Introduction to Character Composites
Introduction to Character Composites
Class Description
AFTER THIS CLASS YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:
- Style a compelling character.
- Extract subject and replace background.
- Use textures and brushes to bring the subject into the image.
- Add a realistic atmospheric element.
- Color grade in Adobe Camera Raw.
ABOUT RENEE'S CLASS:
We can’t always shoot portraits in our dream locations. Sometimes we go to amazing places on vacation, or we find some great stock imagery online, and we want to transport our clients to somewhere special. For some artists, the most interesting places to create come from within.
For Renee, character portraits lean heavily on a compelling subject, something rooted in reality. In this class you will be guided through her process to style, pose, and hand paint texture and light to emphasize a portrait of a cowboy.
Take your studio portraits from clean and simple to compelling and eye catching!
WHO THIS CLASS IS FOR:
- Beginner and Intermediate Photographers
- Portrait photographers interested in compositing
- Beginner and Intermediate composite artists
- Artists interested in advancing their styling choices
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Photoshop 2019 (20.0.6)
Adobe Camera Raw
Lessons
- Introduction
Introduction to the class and overview
- Lighting and Concept
A quick guide to where the concept came from for the image and the lighting used.
- Cropping
Changing the aspect ratio of the image to make a more pleasing composition.
- Bringing in the New Background
Picking a proper background image and using the transform tool to fit it to the new crop.
- Masking
Using Select Subject and different hand masking techniques to create a seamless blend between subject and background.
- Creating Depth
Using a variety of techniques to create visual depth between the subject and background replacement.
- Painting Wet Rain on Costuming
Creating different layers of brush marks to make the illusion of wet costuming, of someone standing in the rain.
- Creating Rain Drops
Creating realistic raindrops and atmospheric depth from static pixels.
- Rain Touch Ups
Final touch ups on the costume to finalize the look of standing in the rain.
- Color Grading
Color grading using Adobe Camera Raw and smart filters.
- Sharpening
Using Smart Sharpen gently sharpen the image.
- Saving
3 different ways to save your image, including save for web.
- Summary
Quick walk through of the layers and progress in the composite.
- Outro
Quick final notes and thanks!
Reviews
a Creativelive Student
I've been compositing for a few years, but masking a subject always presents its challenges. Renée gave a series of tips that were very helpful, including information about how to use the "burn" tool to enhance a mask. That's something I'd never done before. Can't wait to try it! The part of the lesson that explained how to make the subject look as though his clothes had been in the rain was also an eye-opener. The method is simple, but the results are outstanding. I had tried making my subjects look as though they had been rained on, but it never looked real. Now I know how to fix that!