Photoshop Challenge

[Valander]

Oh, believe me, I know it\'s not the greatest. I wasn\'t trying to go all out; just curious as to what could be done quickly.

I\'m sure that spending more time (like 4 hours or so) and using many more filters and effects, I could have gotten something that looked more \"painted\". However, as many of you have pointed out, the fact that I was able to do something like this begins to cast doubt as to the possibility of getting an 8 or so without actually painting! Also note that I am by no means an expert with Photoshop/GIMP, so I\'m sure there are techniques that could have made my little experiment faster.

I\'m looking forward to Jericho\'s work, to see how far this could be taken.

That said, tho, I do see a possible benefit to this: If it only takes me a half an hour, I can try out some color schemes pretty quickly, without the need for stripping the mini. Also, color changes are very easy this way, so multiple schemes can be compared side-by-side.

 

[finn17]

That is a really good point...

Originally posted by Valander
That said, tho, I do see a possible benefit to this: If it only takes me a half an hour, I can try out some color schemes pretty quickly, without the need for stripping the mini. Also, color changes are very easy this way, so multiple schemes can be compared side-by-side.

That is a really good idea. This thread has also got me determined to figure out how to use Photoshop properly, so that I can experiment with colour schemes and stand a greater chance of spotting when someone else has been manipulating their images.

I lashed out on Photoshop 7 but the interface is just so intimidating I always chicken out and use my much older, simpler, idiot proof version. Time to bite that bullet I feel. :flip:

 

[Jericho]

Put around an hour into this pic. Not quite happy with the green, but it was hard to get rid of the inky feel. Anyway, here it is

 

[Kenneth]

Cool. I\'d rate it a 7.

K

 

[finn17]

Thanks Jericho, I think that does prove a point.

Thanks for taking the time to demonstrate your skills. I like the way you have even mocked up the base a bit. If I was scanning the gallery, I would not notice that this was photoshopped and would give it a 6 easily.
I really must get the manuals out and get to grips with this programme myself. Although not for any nefarious purposes I might add:flip::bouncy:

 

[Jericho]

Yeah, but there\'s a reason I asked for primed minis... it\'s a lot easier to make it look real than if it\'s just inked metal. Ink pools and messes things up and takes a lot longer to get rid of Under ideal conditions I don\'t think making a 7-8 Photoshop job would be hard, just time consuming.

 

[Otter]

Wow, you\'ve really proved your argument here. If I were just breezing through and voting, I\'d assume that it was a heavily photoshopped image to get rid of the rough edges. I\'d not think it was a completely photoshopped image altogether.

And those lenses look fabulous! I\'d give it a 7 or an 8 for strength of color and the lenses alone.

- Otter
\"Never send a ferret to do a weasel\'s work.\"

 

[supervike]

I am convinced....

I am a little more liberal in my voting than most (I freely give out 9\'s and 10\'s)...

Jericho--I would rate this an 8 easily.

The paint job looks smooth, the NMM looks great, and the lenses are the best part.


Please use your powers for good and not evil!!!

Could you spot an already posted mini, with a high score, that does use photoshop? Or is it too hard to tell?

 

[AAvH-Darkblade]

Originally posted by Jericho
Put around an hour into this pic. Not quite happy with the green, but it was hard to get rid of the inky feel. Anyway, here it is

Hmm . . . does look painted. Freaky, but very very interesting, I think the point is very clearly made.

 

[Digamma]

Hm, well if i came across this one while browsing trough the images, it would instantly appear photoshopped to me.

But i can imagine that for a skilled photoshopper, it would be possible to turn a decently painted (6-7) mini into an 8+ mini without most people (including me) noticing


Regards,
Digamma

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Digamma
Hm, well if i came across this one while browsing trough the images, it would instantly appear photoshopped to me.

What are the tell tale signs?

I honestly think if I were to see this as a \'normally posted\' mini, I wouldn\'t know the difference.

Other than the neon green, how does one tell?

 

[Dragonsreach]

Finn17 said:

If Lurch lived a bit nearer, I\'d probably be round there now cleaning his car

Well I\'ll join you in that Finn. When Lurch posted his/her comments about Photoshop adapted miniatures I was sceptical. WRONG!!!!

