| » Forum Index » The Friday Challenge » Topic: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas? |
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Posted on 29/12/23 9:24:57 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1864 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Thanks Frank and Ant. 
As far as my second entry is concerned, it seemed like a good idea at the time 
Will the site owner fill out a list of anomalies and irregularities for me to attend to later. UPDATED AND CORRECTED 2nd Jan 
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Posted on 01/01/24 9:20:04 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Well that seems to do it Gordon!!! 
Anna I love the real Santa in the fireplace becoming the TV Santa above. Very nice Michael but there’s something about the door doesn’t quite ring true but I can’t put my finger on it. Should the patterns and highlights move with it? _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 01/01/24 9:31:08 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
This is very late for a Christmas themed entry but it proved far more difficult than I anticipated and took up much, much more time than was justified but, once you are half way across the river, you might as well swim on. Even after all that I don’t really feel I have quite pulled it off. But it was fun to do.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 01/01/24 9:43:04 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3995 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Well David, if you don’t care much for it I think it’s excellent. I’ve always liked the ‘bursting out of frame’ images. _________________  |
Posted on 02/01/24 10:30:26 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Thanks Gordon. I posted late last night, tired at the end of a long haul. Seeing it fresh this morning I feel much better about it! Santa's reindeers exist only in illustrations. The hardest part was assembling a team of real reindeers. I managed to find reindeer racing photos with teams of just three or four in a row taken from a low enough angle, but reindeers used for racing are mostly de-horned so I had to re-horn them all and create multiple row harnessing. Lots of fiddling. Trying to create a convincing lighting effect on the right hand table and wall was quite fun too. Sometimes I end up managing to challenge myself more than Steve does! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/01/24 10:47:15 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Hi again Michael. Seeing your lift animation fresh this morning I know exactly what was bugging me. The shadow of the door frame on the right hand side of the door would not move with the door when it opens. The door would move relative to it just as you have correctly done with the tree reflection. Sorry Michael that's really picky .... but you did ask for a list of anomalies .... even if from higher authority than me.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/01/24 11:58:43 AM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1739 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Nice job on the elevator Michael - I wouldn't have noticed the travelling shadow if David hadn't mentioned it. Nice work on the videos Gordon and Anna - Santa the conductor I too always liked the in-out approach David - looks great to me and a good idea. Happy New Year to all.🥳🥳🥳 |
Posted on 02/01/24 1:35:59 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1864 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Don't apologise David as on many other occasions when you have pointed out things I have missed, I have been able to further enhance my artwork. Anyway, all fixed now if you care to check again.
While you are looking (and I say this with a "twinkle" in my eye) there is another "anomaly" which you have surprisingly missed, and it's nothing to do with Santa or the presents. Too much hassle to fix though. |
Posted on 02/01/24 1:46:12 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1864 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
David I love the "concept" and "potential" of your reindeers hurtling out of the TV; however, the operative words here are "concept" and "potential": firstly, the black & white effect doesn't work: it has to be colour! Secondly, get them coming out of a much larger TV screen for a much bolder impact---after all you were in the Movie business weren't you? |
Posted on 02/01/24 3:39:24 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1864 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Here is an example of what I mean David.
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Posted on 02/01/24 5:02:54 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Well Yes and No Michael. It's very fair comment but I have my own very deliberate reasons for doing what I did. Firstly the image coming out of the TV is not black and white. It is low saturation colour with a distinct blue tint. This is partly because it is moonlight and partly because this is the way TV screens used to photograph in the old pre digital days. The effect is quite deliberate because I wanted an image coming out of the screen and starting to become more real. Your doorway example, whilst perfectly correct in its way, reads quite simply as real deer from the outset. There is no element of transmutation of one reality into another. That doesn't suit my purpose in this instance. I have tried to further play with this idea of transmutation where the foreground deer, whilst retaining their 'virtual' moonlit aspect, are starting to become more tangible and are thus illuminated on their underside by the warmth of the table lamp. It's a balancing act that, as I said in my original posting, I am not sure I pulled off. But, successful or not, it is all entirely deliberate. As for screen size, if you accept my intentions above, then it should remain TV sized ...... which, incidentally, is also consistent with my usual philosophy of trying to keep some aspect of the original image as my point of departure. I rest my case m'lud. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 03/01/24 11:39:26 AM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1739 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Michael said - "there is another "anomaly" which you have surprisingly missed," - the Christmas tree reflection in the door shows the same side as the front view - we should see the back side of the tree in the reflection. |
Posted on 03/01/24 11:45:55 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 610 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
I knew I should have trade marked the word Anomaly. |
Posted on 03/01/24 2:34:45 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Just got in under the wire! Hope everyone had a good Xmas and wishing you all a prosperous and peaceful New Year 
_________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 03/01/24 2:58:51 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3054 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Brilliant David! |
Posted on 03/01/24 9:44:52 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Thank you Michael. Coming from you that is praise indeed. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 04/01/24 9:36:13 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1864 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
The TV is a narrow bezel with two-tone grey. I have run out of time so I haven't put an individual shadow for each reindeer.
