ANM 328 Project 2 Critique

The objectives of the Creative Critter Project were to demonstrate blending skills, learn how to select compatible images and make adjustments in the overall composition to create consistent lighting effects.  The final image should surprise us with an unexpected combination of critters or the environment the critter is in.  The most successful projects will make this combination seamless and believable. 

Grading Criteria:

95-100 Combination of images is creative, blends are flawless, shadows and highlights are consistent. Demonstrates outstanding skill with Photoshop

90-94 Combination of images is creative, blending techniques are good with slight flaws in lighting consistency. Good knowledge and use of tools and composition

85-89 Composition is creative but blending has faults or lighting is not consistent.

80-85 Composition has less creativity in focus or scale, lighting not adequately considered, blending techniques need improvement.

70-79 Lacks Creativity, blending has major flaws or omissions, lighting not considered

Below 70 Low quality work in all aspects of the project

Late work: -10 pts
No Group Critique: -5

Adams Group

Julie Hargraves-Your blend of the crane, giraffe and sky is one of the most successful in class. I especially like the addition of the clouds which are much more interesting and dramatic than the rather plain looking sky in the original. The wings have been precisely added to the back of the critter. I think the existing lighting on the giraffe’s back “fit” the addition of the wings. I can really see enough detail of the crane to be sure that it’s a photo or illustration. In either case, the top of the wing doesn’t have much detail and looks rather flat. I would suggest giving those wings some subtle highlights and shadows based on the dominant light on the giraffe. The best way to do this is use the quick selection tool on the tan area then use a very soft burn and dodge tool to give a hint of shadow (burn tool) on the right wing and maybe a hint of highlight on the top of the left wing.

Joe Lee-This is quite a critter you imagined. I guess that’s a white goose with a new bunny head. I do see the addition of the new background which is much more interesting than the original. You’ve done a good job of selecting and placing it in the scene. The transition of the goose neck to the bunny head is more obvious than I would like to see. Use the clone tool with a feathered edge to smooth that neckline. The stripes you added came from somewhere, but I don’t see an image with stripes…it may be random brush strokes which is fine..but I think the head is a bit overdone and tends to hide the bunny head with stripes that don’t precisely follow the curves of the head and ears. I think you may have made this critter more difficult by using images that are rather low resolution.

Natallia Ramaniuk-We had several students use giraffes in their compositions. Your flying-toucan-giraffe is very unique. Your images are quite small so it’s difficult to see a lot of detail in the composition. The beak looks like it fits nicely in place of the head…and that topknot, I guess it comes from the big bird on the ground. To me, the wings are an interesting addition but they look awkward and not in the correct perspective with the alignment of the giraffe body. I think the right wing should be foreshortened to more accurately show the perspective. The dominant light on the giraffe is coming from top right. Based on the shadow on the neck, I think there should be a hint of a shadow cast on the inner left wing. I like to use the burn tool to make subtle adjustments like this….apply them on a separate layer so you can edit easily until you get the perfect “fit”.

Christopher Talbott-Your images have excellent resolution, which makes them much easier to work with. The blending is excellent and the bear/hippo combo is very believable. I like the fact that you placed your new critter in an interesting new environment. The only problem I have is that that intense sun is directly overhead and would cast a stronger shadow on the water, especially from the enormous head. The tricky part of a shadow on turbulent water is that it’s very random and broken. I would suggest doing a couple things. First use the blur tool to smudge the area at the very base of the legs. This will make it look like the water is surging around them. Then use the burn tool with feather to darken the water where you would imagine a shadow would be cast.

Brian Zelle-This is certainly an unexpected environment to find a couple parakeets. I like the concept but you haven’t modified the image to make the birds look more like aquatic animals or make them look like they are actually on the edge of the coral. With the strong light, apparently just below the surface, there would be a soft shadow cast that grounds the birds on that edge. Now to make them look more like what we might see underwater the colors might be more intense…think tropical fish color or possibly patterns.

Mutter Group

Lea Aletti-You obviously had fun with these critters and their antics and you’ve done a wonderful job of selecting the critters off of some difficult background and placing them in unexpected situations. The main concern I have is the lack of depth in the scene and use of lighting effects to make the composition more believable. Once you establish a dominant direction of light, then use that to ground the figures and cast shadows, as needed, to better integrate the characters. The bear on the surfboard is the most obvious place where a shadow would be appropriate. To better add depth there might even be a hint of a shadow from the rainbow on the water or perhaps the rainbow itself could be modified to show that it’s reacting to the surfer…the blur or liquify tool would be helpful with that. I would even suggest splashing some water (clone tool) up on the monkeys to integrate them into the surf. There’s lots of energy here…a few adjustments, as mentioned, would enhance the composition.

Katherine Case-What an interesting combination of images…very creative. I especially like the quality of the images you’ve used. They are very compatible in resolution. The water “flowing” offer her ”flowing” hair is quite striking. I especially like the bear at the top, where lighting and scale are believable. The two bears at the bottom should be larger to reflect the fact that they are closer to the viewer…I think this would make them standout better too. Based on the dominant light in the scene, there should also be a slight shadow cast on her arm from those bears. You’ve done a good job blending in the waterfall…but the gray area in the center looks overdone..too dark. I think making it a more irregular and lighter would help. The water rushing out of her hair (closest to her lips) could be masked-in to make it more visible and connected to the vertical water flow. One of the most creative compositions in class!

Joshua Hird-I think a photoshop artist got to that elephant before you did to give it that wonderful color treatment. You have definitely put this critter in an unexpected situation. The main comment I have it that It’s not an especially challenging blend. I think it would have been more interesting if the teacups were spinning in an unexpected environment with the elephant…like a jungle lair? The light on the elephant is coming from directly above and in the background it’s low and from the left. I would suggest softening the hard shadow on his back and add a cast shadow onto the base of the cup and platform to better ground him in the scene.

Shelley Leide-Lynch-You’ve definitely put this green critter in an unexpected situation where he’s even blowing smoke. The lizard has been selected very accurately and I especially like the shadow underneath which grounds him on the stick. The transparency of the smoke is pretty realistic. From a composition point of view, I would suggest using a simpler background. As is the lizard and smoke, in spite of their colors, are competing for visual hierarchy. What if he were sitting on or in something that might be responsible for the billowing smoke…maybe he’s on a giant pepper? You’re off to a good start telling us a story…suggest you make it more complete.

Monroy Group

Courtney Allred-What an elegant “peamingo”! You started with a great background and have very precisely added the head and tail feathers of the peacock onto the flamingo. The color transition on the neck is especially well done and the new plumage is believable. The only thing missing is an accurate cast shadow on the sand. The existing shadow of the flamingo is too small to be cast from all those feathers. Just make a selection on the sand that you imagine would be cast. Then use the levels adjustment to darken that area until the tone precisely matches the existing shadow. This is an easy fix…very nice work!

Lori DeLappe-Placing the tiger and baby in this room creates a very interesting contradiction. The environment brings soft and defenseless adjacent to wild and aggressive. I am most impressed with consistent quality of all your images and your selection and placement in the room is impressive. There is a problem with the direction of light coming in the room through the window and the very strong light on the baby (based on the cast shadow) and luminosity of the skin. The baby being so bright affects believability. I would suggest using levels to tune-down the baby image to better fit the overall interior. You may even lighten the cast shadows. I like the paws under the baby’s leg. What if the hand was behind or on his head? Any visual contact helps make the image stronger. Overall, a very creative composition…minor adjustments to lighting would enhance accuracy.

Amanda Jones-I really like the dark and somber tone of your critter flying through the ominously illuminated woods. You’ve done a great job of merging the cat’s head with the owl. It looks very realistic. The pattern on the head is a little more random that what nature might deliver. I think it would be interesting to show the cat-owl in more dynamic flight. I wouldn’t expect you to know how to do this at this point in the class but the technique we use is a motion blur. You would do this when the “bird” was on its own layer then duplicate that layer. The idea is to selectively blur the layer in the background by using filer>blur>motion blur or radial blur. It can create some really interesting effect.

