+Chaos A.D./aka Arlsdaddy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 (edited) I have Adobe Photoshop CS with Illustrator, but don't know how to use it! Can someone help me or suggest a program for creating my own coin art? Have alot of ideas, just need proggy help. Edited January 11, 2006 by Chaos A.D./aka Arlsdaddy Quote Link to comment
+tiki Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Hey there - I am a HUGE fan of Adobe's "Classroom in a Book" series. They will get you up and running in Photoshop and Illustrator in just a few (intense) days. I dunno if they have a CS2 version of the series yet - but I know they have 'em for CS. Good luck! Tiki Quote Link to comment
gridlox Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I'll second on the SAMS series. Written a little more in laymans terms than the Classroom In A Book ones (IMHO) But be forewarned, Illustrator is a TRUE graphics program unlike a lot of the cheaper programs on the market, hence it DOES have a pretty steep learning curve. GOOD LUCK!! D-man Quote Link to comment
hirlas Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 The following is a joke: -just to make some of you smile! Quote Link to comment
+pdxmarathonman Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 The following is a joke: ... -just to make some of you smile! It worked! Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Photoshop, although readily available to those with the dollars, is a very heavy-duty program. I've been using it for personal and professional work for almost 20 years and I'm still finding new tricks and tactics for it all the time. My advice would be to consider taking a beginer design course. Courses are often found at local colleges and even high schools (usually free at high schools). It's not a fast solution for your coin design, but it will help take you a long way in a small amount of time. Short of that, befriend someone who already knows it and trade for their help! There are even a few of us who will help in return for a finished coin - nudge, nudge! Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Photoshop, although readily available to those with the dollars, is a very heavy-duty program. I've been using it for personal and professional work for almost 20 years and I'm still finding new tricks and tactics for it all the time. Do you find Photoshop more useful than Illustrator in regards to geocoin design? I'd think Illustrator would be what coin minters would want used for their art submissions. --Marky Quote Link to comment
+frivlas Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 The following is a joke: -just to make some of you smile! hirlas, You do some really cool "mockups". What program do you use? Quote Link to comment
hirlas Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Adobe Photoshop..... learned by book, and playing around,,,, Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 There are definite advantages to both, but you're right in that the coin makers will find the Illustrator files much more useful. What I do for the majority of this kind of work is build my mock-ups using layers and masks in photoshop because for sheer speed in design it's tough to beat. Once I've built and rejected the layers and refined the design I break it down into essential parts and omit overlapping art work. Seperate the layers on a large page and save as a simple jpg. I import this new bitmapped image into Illustrator. Use the auto-edger to build quick vertices of organic shapes and refine them until they're exact. Use your standard tools for more basic shapes and remember to remove overlap wherever it occurs. When you're finished you'll have a basic vertice eps file that can be quickly extruded using 3DStudioMax or SoftImage, etc. by the coin artists. If you have access to these programs it's also nice to see your coin completely built in 3d with texture and color before you send it out to be minted. I just realized what this gibberish must look like to some, but it's really very basic. Best bet is still to find someone else who uses these programs a lot and enlist their help Quote Link to comment
gridlox Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 There are definite advantages to both, but you're right in that the coin makers will find the Illustrator files much more useful. What I do for the majority of this kind of work is build my mock-ups using layers and masks in photoshop because for sheer speed in design it's tough to beat. Once I've built and rejected the layers and refined the design I break it down into essential parts and omit overlapping art work. Seperate the layers on a large page and save as a simple jpg. I import this new bitmapped image into Illustrator. Use the auto-edger to build quick vertices of organic shapes and refine them until they're exact. Use your standard tools for more basic shapes and remember to remove overlap wherever it occurs. When you're finished you'll have a basic vertice eps file that can be quickly extruded using 3DStudioMax or SoftImage, etc. by the coin artists. If you have access to these programs it's also nice to see your coin completely built in 3d with texture and color before you send it out to be minted. I just realized what this gibberish must look like to some, but it's really very basic. Best bet is still to find someone else who uses these programs a lot and enlist their help I understood it!! I actually design in the competitions program. CorelDRAW! I've been using it for close to 10 years now designing for the sign & tshirt business. People argue between the two which is the best, but it's really all in what you learn on and are the most comfortable with. I've tried to learn Illustrator, but just can't grasp a LOT of how things work in it. And it's all my fault!! I just can't make myself sit and learn a new program, to just be able to do what I already can do in CorelDRAW. D-man Quote Link to comment
+HerrK & Friends Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Corel is really good for vector grafics........PS & Illustrator for the rest! Quote Link to comment
