Creating Gmod Artwork: Understanding Compostion

I love making artwork in Garry's Mod. I could do what ever i want with it. But if i want to have my artwork get popular, there are some rules to follow. One of the most important rules are understanding the basis of composition. not only it makes your picture more interesting, but it also makes it more balanced and clean. here are what you need to know...

Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds is by far, the most important rule of any Artwork maker in gmod. Without it, photos will have a lot of wasted space and wont make your photos stand out.

There is a mod on the work shop that adds overlays for the rule of thirds:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=711150903
if you open gmod, start a game, and go into post process, then overlays, you will find many options that will help.


The rule of thirds state that there is a 3x3 grid over your image, and that the main subject, rather it be a person, object, or a horizon, must always match up with one of the lines that the 3x3 grid creates. Here is a demonstrasion:

This makes the main subject more clear to the viewer.

Head Room

If you are doing a close up shot on a subjects face, definatily consider Head room. Head room is the space between the subjects head and the top of the frame. No head room will make the subject look confined. While too much head room will make the subject look small.


A good way to find a good sized head room is consider what is behind the subject. If the backround is slightly more important than the subject, then it should have a bit more head room, but if it isn't as important, stick with the default. But no matter what, the subject should always have a little head room.

Nose Room

Now lets consider the direction the subject is looking. Nose room is the space between the subjects nose and the photo's two sides depending on where your subject is looking. No or not enough nose room will tell the viewer "Our subject is looking at something very important, but you don't get to see it", consider head room with this as well , as it is still important.
let the viewer know where the subject is looking, but if another subject is standing behind another subject, then it might not apply here as much.

Lead Room

if your subject is in motion, then show the viewer where it's going. Lead room is perfect for using a subject that is in a walking or moving position. If there is no lead room, the viewer wont be able to see where the subject is walking.

same with what i said with the nose room, if there's one or more subjects behind one another and they're all moving, it might not apply so heavily on each subject, but it should apply to at least one. Also, put the rule of thirds into a shot with lead room.

Field of View

When using the camera tool in Gmod, holding right click and moving your mouse will change the FOV and angle of your shot.

Mouse up and down: FOV
Mouse left and right: Angle

When taking a picture of a single subject, toying around with the camera can prove effective at making your resulting picture less awkward, even changing the angle.

WHICH LOOKS MORE AWKWARD?

THIS?

OR THIS?
When taking a picture of a subject upclose (without zoom), the subject's face will look slightly distorted. Meaning that parts of the subject's behind will look much farther away and parts of its front will look much closer. And when you take head room into mind, it will look even worse. When taking a picture far away with the field of view shortened (zoomed in), the subject will look more even. it will also make your subject look less thin.

You don't want your subject to look too far away from the camera, nor do you want it to be too close to the camera. Proper placement and camera settings can work wonders.

Comparison

Let's see some photos of similar scenes, but with different levels of composition

NO COMPOSITION

GOOD COMPOSITION

NO COMPOSITION

GOOD COMPOSITION

Do you see the difference in visual clarity?

Conclusion

I might make another guide on "knowing your tools" or "Creativity", but not until soon. My artwork mostly consists of these rules, and they have gotten alot more popular than the ones that didn't. check them out. Thank You for Reading!

[Orudi]

This is very helpful, thank you for this. Can you make a guide on how to use effects properly?

[loosetundra_80]

gg

[GHOST_X_FACE]

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[wool]

HI PHIL SWIFT HERE WITH FLEX PRODUCTS

[Brengo]

owo whats this

[ Dovahbear ]

I've yet to meet one who can spell "definitely" right

[[UwG] Slick]

BOOM

[Agham101]

FBI OPEN UP

[Brengo]

that might come in another guide, this is composition using camera positioning

[Chevrolet Chevette]

where is the explanation covering the use of dynamic shadows and light entites