Kids learn quick, don't they. Their brains are like sponges, true, but it also has to do a lot with how they learn. At the youngest age all children learn through play and fun activities. Otherwise they get bored, their attention span is very short and it has to be maintained and kids need to be constantly intrigued. Well, guess what, you can do that at any age. When I was a kid I loved to play with LEGO, I could spent hours and hours creating stuff. Photoshop is just like LEGO for me. I will use all and any elements, apply no rules and go full monty with its tools. Photo editing can have many forms, sometimes you need to create a more serious and realistic image, but there are times when you can cut loose and make something cool. And the only person that can stop you is yourself. Photoshop manipulations are amazing for learning and mastering photoshop and therefore mastering the art of photo editing. It is not about achieving realistic look, but about doing what YOU want and what YOUR imagination whispers to you. If you can do whatever you wish with an image, then any type of image or work that is thrown at you will be a piece of cake. Photoshop is not a superbly complex program, what is difficult about it is virtually unlimited combinations of tools and their usage. Photoshop tools applied in certain order with certain settings is the key to true mastery. Knowledge of tools and what they do will only get yo started. It is about what to do, when and in what order while being able to predict the outcome. On the other hand, through photoshop manipulations and compositing you will discover, accidentally or via research, new and amazing ways of working on photos. This program is like a jungle, no matter how basic photoshop video or tutorial I watch there is almost always something new that I discover. Take frequency separation for instance, which is a technique of splitting textures and tones into different layers, it is mostly used in portrait editing. But there are many ways of using frequency separation and there are numerous types of it. I use it in nearly every photo I work on, be it portrait, architecture, night photography, or compositing. Each of those types of frequency separation produces the same result, more or less, but could inspire your mind to come up with your own variations that could be applied in different situations. Photoshop manipulations will require you to scout the net for specific solutions, help you to find sources of stock images, perhaps even push you to enjoy new artistic areas, such as 3D. Not to mention that you will create some sick images for your models' and your own folio. Photoshop manipulations will also make you a better photographer, they will inspire you to shoot specific images for ideas that you or your model come up with. You will have to think how to set the lights to match light on stock photos or vice versa, which will watch you deconstructing images. How to pose, what props you need and what props you can photoshop in, etc. You will have to compose your images, which will develop and enrich your understanding of composition and balance in the image. By painting shadows and highlights by hand in photoshop you will truly understand how light works, which is so important. Photoshop is an endless source of skill improvement, however you look at it.
Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ It is simple - as far as you fucking please. Why? This is also simple. Photo retouching is a form of art. Saying that photo is over retouched is like saying that a given oil painting has way too many layers of paint. A painting has as many layers as the painter sees it fit. Some paintings are better some are not that amazing but after all it is down to the artist and his or her skills and imagination to decide how far to go, what to paint, what colors to use and what story to convey. The only thing that matters is what you as the photographic artist or retoucher feel. Those feelings will guide you through the retouch. So now the question is why we hear so often that "this photo is over retouched", "it does not look real", or some similar rubbish. This is also quite straight forward. Most people are like sheep, they follow what the rest things is "proper", "correct", "commonly accepted". Fuck proper. How are you expected to grow if you stay within the frames of proper. Yes you should study, and yes you should evolve and constantly search for better, balder and grander than yourself. But you won't be able to if you enter the confined zone of "I really think I should not do this". Also remember that majority of photographers are just photographers, they are not artists. They will never understand it. Ever. It is beyond their RAM memory range. They simply do not compute. Whether it is a skillful retouch or not, well that is another story. One thing is for certain, if you stay in your comfort zone as an artist you will never grow, and your works will become dull and uninspired. Trying new things cant be daunting but it pays off. It does not mean that you have to bring each image to the extreme, I sure don't. On the contrary. As I said, it is up to how you feel about it at a given moment. Be it when shooting, or retouching, or perhaps a year later, as I did with this image that you can see in the speed art photoshop retouch video below. Photography is not about documenting the world, it is about capturing the energy and feelings, moments, stories, and so on. But this is just a beginning. What you cannot capture with your camera, but wish you did or simply you saw something in the image that inspired you, then by all means go for it. Retouch your heart away in photoshop, that is why it was created. Then you have photoshop manipulations, digital painting combined with compositing, 3D art with photography, the sky is the limit. People will always be resilient to appreciating something abstract. Most people cannot process it. Do not be like most of people. Be unique, like no one else can. Be you. Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Take care of the small things and the rest will fall into place. Shadows are one of those "small " things. To tell the truth shadows are everything when it comes to photoshop manipulation. In one of my previouis articles titled " How to start with photoshop manipulation and composite photography " I have mentioned the most important elements of composite photography but I think that shadows are so important they just deserve a separate article. In any photoshop manipulation that is a collage of few photographs or 3D models, etc. you will have to deal with perspective, lighting and colors. Now, perspective and color matching are extremely important, but if you do not get the shadows right things will look completely off. You can still get away with mismatched perspective and colors, but if you mess up the shadows then your photoshop manipulation will look fake. And by shadows I also mean the lighting, because there is no shadow without light. You simply cannot separate those two. Shadows are complex and the more light sources you have the more taxing your job will be to have those shadows being cast correctly. You have to match the light direction on all the pieces of the photoshop manipulation puzzle, i.e. all images have to be lit from the same angle and with similar strength and color, but then if you decide to add your own light sources you will need to take that into consideration. The best way to do it is to build around your subject or model. Some people like to start with the background, mostly those who are not using their own model images. If I create a photoshop manipulation with a person in the photo then I always use my own images. I know how I lit them, what lens I used, what perspective I shot from, etc. But it does not really make things any easier, the only advantage is that I can work on RAW files and get as much info out of them as possible, but I still need to create my own shadows. When you create shadows in photoshop pay attention to light direction, light strength, number of light sources and the light ratio between them (which one is the key light, which one is a back light, etc.), angle of light (low angle light will cast longer shadows, just like a sunset or sunrise). you also need to consider how shadows affect the textures (textures are less visible when in shadows), color temperature (shadows are colder, so often have blue-ish cast), then there is length of the shadows and their definition, so you will have stronger shadows near anything that casts them and they will dissipate the farther they cast. Shadows have shapes and if they are cast over other things in the image, they will wrap around them and become deformed. Stand near a wall and place a light behind you and you will know what I mean; the shadow on the floor will be different than on the wall. Warp, puppet warp, distort and skew will be most helpful tools there. Last tip that I will give you is extremely important. Build shadows in layers. Do not try to do it in one go, it won't work. Just like with skin editing, or any type of photo retouching for that matter, the more detailed and patient you are the better results it will yield you.
Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Everywhere. The most important thing is to always follow your heart. For example, I never ever shoot with a story board. I hate story boards. For me they are too limiting. They constrain me in frames of an idea and I would be obligated to stay within certain parameter. I refuse do that and I cannot do that. When I shoot I react to the light that surrounds me or emotions on the set, personality of the model or maybe something that was said or happened, a deja vu or a memory, a distant sound or an instant thought that just popped inside my head. I can change my mind during the shoot and start working with a completely fresh idea that just presented itself. You should flow not follow. My planning is very general and loose. I can have a very focused shoot, theme wise, like a body art shoot for example, or a portrait session with a model that is tagged as "shooting for sci-fi photoshop manipulations". But it is never 100% decided. An average photographer will shoot with a firm idea because it is safe and logical to hold on to something. An artist will adapt, search, and evolve. Inspiration should be like seeking order in chaos. If you are out doing some street or architecture photography you are dealing with chaos, and your job as a photographer is to find peace harmony and order in the mess and commotion of shapes, shadows and highlights, corresponding elements, or even subjects, etc. You are the composer, editor and performer in chief. Let your instinct lead you and learn how to react to what is around you rather than showing up with a goal. I had a photography student ask me a question recently "what camera setting do I use to shoot portrait?". I replied "I do not know. Only you can answer it. Think of what you want to achieve artistically and that will tell you the camera settings" . Inspiration could be found in work of other people. They do not