Hi there, a few of you will know me and seen me around, been amember for a couple of months now, and things wer going ok, but i just gotta say 0 votes for any of these i think ill hang myself (

picture one-cut the jeep in little parts and MAKE the 'Millenium falcon out of that.
picture two-where's the source,Luke?
picture three- the tank was CLEANLY(nice) removed from source
and pasted on the background-if yer gonna paste it in another image--
make sure that final image is so original
or looks SO real that people are slightly impressed(STILL_this method
won't get many votes).
picture four-read comments on picture three.
I suggest going to the "Tutorials Thread"-- hit a few links-
find a tut that looks real cool to you-
DO the tut while incorporating the source onto yer new work-You'll learn something.
Or
Go to the "contest" link at top of page-clik it-
when ya get there choose "show winners only"
and there you will see nothing but images
that GET votes--look what they did to the sources- then
try those methods with your ideas and see what ya come up with.
Technically, the chopping your doing is clean-so you
should be able to jump right in and
present your ideas a little more successfully.

PS_ your work is clean,that's better than just a good start-it's the CORNERSTONE.

I think being too insistant and complaining for people to vote (chat posts, daily pic comments and messageboard posts) may make people *not* vote. That could be one theory.

All I can say is keep working on different ideas, try to get cleaner(even though your pretty clean already), find better images to work with. Browse though lots of peoples portfolios to see what works and what doesn't (I know that changes from time to time... but you'll see what types of chops get votes)

Everyone complains... I complain about votes. But I learned it will get you nowhere and just piss people off if it's too much.

I think 24 votes for the truck in the water is pretty decent.

Anyway, don't give up.

(oh, maybe change your avatar? You look pissed off j/k )

I get your frustration man, trust me. Im a late poster too,. The #1 problem you got though is that you seem to be posting after the first day a contest starts. Unfortunatly that will not give you any attention. Most people are occupied with the newest and best of the latest contest, or even used all their votes up the day before. You have a better chance getting comments and votes posting the poorest chop you spent twenty minutes on than the best you could do spending two days on.
So its not that your chops are poor quality, or your lacking skill, so much as people dont go back to look at the previous days contest.

Both scion and robaccomado have made good points, their's is good advice and I would like to add a little.

Picture one, where's the light source, where are the shadows? It simply comes across as a lot of cut and paste. Its clean, but that's all.

#2 has excitement, but that's where it ends. what with the number of times pictures have been entered in contests here with no chopping done at all on them this may have been taken for one of those. Sure can't see much source here like scion said.

#3 Again, clean but not exciting or thought provoking. In terms of an ad it is neither well laid out or thoughtfully presented nor does it amuse . . . it simply is.

#4 again, no story, no reason for the source pic to be where it is. Give the audience a reason to look ito your work or they will merely glance at it and move on. Give them a story which will engage them IN the picture. What does it say? What is happening? Why should we be interested? Answer these question with your chop and continue to work cleanly and the votes will come.

don't hold back Al..tell the guy how you really feel



ah...i had to get that out of my system--damn that was some funny shit--ok not the advice--that was good--just the way the whole thing just struck me i guess-

wow have i ever learned a few things since i've been here-

number 1)---never ask for comments unless you're ABSOLUTELY sure you really want to hear them

number2)---if you're concerned about how many votes your posts get--spring for the lousy $3.95 a month and get Advantage--you'll be happy you did

number3)---(and this is the most important one)--this place is ALOT more fun when you stop worrying about how many votes you get and just chop-plus,there's so many different ways to get involved on this site that it seems a shame if all you're getting out of this is a daily ego boost--news flash--the votes are great and all but you CANNOT trade them for cash or durable goods--towards this end they are useless--and while they may make you feel good for a short time,the danger of becoming addicted to them is as real as the dangers of becoming addicted to...well any other thing you can become addicted to---WHEW!

number4)people will be happy to help you if you ask them for help

number5)Squirrels ALWAYS get votes

number6)Spaceships usually get votes

number7)Manass always gets Nancers vote


i hope this helps in some small way-if not at least i can say i tried--now go vote for my post damn you!!!!!

I like the part where Nikon slags Al for providing criticism, and then criticizes Macro for caring about his lack of votes.

For me, I would like to see some more attention to detail in your posts. It seems like you're trying to tell a story, with some of these, and I don't really get it.

Finesse - I hope I speled that rite - is what is missing. Finesse is an almost magical quality that gets people's attention... if you ask people what that "something" is they won't be able to pin it down, but they'll know they like it none the less.

So your chops have some good basic execution. Some basic good ideas. But (and this is only my opinion here, and we all know aboot opinions!) your 4 works presented above have nothing "magical" about them. I just don't really care about what is happening there. Different people have made good points - shadow work is not that good, storyline is non-existant and very weak, chop is dry and flat, source picture not used so creatively, etc.... BUT what I feel is keeping you from votes (and posting late really does cut back on anyone getting votes, its true) is a lack of heart.

Don't get me wrong - you are here and you are posting stuff, so I get that you are into it. But now you gotta get me, and all the others that are equally (and maybe even MORE) creative minded at this point into giving a rat's arse about your posts.

Make them FUNNY.
Make them THOUGHT PROVOKING in a REAL WORLD WAY.
Think about how the scene would ACTUALLY LOOK if it was taken with a single camera shot.
Put SQUIRRELS in wherever you can.
Get pissed, get happy, but for heavens sake get me to believe you are having some fun around here and not just whining about votes!
SHOW SOME FINESSE!!!!!!!!

--------------------------
I realize that this advice is not just for the Thread Creator herein, but for all you folks that are sitting around wondering why no one likes your precious babies. You gotta get the PEOPLE EXCITED about your work! Best way to do that is to really really really take a long hard look at what you've done and then figure out a way to do it better.
-------------------------=
(don't forget the squirrels!)

i would never slag Al--he's one of my true hero's of this site and he knows it

and you know what?i don't care if someone likes to get votes--heck and by golly i like to get them 2

it was just Al's comments were so..how can i put this?..Blunt..lmao



omg there i go again..i gotta get away from this thread now

All of the above!

Most of all Get Advantage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you can go back to almost any contest and check out the last couple pages of entries and find entries that are really good but hardly any votes but would of probably done alot better if they were posted earlier. Plus, if you post it a day or two in advance you'll have time to think about it and make any changes.

don't forget Synthvet, making changes pushes your post back.

Cool thanks for the responses people, and good to see a bit of in-house bickering to boot. A point made a couple of time is that the motorbike one jumping flames is just a pic i stole....well i must be doing something right, cos here are the source pics:





I agree with what is being said on the whole in principle, and the lack of detail sometimes is contributed to the fact i am not a full member and have to get the chop out double quick to get any votes at all.

the text on the last pic makes it halarious.

Not saying you stole the pic, but the truth is there really isn't any evident original in it. Ironically, it is a good chop and if the source HAD been included (and your other sources posted and links given) it probably would have gotten votes.

Its always a learning experience here, even the experienced choppers are constantly learning.

I agree with Al...

the SOURCE pic from the featured pic isnt really evident (minus what im guessing is the addition of a fender or something...