Scraptorial - Make-A-Kit Extravaganza (Day 25 - Quality Checking)

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Scraptorial - Make-A-Kit Extravaganza (Day 25 - Quality Checking)

It's that time, my friends! Time to carefully look over all your creations and make sure they are ready to go out into the world!

I posted a set of tips back when we were just getting started, and I direct you to that again as it contains everything I know about quality checking scrapbook creations. Page 2 is where I went into detail about that. If you still have questions after looking that over, there is good information in the site's Help Section. Scroll down to the section called "Quality Control." And Marisa also has a section in her Tutorials that deals with doing quality checks. Scroll down to "Quality Control" again.

Unless someone specifically asks for more help with a certain aspect of quality checking, this is the only Scraptorial I have to share and it deals with fixing jaggies, if you are interested.

Day 25 Challenge: Check your creations over for quality control issues. I know it is boring, but it is important. smiley Tomorrow, or so, we will talk about making previews and what to include in TOU (Terms of Use) files.

I just wanted to show what happens when someone doesn't do a quality control. I can't figure out who the designer was. The file itself is un-named. I've looked through all the Christmas files on here and can't find the file anymore.

I've been working on this one as well as another and it's taken a total of 2 hours so far. Ugh

Oh, wow . . . that is a lot of extra pixels. And I bet none of them were visible until you put that stroke on 'em. I am just guessing that at one time that file was a jpg with a solid background and someone used the magic eraser not set high enough and ended up leaving a lot of almost transparent pixels behind. Those type of selections for removing backgrounds are only good if you have the tolerance set correctly. Yikes--don't envy you doing that job at all, Kimberly.

I'm just glad I always quality check them. I started that when I first started designing about 8 years ago. LOL I don't mind the work because I love the graphics. Well worth it. I just wish I could figure out who did it so I could let them know about it.

That’s another thing - naming your files so that the designer can be identified! And I also detest it when someone names their files “ele1”, “ele2”, and so on. No kit name, no designer name, nothing. If a scrapper splits up their kits to store the files according to the way they scrap, they’re going to have to rename every single file - what a pain!

It is probably from a blogtrain or a freebie... I noticed that all the the items from the designers and in the commons are named properly.
If you still have the download date in you folder details, you may be able to find the month (if it is a blogtrain)

Oh, I get frustrated by the generic names, too. It is one of the tips I included in the linked resource and I hope everyone takes note!

I name the folder in full, but for the individual files I abbreviate. For example:

Folder: ChristinaC Spring Bling Papers
Graphics: CC SB Stripes 1

It wasn't from a blog train. But I get what you're all saying. Thank you all!

I probably go overboard when I'm naming my files. As always, I have a Word document with sample file names for every kind of kit I create, whether it's a blog train (Digital Scrapbook or Scrap Twist), kit or bundle, template kit, texture kit... you get the picture! Then I copy and paste into another file for each specific kit I make, and edit the names for that kit. When I was working out the format for my file names, I decided that, even if an end user split up the kits, they would always be able to identify who made it.

For example, these are the file names I used for the mini kit I made for the February 2022 Digital Scrapbook blog train:

The folder name for this kit is "DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_MK01_MiniKit_CU"

DTD = Dancing Tiger Designs (my designer name)
DSBT = Digital Scrapbook Blog Train
2022 = The year
02 = The month
B&F = Bright & Fresh (the kit name)
MK01 = Mini Kit 01
CU = Commercial Use (the terms of use for the kit)

Within this folder, there are element files, eg:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_MK01_Flower_02_CU

Paper files, eg:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_MK01_Paper_02_CU

A preview file:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_MK01_PREVIEW_600x
(600x means that the preview is 600x600 pixels)

A credits file:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_Bright&Fresh_CREDITS

And a Terms Of Use file:
DTD_DancingTigerDesigns_CU_TOU

I don't go into details about the papers, because - let's face it, I'm a bundle-maker, not a kit-maker - and I already group the same types of papers into kits (eg. solids, textured solids, gradients, textured gradients, patterns, photo papers, painted photo papers, watercolours, etc), but I do say whether an element is a flower, ribbon, frame, journal card, and so on.

