Too much shopping

[Modderrhu]

I usually skip voting on vehicles, because; I just have no idea with what\'s involved in painting them. But this one has me even less inclined to vote, as I\'m not actually sure whether I\'d give the mini its fair due;

www.coolminiornot.com/100790

In the comment he says he\'s a graphic artist in training, and that he loves to try new stuff. But how can we vote on this mini when the pic has been shopped too much? A little is fine, to improve the quality of the pic, some sharpening or whatever. But apart from adding motion, it looks like he\'s used a program to add glass and light reflections.

 

[vincegamer]

Agreed. The light hotspots detract a great deal. Plus the lines of light aren\'t well done.
He\'s blurred much of the detail.
I\'m sure it\'s at least a 6 but the bad picture knocks it down one for me.

I would have preferred if he\'d used his photoshop skills to attatch an untouched photo below.

 

[bayrodney]

i personnally would have included both to show the voters how it looks both ways, if it was done like that i would have given it 7 ( 7.5 )

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Agreed, I think its a 7-7.5 if it were shown as a clean picture with out all the PS work. If he added some paint chipping and weathering and maybe some more shadeing he could bump it up a bit.

Maybe even some free hand chapter badges on it too.

 

[Ebonbuddha]

I think photoshop minis should be banned.Its not your painting just cool photoshop effects.

 

[Ogrebane]

Just vote with your feet. If the photo is obviously enhanced then dont vote on it I dont.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Ebonbuddha
I think photoshop minis should be banned. Its not your painting just cool photoshop effects.

This is a discussion that has raised it\'s head before. I know that I have played with effects on some of my pictures but not the ones that are to go on to CMON.

In the case in question I think that the effects do not add to the mini.

 

[Klute]

At least he is up front about it.
I suspect a lot of people shop their photos a bit too much without letting us know.
I like effects like that and it adds another dimension to the pics but for the sake of voting an \"untouched\" photo should be the main one.

 

[orctrader]

Up until my last three submissions I didn\'t use any phot-editing software apart from Irfanview - which I learned about in an article here - to crop and resize my images.

On the last three posted I have used PS Elements and used the \"Quick\" fix bit. (And on my latest piece I used my \"new\" lighting setup.)

It never occurred to me that anyone would use editing software to make their stuff look better than the original paintjob.

As others have said, I don\'t think the affects used on the \"tank\" have helped it.

 

[mrteal]

I am of the opinion that let people do whatever they want to make it look better. Although most people will recognize computer enhancement and vote accordingly.

 

[Dragonsreach]

@mrteal:
The trouble with that is, as commented on in another forum, a number of people have been accused of \"Tweeking\" the pictures in order to gain higher sales on ebay and for commission work.
That may not be the case in regard to this picture but the impact is the same.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
@mrteal:
The trouble with that is, as commented on in another forum, a number of people have been accused of \"Tweeking\" the pictures in order to gain higher sales on ebay and for commission work.
That may not be the case in regard to this picture but the impact is the same.

If you do that, don\'t you just shoot yourself in the foot? I mean, the customers will likely notice the difference when they get the minis and sooner or later you\'ll have gotten an ill reputation. ???

 

[Legacy Account]

At least this is blatant. No sneaky retouching dodgy paintjobs....

 

[Klute]

OK

So what about cutting and pasting onto a background gradient.
That makes the figure look better and has nothing to do with painting it.
But we all do it.

???

 

[Mosch]

Maybe, Klute, but it does not change the paintjob in any way, it just changes the circumstances of the presentation. Personally, I don\'t think photoshopped pictures should be used to advertise yout stuff or in an obvious attempt to make things look better, but the odd \'shop doesn\'t really do any harm.... if he photoshopped every single of his minis to make the blending look perfect and would thereby rise up in the rank too much I would object. But this... at least he stated it. I think he just wanted to present his idea, not get a pat on the shoulder for being such a great artist.

 

[mickc22]

yeah, but you aren\'t doing anything to the mini, it\'s like the wall light in an art gallery. It\'s there to show the piece off in the best possible light, if you\'ll pardon the pun

 

[dauber22]

Just FYI...

The bloke\'s apparently noted all the hubbub and gone and posted a non-shopped version:

non-shopped

 

[Modderrhu]

I\'m really glad he did. Seems like his photoshopped image was more honest than I thought it was, and the mini is better than I thought it was too. He can get an honest rating now. Though I did edge the vote up to an 8, due to a guilty feeling at causing all this. 7.5 plus some benefit of guilt. lol

 

[orctrader]

Originally posted by Klute
OK

So what about cutting and pasting onto a background gradient.
That makes the figure look better and has nothing to do with painting it.
But we all do it.

???

Oh? My ignorance revealed once again because I don\'t do that. I take the photo against a sheet of paper with a gradient printed on it. I have never attempted to cut the mini out and paste it against another background. Is there a benefit?
(Now this explains to me those pics with the disconcerting (to me) white edge around the mini, between it and the background. Reminds me of those old movies where the actors in the car are obviously in a stationary vehicle and there is a film of a moving background running behind them.)

 

[Klute]

Without a doubt badly cropped pics look worse for it and I should know becuase like you I mostly used a printed backdrop and have only recently started using a shopped backdrop.

Done well though I definitely think it can make a paintjob look better if the presentation is upped a notch.