Avalon

My vote goes to Mareck too. The blend of heaven and hell works well, nice brushing too. The text could be improved, but aside from that it's great. B)Avalon: 0Chameleon: 0$upa pimp: 0Reaver: 1Mareck: 3Saint-Michael: 0

Oh my, the web slinger is slung in his own web! Must be having a bad day.

Perhaps the other thing to think about is clearing your browser cache, it seems something is not quite right at your end.

I agree, it looks somewhat monochomatic. Also, for dial-up users like myself the large images used in the background will take a long time to download and people won't wait for the download. Not everyone has an uber-fast internet connection you know. The header graphic looks too big and uses too much of the page when all it does is tell you the name of the site. The menu are also takes up too much space, remembering a lot of the menu topics will just 1 or 2 words, it will look very empty. Truefuion's comments about the arrows is also valid, if they are going to be there, they need to line up with the menu topics.Don't want to rain on your parade SM, but I think you need to re-think your approach here. Think about site download speed and use of the page area. What you have looks nice enough as a graphic but not very usable as a web site.

It would seem you are a little agitated amhso, this will not encourage people to help you. I had a similar problem where I used IP to login to FTP and cPanel, today I finally figured out what is happening. I used IP to login when I first joined because it allowed me to login before my top level domain became active, ever since I have been using the IP to login. Lately I had noticed that none of the files I was uploading were visible on my web site, just like the problem you are having. Then I tried using my domain name to login and hey presto, everything was working. I think what has happened is that with the recent server change, (you may have heard of this) there has been an IP change. So why does the old IP appear to still work and allow you to login you ask? I think the old server must be still online and active, however, the nameservers are pointing to the new server. Therefore, you are uploading files to the old server yet trying to view them on the new server when you type in your url for your website. So we now have a feasible explanation as to what is happening, how do we fix your problem? The old IP, (and probably the one you are using) is 69.50.188.18, the new IP is 64.69.35.175 Try using that IP (if you're not already) and see if you can see the files you upload. When you want use your sub-domain to login, make sure you are using ftp.spudguns.trap17.com for ftp and http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ for your cPanel. I have tried it and it seems to work, of course I couldn't actually login. I could only get to where it asks for a password, the fact it asks for a password suggests to me that it works. If possible, I suggest you use your sub-domain where ever possible to login. If you do, you should not have this problem again if the servers are changed as the nameservers will presumably be pointing to the correct server. I hope that helps. NOTE TO MODERATORS: The information contained in this post is now incorrect due to the IP change. This no doubt will be confusing a lot of people so you might want to edit the post so it shows the correct IP. Perhaps a general message/email to all users about using IP addresses to login might also stop some confusion. I have seen a few posts about people having problems logging in to cPanel and FTP, this might be the reason.

You are spot on, that is exactly how I have been blending my renders. The technique came from a tutorial on here somewhere, I guess it's time to graduate up to a new technique. Thanks for the tips guys, I'll give them a try. [wanders off searching for brushes with depth....]

OK, I admit it, I was bored so I made a new sig. Found myself a few new brushes to play with. Now that I'm using PS CS, compatible brushes are easier to find. I think I'm still struggling to get some depth in my backgrounds. Let me know what you think and how I can get the depth. There are 10 layers of brushing, do I need to do more?

Is that tab still coming?

I'm confused by this, I would have thought the more practice the better so you can try new ideas and techniques. How do you feel it lowers the quality of your sigs? Inspiration for sigs that you are making for a purpose, e.g. a clan or a request, is easy. With these sigs it must fit a particular theme or people tell you want they want. I'm talking about when you make a sig just for the hell of it.

Moogie, very nice job for a first sig. I don't think that is the 1 pixel border SM had in mind. If you are using Photoshop, I think this is the border he meant.Add a new layer above all the other layersPress Ctrl+A to 'select all'Go to edit menu then 'stroke''Stroke' the sig with a 1 pixel black inside line.That will give you a 1 pixel black border around the sig.If you are using Paintshop, I can't remember how to do it the easy way, but you can always draw a 1 pixel line around the sig with the pen tool.Read some of the tutorials here for tips on using borders and text, they are however aimed at Photoshop users.

