Make your own professional faceplate

[SpaceGhost2K]

THE FACEPLATE ADDICT STORE AND DESIGN STUDIO IS UP!

www.faceplateaddict.com

The links to the Faceplate Store and the Design Your Own Studio are in the upper left.

THE ONLY RESTRICTION RIGHT NOW is that that you have to use Internet Explorer. They're working on getting it to work with Firefox but it's not ready yet.

When you clink on the "FACEPLATE STORE", it will take you to the front page of the site, which looks line this:



Don't worry about anything on the front page right now except for two buttons across the first row: Products and Design Your Own.

If you go to Products, it will let you choose which gadget you're interested in, and then you can see the designs available for that particular gadget. Some designs are offered on PSP plates but not on Xbox plates, and vice versa. You can choose from a large number of solid colors, and a large number of patterns, many of those similar patterns available in different colors.

In the future, there will be many, many more images to choose from. I have submitted over 100 additional images that will eventually be made available on the site. I'm also hoping to secure game images through my trip to E3 so that you can make plates for your favorite games.

I should clarify that there are rules concerning which images are "legally" acceptable to be printed on plates. I've got an actual description as part of a picture later in the tutorial, so I'll wait until then to go over that part. For now though, I expect that the most popular part of the site will be the design studio.

[SpaceGhost2K]

When you click on "DESIGN YOUR OWN", it will take you to a page with three drop-down boxes. The first asks you what gadget you're looking for. You can choose music players, cellphones, etc. In this case, you want Game Consoles. The next window will ask you Sony or Xbox. Choose Sony if you want to make a PSP faceplate, or Xbox if you want to make an Xbox faceplate. Then it will ask you which console. There are three different PSP's but only one XBox 360 so choose that one.

Then, this page will open up:



You have four places where you can start: Background, Images, Text and Symbols.

Looking towards the bottom, there is a button for completely removing everything and starting over, a help button (that I honestly have not looked at yet), and a button to signify that you are done.

Inside the template window, you can stack images, and change the order of the layers to get the effect you want. Once a layer is selected, you can drag it to the trash can to remove it from the composition.

Also, if you're doing plates other than an Xbox 360 plates, like a cellphone cover or a PSP cover, those have multiple sides. The "sides" button lets you switch between sides.

[SpaceGhost2K]

If you select the "Background" option, you'll see this:



There is a pallete of colors, and three sets of six backgrounds. If you want a solid color for a background, just pick a color.

If you want one of the other backgrounds, they work differently. The first six are already colored, and if you choose one of them, it will be tiled across the plate to make a uniform background. The second six are black and gray and stay that way, regardless of the color you choose. The third six are light gray, and they will change color as you select different colors.

[SpaceGhost2K]

The text features looks like this:



To be honest, it's pretty spartan. Three fonts, zoom and rotate but no stretch or skew, and color change. No shadow or anything. Unless the text you want is the simplest of simple, this probably won't be anything you'll ever do. If you want text, I'll tell you a little lower how I would handle it.

[SpaceGhost2K]

Symbols are kinda odd. I can see where it would be nice to have a symbol, like your own logo, but it's something that you would want only available to YOU, like if you wanted to "sign" your plate with a logo. I wouldn't make an "SG2K" logo and then stick it out there for the world to make SG2K plates, ya knowutImean?

But there are some interesting generic symbols on here, and some of them look particularly good if you play with the zoom and rotate, and combine it with some background color.



Play around with them. You can't hurt anything. (God, I hope, lol.)

[SpaceGhost2K]

The most frequently used part of the site will be the Images part. If you click Images, it will open a browser window so that you can find the images that you want to use, located somewhere on your computer.

If you look at the few I have in that folder, there are two black ones and a white one. The image program does not make white "invisible." If I uploaded that picture with the white background and green rings onto a plate where I set the background to black, there will be a large white square with green circles on it, NOT black peeking through the green circles. In this case, were I to make a plate with the Godfather logo or the koi fish, I should set the background to black, and then import the pictures.

Because it doesn't make stacked layers transparent, just like the text, I suggest you do all of your "adjusting" in an outside graphics program, whether that's MSPaint or Gimp or Photoshop or Corel or whatever. (Don't save as .bmp. Use .jpg, .jpeg, .gif or .png.)

[SpaceGhost2K]

Once you select an image, it will upload it for a few seconds, and then display the image inside of a red square. You won't see a way to manipulate that square until you click on it. THEN you'll see four buttons open up to the left. Those buttons let you zoom in or out, and rotate left or right. You can also hold your mouse button on the square and drag it around. Drag it into the trashcan if you change your mind. If you have multiple layers, use the select layers buttons in the upper right for switching between layers, or moving layers from front to back.

Let me tell you how I go about tweaking a photo. Let's say I have three elements: the main photo, a name, and a logo.

First I take the main photo and try to get it with a large area around all sides. This allows me to move the image around on the plate template while keeping the edges beyond the edge of the template at all times. That's easy when it's a color or a repeated pattern. In the case of a picture of a girl where it wasn't enough picture to go all the way to the edge of the plate, I ended up using the "smear" tool to "stretch" her down a bit. It was a bare shoulder, so basically, I made it look like I had more of her back then I actually had. (Real artists have other ways to deal with this, lol.)

When I get the picture placed and sized where I want it, I look at where I want the name to go, and I print it onto the picture in my image editor. Then I trash the picture in the design studio and reload the image. If the name isn't in the right place... maybe it needs to be a little higher and to the left... I go back to the editor, move the logo, go back to the studio and trash the image, and then reload it again. Sometimes I have to do this ten times before I get stuff right where I like it.

If I have a third element, like the logo, I do the same thing. In some cases, I can combine moving the two elements around at the same time and cut my time down.



Finally, I'd like to point out this particular image that I used. I wanted to show you what happened when you used an image that was too small, and then really zoomed in. You get jaggies. MONSTER jaggies. Those concentric circles will look fine taking up half a plate but when you zoom in to fill a whole plate with them, they won't work.

You will be happiest with the outcome if you use the largest photo you can. Faceplates are 11.5 inches long, at at 100 DPI (dots per inch), a good photo should be 1200 pixels wide. You CAN get away with smaller, especially if it's a photo where it's a little fuzzy anyway. I made a Lisa Gleave plate from a photo that was only 750 pixels wide and it looked fine.

[SpaceGhost2K]

So let's say your plate is ready. You've designed the plate YOU want, so you hit "Done." This is what you see...



This is the plate you designed, and when you get it, it will look like this.

Here are some things about this page that I want to address, before you hit that all important "CONFIRM - ADD TO CART" button:

1) There is a no-return policy on personal designed products unless what you get is damaged, defective or incorrect. If you just decide you don't like it, you need to decide that NOW, not after the plate is actually produced. I just printed 1,000 business cards with "cellhone" on the back. Someone took a p, and they took MINE. Actually, I made the text, I proofread it, and I approved the proof and I still never caught it. I looked at the finished CARDS and didn't catch it. Someone else pointed it out to me.

Damaged means it got broken in shipment. They will replace that. Defective means there's a problem with the plate. A spring is missing. The button won't go in. Etc., etc. They will replace that. In one instance, I got a plate back where the image on the plate was nowhere near where it was supposed to be located. They replaced that plate. Those are things out of YOUR control, and they'll stand behind their part of the responsibility. But design is you, and they're not responsible for that.

2) Note the price of the item and the shipping. The shipping is the same, whether you have one plate on your order or thirty. It's $5.50. Period. So if you have ideas for three or four plates, it's to your benefit to do them all at one time.

3) Option: Yes, I confirm this design is what I want. You either have to click yes, go back to the design page, or close the window (your design will go *poof*). EVEN if you click yes and go to the checkout, until you've paid for the plate, you can still remove it from the cart if you change your mind, or close the window and just don't buy it.

4) Option: Yes, I allow my design to be published to the official gallery. For the time being, this won't be an option. Why? Because for one, I don't want stuff available on my site if I haven't approved it. I don't MIND approving it, and making it available for other people. At some point, that is the goal, and we can even give you some money if someone buys a plate with your design. But it will not be set up so that Joe Blow can put a pair of knockers on a template and upload it, OR upload something that is copyrighted material that will get me in trouble with the copyright holder. (More on that... well, right now.)

5) The disclaimer: PLEASE NOTE: Subcostume (the parent design studio site), will refuse to produce designs that constitute an infringement of any intellectual property rights, or contains any material or information that is obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous (it can't really be slanderous, silly Vikings), racist, or that violates any person's right of publicity or privacy or other laws, or our ethics program. Subcostume is entitled to refuse production without explanation.

Let me break this down a bit. It is against the civil rights of the workers to be exposed to things like graphic nudity, racism, hatred, etc. as a part of their job. If you worked there, would you want people forcing you to reproduce images of hardcore porn, blatant racist hatred, graphic gore or violence? No.

Obscene: Basically that means nudity and anything more graphic, photos or artistic representations of gore, or text of language not acceptable on television. The stuff you print represents US.

That being said, there are some arguments to be made for tasteful nudity. Michelangelo's statue of King David is full frontal male nudity, and it makes for such a cool plate that we actually have his top half pictured on our flyer. If.... IF... you absolutely have to have a faceplate made that contains arguable, tasteful nudity, don't put it through the site and cross your fingers. Tell ME directly, and I will try to get it made. I have already ordered two plates myself that were rejected because of the tamest of line drawing nudity, and I got them to reconsider. I REALLY do not want to make a habit of this though.

Defamatory: Making a plate that says "SPACEGHOST2K IS A SKETCHY PERV" is defaming me, whether it's true or not.

Libelous: Saying something in print which is not true. While the statement above is defamatory, it may or may not be libelous. Considering the issue about the nude plate image, it is probably true, hence it would not be libelous.

Slanderous: Same as libelous, except spoken and not printed. Most people learned that from watching the first Spider Man movie. Anyway, unless you found a way to teach your faceplate not only to speak, but to spread lies about people, it's not likely that Slander will be an issue here.

Racist: No KKK plates, "Black Pride", "White Pride", "la Raza" or Nazi/skinhead propaganda. PRETTY SAFE BET you won't get a plate made with a Swastika on it. "Okie Pride" would also fall under the catagory of Libelous, since we actually have no pride.

Rights of publicity or privacy: Not sure how this is played. If you took a picture through a classmate's window and printed it on your laptop cover, and then took your laptop to school, chances are you broke a law.

Finally, let me address the biggie: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. In case you're wondering, I'm gonna spell it out for you, but first...

THIS IS MY DISCLAIMER. I am not a lawyer. The definitions below are my own, and are given with no warranties expressed or implied. It is in your best interest, that if you are using ANY image that you did not create yourself or that is not already up on the site, that you investigate whether you have the rights to reproduce that image, either for personal use or for resale. THE BURDEN IS ON YOU, not ImageWare, Subcostume, Faceplate Addict, or Xbox Addict. Or SpaceGhost2K.

Some images are not copyrighted. They are called "public domain". Those images can be used for any purpose, including "ventures for profit." If I want to print a hundred plates with photos of the Mona Lisa on them, and resell them, I am free to do so.

There are some images out there that are "free use" images. Similar to "public domain" images except they can't be used for "ventures for profit." If you want to make yourself a faceplate from a free use image, go for it. you just can't sell it.

Games are copyrighted materials. The disclaimer above states that Subcostume will NOT violate copyrights and print copyrighted materials. And yet, I made myself a Star Wars plate, without Lucas' permission. I am hoping to use it as a display piece for demonstration purposes in the hopes of securing permission to make them legally. THAT IS NOT PERMISSION. THAT IS AN EXCUSE. If Lucas sees this plate and has a cow, Subcostume is gonna point him right... back... at me. Because when I made that plate, in essence, I claimed to have the authority to make the plate.

In some cases, permission is granted for limited use. If you go to the Blizzard/World of Warcraft site, it mentions what's ok and what's not ok for you to do with images of your character. If you create a character, take a screengrab, and want to print it on a plate for personal use, they are okay with that. If you want to go to www.mygamercard.net and get a pic of your gamercard, or "freeyouravatar" or whoever they are, and put a picture of your avatar on your plate, you can do that. You just can not re-sell those plates.

We are doing everything we can to get game companies to allow us to host images from their games, which will relieve you of the concern over whether you have permission or not. I am going to point you back to the disclaimer about me NOT being a lawyer before I make this statement.... I would not be too worried about making a plate for personal use. I have made plates for personal use. I have made plates to use as pitching tools. I have made plates where I was basically helping someone else make a plate for themselves, which is different from just running off a number of copyrighted image-based plates, and ebaying them or something. I didn't make 10 Halo plates and then sell them to the public. I did, however, make myself a Halo plate, in the same way that people write Halo fanfics or draw their own Halo pictures.

Let me end on this note: If you want to be safe and not press your luck, use pictures that you either took or created. Even then, don't take photos of copyrighted logos and images. If you photograph a tree, cool. If you photograph a Pepsi bottle, not so cool.

[SpaceGhost2K]

Once you've either selected a plate or created one, you go to the cart, and then the checkout. The cart allows you to adjust quantities or remove items, and will give you a running total.

The checkout requires you to register and add your info. Then you can pay by credit card or PayPal.

You'll get an email confirmation of your order, and you'll get an email when it ships. The email tracking info is from Hong Kong and honestly, it's been useless to me except to let me know what's on the way. I gave up trying to find out where the stuff actually was.

If you design a plate, and then buy it, that plate will go into your personal gallery. If you ever want to make another one of the same plate, it's all done already. RIGHT NOW, you don't have the ability to add a plate to your gallery and NOT buy it (perhaps to buy it later but prepare it ahead of time). Plates only go to your gallery once they've been paid for.

You can also go to "my account" and see a list of the orders you've placed. The list doesn't link to the gallery pics or anything like that, and the list and the order numbers are in two separate places. I just make note of the date I made an order and what plates were on that order, and then I match dates to find out the status of my orders.

Most people are going to make a plate or two, and not fifty like me and 159, but I thought I'd point it out.

...


OKAY, I'm calling it a night. I hope to wake up tomorrow with a message that the registration issues were fixed and we're good to go.

[Variation-XBA]

Wow.... that's SO much more impressive than I could have even imagined. ETA of going live? Will it be Canadian friendly? What we looking at for pricing and shipping roughly?

VERY good job, that really does look amazing and ambitious

[SpaceGhost2K]

Wow.... that's SO much more impressive than I could have even imagined. ETA of going live? Will it be Canadian friendly? What we looking at for pricing and shipping roughly?

VERY good job, that really does look amazing and ambitious

Here, just try going to the site:

http://fa.subcostume.com/

You can play around and not hurt anything. You may even be able to order something. I'm not sure which regions are having the registration problems. It doesn't work here in the US, but it works for the people in Norway. No idea who else it might work for. If it works, go for it.

[Variation-XBA]

For this great design we will charge you only:
$ 19.90 (plus $ 5.50 for shipping per order)

I'm assuming that USD and shipping to Canada?

VERY easy to use though, that's REALLY cool

[SpaceGhost2K]

For this great design we will charge you only:
$ 19.90 (plus $ 5.50 for shipping per order)

I'm assuming that USD and shipping to Canada?

VERY easy to use though, that's REALLY cool

When you register and enter your country, it should default to the local legal tender. Like I said, until the registration thingy is fixed, I don't know.

**EDIT** OR... if you get registration to work and you pay through PalPay, PP should convert it.

[Variation-XBA]

When you register and enter your country, it should default to the local legal tender. Like I said, until the registration thingy is fixed, I don't know.

**EDIT** OR... if you get registration to work and you pay through PalPay, PP should convert it.

Gotcha, thanks.

Will prices vary depending on how 'busy' the graphic is or how much text or it basically a fee overall?

[SpaceGhost2K]

Gotcha, thanks.

Will prices vary depending on how 'busy' the graphic is or how much text or it basically a fee overall?

Nope. It costs you as much to print one dot as the whole Mona Lisa.

[OBL infad3ll]

OMGWTFBBQLZR! that seriously is the coolest thing i have ever seen in my entire life! spacy, you are seriously my friggen HERO! i hope you are ready to take a lot of my money this summer, i sure know what im spending it all on now!

[cheezymonkey999]

These are real faceplates not skins right? If so then there are alot of cool designs on there that are gonna be on my to buy list.

[SpaceGhost2K]

Yep, those are real plates.

[SpaceGhost2K]

Bump for e3 megaton madness! The store and studio are up!

[Variation-XBA]

Bump for e3 megaton madness! The store and studio are up!

registration/purchasing available now?