Thread: Creating original designs/images

Anyone have advice on what programs/tools would be good for creating original art (designs/images)? In addition, what all goes into creating original art? I ran across the copyright thread and am now scared out of my wits. Well, not really but I would like to know the alternatives to using the pictures/images of others.

Thanks in advance.

There are a lot of graphic programs out there and people have their favorites based primarily on what they have learned to use.

Personally, though, I would recommend Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, the latest version of Paint Shop. If you have the money and want to spend it, Photoshop is possibly a little better (users insist it is), but Paint Shop Pro does virtually everything Photoshop does and is a lot cheaper.

The challenge is that no matter which way you go, there is a real learning curve. Mine has been very slow because I am one of those "What manual? I didn't know there was a manual!" types. It just doesn't work with these programs. You have to take it step by step and learn the program features fairly thoroughly because anything other than the most simple "red eye" removal tool or whatever requires combining numerous settings to work right.

The other option, which is not doing this at all, requires deciding to do what the Sarge does. Have the self-discipline to get the copyright restrictions for each image you use and save them in a file with the image (or in printed form as he does). And I would add, make sure you get model releases if any people are in them. The fact that the photographer gives you permission to use his picture does not mean the people in the picture do.

I am greatly lagging in this area, but I love photography and will work more on it as time goes along, so I will focus on that after I learn a few other things. In the meantime I try to make good use of other graphic approaches like using call out boxes, etc.

The best news is that in spite of the beautiful graphics many have, it is the content that makes the site work. Many of the most successful sites still use limited graphics.

Gimp is free open source. It's a good program.

I'm one of the Photoshop junkies James mentions. And I do think it's great, though I'm not really in a position to say it's better than other packages as I haven't used them extensively (or at all in some cases). One big advantage of Photoshop is that everyone else uses it too, so you'll find far more tutorials, brushes, filters, etc. out there for it than for other programs. One big disadvantage, of course, is that it ain't cheap. Also don't overlook Illustrator or other vector packages - most web people use Photoshop, but working with vectors has big advantages in some cases.

James is right to say it will take a long time to learn. Photoshop doesn't do things the Microsoft way, which works when you know the program but can be frustrating and confusing at first. In my experience, though, learning to use the tool doesn't take nearly as long as learning to make pictures. Of course if you're already an artist and understand composition, colour and stuff like that, you'll have a big advantage. I'm certainly no expert, though (now I can get Photoshop to do what I want most of the time) I guess I'm no longer a beginner either.

One thing I should say is don't be scared of using other people's pictures. Here's an image I finished recently.

Most of it is my work (it certainly took me long enough ), but I still used 4-5 stock images of clouds and smoke in the background to add texture and interest. In other pictures I've relied considerably more on stock to get the outcome I want. Doing it all yourself is like making a sandwich from scratch: sure it's possible, and quite probably delicious too, but buying bread and bacon from a supermarket is usually the pragmatic choice.

There's a lot of stuff out there on arty blogs and stock image sites that you're allowed to use in your own work, often with few restrictions. Stock.xchng is one I use quite often. If you're prepared to pay, iStock is another great resource. Also check out the stock on DeviantART, though some of this is more restrictively licensed.

A few tutorial sites you should probably check out are PSDTUTS, Veerle's blog, VECTORTUTS (Illustrator) and Abduzeedo.

For inspiration / ideas, you may want to try Vanderlay Design Blog, Smashing Magazine, FFFFOUND!, DeviantART and Best Web Gallery. There are loads more good sites out there too of course, such as BittBox for free textures and brushes[/url] and FontShop FontFeed for cool typographical news.

Thanks everyone for all the information! Meloncholy, great job on the picture and your site - very tasteful!

I'll have to echo the other two. Either program is great. I use Paint Shop Pro X-1, the version before James PSP. Think I paid 80 bucks when it first came out, but I have seen it for around $45.00 in the stores.

I also have a really old PhotoImpact Editor. I use them in conjunction, mainly because I like the ease of the PhotoImpact, for some things, but the PSP for more complicated work.

There is a lot of free stuff on the web, but like everyone says, there is a pretty good learning curve to figure out what the tools do and how to use them. You can Google for tutorials on most any program. One tip is not to try to learn the whole thing in one grasp, but take one idea, then Google a tutorial for it. I also keep a notebook of PSP tutorials I come across that I like and use.

Depending on what kind of images you want, there are still plenty of free resources, both public domain and creative commons, which is the new format, for many of us who use images for our own use.