That image is fine, imo, except that it's a photograph. Something from media would be better. One of Van Gogh's Sunflowers
◊ maybe? Or a picture of The Simpsons
◊? Yellow Scenery Porn from a movie? But not critical to change.
edit: Oh, huh, the Color Index images are mostly photographs. But they are nice, not sure you'd want to break that up. You are evidently shooting for "pretty".
edited 27th Nov '10 2:35:59 PM by rodneyAnonymous
Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.Yeah, I was shooting for something very fundamental to the human psyche - something timeless that spans cultural appreciation. Something naturally beautiful. And that's why they're mostly nature photographs. It's because colors are something just about anyone on earth can see and appreciate. I know the name tvtropes implies something popular and relevant to here and now, but colors are things too vivid not to share to a broader audience. And tropes exist in every culture and time period on earth, don't they?
Well, it is more than an implication. This web site is explicitly about cataloging tropes in fiction. A page image that is not an image from media is sort of fundamentally wrong. But, that criterion is somewhat far down on the Importance list. The "rule" is especially breakable for an index page, especially especially for index pages that already have a theme. You asked about a better image period, I answered about a better TV Tropes image, not really what you were looking for I don't think.
Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.Well, you're right. For specific trope pages (Yellow Snow, Kind Red Eyes, Fan Yay) I picked specifically familiar topics. (Though for Fan Yay I picked David and Jonathan from the Bible as a very old lasting example.) For indices, I try to think more broadly. And though I like to think in terms of popular culture too, I also find myself captured by Scenery Porn. I guess you could say that the theme of the index images I chose was Scenery Porn.
Although either is technically correct, "indices" sounds old-fashioned and therefore "indexes" is slightly preferable. Damn kids.
edited 27th Nov '10 5:36:49 PM by rodneyAnonymous
Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.I have no suggestion, but I just had to post to say the pics you chose of all of those are great. Awesome job man, really.
I actually thought the picture of The Yellow Index was OK until I saw the rest. Surely we need to find some photograph more 'yellowy' for this (and it need to be a photograph, no need to break such a beautiful pattern).
While we are on it, I have to say I doesn't liked the Tropes in Black pic. Not enough 'black' I say. In fact, I think it would be awesome in the Black Index, White Index. Sure, the Yin and Yang are good, but it does not fit the theme.
Edit: So, looking at Google ('cause Google has everything) I found these
◊ two
◊. Are they yellow and pretty enough?
Edit2: For the Tropes in Black, inspired by the nice albino lion I looked for some
◊ pretty
◊ felines
◊ (the last one will look better when resized, I think).
Heh, 5 suggestions in the end. Not bad considering how I started the post.
Edit3: A nice yellow bird
◊.
(I think I will stop now.
edited 27th Nov '10 6:17:20 PM by Heatth
Now how is that? It's not quite Scenery Porn, but it is Food Porn (just like This Index Is Brown).
Glad I could help, even if you didn't use my pics. Yours are better anyway, were you gather them? Or you took them yourself?
Anyway, the black sand is cool, but there is too much white foam. That is why I think it would be better in the Black Index, White Index.
edited 27th Nov '10 7:33:09 PM by Heatth
I power-search Google Images and Wikimedia Commons. I also prefer to search for very large-dimension images (though I shrink them), because they are more likely to be made available for sheer beauty and detail. Likewise at Commons, they prefer the best-quality images to be of the highest possible resolution and highest possible quality, and they merely shrink them into thumbnails when embedded in pages.
As for Tropes in Black and Black Index, White Index, you could be right...I just couldn't think of a good black-vs.-white image. The irony is, when I chose the black sand beach, I wasn't thinking of the water as white — I wanted to find the most beautiful unspoilt black sand beach. But considering there's a lava flow in the background, there is a certain beautiful duality in this in Hawaiian culture — Pele (the goddess of fire) and her sister Nā-maka-o-Kahaʻi (the goddess of the sea) are constantly battling for dominance, as Pele's lava attacks and tries to consume the sea, but is ultimately consumed by it. I normally think of the sea (even at the seashore) symbolically as blue, though the term "white water" is metaphorical for turbulent, disturbed water (which it would certainly be as lava enters it). I suppose it could be an appropriate image for Black Index, White Index afterall. Another idea that might be appropriate is perhaps a scene out of Iceland, with snow against the black lava terrain, but for now I think your suggestion to use this beach for Black Index, White Index truly does fit. And what about Red Index, Blue Index? Since it's another duality index, it's hard to think of a red/blue symbolic contrast that isn't man-made...or at least man-painted (most ice appears white, not blue).
Anyway, you gave me lots of ideas for Tropes in Black, and now I'm finding myself thinking of all the most beautiful black animals. I already had considered doing a black cat or black panther, but I didn't necessarily want to repeat the cat theme. I've been looking for a beautiful photograph of a raven, but haven't found one that seems to "fit". What other animals are known for having a beautiful black color? Though in the end, a black cat could work... And of course just because I organize these indices doesn't mean they are my property — I am certainly alright with being outvoted.
edited 27th Nov '10 8:18:43 PM by Gilgameshkun
Moved the image from Tropes in Black to Black Index, White Index. And after you put it the way you did, I also realized that there are fewer more beautiful natural yin-yang symbols than that beach, especially as waves try to jut into the coast and the sand juts out where the water recedes.
Now that I think of it, a black cat is extremely appropriate, especially as it is so often symbolically used.
Here's what I've found thus far:
[1]
◊
[2]
◊
[3]
◊
If there's anything especially symbolic about black cats, it's "crossing your path". But I also like the cat sitting in the autumn leaves, as there's something very natural about it. And the third picture...might the background be too light? The picture should be for Tropes in Black, not for Black Index, White Index.
Anyway, I'll also keep searching for other markedly black scenery. (Browsing desertscapes in Iceland.) Hm, this one looks nice: [4]
◊ You can really see how black the terrain is, and not merely dimly lit.
edited 27th Nov '10 10:34:07 PM by Gilgameshkun
Alright, I found a black panther for Tropes in Black. It's at least an okay image, though maybe some people will think it's great. I dunno.

I created and picked images for several color-related indices: Black Index, White Index, Blue Tropes, Gray Tropes, Green Tropes, Paint the Index Red, Pink is for Tropes, Purple is the New Trope, Red Index, Blue Index, This Index Is Brown, Tropes in Black, Tropes in White, The Yellow Index. It took awhile to think of an image for some of them — for most of them I wanted to choose a natural color image that showcased the color and was genuinely pretty, preferably Scenery Porn.
But I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the image I chose for The Yellow Index. Sure, sunflowers are yellow, and they're really pretty, but the yellow in the image I chose seems sporadically scattered, and is better at showing how pretty sunflowers are than showing how pretty yellow can be. Maybe there should be a better example image? Or should the existing image remain as-is?