#your scene ordering and overall composition of the gifsets is always lovely

[inessencedevided]

(You can find the set that this gif belongs to here 💙)

From planning to posting, share your process for making creative content!

To continue supporting content makers, this tag game is meant to show the entire process of making creative content: this can be for any creation.

RULES: When your work is tagged, show the process of its creation from planning to posting, then tag 5 people with a specific link to one of their creative works you’d like to see the process of. Use the tag #showyourprocess so we can find yours

I was tagged by @aheartfullofjolllly. thank you so much Pat! it was really fun to reflect about my own process 💗 You can find her post here and @lan-xichens' post that started it all here :)

Also thank you @huigusu 🥰 (who tagged me for my nie brothers set) I'll get to that one in a few days!

Now Pat gave me two sets to chose from to show my process, so obviously I chose the more complicated one :P

I only work in Photoshop CC 2018. I know that there are programs out there for easier cutting and sharpening but I have only just figured out how to do that in PS and I am too lazy to figure out any other programs right now xD

1. Idea and Planning

This set, like most of my sets with lyrics started with me reading the poem, clutching my heart and going "oh shit this fits my favourite characters!!". The idea actually started with me thinking that the first stanza of the poem would go really well with wwx during the burial mounds arc. Then I realized that the last stanza fits lwj better than him and from there came the idea to contrast the both of them next to each other. This is when I realized I wanted to do a dark-light contrast set, though I did not know that I would go with red and blue at that time. My idea in the beginning was just to do a black and white set

I was really impressed by how Pat said that she plans her sets around exact timestamps. Because I don't do that at all ^^ I just get ideas for which scenes would fit (in this case the wwx burial mounds scenes and lwj's kneeling and punishments scene) and then I watch the scenes to narrow them down.

Back when I made this set, I still used a screenrecorder (AceThinker Screen Grabber Pro to be precise. They have a test version that allows you to record up to 3 minutes) and recorded the scenes I needed from Netflix. This worked well enough but now I have the entire show saved on an external drive and it makes a world of difference when it comes to gif sharpness

Now, in this case I had to repeat this step once because when I was almost finished, I realized that I wanted a gif for the lwj corner but let's pretend I didn't do that and that's the way this gif was always going to look because otherwise this post will be way too long ^^

2. Creation

Short disclaimer: The creation process for this gifset was anything but linear. Multiple effects I used here were things I had never tried before. I just had a vague idea and tried to realize it through trial and error. So whenever I say "then I did xyz", it is implied that I ultimately went back to that step several times and changed stuff ^^

I started with the Wei Wuxian part of the gif. I usually use a frame rate of 0,06 (with some variation depending on gif length and size). I work in timeline so I converted all the layers to a smart layer. Then I resized the gif into a square, leaving big chunks of the gif empty (as can be seen below.) I flipped the gif horizontally, so he is looking inwards. This was simple because I felt it fitted the composition better. Then I imported the Lan Wangji part of the gif, again with a frame rate of 0,06. (Image 2)

After that I created a layer for masking in a separate PS document by rotating a square until it was point down (is that a rhombus?). I sized it to match my gif (540x540 pxl) and copied it over. (Image 3) a bit of masking magic and ta da! There's the basic layout (Image 4)

I put a layer of solid black behind wwx to get rid of the transparent bits (Image 5) and then started adding more white and black to both sides by adding solid whit and black layers that i put masks on and changed the opacity as i needed (Image 6)

("reading" direction: from the upper left to the lower right corner)

Then I fiddled with the colours a bit. The first thing I always do is using the curves layer to get more contrast. Then I use the colour balance tool and the selective colouring tool to get rid of that cql-typical cyan tint after that it's just trying to have it look "natural" while the colours still fit the overall scheme. This was difficult here because wei Wuxian’s side of the gif was very dark and when i turned up the saturation to see which colour dominated it was a very weird mixture of multiple colours. That's when i decided that I'd just go with red on his side, since lwj's side was already so blue and those to look great as contrasts.