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Posted on 05/01/24 09:14:41 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7023 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Happy new year, HotChippers! First to turn on the Christmas TV was lwc, with an expertly shifted angle of view: I like how the high speaker is now undistorted. Great choice of movie, and a crackling fire. A Guinness drinker from Ant Snell, who has clearly been at it for some time… I like the warm glow, but some curious angles on the brickwork in that fire. The old testcard on DavidMac's TV is what used to be shown during the day when there were no programmes on – yes, children, there was such a time. The Santa hats are a good addition, and I like the stab at decorations. You should maybe take some polish to the screen. A spectacular reindeer entry – cutting out all those critters must have taken forever. It’s a tremendous idea, and it works well – the solitary drinker with his array of glasses draws the eye well. The lighting on the side table is beautiful. There is something a little static about the reindeer, though, despite your doubtless huge effort in their construction. Maybe a sprinkling of fairy dust would give their hooves some traction? For Born2Run it has to be Die Hard, of course – with Bruce Willis on the screen and an uncharacteristically festive Alan Rickman coming round the corner. I like how you’ve retained the fairy lights. A fine festive scene from Ben Boardman, with a very convincing blackboard and some great decorations. The three women seem rather under-lit, though, compared to the man; I think michael sinclair’s balancing does improve the look, and your second entry brings out the women well. Of course you now need some backlighting from the fire… An excellent image from michael sinclair, with the inspired idea of changing the board into a window. It works remarkably well, once you ignore the fact that the fireplace now has no chimney. I like the way the snow falls at varying speeds, with gives it a real sense of depth. The reflection of the cat is a very good detail. A couple of small points: the angle of view of the window is slightly wrong for our view of the scene, and the cat’s cushion should be slanting the other way. Oh, and it could do with a shadow: 
I enjoyed the lift in the second entry, with Santa being replaced by the presents. And I see you’ve corrected the way the tree reflection now appears as the lift door closes, rather than only when it’s fully closed. Maybe it should close and reopen at the end, to avoid the jump back to the beginning? But a great idea, very neatly executed. I like your reindeer answer to David’s entry – a shame about the ending jump, though. Fully on party time from Frank, featuring me, Gordon and David from an old Christmas meet-up. That’s certainly livened things up – although I think Santa may have had too many pickled cucumbers. A really fun image. I see GKB has gone all health and safety with a fire screen in front of the blaze. I like the way you’ve removed the table. That’s a spectacular animated version too, with a blazing fire and neatly spinning planet. The countdown to the works really well, and it’s good to go out on a bang. “Sing with Santa” is the promise from tooquilos, so we’ll have to see what the animated version has in store… ha ha ha I like how his legs stick down into the fireplace! The translucent Christmas tree is an interesting concept, but it does blend in well with all the decorations. Full-on Christmas from Josephine Harvatt, with the pub now reflected in its own mirror. I won’t even begin to work out the perspectives in that reflection! But that’s a cute Santa. Nicely done. |
Posted on 05/01/24 10:41:21 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5663 Reply |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Aha! Seems I gave failed to get my little gag across properly. The TV is not a TV it is a blackboard to which some wag has attached a Sony logo. My idea was that some other wag (me) had drawn the Christmas test card on the blackboard in chalk. Ho ho ........
Good point. I have to agree. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 06/01/24 2:16:57 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3213 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 985: What's on TV this Christmas?
Since I was pressed for time, shifting the perspective made it much easier to put something together quickly… thanks Steve! |
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