2010/05/28

Upcoming webinars

I just talked to Doug Nelson of RetouchPro.com about presenting in June. Doug's got quite a handle on presenting engaging topics from excellent speakers, so I'm quite honored to get a chance to participate.

My first presentation will be on compositing 3D elements with 2D photographs. You can see some samples of this on my facebook profile and my CS5 samples gallery. This will be less about the specific techniques, and more about how the process develops, what decisions are made, etc. As the time gets closer, I'll put up a registration link.

Stay tuned for more details!

2010/05/25

Andrea Blair Photography

Check out some great equestrian event photography from shooter Andrea Blair. [via]

You can also sign up for an online course on equestrian photography basics with Carien Schipper. This course will cover camera gear, setting up poses for conformation based on breed, head shots, action shots, and more. At $169, it sounds like a great deal, and covers six week (one section per week).

2010/05/20

2010/05/13

'The truth about Flash'

So, Adobe has posted this link that responds to Steve Jobs' letter about the decision to not support Flash on Apple's mobile platform. When I wrote earlier on the topic in this blog, I avoided taking on the letter point-by-point because I just haven't been on the Flash front for a long time. Adobe's response says everything I wanted to. Instead, I opined that Jobs is just being Bill Gates, but in a black turtleneck.

Today, John Nack (Photoshop PM) wrote about the core issue; business. As I mentioned, my opinion is that Jobs is trying to use his social status to effect a market coup. In the past, he'd do this with some serious technical backup. The last several years, however, lead me to believe that Jobs thinks his role is changing, that he no longer has to actually compete and show his products are better. Instead, he just wants you to assume he's right and to take him at his word. Many folks do, so perhaps he's right from a marketing standpoint. Industry statistics clearly show that from a technical point, he's dead wrong.

Let's be clear: Jobs is adopting the Microsoft policy of quelling competitive innovation. Only he's not doing it by coughing up cash to buy the competition, he's just saying the competition sucks and he won't allow it. Again, he's wrong. And he's being a hypocrite.

2010/05/12

Taking up a challenge...

I received a comment asking about doing a DNA strand in PS CS5 Extended. I thought this would be an interesting challenge, so here's the result:



You can see a larger version here. There is another one in the gallery that illustrates a more simple approach. The first attempt was done using a single Repoussé model and opacity masking. The one above uses multiple models, but all still within Photoshop.

The different approaches yield very different results, but it goes to show you can tackle virtually any problem in Photoshop in multiple ways. The single model only took about 45 minutes to figure out and fine tune. The result is not great (you can see the boundary region where the opacity mask reveals that it's a surface, not a solid), but it was very quick and remains editable.

I like the look of the 2nd one quite a bit, but it was a real bear trying to line everything up.  It began life as a Repoussé object of the 'spheres', which were duplicated and rotated, then merged. From there, I used Repoussé again to create the sides, then lined everything up and merged again. The new Material Drop tool was a real life-saver here, because when you merge 3D layers, you are not combining objects. So everything has to be textured separately.

You'll notice that the spheres have seams. Well, I got a little lazy and didn't feel like trying to make them blend. I also had to interrupt the render because the shadows weren't getting any better, and I ran out of patience. Plus, this model started to cause some instability in PS, but it didn't crash.

Overall, I think I am just about at Photoshop's limits for ad hoc modeling. Anything more complex than this and I'd fire up a dedicated package. In fact, I may rebuild this in Strata and compare the process.



2010/05/09

On 3D in Photoshop...

After my video went up on the Photoshop Facebook page and YouTube, I got several comments from folks who are underwhelmed by 3D in Photoshop. I figured it was time to discuss this issue in a little detail, and hopefully give a new perspective to this capability.

First, let's look at what Photoshop is not... PS is not going to replace existing, dedicated 3D packages. It is not trying to become the only imaging tool you ever need. And PS is not a true materials editor, meaning it's not set up for editing normal or UV maps, nor is it capable of generating complex surfaces such as you'd need for translucent skin or solid glass. For that matter, you can't even do atmospheric or volumetric renders.

