Automobile 101

[arith]

I've done the Jag again; but how do you do windows. The more you do the harder it gets.



I've still got lots to do.

[Ryogenetic]

@ Raf some how I missed your images those are some really great shots, in your account settings on tumblr there should be a upload file size that allows you to change to upload larger (1024x800 or larger) images.

So where do you get the tires.

Not so much the tires, but how much of a pain it would be to hand crank the engine everytime!!!
Steve, I have found the more I work with masks, and layers the more comfortable I have gotten. I will say that on average I have at least 3 layers and 2 masks per image I post. On some of the more intricate images like this I had 9 layers. One thing that has helped me is getting a workflow.
1. I start with ACR,(RAW files) get the histogram centered up a bit, do some detail sharpening.
2. Import to CS5 on the first layer I clone out leaves, and oil stains, and road chips/ imperfections on the car.
3. Try out different crops
4. Set the levels for a good white balance.
from this point on I start messing with layers and gradients, and other tweaking tools until I like the image.

BTW I like this edit on the Jag, keep at it the more you work in PSE the better your images will get.

IMHO
Ryo

[arith]

Thanks Ryo; I haven't got CS5 and I got the wrong order of workflow on this. It is a lot of work and I don't know why cloning in Photoshop is so difficult; where it is easy in Helicon Filter.

I found a way to do windows but although I can alter brightness in the background, blur isn't going to work because sharp images are removed leaving sharp holes.





I like your Porche very much, do you remove the registration plates.

[Ryogenetic]

Steve keep at it...

Here is the bestist car ever, ever.....



For its day 85-87 it was the fastest production car EVER.... it is my Lamborghini Countach...

Ryo

PS did it in 5 layers..

[arith]

It looks mean Ryo.They don't do many miles do they; I've seen one for sale with only 5000 on the clock, 1984 vintage for about as much as a top end medium format compact camera costs. £250,000

The fastest car I ever drove was a Rover SD1 on a test car driving assessment at Pirelli. It was definitely fast but much later on I was asked if I could park some cars and trucks at an auction; parked a lot of flashy cars but one caught my eye I think was called a Mitsubishi but could have got that wrong, it was very low and the security guard looked a bit confused when I drove it out the gate and took it for a spin.

[arith]

This is a bit unusual; in the sense I haven't a clue how to make it interesting except by oversharpening and including all of it.

My Rover V8 was a lot cleaner and easier to find your way around; but this is a class engine where even the tappets are factory set with spacers to over 100,000 miles reliability.

I thought a Jag had 8 or 12 cylinders

[Ryogenetic]

Hope that SD1 was the V8 model. Sounds like a good time.

Here is a set that I have been working on:

















Some thoughts on processing, I did learn this week that I can Batch images in ACR just to set the White balance, In the future this should alleviate the off color look of 2/4 from the rest of the set.

Thanks
Ryo

[arith]

The break in the clouds top left is my selected white point; but it doesn't look very white in the browser.

[Ryogenetic]

This is a bit unusual; in the sense I haven't a clue how to make it interesting except by oversharpening and including all of it.

My Rover V8 was a lot cleaner and easier to find your way around; but this is a class engine where even the tappets are factory set with spacers to over 100,000 miles reliability.

I thought a Jag had 8 or 12 cylinders

Steve what stands out in the picture for you? For me the intake manifold, the webber carbs, and the Jag valve cover. here is an old shot I did of an E-type 12 cyl. My edit was to draw attention to the Jag valve cover and the AC recharge inlets.



This was a 5 layer edit as well, could have done it in 3 but wanted that extra bit. Started with image levels, then added a layer brightened, added another layer turned to BW and then painted back in the color with a mask, dropped in some gradients and a soft light layer. This is what I started with:



Ryo

[arith]

That is a nice clean job; no hint of rust on the suspension mounts which in this country means run away from it, can only see four plug leads on the Jag and five on this.

The SD1 was a converted test car with 800 bhp to burn tires with; I just frightened the chief of police sitting next to me and got the cops following in trouble because they overtook when I was doing 120mph down a country road.

Didn't get the job in the end; just amused the rally driver sitting in the back. He didn't stop laughing for a week.

[arith]

Steve what stands out in the picture for you? For me the intake manifold, the webber carbs, and the Jag valve cover. here is an old shot I did of an E-type 12 cyl. My edit was to draw attention to the Jag valve cover and the AC recharge inlets.

The thing that caught my eye was three carbs Ryo; I'm amazed by the things you can do with layers.

This was a different E type to the red one; bit confused by the registration on that one as well.

Not long ago a company made brand new MKII's (is that ' before or after like MP's or soldiers') and I suppose it could be newish.

[Ryogenetic]

quick 5 min edit that comes to mind from your description...



Ryo

[arith]

Wow

[Ryogenetic]

I will take it I hit the mark?

Here is what I have been working on today:



What I like best here is that its my image and it came out of the camera the way I intended. (Only used 2 layers) And wouldnt have had to do more than one if I had gotten the exposure settings right. In the original you couldn't see much on the engine, so I added a soft light layer to highlight the engine. I actually took 4 shots of this, two of which the focus was the headlight. The other was squared up and the lines were horizontal and vertical. This one had more appeal as the verts are good but not with the horizontals.

Thanks
Ryo

[Ryogenetic]

If you have ever wondered what I am looking for in a photo here it is....



This has every bit of everything I have ever wanted to do with a camera and post processing


Ryo

[arith]

Racing driver of the future.



I thought what if I made it brighter in the background. It takes ages to do these and I always forget to save the mask.

I might print this one 19" x 13", look at it full size to get an idea on a 22" moniter.

[Sidekick]

Hi all,

http://www.jubag.com/

If you haven't come across this guy he's well worth checking out....
....I'm a bit biased though coz I went to college with him.

Mike

[arith]

I like the Landrover pic Mike, impressive stuff.

[Ryogenetic]

Steve, I really like what you are doing with there.

@ Mike that guy is a pro, some real good stuff there.

Ryo

[Sidekick]

Hi Steve, Ryo,
I know the guy's a pro but what I find interesting about his work is just how important the settings and backgrounds are to many of his shots - to the degree that some could be called landscapes that just happen to have metal in them.
And I think that's a lesson we could all learn from - it's not just the car but it's what the location says about the car.

Mike