Need help making a banner

[Vander]

My clan is changing to a new website and I would like to create a new banner for our site. I have Photoshop Elements....and no idea how to get started.

Here is an example of our old banner (3 parts merged to one):

I'd like to do something along the same lines as this, but fresh and new! I also plan to remove the COD reference and incorporate our main games: TF2, CSS, Guild Wars, Project Torque, and perhaps a reference to the game that brought our clan together: C&C: Renegade.

Maybe make a banner specific to each game and have the site generate one at random, but I gotta learn how to make one first!

 

[DJive]

I wouldnt mind with helping however.

1. not sure exactly what you are asking/looking for.
2. only know photoshop and not Elements =(

 

[Altaco]

I wouldnt mind with helping however.

1. not sure exactly what you are asking/looking for.
2. only know photoshop and not Elements =(

Photoshop Elements is basically just a dumbed down version of photoshop at about 1/10th the price. Most of the stuff you can do in CS3 or whatever you're using you can do in Elements.

 

[Vander]

Sorry if I was vague.

Well, really just some help in getting started. I have never made anything in a graphics program from scratch. If Elements is no good, I'm willing to download any freeware programs someone might recommend.

Maybe point me to a tutorial? You'll have to pardon me, I know absolutely nothing about creating custom graphics.

Photoshop Elements is basically just a dumbed down version of photoshop at about 1/10th the price. Most of the stuff you can do in CS3 or whatever you're using you can do in Elements.

Hallelujah! (at the idea of not having to spend copious amounts of money)

In the words of our friend the Demoman, "If I wasn't a man I'd kiss ya!"

 

[DJive]

Photoshop Elements is basically just a dumbed down version of photoshop at about 1/10th the price. Most of the stuff you can do in CS3 or whatever you're using you can do in Elements.

i tried elements before..

no way =)

 

[Vander]

Ok, I got an idea. Could you give me an idea of what it took you to creat the new site logo? Perhaps a tutorial of that process would help me and a lot of other folks.

If you describe it using the more expensive version of Photoshop thats fine...I can figure out the translation. Or I could just go with a free program. I think I have an old version of Paintshop Pro laying around somewhere too... The point is most of these programs do similar things, I'll figure it out. I just need a kind soul to point me in the right direction and get started.

 

[drp]

are you going to keep the layout of it? i would assume the dark gray/blue is part of the entire site design?

 

[DJive]

god my thought process? I feel sorry for ya.. and anyone else who "tries" to read this badly put together ramble.

--------------
Looking at our current old banner and realizing we were getting big i still felt "odd" we didn't have a logo, or something to link to us.. it was just text.

While i've never been good at logo creation i LOVE font work however starting out it new it would be a huge challenge. I searched google for "tf2 logo" for some ideas and found this and thought it would be a good idea to start with.

I then thought "what am i going to put in this? it has to do with mapping and tf2" Here is a few early editions i was trying.

http://www.tf2maps.net/misc/tf2banner copy.jpg

http://www.tf2maps.net/misc/tf2banner_v4.jpg

http://www.tf2maps.net/misc/tf2banner_v5.jpg

each with a tweak, or change.

I started with the wretches because i thought "tf2, engineer, build" but i couldnt get it to look right=( so i wanted something that would at least draw a little attention. I found some good player rends so and started to overlay them. It looked pretty good but i didnt want to have the character skins be part of the banner. IE "tf2maps.net with the pyro in the banner" because we have nothing to do with a character model, we have something to do with it all.

I made the character fit the banner and with help from Pepper he setup the rotation to work well.

In all the current banner took roughly 5 hours to make. off and on.

 

[YM]

I made the character fit the banner and with help from Pepper he setup the rotation to work well.

so why is the pyro blue, and where is the heavy!!!

Inconsistency = ameture!

 

[DJive]

so why is the pyro blue, and where is the heavy!!!

Inconsistency = ameture!

im still upset about the heavy update =p

and pyro is the coolest! so he needs to be different

 

[YM]

I shant deny that the pyro is the coolest but he sticks out too much and the lack of heavy is upsetting to me

 

[Vander]

are you going to keep the layout of it? i would assume the dark gray/blue is part of the entire site design?

No, it's a totally new site for our clan so I am free to design it anyway I please. (as long as it looks good that is).

I appreciate your post as well DJ, it gives me an idea of things I need to think about while designing it. I'm more interested in the physical aspect of making it. As in, when I crack open Photoshop...I have no clue where to start. I don't know how to make the background where the name resides...nothing.

Consider me a total graphics-creation noob who wants to learn!

 

[Vander]

Ok, ok. I think I'm gradually starting to figure this out. Here's a a prototype I created real fast just messing around with the shaping tools that took forever to find: