How to Cheat in Photoshop

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Posted on 14/10/22 05:40:33 AM

tooquilos
Wizard of Oz
Posts: 2898

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Re: Challenge 926: The cabin in the woods

Frank, it looks like a postcard. It's beautiful.

Michael, your hut is magnificent. I'm trying to work out how you made the roof and I can't. Is it a grungy textured overlay?

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Posted on 14/10/22 07:36:10 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 7023

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Re: Challenge 926: The cabin in the woods

First to venture into the woods this week was Ant Snell, with a rather splendid snow scene. Still got a flat roof on the building, though, and if it were my hot tub I’d put the towels round the side nearest the door. The thing that jumps out at me, though, is the angle of the bench the woman is sitting on in the sauna, which should match the angle of the front wall. Easy enough to fix:

A terrific Butlinsk from DavidMac, with a neat row of cottages - and I like the way you’ve varied the thatched roofs so they don’t all look identical. Very nicely done. You’ve been digging into your bottomless supply of gnomes for the second entry, and they do look rather jolly there. The lighting, as always, is spectacular, particularly the shadow over the door.

A beautiful woodland animation from lwc, with falling leaves and even a moose. The woodpecker is a real bonus. Is that a wood stove blocking the entrance? The snow and smoke effects in the second entry are splendid, and the slight movement of the fox and deer add a lot of interest. I like the birds, too. I see the people who own this cabin have the same taste in wood burning stoves.

A head-on view from michael sinclair, which would be even better if the original cabin had been used. What I don’t understand, though, is why you export your animations as GIFs rather than rendering video straight out of Photoshop, which would be a lot smoother. Not entirely sure about the pulsating smoke in the second entry! Hope your Covid clears up soon, Michael. I’ll blame that for your off-topic entries this week.

A charming Shrek from GKB, with a tastefully remodelled log cabin. I’d expect that spectacular sunset to cast a rather warmer glow on the proceedings.

Spooky goings-on from Josephine Harvatt, with a nicely silhouetted witch. The change of angle of the cabin works well, and the lights give a good glow. Is it pumpkin season already?

Bear season from Born2Run, with a three fearsome-looking bruins. Goldilocks not in, then? A great new roof on there.

An interior scene from tooquilos, with an artfully furnished cabin. I like the lamp as the light source, but not sure how that casts the shadow from the rocking chair - or, indeed, the bright front of the table it’s sitting on. Good to see the exterior in the animated version, with all its burning fires and wildlife. And the rocking chair even rocks!

Astonishing work from Frank, with a truly magnificent bucolic scene. There’s a vast amount of detail in here, and it really merits close inspection. The arrangement of objects, the characters and the background are all perfect; but it’s the gorgeous lighting that really gets me. Outstanding, Frank. You should be well pleased with this one.

A rebuilt cabin from Mariner, with the threat of an approaching tiger mitigated by a shotgun very nearly within reach. That table looks very ornate for a wood cabin! Not convinced by the background, though; apart from the repeated cloning of the bushes to the right of the wall, the horizon here seems far higher than the perspective of the cabin would imply. And I agree with David: there is something odd about the tiger. It could be that it’s just too close to the wall.

Posted on 14/10/22 09:09:08 AM

Mariner
Renaissance Mariner
Posts: 3055

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Re: Challenge 926: The cabin in the woods

Oh dear, and there I was patting myself on the back. Never mind. I have a scaffolding to get rid of in the next one.
Thanks Steve. All criticism appreciated. I mean that.

Anna, thanks, I searched the net for a thatched house and used that as my starting point. Adding a few sticks to the edges made it look it bit more photoshopped.

Posted on 14/10/22 10:11:18 AM

DavidMac
Director of Photoshop
Posts: 5666

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Re: Challenge 926: The cabin in the woods

Thanks Steve. I enjoyed doing both these.

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Posted on 14/10/22 10:49:53 AM

Frank
Eager Beaver
Posts: 1739

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