I use Photoshop 7 and thought I was reasonable at adapting photos, but I couldn\'t see what Lurch was getting at. Lurch I owe you an apology for my sceptism. Sorry pal. Grovels on floor, like \'Wormtongue\'

What happens now, how do we prove that a mini isn\'t just tailored in Photoshop? Do we have to put up a disclaimer on every mini we post?
I for one will be stating \"hand painted\" from now on to remain within the sites intent. (Mind you with my mini\'s it\'s not that hard to tell. Photoshop would definitley improve them.lol)

 

[Jericho]

Yeah I went over the top on the green but I don\'t care. Takes too long to fix it... I can\'t spare those 10 minutes I just wanted to see what I could realistically do with an unpainted mini in Photoshop.

Investing enough time to make it look as good as some could do with a brush doesn\'t make sense since you\'d put in as much time and effort and have no model to show for it CMoN has no cash prizes for high ranked minis, it\'s possible some models were \"faked\" but there\'s no reason for it to affect us really. There\'s nothing to win or lose here...

 

[U4-Welcome]

I took Jericho\'s rendering and had a little amateur fun with Photoshop of my own (\"improving it\" I call it, but others may beg to differ lol). And now, I\'ve POSTED it. Yup. I\'ll leave it there for, say, a week then look at the score it got, and then take it down.
Objections anyone ?

 

[finn17]

I am glad you added that...

Originally posted by Jericho
Investing enough time to make it look as good as some could do with a brush doesn\'t make sense since you\'d put in as much time and effort and have no model to show for it CMoN has no cash prizes for high ranked minis, it\'s possible some models were \"faked\" but there\'s no reason for it to affect us really. There\'s nothing to win or lose here...

I think that is really one of the points I was originally trying to make in my own inept way. I was sure that some folks out there possessed the talent, but I suspected that the \'investment\' involved would be almost equal to the amount of time it would take to learn to paint proficiently. Plus, you would only be a \'virtual hero\' constantly looking over your shoulder for someone to come along and call your bluff.
Besides. I am sure there are forums for people to show off their Photoshop virtuosity without deceiving anyone.
It was still a very impressive demonstration and thanks once again for sharing it with us.:bouncy:

 

[Braveheart712]

Photoshop does wonders

I agree that Photoshop can really change our perception as to what was painted on posted minis and what was \"created\" or enhanced. I still think it is easier and much more fun to actually paint your minis, after all what does your ranking or score actually mean to you? Besides you still can\'t win a Golden Demon with a photoshop image right?

 

[Digamma]

Originally posted by supervike

What are the tell tale signs?

I don\'t know much about photoshop so i can\'t say what exactly causes it, but this mini just looks wrong when looking at it.

Maybe it has to do with a lack of depth, especially at the base, or with the edges being too \"soft\" for an actual miniature.

And while i would recognize this one as being photoshopped, i am pretty sure that i would not notice some other photoshopped minis.

Regards,
Digamma

 

[abstracity]

Groovy

I vote based on my first impressions of a mini, unless something jumps out that is really cool/really bad just as I vote I go with my first feeling.

If I saw this on the site I\'d give it an 8. The second time I saw it I think I might wonder why the base looks weird...but I\'d still give it an 8 again.

The point is proven to me that you can create a nice paintjob with no paint, but then...I never doubted the point anyway.

Peace.

 

[Braveheart712]

To answer the previous question as to \"what\'s wrong\", these images are all low resolution and jpegs and do lack the depth and quality to start with. Any comments on my latest project. I know this is not worthy of winning the CMON contest here, but it does open the door to that possibilty, what do you think????

 

[Valander]

Jericho, your mini definitely looks \"hand painted\". If I spent time looking at it, I could probably tell it was Photoshopped (main giveaway is the flatness in comparison to the background), but if I were just quickly surfing, I\'d probably not notice. The lenses look great, and I\'d probably give this a 6-7, depending on my mood.

Of course, I completely know what you mean about getting rid of the \"inked\" look; if we started with a white primered mini, it would probably be easier to get a 7+ in around an hour to two hours of Photoshop.

I\'m not terribly bothered by this; the way I see it, CMoN ratings are so largely subjective as to not really matter to me. What I can use them for is to gauge my own work against my own work; that is, I can watch how various techniques I try affect the impression of the overall mini.

Besides, you can\'t sell a Photoshopped mini on eBay or at your local gaming store!