Help with finding good backgrounds

[kvnwpts]

Hi.

What takes time for me to build a website is getting the right stuff and I can sit a day infront of the computer not getting the material that I want.

Lets take a look at Ryan Sheckler's website. http://www.ryansheckler.com/

Look at the background, and those details and stuff.

For me when I build my website I find it hard to know exactly what colours and how I want it to look, so I need like a website that has these kind of stuff.

You probably don't understand me right, but if you could share your best website with good background like his, shapes for websites, basically the stuff you need for it to look good.

Thanks

[TehYoyo]

I'm pretty sure that that's an original image. The designer probably made it himself (and it probably took a long time, too!).

I have brushes in the form of paint splatters for Photoshop...it's a simple matter of coloring the brush and then applying it.

Backgrounds are really hard to make, but keep in mind that not all of them have to be intricate. Simple goes a long way.

~TehYoyo

[kvnwpts]

You are RIGHT, but it would be great if there were like packs available like that.

Edit: There are, but a site with great of those, I havent found it. :/

I'm pretty sure that that's an original image. The designer probably made it himself (and it probably took a long time, too!).

I have brushes in the form of paint splatters for Photoshop...it's a simple matter of coloring the brush and then applying it.

Backgrounds are really hard to make, but keep in mind that not all of them have to be intricate. Simple goes a long way.

~TehYoyo

[TehYoyo]

I mean, packs would be nice, but background images really have to fit the site. While that background image might be nice for a band, I would never use it for my current project (a church).

Like anything, you have to keep it in context.

~TehYoyo

[RyanKing1809]

This wouldn't be painted - that would be a long and tedious task. It is most probably a photo of grungey concrete texture overlayed onto a dark bg in photoshop. Relatively simple to do the - trick is getting it to tie inconspicuously.

I would use textures you can find on deviant art: http://browse.deviantart.com/resourc...on=&q=concrete
Some are royalty free but you the amount of altering required is probably significant enough to bypass copyright. Or take a photo yourself.

Also try googling something along the lines of 'tiled textures'. Or download texture packs used for 3d software like 3dsmax - they usually contain tileable jpegs.

[TehYoyo]

This wouldn't be painted - that would be a long and tedious task

No. This would be painted. A concrete texture w/ Photoshop brushes of different colors for the splotches.

[...]the amount of altering required is probably significant enough to bypass copyright.

Good one! ...........................wait. You weren't joking? No. Don't do this. Most works have protection against altering or changing the work.

Also try googling something along the lines of 'tiled textures'. Or download texture packs used for 3d software like 3dsmax - they usually contain tileable jpegs.

Of course, Ryan also encourages you to make sure that the packs or textures are free - because if it wasn't, that'd, of course, be plagiarism. Which is bad (not to mention illegal). Thanks for promoting good ethics, Ryan.

~TehYoyo

[RyanKing1809]

No. This would be painted. A concrete texture w/ Photoshop brushes of different colors for the splotches

Ah, didn't notice that bit up the top.

Of course, Ryan also encourages you to make sure that the packs or textures are free - because if it wasn't, that'd, of course, be plagiarism.

Of coarse.

Good one! ...........................wait. You weren't joking? No. Don't do this. Most works have protection against altering or changing the work.

I was under the impression that if a work was altered to the point of being unrecognisable as the original work than it is perfectly reasonable to use it.

[kvnwpts]

Thanks for the link!

[TehYoyo]

I was under the impression that if a work was altered to the point of being unrecognisable as the original work than it is perfectly reasonable to use it.

From what I understand, no. It's still illegal and unethical.

~TehYoyo

[RyanKing1809]

From what I understand, no. It's still illegal and unethical.

A rather radical stance to consider all editing of copyrighted material unethical.

Anyway I looked it up. There are circumstances where the editing of copyrighted material considered 'fair use' and avoids infringement. Some of which are when a new work is formed from the original in which the new work bares no substantial similarities to the original or if the new work does not compete in the market place of the original.

So is it illegal? Not necessarily.

You are RIGHT, but it would be great if there were like packs available like that.

Make your own splatter brushes - it's really easy. http://colorburned.com/2009/11/video...photoshop.html

[kvnwpts]

Heh, thats nice, But i think Ill stick with the free ones.