After that just came a lot of fiddling with selective colour layers and brightness and contrast unti I has happy. There really wasn't much to it ^^. (Image 1)

After that I added the text. I knew I wanted the two lines to for a square of some kind. So I tried different fonds until I arrived at the one below. The two lines are in seperate layers so I could move them around and change the spacing between the letters until I was happy with the layout. I also changed the layer mode for the text to "difference" (is that what it's called in english? my PS is set to german sorry ^^), keeping their colour white. (Image 2)

I originally hadn't planned adding anything else but I felt like the gifs (plural because I switched between the gifs of this set) was still kind of empty and lacking, so I added the tear down the middle (a tutorial for that is either coming up later or already posted. I recently got an ask for this :)) (Image 3)

It still felt empty after that, so I tried different overlays. Okay no, first I wasted a lot of time on different free image sides but then I tried out different ones until I chose the one you can see in the finished gif. I liked that one because a) I felt the round shape was a nice contrast to all the straight lines already there and b) because once I applied a black and white filter to it and switched the layer setting to "difference" (again, i hope this is the correct translation) it looked a bit like a moon. (Gif at the top)

("reading" direction: from left to right)

And that's it! :)

Although in general, these gifs took so much fiddling! I went back and forth between them a lot and sometimes almost redid the entire thing because I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning and by the time I noticed an error, the only way to fix it was ti redo everything. So yeah, this set definitely is the the one that took me the longest out of all the ones I've posted so far.

3. Posting

I save all my gifs to my drafts first to see what they look like put together and to check if they look any different on mobile. Usually i do this several times and change stuff until I'm happd enough with it to hit post. Once i am happy enough, i can't hold back. Doesn't matter if it's at a time when nobody is online, i hit post 😅

And that's it!

Tagging:

@lanwuxiann for this gifset (I adore it so much. I've looked at it and read it severat times since you posted it and the poem just kills me every time!)

@suibianjie for this gifset (The combination of static images and gifs in your gifs is always absolutely perfect! This one is only my favourite of yours because the light coming from behind wwx is just so pretty!!! ^^)

@sweetlittlevampire for this piece (It was soooo hard to pick a piece of yours because I have so many favourites! But this one is just so out if this world, I want to know how you worked that magic :D)

@wei-gege for this set (sparkling shijie! 😭 that set is so incredibly beautiful! I love how you matched the colour of the overlay with her dress!)

@purplexedhuman for this set (your gifs are always incredible! I chise this one because it showcases both your colouring skills and some really intricate effects)

If any of you have already been tagged or don't have the time or energy for this, obviously no pressure to do this at all! 🥰

(btw, I originally tried to place the actual text of this under a "read more" cut but somehow it always messed with the order of the images, so this ended up as a rather long post. sorry!)

[cuntylestat]

i was tagged by the lovely @meliorn​, the only person to tag me in anything on this website

RULES: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works! 

i wasn’t as active this year as last year because last year i made all the rocketman gifsets you could possibly make and it’s a pretty big hassle for me to get footage (i don’t download so i have to rip blu-rays and convert them and it literally makes my laptop sound like it’s a plane taking off even though it cost 2800 euros so that’s fun), so i usually stick to rocketman and i feel like i’ve exhausted any possible gif idea at this point. but i did make some other stuff as well. 

overall i think my gifsets turned out okay over this year, there is some good stuff there and i did manage to push myself creatively at some points. i don’t think my gifsets are very exciting or interesting most of the time, but i’m always happy when i manage to make something special or different.

i’m gonna sort them in chronological order!

first (23 february): i’m obsessed with symmetry and this is one time where everything just fell into place. i love how these colors work together and perfectly contrast each other and i just think it looks so cool.