So, what is PS to the 3D world? Well, it depends on how you currently use it. For 3D artists, it's a way to use the world's leading pixel-pusher to edit materials in place. For graphic artists and designers, simple models can be imported or created to use as design elements. And for photographers, objects can be added to photographic scenes for compositing and retouching.

There are a lot of people who look at the integration of these tools as adding bloat to a rather large application. I have to admit that I didn't really see the benefit when I first tested these features in CS3. There was nothing really interesting to me as a non-3D user at first. And even in CS4, I couldn't find too many excuses to use 3D. In order to do anything worth while, I used Daz|Studio or StrataCX to build and manipulate models. Then I'd go into PS and edit textures, add some lighting and composite into photographs. I also used these tools to help generate shadows on complex surfaces, but this was not always easy.

I also loved using 3DInvigorator for text and simple shapes. But this had the limitation of only bringing a flat layer into PS, so even this was a little cumbersome. When I saw that CS5 would essentially replace this capability, I was a little irritated on two fronts. I thought PS was going to try and compete in a world where other applications were already years ahead, and I felt that companies like Digital Anarchy were being pushed out and Adobe was ignoring the impact to these developers.

But, I've turned around. Not only do I love the new 3D tools, I am finding more use for the same applications and plugins that I thought were being made obsolete. I realized that it was up to me as a digital artist to figure out how to use these new capabilities. Each of the applications has strengths for different situations, just as Photoshop's tools are appropriate for given users and needs. I still go to 3DInvigorator for precise control over bevels on text (and the great lighting capabilities), especially when I know the exact look I'm going for. I use Strata for working on more complex models and rendering layers back to PS. Daz|Studio is my default for posing and getting access to great, inexpensive models.

Add to these some new favorites like 3DVia for being able to browse easily from the PS plugin, and FilterForge for the absolutely amazing textures and maps you can coax out of it. These are not competing capabilities, but tools for different circumstances.

Perhaps most importantly for me, 3D in Photoshop is a gateway. I really wasn't too interested in 3D before, and frankly figured that if I needed the capability, I'd just contract or outsource the work. With access to these capabilities, though, I find more and more reason to include 3D in my work, and not always in obvious ways. There are plenty of uses for simple 3D, including using rotated models as brushes (thanks to Greg from 3DVia for pointing this out), laying out elements in perspective, helping to pre-plan complex photoshoots, generating shadows for compositing, etc. The list goes on, and any Photoshop user owes it to themselves to discover what new talents they can uncover in themselves.

To the naysayers, all I have to say is that Adobe is not simply adding a non-value-added feature just to sell copies. If that were the case, they'd have included Repoussé and other 3D tools in the basic package. But they recognize that the tools are more in the professional realm, so you'll only find them in Extended for CS5. These are not tools for creating crappy 3D Word Art, or just a gimmick for making 3D logos out of 2D versions. I'm certain that there will be a serious uptick in such things, but then Flash is not a poor tool because of so many bad websites. You are very likely to see some amazingly bad 3D stuff, and an absolute ton of cheap 3D text.

Keep in mind that the Lens Flare filter is still there, among others. And each of these can be used for powers of good. At least in the hands of skilled artists, anyway. Ask yourself if you are able to use these tools. They may just not be for you.

Over the next few months, I will highlight some of the more esoteric and unusual uses for 3D, and hopefully sway a few minds. Keep in mind that Adobe is not trying to replace anything in the 3D world; they are trying to be more useful to existing and nascent work flows, and to enable new users. This is not a fad or flash in the pan. This is a new tool. You can choose to learn it or not.

2010/05/06

3D Video making the rounds

Pam Clark posted one of my videos to the Photoshop Facebook and YouTube pages! John Nack also gave me a mention on his blog (thanks!).

Folks seem to like it so far (over 1,000 views in a dozen hours or so), so I'm putting together another blog post that goes along with some of the good and less-than-good comments I've seen so far. Check back tomorrow for details. In the mean time, check 'em out! If you have any questions or comments directly for me, drop them here or on Twitter.