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Cannot attach directly and your link unfortunately goes back to your computer only: "://c/Users/slandreth/Documents/Cropper%20Captures/CropperCapture%5B3%5D.Bmp" To share that you'll need an image host like Photobucket to display things on the forum. Or whatever image/external hosting links you wish really ... See: Forum help thread on posting images Sadly, I'm not sure what could be causing it, but I've run into the problem of having to wait for the text cursor to show up for a few moments. I've just grown accustom to moving the text when I'm impatient and cannot determine the starting point.

Okay this last revision opened up some more for me at least. Got some sloppy test examples ... flipping a coin on posting or not still. (heads, I lose) Main point I wanted to make was the shading does allow for some great new gradient base creations to turn into other things from my limited testing. Especially when starting with basic gradient shapes. So many options, so little time sadly. (Seriously, the interface allows for much more than it appears from where I'm sitting.) I'm still stuck on how to turn every plugin into a gradient tool on some level though, so perhaps I'm not taking advantage of the tool as intended yet. Thanks for the improvements and new options. Grid shading especially looks to be extremely useful ... even if its just for a masking layer to help draw perspective ... Though that in and of itself was something I was using snapshots from other rendering software to try and learn from, so I guess that's really a positive. **EDIT: Posting rough tests. Basic/primitive fading perspective using a diamond gradient (not sure leaving the settings on top of it was a good idea or not, just figured it might be simpler than trying to post them as text ... plus it shows the starting image): Moving dots op-art of sorts from seeing what the grid could come up with: And just something random from mashing a radial gradient. (Like the idea of being able to get a certain amount of chaos from running the same settings multiple times, but that will require some work to control):

Wonderful work. Cant wait to see what you can muster with a broader tool-set.

Correct. Plus the best solution seems to be to use a bit of freeware, thus eliminating the need for direct registry edits. And with Vista and beyond the default editor option dialog has been removed (more or less). The whole reason that thread exists over at Technet is not because those people wanted to be spending time mucking about. But because of the missing wizard/dialog options in the UI of the operating system for edit versus open and a lack of feature set with the application to do this for them. Windows 7 can also throw into the mix a Preview option ... I still open up groups of photos etc so I use other viewers for various file types (for thumbnail and gallery style viewing). When I want to edit something I either start PDN first or use right click context to do it. Not having to find PDN in the Open With but just choosing my new option of "Edit with PDN" is to my liking. Just a matter of preference. That's the curse and hallmark of the Windows experience is the customization to fit your wants and needs ...

The Open With approach seems to work for what it does, but lacks what I consider to be ideal proximity. I did those same edits and then took a gander at that thread and came to the conclusion that the number of keys they were modifying it was best to just recommend that application. Glad to hear at least there is "a" solution. Anymore, with Sourceforge and all the rest of the freeware movement ( this application being in that theme) it's hard to not just scan and run. I used GFI's scanning suite, Norton Corporate, a couple general malware runs, MS Security Essentials, etc and didn't get a single false positive as well on it. I also used the human test to see if it popped up anywhere (index and organic searches), what kind of feedback and revision tracking it had etc ... Just someone providing a solution to a problem even with paranoia set to maximum. Sort of like leaving the house sometimes ... Just have to hope you dont get hit by a bus. I guess now I'll look through the requested features and see if file associations and context menus are slated for 4.x of PDN ... at least a wider range of file associations should be available. I never thought about why PDN didn't register .gif until this thread for all that. **EDIT: Ack, forgot my manners ... You're welcome and thank you for making me fix something I didn't even realize I needed fixing.

And that just explained a backup problem I was fighting with last night ... Woot. PDN trolling just paid for itself. Thank you for that detailed explanation and links Rick.

