Lessons
Class Introduction
04:00 2Your Mind is the Camera
08:02 3Set the Scene
06:59 4Get Smart with Your Gear
03:20 5Posing Tips and Challenges
04:51 6Shoot Considerations
04:09 7Shoot Setup
13:02 8Shoot: Working With Animals
09:55Shoot: Creating the Look of Motion
08:54 10Shoot: Levitating Objects
11:04 11Starting the Composite: Organizing Your Images
12:37 12Working With Your Sketch to Assemble the Scene
11:23 13Selections and Masking
30:01 14Selections and Masking Continued: Painting Techniques
08:56 15Shadow Overlays
18:35Lesson Info
Class Introduction
today we're gonna talk about, uh, let's see how to shoot and composite levitating objects, although it's gonna be with an animal. So there should be some other additions to this and some other. There's be a child in this as well that I shot is just my own. So, um and then, yeah, then we'll actually get into the shooting. So it's gonna be from start to finish. We'll talk about sort of planning the mindset of what I go through, and it's really talking about how I do my own more personal projects, like the ones that we'll see here coming up here. Eso Here's here's some of the ones that I've done a lot of these air featured in the book where you get if you want to see how to do these, you can get they step by step instruction. I'll demo the one on the left a little bit to talk about, because that's more of the typical kind of in frame composite that you do that everything's right there. So you don't have to dio because this perspective right is this. You know the lighting, right, right, it...
's all there for you, so I'll show a little bit of editing those because that's that's a lot easier to work with all the content here. What we're doing here is basically compositing nightmare, but it's gonna be a lot of fun. So well, have fun with it. And it's any time you have a situation like this, it provides a lot of learning opportunities, so we'll sort of address those live, which would be really great. Eso yeah, on the left here is basically about this story where everyone sort of thinks their child a super right. But no, mine really is C s. Oh, that's that's the idea. You know, the narrative. That's when Mama on the right first found out that he was super special, like, Oh, no, he'll be fine. We'll talk about some of those on the ventures that we have, but you're going to get the idea of just sort of the fund that I have with it, right? I always have a little subject there that's good for any photo shoot. Now he's 4. on. I can say, Hey, you want to do, ah levitating something. We have, you know, an hour this morning and he's like, Yeah, So we go to some place and we just do a shoot. You'll see some pictures from that. Uh, let's see other families magic, right? It's just all imaginative. It's all what you get inspired by. And I'm obviously inspired by my child and having fun but also doing, ah, more of a narrative, a personal touch with it. What will talk about as we go but so little bit about by personal background. My Photoshopped story, uh, really began with what photo shop to when I first started playing with it. And before that it was, you know, paint. My father had a computer business before, passed away when it's nine and had the first scanners that would scan over things and spilled paint buckets. I've always been immersed in digital arts, and that's just been my thing. Uh, let's see. In education, I really started getting into compositing Mawr when I was in undergrad at UC Santa Cruz. Uh, slugs. Undefeated, right? There's no team. Uh, let's see. That's because they was playing more with fantasy, just really having fun, compositing, really anything. And then in grad school, that's when I really got into actually compositing more things and for narrative, I started doing more environmental work. So my education Yeah, I have a B A from UC Santa Cruz and then I have my Masters M f A and computer art from Syracuse University. Looks like Lindsay. You guys saw Lindsay some of that. Yes, she also went to Syracuse for school. Let's see. And then also a huge part of my photo shop Background is obviously my family, right? Taking things that are personal and personal narratives on the just having fun with him and relays tryingto exemplify what what I'm actually experiencing, you know, as a father and as just a multi multi task and manage and also have ah, little nut that is just literally climbing up the wall so I can make him climbing up the walls. Who thinks so? It's great on then, obviously, Yeah, this continual struggle with Photoshopped addiction? Yes. Oh, I'm an addict. It's just one of those things that I can't stop doing right once you start it. Once. Once I started doing composite specially with the little guy, there's been no video games, right? No, no, nothing. It's been the digital game of choice because It's just creativity. It's your mind you're imagining and you're playing right, so it's constant play. So that's what I like to do Photoshopped with. Then what's really awesome? Get to teach it right? So that's get to play and then teach other people play on do good work, you know, for strong concepts, but still if play.
Class Materials
Free Bonus Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Molly B
I agree a bit with Eric Burke's review (which was a thumbs down), however, I feel like this is neither a thumbs up or thumbs down recommendation, more like a 3 to 3.5 star rating. :) That said, I agree that there was so much talking and not doing in the initial portion of the class sections. I feel like when there is a class offered for Compositing, much of the science people want to know is in the editing tips and tricks AND some of the shooting tips and tricks. Photography of the subjects is important to understand, but examples of live shooting should be kept fairly minimal. Aaron Nace still nails the science behind planning and shooting for composites and also rocks in the editing (in my opinion). Brooke Shaden is also a good example on the editing details. I feel like Bret had something different to bring to the table from the class preview with puppet warp and some of the cutting / masking tips... I agree that all the editing portions of this were super rushed and just touched on a lot of last comments of "oh isn't this neat" and no in-depth instruction on how that feature is used. I just felt like he really ran out of time. At the end he talked about re-shooting the dog, perhaps he could have gone in to puppet warp to change the lower legs and tail a bit as an effort to make it look more like his sketch? Bret seems likable, but does continuously talk about side stories and extra noise that seems could be more focused on the topic at hand. :) I still picked up some tips, but this would be more ideal bought on a sale rather than full price. :) I have a lot of photoshop knowledge and own some other composite classes on CL, so I don't feel too lacking, but this would not be for a very beginner of compositing. I wouldn't mind seeing Bret back with a more refined class structure focusing on the magic of puppet warp and other tricks to get the most out of compositing.
s
Had a good time with this course! Bret is a great instructor, you can really tell he enjoys his work and has a lot of fun engaging the audience. I've done some compositing in the past but with a much older version of PS. This course really helped me take advantage of the new features in PS CC and also helped streamline my workflow. It's a course that both experienced and beginner compositors alike can learn from. A big thanks to Bret Malley and CreativeLive for making this course!
Student Work
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