This time round, I tried to take more screenshots

Getting the different pieces:

I had this from a trip to the Etosha National Park earlier this year:

Plus some stock-photography:

Masking and positioning

There are different ways you can get this step done. You could use the pen-tool too for example. I just chose to brush out parts I didn't need.

Preparing the background

Converted the image to black & white:

Added some clouds - just because I can

And came up with this...

Putting it together

This was the hardest step really. I try to re-draw light in the image and try to draw the attention of the viewer to certain areas of the picture

The mask resulted in some hard-edges, so I gaussian blurred it a little

Added noise:

And gave it a cyan-tint

Some magic

I used a couple of brushes to make this

The final image

And a little bit of tweaking later...

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I had this idea for a couple of days and finally decided to do it yesterday. This was the process (very very roughly)

Step 1: Getting the initial photos

This is the embarassing part. You'll look silly almost no matter what - trying to get a self-portrait in a suitable position that you envision. A camera on tripod, remote control and bounce-flash later though (thanks, I like my bedsheets too):

Got some stock-photography from Pierre on DeviantArt

Step 2: Putting the 2 together

I had to give the photo a bit more room at the top, so I photoshopped some more wall there. With composites, sometimes I'll mask out the individual parts as precisely as I can initially and save the respective masks in my channels. In this case, I put them together first and then masked it all together. I think that's a mistake and I should have masked the subject first (me) then masked the television. Could have saved myself quite a bit of time afterwards.

Step 3: Magic

OK, so I skipped a lot of steps - my bad - I didn't take any screenshots. I was too busy wondering "how the hell am I going to get this to blend". I guess there's always a point in these highly-processed photos where I say "I should stop right now, this is just not working", but I keep on going because it's taken so much effort already. Eventually, there's a point where I say "oh, I might have something here". I suppose that makes it all the more rewarding in the end.

I use a lot of different filters and textures and try to burn-and-dodge a lot.

Step 4: Colouring and painting light

I hate masking and I love "painting-light" and manipulating it. I think that if I actually loved masking, I could have some really amazing work.

At this point, I also did a bit of liquifying and stretched/distorted parts of the photo.

Almost 3 hours later, this was the final shot:

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As free as it gets. No attribution necessary.

Download texture_090822.zip (7.3mb)

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Free texture for commerical/non-commercial work (creative-commons license):

If you do use it, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Download (4.75MB, zip)

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You can download the firmware here - EOS 40D Firmware Update Version 1.1.1

• Fixes a malfunction that in rare occurrence causes a low battery indication to be displayed when using the EF 85mm F1.2L II USM lens. Depending on the battery check timing of the camera, the battery level displayed on the camera’s LCD data panel may shows Battery will be exhausted soon or Battery must be recharged, even though the battery capacity is sufficient.
• Fixes a malfunction that in rare occurrence causes an Err 06 Self Cleaning Sensor malfunction to appear on the camera’s LCD monitor and LCD data panel, even when the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit is operating normally. This message may appear depending on the timing of when the camera is switch to the ON position.
• Fixes a malfunction that prevents correct colors from being printed when direct printing. RAW images captured using the camera’s custom Picture Styles (Emerald, etc.), which have been downloaded from Canon’s Web site and registered under User Def. 2 or User Def. 3.
• Modifies the level of subject brightness that causes the AF-assist beam to fire when using an external Speedlite.
• Enables an external flash connected to the camera’s synchro terminal to fire even when the camera’s built-in flash is popped up.
• Version 1.1.1 firmware is for EOS 40D cameras with firmware up to Version 1.1.0. If the camera’s firmware is already Version 1.1.1, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

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Below is a before-and-after comparison of a photo I've been working on retouching:

Took me almost an hour and a half to do, but it was completely worth it in the end.

Will post the photo to Flickr later on today.

UPDATE:

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One solution would have been to use a rubber-filter-wrench - but I couldn't find one. So I figured out the easiest solution was to use some masking-tape: Apply the masking-tape around the filter 2 or 3 times and make sure it's stuck-on really tight. Then twist - hopefully that should give yourself more surface-area to get it off.

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How's this for a great idea:

“MethodIzaz is a unique photography experience. Subjects are unaware of the exact moment they will be photographed and of the photographer's identity. Instead, the subject is photographed completely naturally, living life as normal.

MethodIzaz will provide you with a portfolio of pictures representing the fleeting moments of an authentic lifestyle. The photographs will allow you to remember these moments later in life. They will also give you a new perspective on the everyday, letting you see yourself and your surroundings through the eyes of an artist.

Using information provided earlier about their weekly routine, the photographer will arrive on the scene, and unseen, take shots of the subject. The subject will be photographed walking through the streets, going about their daily business. Without posing and artifice, the camera captures only the natural beauty of the person.”

http://methodizaz.com/

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You might have seen this effect:

It has become pretty easy to do in something like Adobe Lightroom. But - if you're interested in the manual process, here's one way of doing it:

1. Convert an image to B&W using your preferred method (desaturate or channel-mixer or other)
2. Duplicate layer (CTRL-J), use smart-sharpening filter (optional)
3. Flatten (SHIFT-CTRL-E)
4. Add a Colour Balance layer adjustment, select SHADOWS -> Move the yellow-blue sllider to the right. Move the cyan-red slider to the left.
5. Add another colour balance layer adjustment, select HIGHLIGHTS -> Move the cyan-red slider to the right this time. Move the yellow-blue slider to the left.
6. Select the blending options for the current layer-adjustment. In the blend-if section, select 'blue' from the drop-down
7. Move the left slider first to about 60, then press ALT and drag it to about 200 till you have the effect you want.
8. Flatten image
9. You can reduce the saturation on it at this stage and you can also use the burn tool to emphasize shadows

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