There are many talented gfx people here, I'm wondering what sort of things inspire you when making a graphic such a sig. Do you make the background that matches your theme first and then find a render and text that will suit? Do you find a render first that matches your theme and then create your background to suit? What determines the colors you use? Personally I tend to find a render I like and work from that.

First thing I'll mention is the scan lines over the top of render, either remove them ofr make them a lot lighter. The text is a little pixelated, try adjusting the anti-alias setting for a better look. The left hand side of the sig looks bare, either put another render there, even a small cut-out of the main renders works sometimes, or make a feature in the background such a special section of brushing or color.The mutli-coloring of the background has worked well, but you could do more with it, experiment with contrasting colors for a different look.All in all, I'd give it a 7/10, the main thing that spoils it is the heavy scan lines.

This is a great story. It just goes to show that a little kindness can be returned ten-fold. Many people in our world are too focused on their own needs and wants without any consideration for others. I have seen this time and time again and sadly it diminishes my belief in the idea that all people are generally good. With all the violence and hatred in the world it's nice to see a story like this come along to prove there are those out there that have a good heart.Thank you for sharing it with us.

Another thing you might want to think about is blending the render into the background, there is a tutorial for this.On a side note, you should have read the guidelines regarding how to post in these forums. The use of abbreviations such as 'wot', btw, 'u', 'ur' , 'thnx' is not encouraged here. I know it makes it easier for you to type your posts, but it also makes it hard for others to read and generally makes people not take your post seriously. It doesn't take much more effort to type the full words, please try it in the future and your posts will look much better.HINT: Some moderators will give you a 'warning' for using such words in your posts, now is your chance to change things before a moderator does something about it.

PS CS is what most people here use and the tutorials are based around it. There are also others that use GIMP, Paintshop and various other gfx programs. With the tutorials, try to get more than just step-by-step lessons. Try to understand the reason why you might use a particular technique and how certain techniques work together and influence each each other. The tutorials here are very good, but they will not teach you everything, the most important thing is your creative mind.

There is only one word to describe this sig... CHEESY! But hey, it might be just what you're looking for. Disco ball, disco lights and John Travolta, what more could you want? If you want it in your sig block, put this code in there. [IMG]http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/6716/discosig1dm.gif[/IMG]

Ummm... Reaver... "Blame it on the Boggie"? Might want to redo that text.

I'm with truefusion, both sigs look exactly the same to me. With the diagonal line effect used on the background, I have seen you use this before, is it a pixel stretch or a brush to get the effect? I also agree with truefusion about the text, put 1 word on either side over the red band towards the bottom and see how it looks, perhaps use a more modern looking text. But then again what do I know, I'm really bad at text.

Here's my entry. What I consider the welcoming party at the gates of Hell would look like. This sig does not use a render, the skull and skeleton are brushes from a set called 'Creeps Crawlers'.

I love these types of site, very useful. And I am pleased to say... Gotta be happy with that!

I'm confused, is it to be a separate forum to the main forums here or just a sub-forum of here? No that it matters either way to me, just don't understand the benefits if it is to be a sub-forum.And in case you are interested, I voted for 'gfxtrap'. Sounds kinda catchy.

I might be showing my age here but like Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells". Even after all these years it still sends shivers down my spine. Way ahead of its time!

My vote also goes to Becca. It shows originality and flair, I'm impressed that she drew almost all of it herself. Simple colors but very effective, well done!Samma: 0Mayank: 1Saint Michael: 0Becca: 3Reaver: 0Avalon: 0 Notice from BuffaloHELP: Edited as reported

Thanks folks, you taught me all I know, (about PS anyways)

It's very bright but eye-catching. The choices of colors are not to my liking, but that's a personal thing. I think you need to be uniform with your choice of fonts, the change of font style for the sub-sections doesn't look right. The text in the sub-sections could also benefit with a solid 1 pixel drop shadow to give them an engraved look.As I said, I don't like the color choice but the layout is still good. :)By the way, what are the clover and oval things in the blue section below the header?