Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:43 am
LJ Icon: 
(Love the guy, dislike the icon)
Image Used: Click....
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
(Love the guy, dislike the icon)
Image Used: Click....
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
Last edited by bluehawaii19 on Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:00 am, edited 3 times in total.
Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:39 am
Shocking stuff... 
Programs: Paint Shop Pro
Original Pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v55/B ... eerkat.jpg
Programs: Paint Shop Pro
Original Pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v55/B ... eerkat.jpg
Wed Sep 15, 2004 2:19 am
Image Used: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/p ... statue.gif
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Bah, might change it if I have time.
Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:52 pm
Nevermind, here is my entry :
Original Image Used : Click Here!
Programs Used : Adobe Photoshop CS & PSP 7
Original Image Used : Click Here!
Programs Used : Adobe Photoshop CS & PSP 7
Last edited by Ken on Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:01 am
Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:11 pm
Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:33 pm
Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:35 pm
Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:56 am
Ya'll know the routine. 
Optimus
Original Image
Program Used: Paint Shop Pro
bluehawaii19
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
Chii
Original Image
Programs Used: Photoshop; Paint (border)
Apricus
Original Image
Program Used: PSP 8
Neopets Addict
Original Image
Programs Used : Adobe Photoshop CS & PSP 7
Neko
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
Koku
Original Image
Program Used: Photoshop 7
Kyra
Original Image
Program Used: Photoshop 7
Dobbitron
Original Image
Program: Photoshop CS
paola
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Optimus
Original Image
Program Used: Paint Shop Pro
bluehawaii19
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
Chii
Original Image
Programs Used: Photoshop; Paint (border)
Apricus
Original Image
Program Used: PSP 8
Neopets Addict
Original Image
Programs Used : Adobe Photoshop CS & PSP 7
Neko
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS
Koku
Original Image
Program Used: Photoshop 7
Kyra
Original Image
Program Used: Photoshop 7
Dobbitron
Original Image
Program: Photoshop CS
paola
Original Image
Program Used: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:06 am
Awwwww! Some of these are so cute! I feel like long ratings today...
Optimus- So. Cute. I really like this icon and only see a few minor flaws. The first is the faded version of the image in the background- I think it would look a bit better if it were just a bit more faded- it's just a bit hard to see what's the faded version and what's the normal picture. I also don't think you should of used scanlines. Scanlines are most well used when you really need the image to stand out, and in this case, I don't think you do. Great use will all of the colors- other than those two things, I think it looks marvellous. Keep up the good work!
Bluehawaii19- Gah. Can't see the original image. This makes rating hard... anyway, I have mixed feelings about this icon. But first off, I love the curve and placing of 'Mr. Perfect Guy', as well as the font used for it. It looks very nice. However, I cannot read the other bit of text very well; I can only be sure of the worst word. I think the border is a bit thick, as well. However, I really like the image you used; I just don't think this is your best piece of work.
Chii- Love. It. This icon is absolutely beautiful. I love the placing of the rose, I love the placing of the text, I love the font used, I love all the colors, and I love the background. There is nothing in this icon that I don't absolutely love. You just did things so incredibly well- gah, I'm in shock right now. No, not because I think you're a bad artist and this is good, but because I've never seen an icon so wonderfully beautiful before. Once again, I absolutely love it. No problems whatsoever.
Apricus- Did you colorize the image? I can't quite tell. But I do really like this icon. The text is very readable, which I think is usually the biggest problem with LJ icons. I like the faded areas around the image- they go very well with the feel of the icon. And I LOVE the border- the roundedness of the border goes well with the roundedness of the gears.
Neopets Addict- The cutest icon this round. However, it's quite simple and I'm not entirely a fan of it. First off, the animation. The white makes it a bit hard to read, and I think it's too flashy for this paticular icon. If the text were stationary, I don't think I'd have any problems with it. And as for the simplicity- well, it just doesn't look like you worked all that hard on it. Yes, it does look quite good, but I don't think you worked as hard on this as you have in the past. Other than that, though, it looks just fine- the colors are pretty okay, and again, that penguin is so cute, it's to die for.
