ME ME ME !!!

Yes HUI - you're making sense. But your maths doens't add up

But i've noticed, the key is just be more critical. 10 should only be for virtually flawless work. People shouldn't feel bad about giving 4 or 5 stars... we need to think right - is this really top end (pro)? If not, i give it a low end rating. Simples.

I'd imagine that the 'promote' button was removed for a reason. Perhaps because it meant potential inundation with unnecessary votes? If so, then some sort of setting that only flags it up when a certain number of votes has been reached would perhaps make sense.

But I think a bit of common sense that's all - we all seem to have got a bit happy and carried away with the rating system, and It's making stuff difficult. We see a chop that we like... 'ooh promotion maybe' - but I think we all just need to sit back and think - 'could it be better? Is it up to standard?' etc...

For me it's really hard to say what are skills that deserves a promotion but I'll try.

From New to Intermediate I think is most important to be able to apply some basic skills and expecially reducing at minimum the most common problems (like aliasing, shadow and all others little things).

From Intermediate to Pro: this one is probably the big jump, here is time to start working with reflections, liveries, creating bodikits from zero. Also c/p is an art, according colors a integrating body kits to make a car real and not a four wheels Frankestein.

From Pro to Advanced: that's really really hard to say. Lot of people sez that the brushing skills are the way to go to this level... That can be, I don't really know. As some says it's all personal taste. For example I love easy body kits (not cause I'm not able to make a complex front bumper for example, but just cause I like to see a car that can be reproduced on the reality) but is a personal taste. My own personal limit are highlights and reflections... I need some basis for this technique. I think also that one of most important points is the atmosphere of a chop... looking at 100% of a chop I've to be impressed by the car, the BG the environmental ligh... all.

From Advanced to Elite: well the point is making always the perfection, original ideas and following all previous point.

At the end looking at my gallery I can only say that spending lot of time with practice in the 2011 I've increased a lot my skills... but now is time to spend more time, with more experiment, with others techniques to reach the next level, but IMHO that will require some year.

I think the problem is that people don't want to bash each other's work. And giving 2 or 3 stars to a New Chopper might be disheartening to them (may even cause them to quit chopping). We try to foster our Newbies and encourage them, but in effect we're rating their chops way too high on a 1-10 scale.

Unless there is a strict guideline on how to vote, or maybe an appointed set of experienced "chop voters" (could be admins or other respected members/artists), of which at least one of them has to vote on every single thread, voting won't be fair and consistent.

I know exactly what you mean... so I guess i try to make up for it in the post. find all the good - and give positive criticism of how they can improve.... if it's going to be a demoralising vote i don't bother voting - stars mean nothing

But yeh... an assigned panel of chop raters in some ways sounds good... in other ways.. not so good.
But... yehh agree about the scale being too high in the low levels.
Or in any levels. No one in elite is ever going to get 1 star. So its in some ways a pointless system. And its now that i realise a categorised voting system may work better:

Vote for style/atmosphere, realism, design etc... as seperate votes.
You press a button to 'vote' and an window pops up with each section....
Then to avoid cluttering the thread an average vote of all of the categories together could be displayed... and something to allow the thread poster to view individual votes for each category... that way it may also help people to improve, as they will be able to see exactly which aspect of their work is lacking!

First time i've thought of something and thought 'yeh - this might actually work'. What do you think everyone?

Like critique at dA

It is? you can tell i don't use it much