Phun with Photoshop

[theKeeper]

Hey nice work Gare.
Very convincing.

[gare]

Thanks, Mark!

I don't go out of my way to keep it secret that I pre-edit example images in books--mostly necessary 'cause my photography talents are questionable.

Yesterday, I wanted to show how to transport a model from a white sheet to a beach scene (Vue's good, but trial composites looked phoney compared to an actual beach, so I'm covering an actual beach today), but the model was wearing sneakers and I thought bare-foot would be a better detail.

So I spent 4 hours retouching and color-correcting skin tones--folks, skin tones are the most difficult of hues to match, trust me.

The anatomy is a plausible but imperfect match, but the overall image is serviceable now. I just thought I'd post it as a contrast to much of the fantasy work that I frequently display. "Invisible mending", alas, has by definition, got to go unappreciated!

Yours in pixels,

Gare

[Raven]

Great examples, and skills, Gare! Really, "invisible" work on those feet -- I never would have guessed he had shoes on originally, your retouches blend so very well! B7

[p?tr?]

Wow, very nice blending . Totally convincing!

[chillman]

Yeah, Gare Rocks! He has proven that time and time again!! Keep up the great work and tuts Gare! We all appreciate you.

[gare]

Thanks for the kind comments, all!

I wound up using a blend of photographic and Vue render for the water. The "real" water came out boring.

My Best,

Gare

[Nikkie]

Excellent work Gare!! :} :}

but.... somehow i get the feeling that this man is not a total stranger to you hmmm ??? [excited]

or the hawaiian shirt mob is back in town ... :P

Nikkie

[gare]

Thanks, Nikkie!

Um, you might say that I know Dave like a brother ;)

My Best,

Gare

[Raven]

Well, "Brother Dave" looks great in this! I love how you also adjusted the colors and gave him that "been in the sun" skintone to match with the sand, etc. -- the feel of the warm sunny beach comes through really well. The reflected light from the white sheet used in the previous shot really gives a bit of the "sand stuck to the skin" appearance on the undersides of the legs, etc. Yeah, and this water looks more "watery" and interesting than the real water. (That seashell is huge! I'd go nuts as an avid shell collector if I came across something like that one hehe ). Thanks for showing the progression of this!

I agree, fun and great work, Gare! :} :} :}

[gare]

Thanks, Raven! For folks who want to copy the techniques, copy shadows from the original to a new layer, and put the layer in Multiply mode, at about 75% Opacity. Bake at 450?; cool. Serves 4-6.

The seashell is soft plastic (I, too collect shells, but only on vacation, 'cause my hometown is land-locked), and thought a larger-than-life shell would put the image over the top for the book.

BTW, I needed to paint in the shadow of the background swimmer, because optically, he didn't cast one, but it just looked wrong.

My Best,

Gare

[size=9px]Compose in black in white; shoot in color.[/size]