I'm no expert on skinning that's for sure, I'm just learning Photoshop. While Mallory Cowen's presentation is compelling, I wanted to see for myself. Pictures are worth 1000 words and now I'd like to add a few words to my verbose picture and play devil's advocate.Skinners who are inherently adept at Photoshop can spin anything the way they want to spin it. These two pictures of mine were taken at the same time in the same pose with the same lighting with no post processing. The base does look similar and Hart named his source in the IM exchange posted on Mallory's blog. Personal opinion here, chat logs can be changed and knowing LL's TOS doesn't reach blog postings, posting private instant messages is just bad form. The timing of the post seems hinky to me as well. Why didn't Mallory post it the day the Crys skins started showing up in the blogs instead of waiting until Hart went on vacation?
In looking at just the top half of these two skins side by side, I like the lighting, the shading, the make up, the lips, the nipples, and the lack of seams in the PXL skin much better. When I look at the Laqroki skin, I don't like the lips, the shading, the color and the smudged ring around the aureole of the nipples. These features are nothing like the PXL skin. Another thing I noticed about the Laqroki skin is that the faces are a different skin tone than the rest of the bodies...the face has a blue/pink undertone and the body has an olive/orange undertone. I would not purchase a Laqroki skin based on this alone. While everything is personal preference, I think the Laqroki skin is cute, but I feel it is sub-par work. I think the PXL skin is beautiful and to me it looks like a true artist put it together. I don't know, if I didn't know any back story and seeing these skins side by side, I might think the Laqroki skin was the below standard copy.
I've been wearing PXL skins since before the last skin show-down between Minnu and Hart and it turned out they showed each other their sources and there was no further debate. If the Linda and the Crys skins were in violation of the DMCA, why are these skins still available?
I'm going to wait until the fat lady sings on this one...there is always two sides of the story. If it does turn out that the charges are true I'll be looking for a new skinner. Until then I am going to wear my PXL skins, I look beautiful in them.
12 comments:
Well Shelby, in this case it doesnt matter if you like the PXL skin more or not.
The important thing is that Laqroki skin was copied and its beeing sold, this is actually the problem, and this should be the point now.
You asked why Mallory didnt post about it before. Who cares about it? There are trillions new skin designers making and selling skins now, do you think a designer like Mallory can run behind every one of them, checking if the skin is copied or not? Maybe she only found it out now... Who knows why...
Im happy, very happy i did not buy a PXL skin and till all is solved, i definetly wont buy one from Hart.
Lisa Simpson
Do you honestly expect for Mallory to be informed of Hart Larsson's whereabouts and holiday plans? I've looked at his profile, and there is no indication whatsoever that he is on an any kind of leave of absence from SL. Unless you are convinced that Mallory possesses supernatural powers and can read people's minds, I am not sure what your point is in regards to the "timing" of all of this, and to bring it up at all only serves to distract from the -real- issue at hand.
It is people like YOU that are precisely the reason why designers hesitate to defend themselves in a more vocal manner. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
I know neither Mallory nor Hart. Any halfwit can see that the skin is stolen and slightly modded. From the blog post, Laq wanted to be discreet about asking Hart to take down the skins, and when he didn't, that is when she went public, he had more than a fair warning. If you are happy to knowingly walk about in a stolen skin, well....
Sorry that I deleted last comment, I just read Mallory's post, and I'm lost for words...
@ Lisa Simpson - So you are making a judgment before you have all the facts? I noticed on Mallory's post that the lips looked exactly the same in both skins. When I took pictures of both skins on the same shape there were drastic differences the lips being the most prominent. I'm asking questions, I'm not casting blame until I have all the facts and I'm sure the DMCA is very good at that.
@ Melanieann - My question was why Mallory didn't post this when the Crys skins first came out. If she is following Hart's work as she said she is, she would know he was on holiday from his Flickr post regarding the group skin. So you've already picked sides without knowing all the facts? It looks like you're selectively damning designers yourself by being Judge Jury and Executioner. I'm asking questions, I don't have all the facts. If in fact Hart has stolen Mallory's work I will definitely step away from PXL. But like I said in my post, I want all the information before I make a decision.