Neko- Mixed feelings. I can't decide my own feelings on this. Kind of pathetic for me, eh? Anyway, I do like how you erased the background on the original image (you did, right?) and put in a new one (same comment). You made the new one (same comment again) blend in so well with the old one that it looks like the original photograph. That is very good. You chose great colors for the text- it looks quite nice. All in all, I'm still not sure of myself, but I think I like it.
Koku- Again one that I'm not sure about. I'm not quite sure how hard you worked on it, but I do like it. I especially like the image/text placement. However, I have a bit of a problem with the image work. I'm not quite sure if you did anything to the image to make it look... different, but if you did, I would suggest you didn't do that. It kinda reminds me of .jpg compression. And if you didn't do anything to the original image, I would suggest despeckling (did I spell that right?) it. However, I think the simplicity goes alright with this icon. I don't think it's your best, but it does look pretty nice.
Kyra- Why is everyone using pictures of cute animals? Why, I ask, why? Anyway, I love it. the stars in the background of the icon looks so blending in, it looks as if they were a part of the original picture. The main problem I see is that the text is a bit hard to read. I think this icon would look quite good with no text at all- besides, the eye is drawn immediately to the picture (good!) and you don't really notice the text at all. Other than the text, I really don't see any problems. *huggles the mouse*
Dobbitron- Again, another cute animal. xD I really like this icon. The border is very plain, which I like very much. Two problems: I really don't like the text placement for some reason. I think this icon would look very nice without any text at all. And the second problem- part of the dog is clear as a bell, and another part of the dog is nearly completely faded into the background. I would suggest to either: A) Bring the faded part into view or B) Take out the faded part all together. Those are the only problems I see. Oh, and I LOVE the yellow background.
Paola- I'm not really a fan of this icon. First off, I didn't know what the heck the image was until I looked at the original one. Second off, the only bit of text I can actually read is 'cry and SCREAM'. However, the border is pretty nice and the colors look alright. I would suggest just making the text more legible and maybe using different images- some that everyone can tell what they are when they're resized.
This time, I'm sorry to say that my votes go to Bluehawaii19 and Koku. Sorry, guys.
Optimus- So. Cute. I really like this icon and only see a few minor flaws. The first is the faded version of the image in the background- I think it would look a bit better if it were just a bit more faded- it's just a bit hard to see what's the faded version and what's the normal picture. I also don't think you should of used scanlines. Scanlines are most well used when you really need the image to stand out, and in this case, I don't think you do. Great use will all of the colors- other than those two things, I think it looks marvellous. Keep up the good work!
Bluehawaii19- Gah. Can't see the original image. This makes rating hard... anyway, I have mixed feelings about this icon. But first off, I love the curve and placing of 'Mr. Perfect Guy', as well as the font used for it. It looks very nice. However, I cannot read the other bit of text very well; I can only be sure of the worst word. I think the border is a bit thick, as well. However, I really like the image you used; I just don't think this is your best piece of work.
Chii- Love. It. This icon is absolutely beautiful. I love the placing of the rose, I love the placing of the text, I love the font used, I love all the colors, and I love the background. There is nothing in this icon that I don't absolutely love. You just did things so incredibly well- gah, I'm in shock right now. No, not because I think you're a bad artist and this is good, but because I've never seen an icon so wonderfully beautiful before. Once again, I absolutely love it. No problems whatsoever.
Apricus- Did you colorize the image? I can't quite tell. But I do really like this icon. The text is very readable, which I think is usually the biggest problem with LJ icons. I like the faded areas around the image- they go very well with the feel of the icon. And I LOVE the border- the roundedness of the border goes well with the roundedness of the gears.
