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Posted on 03/07/24 3:14:49 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3187 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
After spending an inordinate amount of time and effort to get the timing right, and the file size under twenty MB (ended up at 19.8, down from an initial 43.6), I couldn’t bring myself to just pitch it in the bin with some others. The last one for the week… I promise! (Inspiration came from DavidMac’s ‘boys over-inflating the dragon’ entry.) 
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Posted on 03/07/24 8:23:38 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5628 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Yes. That's fun! I flew a couple of times with a professional company who provided balloons for filming. It's an amazing experience. It's so quiet you hear everything from the ground. They also created promotional balloons in all sorts of shapes. Many years ago, in the eighties, they created one for Osram. A light bulb is the perfect object to re-create with a balloon. The balloon was created in such a manner that once inflated there was an electric lamp suspended at it's centre with a small generator in the basket. They would fly it at dusk so, lit from inside, it glowed against the sky. It looked wonderful! At that time it was a cutting edge technique. Nowadays helium balloons, illuminated by a lamp inside, are commonly used in filming for lighting large areas at nighttime without the need for towers or cranes as support. They are even used inside large buildings, such as cathedrals, where rigging conventional lights would risk damaging the delicate fabric of the building. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 05/07/24 03:25:54 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7014 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Hi everyone For those from outside the UK who may not know, it’s election night. Don’t expect my write-up any time early in the morning. Steve |
Posted on 05/07/24 03:47:01 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2892 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Loyd, I remember that Twilight Zone episode! Well done. Michael, I laughed with the fairy godmother! http://vimeo.com/975997715  _________________ Wicked Witch of the West: I'm melting! I'm melting! |
Posted on 05/07/24 08:18:36 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5628 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Anna this is one rare occasion where I prefer the static image to the animation. There's something about this plump Mr. Blobby dragon that doesn't lend itself well to animation. The first two shots where he doesn't move aside from his flames work much better. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 05/07/24 08:47:39 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5628 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Oh Steve! Are you trying to tell us that the UK government takes precedence over Hotchips? I am speechless .......... _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 05/07/24 10:58:14 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7014 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Good morning everyone, and sorry for the delay. Went to bed at 5am after seeing Rees-Mogg lose his seat. Sorry I wasn't awake to see Liz Truss lose hers. (If you don't know who Jacob Rees-Mogg is then you're very lucky to have missed him. If you don't know who Liz Truss is, that's understandable. She was only Prime Minister for 46 days.) First to light the dragon fire this week was lwc, with a dragon who still looks rather cheerful, despite the terror of the woman in the foreground (and I like her trembling mouth). I do feel that the dragon’s tail should have been behind that tree. I like the moat version , especially those skittering feet. But – oh! Drop shadow over the clouds! No no no! The moat version with the cute flying dragon is rather charming, and the reflection of the fire in the water works well. I enjoyed the electric fence as well, its tapping feet making it look impatient. The sparks work well. And it slots very neatly into that circus cage – you’ve really been busy, Loyd! I remember that Twilight Zone episode well, with that early role for William Shatner. Nicely reproduced, especially animating him. And the rain. And the dragon. The hot air balloon entry is truly remarkable, not just for its inspiration but for the elegance of its execution. Terrific work. A complete medieval scene from Ben Boardman, with knights on horseback and a distinctly Chinese-looking dragon. I like the expression on the boy in the dragon suit. Maybe they need a fire to brighten things up? I’m impressed that Ant Snell managed to find not just another blow-up dragon, but an actual blow-up dragon suit – and added a splendidly fierce knight. Now then, what did I say about eye contact? And why does the dragon’s flame have a drop shadow? You need Blend If. A rather charming story from DavidMac, with the boy inadvertently puncturing his dragon. You’ve found a great selection of shots of the boy, with good expressions – where was he from? I like how you’ve fit the story around the available images. And the shadow at the end rounds off the tale nicely. I like the over-inflation, with an ingeniously spherized dragon (although I’m not convinced by the shape of the head). I never thought the dragon could really be made scary, but Frank seems to have managed it. It’s very neatly blended into the scene, matching the tone of the background remarkably well. I’m not entirely sure about the moustache-shaped nasal fire, though. Not the traditional approach. A fairytale start from michael sinclair – now, why does the fairy godmother appear to be in front of the dragon, rather than behind? Move them closer to get some overlap to fix this problem. Some intricate masking in the overlapping dragons entry, and it looks like you’ve done some really clever work there; a shame it moves too fast to see it properly. I’d like to see these as stills. The Chinese dragon moves convincingly, but that’s an awful shadow. A dark and mysterious dragon from tooquilos, but still recognisable as based on the original. It looks almost as if it’s made of stone. I like the varied locations (and indeed enemies) in the animated version, with some spectacular flames and explosions. I’ve been trying to work out how the Abba soundtrack fits but I’m stumped. The Game of Thrones soundtrack would have worked well. |
Posted on 05/07/24 1:15:07 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5628 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
I think I had better 'take the fifth' on that.
Yes, I agree. I should have seen that. Laziness really. Thanks Steve. Sadly, for some reason, I couldn't really get going with this one. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 05/07/24 2:06:11 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3987 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
… after all my hard work you missed me out. Anyone would think that you had been up all night 
btw …. Jacob Rees Mogg 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 _________________ Whatever you do in life do it with the enthusiasm of a 4-year old in a Batman suit. |
Posted on 05/07/24 3:52:30 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3187 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Ha…! I expected to get called out on that shadow. The ‘shadow effect’ built into the animation software doesn’t allow for many adjustments for a moving object. Making a semi-transparent shadow with a gif that is to be placed within a gif in the software is difficult since a gif does not support semi-transparencies, especially when moving diagonally across the frame. I took the easy way out. Here is a link to a more proper shadow version (still not very good, but hey it’s a gif): here Thanks Steve...! |
Posted on 05/07/24 4:16:18 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7014 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
…and a splendid Jurassic entry from GKB, with some lovingly handmade gate swinging open to reveal… a not particularly scary dinosaur, despite the copious sound effects. I think the world is safe for now, Gordon. Sorry for the delay! |
Posted on 05/07/24 5:42:00 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3987 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Steve! I thought this was giving you nightmares and that this was what kept you up all last night😱 _________________ Why is it that all the contestants in the ‘Miss Universe’ contest are all from Earth? |
Posted on 06/07/24 10:40:47 PM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1738 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1011: The dragonfest
Thanks Steve, given the nature of the image I went with a little non-traditional |
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