@ Trace - I don't know if it's stolen or not. I am not going to make my decision based on some .jpg's on a blog. In order to determine theft you have to look at the original .psd files and have the designers show their sources. A job for DMCA, and as of now the skins are still available and Mallory mentioned herself that she's made over 150 claims to the DMCA and they have been removed. Another question is why has the DMCA removed the claims?
Yes, you do look beautiful in PXL skins and I totally agree with you that we have only heard one side of the story. It is bugging me the fact that there was no DMCA filled in the first place.
Until I hear the full story I will not wear PXL skins but I am not making any assumption. I don't know Hart that well and I don't know Mallory. I believe in fairness and this issue is far from being solved.
The fat lady has sung! It's obvious that Mallory's skins were indeed stolen and yet you are defending the stolen skin because you like it better? That doesn't make it any less stolen, nor should you be placing the burden of proof on Mallory. I imagine what with filing hundreds of DMCAs and trying to actually find a minute or two to devote to her actual work in SL that she has little time for the blogs.. not to mention the fact that English isn't her first language. Talk about adding insult to injury.
@ Ana - It is a mess and I'm sick about it. I wish Ros would release her new skins TODAY! ;)
@ Anonymous - Read the post without your emotion and you'll see I am waiting for evidence from BOTH sides. I haven't seen the whole story yet, and until then I'm not going to throw Hart under the bus so fast.
No, this is what you wrote in the original blog post:
"Why didn't Mallory post it the day the Crys skins started showing up in the blogs instead of waiting until Hart went on vacation?"
1) Please see the last part of your sentence, as quoted above.
2) Perhaps you need to go back to the very blog post that you have linked to in your own writing, because it seems you've missed the parts where Mallory has CLEARLY stated why she has not come forth in a more public manner until now.
"If she is following Hart's work as she said she is, she would know he was on holiday from his Flickr post regarding the group skin."
Now who is the one making assumptions? Keeping track of a skin seller's demos most definitely does NOT entail watching their flickr account. Let's not get ridiculous here.
"So you've already picked sides without knowing all the facts? It looks like you're selectively damning designers yourself by being Judge Jury and Executioner."
Yes, I realize that I have probably been privy to more information than most; Hart Larsson used to be someone on my friends list with whom I've hung out for hours and I'd found him to be one of the most charming people I've met in SL. No one was more sad and disappointed than myself the day I was confronted with all of this.
I understand your desire to withhold judgement until you feel you have all the "facts", but the tone of your post suggests otherwise. I base that statement on the fact that you've (1) pointed at the "timing" of this information coming to light, and (2) detracted from the real issue at hand by observing why you prefer the PXL skin.
One more thing: if you are going to comment on matters such as the DMCA, then perhaps you should make an effort to acquaint yourself with the mechanics of it first:
"In order to determine theft you have to look at the original .psd files and have the designers show their sources. A job for DMCA... "
The DMCA is NOT about -determining- theft, it is a claim process. You may want to hit up Google to learn more about it.
I am done reading your blog and any commentary that may follow on it, because I've seen enough to know that this matter will not get any unbiased coverage from you, at least not for the time being. This renders any further exchange between us as nothing more than pointless expenditure of energy. Have a good day.
(BTW, English isn't my first language either and it's not my second too. Actually, I only write in English for my SL blog. I don't speak English in a daily basis. In fact, I don't remember when was the last time I had spoken English.)
@ Melanieann - I'm sorry you feel that way, but you're entitled to your own opinion and view just as I am. I don't claim to be a skin expert, nor a DMCA expert, I'm merely asking obvious questions. If I felt my work was being stolen, I would definitely follow every move the alleged thief took including any Flickr stream. I don't like the way this was handled with private conversations being posted maybe out of context which shows me a character issue right there. Hart is on my friends list...I may not know the Wiki version of the DMCA, but I sure know the definition of the word friend.
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