The thing was that the page i linked was not just that background that i wanted, I more wanted a site that could offer free packs of backgrounds etc.

A rather radical stance to consider all editing of copyrighted material unethical.

Anyway I looked it up. There are circumstances where the editing of copyrighted material considered 'fair use' and avoids infringement. Some of which are when a new work is formed from the original in which the new work bares no substantial similarities to the original or if the new work does not compete in the market place of the original.

So is it illegal? Not necessarily.


Make your own splatter brushes - it's really easy. http://colorburned.com/2009/11/video...photoshop.html

[TehYoyo]

Heh, thats nice, But i think Ill stick with the free ones.

The thing was that the page i linked was not just that background that i wanted, I more wanted a site that could offer free packs of backgrounds etc.

There are tons of free packs - when I get home, I can find a free pack that I use.

~TehYoyo

[kvnwpts]

The website where you got the pack from.

There are tons of free packs - when I get home, I can find a free pack that I use.

~TehYoyo

[TehYoyo]

The website where you got the pack from.

Yeah, see....that's kind of the problem. I got it, but I don't remember from where.

~TehYoyo

[kvnwpts]

HAHA, Well. if it's a good site with good packs, try remember it and write it here.

Yeah, see....that's kind of the problem. I got it, but I don't remember from where.

~TehYoyo

[TehYoyo]

I mean, a simple Google search. See:

Whoah...what is this magic?

These seem to be good brushes, and the type that you're looking for as well:

Link1
Link2
Redirection Site 1 (Archives of Brushes)
Redirection Site 2
Redirection Site 3

Got it?
~TehYoyo

[kvnwpts]

Gotcha, I mean. If your not lazy your doing this. Actually I'm not lazy. But i would like to have ready packs cause sometimes i get ideas that way.

I mean, a simple Google search. See:

Whoah...what is this magic?

These seem to be good brushes, and the type that you're looking for as well:

Link1
Link2
Redirection Site 1 (Archives of Brushes)
Redirection Site 2
Redirection Site 3

Got it?
~TehYoyo

[TehYoyo]

Lol I didn't understand any of that. Did it help?

~TehYoyo

[RyanReese]

From what I understand, no. It's still illegal and unethical.

~TehYoyo

If it's unrecognizable as the original (ignoring potential watermarks) it's just unethical. It's be extremely hard to prove it was taken from the original. The original designer would have to actually be LOOKING to see if it was a fraud, and even then it should be only a guess.

[TehYoyo]

If it's unrecognizable as the original (ignoring potential watermarks) it's just unethical. It's be extremely hard to prove it was taken from the original. The original designer would have to actually be LOOKING to see if it was a fraud, and even then it should be only a guess.

Right. But just because it's only unethical and not illegal doesn't mean that it's good (and this isn't meant as a strike against you).

~TehYoyo

[RyanReese]

Right, not good = unethical .

[TehYoyo]

Right, not good = unethical .

Maybe...but not necessarily

~TehYoyo

[RyanKing1809]

Off Topic:

I don't think it is so easy to draw the line & say all copying is wrong or even copying of copyrighted material. I think a good example would be this series http://www.everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/ . The fashion industry is a thriving copy-cat community (fashion is considered to utilitarian to be copyrighted). http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_bla...e_culture.html . Whilst strictly copy something thread for thread I'd consider wrong, or maybe even just dumb, getting ideas from someone else and using a small part of someone else work/idea in something of your own that could be considered original I would not consider unethical. And just for fun a brief history of copyright http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk862BbjWx4 . Sure copyright is a good thing but I think it's power is abused.

[TehYoyo]

I don't think it is so easy to draw the line & say all copying is wrong or even copying of copyrighted material.

I think it is. If you copy w/out consent, that's bad (and that's the end of the story, in my opinion).

Whilst strictly copy something thread for thread I'd consider wrong, or maybe even just dumb, getting ideas from someone else and using a small part of someone else work/idea in something of your own that could be considered original I would not consider unethical.

Now you're talking about inspiration vs. copying, which has been talked about extensively (this is just one example). There's always a fine line b/w the two, and it's very subjective as to what's what.

~TehYoyo