Author Topic: work in progress (1) feedback wanted  (Read 564 times)

Offline Treize69

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work in progress (1) feedback wanted
« on: April 22, 2006, 01:37:59 AM »
This is the first Gustav I have done that I have really tried to weather, I'm looking for some feedback. Please be gentle, remember that its both my first try and by no means finished.
Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

Moartea bolșevicilor.

Offline Treize69

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work in progress (1) feedback wanted
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2006, 01:38:32 AM »
from another angle...

Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

Moartea bolșevicilor.

Offline Treize69

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work in progress (1) feedback wanted
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2006, 01:39:36 AM »
NOW another angle...
Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

Moartea bolșevicilor.

Offline Treize69

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« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2006, 01:40:35 AM »
last one.
Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

Moartea bolșevicilor.

Offline Krusty

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« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2006, 12:03:38 PM »
I don't like what you've done with the panel lines. It looks like they simply have a diffuse shadow around all of them, and looks unnatural. I get the idea you were going for (faded paint on the panels) but I don't think it worked.

I tried several things for "worn paint" on 109s/190s... I was only semi-happy with a couple of ideas.

- copy your rivet layer. Set opacity to 100%. Zoom in so you can see 12 or so in an area clearly. Guassian blur them, adjusting the slider until you cannot see the individual rivets, but can see a cloudy line along the path of the rivet line. Move this layer UNDER your existing rivet layer, adjust the opacity and blending so that you get a worn paint effect. This has the benefit of not following the panel lines (follows rivets instead) so it doesn't look so obvious.

- This one I had varrying degrees of success on. Select a grey color and a white color. Make the grey have a dark shade and make the white non-pure. Create a new layer. Filters > Render > Clouds. Filters > Sylize > Wind... and choose "Blast" and "from left" or "from right" depending on which way the airflow over that part fo the skin would go. Select the part you're working on (wing for example) so you have it outlined, move to the new layer with the wind blasted cloud, invert selection and clear, so that you just have it over that part. Reduce opacity very low (15% area) and play with the blending. You can also play with the bright/contrast of this layer to make it show up better. It gives you a subtle wear pattern on your paint, enough to make it look streaky but not ugly. If you think it's too obvious, tone down the opacity

- I've not used this much but I've figured it out. Put a white gradient on a new layer. Fade it to transparent. Place the gradient along leading edges (prop, cowling ring, if a radial engine, wing leading edges, tail stab leading edges, etc) and then reduce the opacity and blending so it looks like the paint that hits the wind first is wearing away and fading. Don't make it a long gradient, just about the length of the curve of the leading edge.

That is my limited weathering expertise.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2006, 12:05:44 PM by Krusty »

Offline DiveFlap

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« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2006, 08:35:35 PM »
quick question, how do i go into a paint mode?
:cry

Offline Treize69

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« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2006, 09:13:35 PM »
This look a bit better Krusty? No paint chips, doirt or scratches, just a fading test.
Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

Moartea bolșevicilor.

Offline Krusty

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« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2006, 12:21:15 AM »
Similar to FTJR's p51, all I can say is "I can't put my finger on it, but something's off"

Sorry, maybe it'll come to me in time.

EDIT: Maybe the rivets themselves are throwing me off. Can you reduce their opacity by half of whatever it is now? I think that maybe the shaded blending you have around them is good, but I'm mentally stopping at the rivets.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2006, 12:24:03 AM by Krusty »

Offline Greebo

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« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2006, 05:32:32 AM »
Using gaussian blurred layers for the rivets and panel lines is a useful weathering shortcut, but its not the whole answer. This sort of thing looks too uniform by itself. You need variation, some bits of an aircraft get much dirtier and worn than others.

Firstly, with your existing rivet/panel line dirt layers, try making them a little more variable. Select an eraser tool about 10 pixels wide and with low density and medium opacity. Use this to make angled semi random sweeps all over each layer. You can erase them more in the cleaner areas of the plane.

I like to create an overall dirt wash too. This is done using a wide dirt coloured airbrush tool set to very low density (1-2% typically). I spray this over the whole painted area of the airframe, concentrating on the dirtiest areas (wing walkways, leading edges of airframe, undercarriage etc.) Once done, this is gaussian blurred by a pixel or two. Then the layer gets faded down so it just barely visible. I usually do this layer twice, but with a different colour and using motion rather than gaussian blurring on the second layer (in the direction of airflow on each panel).

A dirt streak layer would add a lot to the skin. Use a 5-6 pixel medium density airbrush tool to create a variety of different streaks. Each streak should get narrower and fainter to the rear. Like the streaks you have on the bottom of the fuselage, but they need to fade a bit more to the edges and most of them should be much fainter.

Once you have 10 or so streaks of differing size, density or colour, you can copy and paste them around the plane. Place them behind panel lines and hatches and anywhere fluids would leak (cowling hatches) and in the direction of the airflow. Turbulent air created by imperfections on the surface allows dirt to stain the surface. You can partially erase or colour change some of the streaks to add more variation.

Once done, each weathering layer should be faded down so it just barely visible. It can be frustrating to make a load of work almost vanish, but you don't want any one effect to leap out at you. The whole thing should blend in to a grubby looking whole.

One thing I do on my skins is create two strengths of panel lines. One layer is all the heavy lines; engine and gun hatches, undercarriage doors, control surface edges etc. The other is all the lighter lines, airframe panel joins etc. Try copying your panel line layer, then erasing all the less important lines on the copy.

Some more paint chipping on the edges of the cowl and gun hatches would look good.

The exhaust streak need to fade at the edges a bit more, maybe a gaussian blur?

That's all I can think of for now, hope its been of help.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2006, 06:11:56 AM by Greebo »