gridlox Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Corel is really good for vector grafics........PS & Illustrator for the rest! CorelPHOTOPAINT(comparable to Photoshop) also has some fairly nice features also. All of the graphics you see in the image below were create in CorelDRAW & CorelPHOTOPAINT. From the lettering on the awning to the window design to the Van. Just to give some idea of the complexity of the van & windows... All the text & text effects was created in CorelDRAW and all of the photo imagery was edited & combined in CorelPHOTOPAINT. The spray of flowers was created using individual images of flowers. The background image is one image that has been cropped, flipped, & welded together to creat a long image to completely run across the windows & van. The background was opened in CorelPHOTOPAINT and all of the different elements were added piece by piece to build the final designs. It was then printed out on 60" wide pieces of vinyl and applied. The vinyl on the windows have small holes in it that allow you to see out but not in. And this is just a scratch in what is capable with programs like this. Quote Link to comment
Blodlizrd Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I use Jasc's Paint Shop Pro for most of my image editing stuff... and break out Photoshop when I run into something that PSP can't handle or that I can do better in PS. Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I'm only on AI 10.0.3, but the bridge between photoshop and illustrator is being closed at an amazing rate. Similar to Corel's products, Illustrator can now do all it's vector art as well as incorporate bitmapped imaging and even masks with variable alpha/transparency. I haven't used Corel in a couple years, not because it couldn't do the job, just because the majority of my clients and contacts are using AI. It's also one of the few vertice files I can directly import into my 3DStudioMax (although that may have changed...need to update that, too). There's another forum that was asking about a list of artists available to help. It might be helpful to get that one pinned for anyone looking for help/advice. btw Blodlizrd- I haven't used Paintshop Pro in a long long time. What are the limits that you would start there and finish in photoshop? Quote Link to comment
Not So Lost Puppies Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I've done up 4 designs using only PSP 7.0 I will agree that it isn't the most powerful program, and some task elements aren't as easy to do as I think they should be, but some of that is also not knowing how to best do it in PSP. My avatar was done using PSP, and will soon be the basis for a coin (I of the 4 mentioned) Once the other 3 are ready to go I will post those images. both coin pic and the graphic file I sent off to the maker. Quote Link to comment
Blodlizrd Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 btw Blodlizrd- I haven't used Paintshop Pro in a long long time. What are the limits that you would start there and finish in photoshop? Basicly if I want to do something quick and easy I'll do it in PSP. It's nothing in particular that I can't do with it... I just end up working on something and if it doesn't look right I'll play around with it in PS to see if that works better for me. At one point (like way back in 2000) I had to use PS for any layer work since the version of PSP I had did not have that functionality. But that's all been fixed now. Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Blodlizrd, you still have one of the coolest avatars I've seen. How long should we expect to wait before seing your coin? I know someone asked you that not to long ago and everytime I see your posts the question comes back to me. Quote Link to comment
Blodlizrd Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Thanks for the complement, F&H. I have been pretty busy lately but that just gives me more time to come up with ideas. I have 2 solid ideas and also an idea for a series that will benefit a charity that I want to work with a fellow geocacher on. Another thing that is keeping me is that dang Database that I am trying to make for the front end on my website so that I don't oversell the coins. Anyway, this is the obverse that I have decided on for both of the coins I am working on. I hope you guys like it. Quote Link to comment
ParentsofSAM Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 That is very nice! Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Very, very nice! I'll be watching and waiting. By the way, who is your charity? Quote Link to comment
Blodlizrd Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 The Memphis Zoo's Conservation Action Network. They make sure that those Lousianna Pine Snakes will be around to bite cachers. In all seriousness, caching is just an extension of my love for the outdoors, and one of the things that makes caching an adventure is taking in the various flora and fauna while on the way to the hide. C.A.N. is there using technology and science together to preserve the lands and animals that we enjoy, and sometimes take for granted. I think Groundspeak's initiatives such as CITO are doing a great job in helping clean up the only planet we have for a home and I believe that C.A.N. will help make sure that we have an environment to protect. Wow! I kinda got carried away on that one. Sorry about that. Umm... to make up for it and to contribute to the topic, here are some links to some photoshop tutorials. http://www.good-tutorials.com/ http://www.planetphotoshop.com/tutorials.html Quote Link to comment
gridlox Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 <snip>... here are some links to some photoshop tutorials. http://www.good-tutorials.com/ http://www.planetphotoshop.com/tutorials.html I WAS gonna call it an early night since I haven't been to bed before 2:30am a single night this week. Wouldn't be that bad if I didn't have to be back up at 6:00am. Now I'm sure I will be on these until the wee hours! Thanks!! D-man Quote Link to comment
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