Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Bleh, I knew I ought to have kept the corners white. When you set the palette transparency, the color depth reverts to 256 colors, which makes the image all grainy looking, ick. I was hoping no one would notice, heh heh.

OOhhh, bugger. I missed this contest. I've been heaps busy lately

Ahh well. Next time

Now that I'm less pressed for time...

watericesage: What I really notice first is the text displacement- it looks rather distracting; I think moving up the "T" in "The" would have been better. Text could also be brought out a little more, as well as the runes on the left- perhaps brighter beiges like the sand. The blurring effect of the text you put in the back is reminiscent of the Neopets banners with its own little touch, which is good, but you didn't do a very good erasing job over at the pyramid- there seems to be a little bit of space.

Neopets Addict: It's got a very nice space-age feel to it- your use of greys is good. I think it would be a little better if it showed a little silver or teal though, especially in the border and the text, where your two solid colours seem to drift towards the silver but not quite get there. Your faded larger moon in the background could be tone down a little more- it seems to blend in with the opaque moon but not want to. Makes the background look like a gradient, which is neat, but then the moon doesn't look defined enough.

Kandice: I really like the sandy/dusty look you created...but your text doesn't do it justice. It seems to cover it all up, you could say. Text doesn't need to cover the entire length of the banner. The font choice is also iffy- it could've been better executed (although not too great, since the font itself isn't very nice) if everything inside was filled with the colour, rather than just the colour bordering it. Perhaps less opacity, too. Background looks good, but nevertheless, is too empty.

_jaye_: It all seems "out there" to me- mainly because of the text. For one thing, the "T" is blending into the background which gives it sort of an "incomplete" feel, and the shades of blue you chose are too overpowering. I think another font would also do nicely too, this one's decent but not good enough. Anyway, I do like the blustery blues you chose for the background. Not so sure about the overlays, especially that sketchy blue diamond one. Snow could be toned down a bit. Something could also be placed on the left (maybe some more text, like Neopets banners?) to fill up that empty bit.

Scholastic: Without your linking to the images you used, I don't think I would've been able to tell what the shell was. Otherwise, you've got some nice touches, like the wavy pattern you added behind the dotted one- subtle, but it could show a little more, seeing as everything past the shell is empty space. Speaking of which, perhaps more ruin artifact things could be in there. You've used some good colours here...but it looks more like New Maraqua than the ruins. Theme problems, I suppose, and in this I agree with moogie and Silja.

Apricus: Ooh, I love the clouds on this one. Not sure about the rainbows myself, but that's a personal opinion- it does look nice aesthetically. At some places, your scanlines could be masked rather than just plain erased; this is really noticable to me on the middle cloud and I think it'd be better semi-opaque than gone. Nicely done.

mazil: Your adjustment work is excellent- I had originally thought the entire right side of your banner was a scene itself. Everything works nicely together and fits the island theme. I'm not too sure of the gradient border colour, but it does fit the theme as well- guess it's another matter of personal opinion. I think it would've been better if the bottom border wasn't as thick as the top- it was intentional though, I assume? The head thing sticking out is cool, definitely against the grain of things compared to all the other banners, but excellent.

Amethyst: The elements are there...but they don't match up well. That, and the originality issue that every other judge is mentioning, so I won't get into that so much. I'm also at a loss to why you used the first image, which doesn't seem to fit in at all (a moon and waves of some sort?). The rainbow and clouds look nice, but not with Heffaklump on it. The dot overlay is neat, but kinda unsettling to me. Perhaps less opacity.

rachel: Hm. Everything seems to be a little too cut from the original. The flower, for instance, stands out a lot, and I think it would look cooler if you masked the leaves rather than removing them. The trees/island looks rather pixelly, perhaps because of filtering too much. The squares are neat, but if it had been more continuous and prominent throughout the banner, it would be better executed. It would've been awesome if you had included some of that ocean in the wallpaper too, as well as a different border colour.

Neko: I really like this one- even though there's no mountain in the picture you used, I seem to be imagining that there are mountains in the background, which then makes it more theme-fitting. I think it's the colour adjustments; it makes the sky look like the base of a mountain to me, and it gives a great ominous feel that just fits the name "terror." The snowflakes and snow are good additions.

Jasujo: The colours here are excellent, in my opinion (it's kinda that slimy grey sky you'd expect!), and all the images and text seem to fit together, save for the owls, which left me wondering what they were. The placements are also a bit weird; I think it would've been better if the text wasn't disjointed and on the left, with the pumpkins placed "ouside" of the house.

Fizzy: A tad plain, and the knight picture left me wondering what it was for a few minutes. It doesn't seem to fit well either, considering the quality of the castle. Text is fitting...but otherwise, I think this banner was not a very efforted attempt. The borders are very choppy as well, even though you left the white on- it really needs anti-aliasing.

InsanePlushie: It's pretty cool that your picture kinda resembles a dark faerie after your colour adjustments. Your background and faint scanlines are barely "noticable", but in a good way, seeing as it fits nicely. However...I think you still could've added some more effects, more visible ones. I'd say stars would fit pretty well in this one. Text is excellent. You could have gone with a different border, though.

Koku: As cool and old as this looks...I couldn't tell it was a cave painting at all. Perhaps the image could have been scaled smaller to allow for more of it to show, and less colour adjustments could have been made. It was a cool idea to have scanlines but erase them on the whiter areas- it looks very neat, but it also works slightly against your favour as well seeing as it ties into the "Huh?" impression, if you get what I mean. Text also could have been brought out a little more (either that or the background a little less and on white)- it's a neat font, though.

timkhj: Ooh, I really like this, especially how you put all those IP data things in the back. The (R) is a pretty neat thing too, although the rest of "Virtupets" could have been brought out more; it gets a little busy with the satellite over there. This banner is really witty and all, straightforward in point and theme too, but...it'd be cool if you had a few more artistic elements. Kinda like what Silja's saying.

LAQ: The first thing that hits me is the unevenness of the border- it throws everything else off, regardless of how nice it looks. Anyway, the rest of it looks pretty simple. You could've made the wing on the left a little more visible; the left side looks really empty. More of the blue could've been kept as well. The colours are pleasing to the eyes...but everything just kinda comes out as unsettling, with proportions and all, you know what I mean?


Ooh...tough decision, the works this time around are pretty good overall. Hm. My votes this round go to Kandice, Amethyst, and Fizzy.

so much for trying to make ice crystals.

Don't know about the rest but if you happened to write that to me then I didn't say you took the border from a Neopets banner, it's just pretty much like one from the neopets banner. I was not taking the possible effort in consideration when pointing out the borders (to more than one entry), it simply doesn't look good in most cases.

Anyway, sorry for the delay guys, I'll finish my ratings today *pinky promise*

Yeah, it doesn't look good too in my opinion. Sorry for the misunderstanding then.

<b>watericesage</b> -- Good idea, but the end result is a little washed out. I noticed you changed the levels of the images a bit, but you should've gone for something brighter rather than the muted scheme they are in now. The text blends into the heiroglyphics too much and doesn't stand out from the rest of the images enough. The border should've been a different shade of brown/tan because it blends right into the heiroglyphics. Overall, everything just looks rather bland.

<b>Neopets Addict</b> -- The border is a little too thick. I think you should've made the satellite stand out more against the gray background there. However, I do like how you made the text different colors to go with the greenish tint of the moon, even if the text itself could be more vivid as well. Perhaps you could've accomplished that by making the text go from green to gray instead of gray to green.

<b>Kandice</b> -- It's nice to see something bright! Anyhow, the only complaint I have is that you can't really see the images in the background very well. You did too good a job of blending them in. Also, while the font you chose for the text is interesting, it doesn't help that it's hard to read; you probably should've added an outer glow or something.

<b>jaye</b> -- I like the hue change. The text should've been placed on the left, where there is hardly anything going on, because as it stands right now, the banner is very heavy on the right. And that chunky overlay that you used (I'm not quite sure what it is exactly) is a little too green-blue for the rest of your image. The turquoise just looks out of place.

<b>Scholastic</b> -- Well, I can't see the second picture that you used, so I'm not sure how to judge your background. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and hope that you did something to the original image rather than just slapping it on and using it as a background. Either way, I think you did a decent job overall. I couldn't really tell what the shell was until I looked at the original image though.

<b>Apricus</b> -- Pretty! The only thing I don't like is that really dark, almost black spot near the right end of your banner. It also looks a little grainy, but I'll get over it.

<b>mazil</b> -- This is probably one of my favorites this round, and that's purely because it's different. I think you did a fantastic job of putting the images all together. It looks very convincing and if I hadn't looked at your source images, I never would've known that you had set them up. I'm at a loss for words. It just looks great. The border is great, the text is great, the mysterious overlay thing is great. It's absolutely amazing.

<b>Amethyst</b> -- While the vivid take looks pretty nice, I think the dotted overlay is a little bit too strong. The rainbow looks a tad grainy. And the flat-out black border is too much, as is the text. I think you took the safe route by following the Neopets banners too closely. Your banner is far too pretty and dreamy for the clunky font they use.

