Whats in demand?

Ok so im new to making filters, and ill be honest, the real reason im making them is to get a free copy >,<. So far of made 3, 1 of which is actually decent. So my real question is what are people currently looking for that might allow me to get a reward? Maybe I can be benificial to others? I read the whole "Suggested filters" post, but it seems people have already done them all (Or all the ones im capable of). So if you guys would be willing to look at my other filters and tell me where to go from here I'd be glad for the evaluation. Thanks =D.

Ps. I think Ive learned all that you can on how to make stuff, im just short on original ideas.

Cystic.

the interesting thing about textures is, whereever you currently are, you are looking at textures. just look around you; there's tons of filters left to be done.

crystic,

when i said look around right where you're sitting, i wasnt trying to be cute or disrespectful. i was being honest and hopefully helpful. for instance, enamel is one that hasnt been done that i know of. it's common. lots of us see it every day and there ya go. there are many, many textures untapped as yet. wood, metal and plastic are not the only textures around. i look around right now, where i sit, and i see an upholstery texture that could be done, an old, beat up upholstery texture, a scruffy blanket texture, i dont think anyone has done wool and that's certainly common. book bindings... now there's one no one's come close to yet. we're so used to seeing this stuff that we get blind to it. put on a fresh pair of eyes and look again. it's all there. i can think of one that's not been done yet that could literally yield hundreds of filters, all by itself... just one little category (but i'm not going to tell you that one ).

now, as for polling what others want and need so that you can fill that need, i've no idea. i get the distinct feeling that we authors are left to float in the pool of obscurity with the end users rarely talking to us... a shame, really. KG, one of the authors here, recently did a custom filter for someone that came into the forums. they were pretty much blown away by it and i believe she got paid for it. but, that's been the exception to the rule, i'm afraid. i can give you some rough areas to shoot for; Sign Guy (fred) works in the sign industry. they use tons of textures. take a look around at his site for ideas. there's several folks here working in games of one sort or another and one always needs textures for those... think doom 3 and call of duty and so on. craft art is another area that gets some draw here. all those scrapbookers out there and web designers and so on, they all use textures. and then there's my type, the effect guys. i gravitate to the effect filters, the ones that can alter an imported image. my reason is for art, photo art, but there's probably other reasons for effect filters, as well.

so, hopefully, that's not quite as glib an answer as my first one. have a look around. go visit graphics web sites. poll on those sites. keep polling here, but we're something of a small group. check out competitors to FF and what they're doing. make yourself known. spend hours and hours and hours playing in the editor, creating your own and dissecting other folk's filters. i've submitted a couple filters that are simply mods of other's filters (though i normally wait to do that until their filter has either gone High Use or low use). i play in FF almost every day, sometimes only for minutes and sometimes for hours. it still fascinates me.

and finally, learn the tools! this is a must. if there are words in a component you dont understand, look them up in an appropriate dictionary. work with the components; try out new things. and find your niche, your purpose. you mentioned doing this in order to get a free copy of FF, but remember, there is a broader purpose. i mean, you want the free copy of FF in order to do what, have what? see, so, the real purpose isnt just to get the free copy; it's to get the free copy in order to be able to do something or have something. that's what you pour the coals to cause that's what's really driving you, yes, no?

We work with a lot of artists and there is always a tug of war between them doing what they like to do (that often does not sell well) and doing what they might not like to do so much but that will sell well.

So to expand on Craig's comments, look around and put yourself in the shoes of both the professional buyer of images and his customer, the end user. In my world, the professional buyer is typically a sign company and his or her customers are buying commercial identification and advertising for their business. So "looking around", and running down the list of different kinds of businesses, you will find a huge number of businesses that can be identified with certain types of imagery. The roofer will be delighted with shingles, the cabinet maker will like wood, etc.

What would be useful that hasn't been done? Look no further than today's release of the filter named Wood Lattice. Why? Because it will appeal to every garden shop on the planet.

What is good about it is that when you look at it there is an instant recognition as to what it is and a strong tie in to advertising a particular product or service. When a delivery or work vehicle is going by and I have less than one or two seconds to sort out the impression the signage on it displays, I don't want to get hung up on trying to figure out what the image being displayed is. I want instant recognition so there is still time for the company name to register.

Among the voids in the library, I will tell you that there isn't a good generic carpet filter. There are lots of them that focus on patterns of one kind or another, but none that do a good job of presenting a realistic carpet fiber in plain colors. There is also a need for an effect filter for the same need so that any image could be rendered as if it was a carpet.

Speaking broadly, a Filter Forge filter does one of two things: Either art imitating life or life imitating art. In the world of large format design and production such as sign making, the commercial demand is for tiles of art imitating life.

excellent reality check there, fred. that helped me, as well.

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CysticCraze wrote: Someone should really take what krae and fred's post and blend them into a sticky

Well... we have a Wiki at our disposal. Maybe you could create a new entry under 'Filter Creation'.

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CysticCraze wrote: By the way, I made a new carbon fiber filter, check it u want to fred. Im open to updating it to look more... realistic? Just give me some ideas.

I downloaded it this morning to look it over. I cannot say it would sell well. Take a look at this website. It shows some different looks and choices. What everyone wants is for it to have some depth to it for a realistic look.

Down at the bottom of the page there is some red and blue CF that a lot of guys would like to be able to print that look on their printers. On the second page is more examples and a video.

I need a picture frame, like an antique looking frame, but instead of square i need it round. so far i don't see many round frames. There are frames with a circle in the middle but the outside is square. I need both inside and out side of the frame round. If anyone makes one, thank you!!! Off to download more filters.

wood is what i am most interested, but silver, plaster, gold all sound good too. I like the carved wood frame by Genie real well, if that was circular it would be perfect, but I'm always needing stuff like that so other variations are always good. I haven't even tried to make a filter yet so I haven't a clue how to do them my self. So a major thank you to all you filter makers out there !!!

Also: I'd just add that if you can do something which is novel, representative, and hasn't been done a bunch of times, you're probably ahead of the game!

Maybe when there are math components!

good point, fred!

lycanthrope,

you mentioned the 'carved wood frame' filter. i've done a little mod on it to make circular and square frames and, as an added, extra bonus at no extra cost, i also made it for imported image use and transparent backgrounds. there is a little anamoly in it depending no frame size, but it's easily fixable with sliders.

Carved Wood Frame by Genie rev 1c.ffxml

=/ I havent been on here in awhile, been busy with school finals and mapping. Looks like this post kept going I thought it stopped >,<. Anywho I added like 3 filters a week ago. Now Im looking back at the feather I made and Im quickly realizing that theres some really easy ways of making multiple better versions of it. And as far as I understand there are absolutely no feathers on FF . Ill work on that.

ThreeDee's tree filter would be a good one to look at, also. he's got a brilliant handle on making and taking small shapes and putting them together into something much larger and coherent.