have to be well-known artists or masters of their craft. Only because someone is unknown it does not mean their art cannot be amazing (in most cases popular things are commercialized and common, and real art is discovered by the next generation or so, after the artist dies). All that is important is whether what you see connects with your soul and speaks to you or not. Do not be a sheep and follow others. They are called others for a reason - they are not you. They are different. We are all different. Stay different. Art is a very self centered and egocentric discipline. This is why artist are aloof and often anti-social. You should follow what YOU like without any need of pleasing others. I do not care who likes my art. I do and that is all that matters. You should absorb all and anything because you never know which direction it will lead you. It is like a survival game, only on an emotional level. The very fact that you are different and alone creates peace and seclusion, which is essential to developing the ability to reading and listen to self. This does not mean that you should not learn from, listen to or share your ideas with others. I am not worried about someone else stealing my ideas. The moment they do I am already 10 steps ahead creating something new. Focus on creating, the rest is irrelevant. Stay true to what you feel is right and instead of wondering where to look for inspiration search yourself first. Once you know who you are, what you want and what drives your creativity, inspirations will start popping up all around you. Do not decide, but react. Do not think, but feel. All 3 images you see in this article are from a single shoot. I had a rough idea what I want to do with each of those portraits, but it was not until I opened them in photoshop and started editing them when I "saw" the final images. It was either colors, face expression, angle or lighting that inspired photoshop manipulation. See, if I followed a story board I would be compelled to complete "a task". Art is a profession only because we need to pay the bills. If I did not have to, I would not give a monkey about the business side of it. I die a bit inside every fucking time I have to tag my photos or check my social media. Most of us care only about creating. The moment you stop thinking of photography art as a type of profession (even if it is your job) the whole new level of inspirational thoughts and ideas will present itself. The key to finding a real inspiration is staying true to oneself.
Buy prints with my photography and calligraphy art - http://ponte-ryuurui.pixels.com/index.html?tab=galleries Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/postsFor more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ First, you need to have a solid basics in photoshop (or any other software that allows you to work with multiple layers). It is essential for working non destructively and also with multiple elements. Photoshop manipulations can have 100s of layers and 10s of complex groups of layers. Second, you need to reach into your creative side of the brain and think what theme, what idea, what environment, what details you will be needing to complete the final image. It does not have to be superbly precise but more or less you should set a direction or a theme, which can be altered or improved while you are putting it all together. You will need either stock images or your own photos. I prefer to use my own photos for the main subject, which in my case are models and stock images for completing the details. This gives me not only a greater connection and understanding of the mood, concept and idea behind the shoot (most of the time I shoot certain poses specifically for a photo manipualation, just like I did with this image that you can see below), but also I know exactly what lens and what angle my photo was taken at, which leads us to the next valid point of a successful photoshop manipulation. Third, you need to understand and follow three fundamental rules of successful composite photography: 1. Perspective 2. Angles 3. Colors & tones You have to match the perspective, focal length and the angle of all the items that you place on your image. If you do not, human eye will detect it and render it as fake or not believable. The model has to match the ground, all the elements need to be following the same lines towards the vanishing point. It is good to match the depth of field too, or in other words make sure that the plane of focus is uniform across the image. Fourth, you will need a lot of patience because all good things take time, and believe me when I tell you that good photo manipulaton can take days to finish. Yes, I said days. The photo you see here is over 600 photoshop layers heavy, took me nearly 40h to complete. I am extremely detailed when I work on any of my images, whether it is portrait retouching or architecture photography, and I want to make sure that when I am done, the photo will look good not only on tiny iphne screen on instacrap. Here you can watch a full workflow in photoshop to see how much work went into details during creation of this composite. Fifth is to never give up even if you are failing.My oldest photoshop manipulations are terribad and that is fine. There is no progress without an error, and no discovery without failures. It is all a learning process and if you do not start you will never get into it. Look at the best work out there, the best concept artists and so on and look up to those who are better than yourself. That is the only way to grow and succeed. Have fun!
Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ I am a multi-genre artist and consequently I have a few websites and few portfolio's. It was all too scattered so I decided to put all of my best work together in one folio, in separate categories. It took me a few days to update my entire portfolio on Smugmug. I went through all of my photos and picked those that I personally think represent what I do as an artist. New portfolio holds all types of photography: portraiture photography, architecture photography and cityscapes, street photography, photoshop manipulations and digital art, black and white photography, nature photography and landscapes, boudoir and body art photography, and Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art. All photos are in their original size at 300dpi. Some of the files are as large as 160MB, so if you are viewing them in original size it may take some times to load them up. All of the images are quality edits which is exactly why I uploaded full size files. Enjoy! Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website
http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ If you are asking yourself this question then you are still in a shell of social bonds and "I do not think this is a good idea" zone. How the hell will you know if it is a good idea if you do not try it and see if you like it. What's more, who cares if others do not like it. Is it your art or what? Stay true to your artistic sensibility and style, but if you do not go outside your comfort zone EVERY DAY then how on Earth do you expect to improve or evolve as an artist? You master the rules to break them, you create in a way others don't not because you should but because your soul tells you to. If someone moans about that you shouldn't or whatever, just leave them alone and move on. In most cases they are stuck in a mud of their own miasma of toxic farts. Treat them like you do with anyone that steals your ideas - sprinkle them graciously with a tepid piss from a second step on your luxuriant porch. Wanna steal my ideas? Go for it. i am so absorbed creating that by the time you get it I will be light years ahead. This, however, is not an excuse for being ignorant. True artists deep inside are delicate people. So, you need to learn how to protect your creative core without it being indoctrinated by standards set by those who have no fucking clue what art really is. Artists perceive world on a different frequency and in a whole different range of colors. Yes, you will feel alone and misunderstood, and that is good, it will make you stronger and more sensitive too. Need a wall around your oasis? Build it. Need a shell? Grow the damn thing. Do whatever you have to to guard that core. Forget about opinions and what have you. Do your thing, but keep learning and researching, it is essential to constantly work on improving oneself. Stay open to what life brings with it, but be alert. Look up to those who are better, help those who struggle, and kill on sight anyone that tries to mess with your better half. Creative mind is like another world, you won't survive outside of it . You will die of boredom. We live in visions and that's out power, a power to switch all the surrounding bullshit off. Do not break that switch. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website
http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ I think I have discovered the ultimate combination of skills that will allow me to express myself artistically. The holy trinity of 3D art, photoshop madness and photography. I will be using photography for photo realistic textures and UV mapping, 3D for creating whatever the hell my brain comes up with during the day, and photoshop to fuse all those bits together. It is so much fun to sit and create a sci fi landscape from scratch by assembling a visual puzzle of parts and pieces, creating the missing bits and composing the final image. 3D will take time to master, but that is nothing comparing to the effort and time I have invested into studying Japanese calligraphy, so it should be fun. I have so many visions and ideas lined up that I am not sure I will be able to complete them all in one lifetime. I love fantasy and 3D so this will be the main theme for my artwork. I have plans to create a new photography service for those who crave for really unique images. It will be merging sci fi photoshop manipulation with 3D art and portrait photography. If you want a crazy portrait, then look no further. Today I was creating some sci fi structures, one of them you can see in the image below. The ship I created a few days ago in Zbrush and it is the same one as in this image here. Image was composited in photoshop. Anyone interested in private photoshop workshops via skype desktop sharing please contact me directly.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! Here is my first 3D / photoshop manipulation art for the new project Tokyo 3017. I gave it a kinky title: "They have come!". I will be landing sci fi and alien ships all over the damn place. Ships will be rendered in 3D, and I expect them to become more detailed and crazy as the time goes. I will also be scouting Tokyo for perfect spots for landing or flying over my spaceships. 