second (9 march): i remember that i wasn’t planning on making a blue gifset or any kind of coherent set, it just kind of happened, but i think it’s really nice and all works together so well

third (13 march): i’m really proud of this coloring and still use it as a base psd, i also like it because it’s not the typical rocketman gifset and just looks interesting to me in terms of scene choice and composition

fourth (18 june): i’m not very good at color manipulation so i’m always happy when i manage to make a colorful gifset that looks nice. i also really love that i managed to make it fit the pride flag and include that elton quote about being gay

fifth (25 june): this is a gifset that isn’t pretty per se but i’m still happy with it because that section of elton’s book hit me so hard the first time and i loved being able to find those parallels in rocketman. it just feels like something creative and something not everyone would come up with.

sixth (23 september): i like the square format a lot but i also think the composition of all these different colors and shots looks so good together, i’m really happy with it

seventh (28 october): this is just an aesthetically pleasing set to me where all the shots and the composition ended up working so nicely together

eighth (12 november): again this color scheme was not planned but just developed while coloring and i think it looks so nice and unexpected for this movie, very soft blues but contrasted with those deep blacks, i like it a lot

i don’t really have anyone to tag but feel free to do this and say i tagged you!!

[wewalkadifferentpath]

20 Day Shadowhunters Countdown Gratitude List!

So, as some of you know by now, I’ve decided to do a thing where I give a shout-out to some of my favourite blogs, works, stories, etc. as a way of expressing gratitude for everyone who’s struggled through this painful hiatus and all of the times before with me. You all contribute so much to this beautiful community and I can’t thank everyone enough for creating, sharing, and freaking out about content with me on this ridiculous but amazing hellsite  I’ll be counting down the days until the S3 premiere by 5′s. This week, on t-minus 15 days and counting, is 15 of the most memorable SH fanfics I’ve ever read, in no particular order*:  

*(if you want yours taken off of the list please let me know and I’ll do so asap. Also I’ve done my best to tag everyone based on their ao3 profile/username but if I tag the wrong person or something please let me know!)

1. Destiny Calls by clockworkswan y’all this is legit one of the most impressive pieces of fanfic I’ve ever read in my entire life, it’s literally almost as long as all three Lord of the Rings books put together. It was also one of the first multi-chapters I ever read, and the description of Magnus has stuck with me for my entire time in the fandom and as a writer. Beautiful imagery and characterization, 10/10 would recommend but 0/10 for trying to read it in 2 days like I did @clockworkswans

2. takes on any shape by oh_la_fraise also one of the first I ever read, and right from the description had me snorting. Such an adorable concept and really entertaining and beautiful to read- you’ve got Magnus as a kid, you’ve got bad-ass Catarina, what more could you want? @ohlafraise 3. The Personal Assistant of Magnus Bane by MenckensChrestomethy holy fucking fuck this is funny. I LITERALLY did a spit take the first time I read this with the soup I was eating, at the first two lines of the second chapter. I also just now realized looking it over that the piece about spinach puffs must have implanted in my brain and inspired my Perils of Memory and Spinach Puffs story like numerous months later, so I’m gonna have to go credit that! I’ll leave y’all with this quote from the fic too, which has been like a lens for how I interpret Magnus’s character in many ways since reading it:  “Magnus is a good man… But he is not a nice one” @menckenschrestomethy 4. Somebody out there by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice) (Saphael) I included this on my ace-friendly fic rec list too, but I’d seriously recommend it to anyone who likes Saphael. My first serious Saphael fic, the first time I’d seen “asexual” in fanfic, and just an overall super pleasant and easygoing story that I’d come back to every now and again @mckvch

