[mythtv-users] Wallpaper for thetvdb.com

[Colin McGregor]

----------------------------------------
> Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:11:56 -0800
> From: robert.mcnamara at gmail.com
> To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Wallpaper for thetvdb.com
>
> On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Clifford Snow  wrote:
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Colin McGregor 
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> I have now created my first bit of wallpaper for thetvdb.com . I did an
> >> image for "5 Ingredient Fix" (the first TV series in the alphabetical
> >> listings of programs I record). I have very little graphical talent, but I
> >> did want something, so, what I did was:
> >>
> >> - Take a screen shot of the opening title (the show is done in standard
> >> definition and so my screen shots have the black vertical bars when I see it
> >> in HD).
> >>
> > How do you take a screen shot in Mythtv?  I am trying to add a poster and
> > wallpaper for the movie "An Awfully Big Adventure."
>
> If at all possible, do not base your fanart on screenshots. This
> makes for absolutely awful fanart. Instead, you can usually find some
> high quality promotional artwork to base your work around. There are
> some very good threads on the TMDB, TVDB, and XBMC forums on creating
> fanart that may help inform people. A screenshot is the absolute last
> resort.

Robert does make a fair comment, anyone with more artistic talent than me should likely take other routes than starting with a screen shot ... This noted, to answer Clifford's question, here is how I took a screen shot to act as the basis for my fan art:

- Logged into my "main" Linux desktop box running KDE (as opposed to Gnome)
- Downloaded an episode of the show I was interested in from my MythTV box to my desktop box
- Started Totem Movie Player and loaded in the TV show I was interested in
- Played and then paused at the image that I wanted as my fan art starting point
- Started up KSnapshot and set a snapshot delay of 10 seconds
- Clicked on "New Snapshot"
- QUICKLY brought Totem Movie Player back up and toggled full screen mode.
- Waited long enough to make sure the snapshot was taken and exited full screen mode.
- Saved the image from KSnapshot.

There you are, a way to get a TV show / movie screen shot, ugly but workable... But to put a bit of emphasis on Robert's point the above is not the route to great fan art (usable, tolerable maybe, but not great stuff...).

Colin McGregor

> For the above movie, a quick search of available images online
> provides plenty of raw material to work with, which could be further
> improved with a little image manipulation.
>
> Robert
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