Neopets Addict- The cutest icon this round. However, it's quite simple and I'm not entirely a fan of it. First off, the animation. The white makes it a bit hard to read, and I think it's too flashy for this paticular icon. If the text were stationary, I don't think I'd have any problems with it. And as for the simplicity- well, it just doesn't look like you worked all that hard on it. Yes, it does look quite good, but I don't think you worked as hard on this as you have in the past. Other than that, though, it looks just fine- the colors are pretty okay, and again, that penguin is so cute, it's to die for.
Neko- Mixed feelings. I can't decide my own feelings on this. Kind of pathetic for me, eh? Anyway, I do like how you erased the background on the original image (you did, right?) and put in a new one (same comment). You made the new one (same comment again) blend in so well with the old one that it looks like the original photograph. That is very good. You chose great colors for the text- it looks quite nice. All in all, I'm still not sure of myself, but I think I like it.
Koku- Again one that I'm not sure about. I'm not quite sure how hard you worked on it, but I do like it. I especially like the image/text placement. However, I have a bit of a problem with the image work. I'm not quite sure if you did anything to the image to make it look... different, but if you did, I would suggest you didn't do that. It kinda reminds me of .jpg compression. And if you didn't do anything to the original image, I would suggest despeckling (did I spell that right?) it. However, I think the simplicity goes alright with this icon. I don't think it's your best, but it does look pretty nice.
Kyra- Why is everyone using pictures of cute animals? Why, I ask, why? Anyway, I love it. the stars in the background of the icon looks so blending in, it looks as if they were a part of the original picture. The main problem I see is that the text is a bit hard to read. I think this icon would look quite good with no text at all- besides, the eye is drawn immediately to the picture (good!) and you don't really notice the text at all. Other than the text, I really don't see any problems. *huggles the mouse*
Dobbitron- Again, another cute animal. xD I really like this icon. The border is very plain, which I like very much. Two problems: I really don't like the text placement for some reason. I think this icon would look very nice without any text at all. And the second problem- part of the dog is clear as a bell, and another part of the dog is nearly completely faded into the background. I would suggest to either: A) Bring the faded part into view or B) Take out the faded part all together. Those are the only problems I see. Oh, and I LOVE the yellow background.
Paola- I'm not really a fan of this icon. First off, I didn't know what the heck the image was until I looked at the original one. Second off, the only bit of text I can actually read is 'cry and SCREAM'. However, the border is pretty nice and the colors look alright. I would suggest just making the text more legible and maybe using different images- some that everyone can tell what they are when they're resized.
This time, I'm sorry to say that my votes go to Bluehawaii19 and Koku. Sorry, guys.
Last edited by Bangel on Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:26 pm, edited 8 times in total.
Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:58 am
Dawn2 wrote:Awwwww! Some of these are so cute! I feel like long ratings today...
Optimus- So. Cute. I really like this icon and only see a few minor flaws. The first is the faded version of the image in the background- I think it would look a bit better if it were just a bit more faded- it's just a bit hard to see what's the faded version and what's the normal picture. I also don't think you should of used scanlines. Scanlines are most well used when you really need the image to stand out, and in this case, I don't think you do. Great use will all of the colors- other than those two things, I think it looks marvellous. Keep up the good work!
Bluehawaii19- Gah. Can't see the original image. This makes rating hard... anyway, I have mixed feelings about this icon. But first off, I love the curve and placing of 'Mr. Perfect Guy', as well as the font used for it. It looks very nice. However, I cannot read the other bit of text very well; I can only be sure of the worst word. I think the border is a bit thick, as well. However, I really like the image you used; I just don't think this is your best piece of work.
Chii- Love. It. This icon is absolutely beautiful. I love the placing of the rose, I love the placing of the text, I love the font used, I love all the colors, and I love the background. There is nothing in this icon that I don't absolutely love. You just did things so incredibly well- gah, I'm in shock right now. No, not because I think you're a bad artist and this is good, but because I've never seen an icon so wonderfully beautiful before. Once again, I absolutely love it. No problems whatsoever.
The hard to read text says Dominic Monaghan (his name). Also, the other text says "My perfect guy," not "Mr. Perfect Guy"
Stupid Photobucket isn't working for me on that account, so I am going to upload the picture to another account.
You should be able to see the original picture. Just go to my post, and click on the image used, and you should be able to see it now.
Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:10 pm
*shields eyes from other ratings*
<b>Optimus</b> -- So cute!! You did an all right job of removing the blue background, but I can still see some of it, especially at the top of its head. I know it'd be difficult though, seeing as it's pretty hairy and you can't go around every hair. Good effects though. I dislike the pixel font you chose for the text.
<b>Bluehawaii19</b> -- Um, what does it say? I can read "my perfect guy", but not the other text. I like how you placed the text over his head; however, I think it may be a bit too close to him. The change in lighting is also well done. The original image was slightly blinding, and you did well to fix it a bit. Interesting border. I've seen it done before, but it still works.
<b>Chii</b> -- Strange border. I haven't seen it <i>inside</i> the image before. The text placement could have been better; unbalanced text kind of irks me. It's also really close to the top border which drags my eye away from the rose and to the top. The image you chose is pretty, and even though it's really muted in the icon, it's still lovely.
<b>Apricus</b> -- Oooohh. I like the border. The whole thing is very poetic. Something about it bothers me though, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the text placement, because the bar sort of cuts off the corner from the rest of the image.
<b>Neopets Addict</b> -- Too generic... it's a duplicated and faded image. Although the image you chose is really good, I think you probably could have done a lot more. Maybe tried a snowy background or some kind of random brushes. You've done better work in the past.
<b>Neko</b> -- Eeee! Lovely image you chose. I love what you did with it. The color scheme seems a bit too cool for the "love" theme. It's very pretty nonetheless.
<b>Koku</b> -- For some reason, it seems to be lacking something. At first glance, it looks very nice and clean, but it doesn't look like you did much with the original image. The border is very plain as well. Maybe try a double pixel one?
<b>Kyra</b> -- Hahahahaha. I had to laugh when I saw this. So adorable! Even though you used really slight brushes and effects, they turned out really well. It's busy enough that the simple border worked nicely. Good job!
<b>Dobbitron</b> -- Cute dog, but it's so plain! The original image wasn't of great quality, so I'm glad you blurred some of it out, although I really think you could have added more to the background, or done something more with the text, just to fill up space.
<b>Paola</b> -- It's gorgeous. I love it. Although it looks really simple, it's a great effect. The only problem is the text... I can't read any of it except for the "cry and scream" part. If the text were more legible, it would have been perfect. Either way, it's a pretty nice job.
This round, I'm voting out the two icons that were the most plain: Neopets Addict and Dobbitron.
<b>Optimus</b> -- So cute!! You did an all right job of removing the blue background, but I can still see some of it, especially at the top of its head. I know it'd be difficult though, seeing as it's pretty hairy and you can't go around every hair. Good effects though. I dislike the pixel font you chose for the text.
<b>Bluehawaii19</b> -- Um, what does it say? I can read "my perfect guy", but not the other text. I like how you placed the text over his head; however, I think it may be a bit too close to him. The change in lighting is also well done. The original image was slightly blinding, and you did well to fix it a bit. Interesting border. I've seen it done before, but it still works.
<b>Chii</b> -- Strange border. I haven't seen it <i>inside</i> the image before. The text placement could have been better; unbalanced text kind of irks me. It's also really close to the top border which drags my eye away from the rose and to the top. The image you chose is pretty, and even though it's really muted in the icon, it's still lovely.
<b>Apricus</b> -- Oooohh. I like the border. The whole thing is very poetic. Something about it bothers me though, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the text placement, because the bar sort of cuts off the corner from the rest of the image.
