Let's See Some Cool Stuff - ToyArk Edition

Kuma Style · 08-03-2018, 07:47 PM

Augustus_Cole · 08-04-2018, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

Indeed... mostly. And technically it’s a failure! I was trying to capture all the smoke from the many fires in this region; I was going to title it “The Decepticons Were Here” or some such to suggest that the smoke was from a battle, but for whatever reason the smoke didn’t really show up well in my shots, so instead I added some blue sky from PicMonkey.

I just held the toy in one hand and shot it with the other, but the perspective really worked out nicely.

pardon my ignorance but i'm still confused.
FIRST...this is an AMAZING shot.. like..i'm loving this.

you added blue sky ???..you'd have to be a photoshop great to blend just the blue sky from this so i'm trying to figure out..
what did the original shot look like and what did you specifically add??

thanks..

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

pardon my ignorance but i'm still confused.
FIRST...this is an AMAZING shot.. like..i'm loving this.

you added blue sky ???..you'd have to be a photoshop great to blend just the blue sky from this so i'm trying to figure out..
what did the original shot look like and what did you specifically add??

Thanks for the kind words, man. I've never used Photoshop; I find it intimidating.

I use free effects on Pixlr Express and PicMonkey. The latter is my favorite. They charge for the privilege of saving your photos, but I got lots of excellent stuff from them for free for years, so I figured a few bucks a month isn't a big deal.

Here's the original photo, which I captured with my phone:

And I recorded a short video to show you how easy the final result really was:

Augustus_Cole · 08-04-2018, 08:21 AM

hahah@creatively bankrupt...

damnn son..i have a youtube video with a shout out...i feel special..

but still

you've taken great pics and put great shots together..
but THAT is my alltime favorite..i seriously love that shot man...
i think it's incredible.

thanks for the info/tutorial..!!!

*edit*

holy fugg...i had no idea other apps made things THAT easy...smh...there have been times i've slaved in PS for hours to make something look decent..things that can be done in other apps in a few clicks.......
thanks again..

*edit #2*
that is going to be my new screensaver

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 08:25 AM

My pleasure, bro, one of my favorite things about the hobby is sharing cheats and shortcuts with my peeps!

And I captured several similar photos on this shoot, but none were nearly as impactful. Sometimes it all just comes together almost despite me, ha ha. I'm very happy with it, though, and I'm thrilled you like it.

Augustus_Cole · 08-04-2018, 08:30 AM

it actually (at first) looked like it could have been a 3D rendering..
(hence my..."wtf am i looking at" comment)

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 08:33 AM

The toy is so breathtakingly detailed that it does much of the work for me.

Here's a before-and-after:

I did increase the sharpness a bit, which I didn't mention in the video ('cause I'd forgotten). But that's easy, too, on PicMonkey.

Also forgot to mention that you can toggle the Fade tool to increase or decrease the saturation and impact of the clouds or space or whatever.

Bo Ttef · 08-04-2018, 09:59 AM

thanks for the tips on the amazing shots monte. definitely going to give it a shot

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 10:06 AM

My pleasure, Bo, thanks!

Here's a thread I started for discovering good locations for photos:

Tips for Finding Cool Settings for Photos - HissTank.com

Thor Laserpunch · 08-04-2018, 10:13 AM

Ha I never woulda pegged that for an effect. Nicely done.

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 10:29 AM

Thanks!

Augustus_Cole · 08-04-2018, 01:40 PM

okay...
1. i downloaded the largest one and it looks gorgeous as my screensaver..
DOPE..

2. That UltraMagnus figure is NIIIIIICE!!..
damn..what is that from, the weathered look of it is nice.

Monte Williams · 08-04-2018, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

i downloaded the largest one and it looks gorgeous as my screensaver..

Ah man, that's so flattering. Thank you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

That UltraMagnus figure is NIIIIIICE!!..
damn..what is that from, the weathered look of it is nice.

The bad news: it's a $400 toy. ThinkGeek-exclusive ThreeZero Generation One Ultra Magnus: https://www.thinkgeek.com/product/kggl/

The good news: unlike the Optimus Prime (Magnus is just a repaint), Ultra Magnus has been steeply reduced, and now he is "only" $200, ha ha ha.

My wife bought him for me when he was going for $250, to apologize for having accidentally brought my car keys with her when she flew out of state for a conference. I keep begging her to steal my keys again, but to no avail.

I'm not a rich man, and I can count on one hand the number of toys I've bought that were in the Hot Toys price range, but to whatever extent any toy can be worth hundreds of dollars, this thing is worth $200 in my book, easily.

Keep in mind, he doesn't transform; that's a deal breaker for some people, but I have no interest in photographing trucks, so I couldn't care less.

He's something like sixteen inches tall, so he scales well with 3.75-inch figures and smaller bots.

I love him! The weathering is second to none.

Photo Dave · 08-04-2018, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

this is tight!!

Thanks! Iceman's not as bad as people say - as long as I can add some effects

And whoa! I've shot a bunch since the last time I posted. Here are a few of them.

Have fun, all!

Kuma Style · 08-04-2018, 08:42 PM

Astra · 08-05-2018, 01:22 AM

Nice to see your face Monte, and those sky pictures are indeed spectacular! That looks super fun and addictive.

Some more library pictures.

