Hmm...

[hils]

Icon makers, I'd appreciate some concrit.

I am ashamed to say I have been thinking about this since that annonymous person commented that my fic and icons suck.

Do you think I sharpen my bases too much? I'm looking at the Buffy icons I just posted and some of them do look a bit wibbly. Do the rest of you sharpen before colouring? Hints and tips muchly appreciated

Comments

[vichan.livejournal.com]

Something I've learned over the years is that everybody has different tastes, and yes, that totally applies to icons. Some people like sharp, really bright icons, and others like them when they're blurry and neutral. Some people like teeny-tiny unreadable text, others really don't. Some people like textures on top, others like crazy backgrounds. Some people like line borders, others like elaborate swooshes, and even more like no border at all.

So... it's really a matter of taste, and you really shouldn't take it personally. For example, I'm fond of text you can read, usually prefer toned down colors, all sorts of borders, and sharp but still soft figures. And I'm usually in the minority when it comes to my icon tastes, but not always. :)

On the rare occasion that I do make icons, though? I love to experiment more than anything. Sharpening or coloring first honestly depends on the cap. What I've been doing a lot lately is actually messing with the different layers and sharpening AND blurring - for example, I make one layer copy of the original cap and set it to 'soft light,' and then run a gaussian blur on it. I'll make another layer copy on top that's set to 'screen' and sharpen it. Then I mess with the transparency on both of those layers until I like how it looks. It gives it a really nice soft effect, but it's still clear. And color? Well, lately I like to tone the coloring down so much that they're nearly graytone.

ANYWAY. 'Scuse my babble. Point is this: do what you want, but go crazy with whatever you do. :-D

[folkin-up-again.livejournal.com]

I could have posted a comment, but this completely summed it all up.

It really is just a matter of taste and preference. For instance, over the past few months I've applied to various 'elite' icon communities. I always use almost the same icons when I apply to these kinds of things. I was reject by some and then others I was accepted.

There is no universal method of making great icons. Just go with what looks nice for you.

In terms of sharpness, I personally cannot make my icons sharp and keep them looking good. Not sure what program you use, but back when I was just beginning on PS7, I used to take the icon, crop, make two layers (one screen, one softlight, fix opacities) and then just use filter-sharpen-sharpen more. It's more subtle than full out sharpen mask.

Also, most programs have a tool that you can set that you can brush over different areas of the icon and sharpen them. I use this a lot on especially blurry images.

Hope that helps!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I use PSP but I'm sure there are things I can do to resolve some of the little issues

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hee!!! Thanks! I shall certainly have a play next time I icon :)