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Dear Fellow Screenie-Adventurer, Wow we actually have a visitor! =o Welcome, guest, to shingie's extended screenie guide. I am Impression the Gelert and I proudly host My Mommy's petpage guide on good Screenie Editing! So you want to make screenies, eh? Naturally, you want to get high acclaim from your audience because of your days of work. However, it is hard to get high ratings all the time, especially when you are just starting. You are most likely unsure why readers don't like your screenies, or you are confused on the whole concept of a perfect screenie. This guide is more than steps how to press a keyboard button. My guide, which I have slaved days over, will teach you how to make and recognize a screenie of true quality. Due to the enormous amount of images on this page, sometimes the images may load as a red X. To see them properly, right click on that red X and select the option "Show Picture". :) |
Hold it! Before you can make full use of my guide, you need:
Now, if you don't know HTML, click here to visit neopets' very own html guide. If you are unsure or if you have forgotten the basic steps in taking screenies, click here to review it until you are totally comfortable with html and screenie basics. Let me make this clear! This guide is not about how to press a print screen button. In fact, this page deals with problems and struggles you may encounter, and the guide is intended to teach you how to cope with these problems or prevent it from ever happening again. This means by throughout this page, I will assume you already know how to take a screenie. I promise you--by the time you have gone through this guide, you will have:
Even after you have memorized my guide from your heart, I am afraid to say your journey is not quite complete. Unfortunately, you still have to cope with html problems and other problems you may face on your own. Becoming a screenie expert takes hours, even days or YEARS of work. It's not an easy path. So be prepared to scream in fustration! Now, let's begin the dull, dull process of learning, shall we?
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You're probably thinking something along the lines of: Well, who cares if my screenies aren't cropped! It doesn't matter anyway. No one cares. Well, here are some facts that will prove you wrong...
Remember: Organized Screenies WILL make a difference! |
Before we get started I would like to give some quick tips on how to keep your screenies neat:
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Before, you even begin taking screenies, I'd get organized first. Create a new folder, place it on the desktop, and Name it something along the lines of: "Neopet Screenies". Open up this new folder, and create more folders within this folder, naming them the categories the screenies you want to take, like Random Events or Neoboards. Now everytime when you take a screenie, save it under the category it belongs to. Now, when you upload or when you want to look for them, it won't be such a hassle!^^ Why the hassle? You ask. Well, when your screenies grow in numbers and you keep them organized, you will be able to locate the image quickly when you want to upload or edit them. Trust me, you'll end up trying to keep track of your screenies and desperately searching for the special one.-glances at folder sadly- My Story: I didn't organize my screenies like I suggested above when I just first started. Well, my screenies collection started creeping in numbers, and before I knew it, I was having such a headache going through them! I ended up putting them in folders and it took me about 1.5 hours and I'm still not done. A headache it was. So, remember the stupid shingie and Keep your folders ORGANIZED! Decide which pet's page you which you want to host your screenies on. I recommend the pet you decide a pet you will not pound anytime soon, because if you do eventually decide to pound it your hard work will be lost. Also, people who bookmarked your screenie page will be upset the the well known screenies they referenced often was suddenly gone without a warning. When choosing a petpage, try to chose a pet that people will remember the name easiest, so when they think: "Oh, so and so had good screenies, I want to look up the pet so I can look at it again..." they won't have to go through the headaches of trying the remember the numbers and underscores. Remember: when you chose a petpage, make it PERMANENT! Build a layout. Create an own unique theme to the layout. It could be from anywhere from anime to cheese. When choosing the theme and/or color of the layout, try not to go overboard on the animated images or glitters. Yes, hot pink and neon green are cool colors, but people who have been at the computer all day will find it incredibly annoying because they have to squint to read it. Try to stick to colors are gentle on the eyes, like purple, green, or blue. Any poor choices will detract from the feature presentations and stressed eyes will angrily respond negative about your screenies. |
So, your surfing 'round the site, looking for stuff that's funny. Ah Ha! You've found a good page! You press the Print Scr/Sys Rq button, and you "Ctrl+V" it onto paint. What to do next? Oh dear, this is the part of the guide I am really struggling with, and understand I will try my best to make this as less confusing as possible. ^^; Since the entire screen is on paint, it should look something like this:
Yes, I used a thumbnail 'cause I'm cheap. T_T Now onto the next part. The very first thing you have to do is to crop your screenie. I cannot emphasize how important this is. Which is why, I have gone through a dull process, going over every single detail, to make sure you understand. Cropping is normally done like this: Select ONLY the part that is important in the screenie. Using this Tool:
 As I was saying, select only the important part of the screenie. Go from the top-left hand corner of the section you want to select. Click that spot, (and hold it there!) and then move slowly from the top corner to the opposite bottom corner. Like this:
You got that down, right? So, now hover your mouse over anywhere on the selected spot. Click(and make sure you have a FIRM click) and slowly bring it over to the uppermost corner until the selected spot can't be moved without covering the image.
