using screencaps

[earthy]

Been having trouble figuring out a decent layout for Tea with a Dragon http://www.story-girl.net/tea because all I really have to work with are a few screencaps, which got me wondering: Does anyone have any tips/tricks/ideas for using screencaps for layout purposes? I know at least some of you have done it to simple, lovely effect (Crystal's Abu fanlisting comes to mind http://fan.zeruda.org/abu/), but I can't seem to do anything interesting with screencaps myself. :\

Do you just take a cap and go to town on it with brushes? Do you tend to use the same cap in multiple sizes/cuts? Any other thoughts/ideas when images are somewhat limited and maybe not as fancy-schmancy as an artbook scan or something?

[Crystal]

Well let's see. I don't use any brushes with my layouts (never really liked to) but I will play around with textures and patterns until I get an effect I like. I generally like to use the same screencap multiple times in a layout just because I find it easier to work with and to get the colors I like to use for the rest of the layout. As for the last question I'm not really sure. I'll use a picture I like and then work with it from there. Sometimes I get something I'm in love with and other times I'll scrap it and try again.

(And thank you for the comment about my Abu fanlisting. I personally don't like the layout lol.)

[Sarah]

I used screencaps for the first version of my EVE tribute. It was pretty easy to get them to look good (I don't mean that in a braggy way), because the background of the images was black. So I just decided to make the layout black, and all I had to do was a little erasing of the harder edges on the screencaps to make them blend in to the background. I'm sorry, I don't have a screenshot of that layout to provide visual aid, but I did something of the same technique with my Marty McFly fanlisting, which you could check out.

I also used screencaps for the Fakir fanlisting. One of the screencaps is much bolder, and I just layered a couple more onto it. I did blending with this layout, too, where I just erased the harder edges of the screencaps to make them sort of "meld" with the background color. I guess that is my basic suggestion - if there is a color on the screencap that you would like to use as the layout's BG color, just erase some of the screencap with that color eraser brush. Well, that's what I tend to do, anyway. Addition of brushes and textures does also help.

lol, that was long-winded. Anyway, good luck! :) Screencaps can be difficult to work with, but I know they are sometimes the only option.

[dubiousdisc]

I don't do this often because whenever I find myself with not enough art for the subject of my sites I just end up making my own, but - Spark Needle's top image is just a screenshot whose background I erased. It goes well with a clean style, but if it ends up being just too clean, you could try having a texture or pattern involved somewhere in the layout.

[Mikari]

Screencaps is what I mostly use anyway. You can try different effects with them, changing the brightness and saturation, adding brushes and decorative font symbols. There's no limit to it really, just play with the images and experiment.

[earthy]

Pfft, it just looks so much nicer when you guys do it! ^^;; I guess I'll have to keep messing around with Photoshop until I come up more regularly with things I like....

[Todd]

I abuse the crap out of textures and patterns. I play with different blending techniques that make my screen caps appear smoother. Like Crystal said, it takes a lot of playing around, and I end up scrapping a lot before I end up with a layout I like.

See: Danielle tribute