motor bike

[Rita]

A friend asked if I would take a pic of his bike. This is what I came up with, after quit a bit of pp. I haven't done something like this before so I am wondering what you think of it. Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Rita, I like the bike ( a beautiful girl ) and I like the PP work. I just want to say that the tyres of the bike looks cut and pasted to the BG the and the selection you made around the tyres look a bit uneven. I think they both can be fixed with some more PP

[IzzieK]

One of your worst shot, Rita...what can I say? I'm joking.... I can see now what Binnur meant...because at first I was concentrated more on the top part...the rose is an added bonus too. Just curious...can you please confirm this is not a night shot?

[JBW]

how about you take the shot from the other side that might expand the bike instead of shrinking it. Perhaps turn the front tire in the other direction. Final thought ... change the background?

[TonyW]

That's a very pretty picture but I am not sure that the Bandido bikie club would approve, especially the flower on the back seat. I might agree with Brian about the background but it depends on what sort of image you want to project.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, you've controlled the reflections on most of the bike, some detail is lost in the chrome though. Did you apply a pastel filter to the image? I think the method has dulled the colors.

[Rita]

Binnur, I appreciate the feedback. I applied the bg using layers and brushing it in rather than selecting. Totally agree that the tires are not quit right, they were a challenge for me to get right. I will work on it some more later.

Brian, thanks for the comments. What kind of bg would you suggest? Unfortunately the people weren't home when I did the pic so moving the bike wasn't possible. That could be done at another time though

Tony, for sure it isn't a bike gang image I introduced the flower as an attempt to add something unexpected.

John, no filter was used but I did a lot of cloning in some areas so that may have altered some of the chrome.

Izzie, I guarantee that it is not a night shot. It was taken about 5:30P.M. Just for fun here is the original for you.....

[Shadowman]

Rita,

Have you ever tried green screen photography? Just curious, not necessary for this type of shot.

[Rita]

John, I have heard of the term but I really have no idea what it is.

[JBW]

Binnur, I appreciate the feedback. I applied the bg using layers and brushing it in rather than selecting. Totally agree that the tires are not quit right, they were a challenge for me to get right. I will work on it some more later.

Brian, thanks for the comments. What kind of bg would you suggest? Unfortunately the people weren't home when I did the pic so moving the bike wasn't possible. That could be done at another time though

Tony, for sure it isn't a bike gang image I introduced the flower as an attempt to add something unexpected.

John, no filter was used but I did a lot of cloning in some areas so that may have altered some of the chrome.

Izzie, I guarantee that it is not a night shot. It was taken about 5:30P.M. Just for fun here is the original for you.....

Something plain, perhaps silvery with a hint of blue?

[Shadowman]

John, I have heard of the term but I really have no idea what it is.

Rita,

It's the combined use of virtual background (the green screen-which variable backdrops/scenery can be added) and software manipulation. For instance, with your shot, you could have posed the bike and owner (although I wouldn't want to roll a bike on my screen) and after taking the shot; you could add any scene (photo of a location). It's not necessary to complete a shot, but it makes for a good alternative to actual location shooting.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/add-any...o-your-photos/

[Rita]

Brian, I will see what I can do on that.

John, thanks for the link I will read through it.

[jcuknz]

Surely 'green screen' is not meant to always be taken literally so the key aspect is that the background contains no colour to be found in the subject. One problem with using 'other' backgrounds is the different reflective aspects of the vertical and horizontal surfaces.
Apart from the cluttered background I find the original quite acceptable, more so than the adjusted version, Sorry Rita

I had two of its smaller brothers for commuting to work for years, mine were green ... so I would have needed a 'blue screen'
First one gave me a fright early on when I twisted to look behind in a manner that my Puch Scooter would have had no problems with.... they were so light the 50cc ones.

edit ... A common use would be when we use the 'white' blown out sky to be replaced by a stock shot of a nice sky

[Rita]

Thanks for your feedback John. No need to be sorry, I am always open to all feedback. I learn lots from how others see images

[Loose Canon]

Hi Rita!

First of all, chroma key compositing (“green screen”) is tricky on a number of levels and probably more of a pain that its worth unless you set yourself up for it and have some good lighting knowledge and equipment. Further, it is typically done in a tightly controlled studio environment and for those very reasons.

The bike has gone through some changes. Missing fairing, rear handlebar shortened, some others but if your friend wanted his bike represented accurately as it is, then those items might be of interest.

In addition to the previous comments (mine and others), another thing one might watch for if compositing is reflections.

The fact that trees and other things are visible in the reflective surfaces of the bike make the composite a little unconvincing. There is even green color in the chrome from said. There are highlights on some of the bottom-looking surfaces from the original shot that are coming off the concrete that is from the original that wouldn’t be even remotely the same if shot on a black surface such as you have composited to and it appears to have some artifacting from the level push of the bike itself. It looks like you have “painted” in some highlighting and if so my first guess would be so that the parts aren’t lost in the BG which is cool. But feathering of said to make a gradient transition would be better and probably more convincing.

The BG itself has some places where you have “missed” for lack of a better word. Some spots that didn’t quite get the black.

Okay, so…

I think you are on the right track with what I am seeing here Rita! It’s a tough assignment and if you are going to shoot it in situ, clip it and composite (as opposed to a more natural setting), maybe just a couple of things to think about. It looks to me like you have a good eye and have addressed some cool things. Maybe just some refining of the techniques. And I’d like to add that it’s a pretty darn good first shot at it. Awesome you had the gumption to approach it this way!

There are some things you could do to help yourself out here if you re-shoot. Maybe hang a sheet in front of the bike from where you shoot like one might a background, cut a hole in it to stick your lens through to kill the errant reflections (trees, etc.) in the glossy surfaces. Maybe consider a lower camera angle to get down on “it’s level”. That would make for more of a “hero shot”. If you are going to clip and composite, and to black, maybe shoot several shots of it away from a background where you could get on all sides if it (like behind especially) with a reflector or some lighting to get those highlights that will give it some rim lighting for those parts that need to have separation from said BG, then composite those into the mix.

Anyway Rita, I’ve spewed on enough! Just a couple of Theories tossed out for your consideration. Its an interesting approach to this subject.

[Rita]

Hi Terry, your detailed feedback is much appreciated and has given me some good food for thought and ideas. I will be going over this a few times to digest it. You are very right that this was a tough assignment, I had no idea until I started to change the bg , but, it has also been very enjoyable. When I get a chance I would like to redo this but I will wait till the owner comes home so I can get the bike moved to give me more access. I have a principle in my life that if I don't try I won't know if I can do something or not. This image has been one of those. I am not going to stop on this one until I get it right

[JBW]

Hi Terry, your detailed feedback is much appreciated and has given me some good food for thought and ideas. I will be going over this a few times to digest it. You are very right that this was a tough assignment, I had no idea until I started to change the bg , but, it has also been very enjoyable. When I get a chance I would like to redo this but I will wait till the owner comes home so I can get the bike moved to give me more access. I have a principle in my life that if I don't try I won't know if I can do something or not. This image has been one of those. I am not going to stop on this one until I get it right

go for it!

[Loose Canon]

I have a principle in my life that if I don't try I won't know if I can do something or not. This image has been one of those.

Right On!

Its hard tellin’ not knowin’ and there’s only one way to find out!

I am not going to stop on this one until I get it right

There’s not even the slightest doubt in my mind you will do just that Rita! On both counts!

So don’t take “no” for an answer!