Post by Perla MV on Apr 1, 2014 20:01:57 GMT
Hi guys, seeing as some members had to change their signature banners because the new design suddenly cut them ( By the way I'm so sorry about that!) I decided to make a little (or not so little) post with some tips to help you up with your future signatures
Size: There can be lots of different sizes you can use, but if you want it to be as big as possible without looking bad, I would recommend this size:
From this, you can use any size you like, as soon as it's smaller, otherwise, your banner would get cut from its right side.
Here are some other sizes that would also look good without making your signature occupy half of the screen
Background: From patterns, to textures, to plain white or any colors, there are lots of options for our signature background, but there are some things we gotta have in mind while chosing it. One of them is the color, the best way to show our birds is picking a color that won't overshadow our birds' colors, or the text we want to use, looking at the whole picture can help us to choose wisely. Another thing would be the size, getting a small image for the background will make it look "pixelated" when we stretch it to make it fit, so an image bigger than the size of our signature is the best option.
Here are some examples:
Text: A simple, legible font can be our best friend when we are trying to make our signature, having chosen our background and colors can make it easier to choose a font type, the key is to make sure that it doesn't get lost between the colors and the pattern/image in the background. Bold types are (in my opinion) the best options. Effects like stroke, shadows or gradients are also very easy to use and make the words look nice and stand out.
Effects: Once you've chosen your size, background and text, it's time to bring the birds! If you are using photoshop to make your signature (which is what I use) some tools like "magic wand" "quick selection" "eraser" "sharpen" and "blur" can do the job perfectly when it comes to cut shapes. I like using only the eraser or quick selection tool when I'm going to get rid of the background of the photos of my budgies, I personally hate seeing those tiny white or black dots around their feathers that make contrast with the background of the banner, so I go almost pixel by pixel deleting them with the eraser. If you have no time for that, the "magic wand" is your star tool it's easier and quicker, and, if you're lucky and use a photo with a plain background, it does the job perfectly .
Now, one of the most used effects on our birds is the "drop shadow" it gives depth and makes our babies stand out from the banner.
Position: Now that everything is ready, we must check the position of our elements to find the best arrangement, moving around the text and the pictures of our birds is the easiest way. Making sure to leave a space of 5 to 10 pixels from the edges can also make a big difference.
...
That would be it for now, if you have any doubts, questions or something to share, please do I'm still up to help doing or updating banners in case you still find it hard, so, please feel completely free to ask
I hope this help you to make yourself a nice banner! Good luck, and thank you for reading
- Note: all images uploaded in this post were made by me, unless stated otherwise.
Size: There can be lots of different sizes you can use, but if you want it to be as big as possible without looking bad, I would recommend this size:
From this, you can use any size you like, as soon as it's smaller, otherwise, your banner would get cut from its right side.
Here are some other sizes that would also look good without making your signature occupy half of the screen
Background: From patterns, to textures, to plain white or any colors, there are lots of options for our signature background, but there are some things we gotta have in mind while chosing it. One of them is the color, the best way to show our birds is picking a color that won't overshadow our birds' colors, or the text we want to use, looking at the whole picture can help us to choose wisely. Another thing would be the size, getting a small image for the background will make it look "pixelated" when we stretch it to make it fit, so an image bigger than the size of our signature is the best option.
Here are some examples:
- Note: the following images were found in google images, they do not belong to me.
Text: A simple, legible font can be our best friend when we are trying to make our signature, having chosen our background and colors can make it easier to choose a font type, the key is to make sure that it doesn't get lost between the colors and the pattern/image in the background. Bold types are (in my opinion) the best options. Effects like stroke, shadows or gradients are also very easy to use and make the words look nice and stand out.
Effects: Once you've chosen your size, background and text, it's time to bring the birds! If you are using photoshop to make your signature (which is what I use) some tools like "magic wand" "quick selection" "eraser" "sharpen" and "blur" can do the job perfectly when it comes to cut shapes. I like using only the eraser or quick selection tool when I'm going to get rid of the background of the photos of my budgies, I personally hate seeing those tiny white or black dots around their feathers that make contrast with the background of the banner, so I go almost pixel by pixel deleting them with the eraser. If you have no time for that, the "magic wand" is your star tool it's easier and quicker, and, if you're lucky and use a photo with a plain background, it does the job perfectly .
Now, one of the most used effects on our birds is the "drop shadow" it gives depth and makes our babies stand out from the banner.
Position: Now that everything is ready, we must check the position of our elements to find the best arrangement, moving around the text and the pictures of our birds is the easiest way. Making sure to leave a space of 5 to 10 pixels from the edges can also make a big difference.
...
That would be it for now, if you have any doubts, questions or something to share, please do I'm still up to help doing or updating banners in case you still find it hard, so, please feel completely free to ask
I hope this help you to make yourself a nice banner! Good luck, and thank you for reading