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Posted on 12/10/10 9:36:51 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1871 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
That is just so good James: it's the smooth synchronized and orchestrated way you execute your animation: I can't do it! Well done!  |
Posted on 12/10/10 10:32:21 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
If I might say as well, great work James. Only just got back home to laptop to see all yours and everyone elses works.  Hope I can get something in now.
Good to see you back Becky. Hope your finger is well. On that subject, sorry, not very subtle, I met a couple of Scotish Canadians, she lost just her ring finger with a battle with a door in UK .... ohh! how painfull, NHS looked after her, but needs physio when gets back to Canada. Hope can do my bit by Thursday. Great works. |
Posted on 13/10/10 12:20:38 PM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thank you Josephine, also Michael and Trevor. |
Posted on 13/10/10 6:50:22 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
A very interesting challenge - and it surprised me. I think people in my local park must have thought I was mad. No difference there then! James an excellent animation. You never cease to amaze me.  |
Posted on 14/10/10 01:13:20 AM |
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willo10
* Posts: 10 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Well, I would've done this, but by the time I got around to it, it was already dark. The dog was still there, though. http://i53.tinypic.com/2gv8vhi.png Uh... did this show up right?  I've kinda forgotten how to post pictures its been so long. Could someone help me?
EDIT: Yay! I finally got CS5! Just wanted to let ya know. |
Posted on 14/10/10 03:48:25 AM |
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zapat
Audio Artist Posts: 44 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
 _________________ "the closer you get to the meaning the sooner you'll know that you're dreaming" |
Posted on 14/10/10 11:42:18 AM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1871 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
I didn't want to break with tradition. 
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Posted on 14/10/10 7:32:13 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
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Posted on 14/10/10 8:20:01 PM |
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Sophie
Political Parodist Posts: 595 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thought I could handle shadows! A really good learning curve this one and looking forward to the solution.  |
Posted on 14/10/10 10:58:20 PM |
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Eva Roth
Luminous Liberator Posts: 269 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
[quoted] Deborah Morley wrote: A very interesting challenge - and it surprised me. I think people in my local park must have thought I was mad. No difference there then! Did you take your laptop to the park? Now that would be proper cheating! |
Posted on 14/10/10 11:17:32 PM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thank you Deborah. |
Posted on 14/10/10 11:38:54 PM |
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monkeywing
* Posts: 7 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
First go at animation, inspired by those from James and Anna which I cannot stop looking at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinsite/5082439306/sizes/o/in/photostream/ though this has a touch of the dogma about it |
Posted on 14/10/10 11:42:59 PM |
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trevor
* Posts: 35 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
James, as a HTCAPS forum newbie, I am blown away by your doggie annimation. Outstanding work, and soooooo funny. What do you all use to create them? |
Posted on 15/10/10 04:30:44 AM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
My effort, never thought it would be so hard to make a shadow, looking forward to seeing the real one.  _________________ Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize. |
Posted on 15/10/10 05:56:45 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2905 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Colin..your animation is terrific! Very witty and clever. Made me smile. _________________ Dorothy: Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore |
Posted on 15/10/10 08:33:26 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
This was another interesting Challenge, and I'm impressed by how so many of you came very close to the real solution. The temptation was to produce a soft-edged shadow, matching those of the trees - but they're a long way away from the trees, and the boy and dog shadow is much closer to them. Keep it crisp! First entry this week is from Forum newcomer Zuney, with an excellent shadow that softens as it moves further from them. Great angle, perfect colouring. But we do need a gap between the dog's legs: you have a shadow directly beneath it as well. Welcome to the forum, Zuney! A tight shadow from Eggbox that matches the shape of the boy and his dog - good elongation here, but we could go longer still. Is the dog jumping up in your shadow? And do watch the colour, yours has a distinct brown tint to it. A funny second entry - but lose the fringe on those trees! I like the way Stefano Giacomuzzi has darkened the whole scene, producing a good sense of very late evening. The shadows match the boy well, but only touch the back legs of the dog: where are the front legs? A very good feel to this image. "A touch of guesswork" from Nick Curtain - yes, but that's what we're all doing! A good angle, with good colour, makes this very close to the real thing. A distinctly warmer feel to Ben Mills' entry, whose memories of late summer are clearly rose-tinted. A great angle and elongation on the shadow, but is it just too dark, compared to the trees? As usual, LonnieK has added his custom warm glow technique to the image - I really want to get that LonnieK filter! With a much stronger sky (which I'm impressed you managed to rescue from the original) and some subtle lens flare, you've managed to turn a flat image into something much more evocative. And the shadow's not bad, either - but does it fade away a bit too much? A good angle from micky47, but a little more density required: we just need to make that shadow as opaque as that from the trees. It seems to elongate from the waist up: wouldn't it be distorted uniformly all along its length? There's a good tapering feel to Trevor's entry, as the shadow softens the further it gets from them. But it does need to be crisper by their feet: and you need to make the colour match the shadow from the