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Posted on 30/09/04 10:50:18 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply  |
South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
I've been working on this montage for the local TGWU (Transport & Genreal Workers Union) office at the Bus Depot where my partner, James, works. I had previously made a photo collage for them of the last bus strike a couple of years ago which still remains on their office wall in pride of place. This year I didn't want to just paste a load of photos together in Photoshop but wanted to make a proper montage (although the definition between a collage and a montage seems a little burred to me). 
So I copied an image of a bus that I Googled for and used Steve's tutorial "Major color changes" on page 58 to repaint the bus in T&G colours and add the T&G logo to bus as well as make up a catchy slogan "Driving for a fairer deal" then insert the cutouts of various photos from the 2004 strike. One particularly tricky bit was the man in the Grolsch baseballcap as he was drinking a can of Stella Artois and had both a cigarette hanging from his lip and one in his left hand - Although the man wasn't on duty (of course he was on strike) it doesn't reflect well on the union to be promoting drinking and smoking where busdrivers are concerned - so I had to clone out the cigarettes and turn the can of lager into a harmless polystrene cup of tea ( Stalin's airbrushing out of Trotsky doesn't even come compete  )
So any comments/critiques (good or bad) are very much appreciated. BTW once again this is unpaid labour (bah!) _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 30/09/04 11:18:22 AM |
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trinityofone
Guest Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
That's great, Maiden. An awful lot of work has gone into this piece. There's something about the crowd which doesn't quite gel and makes it look like a composite but I can't figure out what it is. It may just be a slight difference in contrast somewhere. At the end of the day though, I don't think that matters, it's an illustration, after all. Nice work! _________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 30/09/04 11:23:59 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
It's the different lighting as the people were all mulling around rather than in group. I've tried to even out the lighting and make it more uniform but it's a very difficult task especially as I find that Dodge and Burn tends to give an unnatural look. So I opted for a general feel as the T&G office won't be that fussy and as you say it's more to illustrate the solidarity of the strike and the good nature of it too. _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 30/09/04 11:35:44 AM |
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trinityofone
Guest Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
Dodge and burn can be a real pain, especially with faces. You may want to try using a brush on a new layer, use thresholds to find the darkest point and work from there, that way, you can play with the blending mode and opacity. _________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 30/09/04 12:01:35 PM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
Yes I did consider that, but it all seems a lot of work. Perhaps if they pay me next time I'll put the extra effort in _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 30/09/04 12:07:34 PM |
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trinityofone
Guest Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
You could always threaten to strike yourself  _________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 30/09/04 12:11:32 PM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
Yay STRIKE! Every one out - *produces ready-made placard* _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 30/09/04 12:22:36 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7000 Reply  |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
The lighting is a bit of a problem, I agree. I find it best to use Shadow and Highlight (do you have CS?) to balance faces first, that removes any existing shadows. As for adding shading later, the problem is always that they look too grey. Try using brown instead on a new layer, set to Multiply. Works for me. Great montage, by the way! I know it seems a little redundant to say that at the end of these comments, but it really does the job well! |
Posted on 30/09/04 12:31:09 PM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: South Yorkshire Bus-Drivers Strike
Yes I'm using CS, although Shadows and Highlights is a little unpredictable in my hands. Initially the the first row of people was done in a seperate montage which lacked any real inspiration and funnily enough I did apply Shadow and Highlights to some - for whatever reason I just didn't complete the effect for all the people, I must resolve to be more efficient. _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |