Tutorial requests.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:55 am

I've put up a section in Guilty By Design Studios for tutorials on the following subjects:

Comic Genesis

HTML/CSS

Photoshop

Misc.

It's pretty bland right now and I actually was just putting out the offer to post any tutorials that cover any of these subjects that you would like to share. They don't have to be long or complex, and each tutorial will have a link back to your comic/home page.

I may have to modify the structure of the tutorial to fit the layout of my site, but the content should remain the same. Also, for a bit of clarification: I don't have drawing/art tutorials because I don't intend to tell people how to draw. The photoshop section is how to do effects like hair textures, metalic surfaces, speech bubbles or things like that related to comics. I'm not looking for tutorials on art itself.

So basicly, if you have anything you've written that has helped someone and want to let others have access to it, I'm opening my doors to anyone who has something they'd like to contribute. If it's short, you can PM the tutorial to me and I'll format it to fit the site. If you do have to E-Mail me something, send me a PM first so I know to look for it. I don't regularly check my E-Mail unless I'm expecting one.

JTorch · Post by **JTorch** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:07 am

I figure it wouldn't hurt to have a complete, start-to-finish, step-by-step guide on how to actually get your Comic Genesis account, so I made one.

Jason Torchia wrote: The Complete Moron's Guide To Setting Up A ComicGenesis Account
(Step-by-step, so even a monkey can do it.)

1. Go to http://www.comicgenesis.com and click "Join Us".

2. Read ALL of the information on the next page.
In summary: Your comic cannot be completely composed of:
a) copyrighted sprites / blatant edits of copyrighted sprites, or
b) screenshots taken directly from any kind of pc/videogame.
Basically your comic must be your own work; no ripping other people off.

3. Click "Sign Up Now".

4. Fill in all the fields:
-a) A correct e-mail address
-b) Verify the e-mail address
-c) Author Name (only one author name allowed)
-d) Address (line 1)
-e) Address (line 2)
-f) City
-g) State/Province (Abbreviations only. Eg: California = CA; Alberta = AB, etc.)
-h) Country (NOT abbreviated)
-i) Postal code or zip code (For a postal code, put three digits in each box. For a zip code, only use the first box)
-j) Phone number:
----Box1: Country code. (See a list of country codes here: http://kropla.com/dialcode.htm - Find your country, and take the number from the very next column [remove any +'s or *'s] and enter that number in the box)
----Box2: Your three-digit area code. (Do not confuse this with your zip or postal code)
----Box3: First three digits of your phone number
----Box4: Last four digits of your phone number
-k) Your FTP username. (This will show up in your comic address. So entering "mycomic" as your usename would make your comic address http://mycomic.comicgenesis.com)
-l) Comic title. (The full title of your comic.)
-m) Set your update offset. (If you don't understand it, which you probably won't, I would recommend leaving it as it is and tweaking it after your account is set up.)
-n) A brief description of your comic.
-o) Submit a sample comic. (This will show up as your first comic when your account is first created, but it can be easily changed or removed afterwards.)
-p) Check the box to signify that you agree to what was stated on the previous page. (Don't forget to do this. It's easy to miss if you're not paying attention.)
-q) Click "Verify"

5. Wait until you recieve your verification e-mail. It can take up to 24 hours to send, so be patient. If you do not recive it within 2 weeks, you will need to sign up again because your application will have expired.

6. When you recieve the e-mail, go to the given URL and enter the given activation code.

7. Wait to recieve your password via e-mail. You will NOT recieve this until AT LEAST 7 days have passed, so don't be alarmed when it takes over a week to arrive.

8. You may need to wait 2-5 days after you recieve this e-mail before your account becomes fully active. Keep checking your website address until you can see the sample image that you signed up with.

9. Change your FTP password. Go here: http://siteadmin.comicgenesis.com:8080/ ... ssword.cgi and then enter your FTP username (the one that appears as part of your website address), a new password, and then that same password again, and then click "Generate New Password". You should recieve an e-mail with an activation code. Return to the Lost Password page and enter that activation code in the lower box and click "Activate".

10. At this point, sign up for a ComicGenesis forum account if you haven't yet. After this, go to the ComicGenesis main page and click "Log In" to sign in to SiteAdmin with your forum username and password.

11. Your comic title should appear. By clicking on it, you can edit your comic data, ratings, and other information. This is also where you can force your page to update.

12. To edit and add pages and images to your site, you'll need to use an FTP client, ComicGenesis' built in WebFTP, or Internet Explorer's built in FTP support:

For WebFTP:
a) Go here: http://siteadmin.comicgenesis.com:8080/ ... eb-ftp.cgi
b) Sign in with your FTP username and the password you newly created.

For Internet Explorer:
a) Go to your comic's website.
b) In the address bar, replace the "http://" with "ftp://".
c) Press OK on the dialog box that pops up.
d) Click "File" in the top-left of the Internet Explorer window.
e) Click "Login As..."
f) Enter your FTP username and the password you newly created.

FAQ:
Q. Does it really take over a week to recieve your password after you recieve the first e-mail?
A. Yes, but the wait is worth it. You get unlimited webspace and bandwidth for your comic, and all you have to do is place a banner ad the top of each page.

Q. Why?
A. Just because. Just wait the 7 days. Trust me, it really is worth it in the end.

Q. Can I use FTP with Mozilla Firefox?
A. As far as I know, Firefox does not have FTP support by default. There may or may not be add-ons that will allow it, but I have no idea if there are any.

Q. I need help with *Insert commercial FTP client here*
A. As I use Internet Explorer's FTP support, I cannot help you with any other kind of FTP client, but you could try posting on the ComicGenesis Help Forums at http://forums.comicgenesis.com/viewforum.php?f=1. Someone there is bound to be able to help you.

