For teamsalvatore98 and anyone else who wants to make a Fanpop banner but doesn't know where to start.


Ты will need an image editing program. I use Corel Paint Магазин Pro but I think most people use Photoshop.




Create your banner template

Open up your program and create a new file.
Size: 800x100
Background: black
File type: JPEG

The dimensions are very important. If the banner is too tall it will get cropped off when Ты add it. If it's not wide enough it will get stretched. Even 1 pixel's difference can affect the quality.
Save this basic file as your banner template to use Далее time.



Images for the banner

Now open up the Обои Ты want to use for your banner. I recommend using large, high quality pictures. Most of my banners are related to TV shows so I use really nice screencaps and episode stills. The better quality they are, the better your banner will look.

Resizing Обои to fit

Ты may have to resize these Обои to fit within the banner.
Never take an image that is too small and try to make it bigger: the quality will suck.
Only resize Обои to make them smaller. There will be some loss of quality but not nearly as much as when you're trying to make something bigger than it is.
[At the bottom of the Статья I will go through some advanced tricks to help with quality but for right now let's get the basics down.]

Choose an image that Ты want to add to the banner but is too large. Example: 1450x970

Find the Resize tool in your program's options. Mine is located under a menu called 'Image'. Yours could be located somewhere else. Just look through all the menus until Ты find it.

Open the Resize tool. It should give Ты the dimensions of the picture you're trying to resize.
Example:
Width: 1450 pixels
Height: 970 pixels

Change the height to 110 pixels. Only change the height and make sure that the 'Maintain aspect ratio' box is checked. Otherwise your image will be totally warped.

The reason Ты don't resize it to exactly the height of your banner is because you'll want to give yourself some leeway to Переместить it around. It's very hard to position it precisely and if it's off even just a little bit it will leave a gap at the вверх или bottom of the banner.




Adding Обои to the banner

So Ты have your resized image and are ready to add it to the banner. You're going to copy and paste it to the banner template as a layer.

The Copy tool is in the 'Edit' menu. Just click it and you're done. The image is copied and ready to be pasted. Go back to your banner template.

The Paste tool is also in the 'Edit' menu. It may offer Ты several options: Paste as New Image, Paste as Selection and Paste as New Layer.

Choose Paste as New Layer.
It will drop the image directly in the center of your banner. Now Ты can Переместить it wherever Ты like with the Move tool. Just click and drag the image to the position Ты want.

Repeat this process with all of your images.


Editing your banner

So now all of your Обои are on the banner as separate layers. Some of them might not be as clear and bright as you'd like. Select the one you'd like to change with the Переместить tool.

The simplest way to make it look a little better is the Brightness & Contrast tool, which should be in the 'Adjust' menu. Open it and it should have a Предварительный просмотр of what the effect is going to look like. Ты don't want it to be too bright because then the dark Цвета will look washed out and grainy. Ты don't want too much contrast или the darks will глотать, ласточка the lights. Play around with the levels until Ты find something Ты like.

The Далее step is the saturation [how intense the Цвета are]. Now depending on the effect you're going for Ты might want to increase или decrease the saturation. Again, Ты can play around with this until Ты find something Ты like. The Hue & Saturation tool should be in the same menu as the Brightness & Contrast tool. I wouldn't recommend changing the hue unless Ты want to go for a really funky effect.

There are many different tools located in the 'Adjust' menu that Ты can use to tweak your images. I recommend exploring them, playing around with them and finding what works the best for you. In my program there's a tool called Clarify that just gives the image some extra punch. It may not be available in your program but there's probably something similar to it. Just play around with the program and find out what it can do. Practice on test Обои and have fun. That's how I learned everything.

The other thing to keep in mind is that each layer requires individual editing. It's usually best to try to make each image in a banner look as similar in tone and brightness as possible. Depending on what kind of Обои you're using, the settings for each one might be different. Again, this just requires Ты to play around until Ты can make it work. In the advanced section I'll give tips for making the Обои in a banner еще cohesive in tone.


Ok now Ты have a very basic, serviceable banner. But Ты could make it better....


Advanced

So Ты have your basic banner. It's pretty good but Ты want to do еще to it, make it better.

The first thing Ты may have noticed in my sample banner is that some of the Обои I used have a symbol on them. Not very pretty and somewhat distracting aren't they? I see them often on fanmade Иконки and banners but in truth they aren't that hard to get rid of.

Now we are venturing into еще advanced tools and be aware that not every program will call them the same thing.
In my program, it's called the Push tool.
What it does:
Pushes the pixels around the image.

