New board icons?

[Sim]

I would very much like the forum's board icons changed.  Since the last time they were changed, which was in 2020, I've been bothered by the Pteranodon skeleton, I feel all the board icons should have a "living" representation, like on the Animal Toy Forum.  Wouldn't it be weird if one of the ATF's board icons was a skeleton?  I think so and I think it's weird on the Dinosaur Toy Forum too.  And a bit depressing.  I also don't like that some of the icons are of resin models, especially that one is unpainted which looks out of place next to the other icons.  Additionally, I would like to see the obsolete Safari Tyrannosaurus replaced by a Tyrannosaurus figure closer to our current understanding of the animal.

I also think it would be refreshing to have new board icons!  So!  In this thread we can say what figures we'd like for the forum's board icons.  There are 19 'normal' boards, one being only visible to members.  There's also the administration and reviwer's boards.  I will only suggest icons for the 19 'normal' boards.  So, let's hear your suggestions!  I'll start with my suggestions!:

1. Dilophosaurus (Haolonggood)
2. Ceratosaurus (Papo)
3. Spinosaurus (PNSO Aymen)
4. Allosaurus (PNSO Paul or Safari 2019) or Saurophaganax (PNSO) or Yangchuanosaurus (PNSO Y. magnus) or Carcharodontosaurus (Haolonggood) or Giganotosaurus (PNSO 2023) or Mapusaurus (PNSO)
5. Tyrannosaurus (PNSO Cameron or BotM 1:18 adult or BotM 1:35) or Tarbosaurus (BotM)
6. Deinocheirus (PNSO)
7. Citipati (Safari) or Anzu (Safari)
8. Deinonychus (Safari 2020) or Linheraptor (BotM 1:18)
9. Edmontosaurus (PNSO) or Parasaurolophus (Safari 2017)
10. Styracosaurus (PNSO or Safari 2019) or Pentaceratops (Haolonggood)
11. Stegosaurus (PNSO 2021 adult)
12. Ankylosaurus (PNSO adult) or Tianzhenosaurus (Haolonggood)
13. Diplodocus (Eofauna)
14. Pteranodon (Safari 2019)
15. Dimorphodon (CollectA) or Caviramus (CollectA)
16. Plesiosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales)
17. Ichthyosaurus (Safari 2020 or Kaiyodo Dinotales)
18. Mammuthus (Eofauna)
19. Daeodon (Safari)

The numbers above don't correspond to board number, they are just to indicate how many I've selected.  As you might guess, I went through them taxonomically to an extent.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I think I'd like to see a better representation of classic models as opposed to just new stuff. Maybe the Invicta triceratops, Battat rex, or something from the original Carnegie lineup. Funny thing, I just noticed that out of all the icons, I only have the Safari feathered rex and Jurassic World Legacy brachiosaurus in my own collection.

[Sim]

I don't have any of the figures in the current board icons.

[Faelrin]

I think a mix of brands, periods, and animal representation, and old and new figures would be good. I like the idea of the PNSO Deinocheirus (all hail the glorious giant duck king), the Safari Deinonychus, and maybe a BotM or Cyberzoic figure (like Yutyrannus or the upcoming Smilodon). Definitely need some Paleozoic rep (Favorite Opabinia please?) and Cenozoic too (such as the Smilodon for example, or another mammal, perhaps even one seldomly made like the Kaiyodo Thylacosmilus, or the upcoming CollectA Diprotodon).

Oh and we definitely could use a Megalosaurus rather it be the classic Invicta, or the modern takes by either CollectA or PNSO, etc. Maybe even the new Mattel one. It is the 200th anniversary of its discovery this year, let's do something to celebrate it here. Honestly now that I think of it, would have been good to have it in the forum's banner too (such as the PNSO one), but a bit late for that now.

[DinoToyForum]

Happy to install some updated icons. @Patrx created the last set. Does anyone want to volunteer to create a new set?

The specifications a are 38px wide, 42px high, .png, two versions of each, one at full opacity (=new posts), the other at 50% opacity (no new posts).

There was a little logic behind the previous choices. For example, the Lego Pteranodon was selected specifically for the "other" category, as it was supposed to feel a bit different from the others, and the Black Horse Stygymoloch resin kit was selected specifically for the model kits board.

[Sim]

Thanks @DinoToyForum!

