Composite practice

digidrone · March 8, 2014

Had to put the camera down for awhile and deal with life.
Starting to get back into the swing...
Still working on the refinement of the knockouts.
Hope these work for ya!

1
24-7%20Gym%20Kora--L.jpg

2

Bryce Wilson · March 8, 2014

would have never thought the first was a composite. Really well done.

The second one does say composite to me, but it isn't a bad image except for that pine tree behind his head. That needs to go.

good work

lifeinfocus · March 9, 2014

Like number 2. I agree that cloning the tree behind the young boy's head would help, but still like it.

digidrone · March 9, 2014

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

would have never thought the first was a composite. Really well done.

The second one does say composite to me, but it isn't a bad image except for that pine tree behind his head. That needs to go.

good work

Thanks Bryce, I appreciate your thoughts and time!

digidrone · March 9, 2014

lifeinfocus wrote: »

Like number 2. I agree that cloning the tree behind the young boy's head would help, but still like it.

Thanks Phil, I appreciate your thoughts!

Hackbone · March 9, 2014

Agree with all on #1 super job and does not look like a composite. Love the back lighting on her arm that makes it look real. Watch out for the hair band on her wrist. I hate those items.

#2 is really nice but the child seems out of proportion for my taste but if you hit your requirements that's all that matters.

digidrone · March 10, 2014

Hackbone wrote: »

Agree with all on #1 super job and does not look like a composite. Love the back lighting on her arm that makes it look real. Watch out for the hair band on her wrist. I hate those items.

#2 is really nice but the child seems out of proportion for my taste but if you hit your requirements that's all that matters.

Thank you Charles!

puzzledpaul · March 10, 2014

Nice job with 1, but (to me) the lighting on her looks a bit too 'clean' compared with the bg/ surroundings.
This leads to a closer look and then a couple of other things crop up.
Using the floor joins / supports on the base of the weight frame behind her to (roughly*) project a vanishing point / cam height produces one somewhat below her eye level.
Obviously the bg pic could've been taken by someone shorter (than her) etc ... but it's something that flags up (to me, anyway

)
+
there's a tad of fuzziness / blurring on the cutout of her front ... about halfway between bust and navel ... some sort of minor issue where her bodyline intersects the upper cylindrical widget by the wall.

With 2 ... dunno how wide the tops of rails are in the US (similar to UK?) ... but couldn't help comparing hand width with rail top width ... for apparent same distance from cam.

Scaling items on composites is always a pita ...
(just my inexpert 2p)

pp

* using a couple of postcard edges on monitor screen.

digidrone · March 10, 2014

puzzledpaul wrote: »

Nice job with 1, but (to me) the lighting on her looks a bit too 'clean' compared with the bg/ surroundings.
This leads to a closer look and then a couple of other things crop up.
Using the floor joins / supports on the base of the weight frame behind her to (roughly*) project a vanishing point / cam height produces one somewhat below her eye level.
Obviously the bg pic could've been taken by someone shorter (than her) etc ... but it's something that flags up (to me, anyway )
+
there's a tad of fuzziness / blurring on the cutout of her front ... about halfway between bust and navel ... some sort of minor issue where her bodyline intersects the upper cylindrical widget by the wall.

With 2 ... dunno how wide the tops of rails are in the US (similar to UK?) ... but couldn't help comparing hand width with rail top width ... for apparent same distance from cam.

Scaling items on composites is always a pita ...
(just my inexpert 2p)

pp

* using a couple of postcard edges on monitor screen.

Thanks PP...
Really good input and more things to think about!

Dooginfif20 · March 11, 2014

I agree with everything said by Paul. The first one looks good, but because there is so much noise in the background and none on her tells me its a composite. Without adding some noise to her it looks like an unfinished picture to me. The second one just doesnt work for me at all. The picture of the kid is great. The picture or the rail road tracks is great. They just dont work together.

T H O R · March 11, 2014

Those are very well done. I like them both and they offer some unique characteristics. I am a new member here so I am enjoying seeing other people's work.

