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Posted on 14/05/09 6:14:54 PM |
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Emil
KAFKAsFRIEND Posts: 413 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Just like every week there are a lot of lovely pictures. Here is mine.  |
Posted on 14/05/09 7:11:40 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
doo dee doo dee dwee doo... _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 14/05/09 7:11:40 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
doo dee doo dee dwee doo... _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 14/05/09 7:16:39 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1871 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Click on the pics for bigger: 
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Posted on 14/05/09 7:33:11 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thank you James - not so much skill more loads of time! Thanks Josephine - sometimes it is a question of endurance - I get the idea then I think can I really be bothered to do all the little annoying bits. Must be part of my personality - to be annoying! Emil - I was going to watch xfiles tonight - will smile now as I know where the alien is. |
Posted on 14/05/09 8:05:12 PM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Michael; I’ve been waiting for your effort, it’s well worthy of the wait. You have a wonderful imagination |
Posted on 14/05/09 8:38:24 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Some great works, imagination and executions here this week in my humble opinion  And enjoyed! No more specific comments from me, leaving that to Steve.  |
Posted on 15/05/09 08:19:16 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
A wide variety of themes this week. One common error kept cropping up, which was to have a semi-transparent reflection that allowed the background to show through it. Not possible! Reflections always mask items reflected behind them totally! First to dive into the water was Jeepy, with a fantastic image of a semi-submerged alligator. The difference between above and under water is especially well shown here - but should the reflections disappear entirely? I would think we'd still see the building reflected over the head, for instance. Not reflections, but some extremely neat distortion from GKB, with a rather fantastic flying car sinking in the dock. Excellent water effect, with perfect rippling: I especially like both the distortion and the shadow on the rope. Did you use a 3D model for this one, Gordon? In which case, a inverted reflection would have been fairly easy to knock up. I have to admit I don't remember Supercar, but the title sequence is wonderful - especially the underwater sequence in the fish tank! Early Gerry Anderson, presumably. And your second entry shows you're no fan of Gordon Brown... good to see your mermaid croppign up again in the third entry. But watch that transparent reflection! I always enjoy Josephine Harvatt's pastiches, and the Daily Papyrus is a great example. Plenty of great detail and topical references - and an excellent choice of font. To cap it all, a superb rippled reflection on the boat - not an easy angle to flip vertically, that one. Some well distorted witching reflections from vibeke, ingeniously making use of the shape of the original reflection and creating a witch out of it... now you point it out, that's the only way to see it. Very clever stuff - but we need a background above the dock line! I love the leaves floating on the surface in tooquilos' entry - beautifully created. But that's an example of how not to do the dolphin's reflection: we shouldn't be able to see the wall through it! Of course, the still image is just a poster for the excellent animated version - I hate to ask where you get the sounds from... A spooky sea monster from Nick Curtain - now that giant squid really is a giant. The one in the hole works particularly well, but I'm not so sure about the second one beneath the water - or is it reflected from above the dock? If so - watch that transparency! Excellent work from Emma, combining multiple scenes to create a perfect landscape. The water gushing through the hole, the semi-submerged swimmer, the scene beyond - very subtly done, with a good deal of skill. Not sure that's exactly where I'd choose to fall asleep, though... I've always enjoyed Millais' painting of Ophelia, and Jota120's version places her neatly into the dock side. I suppose turning her around so she was floating out of the entrance would have been asking too much! A slight reflection, though, would have been a great addition. I like the classy pig in the second entry - although that diver could really have done with a reflection - and especially the beautifully treated splash in the third entry. Fantastic transparency on that flying water! How did you remove the background so neatly? We have a new member this week - and dwindt has joined in style, with a Chinese dragon complete with opaque reflection (nicely modelled). The painterly style does unify all the elements, but I think I prefer the untreated entry, which seems to have a little more sparkle to it. And to answer your question about making things look wet - Plastic Wrap, of course. Welcome to the forum! Charming work from katew, with a beautifully doleful cartoon fish. I like the float - but shouldn't the string have a reflection as well? Good choice of colours, the orange stands out well and links the fish and the float visually. A really funny entry from brewell - what a terrific idea! And an expertly achieved reflection, particularly in the way the rear of the boat has been sheared to match the angle of the original. The only small error is that we can see the reflection of the pole/mast through the reflected boat back - other than that, it's a really fine piece of work. An electric alien robot walking on water from Whitney_rose - now where did that come from? A great character, but a couple of problems with the reflection. First, we shouldn't be able to see the reflected building through it; and second, look at how the wall is reflected: it's directly, vertically beneath the original. Take out that rotation, even if it does mean you have to tweak the legs to make them fit. Sedate work from mguyer, with a turtle making its slow way up stream. An excellent reflection, although it should be a little darker than the original (compare with the wall reflection behind). Did you photograph this animal yourself? I have to confess to almost total ignorance of Everglades wildlife. A lot going on in horonggo's entry. The duck works very well, and its reflection is excellent (but could be a little darker). The space shuttle is a little difficult. A good try at ripples, but next time make an elliptical selection of the water and use the ZigZag filter. A very alluring mermaid from Ben Mills - I'd have preferred her fingers to be curling over the sign, though, as