Calling for wallpaper submissions for MX19

[asqwerth]

Dear forum members,

[ADDED - 7 Aug 2019]

Gallery of wallpaper submissions (so far) for MX19 is now live: https://mxlinux.org/wallpaper-submissions-for-mx-19/

To submit your images, use this online form: https://mxlinux.org/submit-your-wallpaper/

Please follow the rules and instructions set out in my first 3 posts in this thread.


==============================
I've decided to issue the call for MX19 wallpaper (WP) submissions early so people can start thinking and creating early.

No deadline for now.

What are we looking for?

The artwork could be photographs, photo manipulations, graphic art including explorations of the MX name or logo, computer-generated images (e.g. forum member skidoo has contributed backgrounds generated using an open source program Evolvotron), etc. You’re restricted only by your creativity.

See : https://mxlinux.org/blog/calling-all-ar ... ive-types/

You can submit your own creations or the creations of other parties for consideration, provided all licences and conditions for distribution are respected. See note at the bottom of this post for information on licences and copyright.

Please note that submitted images must conform to the Forum rules about appropriate content, as set out here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=29041


Wallpaper details and how to submit:

1. WP picture size: 1920 x 1200, of sufficiently high resolution at that size.

2. Submit using the online form in this link:
https://mxlinux.org/submit-your-wallpaper/

It's a manual process to create download links for the full-sized submitted images, so be patient. While your pics will show up in the MX19 submissions gallery fairly soon, the download links themselves will only be added in due course.


3. file size per image submitted: no real limitation for the final image if chosen. But in respect of your initially uploaded submissions, please keep it to under 2MB per uploaded file. If the actual file size is larger than that, please reduce the file size for the upload, but keep the original high-quality file. If the WP is selected, you can forward the original to us.


The team may also consider other artwork, or artwork already submitted by members that didn't have the opportunity to be showcased in the previous wallpaper packs.

Even if your submissions aren't selected for the MX19 default WP pack, your wallpapers will still be available for download by the community at the Community website.


4. With the new website, I believe you no longer need a website account (not the same as your forum account) to submit pics using the online form.

5. for each upload, fill in these relevant details in the text fields:
a) the source of the pic (e.g. yours? someone you know? Found at this URL?)
b) licence terms for the pic
c) if attribution is required under the licence, give details of creator/artist.

If you need to see how different members had previously filled in these text fields, just click on the names of any of the wallpapers in the "Download Wallpaper" left panel section of the wallpaper page at https://mxlinux.org/wallpaper/



Addition of MX Linux logo on your wallpaper submissions

There is some flexibility here. Obviously if your artwork is already an artistic exploration of the MX Logo or name, there may be no need to further affix the MX logo to one corner, so I leave it to your artistic sensibilities.

If your uploaded pics are smaller-sized lower-resolution images, it may not be necessary for the moment to affix the logo. If your pic is selected, the logo can be affixed at that time to the full resolution image file.

However, for those who do want to affix the logo, here are some resources and instructions.

Go to the main art resource link: https://mxlinux.org/art/

On this page (under "Logos for Wallpaper" section) you will see something described as : "Logo on transparent background 1920×1200 for overlay on similar-sized wallpaper (svg)".

Download this said file, open your wallpaper in GIMP, then “Open [the Overlay Sheet] As Layer" from the File Menu option in GIMP and affix onto your wallpaper. You can then save/export the combined image as a jpg or png file.

On the same page, there are also standalone logos, the Crackdown font used for the name portion of the logo, etc.

If your image has a light background and the logo won't show up well in white, by all means use a darker colour for the logo/font. See for example: https://mxlinux.org/sdm_downloads/contrails/

Or see "misty morning" from the MX18 wallpaper pack - the name and logo were coloured orange and positioned imaginatively.


When affixing logos, words or the MX name on your wallpaper, please take care to position these elements so that they are not blocked by a horizontal or vertical panel.


Note on licences and copyright:

1. the source/provenance of the WP and terms of any licence attached to it are important, as we don't want copyright disputes with people claiming to be the rightful artist/creator.

2. it would be nice to have photos/art created by forum members themselves, or by people who are willing to let MX use their art without any conditions except credit/attribution. As an example, the wallpaper in MX18 showing an Arctic scene with the Northern lights was from Charlie Henson's opendesktop site, after a member approached him and got his permission.

3. However, we have no problems with work:
a) carrying liberal licences like CC0 provided the source/origin of the WP is not some questionable** site, or
b) under Creative Commons Share Alike licences so long as they do not prohibit derivative work (since we may add the MX logo or otherwise modify the work) or commercial use. Again, attribution is fine - we'll just include the details in a text file in the wallpaper directory.


