Hey...this is my first time actually trying to create a wallpaper..it turned out better than i had expected even though i am missing a lot of stuff..i think, it would be appreciated if someone can point out any mistakes or suggestions. thank you.

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/3720/wallpaperie6.png

First, the resolution is much too small. smallest size acceptable on AP is 1024x768 and i'm sure what you've linked to this thread is smaller than that. (so you probably should read the wallpaper section of the FAQ, just to be informed and educated about AP's rules and standards.)

second, is that le creuset? and stellar? (what is she holding?) o__O whatever did the two of them have to do with each other? unless you tell me that's la flaga wearing rau's mask, in which case i would still be confused. anyway, what i meant to get at is that the two of them don't really fit with the old scenic bg. the matching of style between foreground and background, indeed between all components of a wallpaper, is important. it's for the sake of consistency and unity.

aside from that major point, there isn't much else i would like to say at the moment. from this size, it is difficult to judge a lot of things, including extraction and quality. so it would be nice if you linked the wall at an acceptable resolution. =]

Hey asa01, I appreciate your response, the wallpaper was made in proper resolution but I forgot to save it properly. Because of that, image shack reduced the resolution, sorry about that, I have uploaded the wallpaper again with few adjustments. I was planning on creating some sort of effect near her hand, but I just ditched the idea.
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6303/gundamseedrs3.jpg

About the second problem, i think i meant that to be la flaga and cagalli...but i am not sure how i can really connect them in this wallpaper, still thinking about it. That just makes my inexperience much more apparent, not linking the characters before starting something new.
I am not sure if i should just drop this wallpaper or maybe swap la flaga with athrun..*sigh*
This isn't anything final since i still have to change the resolution to a proper AP format...add/delete some stuff which you guys think is necessary.
Thanks again.

Oh cagalli! i thought for a sec that looked like her...but then it also looked a bit like stellar at the old size (the two girls with main roles in gs/gsd without pink hair *thinks about lacus, meer, lunamaria, and meyrin*). but i really should have recognized cagalli's dress; don't know why i didn't. anyways, i'd find it kind of difficult to associate la flaga and cagalli closely, just because they didn't have that much interaction or connection.

the bg is also not quite fitting the anime style, so i'd say the bg pretty much has to be redone. that plus the fact that we agree that it'd be hard building a connection between la flaga and cagalli means it would probably be easier for you to start all over again.

although there is something else to be learned from this attempt. your extraction is not smooth in places where you have not blurred it. so mind if i ask what software you are using and what tool did you extract the two of them with? and if your extraction ever comes out jagged -- redo it; don't try to blur it away. that doesn't quite work. blurrying it makes it messy and you don't want that. ;P

anyway, this is just my two cents. good luck. =D

Ah okay! Thanks a lot, and i am using Adobe Photoshop..i am not sure if there is anything else out there better than it..but i haven't been around for long so i am probably unfamiliar with these kinda things...and i will start over again with a fitting bg..perhaps something related to gundam seed, instead of trees, lol. and what tool would you extract them with? :S i am familiar with masking method and magic wand tool.
Thanks again.

And oh! do you just use animepaper to find scans? or is there any other place i can use...thanks again.

Ah, magic wand tool. that's kind of a no-no that you want to stay away from when it comes to extraction. extraction is best done the slow and manual way. i'd do it by pen tool, just because pen tool has the ability to extract smooth curves that otherwise might end up angular by polygonal lasso, but yeah... be patient and click a lot with the lasso if you really can't master the pen tool. however, the pen tool is something you'll need to learn how to use sooner or later in walling. so if you know it, great! if not, learn it.

i've got to run now. and you are welcome =]

Haha, you didn't post that second question when i was answer your earlier post. anyway, animepaper is a wonderful site for scans. and they generally are of good quality. i don't know too much else (although there's this site i know by the name of anime project alliance) because i've worked with very random bits of art that i stumble upon on the internet and i've worked with screenshots so... try to find the site for APA. i'm not exactly sure what the web address is though.

