GT6 Photomode Photographers Q&A #17 - ARC74

[NBDESIGNZ]

Great interview! (as expected)

I'm actually working on a quick tuto for my basic editing steps, just need to find a bit more free time to finalize it, but I hope to get it done by next week or so.

 

[Aphelion]

Lee, thanks so much for that editing technique! And the incredible read! I tried some of those techniques in this picture:

(don't worry, i stopped posting huge photos )

Thanks again lee! That sharpening technique is better than anything i have used before, that's for sure.

P.S. those pets are adorable.

 

[Kodje]

Thanks a lot for this excellent read Lee. As expected was a real pleasure to go deeper in your work and thoughts. And as expected also I've learned some new tips I will try to use !
And great nomination too, I can't wait to read Markus Q&A version 👍

 

[Stopforpetrol]

Lee you have the Skills brother !!

Thank you for replying with the 'To Tame A Land' tutorial and I for one like your "Dreamy " images !
You & Jeremy, Nicolas etc. have all your own styles and that is what we like to see.

Thank you for finishing up so quick ( Guess you did work on it and finished yesterday)

Now I agree 100% with Markus as the next candidate

Cheers

 

[Giulietta73]

Awesome interview, cheers Lee. Now I must see about getting hold of Photoshop!!!

Thanks for sharing

PS, I'd particularly like the Liverpool waterfront as a phototravel location too:tup: Also the docks where they filmed This Morning with R&J in the background!!! Happy days!

 

[leeislee]

Great interview! (as expected)

I'm actually working on a quick tuto for my basic editing steps, just need to find a bit more free time to finalize it, but I hope to get it done by next week or so.

That's great news. i'm looking forward to reading it.

Lee, thanks so much for that editing technique! And the incredible read! I tried some of those techniques in this picture:
View attachment 313008
(don't worry, i stopped posting huge photos )

Thanks again lee! That sharpening technique is better than anything i have used before, that's for sure.

P.S. those pets are adorable.

Thanks man, glad you like it.

Thanks a lot for this excellent read Lee. As expected was a real pleasure to go deeper in your work and thoughts. And as expected also I've learned some new tips I will try to use !
And great nomination too, I can't wait to read Markus Q&A version 👍

👍

Lee you have the Skills brother !!

Thank you for replying with the 'To Tame A Land' tutorial and I for one like your "Dreamy " images !
You & Jeremy, Nicolas etc. have all your own styles and that is what we like to see.

Thank you for finishing up so quick ( Guess you did work on it and finished yesterday)

Now I agree 100% with Markus as the next candidate

Cheers

👍

Awesome interview, cheers Lee. Now I must see about getting hold of Photoshop!!!

Thanks for sharing

PS, I'd particularly like the Liverpool waterfront as a phototravel location too:tup: Also the docks where they filmed This Morning with R&J in the background!!! Happy days!

Just don't mention Fred Talbot nowadays!

 

[Giulietta73]

Just don't mention Fred Talbot nowadays!

Yeah, was all too conscious of the bloke on the map in 'friendly' jumpers!!!👎

 

[MoMo PeeZero]

Mr. Lee, I don't possess 1/8th of the talent you hold. You have been dropping my jaw since '12. Your photos lend an air of credibility I could argue forever to the assumption that your photos are, for lack of a better word...

1) Art.

2) The product of elevated consciousness.

3) And realer than the most celebrated actual photos I've come across.

Some take a turn towards the surreal, but underneath, as far as I can see, they actually happened. IMO

In my mind, you are so good, I shudder to think what you truly think of my work. (Don't wanna know)

But, I digress...I love ALL of your work. It makes one think. A hard feat considering the subject matter. And that BMW is proof positive why you see all the subtle nuances that go into a great photo. Details, details.

Your gallery is wonderful. You are a gift that keeps on giving.👍 Continue to inspire us all...

 

[Pollux458]

Mr. Lee, I don't possess 1/8th of the talent you hold. You have been dropping my jaw since '12. Your photos lend an air of credibility I could argue forever to the assumption that your photos are, for lack of a better word...

1) Art.

2) The product of elevated consciousness.

3) And realer than the most celebrated actual photos I've come across.

Some take a turn towards the surreal, but underneath, as far as I can see, they actually happened. IMO

In my mind, you are so good, I shudder to think what you truly think of my work. (Don't wanna know)

But, I digress...I love ALL of your work. It makes one think. A hard feat considering the subject matter. And that BMW is proof positive why you see all the subtle nuances that go into a great photo. Details, details.