they look a little truncated here. Did you create the mermaid? Or is she a found object? A great tonal quality to this one, and a nicely damaged No Fishing sign. An altogether more animated mermaid from powerslave - this one's definitely in it for kicks. A great sense of movement, though, and am I right in thinking you built this mermaid from scratch? Great exuberance all round: perhaps the ripples should be more pronounced! I love the way her tail is whipping up a splash behind. A neatly placed, if rather oversized, swimmer from Gerard. I like the idea in this one, but there's a real problem with the reflection of the banner: the rippling is much too small and tight, compared with the reflected wall, and we really shouldn't be able to see the wall through it! Magnificent synchronised ducks from james: beautiful work. I particularly like the ingenuity of the pulsing effect on the water, which gives it a sense of fluid movement - although the second version might have been better created using Image Warp, which would have allowed you to leave the edge in place (along the dock side) while distorting the middle. Astoundingly good work from Deborah Morley, who has drained the dock in an act of creative genius. An absolutely seamless job, with the damp stone showing beneath the previous water line. Look at all the detail: the crabs, the extended opening, the perfect perspective matching of the new ground, complete with debris and seaweed, the extended ladder reaching down to the ground... Deborah, this is magnificent. You should be justifiably delighted with this one. An X-files inspired entry from Emil - a nice use of cinema poster techniques here, and a good alien floating in the water. I like the light source inside the opening, which adds to the mystery. Who's the man with the cigarette? Should I recognise him? A three parter from michael sinclair, beginning with a flood scene elsewhere: the second entry shows some truly apocalyptic results - I particularly like the upturned deer - followed by a cute solution in the third entry. The only thing I'm not sure about here is the strong shadow of the rat - surely the sun isn't shining? As Jota120 said, "Some great works, imagination and executions here this week". I absolutely agree. |
Posted on 15/05/09 09:31:43 AM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Many thanks Steve. I must admit I got half way through it and nearly gave up. |
Posted on 15/05/09 09:34:18 AM |
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Jeepy
Modeleur Mystique Posts: 174 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
I see my mistake, you're right. Thank you Steve. |
Posted on 15/05/09 10:31:58 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4033 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thanks for all that Steve. Yes Supercar is a 3d model; I am out in Sweden at the moment with fairly limited resources but while I was scouring my laptop for inspiration I found Supercar and figured that would do the job. Well done everyone. _________________ Maturity is knowing when and where to be immature |
Posted on 15/05/09 11:03:04 AM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Steve; have you been nibbling at my mushrooms? I didn’t submit a second version. |
Posted on 15/05/09 11:39:29 AM |
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powerslave
Custom Cobber Posts: 136 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thanks Steve, yes its pretty much built from parts of gold that were reconstructed, a couple of splashes and the girl who was already rather complete 
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Posted on 15/05/09 11:40:09 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thank you Steve. Doh! I never even thought about reflecting the fishing line! |
Posted on 15/05/09 11:51:54 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
By "second version" I meant the second version of the water surface. But I realise that's a phrase I frequently use in a different context! |
Posted on 15/05/09 12:13:39 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thank you Steve. I confess I despaired of getting the reflection of the boat to look right with the use of photoshop tools and ended up by partly drawing it in by hand. I am not sure if that is cheating or not  _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 15/05/09 12:31:30 PM |
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Ben Mills
Luminous Luminary Posts: 570 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thanks Steve. I "found" the mermaid, she was part of a sign outside a seafood restaurant. As to the damage on the no fishing sign, it was already done guv. Honest. |
Posted on 15/05/09 12:51:28 PM |
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EMMA
Everglade Artisan Posts: 91 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Hi Steve! Thanks for your kind words. Have a great weekend!! |
Posted on 15/05/09 1:35:28 PM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2904 Reply  |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thank you Steve. I struggled with the reflection. Just couldnt work out how it would be. With the sounds, I have an obsession with collecting them LOL. Got a vast library here and add to it each few days, with downloaded sounds or created sounds. _________________ Dorothy: Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore |
Posted on 15/05/09 5:39:21 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply |
Re: Contest 248: Out of the depths
Thanks again Steve for the feedback. Very helpful. Thanks for the alert on the common problem. Just fyi, no whinge at all, value the feedback, I included some reflections in both cases, i.e. added the flower in her hand in first and included his arms in second based off his original  ,
BUT , I can see the problems here: a) the flower at this resolution and I should have made her hand more obvious (same common problem as "b)"), b) the arms were not clear, suffered in some parts from the common fault I think here i.e. only one reflection allowed and will mask the original. Re your question on the the third, I based it off one of the techniques for extracting hair, flames and glass objects. I removed the background by duplicating one of the RGB channels with highest contrast for the splash and used this to start to create a selection and layer mask to get just the splash. I also merged some of the submersion water, cheat . CS4 seems to now make this quicker, quick and dirty maybe(?), but this technique can of course be achieved in earlier versions of PS and I guess gives more refined control/understanding even in CS4.
Thanks again, Trevor For what it is worth: attached some detail of flower reflection, but still not clear when webed and enlarge jpeg at this resolution PSD 240 better honest! Still had the common problem with the hand not excluding the original reflection
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