Not as pretty, but production time was limited to minutes 😉
Match
I would like to come back to this at some point and try to nail the carbon match tip texture. This isn’t a bad effort by any means, but there isn’t enough variety to either the pattern or color to be truly photo-realistic.
In that vein, some variation to the cardboard stick itself, especially on the edges, and maybe a bent crease or two would complete the illusion.
The whole world
This is my first rough attempt at this effect. Weaving together the grass is by far the hardest, but also the most fun part of the process. I will definitely be taking another stab at this… after a visit to the coast for some image gathering.
Flames and such
Realistic flames from scratch are one of the hardest things I have ever attempted in Photoshop (or other image platforms for that matter).
I don’t quite have it yet, but keep getting closer.
Sometimes I think the trick is layering, which is what I tried a bit of here (as well as liberal use of smudging, shape burst gradient stroking, and some liquify). Finding the right degree of randomization is tricky.
It is tempting to use a pattern fill from a photo of flames, but far more satisfying to spend an hour pushing light around.
I do love photoshop so.
A great meal is finished with great plating – a great image is finished with great presentation of its own.
My DNA
This was a fun little weekend project. I would love to find the time to start doing sophisticated 3D modeling again, if only to achieve the ability to render reflections easily.
I began with a very simple concept and a wireframe to anchor the idea in my mind.
This was functional, but not nearly as slick and polished as I was looking for. This graphic was to adorn my home page, to the side of my welcome text, so I really wanted it to pop and look somewhat polished.
My second effort was much more sophisticated, and now that I have a handle on the steps to get this far in photoshop, I am confident that I can do even better.
The trick with this sort of work is always (at least for me) in the commitment to effective layer management. Smart objects and layer articulation can save massive amounts of time, and if you are careful to archive backup layers as it evolves, they can save heartache too.