<b>Neopets Addict</b> -- Too generic... it's a duplicated and faded image. Although the image you chose is really good, I think you probably could have done a lot more. Maybe tried a snowy background or some kind of random brushes. You've done better work in the past.
<b>Neko</b> -- Eeee! Lovely image you chose. I love what you did with it. The color scheme seems a bit too cool for the "love" theme. It's very pretty nonetheless.
<b>Koku</b> -- For some reason, it seems to be lacking something. At first glance, it looks very nice and clean, but it doesn't look like you did much with the original image. The border is very plain as well. Maybe try a double pixel one?
<b>Kyra</b> -- Hahahahaha. I had to laugh when I saw this. So adorable! Even though you used really slight brushes and effects, they turned out really well. It's busy enough that the simple border worked nicely. Good job!
<b>Dobbitron</b> -- Cute dog, but it's so plain! The original image wasn't of great quality, so I'm glad you blurred some of it out, although I really think you could have added more to the background, or done something more with the text, just to fill up space.
<b>Paola</b> -- It's gorgeous. I love it. Although it looks really simple, it's a great effect. The only problem is the text... I can't read any of it except for the "cry and scream" part. If the text were more legible, it would have been perfect. Either way, it's a pretty nice job.
This round, I'm voting out the two icons that were the most plain: Neopets Addict and Dobbitron.
Last edited by vkceankraz on Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:15 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:44 pm
vkceankraz wrote:*shields eyes from other ratings*
<b>Optimus</b> -- So cute!! You did an all right job of removing the blue background, but I can still see some of it, especially at the top of its head. I know it'd be difficult though, seeing as it's pretty hairy and you can't go around every hair. Good effects though. I dislike the pixel font you chose for the text.
<b>Bluehawaii19</b> -- I can't see the original image so I won't rate yours yet.
<b>Chii</b> -- Interesting border. I haven't seen it <i>inside</i> the image before. The text placement could have been better; unbalanced text kind of irks me. It's also really close to the top border which drags my eye away from the rose and to the top. The image you chose is pretty, and even though it's really muted in the icon, it's still lovely.
<b>Apricus</b> -- Oooohh. I like the border. The whole thing is very poetic. Something about it bothers me though, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the text placement, because the bar sort of cuts off the corner from the rest of the image.
<b>Neopets Addict</b> -- Too generic... it's a duplicated and faded image. Although the image you chose is really good, I think you probably could have done a lot more. Maybe tried a snowy background or some kind of random brushes. You've done better work in the past.
Just go to my post and click on the link and you will be able to see the picture.
Sat Sep 18, 2004 4:09 am
Apricus: Hm, I can't see much that you've done to the picture, just added some scanlines. The border is a little inconsistent also, there's more width at the corners, and I'm sure you could make a nicely rounded corner with 1px width all around. The thing that bothers me the most about this one is the text. The image looks rather old-worldly and sophisticated, but the diagonal ribbon of text looks...well, cheap, like some kind of price markdown. 7/10
bluehawaii19: Once again, not much you did to the original picture, just toned down the color saturation. The border is interesting, not something I see very often. Again, the big problem here is the text. I see you explained what it says, but that's really not going to cut it when you're actually using it. Your text really needs to be readable by everyone. 7/10
Chii: Interesting border, and it actually utilizes something I've always noticed about LiveJournal icons, the border is redundant, since LJ automatically draws a border around icons most of the time. There's a lot of dark empty space around the top and left of the rose, and the faded lyrics don't really stand out enough to compensate for them. Otherwise, this is a very nice icon, the colors go very well. 9/10
Dobbitron: You know, if you work with better resolution images, I can almost guarantee you that your finished products will be that much better. I don't really like all the wasted space in this icon, the dog kind of disappears into the matching yellow background. You could have put more focus on the dog, or put something in the background to liven it up. 7/10
Koku: Looking just at the icon, I'd have guessed you did another color overlay, but I see you didn't. It looks like you may have added a very slight motion blur, but other than that, there's just the text that makes it any different from the original. 6/10
Kyra: I really rather dislike the placement of the text, there was a perfect spot to fit it in at the bottom right corner. I like all the stars in the background, they add interest without being distracting. 7/10
Neko: First a comment for Kim, that isn't the character for love. Going off that, you probably should have put something in the background as to what it does say (I don't know the word, I assume it's some flower or plant). I really like what you've done to the background, it's very dreamy and romantic. 9/10
Neopets Addict: Hm, the animation is really distracting. The white is too bright and doesn't match with the colors of the set. This icon is really too simple, you could have made a nice background. Ghosting the image in the background doesn't always work, and this is one of those times, it looks like you just got lazy with the background. 7/10
Optimus: Aiya, the source was horrible quality! There's still some blue spillover in the meerkat, you could have gotten rid of that with a color overlay. I really like the background, it looks like some aged explorer's map. The light portion in the bottom left corner is rather distracting, though. 8/10
paola: I like this one, and I actually can read the text, "Bury your head...cry and scream." The whole theme is very nice, but I think the real confusion is with the picture you used. I think it kind of looks like a frog at first glance, other people may see other things. This picture from a different angle might have been clearer. I can see how some people wouldn't be able to read the text, you may want to go for a clearer or bigger font. 7/10
This round I vote out Dobbitron and Koku.
bluehawaii19: Once again, not much you did to the original picture, just toned down the color saturation. The border is interesting, not something I see very often. Again, the big problem here is the text. I see you explained what it says, but that's really not going to cut it when you're actually using it. Your text really needs to be readable by everyone. 7/10
Chii: Interesting border, and it actually utilizes something I've always noticed about LiveJournal icons, the border is redundant, since LJ automatically draws a border around icons most of the time. There's a lot of dark empty space around the top and left of the rose, and the faded lyrics don't really stand out enough to compensate for them. Otherwise, this is a very nice icon, the colors go very well. 9/10
Dobbitron: You know, if you work with better resolution images, I can almost guarantee you that your finished products will be that much better. I don't really like all the wasted space in this icon, the dog kind of disappears into the matching yellow background. You could have put more focus on the dog, or put something in the background to liven it up. 7/10
Koku: Looking just at the icon, I'd have guessed you did another color overlay, but I see you didn't. It looks like you may have added a very slight motion blur, but other than that, there's just the text that makes it any different from the original. 6/10
Kyra: I really rather dislike the placement of the text, there was a perfect spot to fit it in at the bottom right corner. I like all the stars in the background, they add interest without being distracting. 7/10
Neko: First a comment for Kim, that isn't the character for love. Going off that, you probably should have put something in the background as to what it does say (I don't know the word, I assume it's some flower or plant). I really like what you've done to the background, it's very dreamy and romantic. 9/10
Neopets Addict: Hm, the animation is really distracting. The white is too bright and doesn't match with the colors of the set. This icon is really too simple, you could have made a nice background. Ghosting the image in the background doesn't always work, and this is one of those times, it looks like you just got lazy with the background. 7/10
Optimus: Aiya, the source was horrible quality! There's still some blue spillover in the meerkat, you could have gotten rid of that with a color overlay. I really like the background, it looks like some aged explorer's map. The light portion in the bottom left corner is rather distracting, though. 8/10
paola: I like this one, and I actually can read the text, "Bury your head...cry and scream." The whole theme is very nice, but I think the real confusion is with the picture you used. I think it kind of looks like a frog at first glance, other people may see other things. This picture from a different angle might have been clearer. I can see how some people wouldn't be able to read the text, you may want to go for a clearer or bigger font. 7/10
This round I vote out Dobbitron and Koku.
Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:13 pm
Dawn2 wrote:Apricus- Did you colorize the image?
Nah, it's just a slightly more vibrant yellow because I used an overlay layer when I put in the texturing, and it always makes the colors brighter whenever I do that to an image.