Your gallery is wonderful. You are a gift that keeps on giving.👍 Continue to inspire us all...

What else is there to say that hasn't already been said, awesome read, I'm really keen to try out question 11.

In my mind, you are so good, I shudder to think what you truly think of my work. (Don't wanna know)

I think we all are scared of what lee truly thinks of our work, but in my opinion I don't think I've ever seen a flaw in you work momo.
But anyway thanks for the read lee. Im very keen for the next Q and A.

 

[proby458]

Well, it's finally good to read what the master has to say on all aspects of GT6.

I agree with you on the overall content within the game, and as you said GT7 had better be good if we are going to stay here.

As many have said, your work is absolutely incredible and you blow my mind everytime you post a new work of art.

Also great choice for the next interviewee!

 

[KING OF SKULLS]

Great interview Lee. Always nice to read about the magic you use, to make most of us feel untalented.


What a great excitement to be nominated by the creator himself. Since the first interwiew, back in the good old GT5 times, i dreamed of being a part of this.
I hope i can manage to translate my german thoughts into proper english in the next days.

Markus

 

[leeislee]

Mr. Lee, I don't possess 1/8th of the talent you hold. You have been dropping my jaw since '12. Your photos lend an air of credibility I could argue forever to the assumption that your photos are, for lack of a better word...

1) Art.

2) The product of elevated consciousness.

3) And realer than the most celebrated actual photos I've come across.

Some take a turn towards the surreal, but underneath, as far as I can see, they actually happened. IMO

In my mind, you are so good, I shudder to think what you truly think of my work. (Don't wanna know)

But, I digress...I love ALL of your work. It makes one think. A hard feat considering the subject matter. And that BMW is proof positive why you see all the subtle nuances that go into a great photo. Details, details.

Your gallery is wonderful. You are a gift that keeps on giving.👍 Continue to inspire us all...

Wow Mo, your comments always make people smile. So many kind words too. Thanks dude.

What else is there to say that hasn't already been said, awesome read, I'm really keen to try out question 11.

I think we all are scared of what lee truly thinks of our work, but in my opinion I don't think I've ever seen a flaw in you work momo.
But anyway thanks for the read lee. Im very keen for the next Q and A.

I truly think that the talent on this forum scares me. How can so many people create so many gorgeous pictures?

Well, it's finally good to read what the master has to say on all aspects of GT6.

I agree with you on the overall content within the game, and as you said GT7 had better be good if we are going to stay here.

As many have said, your work is absolutely incredible and you blow my mind everytime you post a new work of art.

Also great choice for the next interviewee!

Thanks man

Great interview Lee. Always nice to read about the magic you use, to make most of us feel untalented.


What a great excitement to be nominated by the creator himself. Since the first interwiew, back in the good old GT5 times, i dreamed of being a part of this.
I hope i can manage to translate my german thoughts into proper english in the next days.

Markus

Markus i know how highly people here think of your work and if we can get any hint of how you create your pictures it'll be a help to us all. I'm looking forward to your interview.

 

[Aphelion]

Wow Mo, your comments always make people smile. So many kind words too. Thanks dude.

I think we ought to have a thread dedicated to heartwarming 'Gary' quotes

 

[mazda787]

Great read 👍

 

[Metalsun]

Thanks leeislee, for sharing your opinions and giving us a little more insight on your artistic process. I too consider your work very beautiful leaving me with a sense of awe sometimes bordering on jealousy. This is my TOP favorite of your work. When I saw this photo the first time, almost 2 years ago, I said to myself, “Who is this guy and how could I do something like that?”

​

Curiously, I’ve learned a lot since then but never have done a weather edit (my "Friday the 13th" edit doesn't really count)! I guess, until I believe I can match something like that, it will have to wait. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. This is the driving force that you and other great members of this community have provided and challenged me to learn more about photo manipulation, composition and to eventually finding my niche/style. A very fun journey that I have had the privilege to share with you and the other artist. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

 

[leeislee]

​

1, How about an introduction?
Hi my name is Markus. I'm 42 years old, live in Hanover in the north of Germany with my girlfriend and we recently moved into a bigger apartment together. I work as a carpenter in a exhibition stand construction company for nearly three years now.
I've been creative as long as i can remember. As a kid I had a great passion in Lego, done a lot of drawings, building stuff, and always had crazy ideas. Later I explored my world through the camera lense.

