Ok, I've taken a look at the PSD of that particular loading screen. To my dismay, I merged the part with the screenshot and I don't remember the effects, which means I might not be able to recreate that exact effect again.
I made one loading screen using a brighter screenshot and the effect is very different. As for a template, the actual process is quite complicated and with all the extra effects the only way for me to enable others to create matching loading screens would be to release the PSD along with some instructions in a readme.
I also stumbled on another variation of loading screen.
Yes Xae, if you have a basic template along with instructions then it should be fine. I only hope that the effects aren't beyond my own capacities as I only have Elements 7.0 and not some of the bigger packages.
The new template looks fabulous. If anything, it's better than the last although the Parchlands one seems a little indistinct, as in too much effect and not enough picture. Did you manipulate opacity here, by any chance? The TenmarWall one is perfect though... :yes:
Thanks, doz! I've got that file now.
Hm, alright, I'll make sure to simplify it as much as possible. I use CS4 (x64) so a lot of the stuff wouldn't be available in Elements.
Yes, the Parchlands one ended up being very faded. Bringing the opacity down faded the edges but rubbing them out would also work. The templates rely very much on picture brightness and contrast.
I'll return later with the templates later and we'll see if people can open them.
Edit: Download the Type 2 template
here and try it out.
Ouch! Looking complex...and I'm struggling to find some stuff on my version. In fact, the first thing in the tutorial (Bicubic Sharper) doesn't appear to be here. Nevertheless, I can get passable effects. It's just that the pics seem to be coming out darker than I'd hoped and you lose some of the lighting on the Mayan figure.
I'll experiment when I have more time....thanks, anyway... :goodjob:
Bicubic Sharper is Photoshops very excellent feature for adding that extra bit of clarity to a pic being sized down. It's not essential, it just makes the pic look slightly better.
You can use the brush tool to brighten the SS to get that nice shine on the statue. Also, if the pic isn't right, go in and edit the Adjustment Layer for the black & white effect. Slide the different colours back and forth until there's enough light and a nice balance. White clippings means you've gone too far to the right.
If Elements isn't enough, I suppose the thing to do would be do decide on all loading screens and then I'll do them all in one go. That's if the team really wants to use these templates.
Yes, we could certainly use these templates.
I have a sharper elsewhere in Elements that I think should work. I'm still rounding things off at work so I'm a bit busy to test things out again but I'll try adjusting the bars as you suggest. It's not far off from what you produced. I just need to get familiar with how to tweak it. Nevertheless, the more people who know how to do this the better because I have things to do in all sorts of capacities.
Nice! Not sure if the bright background works as a generic BM one though....
Agreed, maybe making it a big darker ?