Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:16 am Post subject: Weird Question
I know this is kinda silly and weird but is there some.. trick, I guess to making images just feel right. I've never really been able to do this (just once, and I think I got lucky). Problem is, I don't know what it is thatt makes images feel right to me, so it's kinda hard to recreate. And to top it off, this isn't a question. I know the subtle elements like font and placement, but I can't seem to develop a good mental eye for graphics. Any advice?
It's not a silly or weird question, although it's a bit vague. But I know what you're talking about; I've experienced it, too. Developing an artistic mind is really like learning a new language for some people. Some people are just total naturals and have an innate sense for design, layout, color, and concepts.
My advice to you would be: learn to express your concepts first on paper, by hand. It doesn't have to look perfect, of course. But I find that if I sketch my ideas first, I'm much better at actualizing them in Photoshop because the sketch enhances my visualization of the idea. I use this especially for web design.
This is also useful for revealing problems with your ideas. For instance--the RollerCoaster Tycoon website I'm making has an incredibly graphics-intensive layout. When I developed the idea in my head, it seemed flawless. But when I went to draw it on paper, I found ugly empty areas in the layout that didn't look right. That sketch allowed me to strengthen my ideas and improve them without really working at it.
I also would suggest examining images that DO look right to you. You said it's very hard for you to tell exactly what makes them look right--that's normal. But you'll probably start finding elements and techniques that are common to all the well-done images. Many of these are far too subtle (and subjective) to be described adequately with words, but they'll start becoming apparent and you'll find ways to implement them.
Anyway, there's my two cents. Good luck! _________________ Interested in showcasing your special effects or learning some new ones from the masters? Check out PSFX!
What might help you would be to go through the "principles of art" and the "elements of design". These include line, shape, colour, etc..
For example, lines can express a different feeling in an image:
vertical lines intone power or strength,
horizontal lines give peace, tranquility.
diagonal lines show action.
curved lines can increase emtional appeal
ziz-zags can make an image appear angry.
That's just a small part of it. You can probably google for more. I've gone throug all this in school about 5 times. I should know it all from memory, but it was uninteresting and hard to pay attention to. Having said that, it is very udeful
The single biggest thing is the rule of thirds. Divide your image into horizontal and vertical thirds, creating a grid of nine squares. Any important elements should be located on (or close to) one of these lines.
Another cool thing: the golden rectangle. The dimension 1 x 1.61803 are magically pleasing to the eye.
Composition is very important, as Gallo_Pinto pointed out. Art schools and books or personal instruction can be extremely helpful. All rules are meant to be broken, mind you, but there are some very useful ones out there. _________________ Interested in showcasing your special effects or learning some new ones from the masters? Check out PSFX!
these are search results that turned up from an extremely quick google search.
This next link is for interior design, but the colour schemes it mentions are also true for any sort of design. IN a web page, colour schemeing is vitally important.
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I know the subtle elements like font and placement, but I can't seem to develop a good mental eye for graphics. Any advice? 
