Jedi Council Forums - [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!

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Author	Topic: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
Grimby the Hutt Title: JC Head Admin Fan Design/RMFF Webmaster Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 7/15/08 1:46am Subject: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners! - Date Edited: 9/22 10:55am (11 edits total) Edited By: Grimby the Hutt
	Welcome to the third edition of the Official Banner Makers Thread! v.1 \| v.2 This thread’s purpose is to support the Banner Makers of the JC. Here, you can do the following: Learn general information about JC banner making Discuss your banners and the banners of others Offer hints and tips on image modification for banners Find out what others have learned about specific graphics programs Ask questions of other Banner Makers (related to making banners. "How did you do that?") Give or ask for banner suggestions (images, colors, design, themes) Share fonts, images, and other banner design tools Banner submissions There are two general circumstances under which banners are to be submitted: banner competitions and YOU taking the initiative. 1) Banner competitions - Periodically, banner competitions will be held to create a new banner for a given forum. These competitions are generally run by forum moderators, and run over a period of a month or two. An announcement is made in Communications and the forum in question to inform people of the running of the contest, and at the end of the contest the Mod Squad votes on the entries. The winning banner(s) are then implemented in the forum, and the winner is given VIP status for a limited time. The Mod Squad may also hold banner competitions for Halloween, the winter holidays, and other special occasions. 2) Taking the initiative - If you haven’t seen a banner change in a given forum in a while and are interested in creating a banner, contact the moderators of that forum via PM and inform them that you’re interested. If they have no plans to hold a banner contest, they may be perfectly happy to allow you to design a new banner for the forum, though they may reserve the right to turn down the finished product. If you create a banner, you can offer it to forum moderators. You MAY be given VIP status if it is uploaded, but don’t expect it. If you have an idea for the default main banner, contact Grimby the Hutt. A note about holiday banners: If there is a particular holiday coming up that you wish to have a custom banner, feel free to make one, but be sure that it maintains a strong Star Wars theme. These banners will replace the main default banner for a day or two, and then will revert back to the default banner. Holiday banners for holidays that last extended periods of time (like Lent and Ramadan) will not be put up for the duration of the period; they MAY be put up at the very beginning and/or the very end. These banners must be approved by Grimby the Hutt. Banner Basics Here I will attempt to touch on the basics of banner making. For more detailed information on banner specs and further help, see the links at the bottom of this post. The JC banner is made up of two distinct pieces: the images and the style sheet. Images The banner artwork is comprised of six separate pieces (some are optional): Main Image (Size: 764x110) This is the main piece of the top artwork. Variations: Can be shorter in width and up to 950 wide, but the height must ALWAYS be 110. Background Image (Size: 764x110) This is the filler image for the rest of the top. Variations: Must match the height and width of the main image in most cases. Side Image (Size: 30x465) This is the image that extends along the left side of the page. (Optional) Variations: Can vary in height, but should never be more than 35 pixels wide. Curve Image (Size: 70x70) This is the image in the "corner" of the artwork. It doesn't necessarily have to be a curve either. (Optional) Variations: Can vary in width and height. If your curve is larger than 90x90, it will be converted to a background image. Ad Holders (Size: 60x60) These are the images on the left and right sides of the advertisement. (Optional) Variations: Can vary in width and height. These should not be any larger than 80x80. Reply Image (Size: 400x80) This image is displayed on the “post reply” page in place of the advertisement when you are replying to a post or creating a thread. (Optional) Variations: Can vary in height and width, but should never be larger than 800x90. Additional Notes Generally speaking, all banners should have a strong Star Wars theme. A banner that lacks a strong Star Wars theme may be rejected. Please include "theForce.net" or some variation thereof on all banner submissions. Accepted image formats are JPEG, GIF, and PNG. When saving your images, please try to find a balance between image quality and image size (in terms of kilobytes). Style sheets The style sheet is basically a list of guidelines to describe how the page will look. This covers everything from the color of the background to the style of the usernames. It is important that you pick colors and styles that not only match your artwork, but also will not hinder anyone's experience of the boards. When deciding on background colors, it is best to choose colors that aren't