1) DROP SHADOW - Be careful using this. Depending on the size of it, it will often be practically invisible, or shadow out or dull details of the image in the panel. 2) BEVEL AND EMBOSS - This makes your text look 3D, which is sometimes okay with titles. If you're using this for a sound effect, it will probably look ugly and out of place. Be careful using this one. 3) SATIN - Satin is generally meant to be used alongside Bevel and Emboss. On it's own, it makes your sound effect hard to read. This might be neat if you're drawing a particularly spooky sound effect, but otherwise just looks bad. 4) GRADIENT OVERLAY - Gradiant overlay is a great option, but it's easy to go overboard. Before you settle on this, think--does the colour of the gradient upset the page's colour balance? Is it too busy? Remember that it's okay to make a gradient with very similar colour (ie, dark red to light red). You'll still get that depth you wanted, but without injuring your reader's eyes. 5) GRADIENT STROKE - Be careful with this one, too. It's nice to add a bit of depth to your stroke, but don't go crazy with it. 6) PATTERN OVERLAY - the patterns available in pattern overlay are whatever you've defined as patterns for the fill tool in photoshop. If you've never defined one before, all you'll have is the default PS patterns, which are all ugly, busy and horrible. Do not use the defaults. The one I am using in this example is NOT a default pattern. To make a default pattern, find seamless textures either online or make them yourself, open then in photoshop, select all and choose Edit> Define Pattern fromthe main Photoshop Menu. It will be available in the Blending Options menu's patterns from there on out. 7) BEVEL AND EMBOSS WITH TEXTURE - this looks terrible. Please don't ever do this. | (http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w37/Quikthnkr/GUNBABY/Webcomics%20Community/08.jpg) |
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w37/Quikthnkr/GUNBABY/Webcomics%20Community/10.jpg) | Also, you must remember to be mindful of how the sound effect is going to be used; will it accidentally cover up any speech bubbles? Will it get in the way of any action on the panel? Does it intrude on other panels in a way that damaged their message or takes attention away from them? Fot these reasons, I recommend that you do this process, from step one, right there on top of your finished comic page. Never do them in a blank document and then paste them into your page. I also do not recommend saving and re-using sound effects. Your logo? Absolutely--make it in 300+ dpi, save it in its own file and pull it out every time you make an add, cover page, tshirt or poster image that requires it, but do not recycle sound effects. These things literally take a couple minutes each to make once you've got the hang of it, so hunting it down in your file maze is going to take more effort than just making a fresh and easy new one. The trick is to treat your sound effects like small pieces of art. Remember that and you'll have an easier time of it. |
-not that he needs any excuse to take even LONGER.