So taking into consideration the suggestions so far...:

I say the following two are definites:
1. Deinocheirus (PNSO)
2. Deinonychus (Safari 2020)
I also just noticed these two were voted the top figure of their year on this forum

I also like the idea of the Opabinia and the PNSO Megalosaurus so I say they're definites too:
3. Opabinia (Favorite)
4. Megalosaurus (PNSO)

I think it would be best to limit to one figure per "similar" animals, so the following need to be decided between:
5. Edmontosaurus (PNSO) or Parasaurolophus (Carnegie 1989/Safari 2017/any of the Mattel/either Battat) or Corythosaurus (Carnegie)
6. Ichthyosaurus (Safari 2020/Kaiyodo Dinotales/Invicta painted)
7. Styracosaurus (PNSO/Safari 2019) or Pentaceratops (Haolonggood) or Triceratops (Invicta painted)
8. Tyrannosaurus (any of the Battat large versions/PNSO Cameron/BotM 1:18 adult or 1:35) or Tarbosaurus (BotM) or Yutyrannus (BotM)
9. Daeodon (Safari) or Thylacosmilus (Kaiyodo)

I think only released figures should be used as unreleased ones could change quite a bit when they are released.  I also think it would be great to have Plesiosaurus in one of the icons as it's 200 years since its species was named and it is an important discovery too.  Plus, I would very much like to have a plesiosauroid in one of the forum icons!  They were one of the most successful types of animals ever, evolving in the Triassic and lasting all the way to the end of the Cretaceous.
So unless there are any changes, the remaining choices are:
10. Plesiosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales)
11. Dilophosaurus (Haolonggood) or Ceratosaurus (Papo)
12. Citipati (Safari) or Anzu (Safari)
13. Stegosaurus (PNSO 2021 adult)
14. Ankylosaurus (PNSO adult) or Tianzhenosaurus (Haolonggood)
15. Diplodocus (Eofauna)
16. Pteranodon (Safari 2019)
17. Dimorphodon (CollectA) or Caviramus (CollectA)
18. Mammuthus (Eofauna)
19. (Currently free)

[Ikessauro]

Here is a probably impopular opinion. Using only models for icons of each category isn't very useful considering user experience. I am of the opinion that the icon should allow the user (or visitor) to easily and quickly recognize a category at a glance.

Despite me being a long time user, I have never use the icons as a guide for finding what I want in the forum. They simply do not have what an icon should have. A clear simple representation of a category.

I think it is ok to use the figures to illustrate animal groups, like a ceratopsian figure for the ceratopsian thread. But when all categories have a toy as icon, they all feel the same. Icons are supposed to help differentiate stuff.

I for instance think brand threads should be illustrated by the brand logo. If it is a "New for 0000" thread, maybe the logo and the year written under it. Something like that. Simple, direct, but actually useful.

Diorama thread? Maybe a dino and a plant together? Custom thread? Maybe art material icons? brushes and paint splashes... or a half painted figure?
Classified thread, maybe something to do with money or a shop icon?
DTF diorama contest? Maybe a "prize" icon?

And so on...

[Sim]

I find that once I learn which icon is for which category, I can easily associate an icon with its category.  I think the icons are mostly there to make the forum look nice and to differentiate each category.  I would prefer the icons remain of different figures, like they on the Animal Toy Forum where the icons don't especially represent what the board is about.

Threads have never had icons of this nature, and it would probably require too much work to implement that.

[Sim]

Okay, considering everything in this thread so far, I propose the following for board icons:

1. Deinocheirus (PNSO)
2. Deinonychus (Safari 2020)
3. Opabinia (Favorite)
4. Megalosaurus (PNSO)
5. Parasaurolophus (Mattel Hammond Collection)
6. Ichthyosaurus (Invicta painted)
7. Styracosaurus (PNSO)
8. Tyrannosaurus (Battat version 1)
9. Thylacosmilus (Kaiyodo)
10. Plesiosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales)
11. Ceratosaurus (Papo)
12. Citipati (Safari)
13. Stegosaurus (PNSO 2021 adult)
14. Tianzhenosaurus (Haolonggood)
15. Diplodocus (Eofauna)
16. Pteranodon (Safari 2019)
17. Dimorphodon (CollectA)
18. Mammuthus (Eofauna)
19. Helicoprion (PNSO)

The numbers don't correspond to a board yet, I'll allocate the figures to each board later.

[Sim]

Below is what I propose for each board.  I've changed some of the figures to better suit preferences that have been expressed.  I've also changed my mind on upcoming figures, I think they can be good to include if they provide better diversity.  The only one I'm currently including, the Cyberzoic Smilodon, I don't expect to change noticeably.

