One of the hardest things to do in the Tech Game Community is to learn how to give and take criticism, but it is a necessary part of learning and growing as a GFX artist and/or editor. This guide will help you give and take criticism from other members, and how to make use of it.

Giving Criticism:
First what's right, then what's wrong

Get someone's attention by telling them what's right with the video / GFX. If you tell them something good first, they will be willing to listen to what's wrong with the design.


Why are you giving criticism? Do you think the recipient of the criticism will really pay any attention to you if you give feedback in a manner that could be taken as insulting? Are you truly interested in helping the artist learn? Or are you taking advantage of the relative anonymity of the Internet to be meaner than you would in real life? There is a real person on the other end of that review, a living, breathing human being who you might like if you met offline.

Movie and theater critics often give over-the-top insulting reviews. The purpose of these reviews is not to help the actors and director make a better show. The purpose of these reviews is to entertain an audience and sell newspapers and magazines. Examine your motives carefully. Are you writing your review to help the artist, or are you writing your review to entertain yourself and your friends? If it's for entertainment, why don't you just email it to your friends instead of posting it publicly?

Constructive Criticism:
Learn how to give constructive criticism. "This sucks," isn't constructive criticism. It's an attack, and it's completely useless because the artist can't use it to improve. Give concrete reasons for your opinion. "This youtube background isn't good because the header looks less detailed than the other parts." is constructive criticism. Vaguely-worded crits aren't helpful because the artist doesn't know what to do to improve.

Opinions:
All reviews are opinions, but try to phrase things so it will remind the artist that this is your opinion. For example, "This vector isn't good because..." Yes, artists need to keep in mind that any review is just the reviewer's opinion. No, it won't kill you to go an extra step and be nice in your review, and it will make the artist more willing to listen to the points you are making.

Futility of fighting:
Don't get into a fight with the artist. It doesn't help their skills, and you won't convince the artist of your point of view.

Taking Criticism:

In the heat of the moment
Don't respond immediately! It is easy to read a review and immediately respond without realizing that you have misread what the reviewer said, or without realizing that you have mixed up the way a reviewer says something with the actual critique he or she is giving. Someone may give you good feedback in an insulting manner, but if you argue because of the insults and don't pay any attention to the critique, you could miss a good opportunity to learn.

Also remember that not all people who watch your video/GFX will reply with a review.


Not all the viewers of your video/GFX set will enjoy it, but as long as you achieved what you were trying to do, your GFX / video is successful.

Who are your critics?

Get people other than your friends and family to review your video/ GFX. They're usually biased. Or they may not know enough about videos or GFX to be able to give proper constructive criticism.

Save the people who give you only positive reviews for the times when you're in a bad mood and need someone to tell you how awesome you are.


The pro question:
If you can, find professionals and get feedback from them. Doing this at The Tech Game isn't too hard.

This isn't necessary if you're creating a video or some GFX for your personal enjoyment, but if you think you might want to go pro one day, then it is essential to get feedback from the industry. Don't slavishly follow their advice, but do get their advice and do consider it carefully.

How and why to follow advice:
Don't take all advice you get, but on the other hand, don't dismiss it, either. I find it works to think about criticism and to come up with a reason why I am rejecting it. "I don't think I will follow this bit of advice because this person obviously prefers complex videos, and I prefer clean, simple videos , or not detailed GFX."


The emotional point of view:
Try not to get too emotionally involved. You put a lot of hard work into your video/GFX, and you've become very attached to it. Now it's time to cut it free and let it out into the world.

Remember:
People are not criticizing YOU. They are criticizing pixels on their computer screens. If someone is *actually* criticizing YOU, they are not criticizing. They are trying to provoke a reaction from you. Don't give them the satisfaction of responding (although I find a happy "Thank you! I never noticed that!" really throws people like that off base).

It's OK to feel bad after a bad review, but go away and cry for a while, then put it out of your mind and try to use the advice to make your next video / GFX better.


Conclusion:
It has also taken me several month to learn how not to be emotionally affected by criticism. It's only in the past month or so that I've been able to look at a bad review and analyze it. "This person says there should be more details in the GFX. Ah! Perhaps they prefer complex and detailed GFX! I happen to prefer simple GFX / video, so I will go look at the GFX / video, and if I think it is fine as it is, then I will leave it alone." That is a skill I wish I had learned some time ago.


Please thank the topic if this helped you or any of your friends out.


Also I do not take full credit for this my friend TTG-SKIPPY- helped me write this.


Be sure to vote on the poll, and if you vote no leave some constructive criticism