July 2008 Contest Discussion

[Ruzzez]

This has been a fun challenge. I had a couple of false starts before I got something I liked.

The challenging part was to “create a photo realistic new species by combing the images” , “Only use elements from the provided photos” and “Final image must be exactly 600 pixels wide and 800 pixels high.”

To create a cross between the Zebra and the Elephant I first created a shape for the side body, head and ear. I then warped the skins of each to fit. For the ear I had to use another part of the Zebra and I rotated and warped it to fit. I then added the legs for the opposite side. Adjusted the color and added shadows. The Zebra’s tail was adjusted and attached.

The problem I then had was the image’s orientation. I decided to use the elephant’s background. I prepared it by removing the Elephant by cloning. I then enlarged the canvas leaving the original at the top. Copied a portion and enlarged it below.

When I added the Zeephant, the background looked a little empty. I decided to add the Zebra and the Elephant, the poster now shows the before and after images of the animals combined. Again I was not pleased; it now looked a little crowded. I decided to have the Elephant and the Zebra interact. I reduced their size and had them face each other. I warped the Zebra’s head and neck to where the Zebra looked up toward the Elephant. I warped the Elephant’s trunk so that it reached out to the Zebra. I then adjusted shadows and limited the depth of field.

The grass at the feet had to be copied to a higher layer and motion blurred to get the appearance I wanted.

[Frank Lopes]

This was my first crack at "morphin" animals and I had a great time trying all kinds of permutations.

Some of your entries look like they came straight from The Island of Doctor Moreau.

[Cassidy]

This is such a wonderful stretch of the imagination, told my youngest, I found this in backyard, she was totally fascinated. Really glad to see more entries, don't be daunted, not as hard as it seems

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by Cassidy

Come on in Lorraine, the water's warm and very inviting

After your invitation and excellent entry, I couldn't resist. Thank you.


Notes:

I didn't do much except use the warp tool on the frog's head and neck to mimic the rooster's shape. Same with the bird's crest.

The rest was just trying to match the background to the crest which was very difficult to extract from the original background. In the end, I had to use the original background which I blurred somewhat to minimize the cloning out of the bird. I sharpened the crest a bit with the sharpen tool.

Lorraine

[CathyH]

I have changed my entry, it was brought to my attention that we could only use the photos provided, luckily I found time to make a background from the original horse photo. I definitely like the the look of my first try better, but you have to follow the rules.
Good luck everyone.
cathy

[T Paul]

Here is a link to a temporary album for easier viewing: July Content Entries

[karin l]

so when/where do we vote?
K

[CathyH]

Hi Karin we are waiting for T Paul to open the voting thread.

[T Paul]

Sorry about that! Voting is open now!

[Lorraine]

I've now put this this in the Voting thread where I should have posted in the first place. I'll leave it here as well. Sorry for the confusion.

Lorraine

All the entries are amazing in creativity and execution. I finally voted for the ones that were photo realistic and had that “aaawww” factor.

1. Cassidy – I want to adopt him/her. Beautifully done in all aspects.

2. Ruzzez – Incredible work in combining the texture of the elephant skin with the zebra stripes.

3. Old Baldy – It looks like something out of Jurassic Park.
Excellent color blending.

4. Frank Lopes – Another amazing blend to create reality.

5. karinl – I’ll take him/her home as well. Great work.

Special mention to pixeltek. When I saw the dimensions required by this contest, I said to myself, a giraffe would work very nicely. Congratulations on using the elephant’s trunk to create that illusion. I would have chosen your entry in the top five, but the back foot wasn’t quite finished. Sorry about that.

Excellent work everyone,

Lorraine

[pixeltek]

Thanks Lorraine. That was my thought and why I did the tall animal, 'cause of the dimensions.

Actually, the legs are the front legs of the elephant in a walking motion. Yeah, I know, the leg in the back kinda got distorted but, oh well, I tried my best

[LonK]

Originally Posted by karin l

LonK I love the mood of your image, and the blend between head and body works well, but I don't think the composition works well for a poster. The animal especially seems to be falling off the side of the frame.

Thank you, karin. I agree with your comment fully. To address the issue, I had added the bird to balance the composition and include a normal element for scale.

Unfortunately, I forgot to change my entry in the contest thread.

[karin l]

O yes, LonK, that does help the balance in your composition.

k

[laura.lala]

I'm back from my holiday , ready for the next contest.
Very nice and funny this one, I am sad I've lost it, it would have been a nice opportunity to improve my skills in this technique of combining photos (I must admit is not my strong part in working with Photoshop ).

You all had great ideas.

[Cassidy]

my time is now 4 August so the Aug 2008 comp now a little agonising, with no clear result for July and August delayed, well am feeling a bit at a loose end