i am wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction here i was trying to get in this image

http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/105039/even-hobbits-need-police.html?nocache=1

the hobbits to blend in more to the photo to make them look like they were meant to be there rather than chopped in

whats the best way to do this is it with levels or what as i am a newbie at photoshop and thought this would be a good place to see how and what other people do and can prduce with the program

Regards

PS i have photoshop cs2

help her guys

Hey Blade, I think I would have kept the grate as large as possible, so you could see what it was you were trying to do, some battles are not worth fighting though, lately if I have an idea that won't work, I try not to post, if you noticed, I don't post much anymore but don't give up, it's a tough crowd around here, and look out for that shady guy, he's really mean sometimes

thanks for the replies guys (PS i am male)

i think maybe i worded it what iwas after incorrectly

i was trying to see if there was anyway of making the hobbits appear none chopped and rather to be partof the image rather than stark as they are now

Regards

u a man?.?.?.well i can't really$ do nothiung for ui sorry$

ok here goes my best explaination. But before all of that i have to say you should have really posted after the comp, especially since this contest is ANONYMOUS (doh!). seconly these point are all just my humble opion.

Ok your first problem is your background and your hobits are at 2 different picture qualities, which is never a good place to start. it probably not your fault however as good quality mugshots are few and far between in my experience.

your second problem (but more of a minor one in this case) is difference in perspective. It would work better had you pulled up the hobbits so the center of the hobbits pic is in line with the center of the other pic and made more of a narative out of it. if it was my pic then i would crop off above the police thingy as its distracting from the main points of the picture and there isnt much happening there except grass.

third, is the randomness of the drain. its good that youve used the source picture obviously but it seems to be there with no purpose. if you need to, make it overly big so you lose realism but can see whats in the drain.

fourth, yes the lighting is different. Just brighten the mid tones up in levels and it may solve the problem.other than that im not sure, im not big on lighting.

In terms of enhancing it, you could add some atmosphere, some extra details or subtle changes which usually make all the difference.

the things you did right:

some kind of story going on in the picture which is always good. good intergration of the drain and you tried to intergrate the hobbits which many people don't.

as things go, you doing pretty well. you only pick up the finer points after you spend a long time on this site i think. definately a good start to your portfolio, everyone starts bad remember that. also, if you want more votes and comments then people seem to be more leanient in the non-prize contests, and the chances are they can tell you where youve gone right and wrong.

keep up the good work and dont expect everything to come to you instantly. we're here to help

that's it

ahhh cheers Armo, I can save my fingers now, you covered all the basics there pal

y$ea we shouild cop$y it as a beguinner tut what iu thuinjk mods ?.

thanks everyone for the replies and as you say i should of waited until it was over

one thing puzzled me you said

how do i tell if its an anonymous contest??





i noticed that about quality but that was actually the best picture of all 4 i could find on the net, really should of taken my own dvd down off the shelf and cut from that but i didnt really think of it at the time and it only came to me after reading this post.



i thought about making the drain bigger but it would of taken up most of the screen and was going to put in a magnifiying glass to exand that section but i forgot


anyway thank you for the positives as well and your right i hope to improve my pictures and any or all comments can only help

watch out for my next one as i hope to improve on what i already have produced.

monday and tuesdays comps are annonymous, they are special prize filled days of magical and intrigue woooooooo ...ahem, yes

totally agree, woot for magic

I think you did a great job with your entry. I am a bigginner too and I know how hard it is to figure out all the tricks.

cheers for that i have just looked at some of your stuff and the globe/ball is great hope i can get to that sort of level someday

I started choppin' about one year ago. And it just gets better every day, just keep on choppin' and you'll get there. As I looked at some of the chops here on PSC I feel like there is allot te learn for me and thats why I joined. I think the people here realy motivate me. So good look, and I hope to see more of your work soon.