How to Cheat in Photoshop

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Posted on 05/10/17 11:22:03 AM

Mariner
Renaissance Mariner
Posts: 3062

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Frank wrote:
Michael -very nice and a lot of work!

Thank you Frank. And a lot of fun!

Posted on 05/10/17 12:27:50 PM

josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer
Posts: 2603

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

srawland wrote:
Michael Sinclair, that is truly frightening.

Frank, That's really lovely!

Trevor, I love Game of Thrones, however, I am always behind on it because I don't have HBO and have to wait until the local library obtains the DVD and wait my turn in line to view it.

DavidMac, I love the feel of it. I think it's just perfect.

Tom - I love it!

Gordon, I love how you put his reported last words on the sign.

Really, Ben, don't you think she's a little overdressed?

Josephine, He fits perfectly in that chair. Did you know who he was before you created the image. I had to Google him.

Vibeke and Ant - I'm sure there's a good story as to why you chose the image you did. Unfortunately, I am an ignorant American and I don't get the joke.

Google was my friend too - I looked up "rector" and he fitted the bill visually at least!

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Posted on 05/10/17 6:53:33 PM

Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician
Posts: 1319

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Not quite sure where I have left my brain, but here is my effort.
Everyone else, lovely work.

Posted on 06/10/17 09:07:35 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 7025

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

First to light the lamp was Ben Mills, with a beautifully lit scene - a great flame, fantastic glow to the lamp, and fine shadows. A nicely patched tablecloth, and a curiously gendered rector - but hey, why not. Excellent.

A black and white scene from GKB, with a charming shade on the newly electrified lamp and the rector played by rather innovative choice of Oscar Wilde. I like the use of his alleged last lines on the sign (curiously enough, I once stayed in L'Hôtel in Paris, in the room in which Wilde died, and the wallpaper was OK. Perhaps they'd changed it since then). Wondering why his wrist disappears into the table, though. Is it a magic trick?

A cheery rector from Vibeke, with his ancient bottle of wine and a steak that's frankly a lot of cholesterol for a single man. Those are fierce flames! Perhaps some dark shading around the edges of the image?

A victorian historian from Josephine Harvatt, chosen - I suspect - because the lighting on his face and body is exactly right for the position of the oil lamp. A very good fit - and some nice warm sparkle to the scene.

A cinematically lit scene from DavidMac, with a rector nicely fitting the chair and a nice warm glow all round. Since you said you weren't entirely satisfied with it, I can point out three minor errors, the smallest being that you've removed the feather but not taken it out of the ink stand. The second issue, though, is the angle of the book: from this viewpoint we shouldn't be able to see the side of the pages on the right. The third point is more subtle. From the design of the lamp we can intuit a third flame behind. Each flame will cast a slight shadow on the desk, where it's lit by just two of the three. Something like this:

A gloriously sparkling entry from Tom, whose skeletal rector is counting his pile of cash. I like the conversion of the inkwell into three more candles, and the rather addition in the background of - I think this is right - the eponymous device from the 1960 film of H G Wells' The Time Machine. Beautiful work, worth checking out the larger entry, despite the curious choice of reading matter.

A Game of Thrones inspired entry from Jota120, all the more appropriate since parts of it were, indeed, filmed in Dubrovnik. Beautifully placed characters, and excellent subdued lighting - I like the white tablecloth. Very nicely done. All you have to do now is light the lamp...

Great lighting from Frank, whose rector is about to tuck into a decidedly modern-looking dinner. I really like the puffs of smoke from the flames, and the deep shadows. I think the man lighting the flames should be somewhat larger, though, as he's in front of the desk and so much closer to the camera than the chair is. And are we seeing those books too much from above?

A dozing rector from Ant Snell - surprising, since he hasn't even started on that bottle of wine. I like the flame. With such a strong shadow on the side of the man's head, though, you really need to carry that through onto the body as well.

I think Halloween has come early for michael sinclair - a spooky entry, with some very fine animations - I like how the doll only blinks occasionally. Does the spirit level replace the spirit lamp?

A nicely lit scene from srawland, and congratulations on being the first to intuit the third flame behind the lamp. I think your rector could do with a slightly higher contrast face, though. I like his movements in the animated version - good work getting the cross to move with him! Nice flickering flames, too.

A bright entry from Mariner, with a somewhat boozy rector clearly suffering from the effects of the night before. The lighting on him suggests that he was photographed outdoors; would an oil lamp really produce such a bright effect on the face? I like the way you've moved both the lamp and the inkwell, and turned the picture into a mirror.

A very jolly rector from Deborah Morley, who has plucked up the quill and is using it to gesture with. Odd that the flames should be blowing away from the window! But a neat patch on the desk.

I don't think I've ever seen a week of more beautiful images on the Forum. Splendid work, everyone.

Posted on 06/10/17 09:16:29 AM

GKB
Magical Montagist
Posts: 4002

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Thanks Steve. Yes, I keep looking at his wrist but it’s actually the feather quill that looks as though it’s part of his sleeve and giving the impression that the arm is disappearing into the desk.

Lots of beautiful lighting effects this week from everyone.

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Posted on 06/10/17 09:45:34 AM

Mariner
Renaissance Mariner
Posts: 3062

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Steve wrote
...would an oil lamp really produce such a bright effect on the face?

No. Even after moving the lamp much closer to his face. The following were unsatisfactory: Brightness/Contrast, Hue/Saturation, Image/Adjustments/Exposure.
Can you suggest a good way of reducing the glare?

Posted on 06/10/17 12:26:38 PM

josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer
Posts: 2603

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Thanks Steve - you are of course quite correct!

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Posted on 06/10/17 1:15:41 PM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 7025

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Mariner wrote:

Steve wrote
...would an oil lamp really produce such a bright effect on the face?

I did this using the Shadows/Highlights control to reduce most of the glare, then made a new layer set to Darken and painted over the brightest areas with a colour sampled from the skin.

Not perfect, but a slight improvement.

Posted on 06/10/17 2:03:58 PM

Jota120
Ingenious Inventor
Posts: 2615

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Thanks Steve,
I didn't know it was filmed in Dubrovnik, unless in my subconscious.
The small candles are alight, but overpowered by other light sources. I guess the upper rod could well be supporting another higher more intense lamp, but tried to subdue that.

I think everyone did great work and interesting to see how we responded to the challenge especially when tried it yourself.

Sara, I haven't seen all the episodes either, but got some of the latest episodes now.

Posted on 06/10/17 2:37:39 PM

srawland
Pixel Perfectionist
Posts: 885

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Thank you, Steve. I was really cursing Adobe for not allowing me to get the cross to appear as if it were swinging outward as he leaned over. I ended up having to use nearly 20 keyframes to get it to stay around his neck. However, I think Vibeke was the first to intuit the third flame.

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Posted on 06/10/17 3:13:06 PM

michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist
Posts: 1864

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

No, the spirit level was meant to indicate by "tongue-in-cheek" example that I had taken the trouble to adjust the table slant/perspective to the new background.

Posted on 06/10/17 4:40:59 PM

Mariner
Renaissance Mariner
Posts: 3062

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Re: Challenge 674: The rector's desk

Steve wrote
I did this using the Shadows/Highlights control to reduce most of the glare, then made a new layer set to Darken and painted over the brightest areas with a colour sampled from the skin.

Not perfect, but a slight improvement.

Thanks for your extra effort Steve. I have always found Shadows/Highlights difficult to use so I didn't try it this time. I have saved this and your overpainting tip in my "hot tips file" for future reference.

Posted on 06/10/17 6:34:26 PM

Tom
Texture Technologist
Posts: 401

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