OFFICIAL Fantasy Emag Contest Q&A!!!!!

[shartley]

Yes, it is a compromise that works.

[Vegeta]

Next week... hmmm... i might lose/accientally delete it by then. better make backups!

Everybody look at how many people have posted question. Now times that number by about 2. Theres not gonna by 2000 poeple enter this thing... we all actually have a good chance to win something.

[zvanut]

i have another question,

i have a kodak software program that can crop images etc. Do you know anywhere i can get some info on it. the instruction manual is lost

[shartley]

zvanut
Did you try contacting the manufacturer? They should know what software package comes with each camera. Then they can either send you the manual, or you can find one online.

Hope this helps.

[Maghog]

I will not keep this issue going(though I do have a lot of thoughts about it), I just wanted to thank shartley again for trying very hard to interpret the rules correctly. He made some worthy points.
Eeking another contest out of Tom is great, but I was still mostly interested in how my drawings would have stacked up against the other stuff when it came to voting.
I guess we won't get to find out.
Oh well, we need to remember that Tom doesn't have to do any contests if he doesn't want to.
Bickering about the rules is not the AO way and as seen from the creator of the contest's standpoint, I would find it rather annoying and counterproductive to go on and on and on.
That's why I'll keep my trap shut now,
Dan

[shartley]

Maghog
Thank you for your post.

There is often more to what goes on than gets posted in the Forums. And so people understand a bit better about one of those things, I would like to post a line from an e-mail sent to Tom by myself, while we were determining where we would take this issue...

And you could even run a hand drawn contest after as well...

See, you were not forgotten, or overlooked.

And...

I just wanted to thank shartley again for trying very hard to interpret the rules correctly.

Thank you again. This is actually not too hard to do, since I was the one to draft the rules in the first place. It is having to explain them, and enforce them, that can be the tricky part.

I thank you all for your understanding.

[synreal]

is their a rule regarding multiple contest wins?

i.e would it be possible for the same person to win this contest as well as the naming contest that is coming up.
or does winning a contest exclude you from a future trip to the winner's circle for XX days/months?

[shartley]

synreal
That is a good question, and I have thought about it in passing, but not focused on it. I will see what Tom thinks. I think that there should indeed be a Win Limit, but what it should be will have to be thought about carefully.

I will get back to you on that one.

[zvanut]

shartley,

its kodak camera, the problem is i cant get any info because it is an industrial type camera for labs. Since my dad is a sales rep., we just happened to get it free w/ the several hundred dollar lab software which is complicated

[shartley]

zvanut
Okay.... open the program and go to its HELP and then ABOUT section. Let me know what it says and I will see what I can dig up for you. The more information you can provide the better. Just don't expect me to get the info right back to you 5 minutes after you let me know it... LOL

[AGD]

Contestants,

First I wanted to make everyone aware of a great program we have started using here that has most of the functionallity of Photoshop at a fraction of the price. It's called Paint Shop Pro and goes for about 90 bucks. That should be within the reach of most people. It does layering, background subtraction, effects the whole works. Check it out!

For right now we will allow multiple wins by the same person. If it happens then we will look into modifying the rules.

AGD

[shartley]

Thanks Tom, I am sure Paint Shop Pro will help some of the folks out. It is not a bad program. In fact I am sure it will actually be easier to use for many members.

That being said, it ain't Photoshop either. There are reasons why they cost so much different, and it is not simply the name.

Let's reverse the situation for a bit.....

You are at a Paintball Event, and a Well known and respected Graphic Artist runs up to your group and shouts.. "Hey, to play paintball all you need is to shoot paintballs right? Well, I started using this BE Marker and it is working GREAT! And it costs a fraction of what EMags do. Check it out!"

Well....... I guess that would be correct, right? Not exactly. Sure they do some of the same things when looking at the basic functions, but they are not close to being the same.

I do however believe in the following rule....

It is better to use a lower end application to your abilities and produce decent results, than to try to use a higher end application and not produce anything. So, I am NOT slamming Paint Shop Pro. It is a great application for what it does, and where it fits into the scale of graphics software. I just don't want any misconceptions as to how it actually stacks up when compared directly against Photoshop.

Again... it ain't Photoshop. But then again, I have said time and again, Photoshop ALONE will not make you a great Graphic Artist. But it will never be the part that keeps you from being one.

I think people should use what they will be comfortable with. And that may very well be Paint Shop Pro. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the cost issue isn't really an issue for most members.... how many of the members getting their hands on Photoshop do you think are actually PAYING for it? This makes it an issue of ease of use, not which is actually the BETTER software.

[shartley]

When Tom tells me, I will post it in the Official Rules.

There is still over 2 weeks left, so it should not be that big of a deal yet.

Thank you for your understanding.

[omni]

Hi

Hallo

I'm new here and I read through most of the posts here the nite before and saw something about names with submitions.

Will our names show with our submistions? ( I wasn't around for the Box comp.) The factor of favourtism comes in when you know who made the design and the actual Design/Concept/Idea might not get 'judged' by the judges, and people would vote simply for who they liked best.


Sorry if I come off as a prude ... just wondering.

[shartley]

omni
That is a good point. However you mention a couple issues at the same time... let me please address them for you.

1) All names must be submitted with the entries so that we can keep track of who submitted what.

2) The file names must reflect the member name of the person submitting the file so that it is easier for us to match entries with the actual member.

3) Okay, for the sake of argument, let's say we DON'T put the member's name with the gallery picture... You do a right click and see the file name. You now have the member's name. And even if we change the file name, do you think people will not post someplace else which design is theirs? It happened with the Package Design Contest. I know you said you were not here for it, that is why I am telling you this.

So, yes, this has already been thought out. If we worry about each and every little detail, the contests will become so difficult to run that they will more than likely STOP being run. We try to take care of the major issues in a way that allows the contest to be run smoothly and still get the desired end results, both for the contestants AND for AGD.

I am sure you would agree that it is better this way and allow the members the chance to WIN great AGD Prizes, than to get so nitpicky that noone gets that chance. I hope this answered your question.