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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..

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:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dh0...ature=youtu.be

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 ;)

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Thanks!

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.

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


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.

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

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

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1832/...d7d6a050_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1817/...5894960c_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/860/4...a004a6fa_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1815/...ac26e5ce_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1838/...f8390db7_b.jpg

Have fun, all!

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.

https://s26.postimg.cc/javg6hrft/books1.jpg

https://s26.postimg.cc/gtjoz8f95/books2.jpg

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

https://s26.postimg.cc/yp9ft9gx5/Sherlock_Holmes_1.jpg

https://s26.postimg.cc/bb1ghbra1/Sherlock_Holmes_2.jpg

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.


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.

Thanks, Astra; those library shots are great!

And thanks, DarkToyLord, for the kind words.

It's been a great weekend for pics!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1831/...f2a080f2_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1776/...fea3d345_b.jpg

Have fun, all!

“When did brock lesnar get hair?” ;)

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

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!

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

https://s26.postimg.cc/pmojmhc2h/Daddy1.jpg

https://s26.postimg.cc/y4xzqtavd/Daddy2.jpg

https://s26.postimg.cc/fcm4n8twp/Daddy3.jpg

https://s26.postimg.cc/grnpbz2pl/Daddy4.jpg

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