Here Without You - Staind (CnC)

My focus points on this sig were:

Renders (Learned how to do them and such. The image on the right is rendered by me.)
Gradient Maps
Lighting
and more practice with artistic strokes

Those were my focal points to just practice on, so if you have any advice PARTICULARLY on those parts, please !


EDIT:

Infernal_Dave suggested that I use the right render to make something, so here's sommat completely different using the duplicate the render for the bg method.

 

Well, about renders, you generally don't want two. In some cases, it can work but in most it is hard to pull off. What you have done is creative but the actual placement of the renders in the signature does not work. The one on the left is what I would assume to be an effect and not meant to be the actual focal point of the signature. If so, it draws to much attention.

Your text scatters your focal as well. In short, your signature is far to spread out, if that makes sense. Ask if you have any questions regarding anything I said.

Edit: Oh wait, I forgot to say, it is always nice when people try to incorporate and actual meaning to their signature rather than just a pretty picture, like it looks like you have tried to do. Good job on that

 

That makes sense. So should I remove the render on the right, and use just the one on the left? The one on the right was to be my focal, and the one on the left is a shot of the video.

The way I started was the background was all weird, and then you just put the render on the top, so its your focal point. So I figured putting a snap of the guy on the right would make it stand out more, and not be as bland as just the background.


And thanks, now only if it flowed better ^.^!

 

I believe the render on the right is better-looking(render, not homo) than the one on the left.

If you want to, you could try to find a different render of that singer, or you could render one yourself. But comparing those two in your signature, the one on the right has more potential.

 

Just seems like u just put a blur...

 

Lol, no...

I rendered the left image, put an artistic stroke on it (I think it was angled strokes), put a lighting effect on it, then rendered the right image, blur'd everywhere, except the eye, duplicated at soft light, added a black to white gradient map, 65%, and put text on it, duplicated all the text's, changed the colors, set to 75% on multiply to give them a neater look, and done .

 

Youre getting better! Only the bg, i would put something more in it, its just look like, you havent put much work in it (although you have maybe...).

Maybe you could also let the render a bit more alive and dont make it too blurry.
Also work on your text, because now it just s**ks. Sorry for this, but folow tutorials for your text and the sig will get much better!!!

Greetz,
Zeboss

 

This newer one is Much better. I believe I can give my own official C&C

The C&C for this new one is:
* To improve your background: You'd be surprised, if you haven't already known, that you can use certain brushes with certain settings to brush your renders sides, out into a background color such as black.
Kind of like a fading effect from your render, to the background.

* When working with gradient maps, you don't have to use one map, and/or keep your map on the whole background. For example, you could use the eraser tool to erase parts that you don't like, or you can change the opacity of the eraser so the color can fade a bit.

* Last but not least, your text. Don't worry, you did improve your text. You don't have to worry about your username in your signatures, because if I'm right, that's for copyrights(i think that's the right word)

I'd suggest downloading a different font such as one called Sell Your Soul, or one of my favorites, Liberation Serif. Sometimes, it's hard to find the right font for signatures, because each signature sort of varies. But usually, you can use around 2-5 different ones for all of your signatures. You just have to look around some for some fonts.
You probably already know, but if not: http://www.dafont.com/