Merging photos of a model with a background photo.

[jeaton01]

I messed about with a Beaufighter on a photo of a British hardstand, modern photo so the weeds aren't quite right. Making it look realistic is not that simple. I know the model is not quite from the right perspective, I just used one from my website, but the lighting and the relative exposure and contrast really seem to be important.

Three different takes, which is more believable?

[Stikpusher]

The lighting doesn’t match… the undersides are too well illuminated, and the lack of shadow beneath the aircraft also makes the pasting more noticeable. Is there anyway to counteract those points with the app?

[speedgraflex]

What Carlos wrote, in particular about the lack of shadow, applies. It would be better to build a small base, photograph model on base with the sunlight angle clearly defined, and use the shadow from the actual model. The aircraft casts a distinctive shadow. Also the color is not correctly balanced for an outdoor setting. By dumping the color, adding contrast and painting in a shadow I have this edit:



I did not paint the shadow neatly, but left overspray. I do this type of work professionally so I often have to create a quick test piece to show how the elements come together. That’s what I’ve done here.

[jeaton01]

Excellent, Bruce! And I agree, the bottom was too well lit, as Carlos commented. It would be simpler to photograph on a base, and in any event I think a single source of illumination similar to where the sun was in the background is the way to go. However, I wanted to do this one for a starting point as I am not a good enough photographer to figure it all out in advance.

Yes, I think I could use the shadow in the original photograph, Carlos, but I would have to figure out a way to turn it into a neutral and semitransparent mask instead of the blue backdrop. Here's the original image of the model. Corel Photopaint is that smart but to date I am not. And once again the shadow should agree with the light source of the other shadows in the background.