[Disc.] APR 11: Longest Time Making a Set

Okay, so this is the revival of that monthly discussion idea that crashed and burned ages ago (all thanks to me, lol >__>). BUT IT'S BACK BECAUSE IT'S STILL A GOOD IDEA.

I THINK.

M-moving on, let's start this month's topic! I don't expect this thread to be popular, so I want to get the ball rolling late into this month so that more people are aware and will be ready for next month's topic. =D Sorry for the short notice on this month's topic, btw!

Now to the good stuff...

This month's theme is the longest time spent making a set/sig!

Now let's be honest: Making sigs is fun and when inspiration hits you can fly through requests or shop orders, but what about those times when you're completely and utterly stumped? You've used your favorite textures or sig-making methods with no decent results to show for it. Or worse, when you stare at the pic you've been given and can't think of one. single. idea.

So tell us, what is the longest time you've spent making a sig? From the point you first opened that blank canvas to finally finishing the entire sig, all shiny and pretty!

Come, everyone! Come and discuss your hardships with everyone and compare your records! >D


PS. Feel free to shoot me a PM with suggestions for future discussions! <3 I'd love to hear everyone's ideas~

The longest I ever spent on a sig is actually one I was doing for fun. Lol, it wasn't so much fun after all the hours I spent on it. >__>;;

I'm pretty sure I spent anywhere between 5-7 hours on it. I mean, it's not even that great of a sig. Idk how I managed to spend so much time on it. I kept stopping and then working on it time and again for some reason?

NOT ONLY THAT, I also have another sig (again, started out for fun) that I also spent roughly around the same time on. orz Yeah, I couldn't just stick to one long-as-sin project, I needed two. Seriously, I don't think I'm ever going to spend so much time on something that isn't even a request or shop order. I've been traumatized by my own stupidity. x__x;;

I think my record is probably 5-6 hours--I'm not exactly sure since I didn't do it all in one sitting. My average set making time is somewhere between 1.5-3 hours, but that time I think it took me over an hour to render the original image which of course means the whole set making process took longer.

In general I'm a pretty slow set maker. It takes me forever to figure out what textures, brushes, fonts, etc. I want to use and I change my mind a lot. I often end up with multiple versions of things due to my indecision.

Now, I'm being slightly slowed down by switching from CS1 to CS3. They changed some things and I have to adjust to those changes. Why on earth did they change the way you link layers (have to use the fricking keyboard now just to do that)? Grrr. *kicks PS makers*

Halite75: Eek, rendering images. That's probably my least favorite part of making graphics. ;; I actually use every possible trick to avoid doing that~ LOL

Oh, but doesn't making multiple versions of a graphic actually save you time? I've made different versions of shop orders only a handful of times, but when I did it was actually easier. When I make a single version of a sig, I tend to spend a lot of time picking out the proper elements/colors and textures; with multiple versions, I can just do whatever comes to mind, and if I have a conflicting idea I just use it in the next version. But uh, that's just from my experiences. xP

... I totally have no idea what linking layers means. orz /fails
But I can definitely relate to getting accustomed to a newer version of PS! The step from CS4 to CS5 was really big. I still miss CS4, even after using the newer version for so long.

Yeah, I HATE rendering with a passion and do all kinds of tricks/cheats to avoid it, but sometimes I have to bite the bullet and do it.

Hmm, I don't think making multiples saves me time, but who knows.

Linking layers is when you connect layers so that when you want to move them you can move/nudge them all at the the same time instead of individually. Like say you have 5 copies of the main image you are using (all with different things done to each layer), you'd want them all to be linked so you can move them all together if you need to. The newer versions of PS CS have made linking more complicated (requires more steps).

Halite75: Pffft, you're more honorable than me then! I absolutely refuse to render my pics. XD I'm getting better at it now, but a year or two ago? NO. CHANCE. I even paid my sis to render an image after all my tricks to avoiding rendering failed me. I have to re-open my shop agin soon and the only thing keeping me from doing it is fear of rendering. orz

... WHY did I not know of something so awesome? :A; How many times have I moved each. frikkin'. layer. one at a time? And I'd get so frustrated when it didn't align correctly or was off by a few pixels. Holy crap, this is gold! Thanks for pointing it out! You've just saved me a lot of time. XP

oh gosh...

i'm pretty impatient so I always try to do things as fast as possible...so I think the longest i've spent on a sig without making edits after was like 1 hour...and lol i hate rendering too...XD but the thing that usually makes me take the most time is when I have to draw to create images for the sig...like if the image is missing a part I draw to fill it in...or if the image has a lot of crap on it...cleaning the image out takes time too...

but the longest must have been about 10 hours total over 4 days...due to all the edits the user kept requesting...in the end I never even finished the sig to their satisfaction DX

and WHOA O: how do you link layers?!!? I always just apply the whole image and just move that DX

Heh, oh yeah when I have to draw part of the image in or take text off the image it is a PITA. Definite time eater.

Linking Layers:
Click on a layer. Hold down the Shift (if they are all right next to each other) or Control (if they are layers not right next to each other) key to select the other layers you want to link. Look down at the bottom of the layers palette for the thing that looks like a sideways link of chain and click on that .

To permanently unlink a layer from the group of layers, select the layer and click on the chain thing at the bottom of the palette.

To temporarily unlink a layer from the group of layers, click on the layer and hold down the shift key and click on the link symbol in that layer. A red X will appear to show you've turned the linking off there. You can turn the linking back on by selecting that layer again and holding down the shift key again and click on the red X.

I've actually only linked a couple of times...I usually just highlight the layers I want to move and just move those. XDD (or I merge them...)

I usually don't check how long it takes me to make a sig...or else I just get depressed. XD But I think the sigs that I take the longest on are the ones that I really don't know what to do with...and are usually left unfinished...and if I feel really unmotivated, I usually work on it chunks at a time to see if I become motivated. I think the one that's taked me the most time was a recent one..I started on it about a month ago, and then kept coming back to it, and I still haven't finished it yet. XD

Hmmm....I think the longest I've spent on a set is about an hour, including rendering. I'm pretty impatient and if I things aren't moving with the set the way I want them to, I'll scrap it and start something different. I also don't use brushes and I have PS Elements, which doesn't have all of the same features as the CS1-CS5 PS do. Because of that, I'm somewhat limited in the things I can do with pictures, so I have found methods to work with what I have so I end up usually spending 30 minutes max on sets I make.