Mar 06 Contest Votes

[T Paul]

Voting will run from 25 Mar to 31 Mar 2005. Deadline for votes is 6pm EST 31 March 2006.

Only those that entered the contest may vote. All other votes will be deleted. If you did not enter, but would like to comment on an entry, please post your comments to the Mar 06 Discussion Thread.

Vote for the 5 best entries in order.

Note you cannot vote for your own image. If you do, your votes will be deleted.

Example Vote:
Pick the top five contest entries and list in order...

1. Entry X (First Place)
2. Entry A (Second Place and so on)
3. Entry Q
4. Entry S
5. Entry P

This thread will remain closed until it's time to vote.

And as always, when you vote try to include some things you especially liked about your choices…what made them stand out, what impressed you, etc. This is a learning experience!

[moonwriter]

1st HannibalVector
Looks great with the dark red, love the side window only thing missing was the placing of the right side mirror... over all great car.

2nd Studioj
One of the best roof tops without making it look a flat 2-D surface.

3rd Lorraine
Enjoyed the tinted windows

4th InfiniteMonkey
Good work on your windows, where are the seats.

5th OnAir

[InfiniteMonkey]

The biggest problem with retouching elements to this degree is keeping the object looking real. It's all too easy to overdo the retouch and make the object look like an illustration.
This has been the foundation of my assesments.

1st HannibalVector
A very competent retouch. The overall effect is very compelling, but there were areas I wasn't so keen on.
I didn't like the colour shift, as it's now no longer ferrari red. A nice colour, but not in keeping with the spirit of the original.
You appear to have lost the roof to highlight. An interesting graphical device, but one which conflicts with the shadows you've established in the windshield and rear offside quarterlight. The overexposure needed to be more consistent.
The retouching on the door and rear quarter-panel could have been more consistent as well.
I loved the attention to the rear quarterlight window. Very effective.
The interior is very effective too, I'm assuming you found a donor image somewhere for reference. nice. I've only been so critical, because I think with a little more attention this piece could be outstanding.

2nd LonK
Great overall impression. Loved the smooth retouching to the bodywork with the shadows and the reflections.
Not too keen on the black windows and the drop shadow could have done with a bit more thought.

3rd RetouchPix
Great Drop Shadow, Love the slight hint of a reflection of the car in the floor. Very effective. Didn't like the colour change. a bit too vivid for my liking. Apart from that, a very solid retouch.

4th Doug Colwell
Again, nice solid, consistent retouching. My only (constructive) criticism would be the reflection in the rear view mirror and the lack of a reflection in the rear nearside quarterlight window.

5th Pocoroba
Very etherial. The kind of thing I imagine will be greeting me when I appear at the pearly gates. 'Ah, there you are Tim. Sorry you're dead, Have this ferrari to help get over it...!' Unfortunately the overall effect quite heavily detracts from what is otherwise a wonderful piece of work.

[Retouchpix]

"Remove the driver, license plate, and all signs of the street and put the car on a plain white background, suitable for a catalog listing."
"and keeping it as real as possible."

1. StudioJ
A real good entry, the retouching and colours and reflections are really good, the shadows and highlights that define the contours of the car have been maintained. However the shadow does lack as it seems as though its just a dark patch below.

2. Doug Colwell
Again a real good job, the shading and reflections are smooth and right. the shadows and highlights that define the contours of the car have been maintained, but doug just missed the reflections of the driver in the rear mirror and the wndows at the back could have used a bit of tining to seem as though they were there.

3. Peth
Good retouching, again the contour of the car has not been lost. However the windows (even though they are really good) looks very artificial, it sort of clashes with the "realness" of the car. Missed the side mirror on the otherside of the car. Also the line of the door (the passenger side door in the background) does not align with the line behind the seat... um not sure how to explain it.. but there is a kind of 'dip' in the side there.

4. InfiniteMonkey
Good work, with the only thing amiss is the side mirror being a lot higher than its supposed to.

5. HannibalVector
Good work again, but the car looks very heavily lacquered... almost like it was pulled out of a jelly bath. The whole stretch, right above the tyres, from the the front (where the logo is) to the back looks almost good enough to eat.

