Rules for Requests

[Hermione Granger]

Rules of Graphic Showcases

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1) No Plagiarism will be tolerated. Plagiarism is illegal. If we catch you stealing someone's work, we can't necessarily arrest you, but we can ban you. Please read "Stock and When to use it" to find out more. If the creator says you can use an image if you ask, then ask. It's not hard.

2) If you view the images the creator has made, then leave them a quick comment. It doesn't take long and it's polite.

3) If the creator takes requests, make sure to follow their rules. If they make you follow a form, simply follow the form.

*Rules will be added as the Staff see fit.*

WHEN REQUESTING A SUB BOARD FOR MANIPULATIONS:
Please use this form-

[b]Name of sub-board[/b] -
[b]Text of sub-board[/b] -
[b]Examples of your work[/b] -

NOTE: Not everybody will be allowed a sub-board, as it will get to messy. We will be restricting this to members who are a bit experienced in the field of manipulation.

[Hermione Granger]

[From Narcissa Malfoy]

Stock and when to use it.

Recently there has been a bout of people that don't understand the importance of stock rules and copyrights and how they go together. This site is very strict about the use of copyrighted images in all photomanipulations shown here as well as images that you simply wish to use for your own entertainment. Photomanipulists on this site also must be the most careful since you are representing the site when you post your images.

Copyright, and the breaking thereof, is very VERY important. If you use copyrighted images, serious trouble is on its way to you. This rule is not just a petty rule laid down by Burning Illusions to make it harder for you to make pictures. Copyright laws are LAWS in every country! If you break them, you are committing a crime and can be severely punished for the enfringement. On BIS, we strive to keep our members and image makers from using copyrighted images to protect the members and to protect the site so that we may go on living happy, photomanipulation-loving lives without the CIA hunting us down. ;D I've heard they're not nice guys.

Here's the deal when it comes to copyrights.

1. Google is the worst place to search for an image for any character. Even Google has the note on its image search stating that some images that it finds may be copyrighted and not allowed for public use. Never search Google to find stock images.

2. There are really good sites that provide stock images for the use of photomanipulists. Here are some of the best: deviantArt (www.deviantart.com), flickr (www.flickr.com), stockexchange (www.sxc.hu), and morguefile (www.morguefile.com). These are the most commonly used stock sites and they all provide good images for your free use.

3. Just because a picture is on one of the above-mentioned sites does NOT mean it's a stock image! Those sites are photography sites first and foremost, and stock photographers happen to go there to offer their pictures. Not all images on those sites are stock! Don't assume they are just because they're on one of those sites or sites like them.

4. Then how do you know if a picture is available for your use? Each of those sites has its own type of copyright licenses at your disposal. You must search the sites with the knowledge of how they each display their notices so that you can be aware of which images are copyrighted and which are not. Here's a little guide:

deviantArt: Stock photographers will post rules about how you may use their stock. These rules are usually in a picture's description or in the journal of the stock provider. You must look in their journals and in the picture's description to know if you're able to use the stock.
flickr: Beneath all of the photofeeds and tags for the picture (on the right hand side of each picture's page) there will be a small description that says something like " © All rights reserved." or "Some rights reserved". This will let you know if the picture is available for you to use in your art.
sxc: Beneath the picture there is a special little box that tells you the restrictions on a picture. If it just says "Standard restrictions apply" then you may use the image in a photomanipulation as long as you don't sell the image. Sometimes this little info box will say that you must notify the photographer, and in that case you need to email the photographer and let him/her know how you used their image.

Regrettably, I'm not a member of morguefile so I'm not quite sure how their stock restrictions are displayed, but there are other members on BIS that are members on that site that could help you if you really wanted to find out. Also, it is always easy to find the regulations about that sort of thing on a site. Just search around and be wary, and you'll be fine.

5. The key to a good image maker is caution. If you're cautious about finding your stock then you will not have copyrighted images in your pictures. The basic rule is: If you don't know whether it's copyrighted or not, DON'T USE IT.

If you use copyrighted images on this site, the images will be removed. When you're requesting, it's fine to post the link to a picture that you want your character to look like, but those images may not be used in the actual manipulation. They can only be reference pictures. Image makers that use copyrighted images cannot be image makers on BIS. Even if you're not making an image to give to anyone, don't post it here if it has copyrighted images in it. This site will not be held accountable for your lack of reason and inability to listen to direction.

I hope this PM has helped you all to better understand how important obeying the copyright laws are and how important this issue is on Burning Illusions. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'm here to help! ;D Thank you everyone.

<3 royalstandard

NOTE: This was curtosy of Burning Illusions studio, and any + all credit goes to Royalstandard. I DID NOT WRITE THIS. I did not edit it to fit this site, either, so bear with it. It is still chock full of wonderful, needed information.