ronmatt

So I'm working on reflections and shading in PS, still trying to achieve a 3d app effect. I'm happy with my progress, but it's not 100% yet

http://img449.imageshack.us/img449/4822/watch26wz.jpg

richardtruss

well lets see, it's very nice for starters, and i like it a lot. some comments...first off i think the contrast in saturation in the band is a little too high...but yeah i dunno about it. on the face, the bright white glow gives the effect that there's a huge white light reflecting off of the surfact, yet none of the other parts of the watch display this effect. i think you could try and blur that 12 o'clock mark on the face a little, could also try one of those brightened blur kinda lighting effects protruding from the top of the face of the watch to the...head?. but overall, it's very nice, indeed

ronmatt

thanks for the critique, and welcome to the forum. Your points were well taken and I've done a quick revise.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/8...hrevise8tn.jpg

I agree that the face works better now, The desat on the band, well, maybe. I think it needs an entire 'new' band. -RM

Doodad

Question: Isn't there some way one can incorporate displacement maps with trying to create a reflection? It is, in a way, a mirrored displacement, isn't it? The object that will do the reflecting will be the actual grayscale displacement map, while the supposed "environment" that will be reflected will have this map applied to it. After that, you use this image as an overlay/screen layer for the object you want to do the reflecting.

Just an idea.

ronmatt

creating the refl. via displacement mapping would be the way to go doodad. I started out with this with a single quadrant, (25%) if the overall image and copied / pasted to complete it (360 degrees) and to a trained eye, it's obvious. I will build another one soon using the disp. map. and post it here, so keep an eye out.-RM

Silky

Oooo, looks pretty cool ron. I'm with doodad though, and I'd like to see how a displacement map would turn out. For me, reflections are one of the hardest aspects of an image to create realisticly. Reflections and shadows. [confused] So keep it up man!?

ronmatt

http://img302.imageshack.us/img302/7...tchcopy9oe.jpg

I'm really not particularly fond of displacement mapping. So instead I employ a different method of applying an environmental reflection to a reflective surface. ( as seen in the image posted) I know that 90% of the folks here prefer the standard way of doing things in PS, but as I explained when I first joined this forum, many of my techniques 'aren't' from the book. I'm working on a tute on how to do this. Keep in mind, I work in much higher resolutions so a lot of this stuff sort of looses in the reduction.

Silky

That looks better. I don't think very many of my techniques are from the book either, whatever that 'book' is. I think I might try messing with this. \:/

ronmatt

the book is the 'user guide' that comes with the program. [shhh] I actually open it once but got so confused that I promised myself never to do that again. I have preferred trial and error method ever since.

Doodad

Thanks ronmatt - look forward to seeing the tutorial - if everyone did stuff by the book there'd be no progress!

The second example you've posted looks much better than the first in my opinion - the different strap and texturing does add to this. However, I still think the displacement thingy (or perhaps using the liquify tool) will help on certain areas to distort the reflection a bit better - for example the bevel on the "chromey" part of the watch. The reflection does not seem to follow the contours of it. And I think the displacement map can be applied selectively - it need not be used for the whole image - perhaps just certain parts, such as the bevel grooves.

Maybe something else that can contribute is giving the glass watch face some flat facets around the edges which would show the reflection stronger than the rest - just to create some shape contrast? Though of course that depends on the "style" of the watch, etc.

I'll try to translate this into visible ideas when I have more time.