As for the colour change, infinitemonkey, the car was more red (from the middle to the lower side) than magenta-red (where the sky is reflecting)... so I sort of brought out those red colours.

[Peth]

Tough to judge this one. Not sure I've got the order right.

If I was judging purely on how sexy the car looked in the catalogue I'd have to give 1st place to Hannibal - that's some very impressive work mate. You made me kick myself for not trying harder. However, the colour wasn't true to the original and I'm sorry to say that counted against you.

I also noticed that not many of you paid enough attention to the the mag wheels. When you shoot a car, whether it's for a catalogue or in-situ you should always get the mags level and matching. The badges on the mags should always be at 12 o'clock or perfectly upright and level. This something I learned as an art director on several shoots for Chrysler and Jeep. A couple of you did however at least get the mags matching which was great!

I hope I'm not coming across too harsh here but it's a learning experience aye? I know I've learned that directing a shoot is lot easier than retouching... anyhoo on to the votes.

1. Studio J
2. Doug
3. Hannibal
4. Retouchpix
5. Porcoroba

Monkey you came close but the borrowed dash counted against you for my money. Can't say as I blame you tho... I'd did a fair bit of borrowing myself!

[Gigadals]

Here are my votes...

1. Peth
2. Hannibal
3. Retouchpix
4. Porcoroba
5. Infinite

[philbach]

1.) StudioJ
2.) Lorraine
3.) Porcoba
4.) Peth
5.) Doug Calwell

[Pocoroba]

From Wikipedia:

"Some of the common retouching tasks include
Fixing blemishes in portraits
Color correction of an image with a colorcast
Restoring damage done to prints and negatives
*****Combining two or more images*****
Manipulating a single image in non-obvious ways to achieve a desired "look" or "effect"

I pasted in this reference because of a comment about picking up elements from othe sources. This is common for a retoucher to do. It's called "photo-compositing". I work as a full time professional retoucher in the largest commercial photo studio in the Southwest. There are three professsional photographers here and three retouch artists. I've personally retouched over 150 professional photographed autos in recent years, in 3/4 rear, 3/4 forward and side perspective. I'm used to studio lighting and that's why I chose to "studio light" my entry. Based on my experience, I've made careful side by side comparisons of all entries submitted, being careful to merit them as they really deserve.

The goal beyond the instructions in the contest (as retouch artists) is to avoid an overall illustrated look, and strive for photo-realism. Having said that, my vote for 1st place goes to none other than:

1. HannibalVector -

This person is a retouch artist. He exhibited sheer ability in making the car appear photo realistic but with a few flaws that detracted from the finished piece, such as th light remaining on the rear tire and front rim, when it wouldn't be there given the rendering of the shadow areas. The darker red color is not an issue in the least. He is using lighting technique here. Red can and will look almost black, depending on the lighting used. The only things I would point out which I felt to be flawed were that the lighting on the roof, a horizontal surface should be repeated on othe horizontal surfaces, i.e., the motor grill area, expecially in the center. Aside from that, this was a masterful piece of work and the only one I noticed where the rear window which is "U" shaped, was highlighted in his execution. If HanniablVector were here, I'd hire hime - if I was in the position to....

2. InfiniteMonkey -

Here is another nice entry, and one of two, to correctly complete the dash/door interchange as it should appear (it doesn't matter if it's illustrated or composited, that's what retouching is about. Realism. If you need to pick-up something to make it happen, so what. If this were a real project, the client/dealer would say, 'the door area doesn't look like that'. Excellent call IM). Although the seating area and rear window are lacking definition, the exterior looks really good (save for the hot front wheel). Very good execution and preservation of realism.

3. dcolwell -

Everything on the exterior of this very nice entry looks balanced, including the wheels. Not too many people realized that the sunshine highlight on the back tire shouldn't be there but oh well... At any rate, this is a clean piece of work but it appears a bit contrasty to me, and that tends to lean to a more ilustrated appearance. Otherwise, if I pay attention to the retouching, it gets high marks.

4. LonK -

This entry stayed in my top 5 for its level of photo-realism but lost points for the manner of disguising retouching on the interior with the dark windows and the fact that I still see some "street" on the lower body. Aside from that, in side by side comparisons among all entries, based on all merits, it rose to fourth. Good retouching effort.

5. - Studioj -

This entry rose to fifth in side by side comparisons among all entries - because it was better than the rest on several points, but it looks too contrasty and illustrated to go higher in placement. The highlights on the roof above the rear window and edge above side window area don't make sense to me, but the objective was acheived better than the rest.

---

A lot of entries showed that the people among this membership are very talented folks, and they're diamonds in the rough really. It's contests and challenges like this which help to enable us to "see" to he extent that we can execute. I've always said that you have to be able to see it in your mind to be able to make it happen.

[OnAir]

1. HannibalVector
2. InfiniteMonkey
3.Pocoroba
4.Peth
5.Doug Colwell

[Cameraken]

March Contest votes

Great job Everyone. This was more difficult than it first looked. There are so many talented artists and retouchers here that I knew I would not have a chance in this one. That’s why I decided to have a little fun with my entry. The nice thing is that my entry has given me the chance to vote.

1. Pocoroba. That’s just perfect.
2. HannibalVector. The rear window is the only iffy bit. Fantastic colour.
3. InfiniteMonkey wing mirror a little high.
4. Doug Colwell. Nice job.
5. StudioJ.

Ken.

[studioj]

1. Peth
Even it's highly illustrated, this is the kind of pictures that you get in a real Ferrari's catalog. Congrats!

2. Pocoroba
Love the right mirror!

3. Doug Colwell
The first entry was a very good entry, I also think this particular car had red sits as you did.

4. Retouchpix
Again an illustrated pic, but reall good, also the shadow looks to me very reallistyc.

5. Infinite monkey
You could get a better place in my voting, but I don't think Ferrari will put a RTCH ME as licence plate

[Doug Colwell]

1 - HannibalVector - Shading and reflections combine to make the paint look highly polished - almost wet. Very realistic glass look. Front wheel still blown out, and rear end a bit dull and purpleish compared to the rest of the car. Roofline a bit spotty. Still, think this best retains the quality of a photo, with great depth.

2 - Pocoroba - Excellent interior and good glass, but passenger door profile headed in wrong direction, and left the original headrest red. Beautiful paint job (though slightly hazy), and good call on re-working the long dark reflection of the buildings - when I eliminated that on mine the car really lost the luster of the original.

3 - InfiniteMonkey - Dash change-out looks good but there's a gap above it on the left that the hood line suggests shouldn't be there. Passenger mirror is too high, and front wheel still blown out. Glass reflections subtle and very well done. Great wax job - car looks bright and shiny like it should, helped again by retaining that long dark reflection.

4 - Studioj - Interior looks great, well thought out and nicely shaded (passenger door profile should be slightly lower than the dash like the driver's door). White road line reflection left behind rear wheel. Wheel copy looks good and nice detail work on tires. Also really nice paint job.

5 - Peth - Very nice interior and glass treatment, but no passenger side mirror and passenger door profile curves down rather than up to the rear window profile. Wheel copy and size works well to fix blown out front wheel (nice re-tread). All street reflections gone, but I'm not sure the bright highlight along the length of the car works where it is. Smooth lines and blending.

[Sean2]

Hannibal
Colwell
OnAir
RL design
Studio J

Infinite Monkey honourable mention

[Lorraine]

Picked the entries that I think look the most realistic in the areas of highlights, shadows, window reflections, and creating the missing interior details.

1. Porcoroba
2. Peth
3. studioj
4. Doug Colwell
5. LonK

Lorraine

[TwinbNJ]

I looked at detail, overall look for a cataloge, and lighting.

