Celestia Custom CD Covers

[MalcolmP]

>>Only if you are speaking American English !
>Well, I am from the usa

Yes, I know that,
my point was that your audience isnt ! (well, not always, )

[t00fri]

OK, I understand, thanks!

Well, I don't know how much sense does it have to put other details on Cd label, because it would be without any logic. This is supposed to be eclipse: CD covers the Earth under it.

If I should add rich and detailed image, then I must change this idea completely.

While I find the graphical layout quite appealing, I also notice quite a "commercial touch" of the CD cover for this /uncommercial/ product;-):

-- "Ultimate Space Simulator" (Who really knows?). This is certainly in line with the usual exageration habit of US-ad's, e.g. "The World's Largest <xxx> Shop".

[
I just read about a serious recent statistical investigation: only 19% of Americans are able to locate Germany, for example, on a map;-). So the World may be rather "small" for some US advertisers...
]

-- Both the Image on the Front cover and the CD label emphasize features that Celestia presently is /unable/ to display/simulate...

-- There should be more impressive Celestia views available for the 3 images on the Back cover.

Bye Fridger

[Jango Fett]

While I find the graphical layout quite appealing, I also notice quite a "commercial touch" of the CD cover for this /uncommercial/ product;-):

Well, that was the general idea - too make Celestia look like a quality product better than most commercial ones. The cover reflects its value, despite that it's a free software product. The big problem is that free, but good products usually look cheap and trashy, which in case of Celestia doesn't stand.

"Ultimate Space Simulator" (Who really knows?)

Well, it's true that this is ultimate space simulator. Please find similar product with better graphics, better interactivity, more precision, more sofisticated, and that it doesn't cost couple thousand dollars, and let me know!

-- Both the Image on the Front cover and the CD label emphasize features that Celestia presently is /unable/ to display/simulate...

Why should it? You will notice that there is almost no software product, especially 3D simulations and 3D games, that shows screenshots on their covers and packages. It's allways idealistic.

[selden]

Although its emphasis is different, I think Orbiter is in a similar category of quality space-simulation freeware.

I agree that the images are quite good when considered as art. It's just that some of us would prefer any advertising to use images that can be generated using Celestia. At the moment, it seems to me that the back-cover screen shots make Celestia suffer in comparison with the other artwork.

This kind of comparison often can make some people very unhappy, I think, when they find that the enclosed product really can't do what the cover suggests. Fortunately, I'm sure that some comparable pictures can be genereated with Celestia itself. It's just a matter of finding them or creating them with addons.

[t00fri]

Although its emphasis is different, I think Orbiter is in a similar category of quality space-simulation freeware.

I agree that the images are quite good when considered as art. It's just that some of us would prefer any advertising to use images that can be generated using Celestia. At the moment, it seems to me that the back-cover screen shots make Celestia suffer in comparison with the other artwork.

This kind of comparison often can make some people very unhappy, I think, when they find that the enclosed product really can't do what the cover suggests. Fortunately, I'm sure that some comparable pictures can be genereated with Celestia itself. It's just a matter of finding them or creating them with addons.

Selden has just expressed what I felt.

Celestia is great (otherwise I would not spend my time developing it further;-)), but the word "Ultimate" also has implications about the future. Commercially, it is meant to suggest: No reason waiting to buy this product, there will never be a better one!". This we do simply NOT know...

Second, Celestia is able to produce such stunning graphics, why should one specially select two eye catching space-related views (Front cover, CD label) that Celestia is exceptionally NOT able to do? As Selden put it: disappointment will be the result. This is a common feeling when buying commercial products, but Celestia does not need this.

Bye Fridger

[Calculus]

I've just added in my gallery 2 images "close" to Jango's CD cover.
Since the sun is behind earth, it is not possible to have its "dark" side lighted, so I pushed up the ambient light to medium and added some light pollution.
BTW the 2 shots were made during 2 sun eclipses. That is why you can see the moon.
http://ennui.shatters.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Calculus&id=Eclipse_Sun_as_seen_from_behind_Earth_2003_05_31
and
http://ennui.shatters.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Calculus&id=Earth_from_behind_Moon_Sun_Flares_2002_12_04

(I have to learn how to post directly the pictures here)

[t00fri]

I've just added in my gallery 2 images "close" to Jango's CD cover.
Since the sun is behind earth, it is not possible to have its "dark" side lighted, so I pushed up the ambient light to medium and added some light pollution.
BTW the 2 shots were made during 2 sun eclipses. That is why you can see the moon.

(I have to learn how to post directly the pictures here)

;-) [url] ->[img]

Now we are getting somewhere;-),
and I am happy that you are joining into this thread now!

With your images, you have been continuously emphasizing the aspects, where Celestia is /really/ unique: The amazing synthesis of stunning graphics with /amazing/ precision!

This is the characteristics that should go onto the cover somehow. On the other hand, the previous proposal is merely eyecatching, not even original

http://www.noirextreme.com/digital/digital001122.htm

as we have discussed here before...

While Calculus' above two images are probably somewhat too darkish from a graphical point of view, the general idea is excellent!

Bye Fridger

[selden]

Paul:
just put img and /img in brackets

Code: Select all

[img] (url of image) [/img]

around the url of the image you want to display.

If it's a big picture, it's usually more polite to display a small version as a link to the big one

Code: Select all

 [u r l = large.url ] [img] small.url [/img] [/url]

(without the spaces in url)

That way people with slow connections are able to read a thread without forcing them to wait forever as gigantic images are downloaded. It also reduces the load on whichever Web server you use. Some have rather strict traffic quotas.

