...to improve the quality of chops, to revive the activity and gather more members in a very natural way. So here is my fantasy in short:

1. (PSC)Accept/Release only quality sources 2000x2000px or above (native). This way we will filter some junk.

2. (YOU)Now you can start chopping having a double target in mind: win a contest and sell your artwork:
a. If you think your idea is funny only and you don't have time for a meticulous execution which can qualify your work as a possible saleable poster, can chop it like before, for contest only (max 1024x768px), with the chance to win the contest.
b. If you feel like hitting the jackpot, chop it at high resolution with high resolution externals (be careful with copyrights, procure your stock if needed,etc.) make a masterpiece you're proud of and hope tomorrow will be a brighter day.

3. (PSC) Keep the voting system like before (or improve it somehow, so God help us) and decide the top 5 of the contest.

4. (PSC) within those first 5 places, all the works that meet the requirements (i.e. composition, idea, resolution (i.e. 2500x2500px or above), any other criteria) will be featured in a special gallery as a virtual shop where your art can be sold all over www, in different sizes/prices, like the way any image stock sites works.

5. (US) Your art is sold, you get half, rest it goes for site maintainance, reviews and advertising. All happy. Site will become a selfpromoter in few months, your morale will be boosted and the desire to chop again will become more addictive, besides the fact you'll improve your skill in PS.

A lot more of details could be added, but no time to bore you now.

In my eyes, the result will be: a ressurection of some good choppers, overall quality of chop dramatically improved (if you think you can mix pleasure with earning), more entries, more popularity, the website will definetelly be more attractive (facelift, new feature, more flowers/colors)...

Got to go now.

bogo

Good effort bogo, why don't you all share your ideas'? and then we can all summarize the ideas and see what can be done and what cannot be done and who's able to help, just write down your ideas without commenting on other people's ideas so people don't start bitching, then together with the mods who should respond to our ideas and show some support, we can come up with something, cause everybody seems to have something in mind.. And if you're happy with the current situation and have nothing to say, then dont. And try to give solutions, not just ideas.

Hi, Thanks for all those ideas.

The larger file size for posting chopped images will be a problem! Right now PSC occupies almost 13GB of hard drive space. Certainly not a small amount, but with bi-daily, weekly, & monthly backups, this number can be multiplied. Right now with temporary files we are getting close to 87% of the alloted HD space. It's only a matter of weeks before a larger server is again required, which will also mean an additional $60/month for hosting.

I would be ok with larger source files though. Let's say 1600x1200 or 2048x1536.

Proc

SWEET! Keep talking Proc and bogo. I'm really liking this idea. PSC can do this to keep things going.

I like the idea of increased source image size a lot, have a few doubts about selling the images here, we would have to be very careful with copy right and the use of externals and I guess we could have a sell don't sell button to give some semblance of choice to the artist concerned.

But I do like the larger source image idea

Perfect! How about when the chopper decides wether or not he sells his work he has to submit the sources of the images, that wouln't allow us to become somewhat like ebaum that makes money out of stolen material. Also in addition to this and also because of this advantage would have to be changed, if not extinct. If this works out I'd surely chop every week at least and so would many others.

I agree about selling our images... we have plenty of people who swipe copyrighted material - logos & images for their entries now who don't have any regard to that fact... could get the site in plenty of trouble as it is now much less trying to sell images using those swiped items. Several places that allow us to use images for chopping and exhibiting, may not allow for re-selling, the altered image.

I don't really care about bigger images - they're already over 17 inches wide, but higher res would be nice, even if the physical size were smaller.

oh, and by the way.... HELLO PROC!! Nice to see you here! ;-D

i was wondering, along the lines of prizes, about months of advantage membership. I remember when i first started here that was a frequent and welcome prize, especially to newer members... like a free trial. Makes you want to buy the longer membership... or at least try harder to win a few more months worth on another contest.

i just bought a 2yr membership, but long ago I had a few months given to me, I believe by Martrex, and another few months by Marco in a forum contest, but whenever that prize came around it seems like we had more people chopping and trying to get it.

I have another idea I'd like to share, please. Is there any way to change the programming to accept BOTH landscape AND portrait sources? Another option would be to make the dimensions perfectly square, requiring a crop or a white boarder for ALL submitted sources. Similarly, square dimensions for contest images (like we have for the H2H Tournaments) would level the playing field for those who want to submit a portrait-shaped entry.

I would be happy with 1000 x 1000, but if you want to go bigger, that wouldn't hurt my feelings any. I have a beautiful 27" monitor and I've been trying to nurse the chopping bug again back to health.

I like that idea. Now...would that include an increase in "entry" file size?

also...Maybe a day or two with 2 sources and a chopper would need to use something from both....tho, I wouldn't have the slightest idea of the difficulty in implementing something like that, so...

*!*

Like the Ideas B!!! I was also thinking that it would be cool to add the Signature link to show above your portfolio... I requested this in the past... but nothing ever came of it.... I just think its another way to personalize your own portfolio... It would also be cool to have a very small section to add some artist notes about your style of art/form!

and apparently still nothing with come of it!!!!

You're wrong! It's not apparently, but obviously . Well I tried...consider it spam

P.S. Btw Proc, it's September, we had a deal, thank you