Photo Illustration & Digital Art Forum

[Rense]

JDArt,
Thanks for your quick and honest reply.
Yes explaining why something is art is hard (well that rhimes* )

[heartseye]

Originally Posted by Lunatique

I feel a little conflicted about any kind of photo illustration/digital art hybrid topics (Fred Miranda's got one too, and I participate there). I lead a Art Techniques and Theories forum over at cgtalk.com, and I have also co-written a book on digital painting, and based on all the cases I've seen, the problem more often than not isn't technique, it's artistic knowledge. A lot of photographer's digital manipulations/editing looks gimmicky and crude because they lack the foundation knowledge of artists (anatomy, perspective, composition, color theory, values, edges..etc), and learning simply the right buttons to push in Photoshop or Painter isn't going to fix the problem--only learning the necessary art foundation knowledge will. But this isn't what people want to hear--they want to hear that there's a magical tool/procedure in a software that'll give them fantastic results without having to do too much work, and the idea of actually learning the important visual art foundations is just too daunting.

Too often we see gimmicky photo-manipulations that have no meaning and purpose. How many of you are sick and tired of seeing selective colors in a B/W photo? When it's done to convey meaning or bring focus to something that deserves attention, it can be interesting or even powerful, but what happens is that most photographers do it as a gimmick, without any forethought to why they're doing it, and the result usually displays only one thing--bad taste and lack of creative judgment. It's the same with using filters or cloning in Photoshop and Painter to "turn a photo into a painting/drawing." Without a healthy amount of knowledge about the craft of drawing and painting, or basic art history, familiarity with different artistic mediums..etc, most photographer's attempt ends up looking like cheap imitations that anyone who draws or paints will shake their heads looking at these "conversions." What about skin smoothing? I doubt I'm alone in feeling that once that technique has been learned by the majority, all photography forums became flooded with "plastic" and "fake" looking people. This is what happens when you only learn a technique but lack the artistic judgment and knowledge to apply the technique appropriately.

My personal philosophy is that if you're going to do something, do it with forethought and a sense of artistic integrity--even if it's "just a hobby." The more you put into it, the more fulfillment you get out of it.

Essentially, I think it's very important to actually teach the foundation art theories that is so important to creative judgment, along with technique and tools. Because without the former, we'll just end up seeing a lot of meaningless use of tools and technique. If this is something that interests most members here, I'll be happy to do my part for this new forum.

I totally agree! Much of the post processing I see is simply an atempt to make a poor image into a good image and that's usually a disaster. Technique masquerading as art is all too common, and this new forum might just be a way for the huge talent available on the Camel to encourage the best uses for these techniques....thanks....Bob

[DanielHice]

I highly agree with this point. I got so feed up with seeing Diffuse Glow used in every other shot a while back I could puke. I see B&W conversions used to hide white balance problems, etc. My biggest nit now days is the over processing of skin, I will be adding my version up here soon if I can find time. It is a published version that Jimmy posted I think but I am going to write it again so it is hard coded on the site.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by Daniel Hice

My biggest nit now days is the over processing of skin, I will be adding my version up here soon if I can find time.

I see more underprocessing--or no processing--of skin more than overprocessing. But I do see your point. Some of Frank's photos look overprocessed in the skin area to me, but he's got a look which most of us can only aspire to.

[DanielHice]

Frank is also a well paid pro who's consistancy is better than that of Tiger Woods. I post good and bad, some shoots work out, others never see the light of day. Frank nails them shoot after shoot after shoot. Frank's skin smoothing is, or at least one of, "his" looks and what he is known for and paid for.

[TLV]

I hear what Lunatique is saying but is it not also true that Gaugin and Van Gogh among other impressionists had to listen to such concerns but carried on regardless and ploughed their own path. Initially, as I remember, what they produced was not that great but eventually they produced something unique. i.e. what I am saying is that a formal art training can be an asset but the lack of it should not inhibit a child from developing a love for drawing or a photographer from painting with light. Some will do it well, and some will do it not so well, but that is the same in every field.

[Prospector]

Sounds good to me. This is may be what I have been waiting for. Hopefully not too complex for a starter.
Peter

[johnw]

Everyone starts at the same place, the beginning.

[topdog]

Thank you, thank you.

Happy to see this discussion on PhotoCamel. Photoshop is so huge, no one can know it all. Since I am self taught and fly by the seat of my pants, I joined NAPP. I get Photoshop User Magazine and their website has some nice little tutorials. I also took a couple of tutorials, one on CS2 and another on Layers. Oh yes, I also subscribed to Layers Magazine and bought some CD's to go through.

Big problem though. Time is not on my side and neither is memory. So much to learn, so little time.

Love to see what the local gurus have to teach us.

Muddling through~~~

[Rense]

I've promised you guys earlier on* to show you some digital art we (=my girlfriend and me) make.

This is from a series where we take a photo of a simple plastic object and alter that in photoshop to something completely different.

Plastic #1:

.

Plastic #2:

.

Love to hear your remarks.

[wupingtao]

Fine ！
I approve
I apologize for my bad English.

[tonyrabina]

Excellent idea.
I have uploaded some pictures, please comment on them.
I am new at this, but having a whale of a time learning.

[tonyrabina]

Originally Posted by wupingtao

Fine ！
I approve
I apologize for my bad English.

Your english use is better than most people living in England