too bright or too dark. Something a little more "gray" is always more pleasing to the eye. If you don't feel up to doing this part, don't worry. There are a number of users here who would be happy to complete this step for you. Just head on over to this thread when you're graphics are done. Download the default style sheet file here. Style Sheet Reference For reference, here's a list of all the selectors and a description of each: body - Defines the page background, default font, and text color. Generally speaking, adjust only the color and background. a.link, a.visited, a.hover, a.active - Use these to define different link states. (Usually only the text-decoration property is adjusted here.) .left - Defines the background color of the left strip. Match this to the background color of your side image. .MainTable - Defines the background color and the default font settings of the entire board table. .MainMenuRowAlt - Defines the color and font style for the Alt Row text, aka the pm notification ("1 new") and "JC Announcement" text. Do not adjust the background color. .MainMenuRow - Defines the color and text of the Main Menu Row. .MainMenuLink - Defines the style of links in the Main Menu Row. .BoardColumn, .BoardColumnLink - Defines the color, text, and link styles of the Board Column. Do not adjust the background color of .BoardColumnLink. .BoardRowA, .BoardRowALink - Defines the color, text, and link styles of the Board Row A. Do not adjust the background color of .BoardRowALink. .BoardRowB, .BoardRowBLink - Defines the color, text, and link styles of Board Row B. Do not adjust the background color of .BoardRowBLink. .SubjectLink, a.SubjectLink, a.SubjectLink:active, a.SubjectLink:visited - Defines the color and text style of Subject Links (thread links). Generally speaking, Adjust color and text style on .SubjectLink and a.SubjectLink (make them both the same) and only adjust the text style on a.SubjectLink:active and a.SubjectLink:visited. .MiniPagingSection - Defines the color and text around the thread page number links (basically just the brackets and commas that enclose the page links). Adjust only the color. .MiniPagingLink, a.MiniPagingLink:hover, .MiniPagingLink:active and a.MiniPagingLink:visited - Defines the color and text style of the thread page number links. Generally speaking, adjust only the color and text-decoration. .AuthorLink - Defines the color, background color, and text style of the AuthorLink (username). .VersionText - Defines the color and text style of the Version Text. Usually only the color is adjusted. .InputSection, .InputNotes - Defines the color and text style of the Input Section and Notes. These can be disregarded as they are only used on admin pages. .SignatureTitle - Defines the color and text style of the Signature Title. Usually only the color is adjusted. .SignatureText - Defines the color and text style of the Signature Text. Style Sheet Tips In most cases, you will probably only change the colors in each selector, leaving all other properties the way they are. Generally speaking, do not change the fonts or any of the font sizes. It is important that these stay the same to keep consistency throughout all boards on the JC, and to ensure that users don't have trouble reading the text. Keep in mind that not everyone uses the same browser, screen resolution, or operating system that you do. Also, since the board code changes, the '#' in front of hex color numbers is mandatory. We've had to go back to fix old stylesheets that have the '#' missing. For example, these would be correct: color: #000000; or color: black; This would be incorrect: color: 000000; If you need more help with style sheets, check out the links below. Resources Banner-making Guides: How to Create a JC Banner, Part 1 How to Create a JC Banner, Part 2 Grimby's Guide to Advanced Banner Graphics Grimby's Guide to Advanced CSS Techniques JC Board Customization FAQ (A little outdated, but definitely a good read) Style Sheets: W3Schools CSS Tutorial Fonts: TheForce.net's font page (Downloads for both PC and Mac) Star Wars Fonts Colors VisiBone color picker List of Color Names Star Wars Images: Grimby's Star Wars image archive More Star Wars images -----signature----- "Ratio Tile, the wish power are together with you." - Allah Gold, Backstroke of the West
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 7/15/08 4:04am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	Excellent! Thanks, Grimby!
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LAJ_FETT Title: •Tech Admin, Collecting • CCG/TCG Boardgames Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 7/15/08 4:16am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	Thanks Grimby! I've locked the old thread. -----signature----- BF - 'Bounty Hunter Wars': "Don't be an idiot. Or at least not any more of one than you have to be." "All that matters is my life and my business." "I do the things I'm good at, and for which I get paid the best." http://www.lajfett.yolasite.com
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DarthSapient Registered: Jun '01	Date Posted: 7/15/08 10:00am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	Are there any particular banners lacking more than others? It seems like we could always use a nice supply of overall site banners to rotate than what we've got.
