Weekly Assignment #115: Tron, Alice, etc.

NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
edited April 25, 2009 in Assignments
Remember the movie? Or the book? Even if you don't - here's the deal: the primary character somehow shrinks down and gets inside a computer chip, or a rabbit hole, or whatever.
This time around your task will be to create a credible composite image showing a person inside some much, much smaller object. The key part is to ensure the light is similar in both images and the stitching is accurate. Read about green screen technique, but you don't have to use it.
Your entry should consist of a final image, your original sources and a brief description of a technique used.
All images should be fresh. Multiple entries OK if they are different enough.
Honey, let's shrink them kids!
"May the f/stop be with you!"

Comments

  • baldmountainbaldmountain Registered Users Posts: 192 Major grins
    edited April 18, 2009
    Nikolai,

    I've noticed that the last few assignments haven't had many entries. I'm guessing because they really require a copy of Photoshop to do properly. You might be able to do them with Gimp. But Gimp is a PITA to use unless you are willing to invest a LOT of time to figure it out. I guess we could pirate a copy Photoshop, but that isn't right.

    We're here to learn how to take better pictures, not how to use software. Personally I don't like the highly manipulated composed images that are popular today. Give me a Richard Avedon, Lee Friedlander or even a WeeGee and I'm happy.

    Maybe it's time to revisit some of the previous assignments, but this time decompose how the shot is put together to make a final image. Maybe get some of the "Artist-in-residence" folks to contribute a "How I'd do it?" lesson to the assignment so we can learn from someone much better than ourselves. For a lot of these assignments we fumble around and submit a mediocre image or one that really doesn't fit the assignment at all. We could use a lesson to go along with the assignment.

    Oh, the decompose the shot lessons would be a LOT of work for you so ask for a volunteer. You may end up with something completely different than the actual assignment but that is OK. Photography is art. And art is open for interpretation. One of my favorite Photography books has a section where a group of pros are given an assignment to photograph a mannequin. The final images are WILDLY different and a few barely have the mannequin in the frame at all. But it is fascinating to see the different interpretations.

    Sorry for the long winded suggestion...
    geoff
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 18, 2009
    Nikolai,

    I've noticed that the last few assignments haven't had many entries. I'm guessing because they really require a copy of Photoshop to do properly. You might be able to do them with Gimp. But Gimp is a PITA to use unless you are willing to invest a LOT of time to figure it out. I guess we could pirate a copy Photoshop, but that isn't right.

    We're here to learn how to take better pictures, not how to use software. Personally I don't like the highly manipulated composed images that are popular today. Give me a Richard Avedon, Lee Friedlander or even a WeeGee and I'm happy.

    Maybe it's time to revisit some of the previous assignments, but this time decompose how the shot is put together to make a final image. Maybe get some of the "Artist-in-residence" folks to contribute a "How I'd do it?" lesson to the assignment so we can learn from someone much better than ourselves. For a lot of these assignments we fumble around and submit a mediocre image or one that really doesn't fit the assignment at all. We could use a lesson to go along with the assignment.

    Oh, the decompose the shot lessons would be a LOT of work for you so ask for a volunteer. You may end up with something completely different than the actual assignment but that is OK. Photography is art. And art is open for interpretation. One of my favorite Photography books has a section where a group of pros are given an assignment to photograph a mannequin. The final images are WILDLY different and a few barely have the mannequin in the frame at all. But it is fascinating to see the different interpretations.

    Sorry for the long winded suggestion...
    Geoff,
    thank you for your input, appreciate it!
    I'm a strong believer in the fact that the photography is an art of *creating* images, which starts in your head and ends up when you or some other person looks at the final result (or never..:-). Sometimes using software is necessary to achieve what you want.

    This Class is not only about how to frame the picture or how to drag the shutter. It's about everything involved in the process.

    As to the number of participants in each sesssion - I'm not utterly concerned about it. One of the very first topics, "The One", had nothing to do with the software or even technical quality, yet it is still "the one" ;-) with one of the least amounts of valid entries due to the difficulty of doing it right.

    This whole collection of assignments addresses various stages of the aforementioned image creating process. They do not have an expiration date, so if the last one is not your bag - check out one of the previous ones, they are all vaild and active. deal.gif

    Cheers! 1drink.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • dlscott56dlscott56 Registered Users Posts: 1,324 Major grins
    edited April 25, 2009
    Here are the original photos :

    520683342_tWaJQ-M.jpg520683177_GqDyT-M.jpg

    And the final photo :

    520683022_E7JsC-XL.jpg

    Both images shot in the same light. Used the calculation function on the channel with the most contrast to create a new alpha channel. Then used the quick selection tool and a lot of trial and error to get the person selected. Put the images together, copied the person to a new layer, rotated 180 deg, set to overlay and reduced opacity to get the reflection. Then lots of tedious touch up. Still looks like it could use some work however.
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 25, 2009
    dlscott56 wrote:
    Here are the original photos :

    And the final photo :

    Both images shot in the same light. Used the calculation function on the channel with the most contrast to create a new alpha channel. Then used the quick selection tool and a lot of trial and error to get the person selected. Put the images together, copied the person to a new layer, rotated 180 deg, set to overlay and reduced opacity to get the reflection. Then lots of tedious touch up. Still looks like it could use some work however.

    Thank you very much Dave! thumb.gif
    Not an easy task, and you did it nicely! deal.gif
    My only nit is there is a slight discrepancy in size/position of the person and the glass in the final image, which makes them look being in two different planes simultaneously, thus ruining the verisimilitudeness of the composite...headscratch.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • dlscott56dlscott56 Registered Users Posts: 1,324 Major grins
    edited April 25, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    Thank you very much Dave! thumb.gif
    Not an easy task, and you did it nicely! deal.gif
    My only nit is there is a slight discrepancy in size/position of the person and the glass in the final image, which makes them look being in two different planes simultaneously, thus ruining the verisimilitudeness of the composite...headscratch.gif

    I'll play around a little more to see if I can improve on it.
  • dlscott56dlscott56 Registered Users Posts: 1,324 Major grins
    edited April 25, 2009
    How's this? Any better. I also noticed my reflection needed to be flipped.

    520717080_fshYq-XL.jpg
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 25, 2009
    dlscott56 wrote:
    How's this? Any better. I also noticed my reflection needed to be flipped.
    Much! thumb.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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