And VOILA! You're almost there! Yes, I know you are falling asleep due to these boring steps, but please stay awake so you can fully understand this. Anywho, here's the beauty now:
Last Step: Scroll sideways, and scroll down until it is virtually impossible and you can't scroll no more. There should be a small, SMALL box just RIGHT outside the image. If it's not there click a couple times in the corner to make sure it's there. Now, take hover your mouse over that box,(
Now, your screenie should look like this: Isn't it Beautiful?-sniff-
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I'm sorry if you anticipated something else, but I feel the need to go over how each button works so you aren't totally lost. If you are an expert at Paint already and you are totally cool with how to use each and every button, skip this section. If not, then at least I got company. =P Your Choice of Colors From now on, when you see this image,
I am informing you that in combination of the button, you can chose any color you want to, by simply left clicking it. And the color you chose will appear! Isn't that magical?! :o You can access to more extended colors too! Simply use the navigation at the top left corner. Select Colors, and then Edit Colors...
Now what should pop up in the center of the screen is this. As you can see, there are more options in picking colors. To choose a color, simply click on any one of them.
But wait! It doesn't end there! You can customize your colors! If you aren't satisfied with the basic colors, click on Define Custom Colors and something new should also add on to it. This part I will color code with mouses. The same color of the mouse applies with the text that is also in the same color....
Text
Purpose: To communicate with text effectively and neatly. Works somewhat like Microsoft Word. How to use: After positioning the approximate location of where you want the text to be, hold the mouse button and make a rectangle or square. That rectangle will become a textbox, where the text will be stored. Quick Tip: After you're done typing whatever you want to type, click anywhere outside the textbox and the text, now part of the image will remain there. After you've clicked outside, don't press backspace in hopes the last character will be erased. O_o
Erase Purpose: A button used to erase whatever mistake you made if CTRL+Z doesn't save it first. How to use: Position your cursor over what you want demolished. Then, click and it should be gone. If it is a large area, then hold the mouse click while you slowly move, making your way across the ugly thing ruining your picture. Quick Tip: I don't use the eraser quite often, actually. However, it is one of the basic tools on paint and it is there if you ever need it.
The Pencil Purpose:To mainly draw or make randomly squiggly lines(O_o). How to use: Position your cursor at the approximate location at where you want your doodle to be. Then, click and hold the left mouse button, and slowly move your mouse until your doodle is complete. Quick Tip: Believe it or not, pencil can prove to be useful. But keep in mind--when using pencil to draw, it can get quite messy, and it is rather difficult to keep a steady hand. So, while you're moving your mouse, ready your other hand on the Ctrl and Z button in case you make a mistake.
The Airbrush Purpose: To doodle or add an effect to an image that pencil isn't capable of. How to use: Position your cursor at the approximate location at where you want your doodle to be. Then, click and hold the left mouse button, and slowly move your mouse until your doodle is complete. Quick Tip: This is a very cool button, but I don't think you won't be using it often though. As you notice, the airbrush does not make a solid circle at a click. The longer you hold the airbrush in position, the more solid the circle is. Creates an interesting look when effectively used.
