific to ATS and have a member work PhotoShop for the comic book forum. Any takers?

Am I overlooking something? (Probably, for me today...)

Where do we submit offerings?

originally posted by: redoubt
Where do we submit offerings?

Upload as normal, submit in this thread.

Simple, clean, fun.

Would something like this work?

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord

originally posted by: redoubt
Where do we submit offerings?

Upload as normal, submit in this thread.

Simple, clean, fun.

Thanks!

a reply to: Brotherman

shoot me a pm

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Nice Thread SO! Now if I only knew how to use PhotoShop, yah I know, I'd submit the heck outta some cool Images I have already.

Well I could at least re-size, and/or crop, some images and drop em in here? That I can do already... If that's cool, I'd submit them with Forum related placement possibilities too...?

Thanx. Syx...

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Sent

For fragile Earth forum,maybe?

Or this?

For the Gray Area:



Not sure about the sizing,though.

This is a photo of one of my cats,with an extreme make-over.

Btw PIXABAY is a great resource for basic material to start an artwork or image with:
pixabay.com...