How to Cheat in Photoshop

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Posted on 30/09/10 4:50:11 PM

Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician
Posts: 1319

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Well, I've taken photos of some stupid things in my life - but a kiwi fruit in a cocktail glass!!

Posted on 30/09/10 5:39:36 PM

Jota120
Ingenious Inventor
Posts: 2615

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Duplicate

Posted on 30/09/10 7:22:01 PM

Stefano Giacomuzzi
Modernist Maestro
Posts: 146

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Kuham wrote:

Hi Stefano,

Another illustration shows your flexibility, I like this too.
Nice one.

Kuham

Thank you Kuham, I appreciate it

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Posted on 30/09/10 7:25:57 PM

Stefano Giacomuzzi
Modernist Maestro
Posts: 146

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

The last one from me:

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Posted on 01/10/10 08:30:51 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 7047

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Not an easy Challenge this week (and I realise I seem to be saying that with increasing regularity). Those of you who placed the glass on a background came upon a new difficulty, being the top-down view of the glass - and this made blending it in with an existing scene a further challenge.

First in was Gerard, with a pumpkin that's clearly aware of the glass in front of it - but shouldn't that glass refract? I see you have some refraction at the bottom, but it shouldn't fade out like that: water, and glass, always produce crisp edges. I like the way the cocktail stick goes through the interior.

Good fitting inside the glass from Kuham - but were you working with a low res version of the glass and pumpkin? It seems a little ragged at the edges. I like the umbrella, a good match, and the fact that it's in a beach setting. But you do need to watch the perspective: we're looking down on the top of the glass, but we could only do that if the glass were lower than the horizon. I like the slight refraction in the second entry, and especially the reflection on the interior of the glass behind - good move!

I see Nick Curtain has opted for a sweet martini - each to his own, I suppose. There's a lot to like here: the refraction of the cocktail stick as it enters the liquid; the strong refracted view through the liquid; and the overall tinting that places the objects firmly inside the drink. Very well observed.

A clever solution from GKB, replacing the original olives with a trio of small pumpkins - at least that gives you a perfect guide to the refraction! Talking of which, I really like the tray refracting through the neck of the glass, and the distorted wood behind. Your vol-au-vents look like they've gone cold, though. Great wobbly refraction in the second entry - especially on the stick. And a far better background in the third entry - interesting wallpaper. Pushing the table right up against it like that is going to leave a mark, you know.

Good masking from Stefano Giacomuzzi, and I like the pair of pumpkins on the skewer. Where the pumpkin breaks the surface, though, we should see more of a ring: the part above the surface should be an ellipse of the same shape, more or less, as the rim of the glass. I like the darkness of the second entry, which shows up the lit pumpkin well. Lucky the candle hasn't gone out. I do like the third entry, but are there perhaps just too many pumpkins?

A rather beautiful scene from tomiloi, with a fantastic lit-up pumpkin (although it would have to have some complex lenses inside to cast that sharp light on the table). Good refraction, and I really like the little pumpkins in the bowl along with the olives. But there's that perspective issue again: we're looking down on the rim of the glass, so it needs to be a long way below the horizon. Much better shadow in the second entry!

A good sense of refraction from james, with a greatly magnified pumpkin below liquid level. But I don't see where the pumpkin is entering the martini: the top half all seems to be above the surface. A charming animated version, with a witch who refuses to drown - subtle reflection, too! But could the glass be more transparent?

A beautifully cut-out glass from tooquilos, shining really well on the new background - and I like the refraction beneath the surface. But, again, I can't see where the pumpkin enters the martini: we need another level of refraction to do that job. Great shaking action in the animated version!

A very faithful job from scoobyclub, the pumpkins perfectly replacing the original olives - very fine distortion on the refracted views, here. And the bubbles, although barely perceptible, do add something.

Plenty of witch references from brewell, from Endor (the biblical home of the witch) to the Macbeth reference in the 'toil and trouble' headline. That's a distinctly modern cauldron, though! Fantastic detail in this entry, right down to the custom label on the gin bottle - so much so that we almost overlook the perfect Martini glass, with its expert refraction. Great job!

A cheery cocktail with an umbrella from vibeke, and some strong refraction below the surface. Would the view through the upper surface be so cloudy, though? Especially when the side is so clear?

Very thoughtful refraction from Josephine Harvatt - I like the way the pumpkin is breaking the surface. The copy beneath is very neatly distorted, and I really like the detail of the orange right at the top of the stem - I don't know if it's right, but it's very convincing. Cool bat!

Neat refraction from Ben Mills, with a good try at the transparency. A great choice of typeface! You need to be aware of the perspective of the glass, though: such a top-down view needs a similar view in the background.

Amazingly good work from Jota120, with miltiple refractions inside the glass, an amazing degree of transparency, and a background that matches the angle of view perfectly. Faultless job, Trevor! Really fine work. I think I prefer its dark tones to those in the second entry; but the added wildlife does liven it up. And I like the Degas version in the third entry - good choice of background!

A great Halloween scene from Carlo Alessandro Della Valle, with multiple refracted pumpkins and a great glowing one behind. The glass could do with a little more transparency, though, or at least pick up some colour from the background: and what is the tissue roll doing there?

Interestingly, Deborah Morley took exactly the same approach as I did - ignoring the olives' refraction, and building in multiple layers for the pumpkin as viewed through different stages of liquid and glass. And it really works well - classy stuff.

Here's my version. I'm not saying this is the 'right' way to do it, it's just the approach I took. What really interested me was the number of different refractions needed: the plain pumpkin above the liquid, then some refraction as it enters the martini; another shift behind the rim of the glass, then another as seen through the side of the glass. But your entries have shown me there are many different approaches to this problem!

Posted on 01/10/10 09:16:27 AM

GKB
Magical Montagist
Posts: 4033

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Thanks Steve. A very good technical challenge

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Posted on 01/10/10 09:33:46 AM

Carlo Alessandro Della Valle
Compositore Eccellente
Posts: 100

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Steve Caplin wrote:
and what is the tissue roll doing there?

That's toilet paper

... well if you use and halloween quote like "trick or treat" you can't live the toilet paper out of the context.
Thank you for your comment

Posted on 01/10/10 11:03:22 AM

josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer
Posts: 2603

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Thank you Steve - I am sure it was all wrong technically but sometimes it is better to go for what looks right rather what is right

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Posted on 01/10/10 12:16:21 PM

Nick Curtain
Model Master
Posts: 1768

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Cheers!

Posted on 01/10/10 1:03:59 PM

Jota120
Ingenious Inventor
Posts: 2615

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Thanks again Steve. A difficult, time consuming one. Great to see the range of interpretations and solutions. Enjoyed.

Posted on 01/10/10 2:02:17 PM

Gerard
Digital Dutchman
Posts: 145

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Re: Challenge 319: the pumpkin martini

Thanks Steve,

You are right about what you say,
How about just get a bottle of Martini and drink it rather than
talking about the reflection of the stuff!!!