TECHNIQUES PRO PHOTO EFFECTS
ADVANCED
PHOTOMANIPULATION
TECHNIQUES
Of course, if you can’t shoot what you need and
you can’t find a stock photo of it either, there is a
third option: you can model it yourself. And
seamlessly blending 3D renders into
photographic material is becoming more and
more common. It increases your possibilities no
end (even if you could light it perfectly, you can’t
shoot a dinosaur or a spaceship) but it also
makes it even more important that you have
perfect control over your imagery once it’s out
of your 3D package and into Photoshop.
“I love blend modes,” says Cawood. “I use Screen
and Multiply all the time. I will shoot something on
black and then use Screen and it keeps me from
having to mask it out. This usually works with
elements like sparks, flames, dirt, smoke, etc. If I’m
working with something dark, I’ll do the opposite and
shoot it on white and use the Multiply blend mode.”
But don’t complicate matters if you don’t need to.
Nascimento admits that he “rarely uses Layer Styles.
The shadows and shininess that the tool offers are
limited, but in some circumstances I end up using
them because there are interesting features like
patterns. Blend modes are constantly used, when
you learn how it works, it makes your job a lot easier.
A good example of blend mode use is when you
want to make hair matte or [create] drop shadows.”COMBINE PHOTOS AND ARTWORK ELEMENTS
When it comes to bringing different types of
elements together, pre-planning is key. “The
trick for us,” says Paradigm’s Fred Muram, “is to
be very careful during the image selection
process and make quick comps before getting
too far along in the process. If we can’t find or
shoot an image we need for a composite we
also have the ability to render parts for a
composite in our CGI software.”PUTTING PHOTOS AND CGI TOGETHER CAN BE TRICKY, BUT AT LEAST IT
GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED
He adds that they are “getting more requests
for integrating CGI with photography. We love
MODO 801 and have been working with it since- When we have projects where
photography is not an option we are able to
quickly model, texture, light, and render parts
for a composite, and another great thing is we
are able to render out perfect masks for
whatever we need as well.”
Bonus chest hair:pieceunderwentafullretouch,withLastly, the whole
atmospheric light and shadow paidspecial attention to. Plus, as Cox
puts it, “bonus chest hair”Up front:Themaincharacters
thenhadtobeplacedandmarriedintothebackground
with lighting. Adding the villaininto the background came nextRough and ready:The team at Elevendy began this image with
foundational pre-vis “using rough 3D background for layoutand humanoids for placement and posing”, explains Dave CoxIn the shadows: Once the raw lighting was in place, they
began to develop the shadows, painting in additional ones to draw focus. Then texture was added, using “assets gathered
from our shoots of discoloured and rusted metal, broken glass and so on,” says Cox© Fred Muram© Dave CoxAnother frequent mistake
is cramming too manyelements into one picture, often
rather chaotically, as if to drawattention away from the fact
that the work lacks creativityJarek Kubicki, http://www.kubicki.info
Abstract Summer: In general, Martin
De Pasquale’s clients come to him for “fantastic/realistic images.” He says:
“My working process is always the same, sketches, references, see
ideas, concepts, and work on it”©Martin De Pasquale