could someone suggest what to do next?

[Zeealex]

there's the image, and it looks, kinda flat, and needs something in the background, i've already done 5 before this using a rather techy sort of backdrop, but i think if i was to do the same with this, it would obscure the text.
any ideas?

oh and please tell me if the text makes proper grammatical sense, that's where my English keels over. these days.

 

[ibclare]

Just my quick take. The first thing I notice is the harsh vertical line, ok, not quite vertical. Now it probably is meant as a wall, but it is distracting. I think if you played with the glow round your soldier, both behind and to the front right side of him, you'd get more depth. Right now that glow is so tight it looks cartoonish. If it's an outward glow play with the settings to soften and increase it.

Maybe even add some subtle color behind him. The edge where he is leaning could also be drawn forward, or given some depth and perspective, made more visible, so that it is easier to see right away that it is a corner, apparantly on a structure. How about some effects on the right side of the black text area. You could layer some kind of wall texture above it on the right side of the layer and bleed it slowly into the text.

If you're interested and have questions as to what I meant, please ask. Gotta go walk the dog and some other stuff for a couple hours, then I'll be back in my work space (physical and mental)

OK, just came back and now I'm focused on the text. There's something off about the way it comes so close to the edge of the black, especially the diagonal text and the bottom row. I also think a bolder, thicker font - you can even increase the size of this one with layer effects - would be more effective, leaving the hazy font like you have it on the diagonal, bolder in the middle, then more so on the bottom, going from ghostly to more corporal. You might also consider punched out type if you do use a texture or color on the black area. So, no more input till you have your comments.

 

[Kaleshe]

I think you should have cut around the Soldier using the pen tool. Howerver, if you want to still have a glow you can just use the glow effect in blending options.

 

[Zeealex]

thanks for both of your inputs, Kaleshe, i've never really got the hang of the pen tool so i tend to avoid it but i'll remember that for next time.
the glow effects you speak of, clare, is actually my eraser XD i was trying to give a shadowing effect but it's kinda failed. but i see what you are getting at with the glow effects and i have now added one in which hopefully doesn't look stupid :/

not sure what you mean by the text bit though :/ could just be me being a dumbo. any cahnce of a visual example? (visual learner here! )

there's the newer one now, knowing me i have utterly missed the point XDand yes i delierately added noise to the glow.

 

[ibclare]

Okay, that's interesting but I liked what you were doing in the first one better. Of course, I also had the figure standing and realized a bit ago that he is kneeling. Anyway, you see, I had the perception that he was around the corner of a wall. Wrong probably but here's what I did. I didn't play with the font except to pull it back from the edges. Most text looks better and more readable with more wihte space -- in this case, black.

 

[Zeealex]

nice! i'll have a mess around and see what i can do thanks again clare

 

[ibclare]

anytime. The wall by the way is made by applying the chrome filter to the "wall" layer I created. Then I applied hue/sat and a slight emboss. I used perspective transformation, then distort. You can get the same effect as perspective with the distort transf. but with more control. The soldier I gave a drop shadow but you can also do some great shadow on an upper layer. The glow is multiple glows constrained within a marquis selection, created by gradient tool light blue to clear, radial gradient.

I'm always glad to help. Your welcome! Clare

BTW, I still think the letters are too weak. They don't balance the left side. I won't make suggestions as I'm sure you'll know what to do. Though if you want ideas, I have some. My ex-husband used to tease me and call me Linus Pauling (renowned scientist with interests in many directions; his unfortunate claims about vit. C still haunt his reputation), "You have to have a hundred ideas to come up with one good one." Well, I think what he meant is that I'm full of it!

 

[Artistapinay]

Try to change the black background to something war zone background

 

[Zeealex]

i shall thank you