Fill With Color Purpose: A quick way of filling a fully bordered section with a designated color. How to use: Chose a color. Position your cursor at approximately the center of the shape you want to fill. Then, simply left click! Quick Tip: Make sure the area of the image is FULLY bordered. Even the smallest mis-align can ruin your original intention.
Line Purpose: A very useful and quick technique to draw a line. How to use: Position your cursor to the approximate location of where the beginning of the line will be. Left-click, and hold it, and slowly move any direction, depending how you want the line to look. When you are satisfied, let go of the mouse. Quick Tip: If you want to make your line perfectly straight, hold down the SHIFT key.
Pick Color Purpose: A very useful button that picks up the color at the touch of a click. How to use: Position your cursor over the designated area that has the color you want to copy. Left click and that will be your chosen color. Quick Tip: X_x This is really hard for me to explain. Basically, this button copies the color for your reference, so you can use it. See visual aid.
Curve Purpose: An easy peasy shortcut in making a curved line. How to use: Position your mouse in preparation to draw a line. Then, left click and hold it, and move your cursor until your line is complete. Release of the click. Next, position your cursor around the center of the line. Make sure you don't click! After the cursor is in position, left click and hold it, and move your cursor. And release when you are satisfied. Click on the button again. Quick Tip: Often, when using this button, mistakes are always made. Be sure to get the Ctrl Z action ready. I don't think you will use this often, except it is incredibly useful in drawing arrows.
Magnifier Purpose: To view a selected area in greater size or to see the pixels the image is made of. How to use: First, select how much you want the area of the image to be magnified. 1x is at normal, 8x is the largest. Then, position your cursor at the approximate area where you want the image to be magnified. Left click. Select another button besides the Magnifier and use it however you want. After you're done, select the Magnifier button again and select it to 1x again. Quick Tip:I use this button very often. When drawing on paint, setting the magnifier on 2x or 6x is very useful and makes things easier and neater. You can ONLY type text when it is set at 1x. Also proves to be efficient with the use of an eraser. As you notice, the heavier the magnification, the more pixelly and you will notice, especially at 8x, the image is made of a bunch of colored squares.
Brush Purpose: The basic button used to give or add color to an image. How to use: First, pick a color. Then, select the shape that the brush will make. Position your cursor, and click. To make a line or image, hold the left click and release when satisfied. Quick Tip: When using it with the Magnifier, you can really change an image. Also, I often use it to erase the tiniest of pixels, when I set it to white and the smallest square possible. This is much like the pencil, so experiment with what you can to and what you can't.
Rectangle Purpose: To draw Rectangles and/or squares in a quick and simple fashion. How to use: Position your cursor where the approximate location of where the beginning--the top, left corner--of the rectangle will begin. Then, left click and hold it, and slowly but steadily drag it to the utmost opposite corner. When you are satisfied, let go of the mouse. Quick Tip: This button has endless possibilities. To make a perfect square, hold the SHIFT Key while making it.
Rounded Rectangle Purpose: To draw Rectangles and/or squares with rounded corners in a quick and simple fashion. How to use: Position your cursor where the approximate location of where the beginning--the top, left corner--of the rectangle will begin. Then, left click and hold it, and slowly but steadily drag it to the utmost opposite corner. When you are satisfied, let go of the mouse. Quick Tip: This button has endless possibilities. To make a perfect square, hold the SHIFT Key while making it. This button is similar to the rectangle, but like the circle, tends to be messy if overused.
Circle Purpose: To draw Ovals and/or circles in a quick and simple fashion. How to use: Position your cursor where the approximate location of where the beginning--the top, left corner--of the circle will begin. Then, left click and hold it, and slowly but steadily drag it to the utmost opposite corner. When you are satisfied, let go of the mouse. Quick Tip: This button has endless possibilities. To make a perfect circle, hold the SHIFT Key while making it. Use this button sparingly as it tends to become messy if overused!
More to come soon!
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This section will teach you on how to bring an image combined with your screenie. An Example:
All we are using is the Select Button. First, you find an image you want to incorporate with your screenie. Right-click it. A long list of options should pop-up. Click on one of the options--Copy.
Next, open up the file that contains your screenie. Right-click anywhere. Again, a list of options should pop up. Click on the option: Paste.
