Working on a composite/lightpainting -- thoughts so far?

[Braineack]

She won't even pose for headshots for me...

 

[Heather Koch]

Back on track boys...

I like Jakes edit a lot, adding clarity and color to the background and darkening the car a weeee bit... perf. Great shot and creative!

 

[JimMcClain]

Pardon my n00bishness, but I don't get the 12-exposure thing. Why so many? Again, I am new, but couldn't a photo like this have been created with just one exposure and a lot of "brush work" in LR and PS? Or maybe blend 2 or 3 exposures and a little less work in LR/PS?

One thing that bothers me is the bright areas of the background above the car. I think there could also be a happy medium in the background exposure levels between your first and edited versions - one is a tad too much, the other too little. And the perspective on the car... a little more to the right and you could have removed any doubt what that "hump" is in back and given the viewer a more obvious tailight-is-on look. I might have also tried to add some shine, somehow, to the body side. It just looks too flat or dull.

Interesting assignment you gave yourself.

Jim

 

[D-B-J]

Pardon my n00bishness, but I don't get the 12-exposure thing. Why so many? Again, I am new, but couldn't a photo like this have been created with just one exposure and a lot of "brush work" in LR and PS? Or maybe blend 2 or 3 exposures and a little less work in LR/PS?

One thing that bothers me is the bright areas of the background above the car. I think there could also be a happy medium in the background exposure levels between your first and edited versions - one is a tad too much, the other too little. And the perspective on the car... a little more to the right and you could have removed any doubt what that "hump" is in back and given the viewer a more obvious tailight-is-on look. I might have also tried to add some shine, somehow, to the body side. It just looks too flat or dull.

Interesting assignment you gave yourself.

Jim

To individually rim and light parts of the car. It's a style. Unless you have 12 lights, this can't be done in one shot.

 

[JimMcClain]

Thanks Jake.

 

[runnah]

Tint the windows, delete the grille and put some dark grey thin spoke rims.

 

[Braineack]

Pardon my n00bishness, but I don't get the 12-exposure thing. Why so many? Again, I am new, but couldn't a photo like this have been created with just one exposure and a lot of "brush work" in LR and PS? Or maybe blend 2 or 3 exposures and a little less work in LR/PS?

I didn't NEED 12. But I don't see how I could do it with only a few.

The idea here is that you take as many as you need and light up things as you go--sorta HDR if you will. Typically people use long exposures to literally paint the car with light from a constant light source; I chose to use multiple flash bursts. Because I don't like the reflection trails it leaves on panels.

A few exposures alone were used just for light on the wheels and tires alone. I specifically lit up the tread on each and the face of the wheel.

My PS file has about 30 layers or so on with with a few adjustment layers on each of those and then layers to clean up reflections/imperfections. All my layers are masked so each exposure might only contribute about 10% of the overall image (e.g., the hood, a wheel, the grill, etc.).

One thing that bothers me is the bright areas of the background above the car. I think there could also be a happy medium in the background exposure levels between your first and edited versions - one is a tad too much, the other too little. And the perspective on the car... a little more to the right and you could have removed any doubt what that "hump" is in back and given the viewer a more obvious tailight-is-on look. I might have also tried to add some shine, somehow, to the body side. It just looks too flat or dull.

I wasn't entirely happy with the sky in the background, didn't turn out how i'd hope. On the LCD is appeared to show better sky than I ended up getting. I might play with it.

Unsure what this "hump" you keep mentioning is.

I would like to touch up the side of the car and make the transition from the angle above the door handles to the side of the car more drastic.


This is my first attempt at anything like this in a few years since doing something similar with just a cell phone, and really my second attempt ever. I've been giving advice to others on how to do it and now I have something to actually show.


Here's an article that shows how using 45 exposures can be used to make your image look like complete and utter crap: Chris Henderson (Light) Paints a Really Big Truck - PocketWizard Blog | Radio Triggers for Photographers

 

[JimMcClain]

I didn't NEED 12. But I don't see how I could do it with only a few.

Thanks for the thorough explanation.

Unsure what this "hump" you keep mentioning is.

I only mentioned it once, but others mentioned it too. I think it's prob'ly a spoiler or body wing of some sort. Your perspective to the car makes it look like a kind of growth on the rear window. I might have tried to get more profile of it in the shot, so it would be more obvious - and you wouldn't have to squint to see the taillights either. And someone mentioned the tires - they might look more dramatic if they were deeper black, instead of the medium gray they appear to be now.

Light painting is an interesting concept. But yeah, I see by the article you linked to, it can be overdone like a lot of HDR is. That truck was hideous.

 

[Braineack]

Okay, it;s a rear spolier. I need to address it, it's too washed out.

Thanks for inputs.

 

[MOREGONE]

Hey nice car! I have the same one, wish I could have found it in white or rally blue! Liking the pic.

Took this a good while back, two lights and umbrellas, single exposure. Not a great pic really, lots of details missing. Been meaning to try this technique for awhile now. Happened to have just paid her off this morning!

 

[Msteelio91]

Cool shots man. Love the WRX's but who doesn't haha. Killing me with the visor though!!!

Moregone - grats on paying off the car. I've yet to keep one long enough to experience that hahahaha.

 

[Braineack]

here's where I'm at with it:


The WRX by The Braineack, on Flickr

Too tired to work on it anymore.

 

[Stormin_]

Love the detail on the car, especially the horns (?) in the grille. One thing I've noticed in every edit so far is some grey darkness clinging to the headlight flare. I would have no idea how to fix it though

Edit: also the roof spoiler looks like a roof spoiler to me. I don't think it looks out of place or like a weird 'lump' at all, but maybe that's just me

 

[D-B-J]

here's where I'm at with it:


The WRX by The Braineack, on Flickr

Too tired to work on it anymore.

D000000000D! Much better. Nice removal of the warning sign

 

[Braineack]

Love the detail on the car, especially the horns (?) in the grille. One thing I've noticed in every edit so far is some grey darkness clinging to the headlight flare. I would have no idea how to fix it though

Edit: also the roof spoiler looks like a roof spoiler to me. I don't think it looks out of place or like a weird 'lump' at all, but maybe that's just me

I noticed that too. The layer is set to lighten, maybe I'll play with it more.