- Great_Pretender
- |
- Exalted Mythic Member
- gamertag: [none]
- user homepage:
So I've seen a few Halo 3 comic strips since the game came out, and I've noticed some... things that could be made a lot better with a little thought. Of course I'm obsessive compulsive and a total grammar whore, but with these few things in mind your comics could be a whole lot nicer. That said, this is:
TGP's Comic Creation Guide
First off, I assume you know how to take screenshots in the game and download them to your computer. Take the screenshots, they should automatically upload to your service record on Bungie.net, and you go there and download them. Simple enough. I also assume you have a basic knowledge of image editing programs, and you're not grinding rocks together or using Paint to make your comics. If you are... well, get something better, eh?
Contrast and Bubbles
One of the basic principles of creating a readable product is contrast. For example, placing white text on a white background is bad. No one will be able to read it. The easiest solution is to make speech bubbles to put your writing in. I do this by selecting what I want as the speech bubble with the polygon lasso, box select and sphere select tools, then colouring it white. Going to layer styles and creating a black outer glow on this will give it an outline. Also, it's a good idea to type what you want in the bubble BEFORE you create the bubble. Otherwise you'll spend ten minutes trying to squish your text into a tiny speech bubble.
Framing and Creativity
Any bozo can point the camera at a triple laser kill and put it in a comic, but you have to think about your framing, and how it'll fit into the comic. You can take a picture of an Elite sniping a Spartan in the back of the head, but if they're on opposite sides of the frame, you might have a hard time fitting it into your comic and having it look good. Make sure the thing that you want as the focus in the shot is fully visible, and that there's nothing JUST hanging into the frame that will confuse people or draw attention away from the action. Think about the foreground AND the background; if you're making your shots in Forge, make sure there's no spawn points lying around in the background of the shot. When an artist draws a comic or a director frames a shot, everything is there for a reason. Also, make sure you don't have the timeline visible.
In addition, you should edit your images with contrast/brightness and effects to make it look better, if you can. While I personally wouldn't use the style of those pictures ^^^ in a comic all the time, it is nice. The filter is called "Poster Edges" in Photoshop. Fiddle around with filters and effects until you find some that you like and that gives your comic a distinct and original feel, THEN STICK WITH IT. If you're planning on making more than one comic, you should keep some sort of continuity with what your comics look like; just how artists draw or paint in the same style in all their works.
Spelling and Grammar
Have you ever picked up a book and read "so tehn mastar chef killd th huntr"? No, probably not. While it's... acceptable to use language like that in a forum post or on your blog, if you're making a lasting piece of media you should check grammar and spelling before you post it. Using half words and jumbling letters turns the reading of a comic from an experience into a chore, which most people aren't going to bother with. It'll take a large chuck out of your reader base, which is probably not something you want to do if you're making a comic (you want people to read it, right?).
Content and Humour
Please, please... try to be witty. The one thing that will destroy your comic is if your punchline involves an internet meme or something stupid like "your mom" or "lol noob". Most people hate that kind of humour, and relying on it all the time will not work. Use original, witty jokes; pop culture references, randomness and... you know, FUNNY things? That stuff we had before 4chan?
For example, something bad happens to a character. Instead of him falling to his knees and shouting "nooo!", he falls to his knees and shouts "KHAAAAAN!!!". Very simple change, and it's a lot funnier for those people who get it. Obviously I can't give too much advice on humour, because it's a subjective thing; but seriously try to avoid those "internet jokes".
---
So I hope that helped. These are a few things that might not be so obvious to some people. They make a comic a lot nicer and easier to read.
While making this little guide, I created my own comic just showing off some of these methods in action. I know it's not funny, don't bother saying it. It's just an example: Example.
Feel free to post your own comics in this thread!
-TGP-