5. Rainy Nights and Sunny Mornings by NotEvenThat y’all I did not even stand a chance with this fic. Ragnor, Magnus and Alec being raised together and protective af over each other, Magnus being bad-ass AF and hella powerful... just, yeah. Definitely stuck with me, and one particular scene makes me cry every fucking time I read it. @facialteeth 6. The Chariot by bumblebeesknees this is probably one of the most recent ones I’ve read on this list, but it’s already firmly lodged in the study the crap out of this to become a better writer category. A really interesting, real take on Alec and Magnus post 2x20 and a great demonstration of the ways in which relationships build tension (and the ways in which a writer can build tension, enough to make the reader totally hooked and hating their life the whole time they read it) *I can’t find a tumblr for this person, anyone know?  7. an awfully big adventure by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion this made me bawl my friggen eyes out, and laugh, and just.. feels, all the way through. I’m always in love with Future!Malec and I’m normally quite protective of the standard Lightwood-Bane family composition but I fell in LOVE with this family, hard. Just, read it, seriously @thealmostrhetoricalquestion 8. Tired Hearts by DannyAnne another Saphael one. This one stuck with me so much that I actually organized a little bit of a campaign to track it down at one point. Just, beautiful writing, beautiful concept. Beautiful. @boldbones   9. that all depends what you qualify as friends by ringerxo this is an interesting and well-done take on the whole “Magnus is closed off and uses flashiness to deflect from his vulnerability” trope. It also now sort of stands as a study in what Malec could have been like in the show, had show!canon not happened the way it did (it’s actually meant to be book based, I think?). @grrrbarrowman 10. your heart is all i own by  sarcasticfluentry and Teumessian (read the tags before reading!) this is part of the Boundless Saga, but this particular part stuck with me so much as a really unique idea and SUPER emotional @povverbottoms (I can’t find the other authors blog?)  11. When I'm Dead And Gone (Will They Sing About Me) by everyperfectsummer this one is restricted for ao3 users but honestly, if you’re gonna read any of them out of this list, I would recommend this one. It’s the shortest fic to have ever made me cry and it’s such a beautiful, well-written concept. So powerful. And it’s really important to me as someone who loves Magnus and beleives his life doesn’t entirely revolve around Alec (little bit of a trigger warning for that, though). @everyperfectsummer 12. love comes in at the eye by prettydizzeed (Raphael and Meliorn, if anyone’s willing to give it a shot- I definitely don’t regret it) This one’s on my ace rec list too, but I couldn’t help putting it here. I’ve probably read it about 16 times now tbh and every time I love the writing style more, and appreciate the ending more. It’s the kind of writing that transports you and makes you want it to be your life, while making you wish you were also a better writer. And Maia!! @basilhallward  13.  Have Pride by notcrypticbutcoy Let’s be real, you can’t be in this fandom for very long without having read/heard of Fall Without Wings (which is also a rad story and is in the study this to become a better writer category), but something about this one just really, really stuck with me. I think because it was such an easy, lovely read, and had so many lovable characters. Definitely one to go back to in times of fanfic deserts, lol @notcrypticbutcoy 14. Burn Your Fears Away by BiconBane I’m just picking this one specifically because it’s the first part to two amazing series’ that really schooled the fuck out of me and made me love Magnus somehow even more than I already did (and because of this iconic quote: “ You did always look quite like a potato, but I must say you haven’t aged well.”) If you’re looking for BAMF Magnus, here’s your start! (@levayajade was the most recent name on ao3, but seems gone now?) 15. Parabatoy by KaryKu I’m not sure why this one stuck with me either, but somehow when I read it something just clicked for me about the parabatai bond and about Jace’s upbringing. As much as I have problems with the way the show has gone about it, I’m still weak for Jace and Alec as family and how they must have been when they were little, and this just represents that to me. I also LOVE the metaphor of toy soldiers and it kind of frames the childhoods of Shadowhunter children as a whole, which guides my story writing! *(I can’t find a tumblr for this person either? anyone know?) Alright, well that’s it! I told myself I wouldn’t cheat on this one so I won’t, but please know that this is not at all an exhaustive list. I love and appreciate every single thing I’ve read on here and there are so many more stories that have changed me as a writer, as a fan and as a person! If you’re interested in fic recs, please feel free to check out my bookmarks , my ace friendly list, or hop in my inbox and ask- I have about 20 folders for every specific type of fic so I’d be happy to recommend something.  Next one will be 10 gifsets/fanart pieces for 10 days and counting.xx