[CNash]

Don't get too hung up on community expectations. In general I've found that well-produced amateur effects get a good reception from the community, while half-assed amateur effects aren't quite as well-received. So if you try too hard to do more than you can - shooting for more quality than is feasible with your budget and technical skills - then there's more chance of it falling flat.

"Poof" TFs have a bad reputation in the community, but I think that they can be done well, and that they can be acceptable if it's understood that this is the limit of what can be accomplished. For example, I thought that the eye and face transformations from the dog TF were quite well done, even if the practical effects weren't entirely convincing - Mika's performance really helped to sell it, too, so it's not all dependant on the quality of the makeup anyway.