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[pbacot]

All great images, David. How do you draw the distinction between photorealistic and artistic? I think most would accept some of the first pictures as PR. Some pros might point out details in lighting, as you say.

If you will, what is the best method for localized masking in this sort graphics?

Thanks for the new posts. Regards, Peter

[stoferr]

Very nice images, I like the integration of vegetation and building.

[davidh]

A low evening sun shot with a much more detailed foreground.Again this foreground is made up of numerous layers overlayed and blended together.I removed the cloudy sky and preplaced it with a more clear sky as I felt the image needed a peaceful/blank area to offset the foreground detail.It also helps to accentuate the building.

Pbacot,
This is what I would refer to as more photo-realistic than the previous images,although it does have some "artistic flurishes".
The main difference between what I call Photorealistic and non-photorealistic with my images is that in the non photorealistic images I dont spend as much time adding shadows to the vegetation.While I try and use entourage that reflects the lighting of the original render,its not that important for me in NPR ,except if there was a large element such as a foreground where it would look odd if it didnt cast a shadow.

With the image below I spent a while adding highlights to try and match the low evening sun which would be to the left in this image.
I burnt in some additional highlights to the main rocks at front and a couple of areas of grass that popped up in the middle ground.

The easiest way to use masking is to copy in some planting on a new layer and add a layer mask.
Then using the gradient tool drag where you want the planting to start fading.then apply the layer mask.I would usually do this a couple of times for each piece of planting until I feel it sits well enough with the surrounding plants.This Technique can help to fill in the foreground with a lot of detail very ,very quickly.

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[kais]

nice work congratulation
cane we seed nice collage ----

[davidh]

I felt the foreground rocks in the previous image were a bit too strong so I added some additional grass to soften it.This was then colour toned to try and match the grass behind.

The second image is a wide shot of the building,again with a low angled sun.I noticed after rendering that the bump map for the standing seam on the copper roof is inverted and consequently the ridges are now indentations,I'll have to fix that later.

Regarding low angle sunlight,one of the things it does is pick up texture/bump maps very well if the light is coming at an angle to the bumped map surface.It also creates,in my opinion much better moods for rendering.
(there is a slight texture on the second image as there was a fair bit of grain in the render.By adding a small amount of texture it helps to hide these artifacts and also helps to tie the whole image together.

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[cadmunkey]

@davidh said:

2 more versions with different vegetation.

Those 2 are my favourites, cracking shots!

[davidh]

A simpler foreground with the low evening sun.I sometimes use lens flares in photoshop but usually only on the very edge,suggesting the sun.Its a little bit overdone here,but I wanted the effect of a bright,warm summer sun burning thru the tree.The sun is actually more to the right in the render but I guess you can call this artistic licence!

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[davidh]

A revised version of the previous image.I felt the warm evening sun needed to be reflected more in the trees and vegetation,so the overall tone is that of a golden brown.
I also added the road to the front which as its darker,helps to accentuate the light on the middle ground and the T junction also helps with the dynamic lines of the overall image.

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[davidh]

And the final image of this building.I wanted to make the image more organic and reduce the amount of straight lines and added the path instead of the road,with the additional foreground tree.

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[pbacot]

David,

It's a treat and a great help to follow your thoughts on this. I like this last one best! The background forest in the former one was a little "threatening". With the foreground, this is very friendly but I wonder if the owners expected a sand driveway. It looks like one of the victims of the recession. Never leased or got the parking lot.

Peter