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Posted on 18/10/24 08:56:39 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6970 Reply  |
Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
A side street in La Rochelle reveals this curious relic of a different age: the building behind this arch has been demolished, with a modern block erected in its place. But what could it have looked like before? Where did the archway lead, and what might have gone on in that upstairs window? High res is here. 
Optional extra challengeThis is for those who want an additional technical task this week. I was intrigued by the shadow cast on the wall by this cane lamp, and wondered if DavidMac in particular might want to attempt to reproduce it. So here is the scene with the lamp switched off – can you turn it on?  |
Posted on 18/10/24 3:28:31 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
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Posted on 20/10/24 10:05:42 AM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
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Posted on 20/10/24 10:38:59 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2876 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
http://vimeo.com/1021362687 Both are great, Loyd but the sepia one is my favourite!  _________________ Dorothy: "there's no place like home!" |
Posted on 20/10/24 12:56:34 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
I agree with Anna Loyd. Anna that I did not expect! I love the still frame too! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 20/10/24 1:20:02 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Just started on this now (Sunday afternoon). It's really quite sneaky Steve. Even extracting the shade from it's background is proving a surprisingly fiddly challenge! Deducing the basic shadow shape is, I think, straightforward. But doing it with any chance of matching the real shadow is very slim indeed as even tiny differences in distance of lamp from wall will radically change the shadow's size and proportions and there's no real way of assessing that. However, I suspect the really tricky part will not be creating the shadow so much as lighting the shade from the inside. Hmmm, I think my head is destined to become fairly well scratched ....... _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 20/10/24 1:46:52 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
I have just realised from the glimpse of skirting board that the wall is not flat on but slightly angled relative to camera so, in addition to everything else the shadow will need to be 'perspectivised'. (A new D Mac addition to the English lexicon.) I'm going to need a larger tube of head scratch balm that I thought. Just as well that I live above a pharmacy .......... Yes ........ really ............ I do! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 20/10/24 3:49:30 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Thanks Anna and David, the sepia version was a lot of fun to make! Anna - like David, a total surprise behind the door... I really like the glass domed roof as well. |
Posted on 20/10/24 3:50:39 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
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Posted on 20/10/24 11:31:08 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Well I'm going to have to admit near defeat on this one. But since it's been extremely educational I'm posting anyway. Firstly there's just too many indeterminate variables to really predict true shape, density or hardness. The geometry is quite complicated. This aspect is much harder than I thought it would be. The problem is that even where I can see clearly that things are not right I can't work out quite how to correct them Secondly, as I predicted, the really hard part is to light the cane shade from the inside. To really do this properly would need a number of very accurate different foreground/background cutouts of the shade and it's a nightmare to do precisely enough. Obviously if I was prepared to commit enough time I could overcome that problem painstakingly painting masks cane by cane but it's simply more work than it's worth. So my result is a mass of approximations and guesses. I hope I have managed to produce something that, even if somewhat crudely executed, is a plausible image ....... .......... but I'll be amazed if it's remotely close to reality.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 21/10/24 12:15:44 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Interesting David... what limited thought I have given the lamp so far has done little more than make my head hurt.  |
Posted on 21/10/24 1:01:54 PM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 575 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
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Posted on 21/10/24 1:20:35 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
That's impressive Ben. The street is perfectly matched. Very clever to have found or built a low angle view looking up at the table and diners. That can't have been easy, although relative to window cill they do rather appear to be levitating.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 21/10/24 1:35:33 PM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 575 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
I shot this in Venice in 2012, thought it might work. The extended street scene is in Rochelle. 
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Posted on 21/10/24 6:44:30 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3054 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
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Posted on 21/10/24 10:08:13 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Now that's interesting. The window comes right down to floor level which in the La Rochelle image gives the 'levitation' impression as a floor level window in that context is not really expected. One instinctively relates the table height to an assumption of normal window cill height. It's a perfect example of how our perceptions are governed, and sometimes fooled, by instinctive assumptions based on experience of how things usually are. I love these kind of anomalies! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 21/10/24 10:15:59 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
JEALOUSY Best viewed away from strong light.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 21/10/24 11:00:19 PM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 575 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
Thank you David, yes they were floating. Love the mood in your image. |
Posted on 22/10/24 08:54:28 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5436 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
It wasn't a criticism Ben. Merely an observation. I am constantly fascinated by how we perceive things on the basis of past experience and how we expect them to be, as much as by observation of how they actually are. It's the basis of many of my illusions. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 22/10/24 10:33:53 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 575 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1026: The house at the end of the road
I didn't see it as criticism David but as friendly observation. Visually it certainly did seem to be floating. I appreciate (and even look forward to) your feedback. Thank you. |
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