4. For members contributing suggestions from other sources, you may wish to consider (just some examples):
- Flickr or Unsplash contributors with acceptable licence terms for their pics who, from the picture details provided (e.g. camera used, lens, location, time, date, occasion), are credible as the creator/taker of the pics
- https://pixabay.com/ , with hundreds of thousands of free images released under CC0 Public Domain Free for commercial use. No attribution required.
- another CC0 site: https://www.pexels.com/


**It is true that some people may upload copyrighted material to sites like the above and claim them as their own. The origin of each pic can be checked at https://www.tineye.com/
If it doesn't appear in too many different places, it's more likely to be aboveboard. Use common sense.

[asqwerth]

Dear members,

Thank you for the wallpaper submissions that have already come in since I posted my call yesterday.

However, Peregrine our webmaster notes that of the bunch that came in overnight:
1. many are not 1920 x 1200 -- (a few are 1920x1080) -- but half are 1600 x 1000, or 1700 x 1000
2. many full versions are low quality - <120KB

When uploaded, these submissions were really low-resolution. These wallpapers will look poor or blurred on modern sized screens.

My original post above set:
1) WP picture size: 1920 x 1200, of sufficiently high resolution at that size.
2) a reasonable filesize limit of 2 MB per uploaded file.


Please therefore note that any Wallpaper Submissions smaller than 1920 PX in width and/or less than 100 KB in file size will NOT be accepted.

For those who were just trying to help us save storage space by giving us smaller-sized/more-compressed versions of your actual picture files, just resubmit your better quality and correct-size pics when you've sorted them out. You have lots of time, don't worry.

[asqwerth]

We are still receiving submissions that are not only not the stipulated size, ie 1920x1200, but are multiple submissions of the SAME image at different sizes, all of which are smaller than 1920x1200. These submissions will not be accepted.

Please comply with the size requirements already set out. Do not provide multiple versions of the same image.


Two other points:

1. The online submissions form states that submitters are to limit themselves to 4 images at one sitting. Please comply with the instructions as there are some server issues.

2. for free-to-use/stock sites like Unsplash, Pixabay or Pexels, I appreciate that there are many beautiful images there. However, it may not be appropriate for MX's wallpaper display+download site to display large numbers of pics from each of these sites, as their licence terms may prohibit using their images in a similar way.

As such, please select just a few (3 or 4) pics per type/category of images from these sites for submission. I would suggest the following rough categories:
a) abstract/digital art
b) landscape/scenery
c) animals/plants
d) urban/buildings

[and of course, keep to the 4-image limit set out in the online form! ]

I repeat, there is time to go through all the pics you like, consider and curate your choices, before submitting them.

[asqwerth]

Gallery of wallpaper submissions (so far) for MX19 is now live.

See post #1 above: viewtopic.php?p=518752#p518752

[asqwerth]

Thank you for the submissions that have come in, as well as the recommendations from Unsplash (this will include any other free-to-use/stock sites).

We are currently lacking any submissions or recommendations in the urban/buildings category, and would welcome a few such.

[Auro Kumar Sahoo]

We are currently lacking any submissions or recommendations in the urban/buildings category, and would welcome a few such.

Can i request you to consider my Image for this purpose, I can resize for mx specifications.

Mumbai Midnight by AURO KUMAR SAHOO, on Flickr

Boats at murdeshwar by AURO KUMAR SAHOO, on Flickr

Dal Lake by AURO KUMAR SAHOO, on Flickr

khandagiri_udayagiri_3 by AURO KUMAR SAHOO, on Flickr

These are all photographed by myself and i dont add because they are from 2017-18.
If you can consider any, i can work on them to fit mx specifications.

Thanks
AKS

[asqwerth]

Auro, I would still consider these pics of yours as pictures of scenery and landscapes.

I was thinking of pics of cities, roads, vehicles, buildings (new or old), equipment, tech, etc that have some visual interest.

These are listed purely as examples:
https://unsplash.com/photos/NOMebOREvtc
https://unsplash.com/photos/vXtX07KVcE8
https://www.pexels.com/photo/abandoned- ... ue-208560/

[i_ri]

Hello asqwerth and Everyone
Found no invitation for user poll While not resisting want to express
feedback that this "Mute Swan - displaying"
is favorite fantastic picture. Thanks ChrisUK. for the beautiful image(s.) Great. .
Thanks everyboby for the images. Here thinking images of cracked eggshells now. Buster with a duckling or egg.
Have a fun time with the choosing.

[asqwerth]

I like that Pic as well. :-)

Hopefully the dev team's selections will be ready to be included in Beta 2.

[asqwerth]

Just a heads up that the wallpaper collection for MX19 has been decided on and will show up in the Beta 2 of MX19.

Thank you to all who contributed. We couldn't pick all of them (and there were some very nice ones that didn't get chosen), but every submission is appreciated.