I played all kinds of videogames but must say that the racing genre is the one I'm most interested in. The first racing game I played for a long time was Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge & Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 on the Amiga 500 and since the japanese import version of GT1 came out in 1997, my heart belongs to the GT series.
A few years later I started painting and sculpting Warhammer miniatures and became quite good at it. Now I'm here, taking images in my most favorite game and try to master all the aspects the photomode and post editing has to offer.

2, What keeps you coming back to the GTP Photomode Forums?
The sheer density of talented and creative people. I really love being a part of this community, sharing my art, inspiring others, being inspired by them and getting to know other addicts from all over the world. I met many very nice people in the forums which always come along with great feedback.

Sorry I don't write that much in the forum, but it is a real hard for me to write down my thoughts in English.

3, What where you looking forward to the most before GT6 was released?
When I saw the first trailer I really hoped it would be a premiumized version of GT5. I was keen on the new physic engine, the overall enhanced look and more premium cars, but I thought it would keep all the features from GT5. My bad.

4, Of all the new cars in GT6, which one is your favourite and why?
I really like the VGT cars although they didn't reinvented the wheel with their concepts (except for the Chaparral 2X which has a groundbreaking design!!!). Also the KTM X-Bow and the Light Car Company Rocket are a great addition because they have such a great handling and this unique look.

​

5, Which of the new locations is your favourite and why?
There is none I prefer. They are all good for photoshooting, depending on the situation I have in mind.
But for racing I really love the Brands Hatch track. I already knew this from NFS Shift and it's diffucult to master and very rewarding if you do. It always reminds me of the Monza track with evaluation changes.

6, Is there any feature, that isn't in the game, that you would have liked to see?
Yes. For the photomode I would like to have more control in the replays. Like in "Dirt" where you can go back and forth, even slowmo, just to get the perfect position of the car. Furthermore it is fun to have the ability to slowmotion a spectacular scene while watching the replay.

Also a new filter would be nice, like the miniature filter, just without the blurring. I really love the enhanced contrast and colours of the miniature filter, but the limited sharpness is annoying sometimes.

What has to be changed are the shutter speeds. It doesn't make sense to me to have a one sec shutter speed in the photo locations. And on the other hand it's limited to 1/60 in the replay photomode, where you COULD produce beautiful nightshots with longer exposure times. Just give us photographers ALL features of a modern DSLR camera!

Tuning and customisation wise I'm jealous of the Forza series. Liveries, individual paints, changeable tire width & pressure, etc............

7, What car, which isn't in the game, would you like to have included in GT6?
The Citroen DS and the Volvo Amazon are my all time favorites. Would be a dream to have them in the game (premium of course).

8, Could you share a location that you'd love to see added to GT6?

Give us back our Kyoto!!!​

Plus the other old photomode locations GT5/GT4 and all the missing tracks from GT4 and everything would be just perfect.

]
​

9, Could you talk us through one of your GT6 pictures from start to finish?
I really would like to give you a detailed walktrough, but my editing is more than chaotic. The techniques I use are very common stuff, maybe best described as a few from all I have learned here.

When I take pictures in the game, I get inspired by things I see here in the photomode forums, from things I came across in real life and any kind of art I found on the web. Normally, I'm aiming for situations that are unusual, hoping to suprise the viewer with new perspectives. Or I do the same within the restrictions of a competition, which is easier sometimes.
It takes me a lot of time to get the right shot as I don't do series anymore. I end up with one to four shots per session, which are then edited in photoshop.

I always start by adding my black bars. It gives the image a nice movie like format, but the main reason is that I'm too lazy to remove the GT watermark. When I take pictures in the game I need to pay attention to that.

Normally I use all kinds of adjustment layers like curves, brightness and contrast, selective color etc. to enhance the depth and lighting of the image.
Then I adjust the toning via gradient map in a new adjustment layer. I modify them indiviually when needed and save them. This way I have a library of tonings to select from. The layer blending mode for the maps depends on the effect I like to have. I often repeat the process during the editing with other maps.
For toning I also use a lot of "tints", colours on a soft light/screen layer with around 30% opacity.

To enhance the details I use the sharpening techniques I'll describe later and the old school dodge and burn tool at a very low exposure of around 8-10%.

After each step I merge the image and do a new adjusment and so on. In the past I stacked all layers, but I found out that they affect one another depending on the order. I think it is better to edit in small steps and to see if the effect is an advantage or not.

