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Posted on 23/09/11 04:24:10 AM |
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tissana
Thai Trickster Posts: 29 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
First, I do not understand this message correctly. But now I understand that you are determined to me. I like this. Do not change it. Thank you very much.  _________________ Futurebis |
Posted on 23/09/11 08:25:25 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7052 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
A very high standard of swan this week - and I hope the extra challenge of turning it white proved instructive. First to enter the water was GKB, with a splendidly whitened bird. I'm not sure about the shadow on its underside: surely the water would reflect more light up onto it? The main reflection works well, except at the back where it needs to reflect the underside of the swan. I like the way Vibeke has built up the underside of the reflection - and that's some convincing rippling going on. But check out the real image, below, to see just how dense the reflection really was. A well-achieved second entry with the white version! A convincing reflection from Nick Curtain, but is the swan now rather lacking in texture and detail? There's something about that hard shadow on the neck that looks rather like a misplaced brushstroke. A first Friday Challenge entry from new member David Ford, and it's a great attempt - almost as if the black is in the process of being washed off. A great reflection, with a good ripple and density. But when you invert the swan, make sure you check the shadow on its neck - this should still be darker, not lighter, than the rest! Welcome to the forum, David. Splendid work from Garfield72, with double value swans - the original, with a very nicely rippled distortion, and a flipped white version behind. I like the way the white swan's reflection has been tucked behind the black one, and there's some terrific extra detail - particularly the extra pond ripple. And are those a couple of drops of water on the camera lens? François, I know it's been a long time coming but this is just the work I've been waiting for - a thoroughly complete, polished image that's certainly enough to earn you your title. I think Montage Manceau has a good sound to it. Great work! Great rippling from Ben Mills - I particularly like the break-up of the beak and body. But the ripples get smaller as they come towards us: surely, spreading out from the swan, they should be getting larger and more spread out? An enjoyable ugly duck from Josephine Harvatt, still with a touch of the yellow of its youth, I feel (although adolescent swans are actually grey, not yellow). But why is the reflection blurry? Shouldn't it be distorted, but still sharp? A terrific new setting from tooquilos, with some charming hybrid cygnets. A cute animated version, complete with tasteful fade to black in the middle! Brewell's animated swan shows the process of turning the swan white very clearly - and it's very interesting to see the difference in this way. But if you'd turned the original into a Smart Object, you'd only have had to create the reflection once and it would have updated itself automatically. Very fine work from Kathryn - I really like the way you've worked up the ripples here, and the whitening of the swan is perfect. Kathryn, you really need to turn Photoshop on more often! Don't let that talent go to waste! Something odd has crept into Jota120's entry - is it a dodo? Or a penguin? Either way, it's a typically wacky Trevor piece, and the first surrealist entry - a black swan reflecting a white one. I like the ethereal nature of the second entry, which has a nice softness to it - more like a watercolour than a photograph. Good to see the idea carried forward in the third entry, too. A very carefully worked-up swan from Deborah Morley, beautifully recreated in white: and the ripples on the reflected version are highly convincing. I especially like the different ripple sizes. Nice one. A neat piece of fantasy from marlcliff, with a partially whitened swan that looks a little as if someone has chucked a cup of bleach at it. THe fairy is a great touch, but when reflecting the lily pad you need to start by dragging it down, but not flipping it vertically. THis will produce a much more convincing reflection. And then tuck the fairy reflection behind it! Glorious feathers, and a great reflection from LonnieK: I particularly like the way the ripples get larger as they come towards us. Is the lighting on the swan's neck from the wrong side, though? The ripples appear to be lit from the right, not the left. A well-whitened swan, with an interesting reflection, from color. But it's the new water that really intrigues me: a viscous, dense blue liquid that really brings this image to life. What a novel approach! Good to see maiden back, with a cute double swan effect (and well done flipping the lighting on the white one). I hope things are starting to work out for you again, Becky. A multi-layered entry from Jimbean, with added lilies on the surface and fish beneath it (which all reminds me of this Escher drawing). I like the front two fish, but those behind seem a little too strong - try dropping their opacity by about half for a more convincing look. A nicely whitened swan from BigVern, with good feather work. But should the reflection be out of focus? I'd want to distort it, but not soften it. Somehow, James always manages to tell a story in his animations... and it's the extra touches that make all the difference here, such as the paddling legs, the stretching necks and the quick turn of the head as the black swan passes the white one. Charming. A slightly off-white swan from puffin31939, actually rather more grey than white - but maybe it's an adolescent, which would make sense. A well positioned reflection, and the extra ripple is a good idea. The blue water is much more attractive! Interesting that Emil's white swan has a largely black reflection: would this be the case? As you'll see below, the original reflection was surprising. Some good brightening of the feathers here - as you say, it wasn't easy! Great ripples from joeysala, with a nicely whitened swan as well. The reflection needs to show more of the underneath of the back of the swan, though: build it up with a few more feathers cloned from elsewhere. And is that reflection just too strong? A rather beautiful second entry though! The placement of the reflection in LagoDiLecco's entry is very good - but when shrinking the body, I think it's a mistake to shrink the head and neck quite so much as well. And is the neck just a little too far forward for comfort? A bright swan from Tissana - it is difficult, isn't it! I think it needs a little more definition, it's all just too grey at the moment. I like the ripples on the reflection, and the way it starts to fade out works well. And I am happy to change your title if you want me to! _______________________________ Well, time for the Big Reveal. When I cloned out the original reflection, I left (I thought) enough reflection of the trees in there to give an idea of the density. The trees themselves, of course, were almost as black as the black swan; and yet their reflection was merely a slightly darker green. It is surprising, isn't it.  |
Posted on 23/09/11 08:39:21 AM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks Steve, why is it always so obvious once you have pointed it out. I can now see that my reflection is far too dark. _________________ Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize. |
Posted on 23/09/11 08:58:30 AM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Many thanks Steve. As a matter of interest how would you have turned the swan white? Or is that going to be a spread in your new book? I had a search through various Photoshop sites and really couldn't find a tutorial. |
Posted on 23/09/11 09:14:31 AM |
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LagoDiLecco
Lombard Illuminator Posts: 41 Reply |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks Steve! |
Posted on 23/09/11 09:17:55 AM |
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Jimbean
Sparky Shopper Posts: 105 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Hi Steve appreciate your comments will try lowering the opacity on the back fish and see how it looks, I think my yellow fish is dead now anyway!! 
