The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

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Mac_Fife
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The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Mac_Fife »

If you have been looking at our blogs at all, you'll know that a) there isn't a lot there yet and b) the banner image at the top isn't very Uru-like. In fact it's just a default, stock image that comes with WordPress. But, because we hope to be using the blogs a bit more from now on, it seems like time to replace that boring old banner image with something more relevant.

So here's a chance to contribute a little something to the site - We're looking for an image that is immediately identifiable with Uru. If it can somehow capture the essence of "Development" or "Restoration" in some way, even better. In return we can offer the creator(s) of the best image a gold encrusted honorable mention at a future AGM and a great feeling of artistic accomplishment in creating an artwork that will be seen by at least several people (that's the kind of big budgets we have here :P).

Images should be JPEG, PNG or GIF and should be 940 pixels wide and ideally (but not necessarily exactly) 198 pixels in height. You can use screen shots, original artwork, photographs, montages - in fact, anything that seems to be appropriate (but no compositions of real fruit, please - they're perishable).

We haven't set a closing date yet, but it'd be nice if we could announce a winner at the All Guilds Meeting on February 2, 2013, so get creative!
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Mac_Fife »

I'm going to set the ball rolling with three images. But I have to give credit to EthanEver since these are really his pictures - I only did a bit of cropping and image enhancement in PhotoShop:

Image 1:
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Image 2:
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Image 3:
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Mac_Fife
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Nalates
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Nalates »

Image 3 is nice.

If you are not an Uru user and just stumble on the blog I doubt Image 1 would be understandable.

In Image 2 the closeup avatar seems warped. Otherwise it is pretty good.

I'll have to look through my images to see if I can find something fun.

EDIT: ...found some.
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Mac_Fife »

You're saying Dr. Kodama is warped??? (I can see who's going on the DRC blacklist...)

Thanks, Nalates :) . Pics 2 and 4 I quite like. Pic 1 maybe has too much hidden in the shadows. One comment: Pics 1, 2 and 4 have a nasty little black edge on the left side (happened to me when cropping one of my pics too).

And I guess most Uru related images will mean little to any non-Uru/MO:UL players stumbling across the blogs (and my Image 1 may not even mean anything many current MO:ULa users who weren't around for GameTap).
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Nalates »

Yikes, that didn't come out as I wanted... SORRY Doc.
These were taken from various screen captures and KI photos I have on the drive. I didn't spend much time on cleaning them up and shifting brightness. I think I could pull Zandi out of the shadows, But, we'll see what other great images others come up with.

I have images made by other fans that I avoided using. Several have posted great images on the MOUL forum. Without their permission I hesitate to use them. If there is little response, I may see if I can chase them down and ask permission.

My only thought on the image used is to create something that would intrigue someone just stumbling across the site. But, since it is mostly for fans, having something they enjoy may be more important.
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Ehren
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Ehren »

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Alternatively, if you don't care about a lot of extra image height:
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If it is decided to use these banners for anything I can email a better quality of the pictures to anyone...
Last edited by Ehren on Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:43 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Mac_Fife »

Thanks Ehren! I wouldn't worry about what Photobucket is doing to the image size.

I remember those days of a barricaded stair (although I think I only ever saw that from the other side). Yes, I can see why it looks better to get the whole of Kerath's Arch in.
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Hoikas
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Hoikas »

Idle observation: there's a ton of wasted space due to the fixed width nature of the site (small headings certainly don't help). This is with firefox set to use about two thirds of my 1080p monitor.
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Mac_Fife »

Granted (and my browser setup uses roughly the same screenwidth as you). And Ideally I'd like to recover the "lost" page width below the navigation block. But I'm no expert on the WP templates and for now at least sticking with a minimally modified fixed width layout is just "less work".
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Re: The OpenUru Big Blog Banner Brawl

Post by Nalates »

The blog is Wordpress 3.4.2, which is a few updates behind. But, still it is WordPress and the change for width is in the CSS file. Only a couple of items need to change from fixed width to % to make it a liquid layout. I don't have a test server running WP right now. But, let me know which theme it is using and I'll point you to the right CSS defintions.

Also, the top banner can be easily changed. It is in its own DIV with its own CSS definition. So, changing the size is easy. I would stick with your current size as the minimum. If you get a great image you like we can change the size. If the image is used as a background in the DIV we can make it adjust to different size screens.
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