Dead?

[Texas Sadie]

Is the Photoshop Challenge dead? Seems like it takes forever to complete..vote on and then get a new one. sigh.

[satyr]

not sure.. I'd miss it if it was, even if I haven't had a chance to participate the last month or so.

[Erin Kathleen]

I'm glad you guys are watching for these challenges and still interested in them. Over the holidays we seemed to have a lot less participation than normal with everyone so wrapped up in other parts of their lives. Then, of course, we had the three-way tie and two-way tie in the same challenge so things are taking a bit longer than usual to get rolling. I've decided to actually extend the challenges and the voting from now on to give everyone a chance to participate who wants to. Of course, after the voting is done, it takes a few days for members to pick their images and get them to me and then for me to post the new challenge. Hopefully these changes will help everything get back to a more regular schedule and more members will participate as our lives get back to normal (slightly less crazy) with the holidays done.

[Silvernic]

In my opinion, people got tired of the multiple picture ones. I'm not saying we shouldn't do those. Just not do them every single time.

[Erin Kathleen]

Should we leave it up to the winner to decide how many images to submit? They could submit one up to five or something? Or up to three? I would be happy to have two challenges going on, but we just haven't had enough participation in the one we have? Would it be better/more fun if we allowed outside elements and images to be used in the challenge like we did at first? We did that with the challenges that just had one image, so maybe with those, we'll do that again?

I'm totally open for ideas and suggestions to change it up a bit. I know that it gets a bit much when it's the same thing week after week.

[RandySmith]

Erin -

I'd like to see as a photoshop challenge, that occasionally you submit an "assignment challenge" ... ie: "Using your best photoshop skills, develop an advertisement using whatever graphics/photo/text, etc., to illustrate a new whiz-bang product for XYZ Corp.

Anyway, just an idea.
Randy

[Erin Kathleen]

That sounds like fun, Randy. What does everyone else think? Should we rotate the different types of challenges?

[Gordon]

I'm interested in entering the photoshop challenges from a photographic perspective, but don't really find the multi-image collage themes very interesting, or much to do with improving photographs.

[RandySmith]

I agree with Gordon in the respect that it would be great to have a variety of challenges that focuses (sorry about the pun) on a specific area of photoshop so hopefully for those of us not enrolled in an educational institution can benefit from each other and have fun too.

Thanks for soliciting inputs from us.
Randy

[Erin Kathleen]

What about running all three types of challenges - single image with anything else you want to add to it but submitted by a winner, multi-image submitted by a winner and without anything else being added and the advertising idea? Each challenge would last two weeks and then allow for a week of voting and a week to submit the new images/ideas. For example, this week I just started a new multi-image challenge. That would remain open and next week I would start a new advertising challenge. The multi-image would close at the end of the second week for voting and a single image challenge would open. This way I only have to start one challenge and one set of voting per week, but we could have all three challenges open concurrently. It would also give people more time to make their submissions if they wanted to rather than keeping the challenges short?

[RandySmith]

Erin -

My two cents ... keep it as simple as you can I think doing one different challenge, until the voting is done is fine. Having multiple things going on/overlapping might cause some confusion.

But I do like changing things up from week to week, that way those who want to participate in a Photo excercise can, those who want to participate with another aspect can then have a chance as well.

Randy

[Erin Kathleen]

I thought of the confusion and keeping it simple, but the two biggest concerns seem to be how long it takes to get another challenge up and running and getting more people to participate. I would think we need more time per challenge since I know a good few people would like to participate but don't always find the time to work on it in the week deadline we set, but at the same time it would mean changing the challenges even less frequently and taking longer and longer for new ones, which is why I thought the overlapping would be good. It's fine with me either way since after I start them I don't have to do much until they end and the voting is set up and check on them once or twice a day to make sure everyone is following the rules and whatnot... Just trying to explain my thinking...

[sbp]

I don't know much photoshop but trying to learn.
Multiple images you can only improve your selection process and others type you can have more imagination to run. Sometime don't get chance to work on it as wife, kid and work keep us busy.

Can I vote on my image so I atleast get one vote.

No truly keep this open little more time that will help. And yes whoever wins let him choose or let him/her comeup with new idea.

[Texas Sadie]

Any challenge is fun..but the more creativity allowed the better in order to fine tune Photoshop skills. I like the idea of assignments and a variety of things or using filters, text etc.. IMO creativity should be limitless in at least a few of the challenges..to keep it fresh.

B ut how does everyone feel about voting on each one? I really don't think a winner is all that necessary...but sharing techniques is great! Maybe we could have assignments and challenges..vote on challeges and not on assigments?


I'm up for anything..I just love being creative--the more challenging the better! (for me)

[HighPlainsDox]

I don't consider myself a graphics artist/editor, or anything like it. I do like to try different things, even though I would not normally use them. Never know when I might need to use the knowlege.

My rambling thoughts encompass rotating through various types of challenges. Maybe doing challenges oriented towards PJ, sports, scenery/landscapes, creativity as we have been doing, portraits, etc. Each type of photography demands its own style or look, and challenges geared in those directions could be fun as well as real-world educational.

Yes, the comedic creations that have been coming out are kinda neat, but maybe we could/should go off in other directions, too?