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JohnB
JohnB
1:06 PM
@Ryan I didn't see the context, what are you bidding on?
 
WELZ
WELZ
Apr 19 at 17:46, by Ryan
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Pentax-A-400mm-f2-8-ED-IF-Green-Star-Lens-K-mount-S‌​uper-Telephoto-2-8/323213631886?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1‌​%26asc%3D51378%26meid%3D4a777079e86f4441866cf7a31aa66b74%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%‌​26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D323213631886%26itm%3D323213631886&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m423‌​6&_trkparms=pageci%3A832c824c-43f9-11e8-ab8c-74dbd180c739%7Cparentrq%3Adf03447e16‌​20aad6ec55a289fffdde1a%7Ciid%3A1
 
JohnB
JohnB
oh geez
I bet you could take some really good selfies with that
 
WELZ
WELZ
:D
 
JohnB
JohnB
I've been thinking about getting one of those tripods that's like a crane
photography people will scoff at my terminology I'm sure there's an actual word for them
extension arm might be that word
 
WELZ
WELZ
1:28 PM
a "Jib"?
 
JohnB
JohnB
jib might be a little more complex, crane was probably the completely wrong word
I need something to take overhead shots like that ^
 
Ryan
Ryan
@JohnB there really is no universal term for that column but my next tripod is going to have one also
Manfrotto (tripod manufacturer) calls them 90 degree columns
 
JohnB
JohnB
ah, cool
 
Ryan
Ryan
That's what I bid on
I'm still high bidder.... but one more bid and I won't be.
 
JohnB
JohnB
that thing is a beaaast
I picked up a nifty fifty lens over the weekend
no chance to play with it yet though
 
Ryan
Ryan
1:33 PM
I bid $1000. Tempted to go higher but I just don't know if I should. If I do win I'll need a bigger tripod just to use it
50mm 1.8?
 
JohnB
JohnB
yep
 
Ryan
Ryan
I love my 50mm 1.4. It's such a useful lens. Almost every photo I post is taken with it
If I win the 400mm it'll be the opposite. Cause of the weight I'll rarely find a use for it. But when I do it'll be lots of fun :D
 
JohnB
JohnB
I have 8 samples bags of snacks on my desk that I need to take product photos for, I kinda used that as an excuse
 
Ryan
Ryan
Are you billing yourself? Otherwise the company should be buying the equipment
 
WELZ
WELZ
@JohnB Do they taste good? o.O
 
JohnB
JohnB
1:35 PM
some of them do
some of them are a little weird
like ketchup flavored potato sticks
 
WELZ
WELZ
@JohnB I've seen those before....
 
JohnB
JohnB
probably not something I'd buy :P
 
WELZ
WELZ
I hate ketchup, so I would never buy that..
 
JohnB
JohnB
2:17 PM
@Ryan any projects in particular you have in mind for the beast lens?
 
Ryan
Ryan
@JohnB a few - there's a bald eagle nest outside my window and they recently hatched. That would be the first thing I'd shoot with it.
 
JohnB
JohnB
oh wow, that's so awesome!
 
Ryan
Ryan
That was really really really cropped cause it was with a 135mm lens. And the nest is even further away then where s/he happened to be perched to get that photo
 
JohnB
JohnB
that is a very large bird
so cool!
 
Ryan
Ryan
I'd also look at shooting wakeboarders and other birds with it
but if I just get one photo of that Bald Eagle and then turn around and resell the lens, I'd be fine lol
 
JohnB
JohnB
2:26 PM
haha
 
 
4 hours later…
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
6:26 PM
Newbie here - please be reasonably gentle ;)
 
Ryan
Ryan
@Tetsujin hi
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
Hi Ryan
The basics - I want a hand-written top line, with a font-based 'explanation' below. Simple, 2 lines in total.
I have a Wacom & Photoshop... but Ps isn't going to give me vector-based handwriting if I just scribble on the Wacom.
So simply - where to start. Illustrator? which I've never used before but i don't mind a learning curve.
 
