Revive the Challenges?

[Sierraccr]

When I first got here we had weekly challenges, each one challenging members old and new to use some technique in Photoshop. I loved having them, as they pushed me in directions and had me use skills I do not use every day. While I was offline they seem to have petered out, but I'd like to revive them. To keep them from suffering the same fate as the last version, I have a few questions. Your answers will tell me the direction to take this or if it's even worth doing.

1. Should the challenges be revived?

2. Why did you stop doing them?

3. Should the challenges focus on technique (like hair cutting or colorizing an image) or branch out to more advanced issues (like creating an animated .gif)?

4. How often should they be posted? Weekly? Every other week?

5. Would you, personally, commit to doing at least one challenge a month (barring real-life interruptions)?

Bonus question: Is there something you would like to see as the first challenge?


My plan is that I will start out posting the challenges and we'll see how that goes. HOWEVER.....

I'm not going to beat my head against the wall if there isn't much interest. I need at least five answers to these five questions (aside from my own) to get it started.

Talk to me, Gurus!!!

 

[Dataflow]

1. Should the challenges be revived?
Yes

2. Why did you stop doing them?
Didn't Start

3. Should the challenges focus on technique (like hair cutting or colorizing an image) or branch out to more advanced issues (like creating an animated .gif)?
Both

4. How often should they be posted? Weekly? Every other week?
2 weeks but have a week break (no challenges) after every challenge

5. Would you, personally, commit to doing at least one challenge a month (barring real-life interruptions)?
Depends on the challenge

Bonus question: Is there something you would like to see as the first challenge?
cant think of any right now (keep you posted)

 

[Hoogle]

well the challenges were very popular if I recall at there peak there were something like 18 - 20 pages of responses and that was based on animation.

I would like to see the weekly challenge even if it is the fortnight challenge I think though it may have faded down when some of the regular people wanted to push themselves who already had good knowledge of photoshop so designed the challenges to be more advanced. This however alienated a lot of members bearing in mind that we have a few strong compentant photoshop users a few that only really do 1 or 2 things in photoshop like a specialist subject but a lot of noobs.

we have discussed maybe having categories for challenges beginner - intermediate - advanced but overall the challenges were faded out and not enough members were around to split it up into these categories.

We tried to revive it with chop shop ideally aiming at car photoshop but like so many people have said that is only interesting if you like cars and has very little spectrum to work on.

If the challenges were to be rejuvinated then I think the challenges would have to be set under looser terms and not be so strict on what you can do.

Ie week 1 typography the challenge is to design an image based around typography

week 2 liquify an image based around using liquify tool

week 3 using filters etc etc

That way it is open to all users amateur or pro yeah and maybe have a fortnight challenge that way gives more time.

I say scratch the voting for the winner as that will alienate people that are not so confident and we would need to encourage even the newest users to participate.

There shouldnt be a winner but there should be some way of getting different members to come up with new challenges as to incorporate everything people want to do.

I think there needs to be 3 or so people overlooking it to get a wider opinion on what challenges to set and to monitor which 1s seem more popular.

 

[Dataflow]

i think it should be judged by forum mods and admins.
you could also have a wild card where members vote for a peoples choice award.

 

[Dataflow]

idea for first challenge.
manipulate a photo of person, animal etc..
eg... add a human face to and animal or just change the animal/person so it looks like a critter
and show a before and after

 

[Dataflow]

another idea.
turn an image of a good building into a wrecked/demolished building

 

[Paul]

I always thought that the challenge setter should be the one to pick the winner, regardless of ability or entries entered that week.
Every two weeks? if people are really that busy to not get it done in a week then so be it?
Most who come here and have a go, are either semi retired or still at school, so the time thing for me is rubbish.
Sorry if that sounds harsh but thats just it for me - two weeks it as to be challenge on people.

ABOVE REPLY SHOULD GET FIRST CRACK AT IT FOR ME - POST IT AND h WILL STICKY IT

 

[Sierraccr]

I don't really want to pick a "winner" for these challenges, to be honest. We all have different skill/experience levels and a newbie would be justified in feeling a bit intimidated to go up against some of you (I know I am!). It's really all about participation, discussion and learning. Each one of us has things that we are good at and other things we either haven't tried or which could stand some improvement. There are also some of us who do not have the most recent version of Photoshop so 3D isn't possible for us. I don't want anyone to feel that they can't participate just because they can't produce graphics on the level of the people posting above.

I haven't quite worked that part out yet.

 

[dv8_fx]

Would this mean that MODS can't participate if we were doing the voting? I would suggest everyone do the voting.

We can have 2 categories within the contest thread - Beginner and Advanced. Who decides the next challenge? The winner of the advanced category.

CONTEST DURATION .... 2 WEEKS.

Prizes?.... A medal of sorts... for the winner to display in their profile album. in fact, this could even be our first challege.... DESIGN A MEDAL FOR THE PSGURUS CHALLENGE.... 2 winners - 1 medal from advanced and 1 medal from Beginners.....

 

[dv8_fx]

Unless we request Admin to design the medals.... lol.... Now there's a thought!!!

At least we're asking him to get involved, too....

Sorry for the teasing, boss.

 

[ibclare]

I like the idea of reviving the challenges. Even though some of the ideas are repeats of those we did before, there are lots of new people who didn't do them, so that doesn't bother me a bit. I could improve my skills too. And seeing the work of those with more advanced skills can serve as an inspiration.

I do not like the idea of winners to be honest, but I guess that is open to discussion. But I think it is unfair to not lets the mods participate. This should be all-inclusive. Even if there is a voting poll, why should a mod not be allowed to win. After all, that weighty prize is picking the next challenge, not a week in Bermuda (sigh).

And as for the time, it is perfectly legitimate to extend it to two weeks. some people who would like to post really are very busy. There are any number of reasons someone might be away from Photoshop or be unable to play. Some of us are exceptions with more free time but out members run the gamut of age and availability.

I'd like to see them again Sierra. Last time Paul started it up and since we didn't have a winner system like we do with the chop shop, Paul would ask individually for someone to head up the next challenge. Just so you know :mrgreen: