HOME | DD

ArtByCher [2010-08-03 13:05:22 +0000 UTC]

Very nice on the blending. I like the colors

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

DMantz [2010-08-03 08:18:56 +0000 UTC]

this is cool, I like everything, but the yellow orb at the top right, it just doesn't seem to "fit"

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Apollyon888 [2010-08-03 07:43:46 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Steve, that was very useful actually. I already use a lot of masks and layers and the such, but I hadn't thought of selecting by color range for fine tuning and adjustments. I'll give a shot and see if I can bring down the annoyingly extreme saturation levels here and there, and maybe play around with some other stuff too. I appreciate it man, thanks.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

steve-burg [2010-08-03 05:33:40 +0000 UTC]

I'll do my best with a critique here. First off, it looks like you're doing fine with transposing from traditional media to digital. Since the image is very abstract in its conception (as opposed to a highly representational image) I'll offer some thoughts that may reflect more on my own "eye" than on the intent behind creating the image.

The first thing I noticed was the intense color saturation, which might be "maxing out" the display and producing a slight clipping here and there. One thing I often do is put one or more Adjustment Layers on top of the layer stack and fine tune the hue, saturation, contrast, etc. You might try some variations at different levels and see the extent to which you can tune an image without even touching a brush.

Another useful feature (and this is more like a rundown of Photoshop features than a critique - also pardon me if you already know this stuff !) is the use of a mask. A mask is made whenever you use the selection tools, but it's usually hard edged (unless you "select by color range" in the selection menu. But if you save the selection as an alpha channel, you can then paint on it with any of the painting or editing tools. Basically, this means you can paint the mask and use it as a new selection after having done whatever you like with it. (For example, you might decide "the red is too strong" or something. You can select by color to isolate the red, and save the selection out as an alpha channel. You then have enormous flexibility to do a wide range of things - such as make an adjustment layer and mask its effect to certain areas of the picture, or make a new layer and fill it with a color or other image using only the selected areas, etc.)

Wow, I don't want to bore you with this tech stuff (especially if you already know it!) But I myself will often make a number of variations on a painting using these and similar methods to control how I'm affecting the image quality - and to isolate the effects to certain areas or color ranges or brightness levels.

There's really no "right" or "wrong" way to use Photoshop - that's what makes it such a fantastic program. But a lot of the power lies in making use of some of these features, like using the channels and adjustment layers and curve editor and so on and so forth.

Before I write "War and Peace" here, I'd better cut short and offer a suggestion: Take the image you have, and play around with some adjustments using some sort of mask. There's no "wrong step" or "mistake" you can make here. It will just give you insight into all the tools and their potential.

Whew! I hope that isn't overly confusing - it can be hard to articulate some of these things - much easier if you can see it in practice. I hope this is helpful in some way !

👍: 0 ⏩: 0