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Posted on 24/04/26 08:29:03 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7178 Reply  |
Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
One of my favourite exhibits in London's Science Museum is this Victorian cobbled-together merman, satisfying a trend for bizarre anatomical constructions. It's not clear whether anyone was fooled by this curious concoction. Can you show me how such a creature might have looked when it was alive? High res (should you need it) is here.  |
Posted on 24/04/26 08:57:19 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3347 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Yep. Here you are:  |
Posted on 24/04/26 09:14:41 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4172 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
… and I choose this week to go on holiday ! Looking forward to oodles of silliness and, particularly, the animations. _________________ Whatever you do in life do it with the enthusiasm of a 4-year old in a Batman suit. |
Posted on 24/04/26 12:15:20 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
I loved the science museum when I was boy and still do on the rare occasions I got to go there. Back then they had models in glazed wooden cases where you wound a brass handle and could see, for example, how an Egyptian spiral water pump worked. Really primitive stuff for today's kids but heaven for a young David! Anyway back to the topic. The art of forensic cranial facial reconstruction has been around for years. Creating faces by building up from skulls with modelling materials. It occurred to me that in these days of AI there must be software that can do this. So I went looking for an AI "upload your skull photo and we'll show what they looked like" site. I thought it would be fun to see what it made of merman. I discovered there is indeed a whole new breed of AI assisted forensic software for crime scene reconstruction available on iPhone and iPad. Sadly, it turns out that this particular disciple is still very much in development and still requires very specialised skills. It's not available to us mere mortals unless you want to take on a seriously demanding learning curve. So no help there ........... back to the drawing board. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 24/04/26 1:16:28 PM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1877 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
I asked gemini to bring him to life. I then figured he needed a loving wife.  |
Posted on 24/04/26 2:38:09 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3347 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Very good Frank. I shall not go swimming for a while. Which one is the wife? |
Posted on 24/04/26 2:39:13 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
It didn't need more than a split second glance to know this was Gemini or similar. What is it about AI that makes it so instantly and unmistakably identifiable? But this one is fun ............ _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 24/04/26 3:37:07 PM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1877 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Agree David, I am not a fan of using AI to create my images - however, as Julieanne Kost of Adobe says - it is a useful tool to give you some ideas which you can then decide to run, or not to run with - can be a time saver in this regard. In this case I used him and researched for the wife in the rear and modified her skin texture, etc to fit. Mariner - the one with the biggest teeth  |
Posted on 24/04/26 6:05:30 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3555 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
A bit of silliness made without any AI or I of any sort. 
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Posted on 25/04/26 11:12:34 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
That's not silly at all. It's very plausible. Well ........ in terms of the skeleton that is. I am working on something very similar. Not sure why, but I think he'd be better behind the right hand plant. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 25/04/26 12:02:07 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3555 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
I was thinking the same thing after I posted it... here's the new version: 
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Posted on 25/04/26 1:30:09 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
This is one of the silliest most ridiculous creations I have done for a long time. I have tried to really stick to the skeleton and imagine what it might have looked like. Absurd in ........... Absurd out!! But it was a lot of fun to do.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 25/04/26 6:57:15 PM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1877 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Nice job David - Love it! Not an easy challenge. Nice set of snappers. |
Posted on 25/04/26 8:51:34 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Thank you Frank. As you say, not an easy challenge. Normally I can step back and look reasonably dispassionately at my own efforts. When it gets this bizarre, I find myself quite unable to decide if it's fantasy or utter nonsense. Hopefully it's a balance of both ................ ? _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/04/26 00:17:34 AM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3555 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
What a beautifully grotesque creature… good one David. |
Posted on 26/04/26 10:35:26 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3347 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
My Affinity Photo v2 app crashed on me this morning. I think I gave it too much to chew and now it won't start. Let's hope I can sort it before Friday. |
Posted on 26/04/26 11:11:54 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Although it's been replaced by Canva I think you can still find it to download for a re-install. Are you on Mac? If so I have the Installer dmg files for the entire suite of Photo, Designer and Publisher 2. Since they are free unrestricted software I can let you have them if you need. Let me know and I'll put them on DropBox. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/04/26 1:58:04 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3347 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Affinity Photo v2 is now working again, so I should be OK for Friday. |
Posted on 27/04/26 8:27:13 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6256 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
Our merman has found himself a mate! Whilst (by merman standards …… and with her mouth closed) she is a softer and more attractive looking creature than he, it is nonetheless clear that the true mermaid, as revealed by skeletal evidence, was a far cry from the glamorous creature of myth and popular imagination.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 28/04/26 10:36:13 AM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1877 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1102: Meet the Merman
I don't know David, she looks lovely to me but I don't think he does by the look on his face. Nice |
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