| » Forum Index » Readers' gallery » Topic: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at. |
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Posted on 02/07/11 6:54:18 PM |
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David Mac
* Posts: 4 Reply  |
A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
I notice that Steve responds to some of the post here so I hope that he will see this. By profession I am a Director of Photography. I light movie sets and supervise the photography. Over the years I developed a number of techniques for creating "lighting" within photoshop and trying to use these to achieve convincing composites and total lighting transformations. I am a completely self taught photoshop artist (if that isn't too pretentious a term - I really hate it). Working and discovering alone I was never confident that I was setting about it the right way and kept thinking there must be more streamlined and better techniques. Then a few years years back I stumbled upon "How to Cheat" Edition 3. I couldn't believe my eyes! Here was a respected professional teaching variations on some of the very techniques I had so painstakingly discovered for myself. Suddenly I found that perhaps what I had been doing wasn't so clumsy after all. Here was a man who knew so much more about Photoshop than me and yet, seemingly, thought about lighting in a similar manner. I cannot tell you what an incredible boost it gave my self confidence to discover that perhaps I hadn't been as hopelessly groping in the dark as I had previously believed. Add to that the bonus of all I learned working through the book, and I owe Steve a great debt. I romped though it. It just made such perfect sense! It seemed as if all those years I struggled to find my way just dropped into place. So if you read this Steve: Thank You! Thank You! And since this is the Gallery forum, here it is: http://www.cambiguities.com ..... photographic illusions ….. and some other compositing and lighting too …… I do hope you enjoy it. …. and now I am going to enjoy myself strolling through the work here. There's some really very interesting stuff …… can't wait. |
Posted on 02/07/11 8:11:59 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
Great work David and welcome to the forum. Nick |
Posted on 03/07/11 8:58:37 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4022 Reply  |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
There's some very nice work there David. Hope to see some more in the Friday Challenges. Gordon _________________ You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. |
Posted on 04/07/11 07:13:18 AM |
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Daniel
Poser Professor Posts: 192 Reply  |
A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
Amazing work David ... The method you use to construct your images is quite unique. If I understand it correctly you first build the main elements of the image digitally, and then fill the textures and people with your photographs. Is that right? |
Posted on 04/07/11 11:50:30 AM |
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David Mac
* Posts: 4 Reply |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
Basically Daniel ... Yes 
Somewhere I have a file prepared long ago for a lecture that shows the stages. I'll try and find it and post for you with a bit more detail. |
Posted on 04/07/11 2:14:21 PM |
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David Mac
* Posts: 4 Reply |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
Hi Daniel OK … I found the files that answer your question. Some of this is on the site too. It varies considerably from image to image, but in the case of the illusion images what you say is correct. Most illusions require some quite precise underlying geometry. The main construction will be made first, usually in 2D vector. I run Corel Draw X4 (a PC only software) on my MacPro using VMWare fusion. Draw has some very handy tools for drawing and extruding in perspective and I also have my own custom made isometric grids. Here is an example from the Engineer series. The impossible objects, including the final machine, were Drawn in 2D vector, ported across to Photoshop with plain fills, and then textured and lit by hand in Photoshop. In this case the metallic textures were not photographed but created within Photoshop. The accessories were photographed with exact lighting and point of view to fit. 
Normally textures will be created from photographs taken for the purpose. Wherever I go I photograph surfaces and objects that might come in useful one day and have built a vast personal texture and object library. I don't use 3D very much. Firstly it's hard to use 3D to create illusory objects that can't actually exist in real 3D space (the above is a perfect example) and secondly I don't like 3D's fussy "node tweaking" approach. All my rendering is done by hand in photoshop. I find that 3D renders lack conviction. They are too immaculate. For me, the secret of realism lies in serendipity, the tiny happy accidents and scars of imperfection that are everywhere in real life. These I try to create deliberately in Photoshop. When I do use 3D I work for the most part with Sketchup which is incredibly fast and easy (and free  ). I have developed a technique for exporting a Sketchup object as multiple Photoshop 2D layers. Because I texture in Photoshop I don't need a sophisticated renderer at the 3D stage so Sketchup suits me perfectly.
Non illusion images will, for the most part, be constructed "freehand" without a base construction. I tend to let them evolve more organically. I start with a flat composite created from source photographs and then add lighting. Below is one was done for an online challenge by a photo library created entirely from images taken from their library. 
It's an odd and sometimes cumbersome way of working …… but 'tis mine own. 
I hope that answers your question ..... in fact you can probably file it under "More than you ever needed to know ………" |
Posted on 05/07/11 01:06:57 AM |
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Daniel
Poser Professor Posts: 192 Reply |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
Hello David, And thanks for the comprehensive tutorial. As I said your method is very unique. I personally would have had problems taking pictures from the exact right angels to fit into illustrations like yours. When I first saw the video on your web site, I thought that you may use an orientation sensor attached to your camera to get the perceptive right (?!)
I also use Corel Draw for drawing technical illustrations for presentations and other stuff in connection with my work (and I love it). As much as I love PS, I think it is not the proper tool for drawing complex 2D images. As a matter of fact this was my first question to Steve when I joined the forum last summer. Your work is very interesting and very inspiring. I hope to see some of your work in our forum soon. Cheers Daniel |
Posted on 05/07/11 07:06:25 AM |
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David Mac
* Posts: 4 Reply |
Re: A big Hello and Thank You to Steve and a new Gallery to look at.
No, no orientation sensors. I will soon be approaching fifty years of working with movie cameras. Over the years you get to do lots of effects work involving the combination of elements shot separately. Although it might appear so, I am not actually very technical in my approach. Sometimes it can be very crude and improvised. I work by gut instinct and holding a wet finger in the breeze. I do hope to be able to participate here. At the moment I am due to leave soon for India where I am shooting a "Bollywood" movie. I popped in here quickly because I discovered the forum by accident and wanted the chance to pay tribute and thank Steve Caplin. Hopefully I will be back ........ |