Because I do make bundles, my alpha, element and paper kits get numbered and named like this:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_PK15_PatternedPapers03_CU

Here, the PK15 stands for "Paper Kit #15", and this is the third kit of patterned papers in this particular bundle. If the kit was the first of a few polka dot kits, then the kit name would read:

"DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_PK15_Patterned03_PolkaDots01_CU"

The file name for a paper in this kit would be:
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_PK15_Paper_01_CU

...Like I said, I probably go overboard! But I would rather give a little too much information, than not enough. You do have to be mindful of the length of a file path, eg:

C:\Documents\Scrapbooking Resources\Digital Scrapbook\Blog Trains\2022\
DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_PK15_Patterned03_PolkaDots01_CU\DTD_DSBT_2022_02_B&F_PK15_Paper_01_CU

They can get a bit long! It's a balance between giving enough information to identify a file, and making file paths too long-winded...

That's what I'm afraid of: Making the file names ridiculously long. I, personally, don't see a need for it.

However, I do understand what you're saying about the user moving individual files around, and should be more mindful of that. smiley I do it with non-kit and CU products because of the way I have my folders set up...thanks to my crazy OCD. I have seperate folders for Elements and Papers, and in those folders are more folders all alphabetized (alphabetization and chronological order are huge aspects of my OCD). For example:

Papers: P > Patterns, Papers (actual paper overlays, such as lined and crinkled), Patriotic. Within Patterns, there are more folders: Argyle and Diamonds, Chevron, Circles and Dots, Damask and Deco, Flowers, Plaid, Random, Squares, Stripes, Triangles.

I keep kits intact by designer, except for blog trains, which has its own folder.

I have all my commercial use files in categories, which is why the no name files drive me nuts. I have folders like Christmas, winter, animals, butterflies, etc.

I keep my stuff in the original folder, but put short-cut links into folders by category.

Thanks for the advice on naming. Please feel free to give me advice on how I named my elements that I uploaded in the commons. Should I put my name in front of the element name?

Gail, the Commons are a different kettle of fish when naming files, because the site automatically adds certain things to the file name. For instance, when I upload a file which I have named:

Spring Fresh Patterned Paper - Floral 01

its name becomes

ps_commons_robyn-denton_328842_spring-fresh-patterned-paper-floral-01_pu

So it's not necessary to put your name, because the site does that automatically.

The file naming system I have outlined above is my own system for kits and bundles that I give away on my blog, whether they are things I have made as part of a Digital Scrapbook or Scrap Twist blog train or something I have made on my own.

Thanks Robyn

You're welcome, Gail! smiley

QC and uploading...just SO not the fun parts of designing. Thanks for sharing all the qc tips and jaggie tutorial.

My bundles are uploaded now:
Desert
HoHoHoly Night

I finally finished and uploaded Spring Bling to my freebie thread on here earlier today.

I know I've said this a gazillion times, but thank you SO much again, Annette! This extravaganza was superb and lots of fun! Plus, I learned a lot about Photoshop, which is a great thing. I doubt I'll ever give up PSP completely, however there are things that are much easier to do in PS that this challenge taught me.

I read that you might do this again after the holidays. If the timing is right, I've got my sights set on a Valentine's Day bundle, or maybe a St. Patrick's Day one. If anyone's going to do the challenge again, I wouldn't mind doing a collab for the Commons. smiley smiley

Okay...back to work on my dog (I needed a quick break, as I've never made a dog before lol) for my Bone-A-Fide kit for Bina's Color Play Challenge. That will be uploaded to the Commons when it's ready to go.

I always name my file folder and preview with the same name that includes my initials and the date so it can easily be found. It's nice to have the quick information. When I save downloads I will get the preview and do the same thing with adding the name and site it is from and name the download and preview the same.

And this is why we quality check, people!

This is an "extracted" png from Pixabay that I'm thinking about using in the January Scrap Twist blog train, "The Vineyard". Honestly, does no one quality check these things before they get put up on the site? A lot of them do perfect extractions, but there are also a lot of them who submit... this. (I have used a blue stroke to show all the stray pixels.)

I'm tossing up in my mind whether I can be bothered fixing this. It would be a great element, but...

meh!

Kimberly, I feel your pain! I have some cleaning up to do on some Pixabay images, too.

Hello

Just wondering if anyone knows how to check gamut in PSE? Thanks

Sorry Sarah, PSE cannot do gamut checks.

booo. dont know how to fix stuff out of gamut. used to have photoshop but got elements and like it better

Here is my finished kit available in the commons

Hi Annette, Christine and all the other ladies that helped and encouraged me with this designing challenge. I Have made it to level 2 in the commons. This is thanks to you all.

Hey, congratulations, Gail! Nice going! smiley

Thanks