From: Eagleshieldsbay, Sweden Insane since: Nov 2001
posted 05-12-2006 00:41
Hi!
Been a while since i been in this forum for a reason.
So I'm playing with this image and trying to recreate burnt wood effect.
This is how far i've got...
I know you've asked for help on the burnt effect, but I thought I'd comment on the liquid metal bits.
First of all, liquid doesn't have edges - try bringing the shapes into a new channel, tossing a moderate gaussian blur on them and adjusting the levels to give you a nice crisp selection. You may want to consider significantly smoothing the bevels as well since liquid will not form in that way.
Secondly, the reflection is too obvious. I can clearly see snowy houses, trees, etc. Looking down onto a wooden table, this is the last thing I'd expect to see reflected back at me. Try obscuring your reflection image by bluring or, or tossing some random distortions into it.
Now, as for the burnt effect - your burns are too light and too uniform. I doubt liquid metal would actually burn wood in this fashion in reality, but if it did I can't imagine it would burn so neatly. Fire/heat is chaotic and leaves chaotic patterns. Try adding some randomness into the mix.
I had a very long reply here...seems to have been eaten somewhere along the way
SYnax seems to have covered the same basic points as I did though...so I won't go through it all again.
Main issues condensed:
1) shape/form. your 'liquid' is very angular....make the shapes flow!
2) depth - liquid does not bevel! Round that surface off (lighting effects is your friend)
3) reflection - the best thing you can do is get outside and look at chrome! you will never see a flat dull reflection of a scene like that, and you will rarely see that level of detail retained.