Now, it should look something like this:
Now that we've got the image onto paint, you now do many things to it.
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Congratulations! You are know finally ready to have fun, personalize your screenies, and with a bit of practice, become a pro at MS paint. At this point, poor shingie's brain is falling apart of the headaches because of the hours she spent writing this guide. Right here, I am encouraging you to experiment with the combination of buttons. Find out what tactics work for you, and what don't. Invent your own ways. Have fun experimenting!
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In this section, I will cover common mistakes in screenie editing and show you how to avoid these common yet horrid tactics. It will make a difference if you follow my advice. Trust me. Username Removal This is unfortunately very common. It bugs the heck outta me, but about 50% of screenies use this technique.
Now compare how these two previous screenies look with a this version:
Do you see how somebody could call your screenies messy and give you a low rating? It WILL make a difference! Instead of using the airbrush/brush button in black, cover it up in white. Make sure no pixels are showing! You can use the rectangle or eraser button as well. Sometimes, people even forget to remove the name! -gasp- Please remember if you don't, they can report you for harassment. However, if they give you permission to leave the name in, you may do so without hesitation. Cropping Dilemmas When you are cropping your screenies, sometimes you close in on an extra border or two. This is one of my pet peeves. You don't want anyone to find an excuse on how your screenies are messy. Thus, you should use the Line tool to draw in the missing borders.
Cutting Images off It is not a good idea to leave out parts of posts or crop out half an image or sentence either. O_O Doing so will make your screenies look hideous.
Proper Text and Image Insert Technique Don't ask me why though, but a lot of people don't think it matters when inserting text or images whether there is a huge hob of white space or not. I disagree. Leaving huge white spaces covering the background is not cute. YES, it will affect a rating. Here is an example of how messy your screenie could turn out to be:
To prevent this screenie from ever happening, you need to always make sure your sidebar is set at the second option: a transparent background. How will you know if you have set to the right option? Well, if you have set it correctly, your sidebar should look like this:
Now that you have inserted text and/or images CORRECTLY, there is a huge difference. Remember: Always, always make sure it is selected at the second option before inserting text or images!
Shrinking Your Screenies It is never a good idea to shrink your screenies, not even by a little bit! First of all, shrinking your screenies will reader might get the impression that your screenies are fake. You wouldn't want people to think that, would you? Keep your screenies as real to the actual moment as possible. Second, readers will not be able to enjoy your screenies properly because they are busy squinting their tired eyeballs away and they wouldn't even probably see the joke. Yes, a few pixels of elbow room is nice, but keeping your screenies realistic is even more important. I would rather dig through properly sized images than to deal with an eye-squinting page. You might know what's in your screenie, but nobody else will.
Overuse of Arrows Be VERY careful not to go overboard with arrows! You don't need a gazillion arrows to emphasize something. It looks tacky, messy, and ugly. Also, never, EVER use the pencil, brush or airbrush to draw an arrow. Stick with the Curve Line.
Now, if you just would refrain to one arrow, and type in your text, it should look a lot better. Like This:
C'mon, you gotta admit it looks a lot better! ^o^' Attack of the Flying Pixels! Out of all the ways you can make your screenie messy, this is the worst! With un-typed text in random spots, with distracting doodles, this type of screenie shows no order. Readers will think nothing of you but a slob. Okay, you don't want to keep these. Although you might think this looks cool, or cute, you are DEAD WRONG. The messy text and doodles distract from the actual screenie itself. Always make sure you type your text, and place your doodles on the side so they do not distract readers.
As you can see above, you can barely concentrate what going on behind the blue scribbles.