Deborah dont know if this will help but I took some colour out with Hue/Saturation then went over it with the Dodge tool, am sure someone will have a better idea though!! |
Posted on 23/09/11 11:48:12 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2905 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thank you Steve.  I enjoyed this one.
Funny enough, I popped into Manly Dam today and there it was..life imitating art!!  _________________ Wicked Witch of the West:I'll get you, my pretty! And your little dog, too! |
Posted on 23/09/11 12:57:49 PM |
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marlcliff
Knight of Intrigue Posts: 171 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
lol thanks Steve cheap bleach what more can i say  watered it down way to much . y wife brought me a 24inch monitor so i can see what you mean with the reflection. I enjoyed this challenge, but i just couldnt change the colour . I do tend to put a lot of fairs in my pictures..
onto the next one thanks steve |
Posted on 23/09/11 6:41:16 PM |
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David Ford
* Posts: 2 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thank you Josephine for your welcome and thank you Steve for your comment. I tried other ways to make the swan white but whatever i tried would hide the details of the feathers. Inverting the image was the only way i could keep the detail. When i tried colouring the the image, it would just desaturate the swan and turn grey if i used white. Do you think i just have the set up wrong or is there a better way to whiten an image? Would appreciate any advise or comments as am still very new to this. |
Posted on 23/09/11 7:13:33 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7052 Reply |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Inverting is not a bad first step, David - but make sure you sort out the shadows afterwards! There are many ways to brighten the swan. Here's the technique that I used: 1. The original swan. Use the Quick Selection tool to select it, then make the selection into a new layer. 2. Use the Shadows/Highlights adjustment to brighten it. Set the Shadows and Tonal Width values both to 100%. 3. Use Curves to brighten the mid tones. Also, lift the bottom left of the curve a little to brighten the shadows further. 4. Add another Curves Adjustment Layer, to brighten the neck; then paint out this adjustment a little on the mask so the rest of the swan doesn't come out too bright. Finally, I patched the background on a new layer with the Clone tool, to hide stray pieces of black swan behind.  |
Posted on 23/09/11 8:34:04 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
You are right - the blurriness was an artistic interpretation 
It was overly yellow but based on swans I have seen with distinct yellow tints especially on the neck - perhaps indicative of pollution? _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 24/09/11 07:20:20 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks Steve A difficult challenge, for which I used a copy changed to luminosity and a couple of curves adjustments and played around for ages trying to obtain the correct level of softness. I missed the black at the top of the bill and only realised when I saw Bruce's entry. Photographing white swans and obtaining a correct exposure is extremely challenging, because they are so bright. I tend to use manual metering because the camera is invariably fooled by the level of light omitted from the feathers, which do lose detail. The start image bird appears to have been shot in the middle of the day and will be lit fairly evenly. It's interesting that their necks and heads nearly always have yellow hue, so I can see where Josephine's thinking was coming from here. This bird was captured at a local lake and illustrates the colour tones and shadows, which are not purely grey.  |
Posted on 24/09/11 1:49:56 PM |
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Garfield72
Montage Manceau Posts: 353 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks very much Steve. I am flattered. |
Posted on 24/09/11 6:57:25 PM |
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puffin31939
Montage Mariner Posts: 383 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks, Steve. I was just pleased to produce a swam that was remotely white! I ended up painting over the black swan with white - mode set to lighten and a low opacity. _________________ Man cannot change the direction of the wind but he can adjust the sails |
Posted on 27/09/11 6:36:18 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Thanks for the explanation Steve. I started off with the shadows and highlights and then veered off. |
Posted on 27/09/11 8:11:23 PM |
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BigVern
Q Quipper Posts: 674 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 369: The black swan
Steve, thanks for the kind comments and the advice regarding not softening the reflection. Cheers Vern |
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