Q. Some of the pages mention something called "Keenspace". What's that?
A. Keenspace was the original name of Comic Genesis. Whenever you see something that says "Keenspace", pretend it says "Comic Genesis".

Q. What do I do next?
A. I'd suggest you begin by reading the Genner's Gear at http://gear.comicgenesis.com to get an idea of what to do now that you have your account set up. If you still can't figure it out, try one of the following:

a) CG Wiki: http://cgwiki.comicgenesis.com
b) ComicGenesis Help Forums: http://forums.comicgenesis.com/viewforum.php?f=1

NOTE: NEVER e-mail the ComicGenesis staff directly, as they are very busy. There are literally dozens of friendly people who can help you with just about anything on the ComicGenesis Help Forums, and you'll usually get a response on the forums in under a day.

Good luck, and happy comicking.
-Jason Torchia
http://tacomf.comicgenesis.com

If I missed anything or I'm completely wrong about anything, let me know.

EDIT: It doesn't help that the links end up in white and become impossible to read in the quote box, but oh well.

EDIT2: I forgot to mention, I'm aware that you already have a tutorial on how to get started, but I made this simply for the purpose of account creation and nothing more than that. It's step-by-step, so there's as little confusion as possible. (Not that yours is confusing, but mine breaks it down so there's no excuse for not being able to figure out how to simply obtain your account).

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:14 am

This is really good. I covered pretty much everything EXCEPT the sign-up in my tutorial on Comic Genesis. (Link in sig). I'm sure this will be helpful for those having trouble with the sign-up process. I'll start converting this today at work.

JTorch · Post by **JTorch** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:20 am

You might want to go through it and double-check everything, too. A lot of it only comes from what I can recall when I signed up.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:28 am

JTorch wrote:You might want to go through it and double-check everything, too. A lot of it only comes from what I can recall when I signed up.

Ok. If I need to make changes, or clarify anything, I'll just add small notes under the original text, so your original is in tact.

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:45 am

Not quite the topic at hand, but... Once it's up would you like to link swap between our respective tutorial sites? I do keep meaning to add a link section...

- Joel Fagin

Post by **Mercury Hat** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:17 am

Don't forget to add this stuff to the wiki, too

.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:50 am

Joel Fagin wrote:Not quite the topic at hand, but... Once it's up would you like to link swap between our respective tutorial sites? I do keep meaning to add a link section...

- Joel Fagin

Sure thing, Joel. I was actually planning to link you anyway since you helped me with the site layout a little bit.

Shishio · Post by **Shishio** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:35 pm

If you want, you can use this. Just put up a link to my site somewhere, if you don't mind.

Linkara · Post by **Linkara** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:47 pm

I think pretty soon I'm going to be writing a tutorial/tip page on how to keep a comic updated regularly, mostly because my drawing skills such so much that attempting any other kind of tutorial would be... well, lame. ^^;;

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:22 am

Well, as soon as the update goes through, your tutorial should be up, JT.

You can find it here.

Also, Joel. I gave you a mention in my most recent news post, and you have a perminant place on the links page.

And I used a little javascript there. I'd like some opinions on the links page to see if people like how I did it.

(Edit: If these links don't work, it's because I just uploaded them and my update hasn't gone through yet. Give it a few minutes.)

JTorch · Post by **JTorch** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:34 am

KittyKatBlack wrote:Give it a few minutes.

It seems that after more than an hour it still has not updated.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:41 am

JTorch wrote:
KittyKatBlack wrote:Give it a few minutes.
It seems that after more than an hour it still has not updated.

I have noticed this too, and I'm getting kinda frustrated. I think the updater is stuck. AGAIN.

Pimpette · Post by **Pimpette** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:35 am

I was playing around last night and ended up making a photoshop tutorial, which I then put up on deviantart.
It's sort of one big long image though - would you prefer I separate it into regular text and a series of example images, instead? That wouldn't be a problem at all to do.

It's here, at any rate: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36054376/

JTorch · Post by **JTorch** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am

My tutorial seems to be up now, but I'm just curious.. why did you change my correct spelling of the word "address" to "adress"?

EDIT: I threw the Moron's Start-Up Guide up on the CG Wiki, here.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:20 am

JTorch wrote:My tutorial seems to be up now, but I'm just curious.. why did you change my correct spelling of the word "address" to "adress"?

EDIT: I threw the Moron's Start-Up Guide up on the CG Wiki, here.

Because of copy/pasting it the easy way, I transcribed it manually word for word and I can't spell. -_-

I'll fix it.

JTorch · Post by **JTorch** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:26 am

As long as you're doing that, at one point the word "also" was changed to "alsow", and "enter" was "entter". That's all I noticed.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:32 am

JTorch wrote:As long as you're doing that, at one point the word "also" was changed to "alsow", and "enter" was "entter". That's all I noticed.

Erg... I really should pay more attention to what I'm doing. Those should all be fixed now.

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:35 am

Pimpette wrote:I was playing around last night and ended up making a photoshop tutorial, which I then put up on deviantart.
It's sort of one big long image though - would you prefer I separate it into regular text and a series of example images, instead? That wouldn't be a problem at all to do.

It's here, at any rate: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36054376/

It's fine. I have Photoshop on my flash drive, so I can take it to work if I need to make graphics on the go.

Linkara · Post by **Linkara** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:23 pm

Hey, quick question for you - writing up the tutorial right now, do you want it with HTML code already built into it or would you prefer I just sent the microsoft word document to you once it's finished?