3D isn't easy and takes loads of time to learn and create art, but it is fun as hell and I am loving it! This image is based on my old photo that I took last year or so, it is a view from Shinjuku government building, they have two observation towers there. The view there is smashing so check it out when you are in Tokyo, I even shot this image of Mt. Fuji from there. The ships were made in Zbrush in 3D, well actually it is the same ship, just set in different perspectives. The only stock images I used were the helicopters. Lights, toning and compositing was done in photoshop. Together with the project I will be creating new videos, mostly on concept art, composition, compositing and photoshop manipulations, and possibly in the future on 3D art. You can see original images below. Anyone interested in private photoshop workshops via skype desktop sharing please contact me directly.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! First, by realistic I mean believable, ones that look like pictures and not a few images stitched hastily in photoshop. Composite photography and photoshop manipulations are a great fun, but they require patience, artistic sense, and knowledge of photoshop and other programs used for creating digital art. However there is more to it that this. So what are the key elements of great composite art or photoshop manipulations, then? 1. vision 2. perspective 3. light 4. colors 5. technical skills 6. database of images 7. patience Optional but helpful (in my opinion essential): 8. pen pressure tablet 9. calibrated monitor You need to have a vision of what you wish to create, the scene, the story, the composition. Concept art and photoshop manipulations are all about expressing yourself through imagery that does not exist or never took a place. It is all about what you want to portray. Next, if the perspective, camera angle and focal length of the lens do not match, it will be a very fake looking image and even though viewer may not be able to pin the issue down, the brain will notice that something is off. Now this is very much linked with the skills and knowledge of the software that you are using for creating composites, and the need for database of images. If you are impatient and want to create great art, then you can forget it. It is all about hard work and attention to details. The devil is in details, never forget that! If you want to have insane control use pen pressure tablet or drawing monitors like Cintiq by Wacom. A calibrated monitor will ensure quality in print. Also remember that all professionals use such monitors, so if you send any of your artwork or your folio to someone in hope of employment, then make sure your colors, contrast and black and white levels are spot on. If you would prefer private photoshop workshops via skype desktop sharing then contact me directly.
Programs used: Zbrush / photoshop CC 2015 My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! 2D is too constrained, I am going 3D. After a long research and some trials with various software I have decided to begin my studies of Zbrush and Keyshot, two amazing programs for creating and rendering 3D art. Here is my first fully digital art and my first 3D model of a spaceship. Zbrush is a real jungle and the program is complicated and difficult like a school bus of frustrated women, but I am enjoying the creating process like a small kid a bar of chocolate that he was not supposed to eat. This also marks a beginning to a whole new project (and possibly some videos) whose current working title is "Tokyo 3017". That is right people, I will be landing my own spaceships all over Tokyo. The project will combine my photography art, photoshop manipulation and composite work, and 3D models. I may be throwing some cyborgs into the twist at some point. Hope you will enjoy it, and feel free to let me know what you think.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! We all have photos that we are not sure what to do with. Most of them are casual emotional snapshots of something that we though looked cool at the moment of taking. Either that, or we just take shots with the photoshop compositing in mind. To the left is a photo of one of my photoshop workshops students, taken in Croatia. Below, you can see my photoshop manipulation of that shot, in attempt to redesign the entire composition and feel to the photo. I really like that wall, it adds a lot of the Continental feel, that fragment of an island is something to balance that wall with, but the original image had no clear focus or a self sustained subject of the photo. Success of a photo is based on balance between the shapes and light, and it can be weighted like on a scale. Half of the job is to capture an image, and the other half lays in post production. Either is equally important, though as you can see from this example, knowledge of photo editing can be more powerful that the ability of capturing a good image. I teach photography with the vision of post processing, and you can see why I put so much stress on mastering photoshop. If you are interested in improving your photoshop knowledge you can read more about it here, or contact me directly. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! Here is my new photoshop manipulation fantasy landscape art. I was thinking of compositing a Chinese or Japanese castle, since that horseback archer is a Japanese yabusame (horseback archer), but I decided to go for a collision of two cultures, so there is a Western European castle and a ship, and the archer. Planets of course - you guys know i love sci fi, plus those two planets frame the entire composition perfectly, and add a bit of a cinematic look to the whole image. It is not a complex manipulation, but it came out pretty cool. As always, I have recorded my photoshop workflow and you can watch in on my YouTube channel. Enjoy!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! This is my first fully digital Chinese calligraphy art, based on a semi-cursive script form of the character for dragon (龍). I created it entirely inside photoshop from scratch using pen tool, textures and a bit of fun with selective toning, etc. I also added some dimension to the character, so it doesn't appear flat, and created an illusion of metallic material. The character itself follows traditional calligraphy rules to certain extend, naturally I added to it my personal calligraphic style, but I wanted to keep it in a modern feel, slightly leaning towards a logo design or some sort of an emblem. Hope you guys like it!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! Last year I was shooting hands of on of my body art models, she has really amazing hands. I just knew that at some point I will be using those images for photoshop manipulations. I have started to work on a new image yesterday, and I have just finished it. I created a cyber hand but while working on it I was thinking what way will I composite into an image. Then I thought, one cyborg is fun, but how about adding a size scale to the image by adding a smaller cyborg girl. So I grabbed the image I have created earlier on this week, and cooked something on the verge of fantasy and sci fi cyber reality. Below is a galery of few images in different stages, including some details etc. I am uploading a speed art video to my YouTube channel as we speak, so you can watch later on how I have created the hand, and then the final composite image. Enjoy!
Girls interested in a photo shoot - currently looking for female models in Tokyo area interested in cyber sci fi art, Japanese calligraphy body art, or portrait shots. I am always looking for new faces and bodies so e-mail me in interested. Anyone interested in learning photoshop, photo editing or photo manipulation - contact me directly and we can discuss private workshops My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! It is possible that computers and robotics will kill us all off at some point but I plan to have as much fun with technology as possible until it happens. It is all down to learning the tools and how to use them in conjunction with one another, and it can be overwhelming in case of programs like photoshop, but it can be learned, and once you do you just down want to go back (if you are interested in learning photoshop, photo editing or photo manipulation - contact me directly and we can discuss private workshops). The same as it happened with cameras, when the digital ones phased out the film cameras. I know that film is still in use, but in all honesty, why bother. Digital is far more fun, clean and does not honk. Digital art and the literally endless creative possibilities it offers is all too good to pass on. I am already working on merging 2D with 3D and going completely mental with my sci fi projects. Girls interested in a photo shoot - currently looking for female models in Tokyo area interested in cyber sci fi art, Japanese calligraphy body art, or portrait shots. I am always looking for new faces and bodies so e-mail me in interested. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! Sci fi sexy cyborg girl photoshop manipulation speed art video
I decided to go fucking nuts with this one and spend tons of time polishing the details of the engine parts, armor and then blending the image with a background. The most time consuming part was creating the armor and all adding all the details, joints, engines, lights, lines, and so on. The final image is about 10,000 x 6000 pixels, so I am posting two 100% crops of the original image, so you can see some close ups. Good composite photography and photoshop manipulation are all about matching the light, perspective, and color. Having some sort of idea or a artistic concept of which direction to go with the image is also very helpful. Although I haven't used any reference photos, it often helps to look at some examples in case you need to get inspired. I have recorded a video on how tis image was created, from start to finish, and I will post it tomorrow on my Youtube channel. If you want to learn advanced photoshop and photo manipulation / composite photography, then check my photoshop workshops (one to one and online via desktop sharing).