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I know you probably don't mean to shrink you screenies--they just automatically became smaller when you uploaded them. Remember, you don't want to make your screenies so uber small readers can't enjoy them, so here is a tactic I devised when you realize your screenies have shrunken, and here is how you fix it. But Wait! Why does a screenie shrink anyway? Well there are a couple of reasons:
 Oh noes! My Screenie Shrunk! What can I do? :( First of all, calm down! There is no need to panic, stress, or hyperventilate. This problem can be easily dealt with. =D So no worries, just follow this section through. This technique I call "splitting your screenie", because you basically split your screenie into two different images, and rehosting them again, so it does not appear shrunken. I invented this technique using my mad logic. 8D If you know a better or alternate way, feel free to suggest it through neomail. Re-open the screenie that you just hosted. It shouldn't be too hard to find, just relocate where it is, right click, and select the option: Open up With MS paint.  So, if your screenie is opened with paint, it should look something like this:
Add a bit of "elbow room". When I'm referring to adding elbow room, I mean enlarge the image (by using the little blue box and pulling it our this time). When you add more area to your image, a huge white hunk should appear around your screenie. This is normal. There is no specific amount of elbow room ruled out, but the more room you have, the easier it will be to work with your screenie, so it's all for the better.
Now, using the select [ Start from the bottom right of the screenie, and make your way to the center. Make sure you grab hold of ALL you screenie though--it would be awful if you left a border or section of the image behind. If you did it correctly, you should have white hobs surrounding your screenie. Like this:
Now for the tricky part--splitting your screenie in half. Using the select tool, select the bottom half of your screenie. This will turn into a separate image.
Right click in the selected area and select cut. All at once, the bottom portion should disappear! Don't panic, now, this is normal.
Immediately open another paint in separate window, right click, and paste. Ta Da! ^_^ You have just split your screenie. Don't forget to crop out the remaining white spaces, and draw in a missing borders. After you are done, save both of you work accordingly. Rehost your images separately and place them as normal onto your page. So, how can I prevent my future images from shrinking? Normally, in your board screenies, you are tempted to put multiple posts into one image. Fine, you can do that, but if you let your image exceed longer than 700 pixels, it's definitely time to split it.
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Come to think of it, this section. doesn't have anything to do with editing your screenies. ^^; But it's just as important! All this research in this section has come from experience, time after time. In my opinion, the best place where most screenie lurkers are welcoming is the HC. Sure, that place is spammy, but there is usually one screenie board you can chat on. Unfortunately, not everybody is going to freely give you a ten out of ten. Everyone's opinion is different, so don't always expect at positive response. It hurts to get a bad rating--I know, but there are a couple of procedures you should always follow and remember if somebody peeves your keyboard off in regards to ratings and screenies... Do NOT act rude, accuse your rater of being a n00b, or revenge rate! Doing so will start an unpleasant debate, and you will probably end up being torn into pieces. It's natural to feel angry that somebody just turns away at your hard work, but it's also important to keep a clear head, your maturity, and reputation. In a polite but firm manner, demand constructive criticism or why they didn't like your screenies. Contemplate at what they have to say, and use that knowledge you have learned to improve. When you read their feedback, stay optimistic. If they truly are a n00b, and give you a response that doesn't make sense, just ignore them. Don't get your pride stomped on by somebody who's not worthy. You don't always have to adjust drastically according to the feedback you receive, but you should still give it a thought or two. Always thank them thoroughly for your time. And tell them how you appreciate the feedback. Although you may be lying through your teeth, this is the only sane way to end a conversation and leave a decent last impression. Don't worry! Stay cheerful, and don't let bad ratings bomb your spirit!^o^
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Before you start pestering me with questions, I bet your question will be in this section!^^ The purpose of this FAQ is to lessen the amount of neomails and stress because of this guide. I suppose these questions aren't THAT frequent, but this is just stuff I bet you have in mind to pester me about. So, please review The FAQ first before contacting me. If your question is not on here, or if you need further clarification, don't hesitate to neomail me. :)