Adding "EDIT with (application name)" is a simple method but it will be on any file type. If your needs are simple and this isn't being rolled out to thousands of client machines, you may want to try that first ... Re-asssociating the default edit command is a real quagmire with Vista and Windows 7 especially. Getting the Open with subcontext menu to show PDN is really simple, but requires two layers to navigate to when right cliicking and may require using Shift at times: Modify HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.gif\OpenWithProgids and add the value Paint.NET.1 Oddly enough on Technet there is a really long thread discussing methods of making these modifications that will give you all the specific edits to try: Technet Social discussion on chaning .jpg association to PDN actually The Open with above is a guarenteed to work solution. Everything else is just what you want to see when you right click on the first layer. **EDIT Heh, one of the applications in that thread actually works pretty quickly and easily ... tested safe by me and various scanning programs (and I'm not associated with this freeware/donation-ware in any way mind you): Change default program editor Simple and easy without having to play registry editing navigation nightmares ... Just modify .gif to point to PDN ...

Should have replied. I played with the image and couldn't come up with anything other than smudge and some other blurs (like surface blur in combination with Gaussian blur+ on channel selection) used selectively to created the edge in a uniform manner. Even then it had to be done in small passes and smudged together slightly. Still learning smudge so I didn't have as much control over it as I thought you might be able to gain ... Then PDN crashed on me from trying to use Alpha Blur in the mix on one of the image samples ... and of course I wasn't thinking about it so no saves ... Then I had to get back to work. Even though I think I understand what alpha blur is supposed to do, I'm still not sure why its excluding similar areas of an image. Your's is a perfect example of my confusion with it ... May need a link to this post over in the Image Hospital thread to see if there is other methods someone might pop up with ...

Thanks for sharing them up BG. I really like the feel of this abstract: Neon impressionism and your other sig that's in the mix. Lots of fun with the Vortex concept with a wide range of results and impressions from that base concept.

Missed that reply. Sorry mate, I've no clue on the next steps as to what in the .DDS output method they are aiming for here. Without PS available to me I cannot figure out how to compare the two.

AGJM: 3 --- WIN SHAD: 2 AGJM's may be a tutorial combo (of sorts) but nobody is creating anything around here from thin air. The fact its more than the old Pyrosig tutorial should have been given more merit. Still, clean lines, easily recognized initials/name. Vote goes to that one. @Shadow: Feedback: Good idea pushing the fading perspective. Color choice is just too trite for your concept. You've already pointed out the glow is missing which killed the letters' definition and their outline aspect. Also, the shadow is a good idea but you've cropped it such that it just makes the whole thing look like a cropped afterthought. If the feel is to create the image as a whole, make sure you are careful when working out the final crop or resize to allow for the other effects. In this case the shadowing which is adding depth. You may also wish to make that layer a wee bit darker and a little less washed out to gain a stronger contrast. That's one layer that requires much less redo time, so play with it some. As for color, I think its just that I'm not much of a fan of the rainbow club. Smaller gradient sweeps or one done from an angle etc may benefit your design idea. But that's all a matter of your taste and what you're aiming for.

Gotcha. Spent a few to try and understand 16 bit or potentially higher per support in applications ... With this as background and context I can understand Rick's comments from that thread a little more now for sure. Definitely see why I had requests now as well for certain pre-processing and mini-post production work in other formats. Thanks for the clarification. (I'm learning more about how PDN, etc actually works by random number generation it would seem ..., but slowly its forming something more than a hazy blur ... )

@NMD: Perhaps now is when I should use that link to the other thread? :mrgreen: Its from Chaoscope. Essentially a Fractal/Flame generator image. Then some solid PDN work to incoporate it ...

Depending on the nature of the drawings, either Pencil Sketch, Ink Sketch, or Outline object can help provide that. Here's a fast crude example of Outline Object:

Just to clarify, but I think you're mentioning this because of the print folks preferences of needing CMYK formats, etc and not the lacking potential to use PDN for some of this? I'm just asking as I've run into that previously with trying to help composite things for banners for charity events from website to the printers ... Got a similar answer and lots of groans about not having had Photoshop and various vector formats etc available for them ... (Not being critical, just seeking clarification on the why and why nots ...) Thanks,

To share images you'll need to have an external host like Photobucket, Flikr, Imageshack etc. It will be really helpful for this as well as any other future issues you may need help with. LINK: FORUM Instructions/Help on posting images here

You might be amazed at how much artistry can be found in those who make the claim of being boneless. ... Given just a moment of disbelief and the right medium, people usually surprise themselves. Keep at it and hopefully you'll probably find these effects and other methods of image creation will open up some ideas for you. Nice outcome as well. And of course, welcome to PDN and the forums mate.