I hope this helps.

[t00fri]

A program that can do this sort of things with ease does not deserve the previous stereotype packaging....



Bye Fridger

[Calculus]

Fridger, I agree my pictures are too darkish even with ambient light set to Medium. The fact is, in real they should be dark! I saw the impressive noirextreme pictures, but I found no way in Celestia to lighten part of the earth dark side while the sun is at opposite. I think the pictures on noirextreme.com are actually not possible. We have to come up with a new realistic idea!


Thanks Selden for the img tip (it was obvious )

[Guest]

i know this is my first post, so nobody has to listen to me

but why doesnt everyone stop complaining about the negatives of Jango Fett's cd covers when nobody has produced anything else that IMO looks better than what he has made

I applaud his creation, because quite frankly, it is beautiful.

And I for one, do not expect a screenshot of the game i am playing to be on the front cover of my jewel case. I want something flashy that is going to catch my eye, and give it an advantage over the competition

I think his does that.

[Darkmiss]

Hey, everyone has there own eye candy
people find diferent things pleasing.

Jango's covers are very nice indeed, and should be praised for his work
weather you like them or not (they are still his hard work)
but constructive critisism is still needed for development.

but I do agree on covers that reflect the product.
thats why my original covers were screen captures, made into a montage.

I would like to see more people give this a try
Not worrying about what people might say

this is your time to express yourself, whichever way you wish

[t00fri]

i know this is my first post, so nobody has to listen to me

but why doesnt everyone stop complaining about the negatives of Jango Fett's cd covers when nobody has produced anything else that IMO looks better than what he has made

I applaud his creation, because quite frankly, it is beautiful.

And I for one, do not expect a screenshot of the game i am playing to be on the front cover of my jewel case. I want something flashy that is going to catch my eye, and give it an advantage over the competition

I think his does that.

I think you are arguing entirely besides the point. Everyone, including myself, who put forward criticism of Jango Fett's CD covers clearly stated that his images are /beautiful/.

But, not everything that is beautiful is also adequate. We are talking about the latter property not the first.

Bye Fridger

[Jango Fett]

Thanks everyone for compliments and for critics. I'm currently short with time, but as soon as I get the chance, I'll come back here and discuss this, because graphic design is very complicated thing. How to know what kind of design and package for specific product we should use, that's a big question and demands detail analysis. Design is more complicated than art.

[billybob884]

i guess the criticizement is mostly my fault, i kinda didn't know atthe time that the cd cover was an eclipse

[Jango Fett]

i guess the criticizement is mostly my fault, i kinda didn't know atthe time that the cd cover was an eclipse

Well, at least you know now...

Anyway, I would now like to start the analysis about designing CD cover for Celestia.


t00fri:

But, not everything that is beautiful is also adequate. We are talking about the latter property not the first.

Yes, it's true. Aestetics is part of design, but not the crucial one. Different products demand different graphical tretmans. The main part of designing (especially graphic) is the idea, the essence, wich goes thru every graphical element. Design is a form of comunnication. It provides the information of what kind of product or medium we 're dealing with. It also reflect other aspects, like quality of the product. For example, good package leaves impression of hard and dedicated work in the backround, sometimes even wrong impression that we're dealing with much more sofisticated product than it really is.

As in case of Celestia, this is also very important. Celestia is probably conceptually the best space simulation on personal computers. I think it deserves idealistic and spectacular covers. Why should those idealistic covers be reserved only for commercial products when these products are hardly worth of it. Well, at least they are less worthy than Celestia.

I already mentioned general problem with free products, especially on the net: bad design. Why does it have to be that way? Celestia is a free product, but it doesn't mean it has no value - for me, it's worth of gold! (finally, after years of imaginating it, for the first time in my life, I was able to, even in virtual world, travel thru space).

Except for monumentalism on cover, I wanted to add something interesting, like CD which eclipses the earth below. On Faculty of design in Croatia, we like to do that stuff (once there was a postcard made of deformable plastic, so you can make any free form you like). Every design could carry a story or some event - that's the best way to comunicate with user.

Of, course, I have not copyrighted my design - it's free for you to modify it, if you decide to use that idea. My aim was to give idea, a pattern, but everyone is free to create it on their way.

(sorry for bad English and grammar)

[selden]

Jango,

Most of your English is quite understandable, so that's not a problem. Except for one word: "monumentalism". I'm not at all sure what you mean by that.

I've been trying to say this in other ways in my earlier postings, but perhaps its clearer to phrase it like this:

One thing that I'm particularly concerned about, and perhaps other people are, too, is "truth in advertising." All of us are continuously exposed to many advertisements that are, to put it bluntly, lies. Many people have gotten so used to them that they think of them as being normal and automatically discount whatever they see. I'd very much like to avoid giving even the slightest impression that Celestia needs that kind of advertising, because I don't think it does.

I think, also, that I'm getting much too serious about this
After all, it's not as if Chris were going to chose one of these packaging designs and actually start shipping versions of Celestia in them. They're for our own enjoyment. And I've certainly enjoyed what I've seen so far.

[selden]

So how about this for a dramatic picture of Saturn?


Saturn is the bright dot in the middle of the image. This is a view of the Solar eclipse coming this June.

[Guest]

i wasnt only stating that they were beautiful, but that consumers do not always look for actual representation on the packages

they look on the back for that

the cover is to attract attention

[Jango Fett]

i wasnt only stating that they were beautiful, but that consumers do not always look for actual representation on the packages

they look on the back for that

the cover is to attract attention

Absolutely! That's the general idea!