(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Credits to GABB3R for this very good tutorial. :love:


Focal/Focal Point
The main part of the signature/LP that people see. Most of the time it's your stock or render.

Stock
A normal picture.

Render
Using something from a stock and the rest has been removed. Example: If there is an apple on a table and you cut the apple out so you could use it and deleted the table, the apple is your render/cut-out.

LP/LA
Large Piece/Large Art. Anything bigger than a signature.

Flow
The basic direction the effects on your signature/LP go. Most of the time there is one one direction of flow. Sometimes, but rarely, there can be 2 directions. The flow tends to go with the direction of the focal.

Depth
This shows the realism distance in your piece. Generally things closer should be more clear than things in the background.

Composition
How well your piece is put together. Anyone can throw a bunch of stuff onto a canvas and call it good. Not everyone can put it together to form a nice piece.

Monotone/Monochromatic
This means your piece consists mostly of a bunch of shades of one color. You could have an entire signature in shades of red but the hair is yellow. Yes, it's still monochromatic because it's mostly red.

HQ/LQ
HQ stands for high quality and LQ stands for low quality.

FIS
You will see this all the time. This stands for Flip Is Sexy. I don't know where this came from or who started it, but it's used quite often by various members of all sites.

Ripping
Another word for plagerism. Claiming something of your own when in fact it is not your's.

C4D
This is an abstract render created in the program Cinema 4D. This gives lighting and/or effects to your piece. You can find these pretty much anywhere.

Photo Manipulation/Manip
Creating something that's almost surreal. Adding things that wern't there to begin with. (Hard to explain, I tried >< )

Typography
Pretty much anything that has to do with text.

B&W
Black and White.

DP
Digital Painting. Using programs to digitally paint something.

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Rights
If you are given "rights" to a resource or a piece itself, below are what you can do with these "rights". Not including full rights, you may not use a resource or piece to post anywhere else, edit it, or claim it as your own. All rights must have original owner's credit with them. When a .psd file is involved you may not use any layers of the .psd for your own projects. Only the original owner can give any type of "right" to you unless someone else has full rights.

WR/Wearing Rights
When you are given a gift from another member, you may wear the piece in your signature or avatar space.

LR/LRO/Learning Rights
This is for a resource given by another member. You may look at it to see what they did to give you ideas of your own.

PR/Posting Rights
This is also for resources. This means you can repost the resource on other sites.

FR/Full Rights
You can do whatever you want except claim it as your own. You can edit, repost, take layers from a .psd file, sell it, whatever you feel like you want to do.

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Lighting/Light Source
The main source of luminance in the canvas. Lighting makes the art piece brighter. Sometimes there can be more than one light source, while other times there are none.

Effects
These are the parts of the signature that make it appealing and aesthetic, they are designed to aid in the flow of the sig while assisting the focal in looking good.

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Something about depth
Blurring something away from the sig while sharpening the focal is an example of depth.

Something about composition
The fusion of lighting, depth and focal give the signature composition.

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Types of C4D's
Abstract Freehand Splines
These are your standard abstract pieces with varied reflectivity and colors. Used most frequently as they tend to aid greatly in flow and effects.

Sketch & Toon
These are C4Ds that mimic a drawing or a vector.

Mechanical
These are C4Ds that look mechanical or robot-like. They are not as helpful in flow as abstract freehand splines, but they are very intricate and detailed.

Effect Abstracts
These are C4Ds that are transparent with definitive colors and lighting. They are most often used to aid in the effects around the focal.

Bubbles
These are C4Ds that can be used for coloring your signature or to add dramatic effects around your focal point.

Wireframes
These are C4Ds that have been exported using the wired frame of the C4D. Usually set to Overlay in blending modes for a nice vector look.

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Raster
An image entirely of individual pixels in a grid format. Most signatures are raster images.

Vector
The use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon(s), which are all based upon mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics. (Stolen from Wikipedia) To achieve a true vector, you must you a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia FreeHand. Photoshop does not produce true vectors. Most vector art is a compilation of shapes stacked on top of each other to form a whole.

Vexel
A word derived from "vector" and "pixel". It is an entirely raster based image that resembles vector style when at the correct zoom. When you zoom in, however, it will begin to look pixelated, just like any raster based image.

Pentooling
Using the pen tool, whether in photoshop or any other program that has one, to create lines, shapes, paths, etc. A pen tool uses vector formulas to encorporate lines, curves, and points into a path that can be filled with color to create a shape. The pen tool can also make curved lines, and gradients. Using the pen tool takes a little practice, but it's a lot more precise than brushing. The pen tool creates a nice, clean, solid shape.

Brushing
Using any of the brush tools in Photoshop to draw on a canvas, whether with a mouse, tablet, or some other method. Brushes are highly customizable, and can be used in a variety of ways. In comparison to the pen tool, brushing can add texture to a piece.

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Expanding the definition of "Depth"
Depth is the illusion of distance within a composition. There are several ways to do this. The most common, and easiest ways to do this in a signature are; to blur the background and sharpen the focal point, making the background darker, and others. Overlapping elements on a canvas, closer items in front of items farther away can create depth as well. Negative space, if used correctly, can make the focal appear much farther back in the piece. Making something bigger or smaller can effect how "deep" into the canvas it is, a big tree is closer than a small volcano.

Photo Manipulation
Taking a regular image and using editing techniques in order to create an illusion or deception. Like a regular picture would be some like some squeezing a sponge dry, Then the illusion of photo's drop nsted of water.

Wow, great compilation

Thanks man. My good friend actually put this together just got permission to share it. :y:

o ok
/10char

Great post, this will help a lot of people. Has a lot of good infomation.

Good job =D

Really good know I understand more stuff thanks bro