Photo Editing - Space

[Crazy bricks]

I've been having some stabs at editing my ships into space scenes - with mixed results! Here are two of my MOC edits I did over the last few days, and I'm not very happy with how they turned out. Anyone have any tips for making the photos fit the backgrounds any better?

 

[ForgedInLego]

A good start is to get lighting that lines up with the background, after that play around with filters and saturation until it looks half decent

[Kage Goomba]

Don't suppose you could give me suggestions or help for my TIE Defender? Trying to get plans together for my debut at a convention in August. :)

[Crazy bricks]

14 hours ago, ForgedInLego said:

A good start is to get lighting that lines up with the background, after that play around with filters and saturation until it looks half decent

I've found that, the Lambda one was the first I did and I think the lighting direction was very off. The Y-Wing I think was closer, but it still needs work.

[ForgedInLego]

11 hours ago, Crazy bricks said:

I've found that, the Lambda one was the first I did and I think the lighting direction was very off. The Y-Wing I think was closer, but it still needs work.

Ok, took a quick stab at it with an unfinished MOC, and while its nowhere close to perfect, I think a higher contrast between the lit areas and the unlit areas really help it pop. I'd choose a brighter space background if you want to show off the models though

17 hours ago, Kage Goomba said:

Don't suppose you could give me suggestions or help for my TIE Defender? Trying to get plans together for my debut at a convention in August. :)

Funny you mention a TIE Defender :)

 

 

 

Here's also a photo of my highly complex lighting setup

Once my 2x 75348 TIE Interceptors smashed together into a Defender is done I'll take a more professional stab at it, but right now a windows update is trying to brick my computer :/

[Kage Goomba]

ouuu.....def food for thought.

[pqdz]

What app did you use to edit?

[ForgedInLego]

2 hours ago, pqdz said:

What app did you use to edit?

I used Gimp, its free but that's the first time I've ever used an actual photo editing software so I don't know how it compares to others.

[Crazy bricks]

On 5/6/2023 at 3:19 AM, ForgedInLego said:

Ok, took a quick stab at it with an unfinished MOC, and while its nowhere close to perfect, I think a higher contrast between the lit areas and the unlit areas really help it pop. I'd choose a brighter space background if you want to show off the models though

Funny you mention a TIE Defender :)

 

 

 

Here's also a photo of my highly complex lighting setup

Once my 2x 75348 TIE Interceptors smashed together into a Defender is done I'll take a more professional stab at it, but right now a windows update is trying to brick my computer :/

I think you nailed the angle there, it's just the lighting part that can be really difficult. I'd be intrigued to know how Lego does their box art, I know it's not photos but some of the principles would be similar. 

[Dillan23]

On 5/6/2023 at 5:19 AM, ForgedInLego said:

Ok, took a quick stab at it with an unfinished MOC, and while its nowhere close to perfect, I think a higher contrast between the lit areas and the unlit areas really help it pop. I'd choose a brighter space background if you want to show off the models though

Funny you mention a TIE Defender :)

 

 

 

When setting up a photo editing space, lighting and color are key. A neutral, balanced color palette can make a huge difference in how you perceive your edits. I recently came across this great resource for creating a custom beige color. It offers a beautiful beige palette that can help set a calm, focused tone for your workspace, which is essential when editing photos for hours. As for the space itself, ergonomic furniture and a clutter-free desk will keep you comfortable and productive.

Once my 2x 75348 TIE Interceptors smashed together into a Defender is done I'll take a more professional stab at it, but right now a windows update is trying to brick my computer :/

Cool!

Edited March 31 by Dillan23

[Daiman]

Quite honestly I don't think software matters as the human input is whats important here and you only need a few basic tools which the all seem to have.

One thing you could try is to make a second ship layer and try a very small amount of blur and motion blur to get rid of the hard edges and suggest motion.

This could be on top and transparent to the main ship layer or underneath depending on how it turns out.

Good luck!