Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

GRAPHICS
Leaks great on its own but add some
tan and ire lust too cluttered
70.
objects resplendent in a sea of reflection.
However, when you point to the Christmas
tree in the comer - complete with a million
individually modelled pine needles - the
response will almost always be; "oh that yes
it's OK I suppose...
- The bottom line is to get involved in the
design stage as soon as possible. As a
result you can guide the client in the best
direction for both parties.
Another point worth mentioning is not to
let the software take over the show, All too
often you see beautiful images wined by the
latest addition to the software.
No matter whether its lens flare, motion
blur, depth of field or any one of the hundreds
of image processing options available
via programs such as ADPro or ImageFX,
always keep your goal clearly defined.
A classic example of overkill at its best is
the Christmas card image in this very article.
Although this doesn't suffer from new-feature-itis
it does illustrate a very easy mistake
to make.
A slightly more spatial version was commissioned
for use on the front cover of an ST
magazine. When the final image appeared on
all it's texture-mapped glory I must admit I
was fairly pleased - I'd even remembered to
leave space for the CoverDisks great
However, when the cover words, flashes
and masthead were added the vast majority
of its appeal was lost. Once all the other
Amiga Computing
OCTOBER 1994
The big pitch
OK. its time to bile the bullet and have a
bash, but how do you gel your first job.
Well first you need a portfolio and a place
to send it. Perhaps the best way to achieve
this is to do a couple of free/low cost jobs in
exchange for a reference.
Assuming you're now armed with the
necessary, you can start sending expensive
video tapes or prints through the post
to likely employers. However, beforehand
it's worth doing a fax/mail out with a brief
list of what you offer plus your references
and perhaps an example or two.
Another excellent way of drumming up
business is to blag your way into shows -
preferably trade. That way you've got your
target audience all in one place and better
still they're all vying for a lead on the opposition.
When approaching business types it's
useless to walk up brandishing an Amiga
floppy. You'll need either a PC or Mac disk
with the images or animation in a form that
they can slap in their machine and look at
immediately.
In most cases Jpeg will be acceptable,
although it might be worth carrying a few
Pcx, Pict or GIF examples just in case.
When it comes to animation. obviously a
video tape is the ideal medium.
However, in some cases animation on
disk may be required. As a result it's worth
learning something about both PC and Mac
animation formats such as File and
Quicklime.
elements arrived it was simply too cluttered -
and the impact I was being paid for went out
the window...
This is a key point of almost all commercial
art work - you're being paid to make an
impact, not to impress your peers. Invariably
you're selling something in one way or
another and it's your job to make the client's
product leap out from the rest. As a result,
As you've probably gathered, the vast
majority of my work revolves around still
images. usually for covers or illustrations
Within articles.
The reason being that they are the
most cost-effective method of freelancing
on a part-time basis. Obviously, with a
full time job it's usually impossible to zip
off across the country with a machine
packed with thousands of frames of animation
- all of which need hands-on
attention during transfer to the client.
Thanks to modems, high density floppies
and high compression formats such
as Jpeg, it's usually quite straightforward
to transfer even the largest individual
Files.
When it comes to file size, I rarely go
illustration tot
articles can also be
a nke little earner
adding intricate detail and clever technicalities
that only a tiny handful of enthusiasts
will appreciate isn't always good business.
At worst they'll confuse the image, and at
best waste your valuable time.
Obviously with the huge diversity of
Amiga hardware and software, listing the lot
is out of the question. As a result we'll concentrate
on the elements which you'll need
to do business, rather than those which will
actually generate the end results.
Perhaps the most important of all has to
be a fax modem. Thanks to the lax element
you're provided with the essential ability to
both send and receive ideas and proofs of
work in progress.
It also overcomes two of the major stumbling
blocks when attempting to incorporate
Amiga graphics into a business wortd domi•
nated by the PC and Macintosh,
Firstly, the modem element can completely
side-step the problem of transportation.
All too often your latest creation will be just
below 1024 x 1024 with the vast majority
being 1500 x 1500 or above. At this resolution
even American A4 magazines like
Amiga Computing can still reproduce my
work al an expectable resolution.
Thanks to Jpeg. even your largest creations
will fit on a high density PC floppy
using the best possible compression ratio,
However, there is a word of warning
concerning Jpeg.
Although it is often a life-saver it does
have potential dangers. With the pressures
on storage inherent with 24-bit art,
It's often tempting to work with Jpeg
images as your standard format.
However, even when using minimum
compression the Jpeg format will introduce
unwanted artefacts into the image