ATTN: Cover Artists

[nbart711]

Is it good enough for placement on the site?

I did the original scans. I will wipe down the scanner bed good and also the boxes next time I scan something, hopefully that will reduce dirt, etc. I use an Epson WorkForce 845 for scans. There is a descreening setting that allows me to select a few different settings. For this scan I set it to Fine Prints 175 lpi setting. There is also an unsharp mask setting that goes from low to high. Would that be helpful for scanning?

How do people make such clean covers? Are these being completely rebuilt using the original scan, or can this be accomplished with filtering?

Thank you so such for the feedback. I looked at many of the guides in the forums, but having actual work critiqued is very helpful from a learning standpoint.

[aaron-hagel]

I've been looking to upgrade my scanner for some time to help deal with the of moire.  Scanning a box and getting those patterns constantly can be frustrating.

[Polygon]

Could I get some feedback on this cover:

Completed Cover:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/87sjddl7xcs9pzy/Chakan_GG_NTSC.jpg

Original Scans:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/tfybnlru1h8711t/Chakan_GG_Front.jpeg

http://www.mediafire.com/view/fo4y66tnq0p2h74/Chakan_GG_Back.jpeg

Thanks!

Holy crap! That Toshinden Cover I did a LONG time ago. And yeah, it's pretty bad. Reminded me that I need to make a better one. The Wings of Wor was from a high resolution scan someone else did. But the cover was VASTLY faded. I should be able to reproduce it to look cleaner. And I'll make those corrections on the Total Carnage cover as well. Also, those are just the tip of how many cover I've submitted.

[wiggy]

You guys are WAY too critical sometimes. Much of what is pointed out would not be visible (as a blemish) in print form.  These are small prints. Zooming to 1000% to look for problems is over kill, by a long shot.

[Jeff]

You guys are WAY too critical sometimes. Much of what is pointed out would not be visible (as a blemish) in print form.  These are small prints. Zooming to 1000% to look for problems is over kill, by a long shot.

Seriously. We're hobbyists, not paid graphic designers, nor ebay sellers  I understand the desire to have quality covers, but why the harsh leap in standards when they'll be put alongside covers like this?

[Arseen]

You guys are WAY too critical sometimes. Much of what is pointed out would not be visible (as a blemish) in print form.  These are small prints. Zooming to 1000% to look for problems is over kill, by a long shot.

Seriously. We're hobbyists, not paid graphic designers, nor ebay sellers  I understand the desire to have quality covers, but why the harsh leap in standards when they'll be put alongside covers like this?

All shit covers are to be replaced with perfect ones when someone provides one.

Why high quality standards?
Because we say so.
And our secondary objective is preservation of game art in super high quality.

[marioxb]

Yeah, but I don't think they should look BETTER than retail!

[shenske]

- The cover should be made with Cover Project Templates. If logo's on our templates are out of date or low res, they should be replaced.

Templates are not required. They are recommended where possible though.

You guys are WAY too critical sometimes. Much of what is pointed out would not be visible (as a blemish) in print form.  These are small prints. Zooming to 1000% to look for problems is over kill, by a long shot.

I agree that 100% magnification is not required BUT we do need to clean dust / creases / discoloration. Not all dust and such is viable when printed but we should be cleaning our cover images to the point where they look like the originals.

Seriously. We're hobbyists, not paid graphic designers, nor ebay sellers   I understand the desire to have quality covers, but why the harsh leap in standards when they'll be put alongside covers like this?

There is no "harsh leap" as you have stated. Perhaps if you haven't visited the site in the last 5 years it may seem that way but we have had the higher standards for a long time now. We are preserving the coverart. If you have a better scan of the cover you linked please do provide it and we can replace it. Covers can't be removed but they can be improved.

Yeah, but I don't think they should look BETTER than retail!

You are right. If someone wants to go the extra mile and recreate or vector part / all of the cover that is awesome but it's not required.

[Jeff]

There is no "harsh leap" as you have stated. Perhaps if you haven't visited the site in the last 5 years it may seem that way but we have had the higher standards for a long time now. We are preserving the coverart. If you have a better scan of the cover you linked please do provide it and we can replace it. Covers can't be removed but they can be improved.

When I said that, I suppose I was thinking of Mel. I forgot who said it, but a staff member said Mel's covers are just barely under quality for the site.
As a user, I'm thinking that they look really good and totally usable. I would rather see them in an organized list rather than buried in the forums.

I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that I think "good but not perfect" should have a place on the main site. There's a lot of usable stuff hidden away, but it's messy trying to find them. As an art gallery, the site is great, but as a printable cover directory, it comes off as unorganized.

(Also, no, I don't have a scan. It's a cover that I'm looking for.)

[segamer]

I mention using our templates because, for the most part, logos and text are clean. There were some submissions that were good but they obviously didn't use our templates. As a result, logos and seals and such had moire.

[tiktektak]

Segamer I think this thread was a big mistake. This will only lead to endless discussions about "Why did my cover not be accepted?" shit.

@wiggy: You are a guy I deem more than worthy to get an answer from me. You are right about not seeing stuff when printed BUT it's not only about that. If you would only once see what some people submit.... *ugh* Normally i'm not zooming in more than 200%. When I'm not seeing too much then I'll accept it. But if I zoom in 100% and already am seeing dust, scratches, moire, artefacts, oversaturation, dirt, low res parts, etc. etc. I will never accept it. Believe me most people don't understand what clean and high res means. They think oh well I'll take that 150dpi scan from the net and just blow it up clean it 5 minutes and the cover will be perfect! So it's really not only about being 100% nitpicky it's about getting at least good quality stuff to set us apart from other sites. Sure sometimes we tend to be overstrict nowadays but the higher quality you start the better at least some uploaders are.
The other thing is about doing it right. I mean even though a custom cover is custom what reason would you have to use the same producers, publishers and SNS - product numbers - on all covers. I mean this has to be correct even for customs AND the artwork needs to be high quality as well!

[segamer]

I think you're right tiktektak. I'm going to lock the thread. Ultimately, it's ok to contact me and we can go over your covers.