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! I am working on a new sexy cyborg girl photoshop manipulation, and it looks like this one will be by far the most complex one have created so far. I am about half way through and I already started a 145th layer in photoshop. The more details are in a composite image the better, and the more work you put into polishing those details the better, and those details take a lot of time. I ve been working on this 6h so far, and it seems that another 5h or so should do it. Regardless the time spent, I love working on my hot cyber girl army and sci fi projects. Very relaxing and keeps me sane in this more and more retarded world. Anyways, I thought I will share with you an something that is being created at the very moment. If you want to learn advanced photoshop and photo manipulation / composite photography, then check my photoshop workshops (one to one and online via desktop sharing). My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! details
I took this photo today at my place. We had an amazing back light pouring through the window, being diffused by a paper cloth screen. I was taking photos for a new sci fi cyber girl photoshop manipulation and I just could not resist not taking a few silhouetted shots. So I brought this one into photoshop and had a bit of fun with it, added some textures, selective vignetting, my Chinese calligraphy art in ancient seal script, and the wings to complete the composition and add some mystery and fantasy elements to the photo. The text reads 別天地 and it means another world. Photography is great and all but photo editing, and especially photo manipulation and composite photography, is where the real creative fun starts. I find it very artistically fulfilling and relaxing at the same time.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! Here is another image from the sci fi series of futuristic Tokyo. It is a photoshop manipulation of several images. First I digitally blended (watch my tutorial on digital blending in photoshop)a few photos in photoshop to get as much traffic and trains into one photo to make it look busy and crazy overcrowded. Then I added some spacecrafts (deviant art stock images, but soon I will be creating my own 3D art, so stay tuned). Finally I added some light effects, flares, toning, textures, etc. You can watch a speed art video (scroll below the image) on how this image was created from start to finish. I also created a special section on my YouTube channel devoted to speed art, digital art videos, and photoshop manipulation, because this is what in absolutely love doing! Enjoy! My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! I wanted to do this photoshop manipulation for a long time, just needed a self portrait photo to be able to create it. Last week we were shooting some portraits with my wife and she took the photo you can see at the very bottom of this post. So today I found some time and changed myself into a werewolf. First I thought to composite myself into some horror scene or some dark dungeon, but all werewolf photos are the same, so, I sat down and wrote the calligraphy for it. It read 激情 which means FURY. I recorded the editing and photoshop manipulation so I will post it later on. Enjoy! My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art original photo How to create a werewolf in photoshop - speed art Sooooo, we have been shooting fun photos with my wife the other day for photoshop manipulations, and we captured some really cool images. I will be working on my photo later on, I think I will make myself into a werewolf. Anyways, after I was done with editing, I had to think of some catchy phrase. First I wanted to make this into a movie poster, but then I decided to go with a demotivator type of photo. So, if you think you can date feel free to ask my wife out, just make sure you re insured.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Finally I had some time to play around in photoshop and create some concept art based on my photo of Tokyo. The whole thing is hand painted in photoshop, except a few of those spacecrafts, which I grabbed from Deviant art page stock images. I took this photo some time ago waiting for the hazy sunset near my place, and as usual I took few more photos just in case. I had a few ideas of creating a similar image, and this is an outcome of my today's doodling in photoshop. Photoshop manipulations and composite digital art usually takes a bit of time, this one was not too bad, I think I finished it in 2.5h Anyways, enjoy and more is coming! My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Original image
Here is another shot from a photo session with Nicole Rayne, that we had two days ago in Shibuya in central Tokyo. When I captured this frame I knew exactly what I want to do with it - go dark and fantasy theme. I added semi-translucent wings and my calligraphy artwork that I written especially for this image - 闇(の)天使 (Yami no Tenshi), i.e. dark angel). I also went ahead and did a film-like post processing, adding more orange to the skin tones and some blues to the shadows, making it look a bit more cinematic. Hope you guys like it! Chinese and Japanese calligraphy look stunning on a sheet of white paper, and the game of spirituality of brush strokes and the negative space of the void white are the core of this art's magic. However, in China and Japan it is not a rare occasion that calligraphers use coloured paper. Since we are in a digital age, I am adding colours in photoshop. Never fear, the original calligraphy art is still written by me in a traditional fashion, with a hand-ground ink on a white calligraphy paper.
九龍 - 9 dragons - this phrase has a special meaning, and if you want to learn more, please visit Ink Treasures page, which I co-created with an ink painter, Mariusz Szmerdt. |
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AuthorPonte Ryuurui (品天龍涙) Archives
August 2020
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