I think this idea has been booted around before, but what about a gallery where a member can post an image PURELY for constructive critique? I've posted images in gallerys, and I've had comments (which I appreciate), but wouldn't it be a good idea to have a gallery where a member could post an image explicitly to get feedback on composition, lighting, pose etc. Somwhere where you could post and say 'here, I've looked at this image so many times I've become blind to it's faults - tell me what YOU see.' Jack

The only problem I see with a gallery like that is that it needs an accompanying forum ( for which there is currently overwhelming support ). The gallery comments are too short to be able to discuss theme, composition, et. al. Besides this addendum to the thought, I say "Hell, yeah!" Paul

Critique Gallery, yes. Critique Forum? yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Or, to put it another way, HELL YES. It's the most intelligent thing that could happen to this community, and it would go a long way to convincing people that Renderosity is about art, rather than just another sci-fi fantasy T&A site. There's plenty of those around anyway: this place is better. Please let's make it better still and add a Critique Forum. Galleries don't hold threads. App forums are for sharing skills. Art Theory forum isn't for crits; it's theoretical questions. A crit forum would make r'osity into a real artists' site. And if it's a forum, we can all patrol the trolling and make sure it's all constructive. Pretty please?

This has been discussed before & the general feeling was that the art theory forum would be a good place to post images or links to images in the galleries & ask for constructive critique.

What we're talking about here isn't art theory though, it's specific criticism on specific pieces. I would find it astonishing, not to mention rather disappointing, if the people running an art site couldn't see the difference between the two. IRL, artists meet in all kinds of places to talk about theory (general) and critique (particular). It seems odd that we can't easily do that here. A crit forum would address that - make r'osity even more like what artists do when they get together and create their own groups. There's a concern that's been expressed before about how a crit forum would invite trolling. To that I'd say look at the difference between C&D and OT. To a large extent, OT is restrained and mature in discussion. Where things start to get out of hand, it's often the contributors who step in to calm things, before the mods need to.

There was never any suggestion that art theory & critique are the same thing! It was thought that of the existing forums art theory would be a good place for this. If enough people request a seperate critique area it can be looked at again. I agree there is a need for an area for real critique & discussion of work, personally I don't have a problem with using art theory I think the most important thing is to let members know where to go & do this.

I think the most important thing is to let members know where to go & do this. I agree. But I think the turnover in Critique would be swifter than that in Art Theory - shorter, less ruminative threads, lots more of them. Art Theory would be swamped in no time and -hey presto- we'd have lost the Art Theory forum to all intents and purposes. I strongly suspect that the two subjects would make bad forum-mates: they move at totally different speeds, consider different subjects, and will have a big difference in the number of threads posted. Considering the dust-bunnies collecting in some of the forums there now, why bundle two incompatible subjects into one forum? It doesn't make sense. But then , nor does an artists' site without a dedicated place to critique sigh

Isn't posting your image in the relevent software forum already the place to get an honest critique?

No, merbliss. The software forums are, first of all, for software questions. Secondly, this only allows for technical critiques, as opposed to the non-technical merits. Theme, composition, etc. Furthermore, most of us work with more than one app. I use Poser, Bryce, and 3ds, and often post in Photoshop. While the Poser gallery tends to be more visible, I want users of various softwares to be able to critique my images... In this sense, I think the Rosity magazine is sort of going in the same direction, information that many users can use that cross-applies... Paul

Very good idea to launch a problem solving Forun. If we could have image problem. Them use the forum to see how each individual artist takes the approach to this problem. Much like solving a graph problem for a client. Limitations need to be explaned and a thym statement would be included for each project. Like a project in a school srttings. Those who solve the problm most effectively will be the winner. 1st place, 2nd place etc...

I support, wholeheartedly, a critique forum (but not a gallery). I think the forum upload is sufficient to keep such a forum self-contained.

Allowing a critique gallery to mix in with the other works is like putting a microphone in people's hands and saying, "Tell me what's wrong with this picture." and then broadcasting that to the entire gallery. Soon, people focus on the faults of your images (even those not submitted for such critique), and not the images themselves. That is unfair to the artist and the viewer.

The reason I like the forum idea though is because yes, artists want to learn their craft, but perhaps not with every picture they put up. Sometimes these pictures have deep meaning to the artist, maybe it got them through a hard time, maybe it's in honor of a loved one. I thought it was pretty shameful, personally, that there was critiques of technique in the memorial gallery after 9-11. Such critiques often hurt deeply, especially when an image is emotionally created, that all they wanted to do was shere their pain to ease it. People on the outside may not understand or sympathize with the reason for a picture, and thus coldly critique without knowing, and can really hurt a person a lot, though it's rarely intentional. Not only that, but some people just want to post for fun. They aren't looking to be slammed for every little detail, so it's better to have a place that requests such critique and I would hope it's encouraged that people who wish to teach and inform artists of faults to post there, rather than look for and comment on all images.

Count me in for a vote for a critique forum, but a vote against a gallery, unless it's set up like the member's gallery...