WELZ
WELZ
Illustrator is definitely the way to go, if you don't want to pay (so much) or don't have it look into Inkscape.
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
[I thought it was a bit broad to make an actual question of - I'm not looking for a full tutorial, just a start-point]
 
Ryan
Ryan
first question - are you a skilled lettering artist?
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
6:31 PM
so basically Illustrator, if I push the right buttons, can generate a vector graphic from 'handwriting' on a Wacom?
 
Ryan
Ryan
No it cannot, not really
 
WELZ
WELZ
The hand drawn art would already be vector, no?
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
Not in the slightest - I've pushed fonts into place for several published works, but a long time ago, 90's
 
Ryan
Ryan
It can generate a vector graphic by using the vector tools. Its not as simple as, "I write this and its vector"
I mean it can be but its going to look terrible
You're going to want to handwrite in Photoshop (or on paper and scan) and then carefully trace in Illustrator. I know a great tutorial for the tracing part
But if you're not very experienced its probably better honestly to hire a lettering artist that specializes in this, or look at one of the many lettering fonts on the market
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
ah, so I have to in effect vectorise what starts as a raster?
 
Ryan
Ryan
6:33 PM
yes for good results
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
So, presumably, I need to start with a hard outline brush/pen - either in Ps, Corel Painter, Studio Artist etc, to give something 'solid' to map the vector round. No fuzzy edges.
 
WELZ
WELZ
Or even something handwritten (literally)
 
Ryan
Ryan
that doesn't matter, its not going to automate it for you with good results
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
so I'm going to be playing with the pen tool a lot, to map the outline...
 
Ryan
Ryan
ah took a while to relocate it but here ya go: theagsc.com/blog/tutorials/…
Some Tutsplus author has basically stolen that article as though its their own system - design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/…
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
6:40 PM
Cool - I've done beziers before, just not for a long time.
Last question - purely opinion-based comments welcome...
Attempt it that way, or give up now & make a huge raster?
 
WELZ
WELZ
Where are you holding?
 
Ryan
Ryan
I don't know your skill level or how complex the lettering is
or why you can't hire someone to do it for you
 
WELZ
WELZ
I second what Ryan said.
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
I'm a big DIY enthusiast ;)
Seriously - I've been looking at various offerings for off-the-shelf logo design & don't feel I've got enough control unless I dig very deeply into the pocket; so I wanted to explore the DIY approach.
 
Ryan
Ryan
then go for it
the bezier part really isn't that difficult. the lettering by hand part is the challenge
anyone can trace points, its designing good curves to trace that takes experience and knowledge
 
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
6:48 PM
I thought the lettering by hand would be the easy bit - it's essentially a signature [even though not my actual name] so I already know exactly how it should shape
Anyway - thank you for the input, guys. I at least know where to start & where the early pitfalls might be. Much appreciated :)
 
 
2 hours later…
WELZ
WELZ
8:56 PM
Any mods here?
All (3) posts from this user (within half hour) are very simple (little info) posts promoting the same product.
 
Ryan
Ryan
9:34 PM
@WELZ thanks
 
WELZ
WELZ
New update, 2 of them were upvoted (making me thing potential sock-puppet - but may just be coincidence)
As Makyen said in Charcoal:
in Charcoal HQ, 19 mins ago, by Makyen
@WELZ IMO, the user appears to be here primarily to promote that site. However, all 3 answers are directly relevant to each question. All questions which they have answered directly ask for recommendations of such software. By the rules SE uses for spam (i.e. that it must be unsolicited), these are not spam. If the person is affiliated, then it's clearly inappropriate, but there's no clear indication they're affiliated. They may be, but the website, and its parent, give no names.
@Ryan Are they affiliated?
 
Ryan
Ryan
@WELZ my best guess using the resources available to moderators is yes. It is not a guarantee but appears to strongly be the case
 

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