So, I got this idea stuck in my head the other day about making a Jimmy Butler emo meme. You know how he gets that super intense, almost kinda sad look sometimes? Especially after a tough game. It just screamed ’emo phase’ to me, even though he’s like, the definition of tough guy.
First thing, I needed the right picture. I went digging online. Typed in stuff like “Jimmy Butler intense look”, “Jimmy Butler serious face”, “Butler playoff sad”. Scrolled through a bunch of game photos. Lots of action shots, yelling, usual stuff. Took me a while, honestly. Needed one that wasn’t mid-game action, more like a quiet, brooding moment. Finally found this one shot, I think it was after a loss, maybe? He was just staring off, looking kinda beat down. Perfect base.
Getting the Emo Vibe Right
Okay, got the picture. Now, how to make it properly emo? Didn’t want to go overboard, just give it that vibe. I just used a simple photo editor app I have on my phone, nothing fancy.
- Darkness: First step, gotta make it dark. Messed with the brightness and contrast sliders. Pulled the brightness way down, upped the contrast a bit to keep his face visible but still gloomy.
- Shadows: Cranked up the shadows, or rather, made them deeper. Added a vignette effect too, you know, where the corners get darker. Really focuses on his sad-looking face.
- Color Drain: Desaturated it slightly. Not full black and white, but took some of the color out to make it feel more moody and less vibrant.
- Maybe some grain?: Thought about adding film grain for that old, worn-out look, but decided against it. Kept it clean but dark.
Then I thought about text. Emo memes sometimes have those dramatic lyrics or quotes. I found some generic, kinda dramatic quote online, something about pain or whatever. Didn’t use a specific band lyric, just something that sounded vaguely deep and sad in that teenage way. Picked a font that looked kinda handwritten or scratchy. Placed it somewhere not covering his face, maybe near the bottom corner.
The Final Look
And that was pretty much it. Looked at the final thing. It was kinda funny, seeing this super competitive athlete looking like the cover of some 2000s emo band’s album. It captured that specific kind of exaggerated sadness I was going for. It’s silly, yeah, but it worked. Just a quick little project messing around with a photo. Shared it with a couple of friends who follow basketball, they got a laugh. So yeah, that was my little adventure in making an emo Jimmy Butler meme.