"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!"

from Doctor Who episode 2x02 "Tooth and Claw"
They met Queen Victoria, and they were chased by a Werewolf looking for weapons.

And Sherlock Holmes is looking at books with his own adventures.

Augustus_Cole · 08-05-2018, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

Here's a thread I started for discovering good locations for photos:

damn man...your eye for that outdoor shot/local is great.
to me what makes your pics so nice is
1. natural outdoor lighting
2. amazing locations
3. perspective
4. quirky/intereting/not-your-average figures..

sometimes i'm looking at the figs like...WHAT THE FUGG IS THAT..lol..but they are cool.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

The bad news: it's a $400 toy. ThinkGeek-exclusive ThreeZero Generation One Ultra Magnus:

The good news: unlike the Optimus Prime (Magnus is just a repaint), Ultra Magnus has been steeply reduced, and now he is "only" $200, ha ha ha.

I'm not a rich man, and I can count on one hand the number of toys I've bought that were in the Hot Toys price range, but to whatever extent any toy can be worth hundreds of dollars, this thing is worth $200 in my book, easily.

that thing is great...but i'm going to have to vicariously own it through you...haha..

and ahhhhhh @ 3zero.. and thinkgeek...
the TWO times i made purchases in the *hot toys price range* were both 3zero/thinkgeek.. when i bought 2 of the power armors from Fallout 4.

Monte Williams · 08-05-2018, 07:37 AM

Thanks, Astra; those library shots are great!

And thanks, DarkToyLord, for the kind words.

Kuma Style · 08-05-2018, 08:56 AM

Photo Dave · 08-05-2018, 06:27 PM

It's been a great weekend for pics!

Have fun, all!

Harbinger · 08-05-2018, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuma Style

“When did brock lesnar get hair?”

Harbinger · 08-05-2018, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astra

“Uhhhhh....scuse me.....do you know where the section on dog grooming is?”

webz · 08-05-2018, 09:23 PM

Astra · 08-06-2018, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

3. perspective
4. quirky/intereting/not-your-average figures..

sometimes i'm looking at the figs like...WHAT THE FUGG IS THAT..lol..but they are cool.

I want to agree, the weirder the figure, the better. But I also especially want to agree on perspective on thos picture. I try to experiment with it as well, as after a while front shots get boring. Also to place the figure not right in the center of the picture.
I can see this particular one working with so many different skies / backgrounds. I probably would flip through all the options forever, not being able to decide!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

Thanks, Astra; those library shots are great!

Thanks! Today just a few Daddy/daughter pictures from happier times

faelon · 08-06-2018, 08:42 PM

Gorgeous shots. And that library diorama is spectacular. Is that a custom from Dollhouse furnishings?

08-03-2018, 07:47 PM	#7401
Kuma Style Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Rockford, IL Posts: 1,162	__________________ Reviews n stuff: http://www.kumastyle.com

08-04-2018, 06:01 AM	#7402
Augustus_Cole DarkToyLord Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: It's Dark and Hell is Hot... Posts: 4,959	Quote: Originally Posted by Monte Williams Indeed... mostly. And technically it’s a failure! I was trying to capture all the smoke from the many fires in this region; I was going to title it “The Decepticons Were Here” or some such to suggest that the smoke was from a battle, but for whatever reason the smoke didn’t really show up well in my shots, so instead I added some blue sky from PicMonkey. I just held the toy in one hand and shot it with the other, but the perspective really worked out nicely. pardon my ignorance but i'm still confused. FIRST...this is an AMAZING shot.. like..i'm loving this. you added blue sky ???..you'd have to be a photoshop great to blend just the blue sky from this so i'm trying to figure out.. what did the original shot look like and what did you specifically add?? thanks.. __________________ The DarkToyLord

08-04-2018, 08:21 AM	#7404
Augustus_Cole DarkToyLord Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: It's Dark and Hell is Hot... Posts: 4,959	hahah@creatively bankrupt... damnn son..i have a youtube video with a shout out...i feel special.. but still you've taken great pics and put great shots together.. but THAT is my alltime favorite..i seriously love that shot man... i think it's incredible. thanks for the info/tutorial..!!! edit holy fugg...i had no idea other apps made things THAT easy...smh...there have been times i've slaved in PS for hours to make something look decent..things that can be done in other apps in a few clicks....... thanks again.. edit #2 that is going to be my new screensaver __________________ The DarkToyLord Last edited by Augustus_Cole; 08-04-2018 at 08:25 AM..

08-04-2018, 08:30 AM	#7406
Augustus_Cole DarkToyLord Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: It's Dark and Hell is Hot... Posts: 4,959	it actually (at first) looked like it could have been a 3D rendering.. (hence my..."wtf am i looking at" comment) __________________ The DarkToyLord

08-04-2018, 01:40 PM	#7412
Augustus_Cole DarkToyLord Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: It's Dark and Hell is Hot... Posts: 4,959	okay... 1. i downloaded the largest one and it looks gorgeous as my screensaver.. DOPE.. 2. That UltraMagnus figure is NIIIIIICE!!.. damn..what is that from, the weathered look of it is nice. __________________ The DarkToyLord

08-04-2018, 10:29 AM	#7411
Monte Williams Geek Creek Kitbasher Join Date: May 2012 Location: Twin Falls, Idaho Posts: 871	Thanks!