<b>rachel</b> -- The banner is really cute, but overall it looks muted. That is, it doesn't look alive. While the hibiscus flower was a nice touch, the hue is all wrong. It has a blue tint and it's much too dark. You should try adjusting the levels to make it brighter. Even your text color is muted; you should've chosen something more vibrant. And again, the border is too over-powering.

<b>Neko</b> -- Great work! I love the eerie feeling this banner gives me; it's perfect for Terror Mountain. I like how you added snow to the picture. The snowflakes are a nice touch, even if they're a bit on the large side.

<b>Jasujo</b> -- Cute! I definitely like the take on this one. I love how you put everything together, even if it is a little unrealistic (for instance, the moon in front of the woods kind of thing). The house should be brighter, because right now it almost blends right into the woods. I think you shouldn't have separated the words though, because then it divides one's attention and makes the image unbalanced. The owls could've easily gone on top of the text had you kept it together and placed it between the pumpkins and the house.

<b>Fizzy</b> -- I love this idea; however, the only problem with the image is that the focus is odd. The castle is a great image, but you should've taken the scanlines off of it, as you did with the suit of armor. You should've made the armor more prominent, because it's so small and out there as is. Even though you placed the text right in the middle of the banner, it's not technically in the middle of the action. To make it more balanced (I don't like the blank space between "Meridell" and the suit of armor), you should've placed the text closer to the armor.

<b>InsanePlushie</b> -- I'm so glad that you tinted it pink to make it more fairy-like. The original image didn't seem as magestic or delicate. Now I'm not sure if it's the font or if you added effects to the text, but it looks slightly out of place because it's more retro than elegant. And as with many others, the border on yours is too chunky.

<b>Koku</b> -- I knew at once that this was your work. The bright, vivid, eye-catching style has your name written all over it. The only problem that I see here is that it's rather hard to tell exactly what the image is. I couldn't really see what it was until I looked at the original image. You might want to tone the whole thing down a little, just so people can recognize that it's a cave-painting.

<b>timkhj</b> -- Cool. The only thing that I think you should've done is to bring out the "Virtupets" more, simply because a lot of stuff is going on on the left side of the banner and it's just chaotic to try and get text out of it. Perhaps you could've switched the two text objects, so that the main stuff "Virtupets" is on the right/less busy area.

<b>Laq</b> -- Hmm. I suppose the only complaint I have is with the border. It's uneven (seems a bit thinner at the top; perhaps that's Neopet's fault). While I'm a huge fan of blending modes, I think it should've been more defined.

Oh dear. For once I'm having a hard time deciding who to vote out. The entries were overall rather impressive this time around.
All right. Votes go to watericesage, Kandice, and Fizzy. Warnings go to Amethyst and Jaye.

Silja: There are scanliness. There's horizontal ones over the whole picture and diagonal ones between the face and the wing. They're light because otherwise they'd be very distracting. I know it is hard to see here but I did edit the picture quite a bit:

I moved the right wing
I recolored the face purple and the wings pink
Blended everything
made some extra wing to the right, because the image was too small
I added texture to the empty space between the face and the wing
And some other minor things

I used the black border, because I thought it had to be like neo, so i shouldn't change that.

But thanks for the comments. I think it's very helpful for all us graphicians to receive detailed comments about what we make.

Ah, sorry about that, my laptop screen isn't the best in the world, I can see them better from our other comp. However, the feature they give is still rather weak in my opinion, a tip from my part for this is to not only use effects pasted onto the image, but effects, such as a mosaic effect, on the image itself

Thanks for the comments, judges (I'm glad you liked it Silja ). I really appreciate the time you must've put into rating all of our work!

And yeah, I thought I'd try for something different to the neopets style with that head stickin out there

What do you mean by mask the leaves?

Include some of the leaves in the picture then just use a layer mask to fade it into the rest of the banner. :)

Sorry, what i meant was what's a layer mask?

I assume that's meant for me, but I'm not Paola.