Ah okay, sorry about earlier..i should have just edited my post. But i have done some fixing to my old wallpaper, i don't really like how this turned out but i am sure it makes more sense the last one.
Thanks a lot.
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9076/cagathrunwl1.jpg

I only see one problem that has been consistent on your progression while making this wallpaper: the flow.

Your scans aren't fit to be in the background you place them. The cleaning of the scans are rather messy too, specially with the lady's hand. Her resolution is low-medium, and Athrun's one hasn't be cleaned at all, except for border trims, which wasn't done well either. You can see that it came from a magazine or a paper publication, because of the stripes and patterns in all the picture.

The background is also very distinctive, in a not so good sense. What kind of style are you trying to attempt here? A rainy background, or a pencil-sketch-esque background? It looks like a hybrid of both.

Other than that, I can see that you are trying hard. Keep it up, read some guides from the Resource Pool, and you'll be ready to release this first wallpaper of yours very soon.

Hey DZeroX,
thanks for your response, i totally agree about cagalli, the resolution is low..i will work on that later..too tired right now, but i have worked on some other problems you suggested. What do you think of the background now? and i am sure athrun requires a wee bit more cleaning.
Thanks a lot.
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6621/cagathrun2rt3.jpg

Hey Everyone!
I have fixed some stuff on my wallpaper and here is the updated copy.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7439/cagathrun3xe9.jpg

- Fixed cagalli's image (re-extracted it with pen tool)
- Got rid of the problem with her left hand.
- The scan of both the characters look much better.
- Better background.

Thanks for all the comments in advance!

Well, i still see some artifacting up against the outlines for both cagalli and athrun. and as to cagalli's extraction, it is so much nicer now that her edges are not smudged, but you've got some jaggedness there, on the inside of her right arm, in that sort of triangle formed by her upper arm, lower arm, and torso. at least i think i see jaggedness. as to athrun, i find it a bit strange that his shoulders are smudged...

and to be honest, ghost images don't do very well for backgrounds. and by 'ghost images' i am referring to the translucent scans of the two gundams. using low opacity images is normally avoided.

as well, i'm not a fan of the composition, which seems so evenly broken up. there's athrun in the bottom left corner. directly on top is his gundam (i have given up trying to recognize his ms - if it's red/pink it's 99.99% his ^^;). then there's cagalli in the bottom right corner. and directly on top of her is the akatsuki. the layout is so divided that it doesn't seem to flow. and it is especially strange to see such symmetrically arranged wall when you are going for a scenic look.

speaking of scenic, you are still using a stock, aren't you? =/ i feel that though it's not too real right now, the textured feel of the bg contrasts with the smoothness of your foreground scans. remember 'style consistency', which i think i mentioned before? and though a field of flowers fits cagalli, it is not quite connected to the grim looking athrun in his normal suit.

anyway, this is better than what you had the first time, so i applaud your effort! :D and i find that you deal very well with straightforward critique and that kind of a positive attitude will get you places. so work hard and update.

Ohayo! ohhh another GSD wallie! that's nice. I too is a big fan of GSD and im currently making my wall on it... but still not finish due to my exams... *shameless plug* gomen XD

hmm... maybe you could either,

1. look for a cagalli pic in her flight suit. OR
2. look for an athrun pic in a formal suit

then put them together or something... ^_^ just a thought. and maybe look for some brushes at deviant art- they have very nice brushes there. just another thought. ^_^ im not that good in making wallies, but i hope this helps.

good day and good luck
love and peace ^_^v

Thanks for the comments guy! I really appreciate it...asa01/sacredessence. After reading your comments, i have changed some things in the wallpaper, Athrun has been replaced, i am not sure if his image fits with the wallpaper too...he still looks gloomy and lost. The main thing is, the gundam's have been taken off, i didn't like them either. Cagalli should be all okay now. I think thats it for tonight, should really get back to studying for physics mid-term, lol. I have also added another version which basically changes this into a night scene..please tell me which one looks better. Thank you.

Take cares everyone and thanks for the wonderful comments!

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5633/cagathrunhn8.jpg
OR
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/3236/cagathrun4xg7.jpg