For me every picture is a unicum to work with. I always try out new things and often the image itself leads me to the result.

Sorry that I couldn't give you better insight informations about my editing, but I have no idea how to describe my methods because I have no repeatable process. I have no unique style, like most of you guys. I would describe it as 'anarchistic creativity'!

Best to let the images speak for themselves. Here are some before/after pics:

​

10, How about giving us a mini tutorial on any aspect of photographing in GT6?
There is an important technique to make your pictures sharp and right in focus I heard of a while ago from @Giulietta73. Many of you will know this, but it might help people which struggle (or wonder how) to shoot a well focused and crispy photo.

Put the auto focus mark onto the closest point of your subject and lower the F-Number to 1.0. Hit the button for the auto focus. Now you can raise the F-Number up to the point where you're pleased with the depth of field.

After some experiments I found an improvement of this technique. Instead of hitting the auto focus from your final point of view, you zoom all the way to the closest point of the subject, set the F-number to 1.0, auto focus and zoom out again to your estimated display detail.

The reason behind this is you a) don't lose any sharpness if you adjust your focus length (because you already have focused on the highest focus length), and you b) have the correct depth of field, which isn't the case when you focus from further away.

Below is a comparsion of both methods. The images to the left are focused from further away and to the right if zoomed in. As you can see if you zoom in with the first method you get a blurred image and you have to auto focus again. With the second one you don't have to.

Important note: You need to repeat the process everytime you change your camera position.

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11, Can you give us a mini tutorial on any aspect of editing?
As you learned above, the right use of the auto focus function in the photomode gives you a good base to have a sharp image. There are several ways to enhance the sharpness in post editing.
I used the sharpening tools in Lightroom for a while, but I think you can get more controlled results in photoshop.
One method I explored in photography tutorials on the web is to use the custom filter. You can find it under Filter->Other->Custom. The custom filter is very confusing because you have only 25 fields in which you put numbers in (and a scale/offset factor). These can be positive, or negative. The effects can be very dramatic, but a good start is to know that if the sum of all numbers is 2, the effect is quite normal. Everything above 2 makes the image brighter and below 2 darker. The higher the single numbers are, the more contrast you will get. Here are my settings:

Before & After

I do this filter in a duplicated layer with a lighten blending option of around 70-80 %, or I just adjust the brightness because the setting darkens the image a bit.

Another method is the smart sharpen filter you probably know. In the settings you can define very precisely how strong your highlights, shadows, and the overall contrast will be. You can overdo the effect pretty easily. It's recommended to do this on a duplicated layer and adjust the layer opacity/fill if you like.
Again here are my settings:

I adjust the amount in the sharpen window (between 20-35%), depending on the image.

12, What part of photography/editing do you need to improve on and why?
That is easy: HDR! I always admire Jérémys (@Kodje) marvelous images (just look at this BRZ down below ) and I really love to learn this.
Another thing I have to learn are the hotkeys in photoshop, it's very time consuming clicking from one button to the other, but I think I will not manage that in this lifetime.

What I need to improve is to stop thinking too much. I often become frustated without taking any picture because I put myself under pressure to get the perfect shot. I then need to remember to be more intuitive. (My girlfriend perfectly agrees and keeps telling me all the time.)

13, Do you ever see a picture and think "How did they do that?". Which GTPlanet photomode members picture would you like to know more about?
In the beginning of my GT photography I thought this about nearly every edited picture.
One picture left me mouth open and drooling lately:

Image by Kodje​

Jérémy told he done a "...light HDR process..." before the editing............but HOW? Why is it so intense, so clean, so much better then most I've seen before? Tell us, please!

14, Do you have any words of wisdom or anything else you can share to inspire the rest of us?
Be creative in all aspects! Be interested in all kinds of art! There is so much inspiration, so much to learn from traditional art like painting, sculpting, or drawing.
The more different techniques you know, the better. Look for tutorials from painters, real life photographers, or digital artists.
Learn the basics. Every grand master of art started with learning anything about colours, shadow and lights, anatomy, forms and materials. This also applies to photography and digital post editing. And, just as everyone else tells you: Practice, practice, practice!

But the most important thing is to have fun. Create art YOU like and don't try to compare your work with the work of others.

