Alright, I thought I'd field a few questions, mostly self-asked, but important all the same. =|
Where do I put these portraits?
Very simple. Just find the folder of the specific character whose portrait you want to switch, rename the portrait image to "portrait.tga" and...that's about it.
Aren't you worried about using all these images without explicit consent from their owners?
Not at all. I'm not making a profit, and it's actually a little free promotion. If anyone should not want their content on my site, I'd take it down, but I can't imagine why that would happen. All the art herein is copyright its respective owners, used with only implied consent. Read my humble legal text.
You have, like, a thousand portraits of [insert character] but none of [insert character]. What the hell?
Okay, first let me explain that I started out only making portraits for skins I had. If you want a portrait of, say, Adam Warlock but I've never had a skin of him, well, I have no portrait for you right now. That's not to say I'll never have one, as I'm always expanding my galleries.
Well, I really want some portraits of [insert character]!
That's not a question. But what you can do is say hello on AIM. Let me know what you need and I'll put it on my to-do list, no problem.
I don't want the rest of the portraits in this .zip file. Can't you just send me this one?
I'd rather not start doing that. Maybe via AIM, but I don't want to keep sending individual emails. The .zip files aren't that large, anyway. Either download the whole file, or just save the .jpg in the gallery, open it with a good image program like IrfranView and save it as a .tga, remembering, of course, to rename it to "portrait.tga".
How can I make my own portraits?
Portraits are the easiest things in FF to make. They also add an extra kick to an already-cool skin. Most skinners just use a Character Tool shot of their skin, but I always go for some art that I used as reference in the skins I've made. Anyway, check out this teeny little Portrait Tutorial and be on your way in, like, three minutes.
Okay, so you make portraits. What else can you do?
Not that much, FF-wise. I make skins now and then, but I don't know any shortcuts and it takes forever. Still, check out some shots of my creations in the Skins Gallery, or go directly to my Yahoo! Group,
Schlomo FF Skins.
Why isn't Thor shown in the Avengers gallery? There's one in the Alex Ross gallery.
I didn't wanna be redundant and show a portrait over and over in every possible gallery. So, if you're looking for Avengers portraits and can't find anything in the Avengers gallery, for example, just check out the galleries for individual artists.
Hey! I created this portrait!
That wouldn't be unheard of. There are a few, no more than eight or so, that I got from downloaded skins. And I'm sorry, but I don't remember which ones or who created them. If anyone feels put out, contact me and I'll correct it immediately. I just didn't wanna second-guess myself and remove any portraits that I may have created afterall.
This portrait of Quick Kick is just a picture of the action figure.
Yes. Yes, it is.
Could I get portraits all by a certain artist?
Sure. Like I said before, either contact me (email and AIM name above) or just make them yourself. If you'd like me to do it, be sure to let me know where I can find works by the artist, otherwise I'll procrastinate until you lose interest. =]
What the hell is that picture of the Flash! You suck!
No, you suck! I drew that myself!
I've got some portraits made. You wanna pool our portrait resources?
Definitely! I'd be happy to host your portraits or move my whole site to a ad-free host. The more the merrier. This is one aspect of FF that's still mostly un-overdone (that's a new word), and I'd be glad to share it with collaborators.
So you make portraits for each new skin you get?
Yes, I do. Sad, but true. I never stopped to think that it might piss off some skinners to have their portraits replaced, but if anyone doesn't like the sound of that, well, at least I don't redistribute them.
How many skins do you have, then?
As of mid-August I have approximately 1100 skins, which is 1099 more than I actually use. Yay Thanos! But as of now, I only have about 1000 portraits, if that. A few hundred are terribe-looking, and I don't wanna release anything I'm not 100% pleased with. Well, except my skins. I get so tired of those I don't care how lame they look.
Okay, anyway, I see you have a skin of [insert character]. I can't find it. Could you send it to me?
I'm afraid not. I don't have time, and I'm really only concerned with making portraits available. I can, however, refer you to some of the best FF skinners and meshers. They're super-helpful, and they'll help you find exactly what you need and barrels more. Just check out my page of links to the Freedom Force Community
.