February 2013 Video Tutorial - Advanced Image Retouching

[dcahall]

Hey that is some awesome feedback (on both counts). I had followed Stygg's tutorial (I thought) and did not do the Clip View until the end. I fully understand what you are saying and will put that into practice. To be honest, I do not think I was really aware of what the bitmap copy would accomplish for me and will look at it better in the future. I had tried combining shapes but that did not achieve the results I wanted. After playing around some during these two tutorials I have learned a lot that will help in the future.

Yes, I did not take the time to align the object correctly with the "horizon" as a dividing point. In fact, I was kind of trying to not go that route to try to add a little bit of illusion to some depth but it did not come out exactly as I had hoped but it was still fun.

The boy was an exercise. I spent a pretty fair amount of time tracing, zooming, trying different lighting/highlighting until I got something I was kind of proud of. The weird part was that once I had him completed, I then had to make a single color object out of him (eliminating all of that detail I had spent a lot of time creating) so that I would have an object I could use to produce a curved shadow of the boy for another thread.

Again, thanks for the complements. I feel good about what I accomplished on that endeavor. BTW: especially since I got him from you, feel free to use anytime you like (as can anyone else - even if it is only a model for creating something similar). You guys are making me feel different about the skills I am beginning to develop.

[pauland]

Gary, I'm going to be a party-pooper - I'm not a fan of the "corrected" version. Here's why..

- The horizon line doesn't match the reflections; shouldn't they all be in line?

- there are shadows, yet with a distant horizon, they wouldn't be there.

..maybe it's just me.

[Gare]

@Paul—

Agreed: the reflections and the originals don't converse at the horizon, my oversight.

I plead fatigue, Paul. In an attempt to correct a problem after a very long and largely unrewarding day, I introduced another one. Sorry, Dave, Paul is right and I should have moved the foreground shapes to accommodate the adjusted horizon.

I have an idea—but no hard empirical evidence—that the shadows aren't correct. Dave used the Shadow tool, and although the tool is very clever, it doesn't suit all occasions. I often recommend a feathered shape or a blend from an outer shape that's 100% transparent to an inner one that's something like 91% transparent.

But I'll be darned at this hour if I can see in the composition exactly where the source of lighting is, to glean where the shadows should fall, and how they should be shaped. As Stygg states, it's a surreal composition, and (yes this a cop-out) surreal compositions have both photorealistic and non-photorealistic elements.

Aside from early TV show intros such as for the Twilight Zone and The Third Man, I recall a Dali painting where the horizon is quite far in the distance, and there are indeed shadows in the painting I'm thinking of. Salvador Dali simply didn't use the Shadow tool.

@Dave—

Everything I show, teach, demonstrate, is an exercise, so you just keep on doing what you're doing. This is not a classroom, there are no grades. This is not a peer-to-peer review, it's a discussion area where we all feel free to agree to disagree. And it certainly isn't a paying gig, the money I pay for completed assignments stinks as you've gathered.

You learned from this exercise and you're going to come back in the future to continue to listen, explain, experiment, and learn.

This learning jazz is not only the most important thing you'll achieve here, but it usually should be the only thing.

I commend you for your bravery, your diligence and persistence, and the results you've achieve in such a short time.

I need my sleeping cap and my pillow now.

Later,

Gary

[pauland]

Despite my niggles, Gary did a great job on sorting out the horizon, so don't let my comments deflect from that.

Goodnight Gary!

Dave, I've been on TG for a long time and the journeys people make from absolute beginner to skilled artisan or artist are quite amazing. It just takes time and patience.

[stygg2003]

Seeing as I have caused this horizon debate with the surreal sky, here's my answer for the problem. It consists of a rectangle with a linear fill then 3 or 4 new nodes created, the fill being Rainbow. Selecting each node and using the eye dropper to give its colour fill from the clouds at the base. Hope I've made that clear and hope it helps. Nearly forgot the rectangle is then feathered about 10.3 to 11, untill it blends with the cloud yet hides the dreaded line

Stygg.

[Gare]

I have caused this horizon debate with the surreal sky.

I LOVE IT! Stygg, this would make a PERFECT supermarket tabloid headline, don't you think?

Hey, how about you upload the file itself as an attachment, so people can use both your text and the composition itself as guides?

Here's a decidedly un-surreal sky. Feel free to fool with it, everyone. I used the same techniques as Stygg has covered, and spend a good deal of time "eyeballing" (AKA "guesstimating") the shadows.


-g

[dcahall]

Did not realize where all this was going. While you guys were posting some more neat stuff, I worked on still another version that combined the two tutorials. Of course, I had to add some of my own touches. I tried to give the sky and floor some perspective. I also changed the shadowing to use some techniques learned in another thread. Did not use the shadow tool this time. In addition to some comments in another thread about being able to move the shadow in 360 degrees, I would also like to suggest being able to change the color of the shadow (another thing I did in this one). I hope this addresses some of the things you pointed out.

I am also attaching an updated set of files from the Curving Shadow thread that was inspired by some comments from Gary. And yes Gary, I have started making bit map copies of stuff and can see the difference. It also showed my that I could take that boy and make a bitmap copy of him and change the color so I can have both a gold and silver copy of him with all of the details. I really enjoyed finding that out. Opens up a lot of doors to me.

@Stygg, I should also let you know that you have opened my eyes to some whole new areas as well.

[stygg2003]

Here's the file Surreal sky Gary so everyone can play with it, just ungroup and in the Page & Layer gallery you will see the Shape I used to hide the horizon line, click on it, select fill then you will see the linear fill with nodes, click on any node, bring up the colour editor and you will see the colour I applied or change the colours if you want, please feel free to do whatever you like with the file.

Stygg

[Gare]

OKAY THIS is wot I'm talkin' 'bout!

You people are generating branching threads of topics and you're strutting your stuff, and we're all learning.

This is what I came here for, people.

We're creating content, and the level of content is on the Pro side of Intermediate User, and you're helping one another by revealing stuff.

A lonnnng time ago, I butted heads with a talented artist who was trying to sell "secrets"; recipes for accomplishing something in Photoshop.

I disagreed with the whole premise; you either sell lessons or you reveal the techniques to people as part of a Giving Community, which many if not most real artists subscribe to.

There are no "secrets" when it comes to art technique. There are only things the artist hasn't discovered yet.

So it makes me very pleased that you're doing neat stuff with the tutorials, improvising, and then sharing what you've learned.

I'd love to be put out of business! :)

My Best,

Gary

[stygg2003]

Hi Dave, some really neat stuff your turning out and the bronze boy is superb, glad your enjoying yourself

Stygg.