Usually, all you need to do is trim. Trimming your screenies is basically the same concept of cropping, but on a smaller scale. However, if you have doodled all over your screenie, it will be much hard to fix. You can sometimes use the pick color tool, then brush, to cover up your doodles and make your screenie look normal. When editing, remember to keep it as realistic as possible. I will create a section in-depth, explaining how. Eventually. Sometimes, your screenies are too messy to try and edit. I would suggest you would delete them. =_= Let's see if I can knock some sense into you, okay? If you stupidly want to cling onto your messy screenies, and absolutely keep them, you will receive low ratings over and OVER again for the same exact reason: Your screenies are just too messy. You'll never improve, you'll never get a steady increase of awards, and your screenies will be a shame. A failure. And you wonder why... Look, it's all for the better. You need to make a choice. Sure, it'll be difficult, but you just need to clear them out so you will achieve in your conquest for becoming a screenie master. Obviously, you would first want to run a mental checklist over your screenies. Are they cropped? Neat? Easy to Read? Have you tried your best to be original? But if you have truly tried your best, don't worry about bad ratings. Everyone has a different sense of humor, and thus they will react differently to jokes. Not everyone will laugh at your corn dog joke, and only a handful of people might find that whining face amusing. Ratings are all a matter of opinion. =D *Also I'd like to recommend you gather a good amount of screenies before begging for ratings, because it's difficult to get a satisfying rating with only 10 screenies. ^^; -headdesk- Look, I've told you before. I don't cover screenie basics for people who have no idea how to take a screenie. My guide is intended as a sequel, to help you fix and deal with problems that will occur after you are starting to ask for ratings and collect awards. Please click here if you have not memorized how to take a screenie. This is real simple, trust me! If it is a board screenie, split the posts into two, or three separate images if necessary. See above section titled "When a Screenie has Shrunken" to learn how.
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So, after dealing with every problem that arrives in your conquest for a fabulous screenie page, I hope this page has helped you realize the importance of keeping your screenies neat. Even if you don't have a sense of humor, you want to bring out your screenies to the full potential. If you are naturally gifted with jokes, you would probably still want to improve until you are perfect. Feel free to refer back to this guide if you ever need it, and please help me spread the word around so hopefully others will realize the core concepts of a good screenie.
Sincerely,
Ah, I'm having a hard time advertising my petpage! So! If somebody ever needs a guide for screenie petpages, I would very much love you if you could direct them to my page, or if you could link to this page, that'd be awesome too. =3 Thanks. C'mon, how hard is the name Impression to remember? Other Related Helpful Pages:
If you would like to affies, just pop me a neomail! As long as your page is related to screenies, paint, or the teaching of HTML I would be happy to add you. ONGZ! :O Here are some Guide Directory Petpages that this guide is listed in. You should check them out! ^^
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Ah, this section is entirely dedicated to loving Neopians who have told me what they think about my guide. =3 I love getting these comments. So! Instead of screening it, I decided to put them up here, to remind me that people actually use my page and my hard work is not lost. A great motivation for me to continue it is, and it keeps my chin up, after dealing with n00blets. Thank you!^^ Send me a little comment through neomail telling me what you think about my page. Or I may decide to post your comment from the Neoboards. Who knows, maybe your message will be tacked on here! :o Update: To speed up the process of loading, I've taken most of the quotes, except for the first three, and I have moved them. If you would like to see more, please, click here! Quotes ...but the new petpage is awesome! I was expecting it would be like my explainations (which are usually "hit Print Screen, paste it in MS Paint, and edit it down and add text, then save, upload, and post the image file"), but that's actually really clear. And I like the little spray paint flower...my spray paint skillz are much more limited on paint. I have trouble spraying a straight line to cross out peoples' usernames - Jennifer [paintcrewchief] 10/10! I thought I knew everything about paint and was an expert! But you proved me wrong. I didn't know that pressing SHIFT could make a perfect circle or square! As soon as I make a petpage award, you definately will get one! - Rachel [jrtluver1994] Awards: Holey Smoley! Somebody actually thought I was worthy of an AWARD?!-blushes-
Much luffs and bugs! ;P [jrtluver1994] The rest of my awards have been moved to here. ^^ If you have something to comment about my guide, ANYTHING at all, including constructive criticism or just plain positive feedback, I'd love to hear your say! Drop me a neomail anytime if you need help on screenies, or if you are having trouble with HTML. Click on the yellow Envelope below!^o^
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) and slowly, slowly bring it up, and left. You should see a dashed line, moving with whatever your mouse is moving. BE CAREFUL not to move so that the dashed lines cross the selected image!