Alisa Maeder-You did not include your starting images (small thumbs), but I can imagine that the small wings come off a goose or duck? The idea is very creative to show a winged zebra. It’s a very basic blend but you have done a good job of selecting the small wings off the original backgrounds. To be more realistic, you might consider changing the wings slightly.....it’s unlikely that they would be precise duplicates on each hoof. I would also put a second one on the right front..although you can’t see the leg the small wing would extend into view. Another thing I would consider is slightly darkening the wings to match the tone of the fur on the zebra. This would make it more consistent and believable.

Veronica Deltoro

Becom Group

Kristina Fahey-I must say, this is one unattractive little critter! I think it would be hard to cuddle a sloth as you would a cure puppy. Your blend is very basic and the head of the sloth has not been selected from the original to include the soft edges. The refine edges selection is the best way to achieve edges with smooth transitions. I can also see some stray fur from the puppy off the right cheek of the sloth. That should be cleaned-up. I would also suggest making the transition from sloth fur to puppy fur more gradual. There are a couple tools that will help do this…first try the clone tool with a very soft, 50% transparent brush and try to move dog fur up into the rougher fur of the head. You might also try the blur tool. It’s a pointed finger in the tool bar…drawing this tool across the transition line can make it blend. Be careful not to overdo.

Sarah Trattner-Your blend of the dog and seal was challenging. I appreciate the effort you put into transferring the pattern and color of the dog onto the seal’s body. This makes the image more believable. The transition at the neck is very well done. The only area that might be modified to look more realistic is the flipper.. Unlike the original, it looks rather flat. I would darken the curved edges (like original) with the burn tool . I think this would visually move it back and help add depth to make the dog’s face more clearly move to the foreground.

Lyubob Kaznacheyeva-This is kind of scary with a blend of bird, butterfly and lizard. I wouldn’t want to meet this flying critter. You have done a great job of selecting and reassembling the various parts into your new creature. The new pond environment is a perfect location for them. Based on the dominant light in the background, which comes from back left, I would expect the larger creature to be effected by that light. The wing in the foreground should be a little darker as light would be coming from behind and above. I would also add some simple highlights to the top of the head to acknowledge this light source. The burn/dodge tool could be used to make these lighting adjustments.

Taylor Group

Sabrina Guidi-Wow..your composition is very dramatic and painterly! You’ve done an outstanding job of illustrating the strong but variable light that that’s beaming down from the surface. I also appreciate the variety of images that you selected, modified and composed. The hair form the mermaid onto the dancer is especially well done. One of the best projects in class!

Corinne Seilahan-You’ve done an excellent job of joining the tiger and horse’s bodies. The transition is smooth and believable. Cleaning-up the background simplifies the composition. The lighting on the animals is very consistent. It looks like you may have brightened the tiger….looks very believable. You’ve cropped away the ground, which could be used to illustrate a shadow of the creature and better connect it in the scene. I think it would be interesting to try to capture the energy and motion in this leaping critter. Try doing this by first selecting the whole animal with the quick selection tool. Once selected copy>paste to create a layer on top of the original and then duplicate that layer. Try modifying the middle layer with the filter>blur>motion blur, which will apply a directional blur. The blur can be edited. Overall, you’ve done an excellent job.

Lea Winnen-Oh my, we have a kitty guru! You’ve certainly incorporated a variety of images in your composition. Good job selecting all the individual elements off their backgrounds. Once reassembled it looks like you took the dominant light in the forest into consideration. I see a cast shadow around the vessel and seated monk. It might be a little too strong on the left where the light would be strongest and maybe the left rim of the vessel should show a highlight, also based on this light source. To me the cat’s head doesn’t look as believable as it could. It physically fits but the lighting makes it look to sharp and bright compared to the other parts of the scene. The resolution of the cat image is much better than the monk. To make these parts more consistent, I would first select the head and use levels to tone it down a bit and then use the burn/dodge tool to shape it based on light coming in from top left. The right half of the head would be slightly darker to give it form. I think you have the award for most unexpected environment for your critter.