Ok, so this is the first time I've done something like this. I'm hoping someone out there can offer some good advice.
For one of my journalism classes I need to make an advertisement for a pair of shoes (Asics GT-2140) The professors really will accept anything and since I'm not really artistic, I figured why not try to photoshop something up?
So my idea is to have someone wearing the shoe and the background would be divided up into four equal parts (with sections where the backgrounds will mix with each other) so that I can get this whole "this shoe can go anywhere and do anything" vibe.
I've taken a picture of my foot in a shoe and "photoshopped" it into a pair of the shoes that I found a picture of online, and then I took that and placed it in a background kind of to test this out.
So, as you can see, it still looks fairly "photoshopped." I mean, I can turn it in like this and get a good grade, but I really want it to look professional. Anyone have any tips, comments, or critiques?
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I like this idea! It's very good, but the way you've chosen to express it...errrrr... not so much...
If I were to do a "This shoe can go anywhere" kinda ad, I'd suggest that the shoe was someplace AMAZING/DANGEROUS and survived. Like, maybe there is a shoe print in a very inhospitable place, like the tundra or the moon. Or maybe the shoe is frozen in a cube of tree zap, like the Jurassic Park mosquito, and the text reads "Really tough"
I dunno, don't be so obvious with your message. Suggest things to your reader.
Or things that would have gone better if the shoes had been used. Like a major sports failure or a historical disaster.
Then at the bottom show the number 2,752.
Below that it then says, "I won't be a statistic. Fuzz Shoes".
Okay maybe not.
More applicable to your technical problems, one of the issues you'll have to deal with when compositing pictures together the way you're doing it (at least, in my view) is getting consistent lighting (and consequently, coloring) in them, which is part of the tipoff in your proof-of-concept. I think the ideal would be to take a picture of someone (you, I would imagine) actually wearing the shoe in these actual places; the lighting differences between the places would probably read as more acceptable if you're careful about your blending, and if the pose between them all is reasonably identical. Obviously, that's going to be tricky if you want brand-spanking new shoes, but consider jeep commercials that show the vehicles caked in mud, wearing it as a badge of honor. Maybe there's something you've got that's new-looking enough (or something a friend has) that would work in the same way?
As for the picture bit, I suppose that may take a bit of photography expertise to pull it off so it looks professional; I think, though, that you might be able to make do, if your school has a DSLR camera that you have access to, and if you can get a hold at least of some floodlights, even if they're el cheapo hardware-store worklights. Those with more photography experience would know more, and may nix that suggestion (and I'd defer to them in that case), but it's worth considering, perhaps. I for one would be willing to help you out if you need photography tips. Photoshopping, that's less my domain (not that photography really is, though).
I've always thought of myself as the kind of guy who isn't really good at coming up with good ideas, but really good at delivering/adding on to someone else's.
I like all these ideas, haha.
I think one I'll be able to pull off is Cristoval's, although I'd love to do a "should have worn asics' shoes." and shoe some huge disaster. Although, that may be in bad taste.
Now I'm thinking 'shopping a pair of the shoes on like an astronaut..
Do you guys mind if I run off with these ideas?
Anyway, I googled for a while until I found a picture of a few buildings that looked alright. I made a few copies of it and stretched it out a bit, then I found a picture of a street (they're actually train tracks) and put that on the bottom, stretched it out a bit and tried to match the perspective..
The dust cloud I spent a while on. I ended up taking two pictures and mixing them together and then making two copies of that mixture and putting them in front of each other. I warped them both a bit and that's how far I've gotten..
I'm still working on the bottom, I might add a little more street to have some space in front of the runner when I add them in. What do you guys think?
Thanks! Yeah, the picture is going to be about 8x11, so that's just the top half.
That's so... awesome!?
If we are going to be in bad taste about it, add some light ash and papers falling around.
I think I'm about done. I blurred the building, replaced the shoes, and added a cloudy overlay thingy.
And yeah, it's the 9/11 idea, but I'm just going to say escaping a dust cloud... random dust cloud..
Edit: Oh, also, I moved her a bit..
Maybe try some focus to the picture as well, to direct the eye. Blurring objects in the distance can help, as well as darkening the boarders to produce a sort of "fish eye effect".
Example:
*shrug*
I might work on it a bit tomorrow. It's almost 2, so I'm about to pass out.
Thanks for all the help and the ideas, guys. I hope I win best in class (unlikely, couple hundred people), or at least best in lab (about 20 people)
....
s.. show me how to do that.
What all did you do? Blurred the background, darkened the corners, added another shadow to her along the ground and then added those specs everywhere?
How did you do those last two?
I tried it. I think I might burn it in a little more to make the lit bit in the middle a little less square. The "ash" stuff.. I just put a lot of white brushes then radial blurred it. How did you do it?
I just did a quick GIS of falling snow and layered it on top.
Maybe I'll add some debris like cars and stuff. I don't really want to have dying people on my ad, you know?
While that would be awesome, I don't think my professor would like that. I might make that anyway though haha.
Just saw that Nike already did something like this..
I hope there isn't an obvious example of what I did somewhere out there that my teacher may accuse me of stealing..
I got lazy and decided I was done. I know all the text stuff is really cheesy, but a majority of it is required (the tech stuff, sound body sound mind)
I have a list of headlines (the "tired of blah blah") to give to the teacher, so the one in the image is really just a place holder.
Thanks for all the help, guys!
OK, you've worked so hard on comming up with an idea and toiled over photoshop to make it work... and you're gonna throw it all away now? At the very end?!
Seriously, it's just a bit more to the end. Get your fanciest, grungiest font out and put it on the top. Don't make it so dull, like you did it in Word. Step up that layout a bit with a step composition for the top.
Tired of
racing
people?
At least that's something similar to how I'd lay it out. This is your chance to make a really cool duo-tone effect, like maybe the font could be red, or blue or... white is not bad... but red! Oh boy!
As far as the bottom is concerend, I'd be careful on how close I put text, logos and images to the edge of the page (or to each other). Your text is really long and the area you're putting it on is really small. You could play with the black area to have more breathing room.
Also, lastly, please don't break the picture with such a boring black block. Use a cool effect, like a broken page or a brush outline... it looks so... blech!
So I did all that before class this morning.
Blah.
Anywho, fonts help. Example:
Not a great example, since I just picked the very first font at the top of the list. But you get the idea.
Is it like, "Are you tired of racing, people?" or "Are you tired or racing people".
The second one doesn't make much sense in my mind.
Also, what episode of AD is your sig from Crunchy? I love it with or without context.
I honestly can't remember. All I know is that it's amazing.
Note to Self: Buy both seasons. Marathon them.
And I agree with what you're saying. To me, it made me think of: "Are you tired of racing PEOPLE? If so, then buy these shoes. You will be able to outrun High Priest Imhotep himself!"