One last thing I want to say to the many new people who just started posting their images here in the photomode forum: Don't get frustrated or give up if you don't get any likes or comments. Sometimes it is a long way to get any kind of recognition, I know what I'm talking about. Just be persistent and true to yourself. Ask questions if you need help and try to learn from others.

15, Finally, Who would you like to nominate for the next Q&A session and why?
There's one guy missing since the very first interview back in GT5 times. He always was a huge inspiration for me and I was wondering why nobody nominated him until now.
I'm talking about Ricardo, better known as @zzz_pt! In my opinion he became a legend with his incredible 80+ Huayra interior pano and I really want to know more about his way of art.




A huge THANK YOU to all of you for being my inspiration, for the positive feedback you give me, and for being awesome.

​

And a special thank you to my girlfriend for taking the time to help me with my English.

Cheers
Markus

 

[zzz_pt]

1- Such a great interview Markus! Your character really shines through each and every single one of your answers.

2- Very nice tips on the focus and the sharpening methods in PS.

3- I agreed with you about the HDR and the breathtaking work of Jérémy.

4- I'm feeling a great pressure now. After such a great interview, I will have to dedicate quite some time to deliver at least a "not so bad" one myself.

5- As I told you already, it's a pleasure to know I inspired you somehow. I don't even know how's that possible. But anyway, thank you for your kind words.

 

[leeislee]

Markus that was a brilliant interview. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

 

[Kodje]

Thanks a lot for this great interview Markus. Was a real pleasure to read it 👍 No doubt it's one of the best Q&A I've read. As Ricardo said, was also a real pleasure to have a better view on your passions and your feelings. I have to say I've also play hte Lotus game on Amiga when I was a kid and if I've only played a couple of time to Warhamme Battle and W40k I've played during a long time to the Warhammer RPG

Thx also for nominating Ricardo, I can't wait to read his answers ! Take your time and give us a great interview Ricardo !

Thx a million to you two for your comments about my Predator pic, I will try to do a mini tuto about it (more than the "simple" light HDR treatment before... )

And finally thx once more to Lee for creating this thread, I still think it's one of the best thread in this forum !

 

[KING OF SKULLS]

Thank you so much guys for the nice feedback!!!

 

[D-Mind]

Inspiring read @KING OF SKULLS!

 

[NBDESIGNZ]

Very nice interview Markus and nice to have a closer look on your editing techniques.

 

[KING OF SKULLS]

Glad you like it and thanks!

 

[Metalsun]

I'm taking notes KING OF SKULLS, thanks for the tips.

 

[Aphelion]

@zzz_pt , I hope you are writing this thing up man!

 

[GPR]

Just caught up with this. Very nicely done Markus. It's good to know more about you and you've certainly earned your place as a great editor I think. Your process is interesting, I always find it fascinating to see how everyone apporaches things a little differently.

Sounds like you've always been creative and have skills in many areas, more than me. That's pretty awesome. Was a great read. I hope you are continued to be inspired by many and keep creating great pieces to share with everyone as we all inspire each other. I for one enjoy your work, on more than one occassion I've thought 'wow' in my head when seeing some of your edited pieces. 👍

Also your english seems pretty darn good to me and I couldn't agree more with that choice of Jérémys shot, it's killer. 👍



@zzz_pt Come on mate, hope you're busy writing yours up, very much looking forward to it.

 

[leeislee]

As soon as i get the interview from @zzz_pt i'll put it up. It's gonna be a great read.

 

[KING OF SKULLS]

@GPR Thank you very much for your feedback George! I'm very happy that you like my art. That means a lot to me!

And yes, come on Ricardo @zzz_pt i also can't wait to read your interview.

It's good to see this thread is back on the first page. 👍

 

[zzz_pt]

Hi guys! I've part of the interview written already but I've been busy lately. As some of you know, I'm in Hamburg (alone) since January and it's been quite an adventure. I'm constantly trying to find another place to move (I'm in the 3rd place already) and in the last month I had to take care of paperwork both related to my stay here in Germany as well as tax related stuff back in Portugal. My girlfriend also came for a visit and so part of my weekends just disapear!

I'll try to finish it as soon as I can because I too wanna see the thread going.

It won't be as complete as I wanted it to be because I don't have my PC nor my PS3 here with me... I'll try to bring at least the PS3 in May since I'll be in Portugal for a week.

I really miss being more active and interacting with you guys.

 

[ShadowPeter]

This is still active or not??

anyway

Nice interview @KING OF SKULLS ! 👍