The mirrored floor...

[thedarkhalf]

While the mirror effect is easy with a flat object, i'm having issues creating a real looking mirror image of a model in heels because of the perspective of the heels.

Look at the attached image and see if anyone can help me create this. I want both the platform and heel to be touching for a realistic effect, but for the life of me I cant figure out how to do it.

Any advice on this one?

[0lBaldy]

thedarkhalf, Welcome to RetouchPRO,
I hope you will make many new friends and enjoy your visits here!

If you have CS3 then Russell Brown has a good tutorial on his site. View: QuickTime Tutorial; 7.2 MB CS3: Mirror Mirror

I also read somewhere that you could use Free transform/warp and use the Arch set to a negative value.

But for a more realistic reflection.. it would be much better to do it in a 3D application like Maya. Take the image into a 3D application and create a reflective surface floor and get what's called, "true reflection".

[thedarkhalf]

Hey OlBaldy,

Thanks so much for the help. I tried both methods. The stamp doesnt work too well. The arch is getting closer, but not even close to realistic.

Are there any inexpensive 3D apps that I could do this in? I certainly cant shell out for Maya for one image OS X preferably.

Thanks

[0lBaldy]

I am not familiar at all with 3D or Maya so I will let someone much more knowledgeable in those areas help you out!

I hear that "Blender" has a steep learning curve but the price is right... 'FREE'

There are other free 3D programs listed at Animatricity 3D Portal
I am not familiar with any of these programs so I do not know if they would even work for you.

To get realistic in Photoshop is sometimes very difficult.. like showing the underside of a car sitting on a mirrored showroom floor..
that is the reason why shadows and gradient masks are important to add to the illusion of reality and make the non-real effect sort of transparent to the average viewer

[stopa]

Hi,

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...tml#post146010

It is impassible to make it real. Or even chipper will be to repeat shoots on a reflective floor.
My horse from 2007, was a realy scarry bastard, and the photographer must to take pictures on a sand. (imagine 4 horseshoe and 240kg on the mirror Finally, nor I, nor Photographer, Clinet, or Production was pleased with the result of post-production.
I spend hours making sketches in twilight on the lakeside, observing wet hi-way, looking thought Vince glass...I had to make a reflection in the dark.
Finally Client try to do it on CGI, but result still was unnatural. It was a failure.

On the other side - I saw so many fake reflective in my career, so now I know, that recipient do not expect reality.

[cun030876]

thedarkhalf, this is my try at your image. I use a lot Photoshop liquify function.

[thedarkhalf]

Originally Posted by stopa

Hi,

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...tml#post146010

It is impassible to make it real. Or even chipper will be to repeat shoots on a reflective floor.
My horse from 2007, was a realy scarry bastard, and the photographer must to take pictures on a sand. (imagine 4 horseshoe and 240kg on the mirror Finally, nor I, nor Photographer, Clinet, or Production was pleased with the result of post-production.
I spend hours making sketches in twilight on the lakeside, observing wet hi-way, looking thought Vince glass...I had to make a reflection in the dark.
Finally Client try to do it on CGI, but result still was unnatural. It was a failure.

On the other side - I saw so many fake reflective in my career, so now I know, that recipient do not expect reality.

I figured it would be pretty damn hard to do and a reshoot would be best. Thanks for the help!

[thedarkhalf]

Originally Posted by cun030876

thedarkhalf, this is my try at your image. I use a lot Photoshop liquify function.

Thats nice.. i'll give this a shot. Of course, I wanted more of the leg in the image, but screw it. I'll take anything! lol!!

Thanks all!!

[LonK]

The challenge of creating a realistic reflection of a 3D object is exacerbated by the simple fact that the reflected image represents a different Point of View than that of the camera (see graphic). To simulate a realistic reflection, it is necessary to visualize what the object would look like from that POV and use the tool(s) at your disposal to adjust the view appropriately. Perfection is not possible, as Stopa noted, but with some work a near approximation might be convincing enough.

[DJSoulglo]

Easiest way is to place the shoe in the same perspective on a piece of glass, shoot that, and then use the bottom of that reflection (so it meets up nice with your image) and then just blend a flipped version of the model into that.

That way you get the bottom of the shoes, which is the give away part. THe legs wont be too much of an issue since their pretty straigh usually.

Alternatively, get really good at drawing and just redraw it.

[thedarkhalf]

Thanks all.. I managed to do it with the liquify.. it's passable. Not what I wanted but that's ok. I'll probably just reshoot it.

[Algarve Images]

Hmmm, i had a similar problem a few days ago and disn't have a clue how to do a reflection so made a selection of the subject which was on a white background originally and switched on "transform" in CS3 reversed it so it was upside down and the right way around and stretched and squashed it until it looked right then added layers to make a new background with gradient overlay etc... just an idea here's the result.

Ps... also trying the plugin "flood filter" by flaming pear tuned for smooth surface might do the trick,
regards, Gary