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Post by ivory on Aug 21, 2009 8:00:51 GMT -5
Gimp? O.o?
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Post by Tandar on Aug 21, 2009 10:07:49 GMT -5
If something is copyrighted, it'll either have that R in a circle or say this blah-blah-blah is copyrighted [like the table on the home page]. That's not quite true. An "R" inside a circle (®) means the logo is a registered trademark. In other words, the creator has informed the government of the logo which affords them better legal protection in the event of a lawsuit over the logo. With that being said, you usually won't see the registered trademark symbol on standard photographs and images. It's normally reserved for logos and symbols that companies use to identify themselves. The copyright symbol (©) is a "C" inside a circle and is used on many pieces of work including photos and pictures. Look for the copyright symbol or the word "copyright" on the image, around the image, or on the website (sometimes at the bottom).
Now, I shall reveal my secrets to image editing to give you greenhorns a leg up in the contest. You need a powerful image editor that let's you use layers. Microsoft Paint, while useful, isn't gonna cut it. You need more tools at your disposal. I know everyone, including me, cannot afford the hundreds of dollars it costs to buy Adobe Photoshop. Lucky for you, there are ways to get by for free. I use Paint.NET, which is available for download at getpaint.net. There are plenty of tools included to get you started, but if you're up to it, you can download plugins to get neat effects and adjustments. If you're having difficultly, the members of the Paint.NET forum will give you tips and steps to get you on your feet. Assistance and plugins are available here. If you don't like Paint.NET, there's always The GIMP, which offers more editing power "out of the box," but the interface is a little more complex. Again, both of these programs are free, so give 'em a try. Mess around and see what you can make.
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 21, 2009 10:39:45 GMT -5
Gee. I feel kinda special because I do have Photoshop on my computer. It is an older version, but still works fairly well.
If you do want to buy Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or their Pro Suite (that has everything), and you are a student, you can get the software at half price or less. For those in college, their campus bookstore should have information on how to do so. For those who are not, you might be able to find out the info at fowlett.com (I think that is the right URL, but not positive. If that doesn't work, try googling Fowlett booksellers or Fowlett bookstore or student software programs and you should be able to find it. You do have to supply proof that you are enrolled in school (grade school, high school or college, doesn't matter)
I would also like to make some comments about copyrighted stuff. Be very, very careful about using photos off the internet, in books or magazines, etc. You can assume that most all of them are copyrighted, even if they are not marked. Look for sites that advertise "copyright free" material (like Dover Books) or stuff labled "public domain". Some Photobucket stuff is copyright free, some of it is marked that way, but I suspect is stolen material. The pic I have as my avatar right now was from tinypics.com and said it was a free image, but I bought that same image on a poster back in 84 and it has a copyright symbol on the poster, so I know it was stolen.
Public domain items are usually things that were copyrighted, but they are so old now that the person who created them has passed away and his or her family did not retain copyrights to the item. Sometimes they are "released" items - meaning the creator gave up their rights voluntarily and has put them out for public use. So anything that is labeled as "public domain" is ok to use.
The reason it needs to be your original work or a copyright free image, is that if it gets chosen and we put it up on the web site we won't have to worry about someone suing us for using their image illegally. So this is important.
Even putting things up like the song lyrics to Viva la Vida could land the site creator and administrator in trouble if I had just posted the lyrics by themselves. But you will note that I included the songwriters names and the band and we are not making any money off of them being posted, so the only thing they could do to us is tell us to remove them from the site because they don't want to have any association with us. They can't sue us for copyright infringement because I didn't say they were MY lyrics. I gave them credit.
Which brings up another point, if you do find a photo that belongs to someone, you can post that it is their photo and where you found it to cover your butt. Of course this would not be an original work by you, so probably wouldn't fall within the rules of the contest.
Another thing, watch out for fonts too. Some specialty fonts (those you don't find on Word or Illustrator or Paint, but that you pull off the interenet) could be copyrighted too. They will normally state that they are copyrighted, though. Just something else to watch out for...
If you are confused, PM me about it. I have dealt with copyright issues a LOT over the years and it is not a simple straight forward issue. There are many levels of copyright and many rules on what you can't do or can do.
The best thing is to do what I did and go out with a digital camera and take some pictures and use your own picture!
The ones in my logo are of the mountains north of Charlottesville, VA at the scenic overlook. I got above the thunderstorms in the valley down there and the sun was going down and got some really cool shots.
B
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Post by ivory on Aug 21, 2009 15:36:06 GMT -5
That's not quite true. An "R" inside a circle (®) means the logo is a registered trademark. In other words, the creator has informed the government of the logo which affords them better legal protection in the event of a lawsuit over the logo. With that being said, you usually won't see the registered trademark symbol on standard photographs and images. It's normally reserved for logos and symbols that companies use to identify themselves. The copyright symbol (©) is a "C" inside a circle and is used on many pieces of work including photos and pictures. Look for the copyright symbol or the word "copyright" on the image, around the image, or on the website (sometimes at the bottom). *dryly* Didn't you know? 'R' is the new 'C.' lol. JK. I thought it was C but wasn't exactly sure and I knew I saw 'R' somewhere...*grin*
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Post by Cutebabys on Aug 21, 2009 19:40:14 GMT -5
i can use GIMP. Already have it.
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Post by Cutebabys on Aug 22, 2009 0:50:16 GMT -5
I give up with GIMP. Forget what I said about I can use it. I can't. I destroyed it totally.
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 22, 2009 15:30:02 GMT -5
wish I could help you, but I have never seen or head of GIMP until now.
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Post by ivory on Aug 22, 2009 19:23:51 GMT -5
Ditt. And I tried to download the stupid thing, but I got so confused. I think I'm just going to stick with paint. *grin*
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 22, 2009 22:38:12 GMT -5
Here is one I like better than my first one, but I still have more I want to play with. I like the other font style better. This one in bright red looked a little too bloody, but I can post that too if anyone is interested. If I could only figure out how to make the leaves silver without having to paint them in a pixel at a time... sigh... Attachments:
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Post by Cutebabys on Aug 23, 2009 6:59:29 GMT -5
Dunno. And GIMP is super good. If you know how to use it.
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Post by Cutebabys on Aug 23, 2009 7:16:38 GMT -5
*gasps* Brandy! Yours is nice!
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Post by ivory on Aug 23, 2009 10:36:58 GMT -5
lol. You only say that because it's feminine. lol. Jk. *grin*
I do like the leaves though. Took a few pics this morn though. Not that good, but I did find deer tracks so I'm going to steak it out tomorrow if I can. *grin* I also found small bones so I'm betting it's a doe. Hoping I'll be able to get close to her...
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Post by JezusBagels on Aug 24, 2009 0:44:24 GMT -5
KABOOM! Alright. There's my entry (or my first entry if we're allowed to make multiple attempts). I used Photoshop CS3. Attachments:
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Post by ivory on Aug 24, 2009 6:19:23 GMT -5
*glare* I don't think I like photoshop. lol. :-)
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Post by Cutebabys on Aug 24, 2009 8:33:43 GMT -5
I think they're all nice. I tried GIMP, don't blame me! They should make a 'GIMP for dummies'.
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