Jason Toon wrote:I was just stopping by to address that very question...

You guys have probably worked out at least one of the several reasons why the key contest staffers are hella busy right now (me included, but not just me). Sorry about the delay - I beg your kind indulgence and promise that results are coming tomorrow.

Take your time... I'm catching up on my sleep anyway

-J

Josephus wrote:I don't either. I use Corel Photopaint.

What version are you currently using, joe? I'm still using 9.0, SP2.

Josephus wrote:Some time I'd like to see some failed entries that people started on but abandoned. I often try to do stuff that I realize isn't going to work, and isn't going to work soooo badlly that I don't even enter it in the contest. It'd be fun sometime to see what those non-starters for a contest look like.

Exactly... I had been working on an entry for the retuned summer blockbuster that I didn't get finished- a variant of ten commandments using Samuel Jackson's pose from Pulp fiction (gun drawn, but with Moses' body and head) and a biblical reference about God layin' down the law, but I never got it done... especially topical due to Charlton Heston's NRA stance...

Personally, I think we should just post them in the same group as the entry... even after prizes have been doled out. Or maybe the winner's blog...

-J (Software- Paint Shop Pro 9)

Frankly, I don't have too much of a filter for entering something/not entering. It has more to do with available time than anything else. I will mull over ideas on the contest theme, discuss them with Mrs. Plinth and if I have time, try to make them a reality.

This past contest, the best I could think of was "Airwolf Babies" (in the style of Muppet Babies and other ill-conceived children's programming), but I knew that my meager skills were not up to the task of creating an appropriate cartoon-toddler version of Ernest Borgnine without an appropriate amount of time (Dammit, Jim, I'm a software engineer, not an illustrator!). Given that I was going to be away for 7/8ths of the weekend, I called this one a wash.

As for tools, I prefer to use the tools that are most appropriate for what I want to do. Most of the time, it's going to be a cruddy PS mashup using a vintage copy of PS. Other times I use Illustrator (Device in a Frog, Alien Hatchery or [url=http://www.plinth.org/_images/wootmen1.jpg]the lavatory signs).

The [url=http://www.woot.com/Images/sale/contest/114-plinth.jpg]Bandelero Carrots entry was another example where I was shy on time and knew that trying to use software would only slow me down, so I took out colored pencils and paper. And if that HM doesn't make it clear that lack of talent is not an obstacle to an HM, I don't know what does.

As for judges criteria - they have no obligation whatsoever to spell them out. Their house, their rules. Find your own motivation and work with it. My motivation is to make myself laugh. If I can make you laugh too, bonus. Given that motivation, you can see that the tools are inconsequential.

mwiseman wrote:What version are you currently using, joe? I'm still using 9.0, SP2.

12, with the SP updates. and the embroidery tool- that was free, and worth $100!

I ought to update it, but I'd like to get an educational version of photoshop- just too expensive.

Josephus wrote:I don't either. I use Corel Photopaint.

Me neither, I used Gimp for my entry.

Josephus wrote:I don't either. I use Corel Photopaint.

Photoshop is pretty much all I know. I have GIMP at home, and it takes me about three times longer to do anything in that. I spend half the time on GIMP searching around for the tools I regularly use in Photoshop. GIMP gives me headaches, but at least it's free. (Photoshop is at work and far too expensive for me to buy.)

A few years back, I fiddled around with a program called Paint Shop Pro. I remember it was dirt cheap at the time. However, I never tried chopping stuff on it like I'm doing now. I'm not sure if PSP is still around, but it may be worth checking out.

Granos wrote:Photoshop is pretty much all I know. I have GIMP at home, and it takes me about three times longer to do anything in that. I spend half the time on GIMP searching around for the tools I regularly use in Photoshop. GIMP gives me headaches, but at least it's free. (Photoshop is at work and far too expensive for me to buy.)

A few years back, I fiddled around with a program called Paint Shop Pro. I remember it was dirt cheap at the time. However, I never tried chopping stuff on it like I'm doing now. I'm not sure if PSP is still around, but it may be worth checking out.

Its a Corel product now, I think it is a sort of cheaper version of Photopaint, though I haven't used it.

benitojuarez wrote:I suck at photoshop so heres a freebie for anyone to use.

Arnold vs the predator in the foreground yelling, GET TO THA CHOPPA!!! Mini rc in the background with a ladder trailing from it with Elpidia Carrillo (the girl from the moive) running to it.

hehe i will look for it.

Jason Toon wrote:I was just stopping by to address that very question...

You guys have probably worked out at least one of the several reasons why the key contest staffers are hella busy right now (me included, but not just me). Sorry about the delay - I beg your kind indulgence and promise that results are coming tomorrow.

Hmmm... smells like a Woot-off's a-comin'. My F5 finger is twitching.

Granos wrote:Photoshop is pretty much all I know. I have GIMP at home, and it takes me about three times longer to do anything in that. I spend half the time on GIMP searching around for the tools I regularly use in Photoshop. GIMP gives me headaches, but at least it's free. (Photoshop is at work and far too expensive for me to buy.)

A few years back, I fiddled around with a program called Paint Shop Pro. I remember it was dirt cheap at the time. However, I never tried chopping stuff on it like I'm doing now. I'm not sure if PSP is still around, but it may be worth checking out.

I use Paint Shop Pro. They are up to version 11, but I'm still using 9. Too lazy to upgrade. I think it is comparable to Photoshop LE. There have been a few things that I haven't been able to do with it, but for the most part it works fine. I'm pretty sure that my entries' shortcomings are due more to me and my limitations than to what software I'm using.

plinth wrote:Most of the time, it's going to be a cruddy PS mashup using a vintage copy of PS.

