Overdone HDR image to illustration

[georgebellon]

As a big fan of HDR photography, I mess around with different effects and ways to process different effects. While alot of the time I tend to overprocess HDR's. With a little bit of direction and additional effort results in surprisingly different effects.

This is an image I totally overdid in Photomatrix trying to get the chrome looking how I wanted.


The bike came out the way I wanted but the rest of the image bothers me, so I extracted the bike in Photoshop. This is how it turned out...

[400duser]

Eeek, the horrors of overdoing the HDR effects

[georgebellon]

Heheh, its all about having a good time right?

[400duser]

Originally Posted by georgebellon

Heheh, its all about having a good time right?

If you say so

[georgebellon]

Lol, if ya don't like it, don't look :-P

[JPhotoz]

I like the way this turned out.

Jordan

[kenmo]

I love the illustrative look of this HDR... I think it's pretty darn cool...

[georgebellon]

thank you guys

[ScottBuckel]

George - I like your results, for me subjects like motorcycles and old cars really come to life with heavy surreal HDR. Have you thought of reprocessing the scene with a more real looking back gorund and composite in the surreal motorcycle? Or maybe try to use the sketch action you showed (I think it was you) a while back with the tank on the background and then composite in the motorcycle?

Have fun and share you results,

Scott

[Black Ricco]

Originally Posted by ScottBuckel

George - I like your results, for me subjects like motorcycles and old cars really come to life with heavy surreal HDR..

I beg to differ. It looks ham-handed. Like the artist wasn't in control of his tools.

[georgebellon]

doesn't look like an illustration to me, nice lighting though.

[georgebellon]

Another example of an illustration from HDR image.

[Mark McCall]

The last two samples posted by the OP are very low in contrast. The original has severe haloing.
That being said, I think these images would be far more powerful with a toned down effect. (less is more) in this case.

[ericson matias]

love the last set of pics...

[kewk]

Originally Posted by georgebellon

Lol, if ya don't like it, don't look :-P

George, you posted this in a critique forum. It is in extremely bad taste to go on the defensive when people critique your work here. If you can't handle critique don't post your photographs.

I'm with 400Duser here. Overdone HDR just doesn't feel right. It's like nails on a chalkboard really.

[georgebellon]

Perhaps I've posted incorrectly and put to much attention on the source of my images for illustrations. I've not attempted to defend the quality of the HDR, on the contrary, I have mentioned several times that they are "overdeveloped HDR's". My intention simply was to show the subjects alone without the halos and saturation of the backrounds. My opinion is that they look pretty good by themselves as illustrations as this is the illustration and digital art section. If people do not like the look of the illustration that is understandable but to knock it because it originated as an HDR image is different. Would it be known that this started as an HDR if I had not stated it? I would very much like to hear everyone's opinion on the final images as illustrations and not the shabby apearance of the initial HDR image. Thank you very much and accept my apology for coming across the wrong way.

George

[Mark McCall]

George,
I didn't knock your images.
What I said was..."it'd be more powerful with less effect".
That being said, anytime an image is posted here in 'Camel, we should all be prepared for critiques, both good and bad. It's hard not to wear your feelings on your sleeve, but doing so will make you a better photographer.

A mentor once told me..."you do not learn anything from creating a great image. You learn from the bad ones".

I regularly post images on the 'Camel to get feedback before I post enter them in official print competitions. I get all kinds of great suggestions and comments.
Apology accepted btw.

[edk]

hey georgebellon, i think the way the bikes have been extracted and put in a high key setting works very well. without the background, the focus is on the bikes and the details in them rather than their surroundings and the processing. i know the images posted here are just to illustrate a point, but i would offer a suggestion that the reflections of the environment the bikes were in be cloned out, otherwise very nice.