Phun with Photoshop

[theKeeper]

Hey nice work Gare.
Very convincing.

 

[gare]

Pre-editing

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

 

[Sean]

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]

Finished image

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 ...

Nikkie

 

[gare]

Nikkie

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!

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

Compose in black in white; shoot in color.

 

[Joy Foraker]

Amazing Gare! Guess you did some DNA switching too if you used your feet as model.

 

[gare]

Guess again

Sorry to say, my feet weren't used. I "discovered" a young fellow in our meditation group who's a devout ham. I did about two 128MB cards of him, and he'll be featured in the book's tutorials.

My DNA,

Gare

 

[SnowDog]

Great Work Gare

But when is someone gonna put a beer in " Brother Dave's " hand?


SnowDog

 

[Nikkie]

Snowdog

i had something else in mind... [sly]

 

[gare]

Snowdog

Um, the display of alcoholic beverages doesn't occur in after-market books according to my publisher's wishes .Like Paul Hogan in the old Fosters commercials, Dave drinks off-camera. That's Hawaiian Punch in the Polynesian cocktail mug I added to the photo

Nikkie--fun one

My Best,

Gare

 

[gare]

Fresh fro the oven

I needed a typography example, so I came up with this.

The damagewas real, but I added the flames using Maya PaintEffects, along w/ smoke. The cars were rendered in Vue (composited using PS), and there's tiny people inside: Poser.

The trees are also fake>Digital Elements' Verdant, and Carrera rendered nice interiors for the Poser people.

My Best,

Gare

 

[Nikkie]

Very nice Gare, i love the trees and the cars, the only way i am able to create a fire is with Eye Candy but the results are far from convincing...

BTW....
that pizza was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to hot hmm ???? 8}

Nikkie

 

[gare]

Maya fire

Hi, Nikkie--

Yeah, Eye Candy's fx are great, but won't completely fool the viewer's eye.

Alias has a personal learning edition that's free:
http://www.alias.com/glb/eng/products-services/product_details.jsp?productId=1900003
and I found a wonderful fire tute at: http://www.evermotion.org/tutorials/paintfx/fire/

It takes an investment of time, but the rewards are there. I'm adding physical simulations of fluids, fireworks, and other stuff to my PS work as soon as I can learn it.

My Best,

Gare

 

[gare]

A theme continued

The next in my "trashed fast food joints" series.

[confused]

Gare

 

[Raven]

Whew! A bit of Twilight Zone there, Gare, with the interior of the restaurant leading back into (?) [confused] a mysterious new dimension beyond the trees! Fun one!