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DiamondHoofbeats — The Story of my Life
Published: 2013-12-01 00:53:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 909; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 2
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Description
The story of my lifeI take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm
Time taken: only 20-13 min
Program: PSE 11
Tools: Macbook Pro and Wacom Bamboo Tablet w/ pen
Horse: *Colourize-Stock
BG: Burtn
Art (c) DiamondHoofbeats
DO NOT: claim, use, or post anywhere off of DA
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Comments: 18
The first thing that really stands out to me is the Shadow. It throws of the whole image. The positioning is off and the depth is too much. The background is your main focus to get these right. Study the background substantially before starting any work. This will help you with the lighting so much.
The horses angle to me seems off, but that could be because of the shadow placement. To me it seems his butt is almost in the snow. The shadow would need to be more under the horse and very little.
The mane also stands out to me, it seems too dark and very desaturated. Try picking colours from the horse or background to get the right colouring. Avoid using pure white and pure blacks as these just dont work. Also using soft edged brushes to draw in a base help to get a softer look. Use big brushes for a base and get smaller as you get into more detail, mostly ending on using the 3px and 1px brushes.
Hopefully this helps for when you come to do your next manip.
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The first two things that spring into my eyes are the shadow and the horse itself. This is a very obvious photomanipulation, which I don't really want to see happen. If I see a manipulation, I want to think it's real for a while, not immediately think: "This is shopped"
The overall background photo is pretty low in contrast and color, a somewhat bleak image. However, if you look at the horse itself it has a lot more color: you can see some distinct shadows on the horse that shouldn't be, because the background image has no sources anywhere near the horse. The background image also has some fog in the distance, thus subtracting more light that shouldn't be on the horse.
Another very glaring thing is the lack of feathering on the horse, if you look down at its legs you see some very white edges around it's legs, most notable at the shadow. Because it blends is extremely badly, this also detracts from the overall picture quality.
Overall this picture does not have much going for it: the composition is a bit cliché, although it does have some dynamic to it by placing the subject somewhat off-center. However, the picture gets killed off when we get to the technical side of things with the photo.
My recommendation on improving the picture would be to lower the contrast on the horse, maybe subtract some color from it and fix up the really jagged edges.
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Ok! let me begin the critique
Vision:
I gave you 4 stars for vision because, you preserved the image. It has a great quality and everything is very clear. This is a very tricky background in which you need to find the perfect horse that must fit. I like your equine stock choice its fits good.
Originality:
I gave you 3 and a half star because this manip isn't unique, you'll probably find a dozen of other winter manips with white horses etc. You should've added this special twist like a white owl or a wolf afar.
Technique:
I gave you 3 stars for your technique because it just needs some work. I recommend theses tutorials and by going through them you'll find the one that suits you best.
www.deviantart.com/?qh=§io…
Visit this link ^
Impact:
4 and half stars because I believe this is meaningful manip, you have a good title and a good quote that makes the watchers fell what the picture is all about.
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This is really good picture. I like the horse, which is correctly positioned cca in the 2/3 of the shot. It is always good when the central theme isn´t in the middle of the shot, in my opinion it looks odd. I fell in love with the stream, it has such a nice colour and I like that trees reflecting in the water. I love horses, especially white. And this one is amazingly white! I also love character of this shot. There is not too much colours, but it is calm and romantic.
However, you should be careful with cutting from other shot. When I look at the horse´s legs, I can see some remains of the original photo. I would add more shadows under its hooves, it looks like floating in the air. My excuze if it was in purpose. The signature should be smaller and I would put it to the bottom coroner of the picture. And finally, you missed a little bit of its mane on its back while you were adjusting it. But is is just a detail.
The whole shot looks great! I hope I didn´t offend you.It is just my opinion( And sorry for my English.). Live long and happily!
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Never worry about offending me, I love all critiques! Thanks for the pointers, and I think I know how to improve on them.
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You are very welcome 
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Very nice. I like how all of the colors just sort of blend into one another.
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I love this song so much!
Directioner?
You did an amazing job with this!!
I freaked out upon seeing the title xD
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Yes, of course I am a directioner
I appreciate it
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DIRECTIONER BUDDYS!!
hug:
It's no problem
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It's a really cozy scene, the grey sky and white snow and horse goes well together. However try to think about light sources and where the shadows will fall, as the shadow from the horse is placed too far behind it. If you look at the dark spot on the ground right behind it's hind legs, which is several meters behind the horse, when it should be directly under it beneath its hooves. But also note that the shadow cast would be very very faint, as it's cloudy and the light source is very weak. Try to look at how shadows are cast in reality and especially how they look like when it's cloudy in contrast to a strong sun, and take your time and analyze the picture thoroughly to see how the shadows are falling in it before adding new items to it. Shadows are at least to me a big part of what makes a photomanip realistic and well done, so it is what I would really look into if I was doing more if it, at least
Good luck and keep up the good work!
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Thanks haha I thought of you while making jt
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LOLOOOOOOOOOOOOLOLLOLOLOLOL.
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