Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:36 pm Post subject:
MY First Draft of Cameos
I just made my first set of cameos made using photoshop. A lot of work is still required and I need the opinions of those who are skilled in the field of cameo creation.
Any sort of criticism is highly needed for the improvement of my work.
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_________________ Today is the beginning of the real end. QUICK_EDIT
I don't know what effect you were using, but I can't see the units in some cameos. Somebody has mentioned that it is bad to upload .jpg, use .png.
Some are very nice, like the Tesla Platform/Cruiser. Also the Half-track.
A cameo must represent the unit as much as possible. That does not need some special effect (to blur it, for example). Simple effects like shadow or black outlining (very little) would work perfectly. Also, a black mask with some transperancy can make a bright unit look just fine. The background is very important, too. Don't place a bright plane on a bright background (same with text, don't you guys go to school?).
I don't know what effect you were using, but I can't see the units in some cameos.
exactly what i was gonna say. from my experience playing other people's mods and fumbling with the sidebar trying to figure out where things were and wtf im trying to build is horrible. should be able to clearly find units based on their picture. the "geneticizer" "soviet mcv" etc is a prime example of not being able to see the unit. very bad cameos right there. make the unit backgrounds different color wise than the unit so the unit pops out and try to make the camo show the unit in such a way you know what that unit does just by looking at the picture. if its a flying unit have it in the sky. if its a bomber type unit make the design look heavy like it drop heavy bombs so its not confused with a fighter jet etc. if its a ground vehicle make sure you can see its gun really well so you know if it shoots machine guns or tank shells or laz0rs etc. QUICK_EDIT
Also Known As: evanb90 Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Location: o kawaii koto
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:10 pm Post subject:
The above feedback is very good. Some of these cameos are good starts, some of them are quite mediocre.
The angle and size of the unit within the cameo is critical. You want to get as much of the unit within the cameo as possible. Highlight an interesting feature of the unit. The angular turret, or the fancy laser cannon it has.
If you're trying to imitate RA2-style cameos, you'll want the camera lower to the ground (like the Battle Fortress and MCV cameo, and almost opposite to the Demo Truck cameo). Keep in mind that the darkened text bar in the bottom of the cameo will obscure some details. On that note, if you can shorten a unit name to one line, do so.
After that, enhance the contrast. Look at RA2 cameos.
Most Allied vehicles are set in a desert-like scene, with a sandy ground, clear (and deep) blue sky that fades to white near the horizon. The vehicles are a yellowish-green that somewhat resembles Soviet olive-drab. Strong lighting exaggerates features on the vehicles, with lit faces being near white and unlit faces being near black.
Most Soviet vehicles are set in a wintery setting. White sky with trees off in the distance. Ground is a mix of dirt and snow. Vehicles have a brownish-red color similar to the brick scheme in the unit palette. Again, sharp lighting.
Decide where the light is coming from and light/shade the unit accordingly. Make the unit stand out from the background and give it depth.
This was originally a photo, but many of the same processes apply and are showcased here.
side note, do your editing with a full-size image, not a cameo-sized image. _________________ YR modder/artist, DOOM mapper, aka evanb90
Project Lead Developer, New-Star Strike (2014-)
Former Project Lead DeveloperStar Strike (2005-2012), Z-Mod (2006-2007), RA1.5 (2008-2013), The Cold War (2006-2007) QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Osaka (JP)/Hong Kong/Germany
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:25 pm Post subject:
I'm not skilled at all in the field of cameo creation, but I'd like to slip in some feedback, too.
While these cameos look decent enough and the units are properly recognizable in most of them, I do feel that they lack regularity in perspective, which is not in itself a problem, but may give a sidebar a 'messy' appearance if they appear together. While some perspectives are well chosen, others are not, and many cameos seem to be cropped in suboptimal places.
However, your principle of cameo creation has the big advantage that it allows you to create cameos for _any_ kind of absurd-looking voxel that you could never find a photo of, because it has no real-life correspondent. _________________
Mao Zedong wrote:
Our mission, unfinished, may take a thousand years.
Last edited by Millennium on Thu Jun 02, 2016 6:50 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
I like the fact that each looks distinct at a glance... it can be very annoying when you have to read to be sure it's not something else that looks 90% the same (for example your arkand and rhino temp) _________________ http://www.moddb.com/mods/scorched-earth-ra2-mod-with-smart-ai QUICK_EDIT
Thanks for the feedback. I have some problems with what kind of background I will use for Yuri's Side whether it would be a wasteland type or what. The same with the allies because I can't think of a background to suit the allied units like for example, using green plains or snow terrain.
As for the soviets, I find it most appealing to put the units in a desert background because of the color scheme which is dark green that suits it perfectly.
Can you guys suggest any background for the allies and yuri's forces to place my units to? _________________ Today is the beginning of the real end. QUICK_EDIT
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MY First Draft of Cameos
Needs proper lighting and done 
