Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

[Neilly]

Hi All,

Here are a couple of pictures I need some help with. The original sky was grey & bland, so I've put this model of a Swiss Air Force F-5 into two different sky/scenery backgrounds. Hopefully, one of these pictures will be a large canvas for the guy who owns the model. Now the help bit! He's a bit concerned they will look 'false' & that the model looks like its been 'stuck on'. I think they look fine, I've printed out both pictures & they look good, but I'd like second opinions, please




(I know - get rid of the contrail, on the second picture )

Thanks for all C&C's.

TTFN,
Neil

[DeeGee]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

For what its worth, I too go with the second one, it suits its background better (IMHO)

[Muscat]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

Neil, #2 for me as well the dark leading edge of the wing in #1 somehow seem too harsh, if they were softer as they seem to be in #2 it may work better

[MX5]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

#1 for me ... or #2 although the Vapour Trail distracts me ... but that's me wondering what it is at the front ((blushing)).

Although trying feathering (in a PS sense!!) the leading edge of the wings.

Your man knows it is false because it is ... so brain will see as false. If you hadn't have told us then we would have thought you had been on a jolly to Switzerland.

[mikep]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

#2 for me, definitely. Probably, anyone seeing the picture (by your friend showing them) will also therefore know it's a model plane. #1 would be a very tricky shot to get of a model plane, so IMHO does not look right!

#2 could have been taken anywhere, so knowing the plane is a model does not detract from the shot.

Both look good to me - as far as NOT looking stuck on!

Hope that helps / makes sense!

All the best, Mike.

[Pinkeez]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

I'm going to be slightly different. I would go with the first pic. I really like it. It shows the craft in a setting I can imagine seeing it in for real. The second one is good too, but I like the first one. The reason I would guess that some may feel they are manufactured is the Pilots head. He's looking in the wrong direction for the flight and angle the aircraft is in. Not sure you'd be able to do much with that, but if you could, that first one could pass for the real thing.

[colin C]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

I am more comfortable with #1, but it will need a little more work to add to the realism. Add a hint of movement blur to the background, but you will have to experiment how much movement blur to use.

If it was a "real" shot, using a telephoto to fill the frame with the F5, it would have resulted in a narrow depth of field and a blurred background, with some movement blur. The amount of movement blur will have depended on your shutter speed. Thankfully, the lighting direction of each shot is consistent, so no problems there.

Finally, a trick for the eye. If it has any hint of a "pasted on" look, zoom up the aircraft and use the blur tool on the outside edges of the aircraft. A brush size between 5 and 10 should do the trick and have the strength between 10 - 20%. With luck, you will only need to do the leading edges.

I would also make it slightly smaller in the frame, have a little more space in front and possibly move it in the frame so the clouds in the valley are not confused with exhaust gases. If you want to simulate exhaust gases, select an appropriate area behind the f5 on the background layer where the gases would be> Ctrl J for a new layer> blur the new layer> reduce the opacity of the layer until it looks like exhaust gases ................... Simples! (with some experimentation).

Good luck and I hope he likes the result.

Colin

[Neilly]

Re: Help Needed! C&C's Wanted

Hi All,

Thanks for all the input - picture 2 is the one he wants. I like 1, but I ain't paying for it. Thanks for the advice Colin - I remember you mentioned the blur tool on anther thread, but the last tip is a good idea - I will try that. Like you say a bit of T&E for that one.

All the very best to All,
Neil