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#41 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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I'm not exactly sure why it seems like it would be more difficult. Maybe the fact that it's a semi-mobile object with (presumably) clearly defined edges moving in front of a background that would "highlight" those edges more so than a static image with assorted textures on it would (sort of a blending effect). Of course, the fish do both already and they look great (however they have more curves than, say, a large leaved plant would)... I guess since I haven't seen moving plants in front of a cycling gradient background and been impressed by it yet I'm thinking it must be more difficult than moving plants (or anemones, soft coral, etc) in front of a static image.
Another thought, if the plants were standing on their own and their movement didn't require a transition between overlaying the gradient and a background it would probably look better (well, be easier to do). I guess I'm just thinking about how I would do it, I'm not nearly as talented as Jim obviously so I see it as a problem myself.
I don't watch commercials.
Last edited by drfish; 12-17-2002 at 02:06 PM. |
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#42 |
Developer
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,785
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There will be a gradient background, and it will not be totally covered. I found early on that the fish need some open areas to be silhouetted against, or they get lost in the detail. This is even more true for the poor little drab freshwater fish.
Regarding moving plants: Yes, there is a difficulty in rendering plants against a gradient background, but perhaps it's not the problem you thought. When the plant is photographed against a blue background, then clipped out in a paint program by turning blue to transparent, the object still has an outline of almost-blue pixels that acted as anti-aliasing. If the plant is then pasted back onto a blue background it looks fine, but what if the background is black? If the background is a detailed picture, a lot of this is masked by the detail, but on a smooth ever-changing gradient, they really show up. On a plant with thousands of tiny tendrils, there can be hundreds of hours of removing these fringe pixels by hand.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
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#43 |
Green Frog
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Germany
Posts: 840
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Great to hear that things are going on
![]() ![]() PS: - Personally I owuld prefere a totally covered background, that blue or black in the saltwatertank doesn't fit to the rest, maybe you can set a deep see picture as background!? - Do you work with Photoshop? You can remove those pixels easyly with it... |
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#44 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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I know exactly what you mean Jim, and that's why I thought the edges would be hard to smooth against multiple colors at once (even if they were transparent) and still look good.
I just finished making Christmas cards with our Chinchilla on them, the only good picture I had of her was taken while she was in her cage against a black background and you could see the cage bars through the hair on her tail. I had to clip her out of that and then stick her on top of a white background for the card (did I mention she's black with a white belly?), it turned out great but took multiple hours, I even added a cute Santa hat. ![]()
I don't watch commercials.
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#45 |
Developer
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,785
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Sounds interesting, Doc. Why don't you post a pic?
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
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#46 |
Pet Shark
Join Date: Nov 2001
![]() Location: Back in Buffalo
Posts: 5,455
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Jim, thanks a bunch for the update. You described everything so well, I could actually picture you working.
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Patrick
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#47 |
Sage
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Hills, CA
Posts: 1,529
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Jim.
Do you use a digi cam or a film camera to do the work on the aquariums?
Bat rays? We don't need no stinking bat rays!
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#48 |
Developer
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,785
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Canon s20 digital for still shots, and Sony VX1000 for video (currently used for studying bubbles).
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium Last edited by Jim Sachs; 12-18-2002 at 12:05 AM. |
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#49 |
Registered
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 238
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Thanks for the update!! Sounds like a LOT of work. I'm really looking forward to seeing this.
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#50 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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Thanks for the interest Jim, I was hoping someone would ask...
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I don't watch commercials.
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#51 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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And this is the end result. My sister wipped up the background in just a couple minutes, she's very good with her Wacom Graphire drawing tablet.
I don't watch commercials.
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#52 |
Developer
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,785
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Ha, Ha -- Looks great.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
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#53 |
Green Frog
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Germany
Posts: 840
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Funny
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#54 |
is pleased
Join Date: Mar 2001
![]() Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Posts: 7,365
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*Love* the trees – I was going to ask if they were drawn using a drawing tablet, but then I read the actual text in the post...
/Tiny Oversight Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think.
"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history. |
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#55 |
Pet Shark
Join Date: Nov 2001
![]() Location: Back in Buffalo
Posts: 5,455
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Wonderful Christmas card! I'm gonna try something like that with my dogs!
Patrick
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#56 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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Yeah, that tablet was the best gift anyone's ever gotten my sister (I told my parents to get it for her) she uses it all the time. If you're into computer art at all it's a REALLY good way to spend $100, in fact it's cheaper than most good software and comes with some great software. The Graphire 2 is out now, nicer looking and more levels of sensitivity. My fiánce used it to write the "Ho. Ho. Ho." and did a pretty good job for never using it before (she wrote "Ho" about 30 times and I took the best one and copied it).
![]() Anyway, bringing this thread back to what it's supposed to be about... What kinds of plants are you putting in the tank, Jim? I mentioned amazon swords, one could make a great center piece plant. You mentioned plants with "thousands of tiny tendrils" and I thought of Cabomba, man, that would be a LOT of work. Are you going for more leafy plants or stringy grass like ones? There, that should get this back on track...
I don't watch commercials.
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#57 |
YT
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We will see the type of plants in the freshwater aquarium, i suppose.
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#58 |
Registered
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Lancashire, UK
Posts: 7,854
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My all time favourite was probably a Madagascar Lace-Leaf Plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis - I think!), when they get really big, and start to flatten out horizontally, they make a gorgeous centre piece. How about one in the centre of the new tank Jim? ....... though I bet it would be a pig to produce, - all that lattice work !!!
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#59 |
the Doc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Zeeland, MI
Posts: 5,355
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Whoa, that wouldn't be and easy one to clean up either! I'm going to have nightmares of clipping that plant pixel by pixel from a bluescreen...
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I don't watch commercials.
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#60 |
is pleased
Join Date: Mar 2001
![]() Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Posts: 7,365
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I second that. – Looks really cool though.
I found a picture for those of you that don't want to scour the web for one yourself. Tiny Second |
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