Todd

Hackbone · March 11, 2014

If you want to clean up your extractions even further make sure the extraction is on it's own layer and you have your marching ants, and go to select-- modify-contract and select two pixels. This will bring the ants in two pixels and clean up the extraction.

digidrone · March 11, 2014

Dooginfif20 wrote: »

I agree with everything said by Paul. The first one looks good, but because there is so much noise in the background and none on her tells me its a composite. Without adding some noise to her it looks like an unfinished picture to me. The second one just doesnt work for me at all. The picture of the kid is great. The picture or the rail road tracks is great. They just dont work together.

Thank you for your time. You have some very valid points, I appreciate them.
#2 is a toughie, I didn't like anything I came up with, but the b/w worked for me. Although it won't see any ink....
Thanks again

digidrone · March 11, 2014

T H O R wrote: »

Those are very well done. I like them both and they offer some unique characteristics. I am a new member here so I am enjoying seeing other people's work.

Todd

Welcome Todd
Thanks for commenting.
Digrin is a great place for feedback and learning...
I am learning, Thanks to all.....

digidrone · March 11, 2014

Hackbone wrote: »

If you want to clean up your extractions even further make sure the extraction is on it's own layer and you have your marching ants, and go to select-- modify-contract and select two pixels. This will bring the ants in two pixels and clean up the extraction.

Thanks Charles, will give that serious attention!

puzzledpaul · March 12, 2014

With 'practice' in the title, it suggests you're keen to keep experimenting at this

... hence an avenue of investigation that you might consider of use / interest.

Set up a still life / object as the main subject in a normal background scene ...use a tripod .. take some shots, maybe vary lighting / exposure etc
When finished, place a backdrop behind the main subject to separate it from the original bg and take some more shots of the subject.
Remove subject (and backdrop) and take some shots of the original scene.

Cut out subject from backdrop shots and compose on scene shots ...and when done, compare with original shots of subject in scene.

Check / compare the differences between the composed and non-composed shots where masking has taken place re how bg and subject pixels are mixed.

Additionally, you could also take some shots of the subject ... on its own, totally different bg / lighting / exposure and pov and compose in original scene (without subject, of course)

pp

Dooginfif20 · March 12, 2014

Hackbone wrote: »

If you want to clean up your extractions even further make sure the extraction is on it's own layer and you have your marching ants, and go to select-- modify-contract and select two pixels. This will bring the ants in two pixels and clean up the extraction.

An actual better way to do it is when using the quick select tool and refine edge select at the bottom to make the selection a new layer with a mask. Then with the mask selected apply a gaussian blur of about 1-2 pixels. Once you do that with the mask still selected go to levels adjustment and grab the left arrow and drag to the right and you will watch the harsh edge disapear!

Hackbone · March 12, 2014

Ryan, if you still have a sliver of the bkg still visible around the subject does your method get rid of it?

Dooginfif20 · March 13, 2014

Depends on how big the sliver is but yes. It also helps when you have a little bit of chromatic aberations. Sometimes when I shoot something for a composite I can get a tiny bit of a green outline and this method will get rid of it

Hackbone · March 13, 2014

Will give it a shot, thanks.

Qarik · March 13, 2014

#1 looks great..would not have guessed composite. #2 doesn't work for me..proportions look off and light on kid is very directional and 3D while the light in BG is flat..also the kid is not casting shadow which just adds to the odd look.

digidrone · March 13, 2014

Thanks a bunch! Real good input, thank you!

digidrone · March 13, 2014

Wow great info for future works!
Thank you all for the help!

lightcatcher2014 · March 15, 2014

Good try at the composites. The first one has the highlights and shadows well balanced with the background. I am not a big fan of bare armpits popping into viewers face but it's personal choice I guess.

On the second one the proportions of the subject and background don't match. The boy's feet are much larger than the rails and is obvious he has been pasted into there. Can try to reduce his image and place him where the pine tree doesn't stick out of his head.

Good try. Shows us more when you have a chance.

Cheers,

Composite practice

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