Brutal Honesty Needed

Composites is an area I struggle with, but think I finally got the hair situation under control now. I'm not so concerned with posing and stuff. I'm more concerned with this looking real vs. copy/paste fake look. Give me some good feedback please.

Smaller version

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/wolf911/6154009​669/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/wolf911/6154009​669/

The composite work itself is OK ... I don't see any glaring issues (and I'm impressed that you got the hair so cleanly cut out). But it looks like the background is at a different angle than the perspective from which the shot was taken, if that makes any sense, and it just seems very distracting.

Pretty girl, and a nice photo of her.

Two things that pop out on the composite for me. One is the colors/lighting of the background compared to the subject...they just don't match. A photo filter in photoshop might help. It might also help to create some type of light source using the render lighting effect under the filters section. Second is that she is floating off the ground, which makes it look like an obvious composite. Best bet would be to find a different background that would match the perspective or crop her somehow...going to be difficult with this pose.

Upon closer inspection of the larger image I'm noticing a lot of masking issues...might want to cut her out again from scratch. If you have CS5 they have some awesome tutorials in the help section regarding the selection tool and the refine edges option.

Hope this helps.

rpaul wrote in post #13116002
The composite work itself is OK ... I don't see any glaring issues (and I'm impressed that you got the hair so cleanly cut out). But it looks like the background is at a different angle than the perspective from which the shot was taken, if that makes any sense, and it just seems very distracting.

Thanks, I understand what you are saying, probably not the best background to use.

eldiablo wrote in post #13116012
Pretty girl, and a nice photo of her.

Two things that pop out on the composite for me. One is the colors/lighting of the background compared to the subject...they just don't match. A photo filter in photoshop might help. It might also help to create some type of light source using the render lighting effect under the filters section. Second is that she is floating off the ground, which makes it look like an obvious composite. Best bet would be to find a different background that would match the perspective or crop her somehow...going to be difficult with this pose.

Upon closer inspection of the larger image I'm noticing a lot of masking issues...might want to cut her out again from scratch. If you have CS5 they have some awesome tutorials in the help section regarding the selection tool and the refine edges option.

Hope this helps.

I hear ya on the pose, I might have to dig a bit further back to find a 3/4 shot to get away from the "floating". I'm still struggling with the refine edge settings. I didn't even think of the color difference, great point.

I like a 3/4 shot much better, yes?

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/wolf911/6154797​416/

phenomenal job on the hair! The 3/4 shot is better IMO but there seems to be some weirdness in the hair above her shoulder, almost like part of the original background is still there. There is also something on the inside of her legs.

I need to read up on some of the tutorials on how to do this, my attempts have totally sucked! lol

Redfire_Cobra wrote in post #13116708
phenomenal job on the hair! The 3/4 shot is better IMO but there seems to be some weirdness in the hair above her shoulder, almost like part of the original background is still there. There is also something on the inside of her legs.

I need to read up on some of the tutorials on how to do this, my attempts have totally sucked! lol

Not an easy task that is for sure, kudos to those that do it all the time. It's fun to learn tho

With the first picture, I find the crop above the head feels just a bit too tight. I think it might be nicer about the same distance as the elbow to the right side. The white undershirt I find distracting. The eye goes to the brightest thing in the picture first which is right there drawing attention to the cleavage that she is trying to hide with the undershirt which creates kind of a visual contradiction.

On the second one, you did an amazing job of replacing the background. There is a bit of a sharpening halo around the left leg of her pants but it is minor.

I love it!