Djisves

With 3 different forum themes, hence 3 different backgrounds, the "no background" rule is problematic. Contestants cannot know how if their entry will be viewed (and judged) like they intended, because they cannot know what theme/background each member will view their entry with. Perhaps the rule can be changed and a plain (single colour, no gradient, no frame) background is allowed. (Alternatively, I can be stipulated that all entries must be viewed and judged using the default forum theme, but that's not going to happen). One more thing while I have the floor: The entry images in the voting topic for OotF display smaller than the 600 px limit allowed. Image properties still show the original dimensions but they display smaller. (Try side by side windows of the entry and voting topics, same browser, same monitor). I think it's unfair for the effort put in by all members who enter, to be judged on an image that does not display like it was created. Yet one more (yes, back off, the mic is mine!): Hosts, please do not allow anything but an entry image per post in the entry topic. Everything else can be posted / discussed here.

You should, if you want to publish tutorials and offer advice.

Thank you for taking the trouble to illustrate, @Pixey. Videos are always so much easier to understand.

Mine too. Shadows do not show nicely, if at all, on the dark theme. Shame, but we'll have to live with it.

🤣🤣🤣 @LoudSilence, you may want to check again the plugin information you provide above: - @BoltBait has a newer version of the shadow plugin you show in your screenshot. - Trail plugin is not by @MadJik, rather by @pyrochild.

Align Centre each layer of an existing animated gif may not work for all images (obviously it works for the one in this example). Depending on the animation, you may not want the object to be centered on each frame, for example in a bouncing ball animation). In cases like this, I always default to @MadJik's Paneling plugin. Use the plugin to position the object on the first frame and repeat for the object on each of the other layers. The plugin settings stick after each use, so simply click on the next layer in the Layers window and hit Ctrl+F.

Well done @welshblue and @Pixey. Excellent winning entries.

Thank you @MJW. The transparency and spacing adjustments work very well. I used maximum fade in all three examples below:

The best thing that came out of this topic and the OP's question.

Try the Point Blur plugin.

Palm tree: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1gNWoASeiL._SL1500_.jpg

Fist graphic: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQF0vO7jEGkq-PSIQAH7p6VxZXJo_-gt8Yw_Q&usqp=CAU

Try using @MJW's Paste Warp+ plugin. Here's a quick rough try on the same theme:

Blend Mode dictates how a layer blends with the layer below it. Behaviour and results differ depending on the layers content (rgb values, brightness). What blend mode works well for a set of layers may not work for another. Experiment with different blending modes to see if you can get the desired result with the image you want today. More on Blend Modes

Thank you for the update @null54. It'll be nice if you can clarify whether we need to replace the folder every time we replace the dll. (It really is no trouble, I do it anyway, but I thought that perhaps I it'll be nice for users to know).

To be consistent with your idea, it's the forum theme that needs to be animated, not the image 😁

Congratulations to all the deserved winners and thank you to the host. In my opinion, @Red ochre and @welshblue should share first place. I think @Red ochre's first entry and @welshblue's second were the best, followed closely by @Reptillian's.

Read this carefully, it'll explain how the Gradient Tool works: https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/GradientTool.html

I like the notifications and I find them informative. I'd like one more, if possible: A notification when the first post of a topic is edited (mostly useful for plugin topics and tutorials). I agree that the images in the competitions voting topics should be separated by a line gap. A poster can always insert a blank line between images, so perhaps the competition hosts can see to that. BUT, I would not like like a gap to be forced between images. I can think of instances where a member would prefer to have two or more images stacked vertically without a gap between them. EDIT: Just now, on the Saving an enlarged image topic, I found an example where the new forum notifications can be very useful:

https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/InstallPlugins.html and and https://boltbait.com/pdn/InstallingEffects.php You may want to save this link Paint.NET Search (or remember to look for it on the forum home page)

I've never seen any kid complain about being given a new toy.