Seinfeld DVDs - need volunteers to help with case cover design

[jfcarbel]

I have completed getting the top 9 of 10 Seinfeld episodes and am not far off from completing all seasons as well. My plans are to design a nice professional looking DVD cover for the keepcase. However, I am no graphic artist :)

So I am looking for a volunteer to help me complete this hobby/project and help with the cover design. I would like it to look like a standard movie cover.

Whats in it for you?
Well I can offer those who help a copy of a Seinfeld DVD that has official Top 10 episodes, Finale 1/2, Clip Show 1/2 (14 episodes in all). All on a double sided DVD. Special feature disc will include cast bios, women of seinfeld, magazine covers, cast photos, interactive episode guide, index of special guests on show, and fun facts about the show and characters. Special Feature disc is a work in progress though so you may have to wait a bit on this one - Any submission, scans are greatly appreciated.

All episodes are commercial free and captured from a high end captur card (Matrox RT2000) via DirectTV S-Video feed and then compressed with CCE to 3700 VBR 3 pass and AC3 stereo 192 kbps. Quality is excellent!

Please do not contact me asking to buy this set, this is not legal. I do not wish to make money on this, it is just a personal project/hobby.

BTW - I need these 2 episodes since they will not be re-aired anymore. "Puerto Rican Day Parade" and "The Invitations". I have these taped on VHS in EP, but this is not going to give good quality. If you have a VHS tape in SP, I would also be interested in borrowing to encode it. I do have a VCR with TBC so quality should be somewhat okay.

[Jestorius]

I can help you I guess.
Grabb the most importand scenes, give me the txt. A few words about what you like, what kind of cover it is. Mail it to me and I gonna do my best.

[jfcarbel]

Jestorius

Thanks - Have you made any DVD covers before?

Here is a cool site where I found a homemade Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back: SE dvd cover:
http://www.dvdcoverart.com/

I have some bitmaps from those special scenes and will get them ready for you. Also working on the text for the synopsis for the cover.

Do you have a broadband connection?

I am really suprised that with DVD burners now so cheap that we have not seen alot of homemade covers out there for TV Shows and other non-DVD released stuff. If you know of any good places to get DVD covers like these let me know.

Also- hoping to find a site that has lots of sample homemade DVD menus and backgrounds for downloading.

[Jestorius]

I'm working with design.
And , yes I'm on cable.

[Jestorius]

What kind of cover you wanna have. Are you going to print on laser or ink? What kind of file format you need , prostscript, pdf, tif, illustrator ai ....?

[Coop920]

i'm just curious, which eps did ya get ?

[jfcarbel]

Here are some sample sites and info on designing homemade DVD cover art:

http://www.realitycrash.com/dvdcovers.htm
http://www.DVDCoverArt.com

Alternate Star Trek - TOS covers
http://images.andale.com/f2/128/115/6006334/1012065872660_ST_DVD_1w.jpg
http://images.andale.com/f2/128/115/6006334/1012065871487_ST_DVD_4w.jpg
http://images.andale.com/f2/128/115/6006334/1012105297124_ST_DVD_2w.jpg

Want 300dpi minimum for JPEG image
Prefer orginal as a TIFF or Photoshop PSD in higher dpi, maybe 600
Dimensions are 10.8"x7.25" (3240x2175 pixels @ 300dpi)
DVD Covers need to be printed on legal sized paper

[jfcarbel]

Just realized that I may get many requests to help me out, so in order to be fair I will pick the best 2 to 3 case covers and award those people.

I just don't want those people who throw up any old case art and then badger me for a free DVD. I am looking for a professional design (see my previous post for some examples). I just know that there will be people who contact me to buy these and when I say no or ignore there emails will just try this approach.

However, I do reserve the right to reward others who may help out in different ways. I am a fair guy.

[jfcarbel]

http://www.inetdvd.com/

7 DVDs Case (see X-files Season art at www.DVDCoverArt.com)
http://www.inetdvd.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=6109

4 DVD's Case (Great for my Seinfeld seasons, 7 eps per dvd)
http://www.inetdvd.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=6106

[jfcarbel]

Coop920

Top 10 (from the official fan web voting years ago):

1. The Contest
2. The Soup Nazi
3. The Junior Mint
4. The Pick
5. The Hamptons
6. The Bubble Boy
7. The Opposite
8. The Marine Biologist
9. The Parking Garage
10. The Outing **

** don't have yet, but will soon :)

Also have just about every eps in Seasons 1 - 5 and several others from other seasons. I should be done with all season captures at end July.

[Jestorius]

Grab at least 20 frames. Because it is from video so it is 72dpi. Try to grab close shouts. I need faces. Something from the start, logo etc. No, I don't need logo, I can get it..

So what you gonna use to print. I should know.

[jfcarbel]

To print it I will probably take it to Kinkos to have it professionally printed. I assume a place like Kinkos accepts an image format like TIF. For proofing it I will probably print it on my Epson Stylus Photo inkjet printer using legal photo quality paper (that is if I can find photo quality legal).

I'll start gathering the 20 clips. Only have about 4 720x480 ones now. I have a nice cast photo that I can scan in and send as well. What format and dpi should I scan it for?

>>Because it is from video so it is 72dpi
Didn't know that. Learn something new - thanks. Doesn't matter what the video source, its always 72dpi?

[Jestorius]

Scan the fotos at high dpi, 1200. If it is only a cover try higher. You scann in RGB I guess. It's ok. Just save it as a jpg. I can converted til CMYK. Could be nice to have something abouth the front site of the haus or the flat.

[imel6]

I have every episode of Seinfeld taped in SP. LMK, what you need and we can work something out. imel@comcast.net