I dont want to sound like a broken record. Ditto on what I said in the abstract thread.

@Everyone. Thanks for that. I wasn't sure about reply in here about my own postings or not as its not a gallery so to speak. @BBQ: Great composition and brilliance with the new art decco. Strange book ends and crisp bright metallic feel. The time piece (pun intended) is simply brilliant. Fluid, and well blended. Offset stone clock is nice offset to the fluidity of the light swirls. Not sure what else to say, but as I commented elsewhere this is almost literally something I saw in my head from a previous work with that stone clock face ... Thanks for making images from my mind.

Get the .PSD filetype from the link in this thread: PSD File Type for PDN Tested on those templates files and it works to load them up. Depending on your system of course, your current application for opening these will need to be changed to PDN.

You're technically creating what most seem to call a Vignette on the images. Here's a search done on that term to help with a lot of thread hits and discussions on methods for doing this to some degree or another: Paint.net Search Engine results for Vignette With some tweaking of either the starting image or the plugin sliders, Ed Harvey's Vignette plugin from his pack will probably get you fast results to experiment with: Ed Harvey Plugin Pack Depending on how cut a line in the shadow you want, etc will depend on the method. Most of the time people really want something a wee bit random when doing this effect, so drawing, smudging a blurring your own gradient masks may be what you wish to consider. Hope that helps.

(silly commentary removed ... but some different silly stuff added below to replace it) *** EDIT: IDEA SKETCH: More or less this is the concept. Obviously this example lacks a lot of artistry but shows an idea of creating a wallpaper to "dock" the icons in this case into some floating areas ... This can be done in a bunch of different ways. Lots of potential 3D design concepts could be employed. For a competition this could cause some people to go a little crazy arranging their desktops to get snapshots ... Not sure this is such a good idea in hindsight or not. But interface designs can open up a whole lot of expression in design work ... Websites and all the rest are more or less of a similar idea basis (all the icons, buttons, etc). This is just relatively static underneath your icons and what nots.

Its one of the hallmarks of early games is to have a false perspective drawn using programmatic methods. You'd scroll up and down and the plane was never to infinity. In fact you'd never see a horizon. It was always a fixed downward angle for the most part. These sorts of angles and rigid geometry are more programmatic approaches and drafting related than useful for some things. When you are actually able to draw the shapes you can use the technique of convergence to your advantage to add additional depth and scale to these things. Just depends on what look you are aiming for really. Without a background setting and other buildings nearby to see what you're aiming for I'm at a loss at even guessing what is correct. Games cover so much more territory now ...

This is just a perspective on the idea of a desktop or wallpaper image ... There is some beautiful artwork made into backdrops for desktops. However ... most of them forget the fact that there are a lot of people who use the desktop as a place to keep links to programs and file management, desktop widget, and an assortment of this and thats ... That being said, some of the best wallpapers from years past tended to have large borders, etc. One of the neatest ones I've lost in the shuffle was designed with the concept of docking those icons and making them part of the background. It was a Star Trek Next Generation themed interface (which is probably why I did lose it somewhere in the mix) but I've seen lots of "Interfaces as desktops" that are really nice in both form and function. My general idea to design a desktop with the idea of creating a moderate amount of docking space and room to allow desktop widgets for the Vista/Windows 7 crowd ... Or optionally a two part entry with one designed for non widget users and one with them in mind. If that doesn't make sense I can sketch something up to demonstrate what I'm thinking.

Thanks to the salinity and impurities involved, the oils of the skin, etc ... not very often. Most notable is from the eyelash and off the tip of the nose in actually forming a droplet of any type ... I've often wondered about that word's "origins" myself.