How you're going to use it:
To cover up the ugly symbol.
Ты can adjust the size of the tool [you'll want it to be small] and the opacity [you'll want it to be in the midrange] Ты won't want the opacity at 100% because the edges will be too hard [like in the first sample image].
Ты just want to gently try to push the pixels around until it looks like the symbol was never there. Start in an area where the symbol isn't, then just click and drag the pixels over the symbol. Don't use the same starting point for the whole thing. Choose the pixels that look like they belong in that spot. In this image I used the black shadow to cover the bottom of the symbol. The еще gray shadow on his neck to cover the rest, being careful not to get any dark pixels on his chin. Most programs have an 'Undo' option that can erase your last stroke if Ты make a mistake.


This banner could still be improved though. The arrangement of the Обои is very static and they're quite obviously just pictures copied and pasted. If Ты want to break that up and make the banner еще interesting [and fit еще images!] it's not that hard.

You're going to need the Eraser tool. It will look like a pencil eraser. Ты can change the size and opacity, just like Ты can with the Push tool. To start with, you'll want it to be fairly big and the opacity at 100% because you're going to be taking the edges off the Обои and getting rid of some negative space.


You'll notice that this has freed up some space. Ты can now rearrange these Обои and maybe add more. As Ты Переместить them closer together, Ты can see how some of them might fit together even better by erasing sections of the image. As Ты erase closer to the subject of the picture, decrease the opacity to soften the edges.

Be aware also that the layers can be either on вверх или beneath one another. Ты can see the order of your layers by going to the 'View' menu, scroll down to 'Palettes' and there should be an option that says 'Layers'.
[Note: some programs automatically have the Layer Palette open in your workspace so Ты may not need to open it.]
It's just a little window that shows the layers [each image Ты added] one on вверх of the other. Ты can Переместить them up или down as Ты need.



In the banner image above you'll notice that I left a blank space. I could have added another image to fill it but I've decided to leave it blank for some text, which we'll get to in a moment. First, we're going to add some effects


Using layers to add effects

So this is the most fun and expressive part of banner making. Ты can do a lot and create some cool effects and moods for your banners.

You'll want to create a new layer the exact size of your banner template. In my program I simply go to the bottom layer [called the Background Image], right click on it and choose 'Duplicate'.
If Ты are unable to do that the simplest other way of doing it just to create another image in the exact dimensions Ты need, then copy and paste it as a new layer like Ты did your other images.

Once Ты have your plain black layer, make sure it's on вверх of all the other layers. Yes, it will cover everything up at first.

You're going to need the Fill tool. It should look just like a paint bucket. Now Ты get to choose a color. Ты may have noticed the color palette on the right hand side of your workspace. It will offer Ты many choices. After you've picked one, just click on the black layer with the Fill tool and there Ты go.

Now for the fun part! In the Layer Palette Ты can choose the blend mode and opacity for your layer. There will be a little drop down menu that starts with 'Normal' mode. There should be many modes like 'Color', 'Screen', 'Multiply' and more. Just play around with these options to see what kind of effects they produce. Play with the opacity as well; it will let the image Показать through better and make the effects еще subtle, if Ты want.


In the banner above I went for a simple effect that added a sense of cohesiveness to the banner, making it flow and all seem to belong together.


Then I decided I wanted something a little еще creepy, a little еще funky. The banner is still cohesive but the mood is different.


Adding text

For the finishing touch, Ты can add some text. Now I don't always add words because sometimes it just doesn't need it. But in this case I've deliberately left room for some text.

You'll need the Text tool, which will look just like a letter of the alphabet [I've seen it as a T или an A]. When Ты open it, there will be a box to write in and some options to change the size, font and color. Sometimes these options won't appear in the text window but at the вверх of your workspace или in the color palette.
When Ты type usually a Предварительный просмотр of it will appear on your banner. Make sure that the color you've chosen shows up.

Now the text is going to be added as another layer. Which means that Ты can use blend mode effects and change the opacity for it too.

I would recommend adding each word as an individual layer rather than typing it all into the text box at once. This way Ты can Переместить each word independently into the position Ты desire. Which makes it easier to fit the text around the objects in your banner if Ты need to. In order to add them as separate layers, type one word in the box and add it: then select the вверх layer of the banner and add another word. Repeat for every word. Otherwise it will group them all together as one layer and when Ты try to Переместить them, it will Переместить them all.


Please proofread your text before you're finished. There are online dictionaries that can help Ты with spelling if Ты need it. There's nothing еще sloppy-looking than a banner with poor spelling and that kind of ruins the point of all the hard work Ты just put into making it.
If you're interested in downloading some cool fonts to use, I recommend this website: link

Quality/Size

One last thing about quality. Although the standard size for a Fanpop banner is 800x100 Ты can make them larger. They're easier to work with in a larger size and the quality is better. But the dimensions have to be equivalent to the Fanpop requirements.
Example sizes: 2400x300, 5200x650

или Ты can just use these templates! But make sure to download the full sizes by clicking on the image.



I hope this guide has provided Ты with some useful tips on how to make a banner. If Ты have any Вопросы или need clarification on anything, just leave a Комментарий and I'll try to help as best I can.