Dinosaur toys (general): Megalosaurus (PNSO)
Dinosaur toy lines: Deinonychus (Safari 2020)
Dinosaur model kits: Parasaurolophus (Carnegie version 1)
Dinosaur toy groups: Tianzhenosaurus (Haolonggood)
Dinosaur toy collections: Ceratosaurus (Papo)
Classifieds: Ichthyosaurus (Invicta painted)
Dinosaurs and palaeontology: Diplodocus (Eofauna)
Books, film, and other media: Dimorphodon (CollectA)
Museums, theme parks, and other places: Tyrannosaurus (Battat version 1)
Dinosaur art: Deinocheirus (PNSO)
Dioramas: Citipati (Safari)
Dinosaur Toy Forum diorama contests: Stegosaurus (PNSO 2021 adult)
Customised figures: Smilodon (Cyberzoic)
General: Plesiosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales)
Other toys and collectibles: Helicoprion (PNSO)
Games: Styracosaurus (Mattel 2019)
New members: Opabinia (Favorite)
Members' board: Diprotodon (Southlands Replicas)
Forum and blog business: Pteranodon (Safari 2019)

[Sim]

@DinoToyForum, I'm trying to create the board icons.  It's my first time doing this and I'm wondering if there's an easy way to get the figure's head into an image of the size you specified?

[Faelrin]

@Sim You read my mind for going with the HC Parasaurolophus. Alternatively the newest revealed one could work in place too.

I have experience with this sort of thing. You'd want to use a cropping tool around the head, maybe resize the image first before cropping it. A free program for this sort of thing is either Windows Paint or Gimp.

For example:

Full opacity:



50% opacity:


Edit: In case flipped versions would be preferred, here they are:





Edit: If you'd like help with any particular others let me know, and I would be glad to help out.

[Sim]

Thanks for your response @Faelrin!

I replaced the Hammond Collection Parasaurolophus with the original Carnegie version to have Carnegie representation...  Is that okay or would you prefer I use the Hammond Collection version?

Regarding the icons, I've tried making one on Paint and I've found it difficult to get the right size for the figure image and getting the full image into the specific size it needs to be.  I haven't succeeded at creating an icon.  I've also tried Paint 3D and it wasn't better.

[Faelrin]

@Sim No big deal to me. Although I think the Carnegie Parasaurolophus was used in the past? Does anyone else remember or is my memory messing with me?

If you would like me to PM you a little tutorial on how I did the above I can. I would be glad to help with these in any way.

[Sim]

I'm pretty sure the original Carnegie Parasaurolophus has never been used for a forum icon.

I've given the icon-making another go on Paint, and I can remove the background, crop the head and shrink the head, getting it to the right size by keeping an eye on the pixel size at the bottom of the screen.  Is there an easier way to do it?  Also, I noticed that the image I got doesn't look as "smooth" as yours.  I used the same photo of the PNSO Megalosaurus as you did, I wonder if the "rougher" look of mine is due to removing the background earlier, or using a larger image than you did?

[Sim]

I'm not getting the "roughness" anymore, thankfully.

This is what I've created:

How do I change the opacity?

[Sim]

Another I've created is below.  I'll take care of all the icons, although I just don't know how to reduce the opacity.

[Faelrin]

@Sim I used the full sized image from the (US) Amazon listing.

Here's a little tutorial in case it would be useful for you:

Spoiler

What I did (in Gimp) was increase the size of the image canvas a little (not the current layer), and as seen below, lowered the Megalosaurus pic down (to give a little empty space above the head to help center it for the crop tool later on), before clicking the resize button on the box that popped up.



Then I selected (using the magic wand tool) the white background. Then I selected the color to alpha button (and hit okay after on the box that popped up).



For cropping I multiplied by a factor of 8 (to the width 38 and height 42 given above) to come up with 304x336 to get a decent sized box around the head. I created a little box with the cropping tool and manually inserted the above numbers into the size boxes.



Once satisfied with the positioning of the crop box, just clicked it to crop it. I then resized the image down to 38x42 and saved two versions with full 100% opacity and 50% opacity (which you can see is easily adjusted on the right sidebar with the layers in the above images).

[close]

I hope this tutorial helps. I use an older version of gimp, but I imagine the same can be recreated in a new version, or another program (like photoshop for example).

Edit: I had worked on this earlier, but only posted it now, as I needed to make dinner in between working on it. Opacity might need to be done in Gimp, Photoshop, or another digital art tool that has that.

Edit 2: If you want I could handle the 50% opacity versions, if you'd like to do the main full opacity icons.

[DinoToyForum]

Thanks for putting these together team! Once you've generated all the icons, send them to me and tell me (here) which boards they are for, and I'll update them.

[Sim]

Thanks very much @Faelrin!

If you want I could handle the 50% opacity versions, if you'd like to do the main full opacity icons.

I'll make the full opacity icons.  It would be very helpful if you handle the 50% opacity versions as I'm unable to do them.  I'll send you the full opacity versions once I've done them all.