Graphic and Layout Submissions Guidelines, Saving the world, one bad graphic at a time! Options

[technicolour]

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
First and foremost, everything submitted MUST be created by you, the submitter. Any brushes, textures, etc. from other sources used must be credited. If not, consequences will follow.
In other words, NO STEALING!

Specifications for:
*Please read the Specifications for ALL IMAGES in this first post before going on

• Graphics
• Layouts
• Tutorials
• Scripts

SPECIFICATIONS FOR ALL IMAGES
These guidelines apply to all images. It doesn't matter if they're for graphics, tutorials, or layouts.
- Pictures must be of good quality; no pixelations, distortions, over-sharpened, blurry (or rather out-of-focus) images
- Pictures cannot be OFFENSIVE; PG-13 is the rule, here
- Pictures cannot be copyrighted
- Pictures need to have good contrast; nothing too bright or too dark
- If submitting a photo as a stock photo, there should not be obvious flash evidence or timestamps.
- If submitting a photo as a stock photo, it should not be a personal photo or a cliche MySpace picture. This is not an image-hosting place, people.
- If your picture/graphic has any type on it, the font must be:

- Clear, smooth and crisp
- Readable
- A color that is not clashing with your graphic
- Not transparent to the point where it is unreadable
- The words must have the correct spelling
- The words CANNOT be profane

- No non-stock images from DeviantART or t-shirt screens from Threadless may be used
- If creating a blend, make sure the backgrounds are clean and match up
- Images should not be INVERTED (the look of a film negative)

HELPFUL LINKS
This is a list of links of tutorials on how to help you become a better designer. These tutorials all link to things that are a problem in the queue.

How to Make a Tutorial
Taking Screenshots
How to Pick the Right Font & Its Color
The Big Book of Resources



FOLLOW-UP PROCESS
If your submission is rejected, take the advice implemented into the rejection PM to heart. We only have the best intentions in mind. Do NOT resubmit your submission until Staff has given the OK that tweaks have been made. Also keep in mind that our decisions are not final. If something is accepted, it can be rejected if we feel it is the right thing to do. An example would be if one of us accepts something & another staff member sees that it is jocked, it will be rejected. Same goes for rejected material being accepted. It just depends on the situation.

NOTE:
This thread is not complete. It will be changing with the times.

Reason for edit: edited w/ menu - Melissa & tweaked by Kristina

[manny-the-dino]

TUTORIAL GUIDELINES

- If submitting a tutorial with images, the image length should not exceed the tutorial column width. If it does, the image MUST BE thumbed.
- No more 'vintage' stylized tutorials will be accepted. There are plenty here already. Just search.

Things to remember about tutorials

Although the tutorials section gets lonely at times, doesn't mean we can't forget about it. So I'll be giving you guys some pointers & explaining the rules when submitting a tutorial. Everything that I will go over can be found in my "Making a Tutorial" tutorial.

1. Have an idea.
   Because how else will you submit a tutorial?
   
   
2. Be organized
   This step is key. Tutorials that are all over the place just becoming frustrating to deal with.
   
   
3. Include screenshots.
   Probably the most important thing to remember. It's not mandatory, but will help a lot. If you're not sure what screenshots are or how to take them, click here.
   
   
4. Crop your screenshots.
   There is nothing more annoying than having a screenshot that isn't cropped. By that, we mean to crop only what you want to show in the screenshot. If you're still unclear, I have some examples for you. The first one is a yes & the second one is a no.
   
   
   click to enlarge
   
   
   click to enlarge
   
   
   
5. Correct coding
   Make sure that when you use screenshots or want to enter codes in your tutorial, you use BB Codes. They're pretty much the same kind of coding we use on the forums. If you don't know where to find a list of BB Codes, just click here.
   
   
6. Be clear & precise & use correct grammar.
   This one is a given. I mean if you're not clear on what you want to say, no one will understand you. Also before you submit anything, re-read everything to make sure you don't have any spelling or grammatical errors.
   
   
7. Label your tutorials correctly.
   I don't think this one needs much explanation but just make sure you fill in the correct fields.
   
   
8. Always respond to comments or PMs regarding your tutorial.
   Just out of courtesy. I mean people are using your tutorial to learn so if they have any other questions, help them out. It's not that hard. I also recommend that if someone comments your tutorial, don't respond to them on your tutorial because it's a hassle having to go back & check. Just respond via PM or comment on their cB profile. It's also a lot faster.
   
   
9. Thumb images that exceed the columns.
   Honestly, it's just annoying & sometimes the screenshot gets covered by the column containing the tutorial's details. So just thumb it.
   
   
10. No more vintage tutorials.
    We have like 4867676 vintage tutorials already. Just search for them.
    
    
11. Always do a search.
    A lot of people submit tutorials that have already been accepted. It's not that much of a hassle to do a search beforehand to save you the time & effort of submitting a tutorial & having it get rejected because it already exists.

If you have any questions, you can always PM one of the DSers & we'll be more then happy to help you.