Steampunk webdesigning

[Elanor Pam]

Oh and does anyone know how to make an image into a vector on photoshop?

Photoshop allows you to draw with vectors, but once you get rid of the paths they're just like any other brushline - if you stretch it, it gets pixelated. I think we need an specific program for hardcore vectoring, which's a pity.

And I'm almost done with the site's design! I just have a small problem: the title's font. Looking at it, I decided I wanted a font that looked/felt older. Upon finding one, I noticed it caused problems in the design.

First font:



You can't see it in the pic, but there's some minor texturing in the crevice under the name.

The second one:



Now the crevice looks ginormous! O_O And it's a pity, because I find the squattier font a little more charming. And even with the texturing it feels like there's too much free space under the name:



In this one you can see the texture and some smaller details, such as some folds in the cloth, oil stains and some bleached spots.

Opinions?

[MadmanMachine]

I think we need an specific program for hardcore vectoring, which's a pity.

That would be Illustrator, Freehand or Corel Draw.

[blackfeathers]

in my humble opinion,

while cogs, brass corners, and other components can be generated graphically, i think that pictures or scans of actual parts put together would make much more of an industrial steampunk presence in framing a web page with embellishments. 

(edited to add: that's not to discount away the fantastic designs shown, but rather to expand the scope of ideas in steampunk web design.)

cheers,

j.

[Elanor Pam]

in my humble opinion,

while cogs, brass corners, and other components can be generated graphically, i think that pictures or scans of actual parts put together would make much more of an industrial steampunk presence in framing a web page with embellishments. 

(edited to add: that's not to discount away the fantastic designs shown, but rather to expand the scope of ideas in steampunk web design.)

cheers,

j.

I searched the web far and wide for steampunkish elements, but actually ended up scrapping them all. I think I wanted to challenge myself with this thing. I'm an artist, I should be able to churn something out of my brain. Also, nothing would fit what I had in my mind.

[Commander Obadiah]

I think you should stretch each letter down so that it fills in the space. It would look very good, in my opinion.

Commander C. Obadiah

[Elanor Pam]

Do you mean like in my first image?

Or is it something else that's escaping me?

[Commander Obadiah]

No no no. Keep the F and N the same, stubby height. Make the L the height of the original, and stretch each other letter downwards to keep the centre filled.

Commander C. Obadiah

[Gazongola]

Making the bottom of each one conform to the v shape.

[Elanor Pam]

Ooh, that's a great idea! It hadn't even occurred me.  *goes to work on it*

[Toji Chiba]

Oh and does anyone know how to make an image into a vector on photoshop?

You can turn a selection into a path (but it will be very pixeled) but if you want to turn a complete image into a vector, you have to draw every vector line yourself.
I have done this before and it is very... timeconsuming, but possible.

Toji

[Gazongola]

Of which I haven't a clue how to do.

[Elanor Pam]

Photoshop was surprisingly uncooperative as I tried to distort the title... this is the better I could manage. Opinions?

[Commander Obadiah]

Rather than distort the overall shape, I was saying that each letter be stretched downwards individually. Does that make sense? I'm sorry, I would show you, but I've no Photoshop on this computer.

Commander C. Obadiah

[Elanor Pam]

Oh, I actually did try that, but apart from being terribly worksome it looked bad. Maybe it'd look better if the page's title had an uneven number of characters, but as it doesn't, it looks lopsided when I stretch either the E or the L to the center.

It would help if I could "transform shape" into a pentagon and work from there, but I couldn't find any way of doing it... and since I'm full of OCD, I'd try to make them curvy as the filligree underneath and... complications ahoy.

[Elanor Pam]

Here's the page in actual php format.



I'm still undecided on the title, but it'll be just a case of swapping images at this stage.

There should be more links once I have the contents organized, including options for different languages.

[Gazongola]

I could always try to have a go if you like. I am no programmer, but I know my way around photoshop.

[Elanor Pam]

If you really want to... I kinda like it the way it is; if you do it anyway, you could just describe me the technique you used, or paste some screencaps - a tutorial of sorts.

[Gazongola]

Whatever. It is entirely up to you.

[Clym Angus]

steampunk webdesign?

well, I have been known to dabble.

www.crimsonforge.co.uk