trees! And, since you ask: while Anna uses After Effects for her animations, I believe James does it all in Photoshop, using the Animation panel. Funny and subtle work from brewell: is that the hint of a gravestone? I like the shape of the shadow, and the fact that you've matched it well with the shadow on the new tree. The hole seems a little indistinct: sharper edges needed? Perhaps a deeper shadow inside the hole? Unless it's a mound of earth, of course, in which case it needs to cast its own shadow. Clever stuff from maiden, who has worked in a treated photograph of Cliff Richard's old band The Shadows and managed to blend it into the boy and his dog. Get it to match the shape of the dog's legs and this will be perfect! Good to see you back, Becky. Hope the finger gets better. A classic animation from tooquilos, with the dog running around the field after the stick - complete with wagging tail and portable shadow. Great arm and leg movement! And I really like the final close-up. I do wish the boy would straighten up, though - holding that pose looks so painful! A nicely elongated shadow from Carlo Alessandro Della Valle, softening as it gradually recedes from them. The only problem here is the angle: it needs to match the line of the shadow directly behind them. This is sloping down just a little too much. More playfulness from GKB, bringing a somewhat sombre note to the week: et in arcadia ego? Or perhaps it's not Death, just a farm hand wearing a hoodie. And a skirt. I can't remember the last time David Asch posted an entry here - he's more often behind the scenes, taking care of things while I'm away and fixing technical problems. Oh, and writing books on Photoshop Elements, of course - two finished off this month. I like the overall shape, but the dog's legs need to be really distinct - the shadow would be very crisp that close to the source. Does it take an Einstein to work out these shadows? That seems to be what Daniel thinks, with a beautifully constructed model - look at the highlighted edge to the trees, the props holding up the cutout boy and dog, the overall feel of a constructed experiment. And is that image of Albert from a waxwork? A really clever, well executed entry. Great work! The way monkeywing's shadow touches the feet is just right - and a very good shape overall. It needs to be longer, though, and it shouldn't spread out as it recedes from the subjects; but yours does have a very coherent feel to it. I'm really pleased you were spurred on by James and Anna to produce an animated entry - very clever work, I like the way the cat's getting in the way of the screen as you work (just as mine does). Congratulations on your first animation! A distinctly autumnal feel to vicho's entry, with fallen leaves, browner trees and puddles of water (beautiful puddles, by the way). The shadow has a soft, good look far away from them, but you've placed the shadow of the dog's body much too close to it: those legs need to provide a distinct elongated gap beneath the dog. An interesting approach from Josephine Harvatt - you really didn't like this one, did you! Your solution has been to elongate just the legs, with the shadow bodies pretty much the same size as the originals. Is this because the shadows should recede in perspective? Not when they're coming towards us - and not when they're shadows! Everything needs to be elongated by the same amount. Bet you wish this was a plain old perspective problem. I've often commented on James's ability to create animal motion, and this week's is a stunning example of his skill. From standing to running, from leaping to sitting, that dog goes through a whole range of movements utterly convincingly. Really, extraordinary work. I have no idea how you have the patience to do this. Fantastic. A well-drawn shadow from Eva Roth, but it does need to be longer. The shadow of the body of the dog is touching the back legs, but you need to use those legs to space it out, pulling it further away from them. And do watch the colouring: same as the shadows behind, please! Tricky stuff, shadows. Very fine shadow shape from Deborah Morley, but I see you've had some trouble deciding what to do with the dog's front legs. That really is a tricky one! A great angle, but the colour needs to match the trees' shadows. A really funny entry from Willo10 - I love the way the dog has been caught in the beam. Using the original grass texture would have been good here, though. Are those stars hand drawn? Nice variation in colouring. Have fun with CS5! Highly elongated shadows from zapat, with great fitting at the legs. Very nicely calculated, but it does need to be a little crisper closer to the subject. A very convincing attempt, though. I see michael sinclair's prancing horse is making a guest appearance this week - you do seem fond of that one, Michael. I like the shadow direction, but if you've elongated the whole thing, why have you shortened the legs? Are you sure this would happen? Good fitting from Jota120, but do watch those colours - and angles. Behind the figures are shadows from trees out of shot, which gives you precisely the direction the shadows should take. A good shape from Sophie, although the shadow of the dog's back legs seems a little short. Do watch the overall density: your shadow is very much darker than that from the trees, when it should be only slightly darker. I like the direction and increasing softness of Vibeke's entry, but it's just too soft overall: that close to the subject, the shadow really does need to be much sharper. ++++++++++++++++ So... how did it really look? The answer is rather surprising. It's much narrower, much darker and much sharper than I would have expected:  |
Posted on 15/10/10 08:48:36 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thanks Steve Agree, the real shadow is slightly darker than I'd imagined it would be. Nick |
Posted on 15/10/10 09:24:42 AM |
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Sophie
Political Parodist Posts: 595 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thanks Steve. James I had a chance to see your animation. It really is superb. Well done Nick, very close to the real result. And Daniel, your image this week is very clever and entertaining. |
Posted on 15/10/10 10:08:30 AM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Ha! I (evidently mis) remembered seeing my own shadow with the legs disproportionately long - bah don't talk to me about perspective ! _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 15/10/10 11:45:49 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2905 Reply |
Re: Challenge 321: Shadow catching
Thank you Steve. Very interesting seeing the actual shadow. _________________ Dorothy: Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore |
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