Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : "the next saga" Bookcover improved
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 01:38 AM
i had to change her jeans to a dress, adding a proper perspective to her, make another bg for the back cover and other stuff like re-do the lighting manip cause it wasn't working so well
how is it now?
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2267/previewtx0.jpg
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2267/previewtx0.jpg
GraphixNPrint
09-27-2007, 01:43 AM
I like this one, the back cover "S" I think I would lighten the gradient upwards to make it stand out just a little more
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 02:01 AM
I like this one, the back cover "S" I think I would lighten the gradient upwards to make it stand out just a little more
not a bad idea thnx
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 02:30 AM
heres a quick update: feathered her a bit more and added shadows and added contrast to the dress - due to ppl saying she seems like floating
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/982/previewex5.jpg (http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6857/previewtd5.jpg)
Drazan
09-27-2007, 02:42 AM
I think the floating comment is because it looks like light is coming under her (armpit) area. That area should be shadowed.
I remember the other cover, and the skirt (photoshopped?) in is very well done.
I don't get what the red dots are by her neck. Is it blood? (first thought) or is it rose petals? (second thought). Either way, the placement looks awkward.
Also there is blatant light behind her and no "halo" around her hair, and there's no shadow under her cheek.
I agree that the "S" symbol on the back cover should be much lighter, maybe even gilded as you have the front lettering.
Jade
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 03:24 AM
I think the floating comment is because it looks like light is coming under her (armpit) area. That area should be shadowed.
I remember the other cover, and the skirt (photoshopped?) in is very well done.
I don't get what the red dots are by her neck. Is it blood? (first thought) or is it rose petals? (second thought). Either way, the placement looks awkward.
Also there is blatant light behind her and no "halo" around her hair, and there's no shadow under her cheek.
I agree that the "S" symbol on the back cover should be much lighter, maybe even gilded as you have the front lettering.
Jade thanks, really helpful insight, jade.
wow you are spot on that under her armpits should be shadows
yeah the red dots are rose petals from the original stock.. okay i cloned them off ( couldnt be bothered before, but now i guess my teacher's forcing me to have this as a good portfolio piece).
ive tried to add more of a shine on her hair and i think its hard to try putting a shadow under her cheek cause the lighting is intense.
heres an update
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1522/coverhz6.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1522/coverhz6.jpg
Drazan
09-27-2007, 03:30 AM
I think this is coming right along.
one thing. - look at the sword and the ribbons around its middle.
It looks like the sword is broken.
For the shadows around her face, just put the barest touch around her chin and lip area.
This is 10 times better than your original. :)
Also: I've made it a habbit that everything I do and create is a potential portfolio piece. It's a good habbit. :)
Jade
Drazan
09-27-2007, 03:31 AM
ps. I have that exact (or close to it) sword hanging on my wall. :)
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 04:02 AM
quite honestly , i havent really recieved this much helpful feedback from a forum in one go...
the sword was a careless mistake i guess when i was distorting the perspective i might have selected another half of the sword forgetting that it would cut it in half , lol. i'm really grateful that you pointed it out thanks
ps. I have that exact (or close to it) sword hanging on my wall. :)
hey then next time you could pose for me! :D
frankster
09-27-2007, 05:01 AM
A quick way to make her feel more like she's on the ground would be to add some hair...
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5369/hairaddonni8.jpg
blackmarker
09-27-2007, 05:09 AM
I nocited the sword as well, but I wasn't sure if that was intentional (to the story). The head area doesn't sit well with me either, it looks obviously "clipped". I like frankster's idea in using the hair. I feel like you need to do some work to make it appear the head is actualy resting on something.
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 05:20 AM
frankster - wow, that hair really matches.. if you dont mind could you send me the stock (if the quality is decent)?
I nocited the sword as well, but I wasn't sure if that was intentional (to the story). The head area doesn't sit well with me either, it looks obviously "clipped". I like frankster's idea in using the hair. I feel like you need to do some work to make it appear the head is actualy resting on something.
yeah.. i overdistorted her body so much that the head was looking very distorted so i had to place back the original head
blackmarker
09-27-2007, 05:22 AM
I know it's kind of anal, but regarding the drop shadow on the front cover text - I would increase the "spread" and maybe the "size". Realistically the definition on a shadow is usually not that defined. IMO, drop shadows work best when they are understated. I usually work with it just enough to get some lift, usually low definition around the edges...opacity of 20-35% in "normal" light. I understand you will need to bump it up considerably in a shadowy environment. "Spread" will give you coverage between the text and the outer edge of the drop shadow.
Cixxy
09-27-2007, 05:30 AM
yea ur right, will do mate thx
frankster
09-27-2007, 05:36 AM
It's not a stock image that I got the hair from. Sorry. It was a low res image. I just took a few sections from an upright portrait shot, and a blonde one at that, so it should be easy to do yourself if you trawl for a few stock images.
frankster
09-27-2007, 08:26 PM
Hm, image shack seems to be having a spaz at me. I'm just posting this again to see if it continues to spaz out or not... seems that it thinks some of my uploaded images no longer exist. weird.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3192/hairaddonjb3.jpg
edit: well, ok, so that one still exists. curiouser and curiouser. Anyone else had image shack throw a tantrum at them?
Danger_Mouse
09-27-2007, 08:55 PM
Grreat job! I remember seeing your first version and as Drazan said, 10 times better!
Outside everyones points the only thing it the bright areas of the light. Maybe TOO much contrast? I don't know....it may not look good if you took the contrast of the area down. Might be worth trying. Might look better as is.
Again, nice work.
The image composite is terrible.
I'd start there.
The image looks totally separate from the background.
Danger_Mouse
09-28-2007, 12:19 PM
^ yeah but its not how it was masked as much as the glaring background, I think dimming it a bit might take that sharpness away.
I think its the perspective. Instead of a overhead of the path way you would want a near eye level shot… I think.
Virgo Nightingale
09-30-2007, 04:35 AM
I'm not sure what it is, but it doesn't quite look natural to me. I don't think it's the perspective so much as the discrepancies in coloration and shadowing. Light seems to be coming from different directions. I feel her skin should look more like it's in the shadows.
Did you have to photoshop out some nips? She looks like she's juuuust about to flow over the top edge of that dress.
vxhorusxv
09-30-2007, 05:10 PM
The fading of the skirt is pretty impressive, I really like it and the typographic changes you made from the original were DEFINITELY for the better [kudos!], but I would probably remove the model from the front photo.
Despite being extraordinarily wordy, I like to leave certain things unsaid and I think leaving her might be an interesting option for you to discuss with the client.
And on the cover the "from the bestselling author" just looks odd to me. I think it is because it is on two lines mixing caps and italic, it just detracts from the author's name to my eye. Could you shrink that down a little and combine it onto one line? I realize that might be a marketing requirement, so just something to think about.
vxhorusxv
09-30-2007, 05:11 PM
*leaving her OUT might be an interesting option.
Sorry, need coffee.
Drazan
10-01-2007, 12:26 AM
perspective looks odd because she is laying down while seemingly to hold up the sword away from the ground. Adding hair, such that Frank suggested, would help the harshness around her face.
steve2112
10-01-2007, 01:57 PM
i think tz is right about ther perspective. The thing that gets me is that you need to have some of that yellowy/slight orange light hitting the girls head. There should be a slight yellow light on here head from the light sourse in that hallway. The lighting on here is drastically different. It is much blue and needs to be warms up. try duplicating that layer and fill just here witha gradient of yellow light the hallway to something else and play with the opacity of that.
steve