Thread: How to create a ratio proof template (Using Photoshop)

How to create a ratio proof template (Using Photoshop)

While ratio proofs are a necessary evil within the bittorrent community, they can be tedious to make, especially if you're applying for multiple giveaways. This is even more true when you're trying to get an invite for that tracker you've been dreaming of and you want to be quick about it because you're afraid someone will get the invite before you do.

In this tutorial, you will learn to create a Photoshop template that will allow you to create ratio proofs for your favorite trackers in seconds, allowing you to save precious time. All you will need to do is take a screenshot of your tracker info, paste it and save it.

This tutorial uses Adobe Photoshop. I'm using PS CS5 but this applies to older versions of PS. Also, I'm going to assume you have at least some basic knowledge of how PS works.

And finally, while this tutorial only covers the steps on how to make our template in Photoshop, the same principle can be applied to any other graphics editing software that support layers.

Getting started
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First, we need to take a screenshot of the tracker you want to make a proof of. Make sure the page is at the topmost position. Take the screenshot using PrtScn or if that isn't an option, use your favorite screen capture software. As per rules, make sure you take a screenshot of the whole screen, not just the browser window.

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Run Photoshop if it isn't open already.

Select: File -> New



In the new document dialog, make sure the height and width match your screen resolution. This is set automatically by Photoshop since it's reading the data from the clipboard. If it doesn't match, it means that it didn't capture the whole screen, so try to take the screenshot again.

Set the document name if you want, or you can do it when you save the file. I'm using "<trackername> Template" as a title just so my template is easier to find and organize.

Also make sure the resolution is set to 72 ppi and 'Background Contents' is set to transparent.

Press OK to open the new document.

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You will start with a blank document with a transparent background.

Find the Layers window (If you don't see it go to the 'Window' menu option in PS and click on 'Layers').

There should be a layer called 'Layer 1'. Double click on top of the layer's name and rename this to <Paste Screenshot Here>. This name is arbitrary, I'm just using this to remind myself that this layer will be a placeholder for our screenshot, but you can name it whatever you want, or not name it at all.

The Layers window should look like this:



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Now we'll need to create a new layer. Press Ctrl+Shift+N. The new layer dialog window should open. Name this layer 'Censor Bars'. Again, arbitrary name, but it makes clear what the function of the layer is.

It should now look like this:



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This is where the fun begins. Select the layer named <Paste Screenshot Here> by clicking on it and, you guessed it, we're going to paste our screenshot here. Either press Ctrl+V to paste it, or use 'Edit -> Paste' in the menu.

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Once the screenshot is pasted, click on the layer named 'Censor Bars' to select it. This is the layer we will use to paint over the details we want to hide for our ratio proof.

NOTE: The previous part is important! Make sure the 'Censor Bars' layer is selected AND active before covering the details, otherwise you will be painting directly to the screenshot layer.

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With your favorite tool, proceed to cover the stuff you want to hide. I personally use the Line Tool for the job, with enough Weight (in pixels) to cover the numbers, etc.

This is a sample of how mine looks:




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Once you have all the important details covered, select the "<Paste Screenshot Here>" layer and select everything in it by pressing Ctrl+A. Now press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the screenshot.

Your document should now look like this:



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It's time to save our template. Select 'File -> Save As...' name it whatever your want. I named mine "IPTorrents Template" when I first created the document.

Save the template as a Photoshop file (.PSD). If you get a window to maximize compatibility, just click OK.

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You're all done!

Now every time you need a ratio proof for that particular tracker all you have to do is open the template, take a screenshot of your tracker details, paste it into your "paste" layer and save it as a .jpg or which ever format you prefer.

Closing notes

• This will work an all trackers. Just follow the steps above to create a template for each one.
• Always keep in mind the layout of your browser window. New toolbars or tabs might alter the size of the document window in the browser. You might have to adjust the Censor Bar layer to compensate for any changes. Also, different themes in your tracker's site might change the location of all your information and you might have to create another template for that.
• Some of your stats in the tracker site will change e.g. your Upload changing from 9.00 GB to 10.00 will add an extra digit. You will need to edit your template to reflect that.

I hope you found this tutorial useful. As always comments and criticism is always welcome. Enjoy!