Call for header images

[branchandroot]

Please note: I ask because I am not much of an artist myself! I don't have the photoshop skills to translate most photos into a good header image. If anyone does, that's perfect, but I can't do much myself with "raw" photos.

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This is a call to all artists! There is a new layout in the works which is optimized for header images (minimal other visuals and it can take two header images via the wizard). Alas, there are few really good banner type images available on the stock sites under suitable licenses.

In particular, I was hoping to get some skylines from various cities (like the set of Expressive skyline themes). Would anybody like to contribute some? Or, for that matter, any other header image?

The images must be licensed such that Dreamwidth can use and redistribute them. This is a liquid layout, so they should also be something that either repeats gracefully or, as in the case of skylines, ends gracefully, perhaps layered over a simple repeating background. See a repeating sample and a non-repeating, layered sample.

ETA: Additional specifications: I wouldn't want to go much over 300px in height. The journal/page titles should be taken into account. While there doesn't necessarily have to be completely open space for them, it does need a space in which a single text color would be readable over whatever the background texture is.

Comments

[nova]

Fixed height or flexible?
Should space for the journal title/other info be taken into account on the image?

[branchandroot]

I think any height up to 300px or so would be fine. I wouldn't want to go too much over that.

Oh, good thought. Yes, it would probably be wise to account for the journal/page titles. While there doesn't necessarily have to be open space for them, it does need a space in which a single text color would be readable over whatever the background texture is.

*goes to add this to the body of the post*

[innerslytherin]

I'm assuming you're talking digital/graphic art, rather than photography? :)

[branchandroot]

Illustrations or vector art will probably be easiest to work with, but photography is also perfectly fine if it can be made to either fade or repeat nicely!

[jenett]

I don't have city for you, but I do have a really lovely lighthouse in fog. (Taken in Boston Harbor last summer)

http://pics.livejournal.com/jenett/pic/0007hkda/g54 is the image: I can crop to 300 high easily if you want it.

[branchandroot]

Oo, pretty! Can that be made to work with a variable-width? That is, can it go on top of some kind of repeating background or fade into a uniform gray or something? (I've done that for a sea photo once before, and wow was that hard! But I'm not a terribly good artist...)

[highlander_ii]

it's not city, it's hockey players, but it could be worked into a header image by someone with some cool photoshop/editing skills:

http://photographybyh2.h2smsk.com/photogallery/displayimage.php?album=31&pos=11


and a couple from Florence, Italy:

http://photographybyh2.h2smsk.com/photogallery/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=4&pos=-148

http://photographybyh2.h2smsk.com/photogallery/displayimage.php?album=10&pos=46


* okay, those are the links to the thumbnails that will get the full-size images, but yeah - if you think it'll work.

[branchandroot]

*wistful* Yeah, I'm hoping for a good photoshopper to come along, because we're getting lots of really good photos that I don't have the skill to rework either. Thanks, though!

[shirasade]

Well, you're welcome to use any of my photos.

Talking cityscapes - here's Tokyo, Singapore, Basel, Zurich, Wellington.

Oh, and possibly a mountain panorama (near St. Moritz, Switzerland): panoramic, with glare, or regular-size.

[branchandroot]

Oh, those are lovely! I'm not a good enough digital artist to get the cityscapes into header form, and I will have to hope for someone who is to come onto the post, but maybe I could do something with that mountain panorama. That's just beautiful. Thanks!

[poulpette]

I went to Rome three years ago and took a handful of pictures (http://fanfishtour.free.fr/data/ARomanHoliday/index.html). You're welcome to look through the album to see if anything interests you. Just tell me which one and I'll send you the originals (and the optimized ones if you want too). I'd offer to header-ize them, but I lack skills in that area :S

[branchandroot]

*rueful* Alas, I also lack the digital art skills to turn those into headers. Maybe someone else on this post can! Some of them could definitely work for someone who knows what they're doing with their photoshop filters and such.

[dianavilliers]

How would something like this suit? I could probably do something sensible with the ends given a bit more time.

[branchandroot]

Oh, that's nice! Yes, if that one can get a repeat or fade or whatever, maybe at the lower end, that would be just the kind of thing I'm hoping for.

[katieastrophe]

I have some photos of NYC taken from the top of the Empire State which could work. I don't have access to them right now but could have them to you by early next week, possibly?

[branchandroot]

Sure, no rush!

[jjhunter]

Here's a set for a repeating header image, components created via the coraline.com's 'create a flower' tool. I'd alternate them in the default order for the set.

Small Coraline Flowers (jjhunter_24).

There's another set for the same images at their original size, if you'd like to edit or resize them.

[branchandroot]

Oh, pretty! That could work very nicely, thanks!

[ninetydegrees]

Sorry to intrude but I wonder what are the licensing terms for these. Considering DW's stance on advertising, you would have to remove the 'Coraline dot Com' banner and I'm not sure you're free to use these images if you do that.

Sea lions?

[raisedbymoogles]

Are these okay? They should tile well...

Normal version
Blue version

I'm also working on one with the Congress building, but that'll take a bit longer. ^_^;;;

Re: Sea lions?

[branchandroot]

Oh, those are adorable! Yes, I think those could either tile or stand alone very nicely. Thank you! Can you fill out a CLA for that some time in the next month or so? (http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/CLA)

Re: Sea lions?

[branchandroot]

Thought I'd show you how this one worked out. Very spiffy!

(http://branchandroot.dreamwidth.org/?s2id=115533)

This is an oldish thread...

[spydielives]

are you still looking for images?

Re: This is an oldish thread...

[branchandroot]

Sure! This layout hasn't been claimed yet, so if I can fit in another theme or two that would be lovely.

[auroraprimavera]

Are you still in need of some images? I can go through my pictures and see what I have.

[branchandroot]

More images would be lovely!