Graphic Help?

[RazorbackJeremy]

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for graphics I should make (or can use) for a dynasty? I'm just asking since I'm starting up a community diary, I want to be able to create some graphics from like ESPN, CBS, FSN, SEC Network, style graphics to use?

[Hellisan]

Quote: Originally Posted by RazorbackJeremy

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for graphics I should make (or can use) for a dynasty? I'm just asking since I'm starting up a community diary, I want to be able to create some graphics from like ESPN, CBS, FSN, SEC Network, style graphics to use?

People really just cobble things together, hack them together with stitching really. Depending on what style you're trying to use, you can use the website as a source and try to recreate it. Some people like using photoshop, others might prefer excel. I think Excel is pretty easy to use and (somewhat painstakingly) copy the style of a site.

It's really just practice and willing yourself to mess with it, because it is a hassle.

[RazorbackJeremy]

Excel? I haven't even thought about that. Don't know how I would approach it

[Hellisan]

Quote: Originally Posted by RazorbackJeremy

Excel? I haven't even thought about that. Don't know how I would approach it

Depends on what type of report you want to create. I like the look of the HTML style reports right here in the forum and love that the forums decided to support that.

If you want to make it more image based so you can get creative with the appearance, then yeah, for box scores or score updates, around the nation style stuff, excel is what a lot of people use. It's painstaking work to set it up. But once you've got it there it's really easy to type in the info, then copy and paste from that directly into an image editor. (If you don't have any image editors at all, I think the best free one is still photofiltre). It's really easy to use, light on memory usage, and has a ton of features.

[RazorbackJeremy]

Any idea how I would get started on getting it set up? I'm basically going for a hybrid CBS/ESPN/USA Today kinda report. I'm really dumb when it comes to making things look good haha

[Hellisan]

Quote: Originally Posted by RazorbackJeremy

Any idea how I would get started on getting it set up? I'm basically going for a hybrid CBS/ESPN/USA Today kinda report. I'm really dumb when it comes to making things look good haha

It's really not about being dumb or smart. To some extent it's just the time you want to put into making it look how you like. When you say hybrid between three sites it's kind of tough. I would pick one, let's say you want to create a game report.

Go to an ESPN game, and open up the game report you want to mimick. Open up Excel (having 2 monitors helps, otherwise you can print the ESPN page so you have something to go on). I suggest setting all columns to 5 pixels each. (Highlight all at the top left then make adjustments for the size to 5 pixels each in terms of columns. Gives you flexibility to set it up how you like. Then let's say you have a space for player names and it needs to bigger, you can highlight 4-5 columns and merge them so you have enough space for a player name in that row. In excel, you basically just set it up how it looks on the site, leaving out things you don't want. I really like the way their scores look and so I have thought in the past about making mine look like theirs. I came up with my own style instead, but I used that same strategy of setting up the columns very small so that I could combine then and have flexibility. You'll find that if you want to do a weekly report, for instance, and you have the colums set up for a specific report, then later in the same report it won't be useful for something else. That's why you go small columns that you can combine/merge for each section.

[NewNapkin]

One thing to add, do as much as you can from scratch without too much inspiration from others. Even if it doesn't turn out as great as you pictured, it is a million times more rewarding and makes for a better experience.