Dave's Digitals

Thanks, Crank. Yep, working on a lot of the things you mentioned, and will keep it all in mind. Thanks.

As for the reflections, no, I haven't done anything with them since getting them in place. I plan on trying a few things I have in mind and have been wanting to experiment with. ... And yes, still working up the BG, started detailing the trees some more after finally getting more vegetation laid down. But got quite tired and had to stop for the night. Hoping to get some more done later tonight, but here's where it stands now.

Looking good. Don't forget some sub surface scattering on the skin. So areas like the bones would be pale and any fleshy areas would be saturated.

Yep, will do.

So last weekend, still a little upset about loosing the few custom brushes I had created/tweaked over the years for mostly working up BG's, I actually tried searching for some that might be close to what I had. But after a few hours, yes hours, I didn't find anything I thought was close enough to what I had. ... I did see some that appeared similar, but unfortunately those were made with CC, and would not work on my older version of PS CS4. ... So I actually pulled out all my old IFX disc from the mags (40+ ?) and began going through each one them all. This took even longer, going to each workshop section and downloading all the brushes that were made available. (Yes, I was desperate!) ... Though there were a few I think I may be able to work with, what I ready found out was that apparently there were a lot of crappy brushes thrown into these disc, and I could help think why? - If any particular artist didn't want to help others out by throwing in some nice brushes, or something they found to work great for them (And yes, there were a few) why just put in some simple brush such as a DOT, SQUARE, ETC. It was like they were told they had to include a brush, so some just tossed in something really lame, like ya go... I just really hated that I wasted time opening those.

But in looking for brushes, I actually started looking into the CC addition some, reading up on all the newer software and was wondering if it might be worth a look. From all that I read, I kept getting one point that was being tossed around quite a bit. "For those who already have CS5 or better yet, CS6, those people might not see the benefits. But those users still on later productions, such as CS3 or CS4, would probably find it very nice with all the enhancements made in the later upgrades, that were not available in the earlier versions."

So last night, after much reading, I decided to give it a go. I found you could try it out for a 7 day trial, which I'm currently doing. I have to say I only used it last night, which was mostly looking around seeing what all was in there. But have to admit, it felt quite nice. I like the overall feel of it, which appears to be a lot more painterly? It felt very smooth, and I really like a few of the functions I was able to find that were not available in my version. One of the things I found I really liked was the mixing brush. I've haven't done a whole lot with it, mostly experimenting, but it seems to be a very nice tool indeed. ... So I will continue to play around with it some more this week, but was actually wondering if anyone here uses CC, and what's your thoughts on it? I'm still not sure how I feel about the monthly fee, but at the same time, I'm not really put off by it either? I mean, the money I already spent on two versions of CS4, for both PC and Mac, is around or a little over $2,100.00. I figure it will take some time for me to spend that much using the CC version and at least you do get the newer add-ons and functions that would be offered that normally would only come with the newer versions?

And sorry, I didn't mean to type a book here. Just wanted to ask if anyone else uses it, and see what I might learn. Thanks in advance!

Still trying out CC, but did work it up a little more. Just roughed in some shoes, but not sure about them just yet.

After posting the above image, I've noticed the images are coming out darker and with deeper colors then I see on my monitor? I had this issue once before, just need to figure out what I did to correct it. ... Tried to post a side-by-side but having some issues. Need to look into it...

I don't have CC, or anything that costs that kind of money, but I do remember getting annoyed at IFX brushes that were no different from Ps defaults.
The best brushset I remember was from Lorland Chain/Chen Wei (or whichever name he goes by now) I think it was issue 77. It was a massive set with lots of varied types of brush for any task.

The background is looking amazing on your pic. I think it just needs the same amount of detail in the foreground, especially the clothing. The white fabric looks a touch plain and sort of over-exposed.

And colour-calibration is always annoying when you get a new screen/computer. I'm sure you'll get it sorted.

Thanks, Valence. Yeah, I never looked at the brushes when I was getting the disc regularly with the mag. But what a disappointment to find very mundane brushes thrown into some of them.

I'm also pretty sure I will keep using PS CC too. For the past couple days I've really enjoyed using it and some of the stuff I've come across seems quite nice compared to my CS4 version. For $9.99 a month, I don't see it being too bad and you get both Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC. Though I've never fooled with Lightroom before, I will look into it some and see what it's all about. ... Might even try to sell my CS4, at least the PC version, since I'm not using it. Will probably hold the Mac version for now. Maybe recoup some of the funds.

As for calibration, I already found one big thing. By default, it was set to CMYK, so I moved it to sRGB. I think this improved it some already. Will try to post something later tonight.

And yep, I'm moving into the foreground now. I already changed her shirt color and texture some, but to be honest, I'm having some issues with the skirt. I never intended to keep it white, but can't seem to find something I like yet? Tried a few different colors, but none seem to fit. Will try some more tonight.

Quick update. Still not sure about the skirt, but will work on it more this weekend. Did work up the shirt some. Plus, I'm hoping it post a little better now.

EDIT: (after posting) Colors still coming out very, very deep. So will keep looking into the posting issue and see if I can get it sorted.

EDIT2: Don't really know if this is the proper way of handling this issue, but it might be a work around for me, at least for now? After reading all about monitor calibration, etc. and even looking into switching my computer screen settings, I decided maybe a better way of adjusting an image to match what I see on my monitor, would be to add some adjustment layers before posting? ... So I spent nearly three hours posting, then correcting, then posting, correcting, etc. until I think I have it close. At least close enough that it's not bothering me as much. - This was mostly due to reading that since Apple iMac screens are made so bright, you can never really get them calibrated to begin with, no matter what you do. So, this is why I'm trying the adjustment layers. Hopefully others will see it as I have been now? I plan to check from work next Tuesday when I return.

Managed to do a little here and there. Just now starting to work the girl up...

Still working on the other piece, but actually wanted to try something out for work...