Exactly how "vintage" is it? I'm using 5.5! Due to some serious limitations (mostly in the brushes and selection tools), I'm considering trying GIMP.

Granos wrote:Photoshop is pretty much all I know. I have GIMP at home, and it takes me about three times longer to do anything in that. I spend half the time on GIMP searching around for the tools I regularly use in Photoshop. GIMP gives me headaches, but at least it's free. (Photoshop is at work and far too expensive for me to buy.)

Have you tried GimpShop? I read it's GIMP, but laid out like Photoshop. I'm going to give it a try when I start to explore my chopping software options.

And it's time for a crappy paint GIF from me!



Hooray!

Edit: only now do I realize I am too late. Phoo.

JoeDeeDee wrote:I use Paint Shop Pro. They are up to version 11, but I'm still using 9. Too lazy to upgrade. I think it is comparable to Photoshop LE. There have been a few things that I haven't been able to do with it, but for the most part it works fine. I'm pretty sure that my entries' shortcomings are due more to me and my limitations than to what software I'm using.

I'm using PS CS3 extended and even though it's got a lot of goodies it hasn't helped me one bit here. I imagine we should use whatever we're most comfortable with. I tries GIMP, but like Granos, I spend too much time looking for what I know is there somewhere. I've suggested GimpShop to some people here, but never got a response to how it worked out for them. Anyone who's used it and used PS, I'm sure we'd like to know how smooth the transition was.

move along nothing to see here

Pixel8 wrote:I'm using PS CS3 extended and even though it's got a lot of goodies it hasn't helped me one bit here. I imagine we should use whatever we're most comfortable with. I tries GIMP, but like Granos, I spend too much time looking for what I know is there somewhere. I've suggested GimpShop to some people here, but never got a response to how it worked out for them. Anyone who's used it and used PS, I'm sure we'd like to know how smooth the transition was.

I was about to download GimpShop but someone said it doesn't have tablet support? Does anyone know?

Jason Toon wrote:I was just stopping by to address that very question...

You guys have probably worked out at least one of the several reasons why the key contest staffers are hella busy right now (me included, but not just me). Sorry about the delay - I beg your kind indulgence and promise that results are coming tomorrow.

Tomorrow is today. If you don't do it today, are you going to be able to do it during the woot-off?

shan24 wrote:I was about to download GimpShop but someone said it doesn't have tablet support? Does anyone know?

I know GIMP does, but I have no idea about GimpShop.

FenStar wrote:Tomorrow is today. If you don't do it today, are you going to be able to do it during the woot-off?

Yeah, so much for promising winners today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day?

JoeDeeDee wrote:Yeah, so much for promising winners today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day?

They have until midnight? These are the noctornal WootGods after all lol

Exactly how "vintage" is it? I'm using 5.5!

Ha! It's 5.0! Very vintage.

FenStar wrote:Tomorrow is today. If you don't do it today, are you going to be able to do it during the woot-off?

That's right. It pays to plan ahead. Who knows better than Jason of an upcoming "busy event"? I suggest he does his homework early. Announce the contest, and post the winners at the same time; get it over with, yeah, that's the ticket!

plinth wrote:Ha! It's 5.0! Very vintage.

LOL You win.

Toadlet wrote:Exactly how "vintage" is it? I'm using 5.5!

plinth wrote:Ha! It's 5.0! Very vintage.

Toadlet wrote:LOL You win.

I was using 3.0 until very recently. It was always loads better than MS Paint. I even did an entry or two with it. I was out to prove that it could do the job. Well, I had 6.0 kicking around that I never could figure out, but as soon as I discovered that you can move layers around, that was it. That lets you treat parts of the photo as objects. So now I'm learning it.

I was going to ask Josephus if this was the same thing Corel was selling (since they bought out Jasc) but it looks like Photopaint is another program they had already. Nonetheless, I have some questions about masks. Maybe that should be in another forum--or maybe it's been discussed already.

daj59 wrote:It's getting really close to the end of the day. Could it be that Jason didn't keep his promise!?!?!?

looks like it...

FenStar wrote:looks like it...

Looks like we'll have to wait until next week!

my late entry:


just felt like making one even though it wont be entered.

Wipeoutftw wrote:my late entry

just felt like making one even though it wont be entered.

I made one similar, making fun of tking for the heli..
BTW yours is rather big..

Looking like another contest prize rollover, perhaps?

mwiseman wrote:Looking like another contest prize rollover, perhaps?

I predict results later today, but a late contest tomorrow, maybe put up around 2:00 p.m.

My entry:


Sources:
Brave Little Toaster Poster
Copter2.jpg

layotte wrote:Brave Little Copter

I like this. It would be great if you could replace the other appliances with Woot items. (The ubiquitous Leakfrog comes to mind.)

It would also be great if this entry made the deadline. But hey, the judges are late posting the winners. Maybe they'll extend the deadline a few days.

Granos wrote:I like this. It would be great if you could replace the other appliances with Woot items. (The ubiquitous Leakfrog comes to mind.)

It would also be great if this entry made the deadline. But hey, the judges are late posting the winners. Maybe they'll extend the deadline a few days.

Yes I see the Barbie vacuum, one of those Vector flashlights, an mp3 player, and that blanket that you can put any picture on it that you want. I like this one too though, the cute face on the helicopter fits.

anyone know what the color scheme represents for the boxes next to our names?

toby8915 wrote:anyone know what the color scheme represents for the boxes next to our names?

Perhaps it's part of the Department of Homeland Security's terror alert system. Watch out for the oranges!

toby8915 wrote:anyone know what the color scheme represents for the boxes next to our names?

Number of woots. Hover over it. You have two.

it represents how many woots you have i think.

Edit: damn beat by two minutes.

bfahle wrote:Number of woots. Hover over it. You have two.

ahhh...thanks.