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Grimby the Hutt Title: JC Head Admin Fan Design/RMFF Webmaster Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 7/15/08 10:11am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners! - Date Edited: 7/15/08 10:17am (1 edits total) Edited By: Grimby the Hutt
	I just submitted a brand new main banner. Edit: Thanks for the comments guys! I will be updating my site's banner guide soon with more detailed information on the Google boxes and a couple new style sheet classes that have been added to the board code. -----signature----- "Ratio Tile, the wish power are together with you." - Allah Gold, Backstroke of the West
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 7/15/08 10:23am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners! - Date Edited: 7/15/08 10:24am (1 edits total) Edited By: General Kenobi
	Yippee! Actually, I'll be looking for a PT favorite scenes banner after next Sunday when I prepare the Countdown. (See my sig.)
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DarthIntegral Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 7/15/08 10:59am Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	DarthSapient posted: Are there any particular banners lacking more than others? It seems like we could always use a nice supply of overall site banners to rotate than what we've got. Arena still only has one general use banner. I've contacted a couple of banner makers about it, but if anyone else is out there with the skills, a submission is always appreciated. -----signature----- Sey's big brother "God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" Suffering from acute Clevelanditis
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NYCitygurl Title: Manager of SFFBC, C&G, NSWFF, and Icons Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 7/15/08 12:08pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	This is great!! SFFBC has a list of special book release banners we need, so if anyone's interested, the open call thread is here, and you can PM me if you have any questions, ideas, or banner submissions. -----signature----- I agree with RJ Officially Idri's Muse "Hat. We thought of authentic Native American headdress before we thought of hat."
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 7/15/08 12:12pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	I've seen the new main banner, Grimby. Wow, it really jumps out at you!
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Juliet316 Registered: Apr '05	Date Posted: 7/15/08 2:50pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	The Non - Star Wars Fan Fiction Forum is going to need a banner. -----signature----- Juliet RIP Eddie Guerrero Tangible Dreams: http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/21029022/?10 The Heart of Betrayal: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/23822708/p1/?17
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OBIX1 Registered: Oct '02	Date Posted: 7/15/08 4:37pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	The new main banner is awesome. Never seen one quite like it here before. Nice job, Grimby! -----signature----- Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9 http://www.gideons.org \| Check out this site for info on Christianity! God Bless!
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Myriad_Daydreams Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 7/15/08 4:41pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	Just wanted to say I love the current main banner -----signature----- The Shaak Ti icon is back Master to LittleMissNightsaber
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JEDIGUNSHIP Title: C&G Game Host Registered: May '08	Date Posted: 7/15/08 4:42pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	I just noticed the new banner; it looks good. -----signature----- Blue and yellow make a green lightsaber. How do you get red out of blue? Council Member in the New Jedi Trials/ Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance Addicted to Rock Band 2 and Proud of It! SWC Secret Rebel '09 Band Geek For Life!
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 7/15/08 6:03pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	The current main banner isn't Grimby's new one. It's Strilo's 10th Anniversary banner.
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Grimby the Hutt Title: JC Head Admin Fan Design/RMFF Webmaster Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 7/15/08 6:07pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners! - Date Edited: 7/15/08 6:08pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Grimby the Hutt
	Mine was up for a couple of minutes. Glad you all liked it though. -----signature----- "Ratio Tile, the wish power are together with you." - Allah Gold, Backstroke of the West
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JEDIGUNSHIP Title: C&G Game Host Registered: May '08	Date Posted: 7/15/08 6:08pm Subject: RE: [GEN] Official Banner Makers Thread III: Revenge of the Banners!
	But it was different for about an hour. That's the time that I posted in, so i thought it was a new banner. -----signature----- Blue and yellow make a green lightsaber. How do you get red out of blue? Council Member in the New Jedi Trials/ Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance Addicted to Rock Band 2 and Proud of It! SWC Secret Rebel '09 Band Geek For Life!
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