Amethyst: This banner seems to be in limbo, it's got a rather chaotic look because you chose a very dramatic background, but then you combined it with the playful look of the standard Neopets banners. The two looks really clash and overall it's very odd looking. 6.5/10
Apricus: The colors are all very pretty, but there's one spot where there's some conflicting color overlays, it's all muddy and dark. The font you chose is nice and whimsical, the only suggestion I'd make is to look for a more graceful "f," the current one looks a little weird to me. 9/10
Fizzy: I can't view the source image of the castle, but I feel that you didn't do much, if anything, to alter it. The two pictures here are very different, which doesn't give a nice uniform look. But really, besides add scanlines, it looks like you took two pictures, stuck them on a plain background, and added text and a border. 6/10
InsanePlushie: Your recoloring of the image seems a little hasty, some of the lavender of her face is leaking into the background on the right side. I don't really like the big blank spot between her face and wings, the lightness of it draws your eye and there's nothing there. 6.5/10
Jasujo: Overall this photo composition is pretty good, but there are a few mistakes here and there, nothing too obvious though. I would have tried for a bigger forest picture though, there's a bit of a pattern among the trees, so it's apparent that you had one small image and repeated it. I don't think the owls and pumpkins were necessary, they really distract from the gravestones and ghosts you drew (which are very nice, by the way). 8/10
_jaye_: Interesting effects. I'm not very fond of the text for "Terror Mountain," it's rather unbalanced towards the capital letters. The snow effect over the whole picture is a little fake looking, try varying the size of the brush you used to give it depth. 7/10
Kandice: Something I've noticed about a lot of your work is your composition technique, feathering the edges and lowering the layer opacity isn't always the best way to make an image fit into a background; in fact, it rarely is. Try extracting things carefully using the polyagonal lasso or pen tool for nice sharp edges that make objects stand out against the background. All that said, your composition here is quite dull and muted, and the text going over it is the only outstanding feature of the banner. 6.5/10
Koku: I didn't know what it was either, but the important thing is that it looks like something that fits the theme, and it does (I thought it was a leopardskin on a rock). The whole look of this one is very nice, but I agree with Silja, the font is too cartoony, I would recommend a more rugged font to match look of the background. 9/10
LAQ: I'm never happy when people work off other people's graphics, the original can be found here at Little Bit. As you can see, there were only minor adjustments, but you did take advantage of them by depending heavily on a gradient background, which was created in the other picture. 6.5/10
mazil: There are a lot of things I like about this one, all the little details are very cute and appropriate. Nice job putting the moai heads on the green grass, it's probably the first photomanipulation I've actually liked this whole game. I like the little waves coming off the moai head on the left, it really adds to the "mysterious" look, and I like how you emphasized "mystery" rather than keeping the text uniform. There are a few mistakes in the border, though, there are little jagged places in the top, particularly where the waves touch the border, and some leftover white in the bottom left. 9.5/10
Neko: This one's very pretty, but it has a little theme problem, it's not scary at all; rather, it's very serene and a little romantic looking because of the font you used. The snow effect here is very nice, but I'd try to make it less obvious, maybe by making it smaller or lowering the opacity. The snowflakes on the side bother me a little, they seem to have a brownish tint, which doesn't look good with all the blue tones of the rest of the picture. 8/10
Neopets Addict: The background is a little odd looking, I can't tell if that's supposed to be 3 separate moons or one large color-changing moonscape. I like how all the lines are very bold, but even so, they're very vague and undefined because of the blending colors. 7/10
rachel: I'm not too fond of the CG island you used, it's very fake looking, particularly the sand, which also has a lot of bad compression artifacts. The cutting out is a little choppy, which leads me to think you used the magic wand or something. Lastly, a little composition detail; the light source of the island is coming from the right, while the light source of the flower is coming from the left. It's a very small detail, but it's good to have things uniform. 7/10
Scholastic: The colors and textures are very nice, even if the shell is a little vague, it definitely does look aquatic (I thought it was a sea turtle at first). I can't see your background source image, but I get the feeling that it was a bit small and you repeated it across, there's a bit of a diagonal stripe pattern among the waves that you may want to smooth out. 7.5/10
timkhj: I like this one a lot, even though you depended heavily on the source image, I can see you've made some nice adjustments to it. I particularly like the computer input overlaid over it, it's a nice little detail. My only complaint is your font choice for "Space Station," the script seems a little girly for this banner. 9/10
watericesage: This banner really looks bland, I think because it's all muted shades of brown with almost no contrast. That really throws off the look of the whole thing, there's no notable feature of this banner, the only part that really sticks out is the word "Desert" over the lighter area of the sand. Also, when you combined the image of the pyramid and sand, it's very unconvincing, particularly because the pyramid looks so blurred while the sand is mostly sharp. Try resizing in intervals (100% > 90% > 70% > 50% > 25% as opposed to 100% > 25%) and running a sharpening filter when working with large images that have detail you want to preserve. 7/10

I vote out Fizzy, Kandice, and Amethyst.