[Anya]

I've been noticing a lot of threads, old and new, that all seem to be asking the same questions. So, for you, here's the great Amazing Topic of Everything You'd Ever Want to Know.

How do I make graphics?
All the graphics makers on here use some form of program to create graphics on. The two that I'll recommend are Adobe Photoshop and GIMP.
Photoshop (PS) is generally considered the better of the two, having more tools and effects available. Unfortunately, the cheapest version of Photoshop you can get is $50, and the best is currently running at around $600, so it's not in the price range of many casual gfxers, unless they can have some way to get it at a cheaper price.
GIMP, although lacking in some of the tools that PS has, is freeware, meaning everyone can download it at no price. You can get it here:
http://www.gimp.org/
More dedicated users are able to do almost everything on GIMP that you can do on PS, although it usually involves a little more work.
Of course, you don't need either of these to do graphics. Any photo editing program you happen to have would work, so don't feel confined by the programs that you've got.

I don't want to actually make graphics, I just want to get a signature!
Don't worry, only a small percentage of the people on this forum that have signature images actually made them themselves. If you want to request a sig or avatar, hop on over to the request forum at this link:
http://inheritancefo...p?showforum=103
You can either post a request open to everyone, or find the shops subforum and request graphics from a specific member.

Ok, now I've got a graphics program, how do I work it?
Well, there's a few ways you can go about this. I recommend that you try to get the feel for your program on your own, by trying different things, and seeing what everything does. If you feel that you really do need some help, or you want to learn new styles and techniques, you can use a tutorial. You can pretty much find anything you'd ever want by googling "insert program name here tutorial," but I'll link you to some of the nicer ones here.
GIMP tutorials:
http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/
http://www.gimp-tuto...ial-List-1.html
http://www.gimptalk.com/
Photoshop tutorials:
http://photoshoptutorials.ws/
http://www.pixel2lif...dobe_photoshop/
http://www.good-tuto...rials/photoshop
And, of course, don't forget to check the Tutorials, Brushes, and PSDs subforum for some help from the gfxers at the Inheritance Forums.



Where can I find some good Resources (renders, stocks, brushes, C4Ds, etc.)?

We've got a helpful topic full of links to that stuff already, here, although it mostly has links to renders.

If you're looking for stocks, you have a few options. Either check DeviantArt for some nice stocks, and be sure to ASK THE CREATOR OF THE STOCK IF YOU CAN USE IT FIRST, find a website that has a collection of stock images (many of these are pay sites), or Google a celebrity and find some good photo shoot images. The last one is probably the most common.

C4Ds are harder to find. You will be able to find a good amount of them on DeviantArt, but before you use them, be sure that the author stated that you're free to use it in your graphics.



I made a signature, now how do I use it?

If you made the sig yourself, you'll need to upload it to an image hosting site. I recommend either Photobucket, or Imageshack. Once you've got it up there, you'll need to get the img tag from it. If you're having trouble finding that tag, it should look like

CODE

[IMG]hostingsite'snamehere/yourusername/imagename.filetype[/IMG]

Then, once you have that copied, you'll need to click on My Controls near the forum's header, and then go to Edit Signature. Paste your img tag in, and you're done!

If someone made the sig on request for you, you should save the image onto a file, and then upload it to your own hosting site, unless the creator gives you the img tag to use. If they do, that probably means that they don't mind you borrowing their space. If they don't then it's best to upload it to your own hosting site, to avoid making anybody mad.



How do I put animations in sigs or avatars?

Well, I don't recommend putting it in your sigs, because animated sigs are against the rules here, but you are free to make animated avatars. Most programs have some animation tools. If you have GIMP, here's a tutorial that might help you get started. If you're using Photoshop, you might want to try out Image Ready to do the animations. Here's a simple tutorial for that.



How do I put transparency in an image?

If you wish to create an image with some transparency in the background, all you have to do is leave the pixels you want transparent blank. Then just save it as a .png, and when you put it online the missing pixels should appear transparent.



How do I add a border to my sig?

In GIMP:

Make your active color the one that you want to use for the border. Right click-->Select-->Select All. The go to Edit-->Stroke Selection. Type in the number of pixels you want the border to be, and click ok.

In Photoshop:

Make your active color the color you want to use. Go to Select-->All. Then go to Edit-->Stroke Selection. Type in the number of pixels you want the border to be, and click ok.

Graphics Glossary

This is for those of you that are a little confused by some of the terms we use.

GFX- graphics

Sig- signature, or an image to use at the bottom of your posts on forums

avy/icon/avatar- the little image beside your name. Common size for an avatar is 100x100 pixels

banner- usually refers to the header on a website or forum, but is sometimes misused and refers to a sig

render- a cutout of a something (usually an anime or game character, but can be anything) with all the pixels except those making up the subject are invisible. Commonly used in sigs.

stock- an image used in a signature that doesn't have the background pixels removed. Pretty much any image that's not a render

C4D- 3D abstract images that are used in graphics, usually used for effects and lighting in signatures. If you're still confused, here is an example of a C4D

PS- abbreviation for Photoshop

BG- abbreviation for background

blending- in graphics, it's making every part of the piece work together so it all looks like it belongs. Usually used to refer to making the render fit into the background. If someone tells you to blend your render better, it means that you should use some technique to transition the render into the background, and make it all fit better.

flow- a common unity in a piece that draws the eyes to the focal point. For example, you won't want lines and effects going in all directions on your signature, it would ruin the flow.

focal point- in any type of art, it's what you want the eye to be drawn to, the focus of your piece. In graphics, it's usually the render, but if you're using a stock photo, it can be any part of the stock that you chose to draw attention to.

pixel- a single point in a graphics image. On graphics programs, they're shown as squares. They make up the image that you're looking at, and you won't be able to really see them unless you're zoomed in past 100% or your image is enlarged too much. They're also sometimes rendered as dots or lines.

That's it! If you have any corrections or suggestions of things to add to this, please PM me and I'll edit it.