1 - Perth

2 - RetoughPix

3 - Porcoroba

4 - Lorraine

5 - OnAir

[LonK]

I really wanted to get more involved in discussions about this contest, but unfortunately I suffered a heart attack and have undergone cardiac bypass surgery since my entry. Forgive me for not being too chatty right now.

1. HannibalVector. Caught my eye immediately even though I didn't care for the color shift.
2. Pocoroba. Very clean and convincing retouch. Seats seem mispositioned though.
3. dcolwell. 1st entry, remained one of my favorite efforts (though the driver reflection in the mirror bothered me.)
4. InfiniteMonkey. Aggressive interior work, but window should have been closed.
5. Peth. More illustrative than photorealistic, but I just like the bold result.

Overall there were more entries than I expected. Certainly some very imaginative interpretations. It is relatively easy to distinguish the seasoned pros from mere enthusiasts like me though. Kudos to all who took the challenge.

[ferdberfel]

This was tough, but I graded on several things:
Realistic drop shadow
Realistic reflections (softboxes are standard for auto shoots)
Transparency but reflectiveness of windows
COLOR SHIFTS ON CAR!!!

My votes are as follows:
1-Pocoroba - awesome reflections, good windows
2 - Infinite Monkey - Great all around
3 - Peth - Great windows
4 - Shalford - great reflections, but drop shadows need work.
5 - Philback - Great drop shadow! Hard light reflections are not good, as soft lite banks are standard.

This was a tough one! Congrats to everyone's hard work!
Ferd

[ferdberfel]

Lonk, i just read your last post, and i hope you're doing better! Wow, rough couple of weeks, huh? Relax and take care of yourself.

[Lorraine]

LonK,

I know this isnt't the place to post this, but I hope you're feeling better and doing okay.

Just take care of yourself, that's the most important.

Lorraine

[HannibalVector]

Omg Lonk, a heart attack? That's not good, not good at all.
Please don't do that again, we need you here. I hope you recover soon and grow very old.

Back to the votes.
I found it very difficult to vote this time, a lott of the entries were very similar.

1 Pocoroba
2 InfiniteMonkey
3 Doug Colwell
4 Lonk
5 Peth

[Cassidy]

Very hard to make a decisions on this comp at all and even then I keep changing my mind so before time expires, here goes

1. Pocoroba
2. StudioJ
3. Retouchpix
4. Lorraine
5. Infinite Monkey (a small minus on passenger side mirror)

Overall congrats to everyone who attempted
Get well soon Lonk, best wishes with successful recovery

[OnAir]

Lonk, take a good care of yourself, and my sincere wishes to get well soon!

[ferdberfel]

i was under the impression that the final image size should be no bigger than 800x600, which i saved mine to, but for some reason it compressed upon uploading and ended up too small to even see! Oh well, maybe next time. Maybe i'll post it later for review and critique...

[Shalford]

1 Hanibal Vector - Stunning talent, even with the colour shift.

2 InfiniteMonkey - Nicely done - just the missing wing mirror is a little high.

3 Peth - Good clean work, nice windows

4 Pocoroba - Again another good clean submission.

5 Retouchpix - Nice clear work good windows just a bit of a matt finish for my liking.

Lonk -
I really hope you feal fit soon- there's plenty of hard work here to keep you going for a long time yet!!!

[T Paul]

Wow this turned out to be an extremely close contest and the ties show it!
This was the first time we had a tie for FIRST. In the event of a first place tie, the tie breaker goes to the member with the most first place votes.

So the winner of the March RetouchPro contest is….

HannibalVector

Congratulations on a job well done!

HannibalVector has won a copy of Exposure by Alien Skin

Exposure brings the look and feel of film to digital photography. Simulate the warmth and softness of real world film, both color and black and white. Reproduce realistic film grain, and simplify your digital photography workflow.

The top 6 were as follows:

HannibalVector: 52 (tie breaker with 8 votes for first)
Pocoroba: 52 (tie breaker with 5 votes for first)

InfiniteMonkey: 35
Peth: 35

Doug Colwell: 32
StudioJ: 31

Great job to all!

The starting image was by dvehwt at Stock.Xchng